Fantasy World of Arstider // Closed

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

"That's probably a good idea. Might as well enjoy it while we have it. I hate to think of this place getting raided though." This was the place Aspen called his home, it was his livelihood. Aspen was innocent in all this, just a regular citizen that got dragged in this mess because he was friends with Neve. So maybe it was a compliment that that they were drinking him out of house and home? His eyes drifted over to Ash and Asher as they walked in, a small smirk forming on his face when he seen how bruised they were. "Yeah yeah yeah, I hope you guys feel better now." River poured some more of the alcohol in two mugs before passing them out. As they explained the game he took a sip of the liquid.

Ash and Astoria started to speak about a drinking game and River was already feeling tipsy. Marxine rolled and she took her three drinks, then Ember came back with homemade ice packs and rolled her dice. She was the first to roll six and her question nearly floored River. He hated thinking of anything to do with her exile. No one should have been done wrong like that, yet one of the closest people to him was exiled. And it was all his father and her mother fault! "I'll roll next. I need a drink if we're switching to this topic." Quickly River took the dice from the table and rolled a five, quickly chugging whatever was left in the mug.

River sat the mug on the table before he topped off everyone's mugs. River shot an apologetic look over at Marxine as the tipsy man crossed his arms over his chest. He had done his best to stop her exile and studied for years to overturn it, though he was sure Marxine had no clue about everything he had tried. In the end he failed and Marxine must have seen him as a failure of a friend and that broke him up inside.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Hashing it out with Ash relieved all the stress weighing on his shoulders. They settled their wrongs and talked it out with both words and fists. Asher completely understood where Ash came from, he had always been the protective friend of Astoria's. "I won't hurt her, that goes against everything I stand for." With that small bit of reassurance Asher joined Ash as he joined the others upstairs. "Hey." As Ash sat on the floor near Astoria and in front of the table they all sat around. Gently he looked back and shone a reassuring smile at Astoria, wanting her to know that everything was okay now.

The Vesnians spoke of a game and Asher couldn't help but smile and nod. A drinking game would be the perfect thing to relax everyone, it had been clear everyone else had been drinking in their absence. "I' love a good drinking game. Sounds fun." Marxine rolled and took her drinks, Ember walked back from the kitchen and handed both him and Ash a cloth covering smashed ice. "Oh, thanks Ember." He winced and placed the ice on his eye, watching as the girl rolled her dice to a six. The question however made Asher uneasy. The exile was something he never approved of., Asher wasn't the lead guard back then, and he was sure even if he was no one would have listened to him. It was a bullshit reason though, and he had always assumed their was some political agenda behind it.

It seemed that he wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the question. River instantly rolled his dice before he chugged down the burning liquid in the mug. He remembered that River did raise his voice during the trial towards his father but, alas, nothing came of it. "Well the Gods had overruled the exile and made her our Autumn Queen. And soon we'll all be able to return to our own respective Kingdoms and start our new lives. Surely that's something to be positive about, right?" Asher didn't want Marxine to relive that day again. His job was to protect these people, he didn't want to see them be torn up inside.

Asher quickly rolled the dice himself and sighed quietly. "Four." The four drinks were welcomed as River filled his cup, quickly downing the drink.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

The game rather quickly took a turn for the worse and Marxine felt her stomach drop. This was something she knew would come up eventually and honestly something she wanted to talk to River about but she wasn't ready. Though she did have to admit that the alcohol was helping her nerves a bit but holy hell. A few of the others quickly seemed to react badly to Ember's question, one of them being River which only made her shift uncomfortably in her chair. Marxine never wanted to be angry at him, what happened wasn't his fault but... gods she went five years with nothing from him. Someone who was one of the most important people in her life, someone who she thought she mattered too as well...

"Good question Ember." Marxine chuckled nervously before sitting up in the chair and finishing off her drink in the same manner as River. Asher also quickly took his turn and spoke up about the hopefully soon positive side of things but it didn't really take her mind away from the current dread she was reliving. "Uh, long story short I guess I was exiled because I wouldn't break a promise to my mother and River's father never quite liked me."

The alcohol she had just chugged started to hit and the words started to fall out of her mouth without control, "Though I suppose the games rules call for more explanation right?"" Marxine grabbed one of the bottles and poured herself another mug before continuing, "When my mother got sick, when she was really bad she asked me to make her a promise. She had always hated the toxicity of royalty, was scared I would fall into it like she had seen others do. But her and my father were always happy... at least from what I remember." Marxine started to zone out a bit as she spoke, clutching the mug with both of her hands. "Anyways uh, she promised me that I would marry someone who made me happy, someone who would be my other half." Her voice trailed off as she remembered the conversation. It was embarrassing how badly she had misunderstood what romance was at a young age but to her, back then... River was that person. She asked her mother if she meant someone like River and her mother had smiled and laughed. It was a memory she had cherished until her exile tainted it.

"Fast forward a few years and step mommy wants me married off so I'm less of a hassle, she wanted to send me to some guy in Inverno and convince my father that they could have another heir, that I never wanted the throne anyways. Which I really didn't, not that badly anyways. I-I said no, that I wouldn't because I made a promise. I-I begged my father to allow me to choose and leave on my own but the idea was shot down by the other party." Marxine hoped that sufficed because as she started to focus again she noticed tears welling in her eyes and shaking hands. God she was still so fucking angry. "I-who's next?" She tipped back her mug to hide her face before going silent and sinking back into her chair.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Tori had initially shot down his idea which made him pout slightly but it seemed she quickly changed his mind, causing his eyes to light up a but as Marxine moved to grab the die and start the game. "Oh it's loads of fun, especially after a few rounds when everyone is trashed. Plus later this evening, it'll make sleeping in this drafty place a breeze!" Ash shot a goofy grin towards the group in response to Asher's comment before turning to Ember as she placed the ice pack on his face. His goofy grin settled into a soft one as he thanked her softly, placing his hand over hers as he took over holding onto the pack.

