Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
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Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
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Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 15:13:30 GMT -8
"She was lovely," she said softly. As the light approached, however, and the servant began to call her name, she snapped to attention. "I have to go," she whispered and hit the floor, crawling through the gap between the fences in the stalls until she was in her mare's. "In here," she said and pretended to be sleepy, making sure there was hay in her hair for good effect. Her mare knickered and she peeked over the stall door. Damn, what could they want now? She feigned a yawn.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 5, 2020 15:16:52 GMT -8
The young girl rushed up to the edge of the stable door, “Lady Fianna your father was looking for you to join him for dinner.” The girl sounded rushed as if there was other news she had to share but was uncertain how to express it.
Bart was holding back laughter at how long they’d been in there without realizing the hours that had passed. He’d remain low and down and wait until she was gone to make his way inside. He could feign having been out and about especially as he’d make sure he was free of straw so their stories were quite different.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
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Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 15:26:39 GMT -8
"Of course he is." She murmured in exasperation. She brushed the grime off of her and exited the stable, though she stopped to grab her basket before disappearing. She would have just enough time to freshen herself up, for she wasn't in her finery when she entered and that displeased her father as it usually did. By the time she showed up, she was fashionably late but dressed in a red gown that had been laid out for her by her maid. She was without her instruments, however, because she had no intention of playing them.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 5, 2020 15:31:56 GMT -8
When Fianna arrived it would be to find her father talking to a young man who dressed in clothing that suggested wealth, “Ah Fianna,” her father would draw her over, “This is Lord Byron Ficus,” he seemed pleased at the attentions of the young man who was showing too great an interest in her father.
Byron was notably flattering in his looks as he smiled to Fianna and put forth a hand for hers, “It is lovely to meet you, you are more beautiful than I was even led to believe.”
“Lord Ficus is the son of Arterion,” her father provided, “Since his fathers passing he has taken over the Founding.”
The founding was the next state over from their own, it was richer in mechanical wonderments but poorer in farming and the like. They depended on their neighbors to supplement their supplies as they provided new innovations in equipment. They also had one of the most well renowned blacksmiths in the area.
Bart rolled in about that time. He saw the exchange but chose not to put himself in the middle of it. His expression was strained, it appeared that unlike Fianna he had been warned. He’d also been seated far from the main table. It appeared that the Lord of the House had new plans.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 17:13:47 GMT -8
She froze when she saw yet another man being brought to her like she would appreciate it. If looks could kill, her father would be deceased. She was forced to smooth her features, but she did not smile nor act the least bit interested in the young lord. “The pleasure is mine,” she forced herself to say so as not to be rude. Heat sizzled in her cheeks, not from shyness but from her anger and could be easily misunderstood by someone who didn’t know her at all.
As soon as she saw Bart, her eyes flashed with her anger to let him know that she had not been warned about it, nor was she pleased. She kept the young lord at a distance when speaking. She didn’t even touch her food because she knew that her father would ask her to play the instruments he probably had brought down without her consent, and she wouldn’t.
She couldn’t do it anymore, all the men her father brought to her. Finally, she burst out, “Many pardons, but I fear I don’t feel well. Please excuse me.” She was about to stand when her father came up behind her and took her arm, “You look perfectly well enough to me, now if you could grace us with your lovely voice again…”
“No,” she hissed at the old man.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 5, 2020 17:36:30 GMT -8
“Fianna this is important,” her father seemed like he was going to insist this time. This was not his usual games that he tended to play with her, he truly was stressing the relationship between them and their neighbors.
Bart had seen her distress, been watching her closely from across the room, and he would distract the new Lord by offering his own services. He had a good singing voice and could pick a lute when required but he chose to entertain by dragging others into his scheme. He got someone who could pick another lute and someone who was using a soft tanned hide that was drawn taut as a drum. They began a song that was well known as it was sang often along the road.
It drew the attention of the room getting it off her and her father and the new Lord even seemed interested watching Bart with an interest that could be said to be unnatural.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 19:41:06 GMT -8
"I cannot keep doing this. You throw me at men like I don't have feelings," she said in a low voice meant only for her father.
“Feelings? What do they have to do with anything? You have a duty to me, to our people, and you shirk it.” He was not pleased with his daughter, that was soon clear enough.
Fia was about to say something more when she heard the song. She turned to gaze at the source, and found herself drawn in by Bart. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Her father moved next to her and lay a hand on her shoulder, not mistaking the direction of her gaze. “You should be singing to our guest, not listening to another.”
But she didn’t want to sing for another man, it would be disingenuous to say the least. She hated the games her father played, hated being told what to do with her life when she didn’t want to marry for political gain. A tear rolled down her cheek and she whispered, “You would shackle me to a man I do not know, you would sell me at the highest price if you could.”
She turned her head and used her shoulder to rid her of the tear. His hand tightened and he said, “You will obey me. I will be heard.”
