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Post by Shu'al Raethir on Mar 24, 2009 13:06:55 GMT -5
Safe was not to be for the bard, sadly. Marrok and Cloud went to the edge of the cliff, where he and Horse had been going every day for so long. He dismounted and sat on the edge, pulling out some bread and cheese to munch on. Hours passed in relative silence- Cloud grazed the grass and clover around them, his whuffling and hoofbeats the only noise to fill the nearly silent air. Ithorec swooped out, landing beside the bard with a warble. Marrok was writing a new letter, like so many he had written from this same spot. Each day, if he lived to see it, the old letter was torn up and tossed over the edge of the cliff, a new one being written instead. This would be his last letter written. Ithorec already knew where the one for Marrok's family back west was, and the one Marrok kept rewriting was the one for Minna and Garis. He finished the letter with a flourish of his signature and placed it in his pouch with the letter to his family. That finished, Marrok lay back in the coarse grass, watching the clouds drift by.
It hit an hour later. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest, and he writhed in pain. These attacks were common now, but still terrifying. Marrok flailed and kicked about, trying to get his body back under control. Suddenly, he felt weightless, and the pain in his heart was momentarily stopped as a new fear came to him. He was falling. Ithorec dove after the bard, but there was nothing the bird could do. Right before Marrok hit the rocks at the bottom, his heart resumed it's attack, exploding right as the rocks pierced and mangled his body. The pain was over for him now. Death took it's course.
Ithorec hopped around his fallen master- 500 feet he had fallen, his body making a bloody, gory mess all over. Knowing that the time had come, Ithorec grabbed Marrok's pouch from above on the ledge and winged back to the castle. Cloud, his charge dead, returned to Aara, never to be seen by the castle staff again. His return to the Lady Aara sent her into sobs and hysterics- he was only to return when his job was done, and she knew the war hadn't really started yet. Marrok was, undeniably, dead.
Ithorec didn't hesitate, and flew right through Garis's window. He pulled out the letter on top, dropping it on Garis's bed before taking out the second letter and leaving the pouch behind, delivering the letter to Marrok's parents. The bard had trained him well.
The letter, when opened, would read as such:
Dearest Minna and Garis, If you are reading this, it means I am deceased. But do not worry, for I am always with you in heart. Minna- please do not forget who you are. You are a beautiful woman with lots of hope and potential before you. Do not waste it. Garis- stay strong, but not so strong that you push others away. Remember to love, as well. I am watching over you both, I promise. [/b] The rest of the letter detailed some of his battle plans he had in mind, as well as where to find the bombs he once used in battle, so many years ago. They were in a loose floorboard in his chambers- 147 in total of the little gunpowder packets. Use them sparingly! They are dangerous and should only be used if desperation presents itself. That is all. Fight hard, and win this war. ~Marrok Akakamu [/b] He had also left instructions on how to use the bombs and ended the letter with his crest- a horse and rose that had been stamped onto the letter by use of his ring, which bore his crest. The ring would fall out of the letter when opened.
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Mar 24, 2009 13:26:29 GMT -5
Garis turned at the fluttering of wings, picking up the letter he knew was to be from Marrok, who else would send Ithorec? As Garis opened it, a ring fell into his hand. He looked at it, seeing it to be Marrok's. Confused and worried, he read the letter. After the first line, he dropped the letter, but caught it before it could touch the ground, frantic and worried and scared. He was kneeled down, and he read the letter through twice before standing, sitting on his bed. Jarrol read it over Garis' shoulder, stepping back, a sad, solemn look on his face. But Garis was frantic. "Jarrol, want a scout party out, I want him found. I want you to go find him! Look everywhere! Search everywhere! I want him, I want, I-" Garis choked off, tears streaming down his face as the letter slipped from his grasp. memories of past battles flooded into him. But not just battles, him. Marrok the Bard, Marrok the storyteller, Marrok the- man. Marrok just...Marrok. Marrok had been a friend to Garis, one of his greatest friends. But now...now he was dead. Jarrol had already gone, but Garis just stared at the floor, more looking through it, perhaps. Marrok...dead. Garis closed his eyes.
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on Mar 24, 2009 13:30:50 GMT -5
Minna didn't have to read teh letter to know what had happened. She stood behind Garis and let her hand rest on his shoulder. She choked back tears. "He was strong, it was his time." She fell beside him and ignored teh awful pain in her back. She wrapped ehr arms around Garis and cried.
She remembered back to when she first began to train, when Garis had made her run that path. The sound of Marrok's singing was strong and kept her going. While she learned how to fight, his songs made it easy for her to push through the buring ache of her muscles. His songs helped her find peace. His words were always so wise, so strong and caring. And now, this bard, was gone. She stopped her crying and began to hum a choppy version of one of his songs.
