Post #1884571 in Drifting to the Edge of Nowhere, a roleplay on RPG

She found herself swallowed up by an old covering of some sort, an assortment of scraps having tumbled to the ground with her as she had reach out in some effort to keep her body from giving way to gravity’s evil clutches. A couple of weeks on land, and with legs, and she still was not at all used to the whole process of walking. . . . It seemed almost barbaric to her, people have to move themselves forward with such an amount of effort—being bound to one surface without the assistance of stairs or a ladder. In the water, one could just move their tail, and they could go up or down, or anyway they so chose, moving was so much easier in the oceans. . . . Having to get around on legs, well, that was a chore, and it took such an amount of time and energy that it was very easy to become drained and exhausted.

Her body wasn’t made for such wear! After all, she was a princess—working to build up stamina and energy was not exactly something that she had been made to do, or been made to work on.

Gravity was such a burden. And a cruel thing too, how it seemed to relish causing her embarrassment and pain. . . . Of course, she would just have to go and be separated from Echo, and then manage to tumble over herself right after getting out of the paths of everyone whom was finishing their daily rounds and chores. . . . And to top it all off, she would also cause a plethora of things to come falling down with her. As if her situation weren’t bad enough, Fate seemed to love just toying about with her, didn’t it? First, assassins try to kill her before her sixteenth birthday, she kept getting lost, and now she was just falling left and right. Why oh why, could she not just be given a brief reprieve?

’Would you stop trying to blame things that don’t exist for all the bad stuff that keeps happening to you?’ Canaan started up as Knell herself began to move herself up, propping her upper half upon her forearms in order to get her face off the cold, stone pavement, an involuntary groan slipping from the girl’s lips as she did so.

’Oh hush up would you? You’re not the one who keeps falling over her own two feet, getting herself lost, and who almost got slain by unknown people.’ the girl retorted, hearing her brother laugh in response.

Knell simply sighed, choosing not to respond to him as he kept himself quiet again, thinking of who knew what in his half of her head. She didn’t really enjoy that—the fact that she and her brother shared her body, that he always knew what she was thinking, but she could never know what he was thinking. . . . Now, that was just not fair. Canaan was free to taunt and tease her all he wanted, but she couldn’t ever get any dirt on him. Not that it really mattered anyway, the boy often was never in control of her body, and the only times that happened, she herself went off into a deep, dreamless sleep from which she couldn’t ever remember anything he had done under her name. But it wasn’t as if her brother were a bad person, no, he was just a mere jokester, as he had been their whole life.

With but a quiet sigh, Knell moved one of her arms back, clutched onto the worn and old covering which still lay atop her legs, and she threw it back, and off her. Even if there was no one to blame but herself for this irksome clumsiness, Knell still found herself irritated by it all. It happened too much, and the fact that it was still happening was enough to really get at her better senses. . . . . sure, even if Echo herself took a few tumbles, the girl was so graceful looking, her movements so fluid, so lithe. Knell however; her movements were nothing short of grating, awkward and clunky. Her human legs did nothing for her—she was so very short compared to the majority of people, and Echo, Echo was so tall, she was gorgeous, standing elevated and strong.

It took a lot for Knell to feign a veil of strength herself, to appear as if she were haughty. She was raised with pride, to be proud of her heritage, her bloodline, and even if she did feel as if her mermaid lineage were superior to that of humans and all land dwellers . . . her as a person was not so much. Compared to those around her, and to Echo, Knell felt as if she were nothing special, like she did not belong. And it was that façade of hers that kept Echo from knowing—Knell didn’t want her friend to worry more than she already did. As a clueless, curious and accident-prone princess in hiding, there was enough her friend had to be concerned with.

’C’mon and get to your feet now Knell, even if walking is a chore for you, you still need to get up and to find Echo before it gets too late—you two should get back to the Inn . . . and to the Mercenary before dark.’ Canaan’s voice at the mentioning of the hired help Knell had sought out the previous day was undeniably hesitant.

’The Mercenary? Oh, I had forgotten of him.’ Knell thought, a light look of surprise happening across her face, tinted orange by the setting sun. The day before . . . Knell had taken it upon herself to hire an escort for herself and Echo, a rather obscure fellow with a reputation, one of strength, and success in his duties. From all Knell had heard, he seemed fit to be one whom would guard and protect the life of two mermaids, even if one was a princess by birth. And so, even with her brother not entirely for it, and without informing Echo until the deed was carried out, Knell had gone and paid the man upfront, a rather large sum of money by any standards for his protection, and to keep him from inquiring more information about her situation.

Knell had simply told the man that she and her friend required an escort who could provide protection as they travelled. . . .

