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Post by rani on Nov 25, 2007 20:46:22 GMT -8
Ranya Alexandrine ran into her room in tears and slammed the door behind her. She had just had a second fight with Scipio and it was the worst yet.
In haste Ranya walked over to her bed and pulled her bag out from under it. It was then that she started shoving bits and peices of her belongings into it. She didn't care if anyone would miss her... but either way she was leaving.
Ranya eyes fell upon the small box that sat upon her dresser. Saddly she picked it up and opened it, sitting down upon her bed. It was her brothers ring. It had been her plan to give it to Scipio... but she couldn't do that now could she. Instead she stood up and put it back on the dresser and finished packing.
Then silently she crept out of the room and out of the castle. She left Shahir and Warrior behind, only riding the fastest horse she had... Surion. She knew that Khalida would come after her.... but she didn't care. Either way she was going home... back home to France.
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 25, 2007 21:16:03 GMT -8
Scipio rode alone in the failing light alone, on Opera. What had he done to deserve this? All he had down in the first place was try to help Ranya with her horse, yet she wouldn’t be helped. “That’s what started this whole thing. He said aloud. “Pride, the knight’s downfall.”
And yours. Said a small, but persistant voice inside his head. You are nothing but a proud fool yourself.
“Shut up.” He told the irritating voice, “You’ll only make matters worse.”
Really? I was under the impression this was all Ranya’s fault, so why worry about making matters worse, you never did anything to begin with? It sneered sarcastically.
“I thought I told you to shut up!” Scipio insisisted. He thought his conscious would finally leave him alone and rode along at the brisk trot he was at in peace, or at least so he thought. The little voice was sure keeping quiet. Nothing, no nagging, no talking…finally Scipio couldn’t stand it any longer. “Fine, maybe it was my fault…but only a little.” He said finally.
Ah, so you admit, the first mature thing you’ve done in weeks. You are acting like a child, Scipio, and Ranya, has until this moment, thought of you as a man. Who are you to disappoint her?
“I…I…mean…why fine, maybe I have been acting a little childish, but what good will it do now?”
That is for you to—. But the voice inside his head was cut short by the sound of galloping hooves and the next thing he knew, Scipio was looking straight at Ranya, who looked as if she was galloping for her life. Opera reared up in alarm and Scipio yelled in surprise.
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Post by rani on Nov 25, 2007 21:31:34 GMT -8
Ranya looked over her shoulder at the yell and saw Opera rearing up. She would have turned around but she in her haste she didn't feel like it. Instead she turned back around and kept riding. "Dont Surion..." she muttered. "Not for anything".
The stallion snorted and picked up the pace, opening the gap between him and Opera quickly. Ranya only slowed down when she met up with her escort. She didn't care to notice that dark look in the mans eyes. She just kept riding. She only looked back at Scipio once and shook her head.
Scipio..... You're only here because of them. Go.... you're not here because of you she sent to him before turning back around.
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 25, 2007 22:09:06 GMT -8
Scipio heard her reply in his head, but, as he could not respond, didn’t. But something he was now feeling quite often flared up inside him. An angry, red-hazed something; jealousy. He was now jealous of the guard in escorting Ranya. He began to gallop Opera forward again, but then stopped. What’s happening to me? He thought furiously. He took a deep breathe, and then put Opera into a gallop, tailing Ranya and the guard.
Surion might be fast, but Opera wasn’t any old farm horse either. Her legs pounded rhythmically into the ground creating a drum effect, adding to the already tight tension. As soon as they were within hailing distance, Scipio checked Opera’s fast pace and called.
“Halt! I wish to speak with the Lady Alexandrine.” His voice had suddenly taken on a booming, impressive effect that it wasn’t used to, and it felt strange coming out of Scipio’s mouth. He circled Opera on the stop for dramatic effect and she snorted nervously.
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Post by rani on Nov 25, 2007 22:31:07 GMT -8
The veela looked to Ranya, questioning her on what they should do. Ranya just raised the hood of her red cloak and kicked Surion to a faster gallop. The grey horse put down his head and stretched his legs out in full stride. "Leave him", she ordered as they raced ahead.
The veela nodded his head and followed behind her, but he was slowing down his pace. Ranya only though it as her horse being the faster. She didn't even know that he turned to smirk at Scipio.