The game started and it quickly took a turn for the serious. "Wow Ember, straight for the big ones." Ash rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand and watched as River seemed to fold in on himself and Marxine went pale. "I mean this is good! If we are all going to be continuing down this path together, it's important to be open with each other right?" Ash leaned towards the table after River and Asher quickly took their turns.

After Asher spoke, Marxine went into her answer and Ash decided to take his turn in silence as he listened. He rolled and took his 2 drinks before gently tossing the die over to Tori as she was the last to go. Listening to Marxine's story was heartbreaking. He knew her exile was due to her refusal to marry but he never knew WHY she refused. "Shit Marxine, I'm sorry that happened to you. I feel terrible to admit some of us have made our fair share of comments about not really understanding why you would refuse but... I get it now. Shit." Ash really didn't know what to say. Honestly he felt kind of ashamed because it felt so horrible to hear that she was going to be forced to marry without love but... wasn't he doing the same to Astoria? Being so over protective and possessive? It was slightly different he supposed because he DID love her like family but still.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

As Asher took his place near her and shot her a smile, Astoria felt the butterflies return to her stomach and she returned his gesture.

The game began and Astoria got comfortable where she sat, bending her legs and tucking her feet up under herself as she watched and sipped lightly at her drink. The mood changed quickly however with Ember's question, you could almost FEEL the change. Astoria on the other hand was just as curious as Ember was about the situation. Everyone knew about the disgraced princess but no one knew the truth behind her side, no one thought they would ever know. A few of the others spoke up to try and ease the tension but Tori simply sat back and waited.

Marxine began to tell everyone her story and as it went on Astoria noticed herself change her posture and lean forward in her chair a bit, one hand holding her mug while the other moved to rest gently against Asher's shoulder in front of her. A few weeks ago, honestly, Astoria would have heard this story and rolled her eyes at the foolishness of giving up the chance at a throne for a boy. But now, though it was now proven that Marxine didn't throw away anything, she could understand the idea. If tomorrow Tori was given the choice between a life with Asher and one as Queen, she would pick Asher, a boy she met not long ago. It was insane!

"I think that was very brave of you Marxine." Astoria spoke up as Ash tossed her the die and she held onto it for a few moments, taking the time to look over at the girl with a serious expression, pushing through the level of drunk that she was. "Really, when I was nineteen I would have never dreamed of defying my parents."

Astoria tossed the die on the table gently, rolling another six. "Oh, how about a light hearted question. R-River! When you were a child, what was your favorite game?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

The storm that Neve kicked up was not only impressive but wildly useful, it nearly completely hid them from any peering eyes and if a magical blizzard all through town wouldn't be a giant here we are sign, Aspen would have almost dared heading back to the tavern. Almost. Instead he carried on through the woods until they finally came upon the cabin. Once there he hopped off the horse and tied him up in the small stable that thankfully had plenty of hay for him to keep warm and fed. Aspen used his powers to fill the trough with water before closing the stable door behind him to protect the creature from the wind.

"Right, hopefully they don't screw anything up and just stay fucking put." Aspen grumbled and shook out his hair as they entered the cabin. Neither of them would get really cold in here due to their powers but he felt the need to get a fire going, more for comfort than anything, but as he went to start searching for anything to make a fire out of, his attention went to Neve and her arm.

"W-Woah. No way." Aspen stared wide eyed at her arm, it looked a thousand times better than it did near minutes ago. "There is still a bit of a wound though so keep it covered Neve. We may be immortal but we don't know the rule book, there could be exceptions and sepsis could be one." He smirked at her and ruffled her hair before turning back to the fireplace with a frown. There was no wood, no flint, no tinder. "Well I hope you weren't looking forward to a fire."

Aspen turned to look around the rest of the small cabin, there was a table and a broken chair against the wall and in the corner was a large bed with a trunk at the foot. Thankfully the bed was made, although dusty, and as he opened the chest he found more furs and blankets. "Neve you should take the bed, get some rest." He pulled two of the blankets from the trunk, placing one on the ground in front of the door and wrapping the other around his shoulders. "I'll lay here so if anyone tries to come in I'll wake up first."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

After one last look in the mirror she listened to Aspen and wrapped the cloth back around the remaining wound before shooting her cheeks heating slightly when he ruffled her hair. "Oh, I'm sure they'll stay put. Hopefully they found the alcohol and are easing that tension between Ash and Asher." Neve locked the door behind them and double checked that all the windows in the cabin were secured, though it was quite dark and she did notice that there was large bed. The cabin with only the two of them was quite spacious compared to the overcrowded bar with the group. As of late she spent most of the nights sleeping with one of the girls on one of the couches so she was looking forward to actually sleeping in the bed.

"We'll be fine without a fire- wait, what?" He was sleeping on the floor? "Don't be ridiculous. The bed is big enough and I'm sure it's far more comfortable than the floor. Plus we'll be warmer under those blankets." Sleeping in the same bed didn't make her so much as nervous at all. Neve was exhausted, ready for sleep, and she trusted Aspen with her life. Seeing him on the floor while she slept in the bed would have made her more uncomfortable than anything. After tossing her cloak on the table she crawled into the bed, buried herself under the blankets, and patting the other side of the bed to let him know she wasn't taking no for an answer. "Don't be weird about it."

--


As soon as the sun started to peek through the blinds of the Neve was up. A time or two when she was drunk she thought about seeing if their was ever more between the two of them but he had always turned down her advances....or he didn't realize she made them. Maybe she was bad at making advances, or maybe he was used to women doing it to him. Either way she didn't see this being their first night together, but she wasn't complaining. Sleeping next to him was nice. "Aspen, rise and shine. Let's go see if the others tore each other apart or not." She was also excited to see what secrets the diary had in it.