Nothing more, nothing less. And it seemed to have been enough. However, as soon as the lot of them had arrived into town, Knell had set off on her own, Echo in tow, to explore. Even if she felt that the life of land dwellers was slightly barbaric compared to that of Merfolk, the happenings of simple day-to-day life interested Knell, she had never been allowed to see it in her own kingdom. In that time though, the teal-haired girl had managed to go and get sidetracked while her dear friend had continued onward without her, causing their separation.

’Yes . . . I should be on my way to track Echo down, and to return to him.’ she thought, turning her head to the side slightly, as she remained on the ground. Those befittingly aqua colored eyes of her happened out to the side, to look at those who stared at the sight that was her, the girl’s face flushed a light rouge when she realized how much of a crowd had gathered to stare at her. And, just as Knell was about to get herself to her feet in her embarrassment, she stopped moving as she noted the reactions in the crowd, stunned expressions, and looks of fear—them parting to the sides. Loud footsteps, the clanking of metal accompanying that. . . . They were heavy footfalls, intimidating, and as the crowd thinned from his pathway, Knell was able to finally see what was stunning the humans so, and boy, was it ever a sight she’d not go and soon forget.

A rather looming figure approached, completely held in a dark suit of armor, he carried an air to him, one that bespoke of some sort of . . . uncertainty, a form that struck a feeling of anxiety into the heart. Seeing this . . . blackened knight approach her Knell’s suddenly rather small form tensed up, muscles tight as if ready to spring up, and flee. Though he was silent, Knell could feel the vestiges of control in her body being surrendered to Canaan as he were ready to usurp it from her and to get them both away. He was frightening—and why was he coming for her? When he stopped before her, and suddenly stooped down with his hand extended out to her, Knell moved back just a touch before he spoke.

”Do you need help, miss?” the voiced echoed forth from the covered face, youthful and seemingly too young for his size. The gap between his appearance and the sound of the voice coming from inside startled Knell, and Canaan. The grasp that terror had upon her, the wonderment of him appearing before her faded, as she could only question that rift.
The young mermaid hesitated, and did not take the man’s hand before a rather familiar figure happened to . . . drop down next to her before suddenly springing back to her feet. The long hair, a soft, almost not color—it was Echo! Knell, once more startled, looked up at her friend with her eyes wide. Well, that solved one matter. . . . ’She’s going to lecture me, I just know it.’

As if right on cue, and after a slightly self conscious moment, Echo turned and looked down at her, expression stern. “Knell, where have you been?” The girl’s tone caused Knell to flinch, “You shouldn’t run off like that! It’s dangerous.” Echo chided her. At that moment, the two girls could seem more as a mother-daughter duo than friends. Knell, frowned as her face went red, being reprimanded in front of so many people. . . . “Plus, we don’t know anything about this place. You could have gotten seriously hurt.” Echo had leaned down low, speaking in a voice soft enough for only her to hear, the terseness was released from Echo’s vocalization at that, leaving only an edge of concern, and true worry.

’See, now you’ve gone and made the poor girl worry about you—I told you to be more careful.’

Knell choose to not respond to Canaan’s annoying ‘I told you so’ moment, if she did, he’d only go on and on. . . . Being chided by Echo was enough for her.

Before she could even respond though, yet another event transpired that kept the young mermaid silent for a moment—the sound of a lulling lute being strummed hit Knell’s ears, causing her to turn her gaze toward its source. A rather handsome young man was there, playing a piece of music that nearly brought out the natural musical senses Knell had as a mermaid, it made her want to sing. When he looked at her, and smiled, Knell drew her gaze away in embarrassment . . . and promptly reminded herself that such things were not what she needed to be concerned about right now. He was a stranger with a pretty face—a human, a commoner, she was a mermaid, a princess. He was not worthy of her. . . .

The bard gestured to the knight and the hand he held out for her to take, ’Oh, just take the man’s help would you? Even if you find the lute player good looking, it isn’t like he’s going to get anywhere with you. It can’t hurt just going along with things for a bit Knell.’ Knell heard Canaan lazily say to her, sounding almost annoyed.

Knell went and flickered her eyes back over to Echo before she turned her gaze back to the rather daunting knight before her, and pondered for a moment, feeling as if accepting his help was . . . below her. The idea of taking assistance from a land dweller was really something that Knell didn’t like the thought of, but, still. ’I don’t know Canaan. . . .’

’Just go along with things, or else I’ll do it.’

A look of displeasure spread across Knell’s face at her brother’s threat, and she breathed out harshly before she hesitantly moved a hand from the ground, and set it in the one offered to her. Quietly she adjusted position, getting to her knees. After this passed . . . she and Echo needed to return to the Mercenary.

Snippet #1884571

located in Gaea Minor, a part of Drifting to the Edge of Nowhere, one of the many universes on RPG.

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