After atleast another minute or so Ranya eventually looked over her shoulder and saw that her escort had fallen behind. He wasn't galloping.... he was cantering! But why? Then she heard a twig break and she saw an arrow flying towards her. Ranya only just managed to duck it before drawing Assassin. She kept Surions reins in one hand as she looked around. What was happening? Were the rumours of the order true?
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 25, 2007 23:04:30 GMT -8
Fine. Scipio thought. If that’s the way she wants it…fine. Then he put Opera into a faster gallop. They fairly flew, Scipio’s long black coat whipping behind him in the wind created by Opera’s fast pace. As they passed the guard, Scipio saw the man give him a wide smirk and Scipio fought the urge to stick out his tongue at him. No, be mature, be a man. He thought. So he raised his eyebrows instead, shook his head as though the escort was a lost cause, and galloped on. Opera’s nose was nearly level to Surion’s flank when Scipio heard the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air. Instinctively, he drew his bow and fitted an arrow to the string. He was not as fast nor as adept at this as Peregrine was, but he was still skilled at knocking the arrow to the string. He drew the string halfway back and prepared to aim his weapon at the shooter.
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Post by rani on Nov 25, 2007 23:18:26 GMT -8
Ranya looked around frantically, trying to find the attacker. Then she spotted him by the trees. She looked at Scipio then pointed towards the attacker. "There", she said, seeming as he had the bow. Surion moved backwards out of the way before Ranya was pulled down out of the saddle by her escort... followed by a scream.
Ranya promptly punched the man in the nose and scrambled away. The veela followed her and picked her up around the waist. Ranya elbowed him in the head as she had with Diamond and landed on her feet. She turned around and kicked him in the head.
Surion trotted over to her and she mounted up. The attackers were veelas.... the rumours were true. And Ranya had given herself a death wish by running off.
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 25, 2007 23:33:41 GMT -8
At the scream, Scipio yelled,
“RANYA!” And drew his bow string all the way back and fired at the veela, which he could see had been her escort. His aim was straight and true, and he only hoped that his mark would be as true as his aim. After his first arrow had left his bow, he knocked another to the string and drew it half way back as before and waited ready to fire at the same time, spurring Opera forward to the edge of the woods and dismounting, bow still raised.
“Rani.” He said urgently. “Just listen to me this time, don’t argue, we can discuss this later. Just get on Surion and go back to Erroterra as fast as his legs will carry you. Go now.”
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Post by rani on Nov 26, 2007 0:01:24 GMT -8
Ranya was already back in the saddle and she looked at him. "I'm not some dog you can order around", she snapped. "For I was already planning that". She knew that he wasn't going to follow her on his own accord... but she wasn't going to let him get himself hurt either.
Quickly she leaned over and slapped Opera on the rump. "Get going", she shouted at the mare before Surion burst forward. "Come on".
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 27, 2007 23:14:06 GMT -8
“What the heck are you doing?” Scipio yelled as Opera neighed loudly and shrilly in alarm and bolted when Ranya slapped her, retreating far into the woods. Scipio a sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Scipio realized that his sword, Rebel, was still tied to Opera’s saddle. He was left only with his bow and his quiver of arrows.
Throwing a swift but dirty look at Ranya’s retreating form, Scipio pulled the string of his bow all the way back, and fired at another Veela, making sure that his aim was straight. With a slight smile of satisfaction, he knocked another arrow and raised is weapon to fire again when he heard thunderous galloping hooves. They did not sound like the hooves of normal horses; they seemed heavier, more powerful, more coordinated. Scipio’s dark eyes widened in horror and shock as a company of five centaurs burst through the ivy creeping around the trees in the small clearing. Scipio noted the banner one of them carried, a black clothe on a golden poll with a golden-embroidered sideways eight worked into the fabric, the standard of the Tyrant King and his Army of Terror.
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Post by rani on Nov 28, 2007 17:10:13 GMT -8
Ranya pulled Surion to a halt and dismounted. She drew her sword from the saddle and swapped it to her hip, then flicked her bow and quiver over her shoulder. Then with a slap on the horses rump she sent it into the trees. "Go boy... hide", she ordered. "Go with Opera".
Ranya turned around and saw the banner... this was Army territory. She glared and took off her bow and knocked and arrow. She walked forward and shot and arrow into the neck of one of the centaurs. "Hey", she shouted, using her knowledge of shape-shifting to half morph into a horse. Now she looked like a centaur herself. "Pick on someone your own size".
Then with that she galloped forward and grabbed Scipio around the waist, throwing him onto her back. You must have a death wish today... her concious shouted at her. Shut up... she shot back angrily.
