A Secret Plight

Fellsgard is the foundation of Khy'eras' history and through reconstruction, it is now a vibrant and lively city. People reside here due to mild climate, opportunities, and safety and stability. Adventures often start from Fellsgard. Read more...
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Taryn Alvor
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A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

It was difficult sometimes to get away from the life of being a wife. While for some, such a life was a dream; a man to dote upon you, to love you, with the means to provide and care for you. But Taryn had never in her life been a woman who needed to be cared for. At a young age she had become as independent as was human possible for a child. She was educated certainly, but the life of a fairess was not for her. So being wed off to a man she had, had no prior interest in throughout her life had not by any means been ideal.

And this was why she lived a second life; a life shrouded in secret, protected by those she trusted most - even if such people should not be trusted by any. But they had never wronged her, never double crossed her, and so long as they got their cut? They continued to bring her word of work to be taken. Nothing that would ever take her too far from home, as that would be impossible to explain, but if something cropped up around the province? Well, Tar was on it.

Even now she was on the prowl. Apparently some locals on the outskirts were having problems with some nasty, hungry beast type creatures. The job was straightforward enough; find the lair of the beast and kill them before they could kill or maim anymore people. Not always the simplest of tasks, especially considering the word lair was involved. That meant there were multiple targets in question, and no one had an exact number on just how many of these creatures there were to deal with. Anyone who had been asked had a different number ranging from three to ten, and any way you looked at it? Those odds were stacked against Taryn.

That didn't stop her from agreeing and setting off however. She had taken to tracking, trying to find something to help lead the way on nothing more than rumors and unsolidified descriptions. After a time, a groan slipped past her lips and she found a sturdy tree to lean heavily against. Her head lofted back against the trunk and her eyes closed as she sighed slowly and deeply in and out through her nose. While she was far from done already, she did need a moment to recenter herself. This was something she had to try and accomplish with enough time to get home before it became questionable. Though something deep in Tar's gut told her that this would probably be the time she didn't get home in time.

A sound of movement caused her eyes to snap open and her head to right itself. She was still, quiet, almost holding her breath as she listened and heard it again. It was faint, something or someone making their way through. It didn't sound like they were coming directly at her, but honestly Taryn had been wrong about that before - more than once. So she reached for the hilt of her blade, slowly drawing it from it's sheath as quietly as she could. She didn't know if whatever the source of the noise was going to bother her or not, but she was going to be prepared for it regardless.

-----------------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 556
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
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The drunken Hedge Knight
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

It had been weeks since his run in with the Harpy. Since then, he and Mouse have been hopping from one tavern to the next one, taking jobs as they went - to Mouse's annoyance of course. The amount of times he had left Gailen in the dirt because of a drunken stupor was countless. But he always came back, bless his hooves.

It had taken some wandering, but they finally plodded into Fellsgard. Mouse let out an exasperated snort By now, he knew exactly where the inn was. Gailen didn't even have to steer him in the right direction anymore.
"Don't you sigh at me." Gailen told him as they ambled through the streets towards the harbour. "You don't hear me sighing when I have to get you some extra carrots. Tit for tat, my friend."
In answer, Mouse shook his head before pulling hard against the reins.
"Oi! Don't be mean! Don't you always get quality steamed hay whenever we are here?" Gailen cried as the reins slipped out of his hand.
Mouse agreed with a reluctant rumble and kept plodding towards the inn.

It didn't take them too long to reach and get settled for the evening. Gailen was enjoying a good pint of ale while observing the locals. Interesting how he did not see himself as a local anymore. It has been years since he was living in Fellsgard. He occasionally wandered through, but whenever he did, memories came flooding back.
He was lost in thought when the some words suddenly caught his attention. A pair of sabre cats have moved into the area outside of Fellsgard and were plaguing the farmers and travelers. People wanted help, as the guards did not care what went on outside the walls.
"If you have coin, I'll happily dispose of them for you." Gailen said, getting up and walking over to the group that was discussing the creatures.
"We'll pay. Just make sure our children can play outside once more." one of them said.
"Very well. I'll leave in the morning." Gailen said, taking another gulp of ale. They were moving through the woods, Mouse ever vigilant and Gailen lost in thought. He should have gotten more ale. He was way too sober for this little adventure. He needed some personality to face these creatures.
Mouse's ears suddenly perked up and he lifted his head.
"What? Can't be the beasts already?" Gailen asked quietly.
Mouse shook his head and stopped, looking at a tree not far in front of them. Gailen followed his gaze and caught sight of someone hiding behind it. He dismounted quietly and drew Bianca from her scabbard on his saddle.
"You distract them. I'll go the other way. Be careful" he quietly told Mouse.
The horse moved forward, playing it just like his companion intended. As he moved past the stranger against the tree, he bent down to graze, drawing attention to himself. Gailen took a moment to appreciate Mouse's intellect. They have been together for so many years that he sometimes lost track of just how smart his horse was. He then started to move to the other side of the tree.
He couldn't see who it was or what species - only that they seemed slightly out of place in the wilds. This put him on the alert. He sneaked up behind them before straightening up and putting his sword to their throat from slightly behind them.
"Who are you and what's your business in these woods?" he asked sternly.

