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The Shadow Children

Valie

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a part of The Shadow Children, by xXxCryptic-AngelxXx.

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xXxCryptic-AngelxXx holds sovereignty over Valie, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

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Valie

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Valie is a part of The Shadow Children.

15 Characters Here

Winter Valentine [23] "A people should not fear their Queen, The Queen should fear her people."
Drew Phoenix [22] "This is my kingdom, and we will not bow to a false queen."
Will Joscelyn [20] "The blood of the covenant is stronger than the water of the womb."
Leila Singh [17] "I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me."
Tom Crow [17] "A soft heart is a vile one"
Kaitlyn Singh [16] "You'll never get far in this world without having some fight in you."
Mavis Crusico [16] 'I want to stop the Queen. I'll help my friends anyway I can.'
Kassandra Capps [13] "Don't you dare call me girl or princess. I will end you if you do."
Frere [12] WIP
Queen Angelina [9] "I am now Queen and I shall be treated like such. Doubters will be punished."

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2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine
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ImageHer heart ached at the look of guilt in Winter's eyes, but when he confessed he didn't have her sword her ache deepened. It was her mother's first sword, sharpened and perfected for her, which is why it meant so much to her. Winter, from what she knew, was a skilled sword smith and the one he had for her was probably the better of the two swords, but she missed her sword. She felt like a fraction of herself. She only nodded and followed him towards the camp. It was raining, now, and the air blew the cloak back from her skin. By the time they had arrived to the area Winter had said the camp was, she was shivering. In the low light of the night, she saw a strange shape in the forest. Not small like a creature, but like a bush or a low growing tree--if that was possible. When they moved closer she realized it was a shelter that Winter had made.

He moved the bush from the front entrance and she stepped inside. It was slightly damp due to the rain, but mostly dry. She gratefully stepped in, bending to avoid knocking against the ceiling of the shelter and sat down on what she supposed was her cot. She was shivering beneath the cloak, drenched in rain. He asked how she was, truly, and she looked up at him. There was the guilt in his eyes again. She wasn't sure if it was because of her or because of the guards or both. "Winn. What happened wasn't your fault." She said softly.

She looked down at her callused hands, at the cuts on her arms from the thorns in the gardens, before she answered him. "I'm..." Broken? Bruised? Beaten? Cut? Cowardly? She could go through the alphabet and pick out words that described how she felt for every letter. But there was one, a "b" word that only made sense to say now that she was free. She could tell him the rest later. "Better. Now that I'm out. Now that they.. well technically they can't hurt me now. Not like they had, but.. All those people.. my people. I just.. left them." Well.. that was more than she had intended to share. Tears pricked in her eyes. A sob and a shiver rocked through her body and for once she wished she could just be still.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn
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Will could see the gears working in Leila's head. And, sure enough, eventually, she stood up, holding out the wine bottle for him to take. He smiled, taking the bottle and handing her the knife in return. He followed her out, but went a different direction from there. First, to drop the half-empty bottle back to Kat's room. His sword never left his side, but he still had to try and get his hands on some armour. Attacking a medic who had their back turned while working on an innocent would be exactly something that the "Queen's" men would do. Luckily, he found a piece of chainmail that just covered his torso. It wasn't ideal, but it would at least protect most of his vital organs.

And then, finally, it was to see his sister and tell her goodbye. They kept it brief, neither wanting to dwell on the forthcoming events. So he took the pack, said his goodbyes, and followed the rest out to the woods. He quickly caught up to the head of the group and followed Kat closely. Once upon a time, traversing these trees had been difficult for him. But tonight, he could keep up easily, his feet light trees almost seeming to part around them.

On entering the city, Will felt his stomach drop and twist at the carnage. At first, he forced himself to follow his team- but he couldn't stop himself from stopping to check pulses, to listen for frightened breaths, to watch a shadow a little longer to check that it wasn't human. All he found was dead bodies, people he was too late to save.

He rolled the hilt of his sword nervously in his hand, watching the surrounding streets and alleys as Kat called for them to come out. They'd been startlingly thorough, showing no mercy- not even to children. Kids who were too young to defend themselves. Kids who hadn't even been able to run. This was worse than ever before.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine
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"Winn. What happened wasn't your fault." Winter looked up at her, all that did was made his guilt worse. It was his fault, she just didn't know it. She would.

He opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first. "I'm..." She paused, searching for the right words. Winter steeled himself for what was to come next. " "Better. Now that I'm out. Now that they.. well technically they can't hurt me now. Not like they had, but.. All those people.. my people. I just.. left them."

Winter frowned. He expected this conversation to happen again, but not so soon. It did give him something else to focus on for the time being.

"Princes....The people loyal to you...are either hiding or..."
He paused. Dead was the next word, and while he typically didn't mince his words it wasn't for her sake it was for his. His father was dead. He wanted to use this time to grieve himself but he was too focused on her to do so and he couldn't show it. She wasn't grieving yet, she was still in denial, wanting to go back, once she accepted that she couldn't go back, maybe she'd grieve and then maybe he could to. "There's nothing you can do for them now, but live, get strong....heal. We'll come back, this I promise you." He said and his voice trailed off.

He looked down, fiddling with te broken blister on his finger. "And it is my fault."
He said and didn't look up at her. He couldn't face her. "I was there that night, when she took you, I let her, I knew if I came charging in, she would have me killed, or worse, so I had to leave you there, prepare all of this and try to find a way to-to--"He stopped, tears pressuring his eyes. Winter never cried, even as a child, he'd broken all manner of bones and not a single tear and while he wasn't now, this was probably the closest he'd ever come to it.

