Fantasy World of Arstider // Closed

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Everyone gathered on in the interior of the carriage and road in silence to wherever Neve was taking them. It was cold, colder than Astoria had ever been in her life. She wasn't sure if it was from the chilling winds that were whipping around them or if it was from the bone chilling terror she was feeling inside. What was all the fire and wind? What in the hell was going on with the grass and tree? Then watching all that blood... all those people. The council was gone... Fern was, who knows! He dropped below, he could be dead or alive and honestly Astoria wasn't sure which part scared her more.

They finally arrived and Astoria stepped out into the cold and winced, the air colder than it had been previously which she thought was impossible. With a bit of a limp she slowly made her way inside, the adrenaline finally wearing off caused the pain to return to her ankle. River handed her a blanket which she took eagerly and wrapped around her shoulders tightly and thanked him before taking a seat in one of the armchairs. Asher approached her and wrapped his blanket around her as well before sliding a footstool under her hurt ankle.

"Thank you." Astoria spoke softly and tried to catch Asher's glance but he wouldn't look at her. She couldn't blame him... what Fern said to him was horrible. It had all been so horrible. Before she was able to come up with anything more to say he was off, checking the cabin for any other sign of life. The others began talking and Astoria tuned into their conversation, "What is this place anyways Neve? I mean its far enough aways but are we really safe here tonight?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

"You know, you shouldn't want praise from a man like that anyways." Marxine whispered to River as he tended to her wound in the back of the carriage. "You would have made a great King, I've always known that." He finished and sat back, her fingers moving up to the badage and running over it softly before she too leaned back and spent the rest of the ride trying to calm her nerves. There was too much running through her brain for that though. Between the deaths and the discovery that apparently elemental magic did indeed exist, she was having a hard time doing anything but worrying.

After a few hours they finally arrived at their destination and Marxine followed the group inside. "I'm okay. But we will need to find some better medical supplies to be able to change out any bandages we all may need." Marxine responded to Ember's question as she took quick look around at everyone and took the blanket from River with a small smile. "We all look a little banged up but if any scrapes turn into infection we might be screwed."

Marxine sat down on the couch besides River and placed the blanket loosely over her lap, not feeling very cold but appreciating the comfort that the blanket held. A few of the others brought up no mans land and as she listened to their statements, and Aspen's rudeness, an idea clicked in her brain like a light switch. "Actually, no mans land would be a perfect place to go. It's not what we were brought up to believe it was, but its also no joke. Also Aspen, fuck you. I was never prissy if that's what you're implying."

"When I left to return to the kingdom, I left the place I called my home for all those years with some friends. They'll let us hide out there. But we cant go to Queen Gwen empty handed and we can’t go dressed like this.” Marxine decided she would explain more about Gwen when the time came and instead gestured to the elegant clothing they were all still wearing, “If we stick out they’ll rob us. It’s not a cake walk out there but thankfully for you all, I’ve been through it before..”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

A week had passed since the group made their escape. They stayed at the hunting cabin overnight to get some clothes and supplies. They packed the two tents they had, a few canteens, and some bread and fruits, their offering for Queen Gwen, and some extra clothing before they embarked. No man's land was unpredictable, constant weather changing and they had to be prepared for the fluctuating temperatures. In addition to that they also had to worry about bandits, so they tried to pack as light as possible.

Neve had never been outside her kingdom, she never was able to visit other kingdoms like her brother was able to. So nothing could have truly prepared her for outside of Inverno. Temperatures ranged from single digits to triple digits in a single day. Hail the size of golf balls would fall from the sky, a heavy downpour of rain drenched them, and they narrowly escaped a few things called twisters. It was a miracle they survived and she was thankful they had Marxine with them.

It turned out they all had powers from their kingdoms. None of them seemed like they were too great controlling them, but Neve practiced every minute she could, asking Aspen to train with her most of the time. If they were going to beat Aldrich and his underlings they'd need to be strong. Then again, the council members were hundreds of years old and fell to their hands. How the hell were they supposed to succeed where they failed?

It was the middle of the day by the time they reached the run down village. Neve dropped the hood of her cloak as they made their way through the village so she could look around, most people avoiding eye contact with the group of newcomers. It was surprising people survived out here. Eventually Marxine led them to a small farmhouse, where she said her friends and Queen Gwen resided. "So the coin and furs we packed will be plenty of offering to Queen Gwen, right? She'll allow us to stay here until we plan our next move?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Seven days on foot in No Man's Land was a whole lot different when traveling through in carriage. Conditions were harsh and dangerous, they were constantly on guard for both bandits and guards, they had to sleep in tents and live life not knowing if they'd survive until tomorrow. They also had the weight of all of the stress happening in the kingdoms. Neve insisted they work on the powers but, to be honest, Ember was terrified. The twisters were large and sucked up anything in its path, and she was sure no one would survive one. If something with the wind happened she could make one of those and hurt someone. That's the last thing she wanted.

Ember worried more about caring for everyone else than she did her powers. River seemed plenty confident that he could master the skill so she stood back and let him take the reigns, she felt bad enough for taking the crown from him. That made things between the cousins tense. She made sure that the group always had something to drink and eat, whether she was forging it from the woods or using the little rations they had. Thankfully Neve was a skilled hunter and was able to trap small animals.

By the time they got to the village the day was winding down. The people looked tired, hungry, and most of them looked miserable. Surely it wasn't easy living out here. And were all these people exiled? What for? If her uncle had any part of it then there was the possibility of another Marxine situation, a false charge. It broke her heart that people had to live in such dangerous weather conditions.