@Taryn Alvor
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Taryn Alvor
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

The noise had intensified, drawing near now rather than moving away like it had been. This caused Taryn's brow to crease, though as the noise got closer she recognized the movement pattern. A horse, and she hadn't been wrong as the creature came lazily mulling past. Tar sighed and rolled her eyes at first, though the relief didn't last very long. This was not a wild horse, no. This belonged to someone, and they were missing from their saddle.

"Where is your rider?" she questioned, though the last word was hitched when she felt the cool touch of blade against her throat. "Right then, maim or kill the idiot, butcher the horse." while said aloud, it was said to herself and not to this man who had caught her off guard. "I don't have time for this." that however was said to the stranger.

As the words left her mouth, Taryn brought a gloved hand up against the blade and shoved it away from her neck. Ten to one it would nick her, but that could be explained away, and it was worth it anyway to be able to bring her own blade up. She pivoted as she pushed the man's blade away, her own sword rising in the same movement so that she was facing this man. Admittedly he had definitely gotten the better of her; Tar was not too proud to admit such a thing. The last thing she had expected was for a horse to be someone's diversion.

"Alright just get--" But words died in her throat. The moment she had come face to face with this man, her brain shut down. Her brow drew together until it almost met in the middle, her lips remained slightly parted where her words had died out, and though her sword arm did not falter entirely it did lax some as she stared across the short distance between the two of them. "Gailen..." It wasn't a question of who he was. It didn't matter how long it had been since she had seen him, or how he had grown in the time spent apart. Tar knew him well, had always known him well, and would recognize him anywhere.

-----------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Last edited by Taryn Alvor on November 17th, 2020, 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Word count: 371
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
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The drunken Hedge Knight
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

A woman spoke and Bianca was shoved away before she pivoted and brought up her own blade. When he saw who it was, he nearly dropped his sword, brown eyes wide in shock. At her cry of his name, Mouse's head snapped up from his faux grazing.
Gailen's jaw clenched. He never thought he'd see her again. She was his one regret for leaving Fellsgard - the one memory he had been running from.
He lowered his sword and held out his other hand in surrender before sheathing Bianca.
"What are you doing here, Tar?" he asked, more serious than he had been in a long time. He needed a drink more than ever. He was not ready to deal with a blast from the past. He had learnt how to improvise in a situation of something caught him off guard. This, however, was something different. Memories raced through his mind - their secret sparring sessions, as it was not becoming for a lady to wield a sword but she wanted to learn, their wrestling matches, their nightly meetings when they were older.
He closed his eyes before looking away, swallowing hard, trying to compose himself.

When he looked back at her, he was frowning.
"This is no place for a lady. This is no sparring lesson. Sabre cats are dangerous. I can't be looking out for you too. Go home to whoever your husband is now." he said flatly walking past her toward Mouse, who was ogling at them with big brown eyes. It hurt, knowing she had moved on. Yet, he could not blame her.
As Gailen approached, Mouse flared his nostrils before huffing at his companion.
"Not now." Gailen told him. It pained him to walk away....again....but he had a job to do. A dangerous one.
Mouse's ears fell back slightly and he pressed his head against Gailen's chest.

It didn't last long, however, as Mouse's head snapped back up, ears alert and withers quivering, as snort escaping his nose.
Gailen looked around, his hand moving to the crossbow on his saddle. The cats must be close.
"Taryn, get yourself over here." he ordered her, his eyes still searching their surroundings. The crossbow rested in both his hands now, ready to be brought to the shoulder at a moment's notice. He hated Sabres. There were always two and they always stalked from different directions.
Word count: 399
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Taryn Alvor
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Level
01
25 / 25 HP
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Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

Taryn witnessed it, first hand; this was just as much a surprise for him as it was for her. She watched his face carefully, and when he sheathed his blade so did she. She watched the emotion on his face and when his eyes slide closed she had almost taken a step forward out of some old, clearly not entirely forgotten habit.

Thankfully, she hadn't done as such.

