Running Shadows: Rebellion in Numenor

Blade stared up at the dragon as it flew above him and once again did not heed the boy's words. Blade sighed as he rested his sword on his shoulder and continued to stare up at the dragon awaiting its move. Despite the fact that Blade could not reach the dragon with his swords, Blade still had a way to harm it. If the dragon attempted to flee he would use this method but for now Blade waited for the dragon's next move

 

Pantalimon's eyes narrowed as the argument went on. Everyone's body language was tense and even the dragon looked ready to blow. She couldn't quite figure out who was in the wrong; the boy and dragon for not listening and blowing fire at people? Or the lady in charge and her followers for frightening the creature. Pan looked again from the dragon to the lady. She leaned on the tree next to her, trying to figure out who would be the victor. Kill the dragon! a voice piped in her ear, making her sigh. She wished if she had to hear voices they would say less stupid things.

 

Goldwin heard the word of her companions and clenched her fists. She wanted nothing more than to destroy the Dragon, take its head back to her parents, and prove to everyone that her country was a force to be reckoned with... but there was the boy to consider, and Trys' and Boromir's reason made her settle down slightly.

"You won't be harmed, Dragonrider," she said loud enough to be heard. "For the moment, you and your beast are safe."

Trys called out to the warrior in front of them that they didn't know the name of: "You as well, sir. Let the boy explain himself before we take any action."

Gabriel bowed one more time to the Lord before following the servant to his designated rooms for the evening. They were just as elaborate as he expected; compared to the inns and run-down taverns he found himself staying in almost every night after he'd graduated from the Summoning Academy honing his necromancy skills where he'd stayed in dorms, this night would be luxurious for him.

Everything seemed to be covered in expensive black velvet, from the drapes on the bedposts and windows to the carpeted floors and rugs. The fireplace was lit, a bottle of bourbon by the fire, and plenty of food was placed on the table next to the bed.

Gabriel turned to the servant before the man had a chance to leave, and said swiftly, "Take these gold coins and buy me another cloak... just like this one, but more expensive... preferably more durable, too." He smirked as the man happily took the money and ran away down the stairs.

 

Blade calmly looked over at the three behind him and closed his eyes with a sigh "I'll let the boy speak but it doesn't matter what he says. The beast is mine to capture" Blade said as he sheathed his sword and crossed his arms

 

Dragonrider. Atreyu kind of liked the sound of that. Had there been Dragonriders before him? Now was not the time to be thinking about those kinds of things, though. He was comfortable with the Numenors answer, but he wasn't at all fine with the other man's answer. But in spite of Atreyu's feelings, Keiran turned a tight circle in the air and then ducked back into the trees. Though his body was large, the Night Fury barely made a sound when he touched the ground. He spit a small, human fist-sized fireball at the man as if to say, "I dare you."
Atreyu got off of Keiran's back and bowed respectfully to Goldwin, Boromir, and Trys. He still had the bag on his shoulder with the "Dragon treats" in it, and now seemed like a good time to distract Keiran with some pig. Even if it only lasted a second. He took out a strip of the cooked pig and held it out for Keiran. The Dragon sniffed the air and then looked over to find the tasty morsel that Atreyu held. And suddenly, Keiran was like a little puppy begging for food. His tongue stuck out and he licked his lips, his wide eyes watching the piece of pig. Atreyu had to smile at the cuteness of it all. He gave the pig to Keiran, and it was gone in one gulp. Now the Dragon's attention was back to the unknown man. Food was nice, but his safety and Atreyu's safety were more important at the moment, so he was back on guard.

Boromir couldn't believe what he was seeing. This boy and Dragon seemed to have known each other for a while, and the Dragon seemed very protective of the boy. How did a thing like this happen? It was quite intriguing.

Atreyu put a hand on Keiran's shoulders. He looked to Goldwin and respectfully addressed her, "Your Majesty, my name is Atreyu, and this is Keiran -- my Dragon friend."

 

The moment the fireball got close to him Blade opened his eyes and drew his sword and cut threw the fireball with his sword. He rested his sword on his shoulder and stood there looking at the dragon as if he accepted the dragon's challenge

 

"Settle down, Dragonhunter," Goldwin warned the warrior in front of them, and then turned her attention to the boy. "Atreyu, I really don't want to know how you've managed to befriend and train this beast that we know little about, but you need to realize the rules no matter how special your situation is: Dragons have two purposes here: to be fought against and trained against, or be banished to another, less-populated area. I think that you fall in the second category; if you don't wish for your Dragon to be killed, it can't stay in Numenor."

Trys listened to Goldwin, but he eye was on the Dragonhunter in front of them whose name they did not know; the man was not someone he recognized, and the unafraid look in his eye made him uneasy.

