The sun was shining and the wind was cold. The village was quite for today was a day of bad news... The news had broke out that the beloved King Oshi had died, and the temple was in mourning. People all over where upset and in there homes. The princesses where devastated for not have they only lost their father but in the past they'd lost their mother as well. So now they have a vast kingdom to themselves, which can't be good. As the kingdom mourns a group of evils just beyond the mountains converge with more evils and begin their plot to take the throne for their own..

There was a disturbing silence as Volker knelt down facing a tree. He had his gear with him and had just finished an assassination, he was covered in blood. He was praying, begging for forgiveness. Suddenly a twig snapped behind him. He rose up and gripped his dagger then extended his arm outward and spun around, cutting the throat of whoever it was behind him. He expected a guard or a bounty hunter but no. He had killed his friend who had came to help him clean his clothes. "Demitri? What have I done?".

Volker awoke from this memory, fresh tears on his face. His eyes darted, scanning the room. "Goddess please cease the reminder of my sins if only for week, I must focus on my task.". He muttered. Volker arose from the dirty street, yes he slept on the streets, and looked into the cup he put down ifront of him so it seemed he were a beggar. He put four coins in that cup and now he only had two, these were dark times indeed. He had no time to hunt down a theif for he had bugger fish to fry.

A new day a new target... Well targets. He needed to 'consult' with the dead king's daughters, he did not know how but he believed if he dealed with them he might achive his goal. Forgiveness.

Back in the temple princess Emi was laying on her bed staring at the canopy covering her bed. She wasn't really thinking about anything, she was more like in a trance... She refused to go to her fathers burial that was scheduled for early this afternoon she just couldn't take the depression. Emi only being eleven with the lost of two parents now, this was just too much. Suddenly, someone was knocking on her bedroom door.
She didn't say anything. The door slowly cracked open and standing there was a fellow maid. The maid stood there pooping her head in the door way announcing that it was time for breakfast. Emi didn't look away from the canopy and said.. " I don't want any thank you." Her voice was quiet and sincere. The maid protested that she come downstairs to eat. Emi was growing impatient with her and told her no once more. This time she obeyed and slipped back into the hall and shook her head in disappointment. Emi went back to her trance stage, but this time she was debating on weather to stay at the temple with her sister or run away from her problems. She thought if she ran away she could start a new life and try to forget about this stupid kingdom and her stupid royalty. She could pretend that she had parents but they were captured by the evil and turned into evils. Yes she thought that would be the perfect distraction for her, then she laughed at her childish thoughts. She finally got up, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.

Al'Turian watched over his home. The night had long since settled over the hills and the Rakasha Lodge snuggled amongst a few trees at the edge of the forest. Long had his family protected the royalty of Esitca, a millenia-long pledge in return for sanctuary from their vengeful light-skinned cousins. Yet, as of all long-lived elves, they are not beyond arrogance. Once a year the guardians abandon their responsibilities and gather. At such times the next generation are anointed as the protectors of the offspring of the royalty.

Al'Turian was one of these. Although his human blood shortened his lifespan, he had been trained at double the speed of his unchanging relatives. He was equal to the skills of those anointed alongside him. On this day he was set on guard duty, watching over the gray hills. That was until the sound of battle made its way from below inside the strong wooden walls. In a flash the Rakasha had made his way to the ceremonial hall. Before him lay a massacre, and an eerie silence spread through the world like ice. The bodies showed signs of being killed swiftly, the weapons of many were still comfortable in scabbards. A few lucky souls had fought back and the corpses of others scattered amongst those of the elves.

All sounds of combat were swept from existence, the last of the invaders must of fallen, for few can match the skill of the Rakasha. Searching the bodies the young man found the corpses of humans, the serving staff. Amongst them; his mother, a tall, once self-righteous woman with a weathered beautiful face. Next to her lay an elf, Al'Turian's father, next to his loved one, almost sweet. Almost, he had given his life to defend her and yet he failed. The warrior dropped to his knees, tears brewing in the corners of his eyes.There he stayed, crying over his beloved parents. Footsteps approached, by they were not the light footfall of his kin but heavy thuds. Another pair approached, and yet another. Al'Turian did not move, and his closed eyes opened, revealing orbs burning with the intensity of the sun. The living presence of these men, for by their steps could not be of another races, could only mean one thing; The Rakasha were slaughtered to the last. Hatred burned within the last living Rakasha, his face cold, tears long banished.