It wasn't long before Aspen and Neve were tucking away the horse in the barn near the bar. "Well, the bar looks like it's still standing." Her pale blue eyes looked at the familiar building as they walked to the door. Once inside she quickly ran up the stairs and shot everyone a smile. Everyone was still alive! "Morning all. I'll be real, I thought you two would strangle each other while we were gone. Proud. Good news we found what we need, bad news we have to leave. Let's get going." Quickly she grabbed a bag and started to stuff a few essentials in the bag. By the time she had the bag packed she walked back out to the living room, her heart stopping at the sound of the pounding of the door. "Shit."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

The question made everyone uncomfortable, that she was aware of, but they all wanted to know. Ash was right, it would just bring everyone closer if they knew! But as soon as Marxine spoke she felt her heart shatter. A promise she made her mother, she was betrayed by everyone she should have been able to trust. "Thank you for opening up Marxine, I'm so sorry about everything that happened to you." After about an hour more of playing the game the mood seemed to lighten some but it still made her sad every time she thought about Marxine. Being Queen now didn't erase all the issues she had in the past, but at least it was a start. Neve and Aspen would find the way to the council's home, they'd solve the issues with the kingdom, and they'd be able to put everyone involved in this on trial.

Eventually Ember fell asleep tucked away on her spot on the couch with her empty mug in her hand. Ember didn't usually drink, so after three mugs full she was half past drunk. It was the first time she slept good in a few weeks, so when Neve and Aspen walked through the door she woke with a splitting headache. "Oof... Good morning you guys." Slowly Ember stood up and stumbled slightly as she took a step forward. Was this a hangover or was she still drunk? "Okay, yeah, give me a second to compose myself." Quickly she picked up all of the mugs and moved them to the kitchen before splashing some cold water on her face.

As she was mid walk back to the living room she froze in her steps as someone banged on the door. "I don't assume that's a friendly neighborhood drunk?" With a nervous smile she walked to the window to confirm her worst fear. Guards were surrounding the bar and there seemed to be no escape. There had to be an escape though, there was no way they could afford to get caught. Despite the headache though she fought to brainstorm an idea. "Ash are you able to make a bridge to the shed to get the horses?"

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

Marxine telling the story was like a knife in his heart again. It had always been a sore subject to him since he failed her so badly but he could only imagine how she felt. Alone out in no mans land, knowing no one and not knowing what to do next. Having to go from her life as a princess to survival of the fittest. River wanted to follow her, to help her survive. Hell he had even packed his bags when he got back to his room. Unfortunately his father had predicted his actions and sent a guard to his room to put him under constant surveillance. That's why he worked so hard at researching in his library, though he knew that wasn't the same as joining her in the exile. River was aware of how bad he failed the most important person in his life.

To be honest, River made a similar promise to his mother as she passed away in her bed. Not to let his father dictate who he loved, to marry a woman he loved and who loved him. Marxine was always the woman he wanted to marry, he new that since he was younger. She was smart, funny, brave, and beautiful. He was a damned fool to have taken so long, if he had asked her out or asked her to be his bride she wouldn't have been exiled. "Here." His smile was both sad and apologetic as he filled up Marxine's mug. He could beg and apologize for a lifetime and he would never deserve her forgiveness.

The rest of the night everyone drank and had a good time, though in the back of his head he couldn't stop thinking about Marxine. She didn't deserve what happened and he wanted to apologize to her in the morning. Before he knew it he crashed for the night, waking up to Neve and Aspen arriving back at the bar. "Good morning, we all managed to survive on our own without you." River stood to his feet and stretched out his tall body. "Aspen someone broke in and drank all your booze. We tried to stop him but, alas, it was impossible." He couldn't help but chuckle quietly, his large hand gently patting Marxine on the top of her head. "Come on dear, rise and shine. Time to go."

As River went to move to grab a bag the banging startled him and he instantly tensed up. Ember was moving to the window asking about a bridge and he too moved to the window. "Guess it isn't a surprise they found us." With a long yawn he waved his hand and watched a large gust of wind knock everyone off of their horses and knocked them into the snow. "It's too early for this."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

Talking about her exile was one of the only things that caused Marxine to show vulnerability, it was a aspect that was foreign to her and made her feel uncomfortable and angry. Thankfully it seemed like no one had any other comments besides Ember who spoke up and caused Marxine to look over and her with a wary smile. "I appreciate that Ember, thanks." The game carried on and Marxine slowly fell into her own despair, only really smiling once more when River filled her cup and she offered him a small thank you. Slowly they all fell asleep at their spots, Marxine being one of the last to finally slip into slumber as the alcohol finally took over her over working brain.

That night she dreamed of the night she left, reliving how awful it was. Marxine could vividly remember sitting there as he father publicly shamed her for treason, the small audience of people gasping meanwhile River stood by the wall without showing much emotion at all. She could remember how badly she wished he would swoop in and save her some way, any way. Back then Marxine was so grossly head over heels for him, she had never been traditionally feminine or fragile but in that moment she wanted nothing more than to be the damsel in distress and for him to be her savior. Nothing happened of course... and she couldn't be angry at them for it, these were HER feelings, not his responsibility. The dream came to an end as Marxine was being dragged out of the throne room by the guards.

Marxine woke lightly at first, mumbling softly as River rustled her hair and snuggling deeper into the chair she had slept in. "Not yet, five more minutes Riv." Then the banging started and her eyes went wide, shaking the sleep away from her mind and blushing wildly at her use of the old nickname. She pushed it aside and climbed off the chair, quickly gathering her things and pulling her cloak over her shoulders before peering out the window with Ember and rolling her eyes at River's swipe of air. "Show off." She moved back into the room and gathered her sword from where it leaned against the wall, "But remember we have to be careful with our powers here. The tavern is awfully close to other normal citizens, wind and such should be fine but Asher and I should hold back."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash woke in the morning to the sound of feet pounding on the stairs, Neve and Aspen soon came into the room and Ash couldn't help but let out a curt laugh, "For such a small woman you walk up the stairs like a 400 pound man." He stood with a long stretch and began gathering his few things before he was stopped in his tracks by the sound of banging downstairs. How were there already guards here? Gods were they just waiting for any sort of motion or something?