His reaction when he looked to her again wiped the expression from Tar's face and replaced it with a deeply etched frown. He had the gall to be upset with her?! "As far as I can recall, it's none of your concern as to why I'm out here," she finally spoke up, countering both his inquiry and his statement that followed in one go. "You should bare in mind that I have never needed you to look out for me." At one time she had wanted for him to be the one to watch her back, to be the one to look out for her, but that ship had sailed when he up and abandoned her. "And my husband doesn't miss me, I assure you."

She let him walk past, and was admittedly half tempted to stick her foot out to trip him as he walked by. But her maturity held strong and she simply let him pass. "You should go back to whatever brewery you swam out of and leave the Sabre cats to someone who actually gives a--" Tar allowed for her commentary to die off, if only because of that tone Gail used when he had spoken to her again. Usually, someone giving her an order would have set her off. She was her own person after all, and didn't need someone ordering her about - she got enough of that at home when her father was around.

But this was different, and she had taken note of the horse's behavior and so she didn't argue. While she didn't go running, and she didn't move to stand at Gailen's side, Taryn did move so that she was positioned near enough that neither of their backs were exposed. She could watch one way, he the other. "I hope you're a good shot with that thing." her tone had softened, kept quiet in favor of listening to everything around them. The last thing either of them needed was a surprise attack from Sabre cats.

----------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 406
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
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The drunken Hedge Knight
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

Well she had actually listened to him. That was a first. He would have thrown a quip her way if it weren't for the imminent danger. Those cats could be anywhere around this clearing. He did, however, have to close his eyes and let out a centering breath when she questioned his skill with the crossbow.
"I've been around, Princess. I haven't played at being a noble for the past fifteen years like you have. I fought some food onto my table in that time." he whispered to her, although his eyes kept scanning their surroundings. Not a day had gone by when he did not miss Taryn, but damn she was infuriating. He hated snapping at her, however.

He had just opened his mouth to apologise when the first cat decided to launch itself out of the grass. With practiced precision, he loosed a bolt straight into the feline's chest. It let out a yowl before barreling into Gailen. He fell to the ground with a grunt, his crossbow knocked out of his hand. The cat was still semi alive and trying it's best to reach Gailen's jugular. He held it bay with both hands, but the cat was not letting up soon.
"Damn it!" he clenched before slipping his vambraced left arm in the creature's mouth to keep it at bay enough so that he could pull a dagger from his belt. With some struggle, he finally embedded the blade into the feline's jugular. It took some strength, but he managed to rip a gash in its throat. Blood spilled all over him, but the cat finally collapsed, knocking the wind out of Gailen.
"Fuck!" he coughed, struggling to shove the dead weight of the big cat off him.
Just then, Mouse let out a screech and moved into Gailen's field of vision. The knight could see his horse's ears were pulled back flat against his head and teeth were bared while he was stomping at something that Gailen could not see. He knew instantly the other cat had made its appearance and was most probably going for.....
"Taryn!" he cried, shoving harder at the dead cat. Finally he wiggled himself free and pulled Bianca while scrambling to his feet. Part of him knew she probably could handle herself, but mostly all of him wanted to make sure that she got out of this alive.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 399
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Taryn Alvor
Character
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Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

A loud scoff slipped right past Taryn's lips due to his response. "Oh, well excuse me for not running away from home and abandoning all of the people who loved me." She shot right back at him with a shake of the head. Honestly, were they really going to do this right here, right now? Back to back with Sabre cats circling them, poised to pounce at any given moment? Well...for the pair of them, perhaps that wasn't entirely too crazy. And the fact that she had fired back without thinking through her words first didn't sit well with her. A fact which made her sigh and start to apologize.

And then get rudely interrupted when the first of the cats made itself known. The pair of them had broken apart, Tar getting knocked over when the cat lunged. "Gailen!" She had to pick herself up, though Gail was quick enough to rid himself of immediate danger. Not unscathed from the looks of it, but at least he was still alive and in one piece. Strange how quickly her frustrations and hurt because of him were replaced with care and concern.

But her focus shifted when the horse reacted, and Tar's sword was flipped up into a useable hold. She braced herself as the yowling cat came charging at her, and when it lunged Taryn's blade swung. It caught the beast from belly to throat, though the damage was less by the time it had reached the cat's throat. Tar however managed to shift during the swing, getting herself out of full pouncing path, though was still hit with enough of the cat's weight to knock her down again. She scrambled then to regrip her sword and get turned over, knowing the Sabre cat would recover faster than she did, and she wasn't wrong. Despite the bleeding injury of it's belly, the beast was barreling towards her again, and while Tar tried to scoot back and keep space between herself and the cat, it eventually caught up to her and lunged again. This time however Taryn brought her sword up and lodged the weapon as deeply down the cat's throat as she possibly could.