In a one swift move Al'Turian stood and spun. Spira implanted itself in the closest man's chest, who stumbled back looking down at the protruding blade. Shock would be etched upon his dying face if it was not swathed in black cloth. Indeed his attire was completely black cloth, wrapped in much a way of the bedouin of the desert. The other five men attacked quickly, a mixture of weapons made their ways towards the dark fleshed being. Al'Turian's other rapier was up impossibility fast. Spira and Aspia blocked the hasty attacks with supernatural quickness. Another two men were mortally speared. The last three gathered themselves and launched another attack, complimenting each other with great skill. They were still no match for the fury of the last Dark Elf and quickly joined the others on the bloodstained floor.

***

As the sun rose an second orange haze flickered across the hills. Al'Turian stoically watched as the flame engulfed the Lodge in his hungry maw. The last Rakasha watched the fire he began to cleanse the last resting place of his family. The Black Guardians, and perhaps the last of an entire race, were dead. Their legacy extinguished in a single night. Now, alone and isolated, Al'Turian turned his back on his home. The royalty were still in need of a defender and The Last intended to fulfill this role, for his family, his honour, and his revenge.

***

Two days later the halfblood placed his first step inside the capital. The castle was obvious, no tricks or trivia was needed to find the towering structure. Al'Turian made his way through the crowd. His unusual appearance drawing attention and wary looks from many a passerby. Eventually he reached the gate through the inner wall and nearer to his charges.

During breakfast a crowd was forming outside the temple.. The noise was seeping through the windows. Emi looked up at one of the maids. " What's all that noise and where is my sister? " " That's a crowd of people who think they have what it takes to protect you and your sister. Oh and Mina's outside greeting the commoners now." she replied happily. Emi sighed.. "Oh, of course she is." She looked down at her three course breakfast, which consisted of, buttermilk pancakes, eggs, Boston Cream Pie and a glass of milk and lastly some bacon. Finally the maid took the cleaned plates away from the princess and sent her outside to meet with her sister at the front of the temple. She walked in a procrastinating fashion, she didn't want to go through this today. With the passing of the King came the responsibility of picking newer and better protectors.
Ones who's agility where faster, who's skills where greater, and determination purer. She sighed when the maids open the doors and the bright light shown through and the cold air flowed in. She shivered. The faithful crowd grew silent. Emi stood next to her sister, scanned the crowd, and noticed an interesting being. He seemed like he'd just seen the worst thing he'd ever want to lay eyes on. His hair was long and white and his skin dark ans night. So she pointed at him to forward......

(I'm sorry for not replying yet, I'm going to be gone for a few days or so, I just wanted to let you, know so I give you permission to play my part if you want to, Until I get back)

thank you for the heads up moonfox1 and we'll see what happens while your gone ^^

Volker was surprised by the multitude that had gathered infront of the case gates. He had taken his time getting to the castle since he had not yet decided how he, a lowly peasant, was going to get an audience with the princesses. The crowd became silent all of a sudden. Someone important must be addressing the crowd. Volker wanted to ask what was happening but just as he approached someone to ask, A guard spotted him.

The guard did not move towards Volker but instead went to other guards and began to whisper and point. Surely they must be conspiring on how to capture the infamous Archangel. There was a vey large bounty for his head. Volker gently pushed aside some people in the crowd and calmly ,and casually , progressed to the front. This revealed two things to Volker.

1) the one addressing the crowd were the Princesses of Estica.
2) He had mad a mistake, there were more city guards near the Princess and all were suspicious of him.

Volker made no sudden movements, if he did he might spook the guards and cause them to attack him. In his mind he prayed,"Goddess watch over me and if it comes to it...Forgive me for the blood the needed not be spilled.". In an attempt to hide himself Volker removed his hood making his face completely visible. No living guard knew what his face liked like and the supposed Archangel was over 30. Volker wasn't that old.

This was very risky as well. If the guards all believed he was Archangel, he could expect new wanted posters.

Haldir stood by Princess Mina, his eyes searching warely through the crowd. A life spent as a Ranger wandering the many woods and forests of Esitca had honed his senses, but here, when his primary objective (as he saw it) was to watch for any suspicious activity, and protect the princess at all costs, his excellent hearing and sense of smell would only be so useful. Haldir had been Mina's loyal guard for almost a year; ever since her father had specifically asked him, the most famous and skilled of the already few Rangers, to protect Mina in the coming years. Haldir had been hesitant about it at first, but he went along to the kingdom anyway, at least to meet her. As soon as he saw her, he agreed to protect her. Since then, he had grown to feel differently about her than he had when he was approached to be hired as a bodyguard; he had come to love the princess, though he never dreamed of telling anyone that.
For now, Haldir turned his thought from such topics, and focused on the crowd. A bow and a quiver of arrows were strapped to his back, and at his belt hung a longsword that he was prepared to cut down anyone who threatened Mina with. Haldir had figured the presence of a Ranger such as himself would discourage any...violence.

