Fareni continued walking forwards with measured steps, wary of both the arrows pointed at her and the dagger in Blaidri's hand. From now she was a prisoner, until she could think of a way out. She wasn't one to bown down to authority(or even blackmail), but her life was pretty important to her. She didn't do the helpless thing well, but she kept her mouth shut. With everyone armed but herself, she didn't fancy hand-to-hand-combat. Hmm. She could run. She hated the idea of not facing an enemy, but if she escaped alive it'd be worth it. Just. Watching the ground silently she edged forward, then looked up, facing Blaidri with narrowed eyes.

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Slowly the Paled inched towards him. She was looking at the ground, but Blaidri saw a threat of disobidience. Blaidri had the odd sence that somthing wasn't going to work out the way he planned. Suddenly The Paled snapped her head up, glaring at him full force. "What?" Blaidri asked nonchalantly, masking his unease.

Darin led the silver mare across the plains. Hoping to avoid any Paled entanglements along the way. He was in no shape to put up any real fight, and the only reason he managed to get away so easily was the help of the mysterious Paled woman. His mind began to drift to her again, as he had done many times during his escape back to his people.
"Why?" he muttered to himself, it was a question he asked himself over and over but never really getting an answer to his own satisfaction.

Steering the horse, through the trees Darin was tiring and his wounds were causing him immense pain. But he had to carry on, he had to find someone. Anyone that would help him.

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She watched him carefully. "I was planning a brilliant and heroic escape." Fareni told him. There was absolutely nothing like the truth, even if that wasn't the entire truth. She kept her face straight, and stopped moving forward. This was hopefully going to keep Blaidri guessing, if nothing else. She'd prefer to be armed, but there was plenty of time for that, and a battlefield of fallen warriors and their weapons. This could actually work.

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Xavier followed silently, keeping his eyes on Alena. When they finally broke through the brush into the glade, he couldn't help but gasp silently at the sight. It had been forever since he had seen such beautiful scenery. His eyes rested on the clear water, the light from the dieing sun reflecting off of it's surface like hundreds of little shining crystals, with the pebbles just underneath. Then his gaze went back to Alena, and she seemed almost angelic in his eyes surrounded by the beauty of the glade.
"It's beautiful," he said in a soft voice...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Alena turned and smiled back at him. "Isn't it? I like to come here, when the strife of the world seems at its darkest. I just hope the paleds never find this place, " she said softly. "I would hate to think of such beauty being lost." Thalion remained where he was, keeping an eye both on Xavier and Alena. Though he had remained silent while his mistress talked with the leader of the Stonestar, he still did not fully trust him. It was only the trust he could sense coming from Alena that had managed for some time to silence his vocal protest, rather he watched them with wary eyes ready to attack if something should happen.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

It had been sometime since Kai-Larr had been sent on her investigation by the King. She pretended to care and played her role to perfection. She scolded those that had to be scolded to keep in line with her evidence and was now returning to the Kings quarters. Once again knocking on the large, heavy doors before being summoned inside.

"So Lady Kai-Larr." the King began, "What did you find?" he asked her, his eyes focussed and intense.

"It was as I suspected Sire." she answered, her voice full of confidence, "The Guards were taken by surprise by the prisoner and overwhelmed. The gate was left open as it would be normally for the horses to be excercised." she was about to finish her 'conclusions' but was interupted by the King

"Then the Gate at the stable must now be closed at all times" he said sharply

Kai-Larr gave him a quizzical look, "Sire?"

"You question my judgement, Kai-Larr" he asked, almost accusatory getting up from his throne and walking towards her.

"No Sire, as you wish. I will see to it that it is done" she bowed cordially to him.

He smiled at her compliance and moved closer to her.
"Then all is done. But I do however have one more favour to ask of you"

Kai-Larr looked at him, trying to conceal her concern. Not even sure what he was wanting this time. She did her best to look as confident and as self-assured as always "Anything for my King" she bowed her head again.

"I want you to find Tika" he said, lifting her head up to meet his.

Kai-Larr's eyes widened at the name.
"T-Tika.." she stammered unable to finish her words. The King smiled and nodded "I would not know where to start Sire."

"Use those Paled instincts that have made you so invaluable to me" was his only reply and beckoned her to leave.

Her head was now a mixture of emotions.
"Why now? What good will come of it?" she thought as she hurried out the door towards her own quarters.

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Xavier nodded, his eyes going back to the stream.
"I'm honored that you shared this with me, and will do all in my power to help keep this place safe and secret," he said, a peacefull look coming to his face. A look like that had not graced his features since he was just a child. "Beauty like this deserves not to be soiled by ungrateful eyes."