"I should have been there for you, at least to stop them from.... He stopped again, looking up to keep the guilty tears from falling. He knew deep down that this was the best course of action, his logical mind told him that this -despite her suffering- was the better alternative, but still, his heart punished him for it. He ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Drew." He said, not Princess, what he'd called her all her life. But Drew.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Frere
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Image He was coming around felling his consciousness come back to him along with some noises that he almost recognized and then the feeling of being weightless of falling "am I dying?" he thought before everything was expelled from his body along with what little air was in his lungs when pain spread from his back while careful hands positioned him to lay on his back, his mind evade him for a while but something keep telling him to wake up, a voice was it Mavis but how... and then she slapped him, hard enough that his abused brain shouted in anger and sent through him a doses of adrenaline that served to fully recover his consciousness and not before another receiving slap he spoke "Relax... relax Mavis, can't a man take a nap" opening his eyes and slowly rising he winced a little from his wounded back "It's great to see you Guard Master I was actually looking for you before...Julien..." a quick glance to the tree and the surroundings confirmed there was no sing of Julien nor the wagon "That treacherous bastard, he has fully developed into a monster fitted for that bitch, which reminds me"

Standing up completely although a little out of it yet he noticed the young Shadow child besides Mavis and with directing a nod towards him "Good to see you soldier did The Captain send you here? Is she on her way? Have you talked to her Mavis? I have to tell her about what I heard in the city" turning to the sky to make a quick judge of how much time he was uncounted for, the moon had barely moved so it couldnā€™t be more than a few minutes turning back to look at the forest he decided on a lesser used route one that was hidden from the city giving them more protection and probably easier since he didn't truly trusted his balanced yet, with the wagon practically running him over and the blow to his head it was better to avoid his usual paths home through the thicket and the tall branches, allowing his mind to reflect for a second on the fact that their ex comrade appeared to be a sick and twisted monster but during their fight acted almost friendly playful even and he didn't really attacked Frere even when render unconscious Julien didn't killed Frere, but this thoughts were put aside when the rain started to fall on his face, bringing him to a more present matter. Turning his gaze back to Mavis he went to her and quickly but firmly embraced her "thank you is not even close to enough for what you just did but it must suffice... for now so thank you Crazy-appleas fast as he hugged her he let her go saying the last part as barely a whisper as his nicknames for his family where not always popular "Now I don't want to chance breaking the neck you just saved freerunning through the forest so I'm going to take an easier route, will you two accompany me, Guard Captain let's go back to our family this night just started"

With a kind smile back on his face even if his thought were plagued with urgency, he set down through a less used side of the forest or maybe not so less used as he thought. Maybe a mile from the large willow a weird set of branches forming a structure of sorts appeared on his vision, a structure he would have missed as if not for his attention being so focused on his surroundings and any surprises they may hide, he noted it for future checking as it would be a great place to hide and continued ahead almost dismissing it if not for a sound, something different than the rain or their footsteps, the sharpness on his gaze now equalled by the sharpness of his old poniard now resting on his hold...

Setting

8 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Khara Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Raven Delacroix Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Kassandra Capps Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn Character Portrait: Julien Roux Brisbois
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Tom led himself and his Vice Captain out through the castle passageways. Then Raven approached. Her usual severe attitude in place. Tom had been angry at having a kid on his team. A girl her age couldnā€™t possibly serve any use and would only get in the way. At least thatā€™s what he had thought, but the truth was she was the one of the group with the best head on her shoulders and was always useful. ā€œDelacroix. Everyone is found inept when compared to you.ā€ Tom said wearily, appeasing to side of her that thought herself permanently in the company of idiots. Sure he liked Raven, but right now he was lacking the patience for all of his teamā€™s different idiosyncrasies.

ā€œKhara. Good.ā€ Tom said as Kharaā€™s face appeared out of the shadows behind him. Sure Khara acted more like a ghost than a human, however if one knew her well enough and they knew what signs to listen out for one could know when she was around. In fact it had become a bit of a game between the two of them with her always trying to catch him off guard. Not that either of them were childish or joyful enough to ever voice their game out loud to each other.

Then Raven asked what they were up to. Tom could feel both Kass and Khara giving him inquisitive stares. Whilst keeping his face impassive, Tom sighed internally. He hated having to explain things and honestly he just wanted to get moving. ā€œIā€™ll explain on the way.ā€ He said leading his group through a few more corridors and then out a back door of the castle. It was a little-known peasant entry that led to a narrow alleyway that smelled of urine more often than not.

Tom had taken no more than ten steps when he ran into his weapons master returning to the castle. ā€œBribois, come.ā€ He ordered the bloodied man, not breaking his stride. In fact as rain started to fell from the sky he speed up his pace. The rain would only watch away tracks and clues. ā€œSo the Princess has somehow managed to escape and our new orders are to re-capture her.ā€ Tom explained to his current comrades. He looked pointedly at Julien, ā€œAlive. Obviously.ā€

Tom took a few more steps before looking at Khara. ā€œIā€™m going to need your expertise on this one, first though I think we should-ā€œ Tomā€™s instructions were cut off by some rather noisy citizens. "You're going to regret waking your neighbors!" From the side street heā€™d led his team into, Tom couldnā€™t see who the voices and numerous footsteps belonged to, however he could of recognized that voice anywhere.

ā€œOf course the forest brats are here,ā€ Tom groaned to his team. Using his own little nicknames for the orphans who likes to hang out in the forest and cause trouble for everyone else. His old friend, Kat, and his sister, Leila, included. He did not have time for this. They were clearly up to something, no one makes such obvious movements against an enemy, but he also couldnā€™t just ignore them and let them do whatever they wanted. Thinking quick on his feet, Tom easily evaluated the Daggers he had with him. ā€œOkay, Khara and Delacroix. You guys keep going, find the princess.ā€ Khara was easily his best tracker and whilst Raven had many strengths he preferred Julien and Kass had his back. He trusted their skills more. ā€œDonā€™t either of you dare come back with empty hands.ā€ He dismissed them and turned back to his remaining comrades.

ā€œOkay. Kass, wannaā€™ get up high. Watch our back with your bow?ā€ Tom said to Kass treating his Vice captain with suggestions rather than the orders he gave the rest of his team. He hoped sheā€™d take him up on his suggestion. At least with some sort of marksman they could bluff that they numbered more than three. ā€œBrisbois, with me,ā€ He ordered before creeping down another side street that led to a large courtyard the forest brats had gathered in. With eyes on his enemy, Tom was able to identify Leila, Kat and three others. ā€œKeep going, Iā€™ll distract them and you can come at them from behind,ā€ Tom whispered his combat suggestion to Julien.

Katā€™s back was to him and silently Tom pulled out a small dagger. Narrowing his eyes he held it between his forefinger and thumb before letting it fly directly at one of her comrade's head. He ducked back behind the corner without seeing the result. Tom called out tauntingly, ā€œā€™Red Bitchā€™? Iā€™m not expert on royalty but I believe youā€™re supposed to say ā€˜Her Majestyā€™? Tom pulled out his sword and dragged in along the ground so it made a loud scraping sound, very clearly directing them to his location. He crouched down ready to attack whoever came around the corner looking for him.