"What's this Queen like?" The least stressful thing was impressing Queen Gwen, Marxine was in good standings with her and they brought gifts. Hopefully she'd allow them to stay at least for a few nights to make plans. Though at this point they'd need a miracle to save the kingdoms.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

Going to no man's land was not what River wanted to do. Hell, it wasn't even in his top five most desired options. Every exiling his father had to be apart of, and in turn he made River apart of them. The likelihood of someone recognizing him was extremely high. And if they seen a prince-lord-duke? Whatever he was, if they seen him he was sure there would be problems. He didn't want to endanger the group so he would keep his hood pulled up and stay quiet. But those powers, those would come in handy.

Neve hunted, Ember tended on them, and Marxine guided them. It was no wonder they were chosen to lead. River? He was a coward, and he hated sleeping in the tent. They faced danger head on and River would preferred hiding away with the others. So he hanged back and focused on the powers they were given. Ember didn't seem like she wanted to learn, which meant River had to learn everything about the wind they were gifted by himself. He didn't see much progress for a few days, and just when he wanted to give up he thought about everything his father did. He was so angry, he was red with rage and suddenly his powers seemed to burst with the whipping of the wind.

After that he seemed to get a hang of his powers. By the time they made it to the village he was confident enough in his abilities to be able to defend Marxine and the others. He had failed her once before, he wouldn't fail her again. Though, the fact that he wasn't King was something that made him feel a great shame. It was hard for him to face everyone.

As he walked through the village River made sure the hood to his cloak was pulled up, his silver eyes glancing around at everyone. Most of them looked like dirty villagers and farmers, he remembered a few of them getting exiled but he couldn't exactly remember why. "I don't remember father ever banishing even a noble woman named Gwen, but I stopped remembering names after so many were exiled. He rarely exiled nobles, let alone a woman. Who is this woman?" River glanced towards Marxine as they approached the small home.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

No man's land was exactly as Queen Marxine and the stories made it out to be. The weather was completely unpredictable and dangerous, he was constantly worried for their safety. Asher wasn't even allowed to dress as a guard, he had to wear the clothing of the help. Which he understood, but he still carried the sword on his side under his cloak. Other than that the journey wasn't terrible. In some sick twisted way he enjoyed it, it was more time he could spend with Astoria.

He was a terrible person, but he had feelings for her. She was just an amazing woman who was lost and in a bad place, he only wanted to cheer her up. Seeing her smile was his favorite thing next to spending time with her. As much as he thought they were being careful they were sneaking off enough to notice, he was sure of it. They were constantly sneaking off for walks where they could practice their powers, talk about things from their homelands, and his most favorite thing hold hands. They never fell in bed with each other again despite the want to, he felt that it was wrong to do to Ash or Astoria. Astoria would feel guilty like last time and Ash was a good guy. He already felt like the worst kind of human. But he honestly felt something for someone for the first time, he didn't want to let those feelings go.

Apparently his desire to protect Astoria and the others helped him control his powers. Like River he took every opportunity to practice. "Surely our brilliant Queens will be able to sway an exiled one. It would be nice to have a safe place for a few nights." Asher walked close to Astoria, his hands dangling in his pockets casually near the sword on his hip.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

The week the spent travelling reminded Marxine quickly of everything she missed about no mans land.... and what she didn't. The people here were more genuine, which was sometimes bad and sometimes good but at least out here what people said was what you got. However the conditions were terrible, nothing could ever make her forget the shit she had gone through here but god she wasn't ready for how bad it was all over again. It took them a long while to finally reach the small village that Marxine had called her home for a lot of her adult life, it was run down and beat up by the crazy weather but for the most part anyone within their little community was kind.

When Marxine was first exiled she was still fairly young, it was hard for her at first and a lot of people knew who she was. Out here people wanted nothing to do with anyone who came from rich means, she couldn't blame them since most of these people were put here because of families like her own. But thankfully she fell into the kind graces of the people here. A lot of the community was elderly but with Marxine's help they gained some helping hands. Kids. From ages 5-19, Marixine would find orphaned children all the time when she went out on her scavenging and would offer them a place to stay in her small house if they helped out the community somehow. And that was how Queen Gwen was born. When Marxine found the little brat she was a spunky 12 year old, 15 by now. And when it came time for Marxine to leave, Gwen was a little badass, helping out the community and leading all the other orphans like some tribe, so she left them the house with her in charge. Thus the nickname.

"What is she like?" Marxine huffed as she adjusted the cape around her shoulders. It felt nice to dress like herself again, pants, boots and her loose tunic. She was finally able to wear her hair messy again. It was so freeing, honestly if they weren't in the situation they were in currently it would be kind of nice to be out here again, though she wished her next trip would be helping these people, not seeking theirs. "She's a brat that's what she is." She looked over at River with a small smirk, "You don't remember her because she was never exiled, Quen Gwen is born and raised No Man's Land Royalty."

The group rolled up to the house and Marxine instantly locked eyes with the small blonde girl sitting in a makeshift throne on the front porch of the run down house. She pointed with one hand and nudged Neve in the ribs with her free arm, "That is Queen Gwen and if she doesnt accept those furs and coin, I will wrestle the little brat out of my house."

Marxine opened the gate and motioned for the others to follow and as they approached the porch she was instantly flocked with familiar faces, though slightly older now. "Alright alright, calm down. You guys will scare my friends. Of course we brought you some stuff. And some fun stories." She smiled, an honest to god smile that probably hadn't graced her features in a long time. Gwen stood up with a evil grin on her face and Marxine turned to look at her with a raised brow. "What, you think I'm scared of you Gwennie? I taught you everything you know and I've learned more since then thanks to this guy." She shot a thumb in Asher's direction before continuing, "Plus my friend Neve brought you some nice things so wipe that look of your face you brat."