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 5, 2020 19:45:45 GMT -8
Bart slipped away leaving another to lead them, it was because he saw her distress, it went beyond the simple unease of her being uncomfortable. This was too far, the way the sleeve that was in her fathers hand bunched beneath it. He came up beside her from behind asking softly, “Fianna are you alright?”
Her father would look to Bart and for once he would have something to say to one of those he introduced her to, “This is not your place young man, you should see it back to the table or back to an instrument.”
Bart was far from offended by his words but his gaze went beyond the two, “I only came to let you know I do believe your other guest is noticing.”
And he was, the other Lord was now looking their direction. Either he had followed Bart leaving because it had been barely a second after the song or he was curious as to why Fia’s father had stepped away. The scene was unpleasant enough no matter how it came to be.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 20:10:00 GMT -8
She didn’t answer him in words, only in a look that would break hearts. Then she shrugged out of her father’s grip and moved woodenly to the instrument that was waiting for her. Her shoulder hurt and her spirit was crushed yet again by the man she knew as her father. He was such an ambitious man that he couldn’t see beyond his own greed. She sat down with her psaltery and joined in making the music, her heart only in it because music swept her away when she needed it to.
The girl closed her eyes and began to sing in that captivating way she did, gathering the attention of the people again but in a positive way.
"She is a good girl, but she isn't free to love, boy." He said this to Bart after catching the way Fianna had gazed at him. "Best you remember that."
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 5, 2020 20:14:33 GMT -8
He would not always be present, and the girl could protect herself, but he had felt defensive of her in that moment. It was a habit from protecting his own people but as her father, who had been eager to see the girl married but yesterday to anyone who could mange the estate, was now vying for political gain, he had little to do other than attempt to salvage some of the situation, “I did not want to ruin your relationship with the neighboring lord,” it came across colder than he meant it, “You’ve been kind enough to take me in after all.”
Bart would retake the lute because it meant being near Fianna. It was not a perfect but it was all the support he could offer since she would have to take her chair again soon and this was the best vantage point that he had until that moment.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 5, 2020 21:21:07 GMT -8
The rest of the dinner was a tense affair. She did her best to talk to the young lord when she was able to sit and eat again. She was glad for Bart's support of her, and it was at that moment she felt as if her heart was breaking into a thousand tiny pieces. It wasn't as if she loved Bart, for she had only met him the night before. Could one base things off of one night? But he represented something she had never had before, and yes, she was so very affected by him that sometimes it was hard to breathe. She could never think of somebody else kissing her the way he had.
Her father was watching like a hawk, a smug smile upon his bewhiskered face. No daughter of his was going to settle for someone who could barely take care of her, she was meant for greater things in his minds eye.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 6, 2020 5:50:03 GMT -8
Bart had retaken his seat when it was appropriate. The tenseness in the room was almost palpable but he had nothing that he could do with it. Fianna would be forced to follow her Fathers word eventually even if he felt like his heart was already in her hands. What a fool he was to have kissed her to start. It had only sparked feelings and emotions that neither could act upon. As things wrapped up he gave her one last look across the room. One that was fleeting for he cared too much to get her in trouble. He would retreat with his slight limp. He thought to head to the stables but he was accosted by some of the other musicians who kept him in conversation after dinner that he could not escape without being rude.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 6, 2020 11:30:24 GMT -8
It was much later. Fianna had pulled on clothes more fit for traveling, and then she made sure nobody was at the ground below her window. She had made a rope out of bed clothing and escaped from her room, which her father had locked not knowing she was capable of escape. It was well after dawn that her maid alerted her father that Fia was gone from her room and that the mare was no longer in the stables. Fia had run away.
She had been gone most of the night and was exhausted as she guided her horse downstream in a creek so that any dogs could lose the scent of her if her father had them tracking her. It was a cold morning and she pulled her cloak closer to her to ward off the chill, turning the mare out of the stream after several miles. The sun was just peeking above the horizon when she realized she needed to stop somewhere and rest, even forage for something to eat, for she was starving. She dismounted when she found a clearing, then began to set up a small camp for herself.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 6, 2020 11:43:25 GMT -8
Bart had woken that morning to the news. He could have tracked her, better than any that were there for they hunted only the deer that traveled the nearby woods and did very little to do so. Bart had hunted in woods in which he was unfamiliar, had stalked after prey for miles because waiting simply was not in his nature. He did not offer to do so, instead he gathered his belongings, thanked her father for the kindness he had given him, and saddled up Gem. His ankle felt raw and angry at his movements, especially when he used it to climb into his saddle but he didn’t care if it argued against him. He needed to make sure she was alright.
Leaving after sneaking a roll away from the breakfast table he traveled the road for a time to make sure he was not followed, and slipped off into the wilderness. Gem was good at awkward terrain and as he circled back around to find the path he’d noticed she’d taken out of the village it would be closer to noon before he was fully on her trail. He’d guessed where she might come out to in a vague direction. It was an educated guess in order to stay out of the way of the hounds tracking, who would not be looking for him, and when he found the stream he laughed. The girl was making it as difficult as she could but she still left on horseback.