Ember moved to the window and Ash turned to her when she brought up his name, "I mean I should be able too. Sorry in advance for messing up your kingdom's cobblestone Neve." Ash moved to the window that faced the stables as River was busy knocking all of the men off their horses. He leaned out the opening, fulling pushing the shutters open as he focused on the ground below, slowly the roots began to break ground and once they were out in the open he was able to concentrate on weaving them into a bridge that would support them as they moved over it.

"I-I don't know how strong it is but it's built, Asher take Astoria across first so the two of you can prepare the horses." That was very mature of Ash, at least he thought so. Down on the street men were already getting back on their feet and attempting to climb the roots tendrils to get to the group. "And I would hurry."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift



Aspen was ready to get comfortable on the floor when Neve spoke up and caused him to look at her with wide eyes, wide eyes that quickly fell into a glare that accompanied a scowl. “I am NOT weird.” He grumbled and crossed his arms as he stared at her while she climbed into the bed. “It’s not very lady like of you my queen to climb into bed with a common man like myself. I was TRYING to be chivalrous.” Aspen scooped up the blanket from the ground before kicking off his boots and sitting down on the edge of the bed, mumbling to himself grumpily before finally laying back in the sad excuse for a mattress and pulling the blankets up around him.



It was strange laying here, next to Neve. It wasn’t an idea that was foreign from his mind but it was strange. He- he was confused about Neve. Before his memories returned of course he had a crush on her, she was gorgeous and had a personality that he could tolerate, which was astounding, but back then they were odd ball friends and she was untouchable. Now? She was a childhood friend who he still had a crush on but - everything was so FUCKED right now. And now here he was, on the run, but the thing that was making him so nervous he couldn’t sleep was sleeping in the same bed as a woman he liked. What the fuck was wrong with him?



After a long while Aspen finally had fallen asleep but when Neve woke him up he felt like he had honestly slept for minutes. Maybe he had... but they needed to get a move on. So they did and soon enough they returned to the tavern, quickly sneaking inside to get the others moving before they were all caught in here like sitting ducks. Unfortunately that seemed to be exactly what was happening.



“What lovely timing! What a fucking wake up call !” Aspen grumbled and looked around as everyone worked on a plan. The downstairs door would likely break at any second. The men outside were knocked off the horses for a moment but within minutes they would be inside and ruining the place he called home... it wasn’t his home anymore though. At least not for now. “Uh, actually Max, what if you guys DID set fire downstairs, could you or Asher control it so we can get over the bridge but hit be followed?” He walked over to his shelves and pulled a few objects of sentimentality from them before turning to the group, “If this place his going to get destroyed like the fortune tellers, I would rather it be by our hands.”

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

The pounding on the door caused Asher to grip the gold handle of his trusted sword attached to his hip. He was ready to fight his way through the guards; hell, all of their powers combined they could easily clear the way. As soon as Marxine spoke though he knew she was right, there were civilians nearby and they didn't want to hurt anyone. So, when Ember came up with the bridge he felt a bit relieved. The relief was quickly washed away by shock when Ash told Asher to take Astoria across first. And even more shocked when Aspen said to burn the downstairs of the building! "I-uh. Yeah. I can whip up something. Ash you take care of Ember alright?" Astoria and Ember were the two least proficient using their powers defensively. They had to have someone protect them, but protecting Astoria AND controlling a fire was already enough on his plate. Quickly he grabbed his guard jacket and wrapped it around Astoria before shining her a reassuring smile. "Just follow my lead, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."

As he walked to the window he looked back at River and nodded towards Marxine. "I'll create the distraction but you make sure Queen Marxine gets out safe." That wasn't to say she was incapable of protecting herself, but she was his Queen. It was his job to make sure she was protected. So he'd delegate to someone who he knew wouldn't let her get hurt. With that established he focused on the door and watched as it brightly lit with fire. The banging stopped and he could feel the fire spreading outside so he quickly stepped out onto the bridge. The fire was weaving through the men and burning the lower half of the building, so while they focused on avoiding the fire he grabbed Astoria's hand and assisted her up on the bridge.

Almost everyone had gotten off of the bridge and into the stable safely. Marxine and River took a while, and when they finally reached the stable he noticed the blood that was on River. There wasn't any time to address it though, they all took off on their designated horses. As they ran Asher diminished the fire, though not in time to save the bar. In the distance he could hear the sound of the building crumbling and he instantly felt horrible.

They were on the run for quite sometime. They once again passed the walls of Inverno and entered the forest of No Man's Zone. Thankfully they were slightly familiar with the lay of the forest. Asher stopped the horses at the creek when he was sure that the guards had lost their trail, letting out a long sigh as he hopped off and helped Astoria to her feet. "Is everyone okay?" Asher glanced over at River to make sure he was still standing.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

Everyone had a job, so why was River the only one that seemed to fuck his up? Asher was able to protect Astoria AND control a fire. Ash was able to make the bridge and get himself and Ember across safely. It finally came down to River and Marxine. She was helping control the fire and River was busy watching out for the guards as they made their way across. Most of them were busy avoiding the fire; the bridge base was on fire as well so the guards couldn't climb them. Then there were the guards with the guns. Bullets started to fly into the air and River's heart started to pound. River looked down at the ground just in time to see a guard take a shot directly towards Marxine. They were nearly at the end of the bridge but there was no way she wouldn't get hit.