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Mar 24, 2009 14:18:36 GMT -5
Garis was numb, even to Minna's touch. He heard her humming, but he only cried more, playing all of Marrok's songs in his head. He looked up, his face blank. He walked out into the hallway, then out of the castle. "Sir! Sir!" A messenger ran up to him as he crossed the courtyard. "What?" Garis said, a little harsher than he intended. "Jarrol found him." Garis' face turned to steel. "Already?" he asked, blankly.The messenger nodded.
Jarrol stood over Marrok's body. He crouched down, putting a hand on the man's face. It was still warm, he died not an hour ago. His face looked peaceful, but horribly pained. Jarrol closed his eyes.
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on Mar 24, 2009 14:28:37 GMT -5
Minna stayed on the floor, her body was numb. She finally stood and walked over to the bed. She saw his ring and picked it up; it was a heavy metal with an elaborate design on it. She slipped it onto her finger; a perfect fit. She turned and followed Garis; each step was painful for her back. It felt like the stab was happening again. Was this pain going to follow her through the rest of her life? She hoped not, it made thinking very difficult. She saw Garis talking to one of the messengers. She didn't want to talk...Kyard! He had not known. She sprinted to the barns and soon found Kyard cleaning out a stall. "Kyard, it's Marrok..." Minna proceeded to tell him of the details that followed, she showed him the ring, and she told him everything.
In less than a second he was in front of Minna with his arms wrapped around her. She sobbed into his chest. She was still a child, in a woman’s body, with the role of Queen. Her heart was that of a Childs, it felt like a father had died, and here was the man of her dreams holding her. Through her sobs, Kyard told her of the last conversation that Marrok had had. Most of it, anyways. He left out the plan that he had told.
"Oh Kyard, he's gone..." "Hush my dear; do not think of it that way. He left a part of him in your heart and memory."
She sobbed even more.
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Mar 24, 2009 14:58:25 GMT -5
Garis rode up beside Jarrol, the messenger had brought his horse. He dismounted, then saw Marrok's body. He had seen enough death as to be unaffected, but this was Marrok. The rocks had destroyed his body, and blood was drying on the rocks, the ground, Marrok's body. At a glance Garis knew that his heart had taken him over the cliff, the way his face was pained. Garis could only stare at him. The right side of his face was crushed and bloody, the jaw was hanging to his throat, his eye was gone. But the left side was smooth, the hair still brushed back, peaceful, pained, dead. Garis kneeled down, running a hand through Marrok's hair, his hand coming up bloody.
A casket was sent to the site. Garis had a messenger call for it. Marrok deserved a proper funeral. A proper ending.
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Post by Shu'al Raethir on Mar 24, 2009 15:09:00 GMT -5
Not far away, Marrok sat upon Horse's back, confused. "I-I don't understand. Where am I? How can this be?" The ghost asked aloud. "You're dead and your spirit refuses to rest. In desperation, as you were pulled back to the mortal world, you pulled me along with you." Horse replied, walking slowly to where Marrok's body was being put ever so gently into a casket. "The world is ours to travel until you come to terms with our death. Of course, no one can see you and you can't interact with anyone..." Marrok sat back on Horse, running a hand along his body. "I'm carrying everything I had before I fell. And I thought people could see ghosts?" Horse snorted, halting beside Garis. "Yea. What you need or think you need you have with you. Foolish humans. And yes, on some vague level, when your ghostly power is strong, you can sort of interact with mortals." "How can I talk to you? You're a horse." Marrok asked, his voice confused. "Because you're dead. We're dead. Mortal bounds don't hold us anymore." Marrok gazed upon Garis's face, sadness nearly overwhelming him. "I'm sorry I had to leave you, my friend. But I promise to do what I can to help you from here." He reached out to place his hand on Garis's shoulder, but he couldn't. His hand just drifted through Garis's shoulder. Horse snorted with disdain. "Foolish ghost. You can't touch mortals. He might feel a cold breeze, that's about it."
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Mar 24, 2009 15:37:09 GMT -5
Garis watched as Marrok's body was placed into the wooden box. Behind him, the wind blew, and Garis looked back, seeing only the forms of the trees and the leaves. The leaves swirled about in unrest, like they were in as much turmoil as Garis himself. But in their midst, there seemed to be a faint form, one that the leaves didn't touch, but went around, like there was an invisible person. Marrok said that he would be watching over them, and Garis, as much as his heart and mind could, believed that it was Marrok, there to watch over him. A felt the wind bite his shoulder, and knew, in that moment, that Marrok must have been there. "Oh, my friend." Garis said to where the leaves were not. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have been there more, I-" Garis stopped. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, my old friend."