"Oh fine. gods Marxine, you're never any fun." Gwen rolled her eyes and scanned her eyes over the group with quick recognition. "Why are you bringing so many royals out to no mans land? Especially these ones that look like they're ready to drop dead?" She eyed the tall man that Marxine claimed to teach her more tactics but even he looked fairly rough. "Go inside, it's cooler in their out of the sun. If your hungry or need to wash up you know where it is."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

A lot was on Ash's mind during their time out of the kingdoms, ever since Fern's comments to Asher things had been festering in the depths of his brain. What did he mean? Astoria and Asher had known each other for a week at this point, Asher was just polite and doing his job, Ash had been sure of it. But between their time at Neve's hideout and their trip through the horrid conditions of no mans land, Ash had to admit he noticed they were acting strange. They were constantly near each other, Asher helped Tori more than any of the other ladies, they would go missing together and offer to pair up whenever someone needed to search for firewood or water. It had finally gotten to the point that Ash had to admit to himself that something was going on between the two of them... But now wasn't the place nor the time. Ash loved Tori, albeit as more in a family type of way but they were also the only person the other one had ever exhibited any sort of romantic interest in. While he wanted her happy, no matter who with, he hated being lied to and taken for a fool.

"Wow Marxine I know you've never been big on the royal thing but the way you're talking about this Gwen woman seems a little harsh." Ash chuckled as they entered the small village and followed Marxine and the others to the outskirts and up the winding path to a run down farm house in the blistering heat. His powers and Astoria's had come in handy quite a few times out here in the spontaneous conditions as they were able to produce edible plants. Tori was better at it than him, which was normal. But he was slowly getting the hang of it. Ash was more interested in finding ways to use their power to fight, though Tori wasn't very approving of that so he would have to do it alone in the middle of the night.

As they walked up to the porch Ash couldn't help but laugh again as he watched children flock around the angry red haired woman and soon the small child she was calling Gwen was approaching and giving them the run down. "T-This is the Queen? Hah. Okay, that's amazing." He nodded and opened the door, "Come on ladies and gents. I would love to clean some of this dust off my face." He made his way inside and everything reminded him of his families hunting cabin, but even more run down. It was small and had a lot of makeshift places to sleep in the subpar living room and upstairs he could only imagine was more of the same.

"Could you point me in the direction of a wash basin?" He asked one of the teens who pointed towards what appeared to be their kitchen and he nodded, "Anyone else?" He shrugged and removed his cloak heading in and finding the bucket filled with water that surely could have used a change and grimaced. "Hey Neve, Aspen, think you can handle this?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Astoria felt dirty but she couldn't stop, she couldn't stop thinking about Asher, even when he was right beside her. Her thoughts were rapidly changing from guilt from what she was doing to Ash, to her ever developing feelings to Asher to her terror at the situation they were currently in. Her brain never shut off, that was until he was there and they were alone. Holding hands, taking a small moment during all of the chaos to just be them. Until now, Ash was the only person she could be real around but with Asher it was different, Asher didn't know her life, the expectations people had of her didn't apply here but even if he wasn't part of their royal world, he knew about it fully and understood it. Asher was a man who understood duty, even if his was different from hers. It was nice...

Asher would help her practice her powers and honestly they were coming along really well. Astoria was a lot of the reason the group didn't need to scavenge while they were traveling and it felt nice to finally be useful for once and not just a figurehead. Ash helped too of course but something was bothering him and keeping him from getting a real good control on his powers, Astoria hoped it wasn't her and chose to believe that it was his obsession with weaponizing their gift.

"I for one don't think we should think little of anything in no man's land, it's proven to be something to be reckoned with." Tori snuck a small smile over at Asher as she came to a sudden halt, not realizing they had come to the gate. "But honestly Marxine, you speak of this woman like she's a chil-" As soon as they reached the porch, Astoria ate her words and watched with wide eyes. They WERE children! They brought children very expensive furs and coins, what were they going to do with them?! They should have brought candy and toys! How were these kids out here all alone? Where where their caretakers?

When Gwen began speaking, Tori's eyes went wider than she ever would have thought they could. Ah, these children WERE their caretakers... the idea hurt her heart. Why where these children even here? Were they all born here or were some exiled as well... gods she didn't want to believe she lived in a place where people would actually force CHILDREN into this scary place but... Her mind went back to the comment River made about not remembering a royal named Gwen and Marxine's response and Tori's heart fell once more. Was it really okay for them to be relying on the charity of these unfortunate children?

Gwen told them all to head inside and Tori followed as Ash took the lead. "Uhm I think maybe a few of us should work on asking where we can set up shop, so we can stay out of the way while we think of our next move. Then if someone would point me in the right direction, I think I could get these guys a fairly decent garden growing before we leave..."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

"You guys are all so worried about this Gwen person, I don't think Marxine would lead us into a trap. She already did that once right? Pretending to be Max, eh?" Aspen tried a shitty joke as they walked but when he got no response he let out a deep sigh. "Just trying to diffuse the tension." He turned and started walking backwards ahead of the group, taking in the sullen looking group of royals and kingdom dwellers with a small chuckle. God they all looked rough, Aspen couldn't talk, he looked like shit too and he wasn't in the best shape, not for cardio at least. But he had to admit that after his hell week in the castle it was kind of like karma watching these royals get a taste of rough living.

Their traveling had been hellish but it gave them a lot of time to work on their powers, powers that kind of gave Aspen a new sense of confidence. Not to mention confidence that came from this new hate that burned in his stomach for Dante. As the memories slowly returned he realized more and more of that his man who was supposed to be his best friend took from him, he took his childhood, any relationship he ever trusted, he took Neve. And Aspen still couldn't remember anything about his parents so who is to say he didn't have something to do with that too! The only memory he had of his mother was her taking him as a very small baby to some croak of a fortune teller and hearing the word prophecy a bunch, but it all sounded like bullshit to him so he tried not to think much about it.