About an hour later, Gabriel had his new cloak with him, food in his stomach, and a warm bed beneath him. He was daydreaming, thinking about what he'd done with his life since he got out of school and learned of all the problems and political corruption in his country.

 

ooc- I'm having some family issues and such so I might not be able to role play as much but I'll definetly try to get a post in at least once a week. So for the inconvience.

 

OOC: Don't worry about it, Random Angel; I'm really good at giving recaps. xD

BIC: Keiran decided to avert his attention from the nameless man so he could look again at Goldwin. He didn't like his options. He liked being with Atreyu and didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to stay if he was going to be killed. It was odd to him, but he wanted to get a closer look at this Lady Goldwin. Croutching low, letting his tail drag on the ground, Keiran walked towards Goldwin. He wanted to know what was so special about her.
"Keiran," Atreyu tried to call the Dragon back. He didn't want Goldwin to get nervous and hurt Keiran.
Keiran ignored Atreyu and got so close to Goldwin that their faces were almost touching. He sniffed her once, backed up a couple of paces, and sat on his haunches. His wings were folded and his tail curled around his legs. Eyes innocent and wide, he came to the decision that the only thing he found wrong with this lady was that she smelled of dead Dragon.
Atreyu smiled. This was what Keiran had done when he'd become friends with Atreyu. Perhaps he was trying to make some sort of peace with Goldwin. Or maybe he was just using his cuteness to appeal to her better nature.

Boromir still couldn't take his eyes off the Dragon. He had almost drawn his sword when the beast got close to Goldwin. This was all wrong to him. Night Furies were supposed to be killing machines, vicious monsters. But this one acted almost like a common pet.

 

Goldwin flinched but held her ground, putting out an arm to stop Trys from jumping in front of her even as the Dragon backed away.

"You've managed to tame the beast to a certain extent," she admitted. "But the rules stay the same; you'll have to take the beast out of Numenor, across the border. I'd let him stay," she added, lowering her voice, "but with our current political situation it's not possible."

Gabriel propped his head up on a velvet pillow behind him, his mind still racing. He drew on his mental strength, his mind on his parents at the moment. He could Summon them if he wanted, pull their spirits to this realm so they could speak with him. He'd done it before; the rules that the Academy told them to abide by was that no living person could Summon a dead spirit that had already moved on; they could not make a spirit do anything against its will; they could not decide anything or gift anything to an unrested spirit if it was judged "immoral."

Well, both Gabriel's parents refused to go to rest before they were at peace with the fact that they had been unjustly put to death for crimes they did not commit.

"Mother..." Gabriel muttered, putting up his hand and mentally slipping into the spirit realm; he called on his mother's spirit, pulling her forward until he could see the pale, transparent outline of her in front of him at the foot of the four-poster, velvet draped bed. She gave him a small smile, but Gabriel looked away; her disheveled clothing, dirty hair, and the harsh rope burn on her neck were not something he wanted to stare at.

"You're troubled, son," she began, her voice distance as if he were hearing it under water, almost as transparent as her image.

Gabriel bit his lower lip, unsure why he'd called her in the first place now. "So?" he muttered, staring through his mother's torso into the crackling fireplace. "I'm not a Lord; politics shouldn't concern me; I don't know why rumors of rebellion and questioning Lord Michael's morals are bothering me and making me lose sleep."

OOC: yeah, Random Angel, its all good. if you ever think you dont have enough time to do them in the future we can always cover for you :D

 

"He can help," Atreyu said quickly, going to stand next to Keiran. "Everyone knows we're close to war. It's practically spelled out in the clouds. We can fight for Numenor."
Keiran's eyes narrowed. What was Atreyu going on about? He croutched back to four legs, tail behind him now and flicking. He was interested in be able to stay, but join a human army and fight their battles? Why should he bother? Atreyu was the only one who cared for him, so Atreyu was the only one he would protect.

"Your friend doesn't seem to agree," Boromir noted. He was amused by the range of emotions this Dragon showed, and found it interesting to see them all reflected in his eyes.

 

Blade stood where he was with his sword still resting on his shoulder. He was listening to the conversation the people before him were having. For about what seemed like a second, Blade had a look of surprise when he heard that there was a war coming. That surprised look immediately disappeared after he decided to not care about such things

 

Pantalimon cocked her head to side. War? That's new... she thought, tapping her chin with her index finger. "they should employ dragons..." she thought aloud. If they want to join that is... her thoughts continued silently. "maybe they won't, it seems they're hated." she went on, talking to herself.

"Killers... monsters..." that same little voice hissed in her ear making her roll her eyes. "burn 'em."

"If that's how everyone is, i think they are more afraid of people." she chided the voice.