The weight still settled upon her, but it was lifeless, and with a groan Taryn let her body collapse beneath it dead, bleeding creature for just a moment or two in order to catch her breath.

------------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 404
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
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The drunken Hedge Knight
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

Gailen wiped the blood out of his eyes as he stumbled to where the cat had collapsed on Taryn. He froze a step or two away, almost too scared to heave the carcass from her. Luckily, Mouse nudged him into movement with a snort. Gailen swallowed hard before reluctantly scruffing the big cat and lifting it off of Taryn.
"Oh thank the idols." he sighed as he dropped to his knees next to her when he saw she was still alive. his eyes closing in relief for a minute. "Are you hurt?" he asked her once he opened his eyes. He would not have been able to live with himself if that cat had gotten the best of her. He didn't need a drink anymore. He needed a vat full.

When he pushed himself to his feet, he let out a gasp. With the adrenaline wearing off, he realised his cat had been able to penetrate the vambrace when he had held it at bay to get to his dagger. The puncture wounds went quite deep, rendering his arm a bloody mess.
"Well now. That's going to leave another few scars." he said flatly. Luckily his sword-arm was still unmarred. He offered his healthy hand to help Taryn to her feet.
Looking down at her made his heart clench slightly. Seeing her again had ripped open old hurts. What he had given up in his anger at his father. He had often wondered what had become of the girl that had held his heart those many years ago.
After helping her to her feet, he reluctantly let go of her hand.
"Answer me one question before I leave you to your life once more - what happened to you, Tar? After I left?" he asked, looking away at the end. He needed that drink now. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to that. He had made his bed. The road was his home now. And he liked it. Most days.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 335
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Taryn Alvor
Character
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
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Race: Human
Class: Barbarian and Fighter
Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

The weight of the cat being pulled off of her body made Taryn sigh in relief. She may have been a sturdy enough woman, but even her frame wasn't fit to support all that weight for very long. She breathed in for a moment, and when Gail dropped to his knees beside her, her head turned so that she could look at him. The concern was palpable, and it strangely felt good for him to be as concerned for her as she had been for him just minutes before. "No, I'm not hurt." she assured him, and she eyed him looking for injuries as well.

Her gaze settled on his arm just as he stood and seemed to notice the injury himself, and Taryn pushed herself up so that she was leaned on the support of her hands. "You are though," she let out, and when he reached out to help her up, she hesitated. It wasn't just because he was injured and she didn't want to add strain to his body - uninjured arm or not. It was also because in this moment there was no looming danger between them. Nothing for either of them to hide behind, or put between them due to some time management. She sighed slowly through her nose, then reached a hand out so that she could grasp his hand and let him help her to her feet.

It was instant, the familiarity of the way her hand fit into his. The memories associated with hand holding came back just as strong, and yet she didn't yank her hand from his. Instead she let the hold linger until he released her, and then she made a noise in her throat and gestured to his arm. "Let me see." she instructed him, while she worked to pull a wrap from her satchel. "It won't necessarily stop the bleeding entirely, but it will help slow it down and keep the wound clean until you can have it tended to properly."

When the following question came from him, Tar's lips turned down in a frown. That was a question she didn't want to answer, for a variety of reasons. She had loved Gail at one point, and would have left with him in a heartbeat had he come to her and said he was leaving. But he hadn't; he had just left, and she had been one of the things he had left behind. "They forced me to marry," she finally answered him, though was focused on tending to his arm now rather than looking him in the face. "Your brother." she finished, and the look on her face now made it easy to tell that this was something she was still not pleased with to this day.

-------------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 464
User avatar
Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Character
The drunken Hedge Knight
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Fighter and Ranger
Posts: 13
Joined: July 15th, 2020, 1:44 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

She had noticed his injury as well. He could have brushed her off and tell her that it was just a scratch, but it felt good to have her tend to it. Her answer to his question, however, caught him by surprise.
"My brother?" he asked in disbelief. "I was not expecting that, in all honesty." he then admitted. The look on her face, however, brought him an odd satisfaction.
"You don't love him, do you?" he asked, just to be sure. Why did he want to know that?

It was agony, to have her so close and yet know that he had probably destroyed any chance he had had with her the moment he had left Fellsgard all those years ago. He had regretted it every day, yet his pride had gotten in the way of returning for her. His heart ached at the thought as he looked down at her while she was busy with his arm.

Finally, he could bite his tongue no longer. He rested his free hand over hers, stilling them on his arm.
"I'm sorry for what I did, Taryn. I truly am. I should not have left the way I had." he told her, looking away at the end. Mouse let out a whinny from a few paces away, pulling his ears flat at Gailen. Even the damn horse was calling him a fool, it seems.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 235
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