Aisling walked with Cassandra as they led her brother and cousin to their rooms. She was a bit startled at the appearance of Darius. She waited for Cassandra's reply all the while thinking how Philip would not like this, he was a grown man after all and felt no need for a babysitter! He wanted freedom but was always under watchful eyes. Her thoughts were shown plainly on her face as she looked at Darius.

Cassandra eyed Darius and she nodded, as was appropriate. She led him to a room, and finally Aisling.

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[argh! no, you guys are moving too fast!]

The guards roughly heaved him away and deposited him without ceremony in a cell. A torch, blinding in contrast to the darkness of the dungeons, was shone into his face. There was a muffled gasp.

"Lord Menyar!"

"Accused of assassination," the captain of the guard said grimly. "Care to explain yourself?"

"But that's impossible, sir!" another man protested. "The sentries at his door report that he never left his room. He was evidently asleep, as his snores could be heard from inside the room - "

"He was found in the courtyard below his balcony window," the captain said caustically.

The man's mouth hung there for a second before he quickly shut it.

"Go check his chambers," the captain commanded, making a small gesture of dismissal. Three of them saluted and immediately ascended up the steps of the dungeon.

Menyar was all righteous indignation. "Whoever accused me of assassination?" he demanded. "Is it against the law to go on a stroll through the gardens?"

The captain frowned. "The ladies Cassandra and Aisling, as well as her brother Lord Timothy laid the charges. Do you deny or accept them?"

"Prove to me that there's evidence of my supposed 'conspiracy,'" Menyar said dryly. He was calm, completely in possession of the situation.

"The very fact that you ambushed the princess of Grenwood - "

"Proves nothing," he said in haughty disdain. "You plucked that assassination foolery out of thin air. Do you have any real evidence? Or shall I go report my case to my lord the Emperor of the Dominion, who will no doubt oblige - "

The captain cut him off, scowling. But nevertheless he seemed to hesitate. The mention of Menyar's lord, the Emperor, had unarmed him temporarily.

"Captain!" the few that had been dispatched to Menyar's bedchambers returned. "We found Duke Ramnd on the bed, sir. We believe he has had too much wine."

"Or drugged with a sleeping pill," the captain muttered under his breath. He eyed Menyar shrewdly, apparently weighing the option of either supporting Grenwood or risking a situation with the Dominion. At last he cursed and shook his head. "The matter is out of my hands. Have it taken to the king and sent to the court system. Lady Cassandra and the rest may want to attend to bear witness to the case as well. For the time being, you Lord Menyar, will remain here."

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Can i join?

Name:King Barlow Hamshire
position:King of the Sovereign State of Arastia
appearance:tall with long white hair and beard(think first of nine kings in FoTR intro)
age: 59(old for the time)
armor:grooved plate, with a bucket helmet
coat of arms:a black scythe with a same colored serpent coiled around on a gray/black background
personality:firm and wise, with much knowledge of the art of war
history:after rising from knighthood to the dukedom of Arastia in souther france, he led it to independence along with almost all of souther france and stand poised to attack paris if needed.
family:one wife and a 25 year old son with a 22 year old sister

[Um....two things: no real regions, and you might want to ease of on the 'evil' thing...lol]

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OoC.he isn't evil at all, i was just saying he had hair and face characteristics similar to the first of the nine kings in the first movies intro(aka he's still human) can he still be a king, just without a specific region?

[Oh yeah!]

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Draius thanked Cassandra for showing the room and left few of his equipments there, but not his sword that always was with him like an obsession in his mind. Darius walked to Phillip and slammed his hand on his shoulder taking hm farther away.

"Look your highness... I am uncomfortable with your trip and you must be uncomfortable for me interfering, but I have your best interest in my mind and I don`t want to find you doing something stupid ecspecially now understood? Secondly befire you dare to argue... you are not my king yet boy so don`t try to go around making rules... No offense my highness..."

Darius turned away and walked to Cassandra.

"The room seems very comfortable and I apoligize for my rudeness again, now if you shall excuse me I must take my daily walk..."

Darius walked away from them, but accidentally tripped and landed on his stomach before anyone could react he looked back at them with warning eyes with a hint of rage in them. He slowly stumbled up with his stick as his help and cursed loudly as he disappeared behind the corner.

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Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Cassandra nodded and curtsied slightly, then jumped as he tripped. She looked with raised eyebrows as he disappeared around the corner, then shook her head and went to her own room.

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[I didn't really understand your post. so Cassandra is now in Grenwood? tell me if I'm wrong]

The road was cold and empty save for the single form of a messenger boy that rode astride his small brown steed. The boy, a mere slip of a man of fifteen years, was nervous, fidgeted in his saddle as the weight of his task was entrusted to him. Before him, rising out in the mist, the palace of Grenwood stood on a high rise overlooking the countryside. The boy shivered. Draped in mist, robed by the bleak gray of the evening, the palace looked enigmatic and forbidding. Like the dark castles of old lore, ruled by witches with its jagged fingers stretching into the roiling clouds above.... The messenger shook his head furiously, driving away these childish thoughts. His initial pride at being entrusted on his first task away from the kingdom had faded. He now rode in abject fear, the anticipation of being safe within stone walls spurring him on.

So preoccupied with his ponderings that he did not sense the cloaked presence moving about in the underbrush. So intent was he on his task that he did not see the man's arm draw back on his bow, did not hear the twang of the arrow released. When he did turn his head to stare in dawning horror, the arrow already had his name on it.

The boy fell without a cry. The arrow had pierced straight through his throat so that nothing more than a gurgle betrayed his pathetic struggle.

The man knelt beside the corpse and dug in its pouch, removing a small piece of parchment. Unfurling the letter, he scanned it swiftly and nodded in satisfaction. So Lord Menyar had been taken. The Emperor would not be pleased.

Dispassionately the man kicked the boy's body off the road, where it was half obscured by the thick underbrush. Then, without a backward glance, he rode away on the boy's steed towards the palace of Grenwood.

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[Yes. Cassandra is in Grenwood.]

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Aisling shook her head at the chief advisor's display. But she forgot all and smiling at her friend said "I truly am glad to be here. Thy castle is beautiful. I am only sorry that we must leave as early as possible in the morning..." she sighed then continued "My mother is with child and my brother and I recieved a message from Father the night thou wast threatened. And so we must make all haste to her side." Aisling's smile had faded as a look of concern and worry transgressed her face. She looked weary and tired.

"I understand," said Cassandra seriously. She curtsied and departed for her own quarters.

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"Goodnight!" Aisling called after Cassandra. Then she went into her chambers, slipped into her sleeping gown, and crawled into bed to sleep. The next morning she woke to the sound of a cock crowing. She rose and dressed herself. Then she heard a knock on her door. "Come in." It was Timothy. "Come Aisling, we need to leave soon."
"Is the Prince still coming with us?"
"Yes, I think he is determined to after Darius' display last night. Come let us break the fast before we leave."
"Aye."
Together they went downstairs to the dining hall.