 

Goldwin sighed. "Nothing is decided yet." Had common people like this boy already figured that much from rumors? Five minutes in town and the Moraning emissary would know the same thing. "For now, though, I can see your situation, but people like this man..." She nodded her head toward the hunter next to them. "I cannot stop them from hunting you, nor can I command anything without speaking to my parents."

"He should go," Trys commented quietly in Goldwin's ear. "Tell him to make it over the border near the Copperhead Pass... or north toward Armania. Either way he cannot stay here in his unique situation; not until you speak with your parents."

Gabriel glanced up at his mother's face, but quickly looked away; she knew exactly what he was thinking, and he didn't like it. He was only glad their was no living person that had that ability.

"You're a powerful necromancer, dear," his mother said quietly. "But you must question your own morals at this point; their rules will make you weak. Dark, blood magic may be what you need to make sure you come out on top."

"If there is a war," Gabriel sighed nonchalantly, "I don't care if my country wins. I only belong here because this is where you can learn the best to control and hone Summoning skills."

"You'll have to choose sides," his mother pointed out. "I won't rest until this is over; you can always call on me and your father to help you, Gabe. You must know that."

Gabriel nodded stiffly, and lowered his hand, letting his mother's ghost fade and return to the spirit realm. He knew what she said was true, but he didn't want to think about it yet.

 

"I agree, Lady Goldwin," Boromir said, tearing his eyes away from the Dragon. "There is too much going on now to deal with a situation like this one. Your parents decision will have to come before yours."

Atreyu sighed and looked at Keiran. He seemed to be trying to make a decision about these people. Atreyu tried to smile for him. Keiran tilted his head, listening to something close by -- voices. A growl rumbled up from his throat, threatening flames.
"Hey... what is it?" Atreyu followed Keiran's line of sight. What was hidden in the trees that Keiran knew of that Atreyu didn't notice? He was about to find out. Keiran stalked over to the source of the sound, smelling and listening for whatever it was. If it happened to be an animal, he'd happily have it as a snack. If it was something else, well, he hadn't made up his mind of what he'd do with something else.

 

Goldwin followed the Dragon's gaze, wondering who else happened to be around them. Her hand was on her sword hilt again, ready to draw it in seconds.

Trys stepped forward into the trees where the noise came from, trying to be as quiet as possible. He held his sword close to him with one hand, his other hand by his daggers hidden along his belt and strapped to his chest. A small, makeshift crossbow was latched to the inside of his right wrist, ready to fire at an enemy's throat with the flick of a finger. He didn't see anyone immediately, but something gave him a feeling the noises were not just made by animals.

 

Seeing the discussion wasn't about to go anywhere soon, Pantalimon slide down from leaning against the tree to sitting beneath it. She pulled her legs into lotus position and watched, ignoring the voice in her ear that continued to verbally abuse the dragon. Pan noticed the dragon was looking in her direction and she frowned to herself. Did she say something aloud? That was a habit she would have to be careful of around people, esspically if she was talking to voices... it wouldn't do to be declared crazy in a random town. "No, i don't need any crazy doctor trying to 'fix' me." she told herself, already forgetting to watch where her thoughts sounded.

 

Keiran's sharp ears caught the voiced thoughts. He bounded over to where it came from and found a girl. She was sitting down and had no weapon in her hands. Keiran slinked closer to the girl, jaw open slightly to show off his teeth. He did not like to be spied on -- Atreyu knew that first-hand.
"Keiran, stop!" Atreyu hurried over to Keiran, which was not easy on his hurt leg. It was lucky he got there, too, because Keiran looked about ready to see what happened to a human when you set it on fire. Keiran inched ever closer to the girl; he didn't want her making any sudden moves. Atreyu stood in front of Keiran, put his hands on the Dragon's head, and pushed him back. It was only by a couple steps, but at least Keiran wasn't squashing the girl to the tree anymore. Keiran snorted and shook Atreyu's hand off his head. He looked over Atreyu's shoulder to stare at the girl.

Boromir sighed quietly. Was nothing in this land private anymore?

 

Blade notice that something was going on, but decided not to worry about it unless it involved him. Blade was just focus on his mission to capture the dragon

 

Pantalimon's eyes widened ridiculously when the dragon showed up in her face. "oh... hello." she greeted it, not sure if she was terrified (her heart rate sounded like it) or fasinated. "Terrified." she breathed out her answer. The boy ran out calm the dragon and she relaxed slightly. Obviously the boy had some control or at least the dragon's respect. "Eh, thank you for that. I was afraid I was going to be toasted." she informed the boy, smiling kindly at him and then the dragon. "Don't you know it's rude to kill unarmed people?" she asked the dragon, putting a hand on her hip; it wasn't a very intimidating postion, as her legs were still crossed ontop of each other.

OOC: ahem, post 100