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Kassandra Capps Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn
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ImageLeila rolled her eyes at Kat's display. She was going for distraction and was doing a good job of it, but she wished she didn't have to make them all look incompetent. Her stomach lurched at the number of bodies that littered the street. People discarded in the gutters like trash. If this was how The Red Lady intended to rule her kingdom, Valie was doomed. She retrieved the sword at her waist and drew it quietly. She had the sudden sensation of being watched and she knew they weren't alone. She began to wonder if the bodies in the street were really dead..

There was a familiar metallic sound singing through the air and she just barely had time to turn and deflect it before it sunk into the back of Will's head. The knife fell to the ground with a clang. Leila faced back now, her eyes searching for the assailant. She prayed that Kat would remain facing the street. And then his voice called out in response to Kat and her veins turned to ice. Tommy.

One hand gripped her sword tightly. The other reached down for her own throwing knife, ready to toss at that bastard's head when he showed himself. "Tommy! What have you done! All these lives! All these people! They're dead because of that woman you serve! How could you! Don't you remember all those trips we made into town? These people were kind to us!" The sound of metal on stone cut through the air, rising goosebumps on her arms. It made her teeth feel like they had been rubbed with sandpaper. Kat turned at the sound of the sword on stone and Leila cursed under her breath. She turned to watch Kat's back--albeit reluctantly. "Show yourself Coward." She muttered into the orange light of the town painting in flames. Something still felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.





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Image Kat's feline like eyes watched the dark, looking for movement. She distantly heard steps on the stone, but she could not be certain of friend or foe so she wouldn't bother to investigate. Not just yet anyway. Something flew at them and--thankfully--Leila had managed to stop it. Kat refrained from turning around just yet. The Daggers used diversion often to strike a foe. They're too cowardly to kill honestly. Men, Women, Child all murdered from any angle. Including being stabbed in the back. She heard Crow call from behind them and Leila responded before she could get a word out. Her heart ached for her sister at how she pleaded with her brother. They had the same conversation repeatedly about how far gone Thomas was. The little boy she once played with as a boy was gone. He's gone, Lei. Let him go.

But they were here to distract and give the others time, So.. "Coward! You hide from me?" She called as she turned her back to the street. Leila sighed and covered for her. Sorry Kiddo. This has to be showy. She grinned, feline and took a sauntering step towards the sound of metal on stone and Crow's voice. "You know what I'll do to you when I get my hands on you Thomas Crow!" She knew he probably couldn't see her, but she knew the others were probably watching. She pretended to slash her throat and die from the blood loss. She knew the others would have her back if something happened. Her eyes were trained on the rooftops looking for that damned archer of a vice Captain, but if she was there, she couldn't see her yet.




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Image Drew nodded at his words, but it didn't erase the guilt she felt leaving her people behind to die. She had no ideas as to what her aunt had planned for those who remained in the kingdom, but she knew they couldn't be good. Not with the amount of fire and ash she saw throughout the kingdom. "If you had tried to stop them.. you'd be dead.. or worse. She might've tossed you inside as well." At the sound of her name--not her title-- her head snapped up to look at him, but he was looking down at his hand. There was red, angry skin on his finger where a blister had formed and broken open. She moved towards him and stopped to take a look at it. His skin was warm beneath the ice of her fingertips. "We should probably clean and wrap that. We can't let anything get infected out here. Where are the bandages?" Then she realized she didn't know what exactly the plan was. He had said something about the Shadow Children, but had he finally believed the stories? That they had existed.

"Where are we going, Winn? Are we really hiding out here until things.. what? Blow over?" She ran a hand through her tangled hair, shaking slightly with the cold. Her breath was beginning to form clouds in front of her as the temperature continued to drop. As she looked for medical supplies, she found a satchel at the foot of her cot and pulled it over to her to search it. It contained clothes and food, obviously for her, but no bandages inside.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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Image Boys, Mavis decided, we're impossible. The first thing Frere did after basically coming back to life in her lap was make a joke. She almost wanted to slap him again. Instead she rolled her eyes, looking away from him like she hadn't just been crying.

Next to her the guard looked relatived at his Vice Captian being awake. 'The Captain did indeed send me sir. I was to lead Mavis back to the tunnels, I assume she had already entered the kingdom. Any new orders sir?' Mavis stepped forward and put a hand on the Guards shoulder.

'I'll tell you what you can do. Get Frere back to camp and patch him u-' The sudden hug she was pulled into cut Mavis off. It wasn't so much unwelcome as it was suprising. Still, it was nice. She returned it only slightly, both of them letting go quickly. 'Um.' She said, as Frere went off with his own plan. Mavis supposed she aught to follow it. He was the Vice Captian after all.

The Guard nodded, ready to follow orders. She sighed. There was no use arguing when two boys made up their mind. Now she had to go with them to make sure they didn't get their heads cut off. 'Fine. Okay. Lead the way Frere.'

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn
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Will was only aware of the knife heading for his head when Leila knocked it out of the air, mere inches from the back of his skull. A shiver ran down his spine as he wrapped both hands around his sword, raising it as he scanned the streets carefully. The two sisters took up their own displays- but that had never been Will's style. He kept his back to Leila and Kat, searching the shadows for the slightest sign of movement. The sound of metal on pavement sent chills down his spine, but he knew that they were trying to distract them. He kept his attention on the streets themselves, listening closely to his surroundings. They had to be surrounded.

He shifted onto the balls of his feet, already mentally flicking through tactics. Andei had put nightshade into his pack, so even if he was disarmed, he wasn't going to be entirely helpless. They probably had archers on the roofs, so he needed to be ready to stick close to the ground and move as quickly as possible. If they had to scatter, the shadows would be best to avoid the archer- but that was also risking encountering more foot soldiers. So, the best tactic was probably to stay as close to his opponents as possible, make it hard for them to strike without risking injuring their comrades. That is, if the Daggers weren't beyond attacking their own people.

Something moved in the shadows, causing his hands to tighten around the sword. He didn't call out though. Partially because he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to them, but also partially because he couldn't think of anything smart to say.

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Kassandra Capps Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn Character Portrait: Julien Roux Brisbois
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#, as written by luft
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It wasnĀ“t a surprise to Julien to see most of his Queen creatures coming from the castle as he was arriving nor was it to see that both of the Corvus had a determined or slightly angry expression on their faces but for some reason that anger found his way directed at Julien, taking away his excellent mood, disgust and nuisance was the usual vibe the little Lady deigns to bestow on Julien but being scolded by his Captain wasnĀ“t some playful antipathy "Yes IĀ“m greatly displeased by nobility but I havenĀ“t killed Angelina yet my Crow... nor anyone who can be beneficial for the future of Valie"it wasnĀ“t important for Julien if people did not understand his way of life but he respected his leader, this and similar things coursing through his mind while the Captain was talking to The Inquisitor...