Bart urged Gem into the water until they came down to a hard rock shore. It made the most sense for her to get out where her horse would not leave prints. He drew Gem up onto the edge and walked out to the foliage that decorated the edge. There it was, the break in it where she’d passed and it had yet to heal. He whistled to his horse who followed him as he walked through it.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 6, 2020 13:57:10 GMT -8
She finished setting up her little camp and brushed down her horse before looking around for something to eat. She managed to find some tree nuts and ate those as her meager breakfast, which settled her stomach only enough for her to be able to sleep. Fia snuggled in her bed roll and reflected on what had happened the night prior, only to doze off with her mind drifting to Bart and how he had been despite the man her father was trying to marry her off to only a day after he had tried to do the same with Bart. She was tired of the games, tired of being a pawn used for gain when she knew her heart.
Sleep was quick to come but it wasn’t restful.
It seemed that she worried too much about if they would find her or not and she decided to get up and on her way again. She banked the fire and kicked dirt over it, packed what belongings she had brought with her, and swung up onto the horse again, deciding to head eastward and stay off the roads.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 6, 2020 14:43:04 GMT -8
While she slept he caught up to her, and the fire was still burning, the small embers remaining telling him she’d just left. He hastened his pace. He would have to track quickly in order to catch up with her, and go without sleep. He was simply lucky that she was going the same way that he needed to go as well. Should she continue the same direction for weeks she would bound into the old elven forests past the plains that were outside of Isra lands. It was a place not many dare go as it was supposedly riddled with bandits. His eyes could dance with the thought of such because the rumor had been started by his people.
Gem would stay beside him and support him when his ankle felt like it would go out. It was poor form to waste the resting he had done in order to heal it but this was more important. The way he remembered her lips pressed against his demanded it, and the way she’d not taken enough supplies to keep going for too much longer while he’d taken enough to get her through a few weeks until she figured out her plan.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 6, 2020 16:05:36 GMT -8
She was sluggish as the mare carried her along the way. It would be another hour before she decided to stop again, this time because she had no choice in the matter. The same stream that she had sloshed through cut across the road, so she was able to drink of the cold water and so did the mare. The first few flakes of snow started to drift downward, fat and soft. The dark clouds did not bode well, she noted, for it meant there was a storm. She had no way of getting food and drink before she left her gods forsaken home, and she knew she would either have to go back or look for shelter and try to make it on her own.
Go back? She could never go back. Never! Not if it meant marrying a man who didn’t love her, and who she barely knew. She didn’t know what she was going to do from that point, only that she thought she would never see her people again… nor the one man she felt any connection to. The thought caused her to kick the bridge in frustration.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 6, 2020 16:11:59 GMT -8
Bart had went on foot for a short while again and the rushing of the stream kept her from hearing them as she began to kick the bridge that was down from the main road. It looked dilapidated to say the last in its appearance and when she kicked it it creaked. Bart was just within sight and he would let out a low whistle to draw attention as he crossed the last ten yards. When he got a few more closer he would call out to her, “That’s one way to mess up your ankle.”
He was teasing Gem beside him snorting knowing the tone that he used when he was attempting to be funny. The horse seemed to have a sense of humor that transcended the normal intelligence of any other steed.
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Fianna
Committed
Roleplay posts: 87
Age: 20
Physical Description: Hair: Black
Eyes: Cobalt
Height: Average
Build: Curvy
Weight: Average
===============
Clothes and Equipment: The general trappings of a young lady of good breeding as well as a healer without the use of magic.
===============
Registered: Nov 10, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -8
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Post by Fianna on Feb 6, 2020 16:25:12 GMT -8
She turned at the sound of his voice and sagged with relief. The look on her face said it all, though, fear, exhaustion, anger, joy at seeing him. She moved toward him but stopped short a few feet from him. "If you are going to try and talk me into going home, it won't work. I cannot abide by what my father wants from me." It wasn't a lack of trust that made her say what she said, but rather her emotions that were waging war upon one another. More snow started to come down in thicker waves. A shelter was needed.
"And of course the bridge is out." Now what was she going to do? She was so... upset at the moment that she didn't even consider the possibility that he wasn't trying to make her go back home.
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Barthlomew Eads
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 111
Age: 32
Registered: Nov 8, 2019 11:40:55 GMT -8
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Post by Barthlomew Eads on Feb 6, 2020 16:35:02 GMT -8
He raised his hands defensively at her accusation, “Fia I am the last person to convince anyone that they need to go anywhere.”
Instead he was there to aid her, whether she chose to go with him or not. He knew these woods well enough from his first passing and he would tell her, “There’s a crossing a little ways down that isn’t high this time of year, cold but not high, as long as you go there and then set up a fire tonight it should be fine.”
His advice could be heeded or dismissed but he crossed the little distance left. She was right, the bridge would hold a person but not the horses. Especially Gem who was made more for pulling a til or riding into battle than to be a long distance runner. Not that the horse had not performed admirably despite her limitations.
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