River didn't have time to overanalyze, his body moved on its own. His strong hands took hold of Astoria and pushed her down into the hay of the stable, and before he could move his own body he froze as he felt something pierce his chest. Something warm and wet spread across his chest and he could only assume it was blood. More bullets pierced his skin, one through his shoulder, one against the side of his cheek, and another scraping past his thigh before he forced himself down into the stable. He didn't stand around to see the damage though. He gave Marxine a boost on the horse before he climbed behind her, his hands gripping the reigns and handing them to her. "I'm fine, just hang on tight."

Honestly, River didn't feel okay. He felt like his body was fighting the blood loss and that was all he could focus on. How long had they been on the run? The distant sound of horse hooves faded thankfully and River could finally relax. He fell limp against Marxine as their horses ran deeper into the forest. Everything around him turned black and he passed out. Was he dying? If he died saving Marxine then it would have been worth it. He failed to save her years ago, this time he would have made her proud. He relived some memories that he swore were the afterlife, or heaven or whatever you wanted to call it. The first time he met Marxine, he had never met someone as smart or as beautiful as her. They were younger then but he knew she was the one he wanted to be with, she had always been the one. He envisioned a life where she never was exiled, a life where they had gotten married and had a life together. If he never woke up from that dream he'd be fine.

Only, the stopping of the horse startled him awake. He woke to an immense amount of pain in his body. "Fuck...are we safe?" River slid to shaky legs, leaning against a tree with a loud groan. Blood soaked the front and back of his shirt, his right arm and left leg. If he wasn't 'immortal' he would have already bled out, but he wasn't too sure if their regenerative powers could save him now. "Marxine they didn't get you, did they?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Ember hated feeling like a burden. When her parents passed away she felt like she burdened her uncle and River, having no one left to take her in when she was younger. Now here she was, burdening Ash while they were trying to escape with their lives. She had the same powers River did but even then she was useless! Still, she didn't want to make trouble for anyone. What the others wanted her to do she obliged, having no room to protest. Gently she held Ash's hand so neither one of them would fall off on the way to the stable. There was only one guard that had seen them, one who had shot an arrow directly at Ash. It was almost a reflex the way she shooed away the arrow, the wind catching it and carrying it down into the ground. For once she didn't feel completely useless! Thankfully after that they quickly made their way into the stable.

Astoria was on the horse with Asher, River would be with Marxine, and that left Ash stuck with Ember as his partner. Thankfully she was useful enough to ride a horse? Adrenaline pumped through her body as she climbed on top of the saddle on the horses back, her petite hand gently patting the horse on the head. "It'll be okay." Soon River and Marxine were in the stable, though River looked a bit rough, and Neve and Aspen quickly joined them as well. Soon enough four horses were taking off in a full sprint past the walls of Inverno once more.

The ride was long and nerve wrecking. It felt as if they'd never shake the guards. What would happen if they had gotten caught? Would they be forced to hurt the guards to escape or would the willingly go in? If it was up to Ember she would peacefully concede and hope to come to some sort of a compromise with the leaders, though she was sure the others felt the opposite way. Finally, after hours of running, they lost the guards and were able to stop.

What should have been a celebratory time of their escape was quickly squashed when she seen the blood soak her cousin's clothes. Ember had nearly fallen off the horse when she had seen his state, her face draining of all its color. River was the last of her family and her best friend, she couldn't lose him. "There was aloe vera up the river last time, right? I-I'll go see if I can fetch some. It'll be good for the wounds." Panic rose in her chest as she ran off in search of the plants.

It didn't take long to find the plants. As she began to collect them she heard a twig snap in the bushes nearby. "Hello?" Ember flinched when a familiar face stepped out from hiding. It was Fern, Ash's brother. He gave her the choice of all her friends dying a similar fate to the last council or to come quietly with him. She couldn't have him find River in his condition and she knew that Ash and Astoria didn't want to see him again...so Ember went with him. She did leave her satchel behind and a small fern plant that she plucked sitting on top of it. That way they'd know what happened to her.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

Burning down the bar was not what Neve had in mind for the day. This was Aspen's home, where they got to reunite after so long apart. It was like Neve's second home, so watching it burn hurt her heart. Ash busied himself making the bridge and everyone began to cross, meanwhile Neve couldn't help but look up at Aspen with a small smile on to try and comfort him. "I'm sorry, I really am. For getting you involved in this. We'll fix the bar when we get back, I promise." As soon as River and Marxine parted across the bridge it left Neve and Aspen alone in the burning living room. Quickly she gave his hand a small squeeze, stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek sweetly before stepping out onto the bridge.

As she stepped out onto the burning vines and tendrils she flinched at the barrage of bullets. Did anyone get hit? With a raise of her hand a large ice pillar appeared to block the remaining flying bullets, allowing the pair to safely get into the stable. There had been blood on the floor she noticed but everyone was already on their horses ready to go. They didn't have time to address the blood, all she could do is hop onto the horse and offer her hand to Aspen for help.

Hearing the sound of the bar crumbling was like a knife in her heart. She harbored so much guilt for dragging Aspen into this, now he had lost the home he had shared with the father that took him in. Of course if they ever made it back home she'd offer him a place to stay at the palace, but it wasn't the same. And who would blame him if he didn't want to stay there? She'd have a home built for him if he wanted, anything to make it up to him. Instead of focusing on all the negative emotions she tried her best to focus on steering the horse towards the woods in No Man's Land. That was the safest place for them at this point.

"Good job horse, rest up." With a small pat on the head she dismounted and turned to look around at everyone. However, when her eyes landed on River she froze. "River you need to sit down so we can examine you." Neve bit at her lip nervously as she watched Ember run upstream. Aloe vera would help with healing, and help prevent infection, but they needed to make sure the bullets didn't stay inside of him. Thankfully with all the blood and holes in him it looked like the bullets sliced clear through him.