"You're going to regret waking your neighbors!"

"So Kat is finally here I wonder if she found Frere maybe I really will get my second chance at a dance" With this thoughts cheering his mind he turned his attention to the direction of the screams he quickly assessed his weapons and wounds, the a gash on his right thigh and the one on his arm were going need some favoring the rest werenĀ“t of importance like the split lip.

There were only five Shadow Children in the courtyard and that gave Julien some doubt, although selfish and too passive none of them were oafish, at least not those that he remember and Kaitlyn couldnĀ“t know how many of the Queens people would answer such a challenge "What are you thinking Kaitlyn... and why have you brought the young ones, you did not intervene when everything was at its worse and now that things are finally starting to right themselves you come and bring those that know nothing into this purge His eyes dissecting the kids behind TSCs Captain, two seemed weak and disturbed by the dead bodies and the other two seemed equally disturbed but more ready to join their song of steel to the orchestra of the night ā€œKeep going, Iā€™ll distract them and you can come at them from behind,ā€ The Crow said and this inspired Julien, making his way quickly around the courtyard he decided to give aid to his captains plan for distraction. Selecting a shadowed alley close to the Captain he hung his dark coat to a pole with a knife coming from the sleeve barely in eyesight of the two brown-haired shadow boys and climbed his way to the first floor of the house next to it, waiting and observing his knives and his scythe were ready he just needed the boys to make a move towards the mildly billowing shadow or the reflection of steel or Crow

"Give me a small opening and IĀ“ll test your painting skills all the models are in their positions" In his mind he already had envisioned the end image for this encounter, the dark haired girl was skilled enough to create quality art and therefore she would escape mostly unscathed probably carrying a broken forest Jaguar maybe even with a defeated soul after my asymmetrical perfection was discussed and the fate of the other three determined. Those three and both of the Daggers with him were the wild inspiration the strokes that would create their own colors and bring versatility to this piece, he just had to wait for the right time to bring down his stormy brushes and give life to this courtyard.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Kassandra Capps Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn
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Once her group had trailed off for the mission that she had given Tom and he delivered the message, she was still within the dining hall and enjoyed everyone within her presence. Angelina was really enjoying being the Queen of Valie as she sat there and drunk from her goblet a few times. Her ears twitched when she heard a familiar voice. A voice that called her the red bitch, instead of Queen. Her eyes peered towards the doors and her piercing stare went to the outside.

Angelina had stood up as everything seemingly stopped. She waved her hands towards her people as they all stared at her. "Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that everything is alright. I'll be back." She said as she scurried her way towards the outside, her eyes were locked on her Daggars, as they split up. She knew that Kass was going to be perched up on the roof somewhere as she went and stood beside Tom, a soft smile came over her lips.

"Now, now, darling, you're a little bit too late for the festivities." She muttered towards the Shadow Children captain, Kaitlyn. "But I am sure we have some food left." Angelina continued as her eyes peered towards Tom with a chuckle. "Oh, Tom, I've been called much worse." She said as her hand rested upon his shoulder now, her piercing, cold stare fixated upon Kaitlyn now. "Surely you do not want to get into this fight here. Especially with those little weaklings behind you."

Her index finger pointed towards the people that stood behind Kaitlyn as she smirked. "Plus, this is no longer your territory as you no longer know the ins and outs. So you might be at a slight disadvantage here, dear." Her eyes went back towards Tom as she smirked again. "This isn't some silly forest where you children hide. This is a kingdom and if you wish to fight, at least let's do it right." Her movement made her step a little bit forward now as she smiled.

"The battle arena. Captain versus captain is too easy and boring, might need to make this interesting. Your best against our best, perhaps." That was all she had said before she turned heel and went back to stand behind Tom now. "But if you refuse the challenge, which is clearly understandable within your case then you must never show your face here again but..." She breathed a little before she continued. "I'll like the princess to be returned to the kingdom. No harm will come to her but if she is not returned, her father might suffer the consequences." Angelina had made her demands as she waited for Kaitlyn to respond.

"The choice is yours, dear." Angelina said as she now stood there with her arms folded over her chest.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine
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"If you had tried to stop them.. you'd be dead.. or worse. She might've tossed you inside as well."
He knew this, of course he knew this, but again, his heart had other plans. He figured that was a good thing. He hadn't lost his humanity. Too bad it didn't make him feel any better. She moved to him suddenly, taking his hand into hers, tenderly, assessing the damage. He'd have plenty of broken blisters, and normal he wouldn't let her be bothered with such a thing but instead, he let her. Her hands felt nice against his, even though they were cold. "We should probably clean and wrap that. We can't let anything get infected out here. Where are the bandages?" She said and he nodded toward the satchel of clothes, and other things. His face held it's usual position, a deep brooding frown, as she moved to the satchel and then turned to him, wrapping his hand.
"Where are we going, Winn? Are we really hiding out here until things.. what? Blow over?"

Winter pursed his lips, a clear sign he wasn't eager for this conversation. "No....we're not going to wait...." His limited pride had him hesitate. He knew she believed in them, but he never did. They had plenty of conversations to that end. He barely believed now, but it was his only option. It was a gambit that he wasn't really prepared to put off of his faith in. "Um....I heard whispers....more than usual of the Shadow Children...I know I didn't believe in them before, but...It's all we have....If we press further into the forest, the locals claim they'll find us."He said and sighed, still not meeting her gaze. He realized then for all of his training, for all of his work, he was completely out of his depth.

"There is still the small chance they won't help us at all....It's not as though the Crown has done much for them, provided they do exists."He said, with his usual logic. "In which case we'll need to find allies of the Crown, in the other lands, which would require more travel and more hope in that the Red Woman hasn't already aligned herself with them, but since you are the rightful heir and she came in as an invader, chances are high they'll side with you....honestly, even if the Children exist, and are willing to help, we'll still need allied kingdoms. " He said and then sighed, running free hand through his hair again, frustration evident as his mind worked over what they could possible do, as a contingency, and legally. "It's not much I know, but it's options, the best I could in such a short amount of time." He said and sighed. He was a knight, a bodyguard, not a politician, nor was he even a general. He knew War, in all it's forms but he never saw battle. Just read about them. Lack of Knowledge was a sure fire way to lose, and that he seemed to have an abundance of.