Neve and Aspen trained whenever they could, Neve focused most on using their powers for ice while Aspen focused on tending to water. They needed water to make this happen obviously, but thankfully even when they reached the driest most desert like areas of no mans land they were able to pull enough water from the ground to make something happen. No one in the group was great with their powers, considering they had no basis for comparison, but they were all slowly getting better at the things they hyperfocused on.

The group found the farmhouse that Marxine spoke of and soon they realized that apparently Marxine was some gatherer of the lost children of no mans land and it made Aspen burst into laughter. "You all were so worried about this pipsqueak! Oh my gods!" Aspen's laughter was quickly cut short however when Queen Gwen pulled a sword from her side and held it out wordlessly at Aspen's throat which made him jump back a few feet. "Woah okay, noted. Queenie here doesn't like to be called short. Will remember that." He laughed nervously and ushered the rest of the others inside before closing the door behind them and leaning down into Neve's ear, "Well she is kind of scary now isn't she."

From the other room Ash yelled for the two of them as Astoria was starting to make plans, "Right, well we will leave that to you guys to figure out. Sounds like your man needs some help. Come on Neve." Aspen placed his arm around Neve's shoulders and guided her to the kitchen, eyeing the water basin with a raised brow. "I can't just CLEAN it Ash, I can refill it maybe?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

Having somewhere they felt safe for the night felt like a weight off her shoulders. Neve was a headstrong and stoic type of person so she tended to keep her feelings to herself, but this trip had exhausted even her. The children were mostly accepting and interested in the newcomers. They were even more interested when they found they had powers. Neve happily froze the ground in the back of the farmhouse to let the kids slide around on, made some snow for snowball fights, and showed them a portion of the fun things kids did in Inverno.

Honestly? The kids really changed her darkened views of the world. Orphans were a rare occurrence in Inverno, Aspen had been the only orphan she knew in her life. There were no orphanages, everyone had family to go with if something happened. These were children living in dangerous conditions that they shouldn't be living in! They deserved a safe home, and that only made Neve motivated to get back home. Inverno, if not all the kingdoms, would open up a safe place for children like this.

The following morning Neve slipped away from the farmhouse to go for a walk around the village. Mostly to look around, but to also listen if anyone knew what was happening in the kingdoms. Apparently there had been guards patrolling the village the past few days asking about the group of royals and their friends. The guards weren't the most kind, and there was apparently a heavy price on their heads.

By the time she got back to the house it was time for them to make lunch for everyone, something they wanted to do to thank the kids and Gwen. They had so much fun hanging out with the children last night that they didn't have time to talk about their plans. Once everyone finished eating they cleaned up from lunch and they found themselves sitting outside to enjoy the temporary nice weather.

"So. There's a reward on us." Neve let out a small sigh and ran her hand through her shoulder length white hair. "They have guards coming to the town and asking about us for the past few days. Even took someone to question them and they haven't come back since." Knowing that someone was taken because of them made Neve feel uncomfortable. "Obviously we can't stay long, we'll stick out like a sore thumb and put the kids in danger. But I'm not feeling good about leaving anyone in the guards custody, so I wanted to go investigate. Did anyone want to come with?" No one had to join her, she'd understand if not. The guilt would weigh on her if she did nothing though.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Back in Zomer there was a heavy distinction between the nobles and the commoners. Most commoners there were poor, some children orphaned as of late and in need of assistance. Ember always volunteered with the church to feed people, often volunteering with the doctors to medically treat them. Her uncle never seemed to care for the commoners. They were there to work to keep their lives sustainable, he worked to keep the kingdoms alive and well so they had a place to live. Truly that never made sense to her, but it wasn't her first time seeing children in conditions that they shouldn't be in.

Still, it never made it easier. Thankfully these kids seemed rowdy still and full of life despite their living conditions. They were also mesmerized by the groups powers, and after they got soaked from the melting snow Ember was more than happy to give the kids a good drying with a gust of wind. The kids, and even Gwen, definitely helped Ember relax. The kids didn't see them as royals, nobles, or commoners. Out here everyone was just, well, human.

Ember stayed up late with the kids. They asked plenty of stories about their homelands, and Ember was enthusiastic to tell them stories about the lovely beaches of Zomer and the fields of flowers that they had. Most of the children had apparently never even seen flowers, so Ember recruited Ash and his earthly powers. He seemed to be more focused on offense magic most of the time, a little magic to make someone happy would do him some good. After the children eventually fell asleep so did Ember.

Ember woke early in the morning to see Neve pulling up her hood and going for her walk. If anyone but Max or Neve went out by themselves she would be worried, Max used to live out here and Neve was clever and capable. Ember helped the children make breakfast, clean up and do chores, and when Neve got back she helped make lunch. Part of her wished she could just stay there and take care of the children, but the rational part of her knew she had to help end this mess. That way they could help the kids and everyone else in danger.

"What would we be able to do if we went to investigate?" Did that sound too negative? "I-I just, if we get caught that would create more issues, right? And then we wouldn't be able to end this. So long as whoever they took tells the truth they'll be okay, right?" The more she thought it over the more it made sense for them to go. If the nobles were corrupt then so were the guards, right? And everyone seemed fully capable of offensive and defensive magic. Astoria and Ember were the only two that weren't capable of saving anyone. "You're right. We should head out when we tuck in the kids for the night. If we steal the guards horses afterwards we'll be able to make a quick getaway."

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

Gwen was definitely not what he had expected. it took him by surprise that everyone there was a child, but as he processed it through his head his heart broke a little. Most if not all of these children were born out here, and none of these children had a single family member left in the world. He remembered Ember coming back to the palace with his father, that was when Ember was orphaned and when River learned what orphan meant. He remember how heartbroken he was to learn she had no family left and since then he avoided anything to do with orphans. His father said orphans were rare and he didn't question it much after that.