Unfortunately Neve was a hunter, she hunted animals and was proficient in sparring. She didn't know how to fix up wounds. "Marxine do you think you can check out the bullet holes? Does he need stitches? A-Ash, will you see if Ember needs help with collecting Aloe?" Neve felt like everything was falling to pieces, but River's life was on the line. They couldn't afford to fuck up right now.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

The small battle within the tavern was chaotic, between the roaring flames that she was focused on help controlling and the quick attempt at organizing their escape, everything was kind of a blur. River was behind her as the crossed the wobbly bridge that Ash created and before she knew what was happening, she was being thrown down into the hay below and left stunned for a few minutes from the shock of the impact. It didn't hurt but knocked the air out of her. When the daze finally cleared from her eyes she was able to look up and see River above her and hoisting her up without a thought and onto the back of the horse. She had gotten a good look at his face, a bullet had grazed his cheek but she didn't get a good look at the rest of him, all she saw was too much red for her mind to handle.

River assured her that he was okay but Marxine was struggling to focus on anything but his blood that was slowly seeping through her cloak from where he sat behind her on the horse, then they weren't long into the escape when he slumped against her and she let out a small sob. "River don't you DARE. You are not allowed to leave me okay? Please? You have to be okay?" She knew he couldn't hear her but she let her words out into the roaring wind, hoping that someone would hear her pleas. She could still feel the faint movement of him breathing but it was definetly weak.

Finally the group came to a stop and River startled awake which made Marxine let out a sigh of relief but when she got another look at his terrible state as he leaned against the tree she couldn't help but feel ready to vomit. She jumped off the horse and walked over to where he leaned and gave him a weak smile, "They didn't get me. But they did get you so please River sit down." Behind her she heard Ember and Neve to which she shakily replied as she helped River down into a seated position. "R-Right." Marxine had seen bullet wounds, mended them, but this was different.... this was River.

"Y-You stupid stupid man." Marxine went to start looking at the wounds but froze for a moment, unable to move forward before finally taking in a deep breath and cautiously examining the few wounds in the front of his body before gently taking his shoulders and pulling him forward, peeing over his shoulder at the exit wounds. As she did so her face was brushed up against the side of his and she cried softly, "You can't leave me okay? You have to pull through this... knowing you're gone would hurt more than any bullet in the world..." All of the wounds were clean exits, she could tell that their power was helping them heal but much more blood loss would be deadly.

Marxine leaned away and looked to Neve, "We need to stop the bleeding somehow but they're all thankfully exit wounds. We could either stitch him up or maybe I could cauterize them with my powers? Either way we need some clean clothes for him and the aloe once Ember returns."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash nodded to Asher as he mentioned Ember, of course he would help her get out safe, it seemed like everyone else was ready and prepared and he simply focused on making sure that everything would at least hold its structure until they were over it and into the stables. As he and Ember crossed they held hands to keep balance and Ash couldn't help but let out a grin despite their situation when Ember near effortlessly deflected the arrows that shot at them, "Nice one! Gods I didn't even see that. Thank you Ember." Finally the two of them dropped down into the stable and Ash waited for the others to cross before climbing onto the horse alongside Ember. Once they were leaving he let the bridge fall and instead let the roots take over the window they had come in through to hopefully negate some of the chasers.

It didnt of course and while they were running Ash was constantly looking behind them and creating trip wires with roots and vines to stop some of their pursuers. He wasn't fully sure how long they ran for but by the time they finally came to a stop the sun was setting, he hopped off and stretched out his arms before replying to Asher, "I think so." He turned and caught the image of River and nearly gasped. "S-shit." Ember was running off before anyone could say anything and Neve spoke up to coach Marxine into helping. Honestly the whole thing felt.. raw. Like Ash shouldn't be watching so instead he turned his back and focused on other issues. They needed shelter and a way to hide away the horses.

"Astoria, I think we could build us a treehouse to hide in for the evening and a partition to tie up the horses and hide them a bit, but I will need some help." Ash spoke to his friend and likely ex fiance before peering over at Asher, "We will also need clean water and food for everyone but especially River. If we boil the water from the creek it should be sterile enough."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

Watching the tavern go up into flames was hard, as much as Aspen wanted to pretend it wasn't his real home since getting his memories back... it was. It was the place that the person who today is Aspen, was raised and created. Before the tavern he was a person he no longer recognized, the sweet innocent boy who played in the castle, the only remainder of that life was Neve and while he was happy she was a constant in his life, he was different now. He was the prickly man who lived in the tavern he worked at. That was all he ever wanted to be before all of ... this.

Neve spoke out to him and Aspen gave her a sad smile, "It's okay. The place needed a remodel anyways my Queen." As she squeezed his hand and pressed soft kiss to his cheek, Aspen let out a long sigh, some of the hurt was softened in that moment but he was still in pain. The two of them walked out onto the bridge and made their way across, Neve used her powers to stop some of the attacks but Aspen couldn't help but fixate on the blood as the crossed . "W-Who's blood is that?" They didn't have time to discuss however as they were quickly heading out on the horses.

When they finally came to a stop in No Mans Land, Aspen was quickly aware of who's blood was on the bridge back there as Ember ran off and the others attention was onto River. Ash let out an exclamation and Aspen simply hummed in response. Neve spoke up and Aspen looked back to see Ash speaking to Astoria and Asher, "Ash seems preoccupied with shelter currently, Neve what if you and I went to get her? If we go up the creek we can also collect some water to bring back, here is a bit shallow." Marxine mentioned the wounds and Aspen nodded, "We will get Ember and the clean water so we can clean them then get them closed, for now keep pressure. He seems to be stable and the blood has slowed a lot." Aspen was speaking from experience, from when he was nearly dead in the snow. "River just relax and keep calm."

Aspen took Neve b y the hand and gently pulled her along the way as they walked up the creek, "I can bring it back but I didn't want to walk alone." Shortly they came across an area that appeared to have had some foraging done to it and Aspen focused on pulling out clean water and forming as large of a ball he could manage, "Neve find Ember so we can head back."