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn Character Portrait: Queen Angelina
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ImageThe sound of heels echoed on the stone as someone walked towards them. An arrogant someone who knew that they could take their time moving and no one would object. No one, but Kat anyway. Finally She thought and pushed herself up until she was standing. "I honestly hadn't expected my taunting to bring out the Red Lady from her chambers. Aren't you supposed to be feasting on whatever the poor commoners could provide, and entertaining whoever is left to torment? Why bother with us little people if you're just so high and mighty now?" It was a weak taunt and she knew it. The whole point of being out here was to distract. She was honestly surprised Crow and Kassandra weren't painting the cobblestone streets red with her blood. Surprised, but thankful.

When the arrogant queen spewed off some hoity toity talk about "the proper way to fight in a kingdom", Kat skeptically raised a blonde eyebrow. A battle arena? Who does she think she is? Caesar?" She could feel Crow's eyes on her and she thought for a moment. Technically the two were equally matched. Crow was stronger, but Kat was faster. They had spared more than a few times since his betrayal, and both ended up badly beaten each time and they only left because of their people. You could say what you wanted about Thomas Crow, but at the end of the day, he'd stick his neck out for his men. So would Kat.

Then Angelina gave Kat something to really think about: a bargain. The princess's life for some well earned peace and quiet. Kat pretended to mull it over for a moment to buy her people time to evacuated whomever they could. She even put down her sword. There was no way she would ever agree to such a thing. The Princess--wherever she was--was the only way that the kingdom could ever be whole again once they sorted this mess out. But peace...

She took a deep breath and looked at the "queen" in the eye. "I have no seen the Princess, but if you give me time I will have her and I will transport her to you." She could feel Leila's eyes on her, wide with surprise and suspicion. "But you must swear on your title that you will leave us alone." This part, she wanted--no needed--to hear. Even if Kat managed to find the princess and... well she wasn't sure what she would do, hide her? Ship her off to a different kingdom so she can rally their forces? Maybe that would buy them peace...There was a high whistle that rang throughout the air, three short bursts.

Time's up. And I didn't get to wipe the smirk off Crow's face.. "Your word, and we will disappear." She knew she should bow, make it believable. Hell she probably should've even said "Milady" or "your majesty", but she nearly vomited from thinking of such an action let alone actually going through with it.





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Image"The Shadow Children?" Drew asked in disbelief. It wasn't so much that she didn't believe, she grew up on those stories. It was more that she couldn't believe that Winter believed. Even as a child, he would listen to Victoria's stories and would tell her not to fill Drew's head with fairy tales when she would have to be queen one day. She needed to be logical and realistic. Of course, Drew would throw one of her many pillows at him which would spawn a pillow fight that would leave the two gasping for air from laughter. Those were the days...

Her fingers felt something warm and dry in the back and she pulled out a set of clothes: a long shirt, breeches, and a belt to cinch at the waist. "Are these for me?" She asked hopefully. She couldn't wait to get the rags off her. The smelly, thin, torn, itchy rags. She held the fabric to her face and sniffed. They smelled like home. So much her eyes pricked, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry right now. If they were going to find the children, they either needed to get moving or to get some sleep and either way, she needed to be warm and dry.

"I don't know about getting help from the other kingdoms," She said quietly, frowning down at the clothes in her hands. "Father never shared their relationships with us to me. We have visitors all the time, but I was always ushered off to some lesson or to play with visiting children.. well you know." She sighed. "The Shadow Children are probably the best hope for Valie now." She looked out the front door at the dark, damp forest. "When are we leaving?"

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Kassandra Capps Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn Character Portrait: Julien Roux Brisbois Character Portrait: Queen Angelina
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Tom's sister called out first. "Tommy! What have you done!" He closed his eyes listening to rest of Leila's talk. She didn't understand. He didn't serve the Red Lady exactly. Sure she was in charge, but they worked together. They both had a vested interest in seeing her on the throne. The kindness his sister spoke of wasn't an act Tom could recall. No part of Tom's childhood involved kindness. So now he wasn't in it for anyone else. He was doing all of this for himself. He would have been happy to have Leila come along with him but he has given up on that dream. She didn't understand his choices and he'd long since accepted her as his enemy.

Tom sighed at Kat's taunts. Honestly he wasn't like the others. He didn't thrive on blood and violence and he didn't look forward to a challenge. It wasn't that he was reluctant to hurt his former childhood friend, but it honestly just felt like so much effort. Luckily Tom saw out the corner of his eye, the Queen appear. Smirking he sheathed his sword and stepped out into the light, showing himself to the forest brats. The Queen followed him out. When she stated that he'd been called worse, Tom smirked at her, and said, "I bet you have."
He wasn't too concerned with Angelina's safety he was sure Kas and Julien were in place, though he didn't dare look for them and give their places away.

He listened to Angelina's proposal. Their best vs His best. It would be interesting, again he'd fight if he had to, but he wasn't showy enough to immediately assume he was any better than Julien or Kass. Then he listened to Kat's deal. Giving up the princess? Now that seemed very unlike her. Smirking he put his hand to his sword's hilt. "You're hardly in the situation to position to make demands. We have you surrounded." He bluffed easily. Though he was very confident that him, Kass and Julien could easily hold off the brats.

Then he looked to Angelina. "I think it only takes one to go off and collect the Princess for us. It's probably best we keep the rest as an insurance policy." He asked sarcastically in a flippant manner. Tom was going to make sure some of these brats were staying here under his comrades' watchful eyes.

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine
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"The Shadow Children?" Winter felt like a fool. He knew she believe but now that he did, or at the very least wanted to, made this seem so much more dire. If it were even possible. She moved over to the satchel, going though the clothes. She looked over at him, breaking him from his brooding and asked. " Are theses for me?" He merely nodded. An odd feeling came over him at the thought of her wearing his clothes, his shirt specifically, but he abandoned the thought before that got too interesting.