That was probably another reason why Ember was chosen over River. She was like Max in a way, always facing everything head on and with a brave face. River hated that he was still upset over the crown, especially when he knew deep down that the Gods chose right. Pride and shame were a damned thing, something that he was finally able to swallow being in the house with the children. Before the night ended he approached Marxine and asked for her help with getting to know the children. River wasn't the most social creature but he wanted to try and ease the awkwardness between the two since the escape, and get to know the children.

He stayed up as late as the kids wanted despite his exhaustion from the last week, creating wind to fly the kids around and to safely catch them. It was nice not to focus on the doom and gloom and have fun with the kids. Once everyone was asleep he looked out each window of the house before he finally fell asleep sitting on the ground leaning against the shabby couch.

The rest of the following day was nice too. Well, until after lunch. Neve had to drag them all back to the reality of their situation with the revelation that they were being looked for. Of course they were, his father was not one to take a loss well. He would search all of no man's land in search of them. The guards would live lawlessly if they had to, they'd do whatever they had to to find them. He didn't want them anywhere near this place. "I say we scare them away from this place. There's nothing kingdomers are more afraid of than extreme weather. Right? Maybe like a tornado, or an earthquake, huge ice balls from the sky, or something to scare them off. They'll freak out and run off, we swoop in and save whoevers been captured, and we get the horses."

After he paused for a moment he gave a small shrug. "I just don't want the patrols to harass the villagers, think of it as another gift to Queen Gwen. Keep the bad guys far away, at least for a little while longer." River had no clue where they would head to after this, but he did know they had to get away from the kids to not put them in danger.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Some of these children would be fine warriors with enough training! Gwen and some of the other kids wanted to have Asher show him a few moves since Max had pointed him out. Many of the kids had make-shift weapons and wanted to know how to actually use them. Some of them were good! Asher could tell that a few of them had actually had to use weapons, and a piece of his heart ached for the children. By the time he left he wanted these kids to be able to properly defend themselves and use their weapons to win a duel. He was also teaching them how to get out of most holds even when not armed.

Asher was surrendered to the guard by his family, but thankfully the guard didn't make him feel like an orphan. He was glad that these kids had each other. So he stayed up until the late hours of the night sparring with the children, wishing the kids a good sleep and patrolling the house until the early hours. He didn't wake up until a few children woke him to tell him breakfast was ready. He had gotten a few hours of sleep so thankfully he wasn't too exhausted.

Neve came back from her morning outing and he let out a relieved sigh. It was hard not to worry about her going out on her own but she was a smart and capable woman, but worrying about all possible outcomes was part of his job. They made lunch, cleaned up, and sat outside to watch over the kids when Neve brought up what she found out. Ember was hesitant but on board, and River also seemed on board. "I'd advise against it, and I suppose that most of you are going to go. Right? It'd be good to have a guard with you. I heard Zomer guards can get pretty brutal during interrogations."

His eyes shot from Ember and hesitated on Astoria. "A few of us should get the horses while the others scare off the guards and rescue whoevers captured." Honestly, Asher wanted Astoria far away from the guards and didn't want her hurt. Part of him was scared she'd throw herself into action to protect someone though. "So my Queens, who's on what team?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

It was nice to see the way everyone accepted and had fun with the kids, it was good for them all to have a moment to just be people. Marxine spent most of the first day sitting on the porch in the back, telling Gwen all about her time in the kingdoms ever since she left this place as the others all spent their time getting to know the children. It was all very bittersweet, when she first left this place she intended to only return when she was able to take them all back to her kingdom with her. These kids had done nothing to deserve being out here and it was terrible that the current royalty was turning a blind eye to these people! Even some of the banished that lived here... this place wasn't a good punishment for a lot of crimes. Marxine had learned that no mans land used to be used for violent criminals only but in recent years became a catch all for literally any petty crime... It was awful.

Later in the day River had come to her for help socializing with the kids and Marxine gladly obliged. She herself wasn't super social and was very pessimistic but this group seemed to bring out the best in her. Once they all turned in for the night Marxine found herself passing out from the tiring day on one of the couches in their small living room. The next morning she woke and joined Gwen in preparing everything for the morning, fresh water, toast for breakfast and made a fire to warm some water for bathing. Neve had gone off somewhere so Marxine spent the time until lunch with Gwen once more. The kid was like family to her.

"I promise kid, next time we're out here you are coming with me, we will find the others homes and you can stay in a nice big room in the castle with your own personal maid." Marxine chuckled and threw an arm around the girls shoulder as they approached the others sitting outside watching the children. "Now that I am Queen what I say goes, that is once I can actually do that job." She noticed the serious look on Neve's face and ushered Gwen to go tend to the kids before taking a seat on the ground and watching everyone as they spoke.

Marxine was disgusted that the guards took someone like this... Everyone she knew in her short time as a guard was fairly noble but she could only assume by now that anyone with morals was thrown in jail or killed. "We can scare them out of here but honestly I would be more scared of Dante and the others at this point. So once we spook them we need to get sighted in a kingdom quick, that'll keep them out of here and off the trail of the kids." Marxine paused to glance over at all the children with a sigh. "I fucking hate leaving them here with this all going on. This fucking sucks." She rested her head in her hands before running her fingers through her red locks and continuing. "Astoria and Neve clearly need to figure out the horses. Or Asher I suppose. Tori was able to calm the horses last time and Neve proved she can ride, but I would assume Asher can as well right? I personally want to go rescue the prisoner. I was a criminal once so I know what kind of situation this guy is probably in..."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash was kind of crumbling... he put on a happy face and spent some time with the kids but inside he was falling apart. It felt so stupid to be so dramatic, especially since his entire life he had been the rock for everyone in his life. But now he needed that stability from something or someone else and he just wasn't getting it. His family was likely entrapped in some evil plot whether they wanted to be or not at this point. His brother was actually insane. Astoria was absent. Two weeks ago Ash would have been giddy at the opportunity to literally be a big kid all day but right now it just wasn't what he was in the mood for. Plus the thought behind why these kids were here was even more heartbreak than he wanted to handle.