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Astoria was not built for battle and she was quickly becoming tired with this constant danger that they were in, this was not the life she was expecting for herself once she became queen. Ash made a bridge and some of the others were focused on defense while her and Asher made their way into the stables first to focus on making sure the horses were calm and ready to run when the others made their way across. Asher had wrapped his cloak around her and told her to follow his lead and that was exactly what she did. Once to the horses she took the time to calm them down and waited for the others who quickly joined them. "When do you think this will all be over? When will we ever get to stop being on the run... at this point I don't want to be Queen anymore. I just want to be left alone..." She wasn't really speaking to anyone but honestly it was how she felt, all she wanted was the be safe and happy at this point. The idea of not being Queen hurt her, it hurt her that her nice kind people of her kingdom were likely suffering but... gods she wanted this all to be over.

The entire time on the horses, Astoria completely dissociated as she held onto Asher's waist. It wasn't until they stopped that she was in tune with their surroundings once again, Asher jumped down first and Astoria followed him with a soft thud, turning and looking around at everyone slowly. When her eyes landed on River her hands went around Asher's arm near instantly, never in her life had she seen that much blood. "Oh Gods." Ember was running off and the others were talking about what to do, but all Astoria could do at first was focus on the familiar face of death. While it was true she had never seen that much blood she had surely stared death in the face many times as a child.

Ash's call to her pulled her out of her own mind and she turned to him with a stunned look, "I guess that could work." She removed one hand from Ash's arm and pointed it towards some of the trees as she worked on creating a frame work for a tree house out of branches which Ash then used roots to wall in. It wasn't pretty but it would shelter them from the crazy weather in No Mans Land as best as they could manage for now.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

Everyone parted to do their respective part and it felt good knowing that they could all band together to help someone. At some point this would end, but honestly it felt like it would never stop. It was hard keeping up moral when they were constantly being bombarded with danger. But this diary, it was going to lead them to somewhere safe. It had to! They put all their eggs in this basket. "Cauterize the wound to close it if that's best." Her heart raced nervously as she bit at her nails nervously. "Hm?" For a moment she had faded out of reality and thought of all of their futures when Aspen approached her. Everything was up in the air but, still, she held out hope for good things. "Oh, water and Ember. Yeah, sure." Her cheeks heated as he held her by the hand and walked up the river with her. For a moment she intertwined their fingers and looked up at Aspen. He was holding himself together well, meanwhile it seemed everyone was falling apart. She even felt like she was losing touch with herself.

As he started to collect the water and he asked her to find Ember she gave a small nod, pausing before she could actually walk away. "I'll find Ember, but after I request something of you. 'My Queen' doesn't quite seem fitting. Might I request to have you call me by my name again?" It wasn't normal to have many people call royalty by their first names let alone a commoner. But Aspen? She didn't like hearing him address her so formally. He was her best friend. "If you call me your Queen around the others to save face that's fine, but remember that I'm still the same Neve." With that said she left his side and trailed the River to look for Ember.

That is, until her eyes landed on the familiar satchel lying on the ground. Quickly she moved to the bag and scrunched her brows on the ripped off fern leaf. It was an odd place on a bag of aloe. "Ember?" It wasn't normal for one of them to leave their things somewhere and leave. The area was eerily quiet and there was no response so she looked around and noticed three sets of footprints; Ember's, Neve's, and a mans set of footprints. Finally everything clicked. "Aspen!" Quickly she snatched up the satchel and the plant before she took off running back the way she had came.

On the way she grabbed Aspen's hand quickly before she continued her run down the river to the others, tossing the bag of aloe along with the plucked fern plant. "Ember's gone, she left her bag with this damn fern plant. I-I can only assume that Fern got her? Maybe he had found her and gave her an ultimatum?" River was Ember's only remaining family other than her uncle, of course she would have wanted to protect him. That only made sense. Fern was also one of the rebellion that assisted in killing the last council members, he knew how to mortally wound them enough to kill them. Ember was peaceful though and valuable to the King, so Neve was sure that she would be safe for a while. But she couldn't say how long she'd be safe for.

"I think we're all in agreeance that River needs rest to get better, and I don't think Ember is in immediate danger. I-I say we rest here for the night, the council's home can't be too far away. Are we in agreeance to finding the home and coming up with a plan there?" River would probably condemn her for the decision but it was everyone's best interest. If they ran off now they didn't know where they would run to, they'd all be in jeopardy if they didn't make a plan.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

"At least they didn't get you. I'm fine, I really am." River tried to play it off but gave a weak cough into his arm, his body on fire from the pain. "Yeah yeah, I'll sit." River winced as Marxine helped him move his tall body down to the dirt floor to sit. He could tell that he was in rough shape and everyone else seemed to notice too, there was no playing this off. As Marxine went about inspecting the bullet hole through his leg and the one through his shoulder dangerously close to his heart he swore she'd punch him or something. He had been reckless saving her and risking his own life, but when he found her pulling him into her and crying he felt his heart break. All he had focused on was her safety, he never considered how his actions would effect her. River never really considered many peoples feelings in life, but hers were the one he cared about. And it broke him up inside knowing he had caused this pain.

"Hey, I told you when we were younger I'd always be a thorn in your side. I lost you once, I'm not losing you again anytime soon." Weakly River reached up and cupped her cheek so he could press his lips to the other. Maybe it was the blood loss but River WAS scared of dying. There had just been so much blood from his leg and chest, this amount of blood would easily kill a man. But he couldn't leave her like this. Really he didn't want to leave her side ever again, especially seeing her cry this much. "Go ahead and burn the wounds, I trust you." River struggled for a minute but managed to unbutton his shirt to reveal the hole near his heart and rip his pants at the thigh to reveal the wounds. It sounded painful as hell but he could get through it. He had to if he was going to be there for Marxine. His hand moved from the side of her face, pat her hair sweetly a few times, and dropped his hand weakly to his side.