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on Mar 27, 2009 16:06:54 GMT -5
((Is this his funrel? I'm lost... ))
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Mar 28, 2009 2:20:42 GMT -5
((No, Jarrol found Marrok's body, so they're putting his body in a casket to take back to the castle, where we will have his funeral later))
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on Mar 28, 2009 11:29:13 GMT -5
Minna stayed in Kyard's arms for a while, just sobbing. She could not stop. His strong, tanned arms held tight to her, his rough hands were placed on her back and his lips pressed to her forehead. "Shhhh," was all he kept saying.
"Come my dear, lets go someplace more private to mourn."
She simply nodded and followed his lead out to the Apple Tree. He cleared a spot on the ground of the fallen apples and had her sit. He followed next to her and they talked about Marrok, and his passing. They laughed as they talked about the good times, and cried when they talked about the bad.
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on May 15, 2009 14:34:06 GMT -5
Garis sighed, turning from the cold memory. He looked a Marrok's body, magled and torn, as the men placed him into a large wooden box. He would be moved to a more formal vessel in the castle. Garis sighed again, then walked to his stallion, running a hand along the horse's flank, then mounted him. With a nudge, the warhorse galloped through the woods, back to the castle.
"Dammit!" Jordin yelled. He slammed a fist against his desk, causing the items strewn across it to jump. Garis stood before him, stoic, almost. He was now emotionless, his mentality now back on his duties as a warrior. "Alright. Find Minna, get her here. Tell her we're meeting with the king." "About what?" "He has one last shot at either relinquishing the throne or at the very least, recognizing our sovereignty." "Or?" Garis asked, knowing the answer. "War."
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on May 16, 2009 8:15:59 GMT -5
Minna continued to sit beside the apple tree safe in Kyards arms. Time had passed too quick it seemed. They sky was changing, the air was cooler, she felt empty beyond anyone’s comprehension. Her mind seemed almost dead; no thoughts could pass at this time, not memory could be shown, it was simply exhausted. Her body ached for no reason and it hurt to move. In only a few moments she was fast asleep in Kyards strong embrace.
Kyard held her, making sure that no harm would come to her, no bad thoughts or nightmares would rid her of the peaceful sleep she was in. If only she would know this, if only she would figure out how deeply he did love her, how much he needed her, and how much it seemed she needed him. Once she was in a deep enough sleep, he picked her up and gently carried her back to the castle. He snuck in through the servant’s quarters and up to her room. He laid her onto the bed and stared at her as her face turned into a small smile. He could not leave her, not tonight, not ever. It was too hard to say goodbye, even for a few passing moments. He laid beside her, and watched out the window for the sky to change again.
Minna turned over and opened her eyes, watching him. How was it, it seemed, that in the deepest part of the blackest cave of misery, she still managed to find light, to find hope...To find her king? "Thank you, Kyard."
He nearly jumped as she spoke. He turned to look down at her. It was hard not to smile at her beauty. "It's my pleasure, your majesty."
She pulled herself closer to him and rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, soon finding sleep again. He slipped an arm around her and held her tight to him, vowing to never let her go. Ever.
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Itsaki
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Post by Itsaki on Jun 3, 2009 3:32:55 GMT -5
Garis allowed the men to continue placing the casket with Marrok's body in it onto a large cart. Garis turned from where he had felt the cold whispers of death, mounting his horse. With only a nudge, the horse ran, galloping, back to the castle.
"Dammit!" Jordan swore loudly, pounding his fist against the table. Garis stood silently before him. "Alright. all this waiting nonsense has gone on too long. Garis, take Jarrol and get to the capitol. Tell them they have one week to relinquish the crown to Minna before we assault their gates." Garis nodded, and walked away.
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Post by Autumn's Nightmare on Jun 8, 2009 20:15:29 GMT -5
Kyard vaguely heard what was going on a few doors down. He looked down at Minna and sighed; he knew he had to let her go. Ever so gently he slowly moved away from her. He walked out of her bed room and knocked on the door that he heard the conversation coming from.
"Alright. All this waiting nonsense has gone on too long. Garis take Jarrol and get to the capitol. Tell them they have one week to relinquish the crown to Minna before we assault their gates."
Kyard took a step aside as Garis walked out. “Garis, sir, may I go with you? Minna is asleep. I can carry anything that you need; I can tend to the horses and guard the supplies while you are talking to the men of that capitol.” His strides were powerful, determined, as he walked beside Garis.
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