Ash spent the rest of the night and next morning until lunch simply avoiding the others, he taught a few of the kids how to play hopscotch after creating a pattern out of roots for them in the backyard but besides that he just sat out back until he was joined by the others to get lunch going for everyone. After they ate is when Neve broke the news.

"I'm not surprised, I mean it was only a matter of time right? They know the people out here are desperate and honestly I wouldn't blame any of them for taking them up on the offer. Royalty has completely screwed these people over out here. Why should they protect us?" Ash sounded more morbid than he meant to but oh well. Marxine began talking after everyone came up with the plan and Ash discovered his opportunity to use his powers offensively. " I want to go with whoever breaks out the prisoner. I think I'll be more useful there, I'm not as good with my powers of some of the others so I don't think it would be a good idea for me to go help scare off the guards. The most impressive thing I have done is some roots." Ash laughed uncomfortably and shot a look at Tori, he hoped she wouldn't call him out do to her strong resistance to him using his powers for anything other than protection. He wanted to prove he was useful, a man! Maybe a small part of him wanted to prove he was as good as Asher...

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria never had the opportunity to play with children when she was also young, her illness kept her in an overprotective bubble due to her parents paranoia. At first it was difficult to understand the games the kids were trying to teach her to play but eventually with their help she got along and ended up actually having fun despite the terrible situation they were in. The kids were also obsessed with the group powers so Astoria ended up growing them a few trees to climb and play on. They were able to find some wood and rope to create a swing for them as well. It was nice to have a moment to just forget what was going on but soon when the kids all fell asleep the horror was back and her mind was wild once more. That night it was hard to sleep, every creek and gust of wind woke her from her light slumber and caused her to panic.


When the morning came Astoria woke and was extremely sleep deprived, the others let her know that Neve had left earlier to head into town and honestly Astoria was a nervous wreck until the girl finally returned. Astoria helped with lunch which calmed her nerves a bit and finally they were able to sit outside and enjoy the rare decent weather that reminded her of home.


When Neve let them all know about the bounty, Astoria's panic rose once again. The others instantly began talking about plans but all Astoria could think about was how scared she was you return to any of the Kingdoms. Asher spoke up and asked what the Queens all thought and it gave her a little bit of confidence. Just a little boost but it was appreciated. It reminded her what she was and what she was good at, Astoria was good at keeping calm and controlled. She needed to get that back. " I think me going to the horses is a good idea, I can do what I did before but I'll be prepared this time and it won't catch me off guard. Plus then the others who go with can focus completely on scaring away the guards. Neve would be good for that her and Aspen could probably create one hell of a blizzard." Astoria looked around and shrugged a little, however when Ash spoke up she looked at him with a bit of a glare. He had been strange, she couldn't blame him especially considering what she had been doing but even then.


"I-Is that really a good idea? I mean if it turns to a fight I don't dispute you're capable Ash but you've never been in combat in your life!"

 

[KAYDEN]

While all the others chose to impress the kids with their powers, Aspen chose to worms in the kids instead. These kids have lived out here and learned so much from having to deal with their surroundings they were able to teach him a thing or two. Now Aspen would say he was even adept in pickpocketing! Of course he showed off a little, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't! Neve had created is sheet of ice for the children to play on which then led to a snowball fight that he helped a few kids cheat at by being their personal snowball machine. It reminded him a lot of his childhood memories at the castle, which was something he wouldn't have been able to say just a few days ago. It was strange having his memories once again but nice all in all, though he wished he would have gotten them back a long time ago. Maybe he could have warned someone about Dante and avoided all of this mess...

The next morning when Aspen woke from his spot on the floor, he noticed Neve was already gone and some of the others have already started the day so he chose to get up and laze around in the backyard until someone decided to force him to address the situation they were in. That time came quickly add when Neve returned she came with bad news and they were sprang into a conversation about what to do next.

"Marxine is right, I've had guards come looking for Neve a thousand times at my bar and they don't scare easy." Aspen joked lightly before continuing, "In all seriousness though we will have to scare them off and then get back to the kingdoms. Hiding under their nose wont be easy either." Ash spoke up and Aspen turned to him with wide eyes, the guy had never been this somber in the past two weeks Aspen knew him. "Woah there, I mean true but gods mate. We need to decide what Kingdom we will have the best chance of survival in. We can't assume any allies are our allies anymore."

Aspen stood from where he leaned against the wall and put his hands up like a truce when Astoria began yelling at Ash. "Hey now, I think big guy can handle it. If Asher is going with us to the horses it makes sense that the next guy with muscles should go with the others." Aspen looked over at River with a smirk, "No offense mate, but you and I are on team built for speed not for punches." He looked around and crossed his arms over his chest, "We should leave tonight like Ember said. I don't care who goes where, I for one am going to enjoy the last few hours before we leave and meet you guys on the porch tonight." Aspen jogged over to where the kids were playing tag and joined in, trying to get the most out of the few hours they had left of joy.

-

Later that evening once all the kids were asleep, after lots of sad goodbyes and see you laters, Aspen sat out on the front porch with his cloak drawn around his shoulders and face to protect himself from the once again terrible weather. It was freezing which didn't bother him much but the wind literally felt like it was cutting his skin. The others should be joining him soon so that they could head out and hopefully put an end to the guards in no mans land.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

Everyone seemed to be in agreement to the plan, and the teams were assembled. Neve, Aspen, River and Marxine were handling the distraction. That was ice, water, wind and fire for one big super-storm to scare away the guards. Ash and Ember would rescue the prisoner, they were a small and group that would easily sneak in the camp. All the while Asher would assist Astoria in seizing the horses. They were capable beings, they could do this. As soon as the planning was over everyone went their separate ways, leaving Neve and Asher to scope out the guards camp. After they got the lay of the land from the hill they returned to spend the rest of the time with the children.