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Alena smiled at Xavier's words. "I would be most grateful for that." she said softly. She then noticed the serene look that came onto his handsome face and she felt her breath catch. She was enjoying his company immensely, even though she knew in her heart that once they left, their duties to their clans would soon separate them again. True, Aryann had spoken of a truce, but she knew that it was grudgingly given and as soon as soon as their war with the paleds were over, they would be forced to be enemies-unless their leader had a change of heart. Alena sighed lightly and quickly pushed the dark thoughts from her mind, she would not let such gloom mar the beauty of the moment. She watched as the last rays of the dying sun lit up the sky before them. "There is something magical about this place at this time," she said softly. "Almost as if I could believe that all is right with the world and we could live together in peace," she added wistfully.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"I have to agree," he said, finally sitting down on a rock along the stream. He was a few yards away from Alena, with Thalion between and off to the left a little. He relaxed a little more, but didn't put his guard down. Years of fighting were too much to make this one moment catch him off guard...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Thalion turned his head and eyed Xavier carefully for a moment before turning away and staring ahead.

Alena sat upon the boulder, seemingly completely relaxed, yet her mind remained vigilant-years of experience taught her that anyone caught off guard could meet an early death. "Think we will ever see it-true peace?" she asked Xavier finally, her voice serious. All her life she had been a daughter of war-that she could remember very little of a time when she had not carried a weapon with her. Even now, she still carried her sword, though on a night like this she hoped that it would not have to be used in combat.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Xavier had been staring at the water again, and was unprepared for the question. He abrutly looked up at Alena, then back down to the water slowly.
"I don't know," his voice was low and raspy now, to show that he was really unsure of the answer. "If old grudges are kept, then peace will never come. Your clan's leader, Aryann, may not want peace. I guess I can understand her. I killed her sister..."

Xavier trailed off, his eyes reflecting the sadness in his heart that his face didn't give away. He remember every face of every human he had ever killed. Each once haunted his dreams, but he didn't let that take away from his composure. He needed to be strong for his tribe...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

"What?" Alena exclaimed as she turned sharply in his direction, taken aback by his words. She had known that Aryann's sister had been killed in a battle with the Stonestar tribe, but she had not known the details-Aryann had never spoken of them to her. She had been wounded in another battle before and had been forbidden from taking part in the attack. Would it have been different if I had known the truth before hand? she found herself wondering as her hand tightened unintentionally. Alena bowed her head as she turned away, a pained expression flitting across her face, feeling as if another weight had been placed upon her spirit. She doubted that Xavier intended to kill the girl-she did not think him as that sort of man. But she also knew that in the heat of a battle events transpire that no one intends. She herself had been lost in the moment of the fight, where she had done many deeds that she regretted later. How many sons, fathers, brothers had she killed in their battles? Their faces were many and though she did not know them by name, she could still see their contorted expressions in her dreams, could still picture their mangled bodies as they lay dead at her feet. A part of her wanted to ask Xavier what had happened, but she decided not to pry. There was no point in drudging back up painful memories-memories that may end up dividing their clans forever.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Xavier wasn't expecting that reaction.
"I guessed you didn't know. At the time I didn't know who she was. She was just another of the warriors attacking my tribe. Later, when I found out, I almost hated myself," he said, the memory in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.

Fire raged all around. The small huts were on fire, dead bodies from both sides layed on the ground. Most of the women and children from the Stonestar tribe had already fled to safty, and some of the men had stayed to fight off the asault to give their loved ones time to find shelter. Xavier turned to plunge his blade into the last person he'd kill that day. A girl. 'I'm sorry' were the words that slipped from her lips as she fell to the ground...

Slowly he stood, his eyes still on the stream that flowed gently through the glade. As untouched by all the pain as the stars that started to come out and glitter on it's surface.

"I should leave now. My promise to keep this place safe and secret is still there," he said, turning away...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

"Xavier, wait!" she called after him as she rose as well. She was about to speak again, when an arrow whizzed from the tree and she barely jumped back in time as the arrow head buried itself deep with the earth. She turned to look from whence it was shot and noticed several Paled eyes glowing in the darkness. They had been discovered.

The paled assassins jumped down from their positions, weapons drawn. Thalion leapt to his feet immediately in front of Alena, a rumbling growl escaping from his throat as he barred his teeth at the group. One of the paleds nodded to another and the with a curt nod, the warrior took off into the shadows, no doubt meant to report all that he had seen.

"Thalion, go!" Alena commanded and with a mighty leap the lion bounded off after the warrior before the rest of his group could react. Alena drew her sword and charged at the small group, not caring how foolish it was. She knew she needed to distract the others from attacking her lion, and whether it was crazy or not, this was the only way she knew how. Without hesitating, she locked her blade with one warrior, glaring at him all the while. As the two combatants disentangled their blades, another paled jumped to attack her. She dodged his strike, but the move threw her off balance, allowing a third to strike out, its sharp claws grazing her cheek and drawing blood. Alena winced slightly and staggered back slightly, thoroughly frustrated that this land would not be contaminated with bloodshed. She glanced toward the woods, knowing that she had to find a way to stop them from marring the beauty of the glade.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Xavier stopped when she called his name. A moment later an arrow peirced the dirt. He had turned to look at it, then turned to see the Paleds had found them. In a second his blade was in his hand and had ran to face them head on. He was aware of Alena fighting beside him, and Thalion disapearing after a messanger Paled. Xavier's blade sunk into the gut of one of the cat-like beings, who sunk to the ground, furry in it's eyes. There were only a handfull, but even this many could soil the beauty of the glade. Xavier had promised to keep it protected, and that promise he would keep...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08