"We are NOT leaving Ember with that psycho." The words would have been far more forceful if he wasn't bleeding out. Hell he'd stand up and find her himself if he could! "Dante, Fern, my father and Marxine's mother are all murderers. Do we not remember that? Ember is Queen of Zomer, she's my family." The words were practically a growl as he spoke over at Neve. What was they saying? If looks could kill? That was definitely the situation here. "I'm not for leaving her with Fern so he can do with her what he will. From the sounds of it the man sounds like a fucking creep."

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Everyone had their role. Ash and Astoria went and made shelter, Marxine attended to River, and Neve and Aspen went to help Ember. That left Asher to go and scope out the woods. At first it was quiet, he had even found a few pretty pink flowers and plucked them for Astoria. This whole constant danger thing must have been so exhausting for her, he wished they could all just live the lives they were meant to lead. Yet, if they lived the life they were meant to lead Asher and Astoria would never have found each other. Asher was just grateful that everyone was still standing. After Asher finished making the flowers look decently like a bouquet he heard a horse neighing and trampling off in the direction opposite of the camp. Asher moved through the woods to find the horse and the rider gone, unfortunately he found out that it was Fern and Ember that had been on the horse. Not going after the horse made Asher feel guilty, like he was a terrible guard.

Sleep was something he didn't get much of. Despite the smile he had on when he gave Astoria the flowers he was beating himself up something fierce inside for not being able to protect Ember. Maybe if he hadn't been so focused on making Astoria smile then he would have found Fern in time? Every action had a reaction, and because of his action a Queen was captured. It was unacceptable, he should have been a better guard. Asher swore to himself that he'd help Ember back. If he had to do it by himself while everyone stayed safe at the council home he would. He'd give his life to save her, that was his job.

In the morning everyone woke up, ate a silent breakfast and followed the directions to where the council lived. No one felt good about traveling without Ember, she just had a way about her to make people smile and keep everything in perspective. It was north through a dark forest thick with heavy trees. It was so dark Asher had to light some torches for them to use despite it being day time. Several times Asher didn't trust the directions but Aspen swore by them, he put his faith in the hope and confidence in his voice.

These woods must not have been traveled much, because as soon as they made their way down the narrow passage they came about a wide open clearing surrounded by wood. A large lake rested in the clearing, but the most surprising thing was the floating tower that sat high above the lake in the clouds. There was literally no way to get there! He had never seen such a sight. "Does the book have directions INSIDE that giant tower?" This was a dream. This had to be a dream.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Ember had been kidnapped, River looked close to death, Marxine was shaken for the first time that Astoria had noticed... everything up until now had felt hopeless but this was truly the lowest she had seen everyone. The fact that Fern was now back in the picture was causing her some discomfort as well, at least they knew he wasn't dead after what happened back in Inverno but knowing he had been so close to them... was an eerie feeling. But for once Astoria didn't feel scared, well at least not as much as normal. No she was angry. Angry that these people for some reason felt like they could just take over, do whatever they wanted. It was bullshit!

The morning was uncomfortable as they traveled to the location described in the diary, another thing that Astoria had a million unanswered questions about. How did Aspen's mother know all of this? And why?

The tower itself was massive and honestly seemed like something out of a dream. Asher was the first to vocalize the question that must have been on everyone's mind. "N-None of our powers have been used long enough to create anything massive enough to get up there." She pointed, straining her eyes as the clouds moved with the wind. Near the top of the tower there was a clear entrance with a large wooden door and a balcony that wrapped around the top part of the tower. "Even combined it was hard enough for Ash and I to create that small shelter. It's so far out in the water too that who knows if we could even do anything after creating a bridge." Astoria stopped and walked to the edge of the water before turning to look between Aspen and Neve then the others. Astoria wasn't stupid, she grew up educated and understood science and maths, she just wasn't a survivalist or very knowledge when it came to common life. And idea came to her but honestly she wasn't sure if it would work.

"If we could get as high up using my powers along with Ash, Neve and Aspen. I think, provided River is in good enough shape, we could use his air with Marxine and Asher's fire to create a sort of hot air balloon out of our cloaks to get the rest of the way."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

"W-Well then of course, Neve." Honestly his comments about my queen were mostly out of sarcasm but also out of honor, it felt like something that Aspen was expected to do although it did feel a little strange. But if Neve wanted him to call her by her name, he would return to that. It would be a small sense of normalcy in all of this crazy. After their short interaction they both went into their tasks and Aspen zoned out for a while into the water...

At first when Neve grabbed him and began running Aspen was confused as to what had happened but quickly his brain caught up with his ears and he was able to realize what she had said. "Ember's gone?!" He yelled as they ran, his feet finally moving with the urgency he needed to have and any focus he had on the water wavering for a moment, causing him to drop some before remembering they needed it for River's wounds.

When they rejoined the others Aspen almost got a word out before Neve but he was too late, "N-Neve hold on!" Should they be telling River about this in his current state? He was just going to get upset... they should have probably tried to get him to bed before explaining it to the others. Just as Aspen expected, River got wildly upset. "River I get that, but not to rub salt in the wound but what are we going to do now? You're sitting there with one foot in the grave and if we all keep wandering without a plan or idea where to go next, we will starve to death. Our bodies can handle damage but I dont think we can just ignore it's innate needs."

They all went to bed without much more conversation beyond Neve's plan. The morning was silent as well... no one really spoke until they finally reached the tower his mother explained in her diary. Did all of this really have something to do with that prophecy the old fortune teller told? The tower was something insane as well... While Aspen was still busy gawking at the sheer size of the thing, Asher and Astoria had began speaking. "If someone can get us something that floats, I can make a wave to get us across the lake at least but after that I don't think I'll be much help. The diary didn't say any specifics but I believe Astoria was on the right track. It says we need to combine our gifts to gain entry."