Once the children started to fall asleep she slowly pulled the cloak over the worn riding leathers she traveled in. She slipped outside to the porch and looked over at Aspen. He looked chilled to the bone and before she knew it she was pulling out her knitted blue scarf she had tucked in her pocket. "Here, this will keep you warm." Neve wrapped the soft material around his neck underneath the hood before gently folding it and tucking it neatly. "I can't have you freeze to death, I don't know what I'd do without my partner in crime. Without you I'm pretty sure I'd go insane." Thankfully it was dark and he couldn't see her heated cheeks.

It wasn't long before everyone gathered on the porch. Neve and Asher led the group ten minutes outside of the village to the hill that overlooked the guard camp. There were only four guards but they were all armed, and while she was sure they could fight them it was best to just scare them away. The four horses and small cart it carried was at the front of the camp, the person locked in the cage was in the center and the guards were sitting by the fire drinking. Once everyone had their objective and went on their way Neve focused on making it hail. At first it began as small balls of ice falling from the sky over the men and their fire, but soon they grew into the size of golf balls. The temperature began to rapidly drop as the men started to run towards the tents at the back of the camp.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

It broke her heart to leave the kids, but she knew they had to be victorious over her uncle or every non-noble would suffer. Ember said goodnight to the children and promised that they would return as soon as they could. By the time she got to the porch everyone was ready to go, so she followed Neve and Asher to the hill top overlook. Ash and her would be the one to sneak through the camp and bust out the prisoner while the guards ran around in a panic. Honestly? Ember was nervous. This was her first stealth mission and she wasn't sure she'd be great at it. But Ash? He was confident in their success. That alone raised her spirits, albeit just a little.

Neve had began the distraction and Ash and Ember began their descent of the hill. The hood of her cloak was pulled up and tightened so the cold air wouldn't hit her face, gloves pulled over her freezing hands. "Ash?" They were far away enough from the guards to where they wouldn't be able to hear the pair whispering. If Ash even wanted to talk to her! They weren't close, he was already engaged, but she was concerned for him. Astoria and him were very distant as of late and Ash seemed like he was falling apart on the inside. "I know it's not my place, but I'm worried about you. Do you want to talk? I don't know if Tori's noticed, but I can talk to her if you want. I'm sure you'd be far more comfortable talking to her."

As they reached the bottom of the hill she hid behind the tree, her golden eyes watching as the guards ran away from the fire and cage and straight to the tents. Ember took a deep breath and quickly ran across the camp to the cage. The prisoner was unconscious but started to stir with the commotion happening in the camp. He was bloody, bruised, and badly beaten. "Crap, there's a lock on the door." Quickly she looked around for a rock or anything to smash the lock, though a thought stopped her in her tracks. "Ash do you think your roots could break it open?"

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

"I think we should be honest with Ash." the guilt was weighing heavily on Asher as the days with Astoria progressed. At first he thought it had just been a one night thing, but he had feelings for the girl and he could tell she felt something for him. Their chemistry was undeniable and he knew there was something there, though a few factors weighed down his conscious. Tori was a queen, they weren't in the same social class at all. On the run that didn't matter, but when they got back to reality how would things really play out? And second, Ash was a good guy. He loved Tori, that much was obvious, but it was obvious that Tori didn't reciprocate any romantic type of love. He didn't deserve to be lied to.

Asher made his way down the hill with Tori towards the horses and cart. The horses were all saddled and there was a cart, but unfortunately there were only four horses. They'd have to share and some would have to sit in the cart, though it would be crowded with the supplies they would pack inside. "Want to calm down the horses? I'll pack the cart." Asher quietly moved around the horses and to the crates of supplies. Quickly and quietly he began to stack a few crates on the cart, his green eyes glancing back at the guards running towards the tent.

"I can tell the lie is eating you up inside too, you're a good woman and you shouldn't be stuck in a lie like this. I mean, if you'd like to cut ties with me and try and focus on Ash again I would be heartbroken, but I would support you nonetheless. I'd support you no matter what decision you make." Asher let out a small sigh as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, looking over at Tori to see how she was progressing with the horses.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

River knew that Marxine wanted to go rescue the prisoner, but with Asher going with Astoria they needed another element to the superstorm. "Don't worry, Ash and Ember will get him out safe. We'll get far away from this place after and lead the our trail away from the kids." As terrible as he was with socializing he wanted to put her mind at ease. Everyone had so much on their plate but her plate had been full for YEARS now. He wanted her to be able to finally breath a sigh of relief...if only he could help with that. The least he could do was reassure her that good things were going to happen. "Hiding in your tents? Oh, come now."

As the guards ran into their tents to avoid the large balls of hail he focused on the wind, his silver eyes watching as the tents began to get bombarded with heavy gusts of wind. At first the tents were just flapping in the wind, but the man was soon able to get gusts powerful enough to knock the tents over. The wind forced the tents to tumble as the balls of ice pelted the tents. He glanced over at Ember as she ran across the camp with Ash towards the prisoner, though when they got there they didn't immediately open the door. There must have been a lock...but that was what Ash was for, he'd be able to break it.

Asher appeared to be loading up the cart with supplies for their getaway while Tori handled the horses. The plan was all relatively falling into place, something that rarely seemed to happen anymore. "So our goal is to get the guards to run from the back exit of the camp so we can make our escape through the front with the horses, right?" As he asked the question he made the whipping wind toss the tents further towards the back of the camp. He hated to admit it but this was actually kind of fun. He didn't know why the Gods chose them worthy of the powers but he was thankful they did.