She looked down at the clothes, gripping them as if they were her only line to the past and she as floating away. Winter wanted so to reach out to him, but he didn't. He just flexed the hand that she'd bandaged, loosening it for ease of movement.
"I don't know about getting help from the other kingdoms," She said softly. "Father never shared their relationships with us to me. We have visitors all the time, but I was always ushered off to some lesson or to play with visiting children.. well you know." She said and he listened. That was good, she didn't know it but that was playing politics, if she'd made friends with those children, who would be adults by now, Lords and Ladies in their own right, then perhaps they would recall such a friendship and help her. He didn't speak on it yet. He just needed to get her safe now, and worry about taking back the Valie later. She sighed. "The Shadow Children are probably the best hope for Valie now." She said before her mind wandered and she looked to the front, peeking out at the forest."When are we leaving?" She asked and he sighed "Once you've changed, eaten and rested, first thing" He said, by the Gods he was tired. "I'll try to find some dry wood, the rains let up, so we'll be able to get a fire going, you go ahead and change." He stood -well, hunched, and ducked out to give her privacy. "I won't be far," he told her before moving from the fort a bit. The hopelessness of it all, brought him to a stop, and he leaned against another tree, resting his head and arm on the wet bark. He then gave himself a moment, however quick to grieve. His father was gone, his home burned, he killed so many today, and the Princess...Drew, she'd been used, and abused in a way that turned his stomach. She was still a maiden and that was taken from her by sheer force. It wasn't right, none of this was right. He clenched his fists and hit the tree. "Dammit all!" He hissed quietly. He didn't want the Princess to see him so frustrated, so woefully out of his depth, he had to be strong for her but it was hard. He didn't know what he was going, it the Shadow Children well and truly didn't exists they were doomed. they had a small chance of finding allies out of the country but that was a long shot, a pipe dream at best, but then again so were the Shadow Children. All he had for sure right now was a sharp blade and good intentions, neither of which which were going to do them any good without help.

With that, he made his way around collecting dry firewood, or rather what he could find.

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine
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ImageDrew listened to the time frame they had a nodded. She could see the tightness around his eyes from the worry and stress of their situation. She wanted to say something helpful to maybe cheer him up a little, but nothing came to mind. All they had was the clothes on their backs and the swords at their sides until they located the Shadow Children. She could hardly believe they were actually going to find them. Winter left, in search of firewood, though Drew doubted he'd find anything dry to light, not that they should really light a fire anyway, but she couldn't deny her want of warmth so she let him go. Besides, she needed to change.

The breeches were huge compared to her small frame and she had to cinch her belt much higher than normal and she had to roll up the cuffs in order to keep from tripping. The shirt was also very big, but thankfully it didn't look as strange on her. She lifted the front of the shirt to her nose again and sniffed. Home. She knew that being on the run would suck the scent from the clothes long before they were able to get back so she wanted to enjoy it while she could. She also realized that these were most likely Winter's clothing which made her blush slightly. She's never warn another's clothes besides her mother. It was strange. At least they were warm. She also pulled on an extra pair of boots he had brought considering she had been barefoot this whole time. Not much use are shoes when you spend a lot of time in a cell.

When she finished, she laid on her side on the cot and closed her eyes. Exhaustion ached in her bones, but she rolled around in attempts to get comfortable. And couldn't. She was still so on edge and there's no telling if they were truly safe just yet. For all she knew, there could be daggers lurking in the trees of the Shadow Children might mistake them for an enemy. Their best bet was to keep going. There was no way she was resting tonight. She stood, stooping to avoid hitting her head on the "ceiling" and exited their shelter in search of Winter, her pack strapped to her back and ready to go. He was digging through the underbrush for dry branches when she found him. "Winn, we should go. Daggers could be lurking.." Her dark eyes darted back and forth as they searched the trees for shadows that have haunted her more in these past few months than they had ever bothered her as a child.

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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There were voices coming from that structure, the rain was muffling them but two people were having a conversation "People running from the city no they wouldnĀ“t be hiding in some branch fort they would still be running away and this part of the forest was the farthest to the border so it didnĀ“t make sense or it was just a coincidence or this was people from the crazy bitch looking for them" inching closer silently he froze when another though cross his mind "Julien you traitorous monster you told sided with her and told her the way home... no if the old hag already knew of their location she would have attacked by now He had decided that he had to find out who this people were by force if needed this side of the forest wasnā€™t used very often nor was the closest to the cave but if the Daggers or some other lapdog was searching for them then he needed to protect they needed to protect their home

"Um....I heard...more... of the Shadow Children...I... didn't believe in them before..." with the rain was difficult to hear everything the guy was saying but he hear that and before a woman was talking something about a plan and going somewhere "This damnable weather is going to get me killed someday *[i]sigh*[/i] Turning a little he locked eyes with Mavis and quickly gestured that there was two people in the bushes a man and a woman and that they needed to hear what they were saying as they may be enemies, turning around he picked a spot more hidden behind a tree and concentrated in getting as much info as possible, Frere trusted completely in His Guard Master although young Mavis knew how to handle herself and her subordinates and was more stealthy than him so he focused solely on the strangers

As the awful rain was subsiding a little Frere was able to gather some details the woman was some sort of noble and was trying to find them to help Valie "A noble caring for the other people in Valie Julien must have hit me harder than I thought" The man was trying to present other plan and he gave the idea of being really interested in the womanĀ“s wellbeing "I'll try to find some dry wood..." hearing this Frere improved his hiding spot with some elevation setting himself in a medium high branch just in time to see a dark indistinguishable figure come out of the structure and made his way a little around the makeshift camp selecting wood only to stop and punch a tree with a mumbled curse coming from him, Frere made his way towards Mavis as silently as he could to compare what their heard when the woman came from the fort almost spotting Frere but finally going towards the man allowing a glimpse of her face to Frere, that at first he mistook her for the former Queen but immediately corrected himself "The Princess she is alive! but how the guards said... and she is searching for us... for help" With a last look he found his companions again and confirmed that they all shared the same information, so deciding to not waste more time and get everyone as far from the old hagĀ“s dogs he moved closer to the couple... "Winn, we should go. Daggers could be lurking..."

"I wouldnĀ“t worry too much about them, they probably are too entertained burning the city and spreading rumors of your dead or imprisonment which I must say IĀ“m glad they are just that Princess..." The usual cheerful and lighthearted demeanor completely gone from his voice he spoke like a noble addressing his equals with respect but demanding the same, his body still hidden in the tall brush but his position clear he wanted to be the least threatening possible as to not cause unnecessary distress but neither him nor his family were going to be turned into lackeys fir some royal, making his form a little more visible but keeping his distance he continued "I must apologize if we startled you we mean you no ill my name is Frere and I was just curious, as to the reasons behind you being here, this is the longest way towards the border and although people rarely come to this side of the forest we are not that far from the city" Moving myself as to be visible I looked behind the princess to the trees and to both her sides more for the man than her "It is considered polite to state your business beforehand when visiting a strangers home and if I did not misheard you were planning on visiting us" The presence of the princess was equal parts good and bad luck if they formed an alliance the fight against the hag would be easier but her presence was an immediate danger to the kids in the cave so he decided then and there he would hide her in the lookout post east of their home "*close enough to the cave, easily guarded, secluded and dry just what we all need...*itĀ“s the norm that we found someone before they find us, so now if you are done thinking reasons to distrust me I would really like to get out of this rain so what do you say we talk honestly and without any more preambles"

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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Image Mavis and the Guard followed after Frere, both holding tight to their blades. The Vice Captian obviously found something, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to meet her eyes. His hand movement made Mavis understand and see nodded. The Guard and her worked in sync, Mavis nimbly scrambling up a tree to get a better look while he went around, gaining an advantage on the folks Frere had found.