Al'Turian did not notice the attention paid to him by the princess and instead pushed himself through the crowd. He presumed the guards would recognize him by his tell tale inheritance. He ended up next to a strange man, dressed in a faded gray rode, unable to force his was through the chaos. He could see who must be the princess standing and addressing the congregation, at her side a ranger of some kind, wearing the greens and browns of those who frequently journey the woodlands. Al'Turian turned to the man next to him, who had just removed his hood. "What is happening here?" The half elf asked, unaware of the tales that resounded of the Archangel. The astute Rakasha did notice the attention paid by many of the guards in his general direction, although whether they were looking at him or the mysterious, monk-like figure he could not tell. However, on the edge like he had been since he left the Lodge, Al'Turian mentally checked his weapons were sure against his sides and dropped his arms so Aspia and Spira would be quick to hand.

(OOC: Okay I'm back sorry about not being on)

Mina smiled at the crowd and then smiled at her guard, Haldir "Seems like everyone is in a good mood today" Mina said in a soft kind voice, she always found herself smiling around, Haldir, the most "Plus it seems like a lovely day today" She continued. Mina looked around and saw a young girl fall down a scrap her knee, she walked over to her and bended down in front of the girl, drying her tears "Are you okay, young one?" She asked, the girl looked up in surprise and nodded her head "That's good" Mina looked around a saw the girl dropped a doll when she fell, She picked it up and handed to her "You dropped this, here you go" Mina said smiling and helping the girl up "Hope your knee doesn't hurt much" She said, bending back down and softly kissing it "Bye bye" She said walking back over to Haldir "She was adorable, some what reminds me of Emi" Mina said with a small giggle.

Haldir gave a nod of agreement to Mina's comment about the mood and the weather. However, he continued to eye the crown warily, as though he expected someone to jump out at them.
"Yes, the crowd is surprisingly peaceful...though the sun is hindering my eyesight."
He shrugged, and followed Mina as she helped a little girl. That was one of the reasons Haldir liked Mina; she was kind to everyone she met, even people whose name she didn't even know.
At that moment, one man in the crowd caught his interest. A hooded figure...that seemed familiar. Haldir felt himself tense up somewhat; now he remembered where he had seen it. A criminal. But then the man lowered his hood, revealing his face. Haldir remained on alert, his eyes trained directly on the man.

Mina looked at Haldir for a moment seeing that he tensed up out of nowhere "Are you okay, Haldir?" She asked looking in the same direction as he was, She saw a hooded figure in the crowd and to her he didn't seem to friendly "Isn't that a criminal, that seems to be causing a lot of trouble in the kingdom, Haldir?" She asked him in a small whisper before taking the ribbon off that was around her neck and tied her hair up into a high ponytail "Maybe we should alert the others?" She continued to ask now looking the criminal in the eyes slightly.

Haldir gave a short nod, not removing his eyes from the man.
"I'm cannot guarantee it...no, I was sure that was him. His manner of dress, every detail is just as the description on the wanted poster I saw..."
He removed his eyes from the man and looked at Mina.
"Are you sure you feel safe?" he murmured so only she could hear it. "Perhaps now would be a good time to leave. I may be wrong, but I do not feel comfortable with a potential criminal being so near you."

"Yeah maybe we should leave I don't like the feeling he is giving off" Mina said with a nervous smile as she turned back around trying to forget about the man, but she still felt like he was watching his every step "What are we going to do now, Haldir? Maybe have some tea or something?" She suggested with a small giggle, as the little girl from before came over to her "Princess Mina" She said grabbing the hem of her dress. Mina looked at her and gave her a small smile "Hello, little one" She said the girl smiled back at her, the princess was starting to notice that the girl was completely filthy and looked like she wasn't that healthy "Thank you for helping me, Princess Mina, not that many people help me" She said "No worries, but do tell me where is your family?" Mina asked, bending down to eye level with the girl "My family left me, after the king died" She said "And my name is Lilly" She said in a soft voice "Well nice to meet you Lilly, how about you join me at the palace, for something to eat?" Mina asked standing up and holding her hand out to the girl "Really? I would like that a lot" She said taking Mina's hand "Okay lets go then" Mina said before looking at Haldir, and then back at Lilly.

Haldir couldn't keep a smile from crossing his face as he and Mina met Lilly again.
"If only everyone were like you, this world would be so much better..." he muttered, barely audibly. Then, looking up as if he had just realised they were still there, he said, "Er...ah yes, tea, that would be good, I believe."
Looking down at the girl, Haldir tried to appear friendly and kind. The years he spent as a Ranger roving the woods and forests had hardened his handsome face, but he did try to make himself look good enough to not scare the child.
"Hey...I'm Haldir," he said, in as kind a tone as he could manage. "The princess's...er..." he didn't want to say friend. "...servant, if you will." He finally said.