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

"Thank you my queen." Aspen chuckled at Neve as she wrapped the scarf around his neck, her words made him blush slightly and he hoped that in the dark of the night she wouldn't be able to tell. "Well without me you would definetly have a lot less to drink and a lot less fun." He gave her a small smile and patted her head before stopping as the others joined them on the porch. The journey to the camp the guards were using wasn't long but it was awfully cold, even as someone from Inverno. Once they arrived everyone quickly made way into their various tasks. Neve started their assault on the guards with hail that forced them to go running towards their tents , tents that River swiftly send falling over with the use of his powers.

"Alright, here we go." Aspen focused on creating a giant rain cloud to hover above the camp, with the combination of the wind, rain and hail he was sure that the guards had to feel like they were being pelted with weapons at this point. He kept the rain falling as he looked over at Marxine, he honestly wasn't sure how she could do much with fire when there was this much wind and rain going on but hopefully this was enough to get the men to tuck their tails and run.

River spoke up and Aspen turned back to the scene at hand, the men were all using anything the could to cover their heads and screaming at one another about what they were going to do next. "It seems the prisoner isn't even on their radar so that is good but I have to admit I'm worried about miss priss and pretty boy if the guards try and run to the horses." He scoffed a bit and turned to look over at Marxine once again, "Want to make sure those guys dont come heading this way, I'll focus the rain just over them so that it doesn't extinguish anything."

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Astoria had heard Marxine's vows to Gwen and planned to help out herself once they were back in their rightful places, it was the only thing that gave her mind the ability to feel okay about leaving the children here for now. They had lasted this long without them all, she understood that, they were strong but it still felt wrong to do so. They had finally said all their goodbyes and it was time to leave... Asher and Astoira walked together in a manner that had now become their normal and what he blurted out nearly made her trip and fall as they made their way up the hill. She didn't have the nerve or confidence to respond plus she didnt want to talk about this near the others at all! Not even within a 100 foot radius! Astoria knew he was right... she really did but her brain was fighting her heart this whole time.

They all reached the top of the hill and the moment that Neve started the ice storm, Astoria and Asher headed for the horses. They were already riled up from the weather nearby and Astoria was trying her hardest to calm them down without anything drastic with her powers. However with the wind and rain starting it only got worse. Asher was working on loading the cart and it seemed as if the guards at the camp were completely engrossed with the crazy storm so Astoria bit the bullet and created a whole small orchard that offered the horses tree coverage from the elements as well as some treats that near instantly calmed them down.

Asher spoke up once more and Astoria let out a sigh as she picked an apple and began feeding the lovely creatures in front of her. "Asher I-I want to. Believe me." She gave the last horse a quick pat before turning to Asher and joining him as he loaded the cart. "I-I will admit that I am not sure what this is. What we are... but I like it a lot. I've never felt this way before... I don't want to lose it but I don't now how to be anything other that Astoria Primrose, golden child, Ash Maidenhair's fiance. It's what I've been since I was a teenager, we've always been a pair. It's never been like that... ever. For both of us but it was so comfortable. But since I've met you..." Her voice trailed off as she climbed into the cart and grabbed his arm to stop him from working, "Since I've met you I don't want to be comfortable. I want to get butterflies every time I look at you, I want to feel excited to see you when I wake up and electric when you hold my hand. I'm just scared of it. I'm scared of hurting him too..." She watched him as he wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled softly. "I want you. I just have to find the bravery to tell Ash because you're right, I feel awful."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

"Right, I know." Marxine shot River a thankful smile, his attempt to reassure her was appreciated but it wasn't worry that was making her feel bad. It was just the situation... as soon as she was finally going to get her justice she was ousted again. Sure she wasn't alone this time but was she really just a bad person? Is that why she was constantly getting shit on by life? First her mom dies, second she gets exiled for following her mothers dying wish and third she gets nearly murdered and exiled again! Only this time with new confusing powers! Awesome! All the wanted when she asked to help the prisoner was a small win... though she supposed anything was good. And scaring the fuck out of these assholes was going to feel good.

Neve started the storm with the other two quickly jumping in. Marxine glanced over to the other groups to make sure things were progressing and they seemed to be going well enough to where Marxine could have a little fun with the fire. Astoria had covered the horses with trees so the flames shouldn't be able to scare them at all.

Aspen called over to her and Marxine chuckled, "Oh don't you worry about me boy, you focus on your rain." She turned back to the scene below them with a bit of a smirk, focusing on the fire that was in the middle of their camp and staring at it as it became bigger and bigger until it was near covering most of the ground in the area nearest the guards. "If we need to make sure they go out the back. Then allow me." Marxine moved her hands as if she was guiding the fire along the ground, to the guards it would seem like dry brush was catching quickly but to them she was going to chase these assholes as far away as she could. It didn't take much before their captain was yelling for them to abandon their supplies and make way for their nearest outpost. Once they did Marxine stopped her focus and allowed the flames to be put out by the storm the others had created.

"Let's go join Asher and Astoria. Ash and Ember shouldn't be long." Marxine stood fully from where they had been hiding and carefully made her way down to the camp, the tents that River had sent flying had also provided them with some left behind swords and a few bows that she gathered up before making her way to the horses. "Shit there is only four horses? How were there so many of those assholes then." Marxine let the weapons all clatter into the cart Astoria and Asher were standing in, not noticing that the was likely interrupting something. "We should hook up two to the cart and use the other two loosely, I am NOT good at riding, horses fucking hate me." Marxine went to tie up the two horses to the cart and was met with some resistance from the horses but was able to get the job done before hopping into the back of the cart and getting situated. "See told you, hate me. It's like they know that I'm scared of them."