It was hard to see the people through the bush so Mavis focused on the voices. Funny, one almost seemed familiar. Frere made his way back towards here and they shared a look. She knew at once what he planned to do and rolled her eyes. Going out to meet strangers was dangerous but at least they outnumbered the strangers three to two. She nodded towards him, agreeing to his plan. Mavis would pop out of the shadows when Frere finished speaking, hopefully scaring the strangers into giving them the info they wanted.

Frere kept his tone light, something Mavis was happy about. Had he gone in swinging his sword who knows what would happen. She didn't however enjoy him giving his name out. Mavis doubted Kat would like that. Once Frere finished his monolog Mavis knew it was time. A rustle of leaves could be heard and suddenly by the strange man dropped a girl. She looked up at him and nearly lost all breath. Mavis knew that scraggly head of hair anywhere. Just how in the world did she manage to meet her cousin here? She hadn't seen him in nearly four years!

Mavis backed away quickly, one hand on her sword. She didn't know what to feel right now. Half of her wanted to hug Winter and the other half was screaming at her to run. She took a position next to Frere. Once Winter and the girl he was with proved they could be trusted would Mavis act.

Briefly she wondered if Winter even recognised her. Mavis definitely did not look like the girl she was years ago. Then she was a child, with long braided hair, shinning eyes and a face that seemed to never stop smiling. Now her hair was choppy short, and her face was covered in dirt from the journey here. She wasn't smiling either, just staring at Winter with an uneasy look in her eyes.

Breaking out of her daze Mavis gave two sharp whistles and out of the bushes came the guard, his own sword drawn. Upon seeing both The Captain of the Guard and Vice Captian with no weapons out he sheathed his own. Mavis waved towards him and he nodded, staying behind Winter and Drew.

'I'm gonna defer to you here Frere.' She gave him a brief look, hoping he got that something was off about her. 'Shall I keep an eye on them while we walk? Wouldn't want you to get stabbed in the back.'

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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ImageDrew heard a voice behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around and withdrew her sword, the tip pointed at the newcomers. Despite the scare, her hands were steady, but her breathing wasn't and neither was her heartbeat. It was a man--young, but a man-- a boy, and a.. girl? Her hair was cut short and covered in dirt. It took Drew a moment to realize that they were a female. The man spoke softly, apologizing for the scare, but one part of his statement made her pause: "planning on visiting us". She lowered her sword just a bit and asked, "Who are you?" Could they really be members of the Shadow Children? They definitely hadn't made much sound coming up behind them.. but he recognized her. How? Not many people had seen her face. But the children had seen her mother's once upon a time.. She suddenly wished that they had markings or a crest of some sort.

Who knew her childhood heros would stand in front of her and she would question whether or not she should trust them or if they were leading her to her doom. At the moment they didn't have many options. "Are you really the Shadow Children? The children that live in the forest and do good for the kingdom from the shadows?" She stared at them, dumbfounded and afraid to be wrong. "How.. do I know that we can trust you?" Her back ached in a reminder of what happened when she trusted someone and she wasn't taking a step forward until she was sure they weren't playing some sort of trick.

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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Finding anything dry was about a hopeful as finding the Shadow Children. Winter thought as he dug through the brush, hoping to find something dry buried beneath, he'd only succeeded in feeling like a dog, digging for his bone. "Winn, we should go. Daggers could be lurking.." The Princess said, making him feeling more like a fool for digging in the mud and dirt. He turned to her, a strange feeling twisted in his stomach at the sight of her dressed in his clothes. He was about to speak when there was a shuffle behind him. His hand went to his sword, and he stood protectively in front of her as a man speak from the trees.
"I wouldnĀ“t worry too much about them, they probably are too entertained burning the city and spreading rumors of your dead or imprisonment which I must say IĀ“m glad they are just that Princess..." The man then emerged from his hiding place, keeping a fair distance, Winter stood at the ready, his fingers curling around the hilt of his sword. "I must apologize if we startled you we mean you no ill my name is Frere and I was just curious, as to the reasons behind you being here, this is the longest way towards the border and although people rarely come to this side of the forest we are not that far from the city" The man called Frere stepped forward. We? Winter thought, sizing the man up as he made himself more visible.
"It is considered polite to state your business beforehand when visiting a strangers home and if I did not misheard you were planning on visiting us" Winter narrowed his eyes. Again, Winter wasn't an angry man, but that didn't mean there wasn't a limit to his patience. "Polite? Says the man who seemed to be spying on us?" Winter spoke, his eyes settling on the man, for a moment, before he saw the "we" Frere spoke of. At first glance, he thought it was two boys, one had short brown hair, round face, a stern demeanor, like someone with something to prove, but then, on closer inspection, Winter found that one that spoken something to Frere, and ad been given him a strange look, to be a girl, the delicate curve of her lips, the roundness of her face. It was a young girl, to whom yet grown into her womanly figure. There was something about those light eyes that struck Winter as familiar but he didn't have the time nor the patience to dwell on it long. "*close enough to the cave, easily guarded, secluded and dry just what we all need...*itĀ“s the norm that we found someone before they find us, so now if you are done thinking reasons to distrust me I would really like to get out of this rain so what do you say we talk honestly and without any more preambles" Frere went on and Winter finally registered what he said. Visiting us? Shit, they were the Shadow Children.
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He moved his hand from his hilt, or rather loosened his grip, while Drew beside him, lowered her blade. "Who are you?" She asked and Winter waited for the answer just before Drew went right on with more of her own. Winter remained silent. "Are you really the Shadow Children? The children that live in the forest and do good for the kingdom from the shadows?" He winched at the question. There was too much hope in her voice, too much information given by the sentence. To him, she pretty much told them that she was in fact hopeless, and vulnerable. If they were bandits posing as the Shadow Children, they would be at a disadvantage. Seeming to have come to the same conclusion, Drew started again. "How.. do I know that we can trust you?" Winter was taken aback by that. This was clearly not her forte, exchanges like this. This was a chess match, neitehr should give up too much, while making their moves, she all but made her intentions very clear, and thereby making his as well. There was no way to calculate how to proceed now. He just had to watch and wait, something that he was typically good at, if they weren't in such dire straits.