The little girl smiled at him for a moment "I thought you was a prince" She said looking at the princess and him "Well I wouldn't say Servant either he is mostly a really good friend of mine" Mina said with a small blush across her face. She had no idea why she was blushing about, him being a prince, but she tried to hide it the best way she could. Mina started leading them to the palace, but she still had the feeling that she was being watched "Haldir do you feel like someone is watching us or is it just me?" She asked

Haldir gave a smile at the girl's words.
"Well, I'm not exactly a prince, no...I did used to be a Ranger...someone who wanders around the forests and woods," he tried to explain the life of a Ranger to the girl. Of course, he omitted the most important parts. He did look a bit embarrased as Mina called him a good friend, and also quite glad that she thought of him as one...before he could think about that, he did feel something.
"Yes...perhaps we should move on." He looked down at the little girl.
"Shall we go, then?" he asked kindly, trying to keep her from being worried.

"Yes that would be a good thing to do"Mina said as they finally go to the palace walls and told the guards to open the gates "Hello Princess Mina" A maid said with a small smile before looking at the young child and the at Haldir "Where did you find this young girl?" The maid said She was an older lady "Hello Granny" Mina said with a small smile as the gates closed behind her "This is a little girl I invited to stay here" Mina explained everything, and the maid nodded her head "Sounds lovely to me, Princess" She said "Nice to meet you Lilly, I hope you like it here" She said patting the girl on the head and smiling at her "How are you today Haldir? No life threatening things happen today?" She asked with a soft laugh

"I am well, thank you," Haldir bowed deeply to the maid. "As for life-threatening experiences, I try to keep them to a minimum while I'm with the Princess."
He gave a good-natured laugh.
"More importantly, how are you feeling today?"
After hearing her answer, Haldir then turned back to Mina.
"Where shall we go from here, my lady?" he asked.

"I am feeling very well, thank you" The lady said before bowing her head and excusing herself from them "We can go to the rose garden and have the tea there" Mina suggested before walking a head of Lilly and Haldir "unless you need to go and join the other guards or train" Mina said with a small smirk. Lilly looked up at him and then a Mina, before whispering to him softly so Mina wouldn't hear her "Do you like Princess Mina?"

"Well, I'm not really part of the 'guards', so no, I don't really need to. Unless you want me to, of course," he said quickly. "But...er, otherwise, I would be more than glad to join you." He continued a bit awkwardly.
Then he bent down so he could hear what the girl Lilly said.
"Do I like Prin--?!" he accidentally said it somewhat loudly, and glanced over at Mina, hoping she hadn't heard it, or hadn't made the connection--though given that she was quite intelligent, he thought, she probably would.
"Er..I suppose so, yes..." he murmured quietly to the girl. She was sharp, this one.

Mina smiled at him "Then please join us, I would very much like you to" Mina said before making her way into the palace "Meet me out there in about 10 minutes, I will just tell everyone I am back, and that I need some tea and snacks brought out to the garden okay?" Mina said as her hair gracefully trailed behind her.
Lilly smiled at the princess "She seems just like an angel, always so caring at least that is what I hear from people passing by" Lilly said admiring how the princess seemed to do everything, she looked back up at Haldir and smiled at him "I've noticed, how you seem to look at her sometimes, when she comes out to greet the people" Lilly explained "I can see why you like her" Lilly finished still trying to walk like the princess

"Yes, she is..." Haldir muttered, watching Mina leave. "Sometimes I'm amazed how someone can be so selfless. She's truly an amazing person, Princess Mina."
He looked down at Lilly and realised he probably shouldn't start naming off every one of Mina's many good points, and said, "Well, we shouldn't tarry around, I suppose...we should be on our way to the gardens."
He set off towards the garden, supposing Lilly decided to follow him, and waited there for Mina.

"Wow this place is pretty" Lilly said looking around until they got to the garden "Why don't you just tell her, she might understand" Lilly asked sitting under a tree and looking at the different colored roses, Lilly was always so nosy always wanting to know everything, but she was a young kid, and knew when to end the questions.
After a little while Mina walked back out carrying a tray of cookies, and sandwiches while the maid from before carried the tea and cups "Princess I could have carried that for you" She said setting the items on the table "Yes I know but I wanted to help you out a little bit" Mina said, the maid smiled and started to head back into the palace "Okay I hope you enjoy it" She sat down at the small table and made her a glass of tea, taking a small sip out of it, while Lilly ran over and took a cookie, eating it happily.