((missed the part where he dismounted. sorry,... now im covering my ass))
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 28, 2007 18:52:40 GMT -8
((lol, no problem, I thought you did, but I decided to play it that way))
Scipio felt anger flood through him as Ranya picked him up and tossed him onto her back. What? Did she think that he was her own personal property that she could haul around and do with as she pleased? He didn't think so.
"Let me go." He grunted, sliding free of her grip and falling onto the ground. He pulled his bow up again and shot another centaur. His arrow hit the beast in the leg and he screamed in pain, rearing up and thrusting a long, lethal-looking spear at Scipio, who saw it coming and rolled on the ground to avoid it, spitting out a mouthful of dirt as he resurfaced.
"Ranya, listen to me!" He yelled over all the noise. "Its you they want, not me! If you leave, they'll leave and it would be hard for me to get out of this. WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE" He shouted with all the volume he could muster, at the same time pulling the string back farther on his bow and aiming once again at the centaur which he had shot in the leg.
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Post by rani on Nov 28, 2007 19:05:48 GMT -8
Ranya screamed to a halt and turned around. She walked straight up Scipio and glared at him. "And I'm not some sevant that you can order around Scipio Quickfingers", she shot at him. "I go where I want, when I want. And right now..... you're making my wish that I was as far away from you as possible".
Ranya threw a leg out at the boy before galloping off. The centuars followed her and pinned her down, attaching a chain to her neck and irons to her wrists. Ranya didn't resist.... she was fumming. Her long hair changed to actual fire and lightning cracked overhead.
The girl wasn't mad..... she was p*ssed off. How dare Scipio order her around. She was just trying to keep him from getting hurt. But obviously he couldn't accept her help... or anyones help for that matter. And she hated him for that.
The centaurs dragged Ranya away, galloping at a pace that made her look clumsy, leaving Scipio behind. Without a fight, without a girlfriend and without a horse. And Ranya didn't care. Until Scipio changed.... she was finished with him. And stop being jealous all the time!!
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Post by Tobias Mhuir on Nov 29, 2007 21:38:02 GMT -8
Scipio didn't even hear her mindspeak as the centaurs carried her off. His arrow pierced the leg of one, made him limp and aim a badly-aimed kick at him. He started towards Ranya when she was pinned down, but then, halfway there, decided not to. She was being impossible. Unreasonable. Proud. A trip to France might be just what she needed, only she wouldn't be alone, he would follow behind her and the guards, whom all he could see of now was the dust kicked up by their hooves.
He turned to the now deserted area.
"Opera." He called quietly, though his teenage-sounding voice shook. "Opera?" He made his way into the thick foriage where he found his mount, looking frightened out of her wits, shaking next to an equaly terrified Surion.
"Come on girl." He said gently. "I'm scared to,, but we have a job to do." He looked over at the stallion. "My apologies, Senior." He told him, "But I can't take you with me, go back to that stables." He told him. And then in a sweeping motion, he swung onto Opera's back and followed the disappearing remains of the backs of the centaurs and Ranya, hoping that he had done the right thing.
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Post by rani on Nov 29, 2007 22:18:50 GMT -8
Ranya was pulled into the courtyard of her grandmothers retreat and forced to change back to normal. She was thrown down onto her knees with her eyes cast down. She dreaded the voice that she was about to hear.
A tall blonde woman of pure veela blood walked out of one of the rooms with the sweep of her skirts. She bowed to the cantaurs before they left. "Well child", she said in a somewhat heavenly voice. "This is the last place I thought to see you".
Ranya said nothing to the woman before her, knowing all the well that she, her grandmother, had set the order for Ranya's death. She didn't fight back when she was let away to the cells, Mackena's voice echoing inside her head. We'll execute her in a month... it kept repeating, driving her insane.
Ranya just sat down in the darkest part of the cell and wrapped her arms around her knees. She knew there was no escape for her from these cells.... magic didn't work inside them. She thought back to Scipio... what had she done. Now she was going to loose him, aswell as her life. All that could be done now... was wait for a month. Her execution. Then it would be over.
Ranya burst into tears at the thought of it. What was she thinking? She didn't want to die... she was the last of her family... she couldn't end it like that. No... she would wait and see what could be done at the time. Ranya pulled out the dagger that Khalida had given her when they first met... the blade was razor sharp. The girl lifted it to her hair and began cutting her long locks shorter. It was time to grow up... starting with her appearance.
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