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Character Portrait: Leila Singh Character Portrait: Kaitlyn Singh Character Portrait: Tom Crow Character Portrait: Will Joscelyn Character Portrait: Queen Angelina
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A chill ran down Will's spine as he heard the woman's voice. He didn't have to guess who it was. He kept his back to her, though, watching the shadows. There was still movement in the shadows- not much, but enough to make him uneasy. She would be the perfect distraction for an ambush, and they'd all be easily overwhelmed.

He hadn't exactly been relaxed, but now that the Red Queen herself was there, he was even more tense. Her offer did nothing to help that- and Kat's acceptance only made it worse. What was she doing? They couldn't betray the princess, the one chance of a whole kingdom. And besides, they didn't even know where she was. Lying and betraying the Queen would only end badly for all of them.

"Kat," he said quietly, his eyes still on the shadows. "Think about what you're doing. All of the consequences." He knew that she'd probably thought it through already- but betraying the queen could result in all out war between her Daggers and the Shadow Children. And they were not prepared for war.

The movement in the shadows was still there. But why weren't they coming out while their queen was there? They had to be outnumbered, especially with the self-proclaimed queen. So why were they still hiding? Waiting for one of them to try and attack her? Did they seriously take them for fools?

At Crow's comment, Will couldn't hold his tongue. "So why do your soldiers hide in the shadows instead of coming out where we can see them? If we're so painfully outnumbered, then them being visible shouldn't make any difference," he said.

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Image Frere felt anxious they needed to go deeper into the forest to avoid being found and this game of pulling and pushing each other wasnĀ“t going to do any good and honestly the only reason he wanted the Princess to go with him was because if she was captured or killed it will mean even more power to the crazy hag instead if they worked together they could get an advantage on the red bitch. Trust real trust would come in the process or not at all. Also there was something strange with MavisĀ“s demeanor something was upsetting her another reason he wanted to move now.

'Shall I keep an eye on them while we walk? Wouldn't want you to get stabbed in the back.'

Going back to his more cheerful and lighthearted tone but keeping his voice low "DonĀ“t worry to much getting stabbed again isnĀ“t in my priority list *chuckle*... I donĀ“t know what it is but if there is something wrong now or on the way tug my coat twice... also if you prefer to go IĀ“m going to take us into the east lookout post and I guess we are going to need someone who can tend to wounds" saying the last part loud enough so that everyone could heard, if it was the fact that the princess resembled the red hag what was disturbing Mavis or something else and she wanted to go ahead to camp great if not he would send the guard to clear the lookout post of any other Shadow Children and see if Andrei or Will were available whispering his thoughts without naming anyone to his companions he turned to the other two...

...The reactions from the Princess and the other guy were expected but it didnĀ“t serve to change his idea of the nobility "Always expecting betrayal and seeing spies everywhere at least this girl seems honest" Frere ponder a little but his conclusion as that nothing he could say would give The Princess the certainty she was seeking so with a firm tone he decided for plain honesty to be the best way to proceed "Tell me really that in my situation you wouldnĀ“t have listened to the strangers in your house to determine if they were or not a treat, if you can tell me that with honesty then IĀ“ll apologize... and to you Princess if only to let you hear it, yes we are TSC although you should know there is nothing I can do to prove who IĀ“m or if you should or shouldnĀ“t trust me, that type of prove comes from actions not words and even those are misleading sometimes... what will do instead is place my trust in you, trust that you are intelligent enough to know that if I meant harm to you it would have been easier to act while you were in that makeshift fort, trust that your face is the only resemblance you have with that crazy monster destroying Valie and trust that your first action as the remaining royal blood will not be to stab kids in the back when the only thing we have done has been to offer you a dry place out of this foul weather and a honest talk"
Imagemoving himself closer while talking and placing himself in between his companions and this royals "there is a small treehouse not that far, If you are searching for our help that will be a better place to talk than here in the open... *chuckle*people say this forest have eyes, who knows if there isnĀ“t someone spying..."

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Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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Image Winter didn't pay her more than a side glance. She didn't know if she should be relived or upset. A mix of both probably. Deciding to ignore the two for now Mavis looked to Frere, rolling her eyes at his lighthearted tone. 'Funny Frere, ha ha. But no. Despite how much you joke about you did get hurt.' Voice dropping to a whisper she grabbed her Vice Captian by the arm. 'Don't ask me how I know but that guy over there is good with a blade. If they turn on us you'll need me. I'll send him back.'

Mavis turned and straightend, something almost military like about her posture. Seeing this the Guard scrambled forward and stood at attention. 'I need you to return to the caves, watch over the children until we or The Captian comes back. Don't....tell her what we found until we investigate more.'

The Guard nodded, looking white in the face from his orders. 'Yes Ma'am!' He gave both the Shadow Children a meaningful look and shoot of into the night. Mavis stepped back next to Frere. She wondered if it looked strange to the Princess and Winter, an obviously older boy taking orders from a short, runty girl. She almost wanted to grin at the idea. Maybe they'd see her as more than a little girl now.

Frere spoke and Mavis kept her eyes on him. It was strange not to trust her own blood but she couldn't help but worry Winter would attack him. In his wounded state Mavis wasn't sure how well Frere could defend himself. He positioned himself as to protect her from the two and Mavis couldn't help but grind her teeth. Stupid boy.

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4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Drew Phoenix Character Portrait: Winter Valentine Character Portrait: Mavis Crusico Character Portrait: Frere
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Image[font=century gothic]Drew took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair, catching in the tangles. "Hopefully you understand how dangerous it is for me--for us--to trust someone without identification of some sort." She looked up at the man, her dark eyes reflecting the white light of the moon. "I'm sure you would feel the same if you had been where I have been.." She knew that wasn't enough information. For all they knew, she had been in the castle getting the pampering that came with being the princess instead of in the cold, stone cells beneath and out in the gardens. She pulled a little at the tangles. "Unfortunately, we don't have a choice but to trust you and what you say." She knew Winter wouldn't like those words. They were far too desperate, but desperate was what they were. There was no use in hiding it. They walked in silence for some time and she heard the man utter something about a treehouse. In what sort of place do they live? She thought. In her mother's stories they had been in the middle of the forest living in huts and tents. "Will I be able to speak with your leader?