|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 8:54 pm
 |
|
|
 |
It's been nearly a century since the Kingdom of Arboron was last hit by a dragon. The monstrous beast attacked, demolishing the palace and flying away with the eldest daughter of the king. Many brave knights and princes went after it in hopes of rescuing her and claiming the gratitude of a powerful king. However, few of them returned, and the ones who did were at deaths door. The princess was never found, and it was accepted that she had been eaten by the dragon that took her.
Now, one hundred years later, the abduction of the princess is now a tale of warning to naughty princesses who disobey their parents. Not a single dragon since then had been sighted and most believe that they no longer exist, or never did.
It is the dawning of the current king's daughter's seventeenth birthday, and as she is now of age, a great celebration and banquette is being held in he honor. All nobles, princes and aspiring knights are attending to compete for her hand in marriage and with it, a dowry suited for the new future king. The king spared no expense for the celebration. This day was going to be perfect for his darling daughter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:56 pm
|
|
|
|
Name: Princess Annalise Corinthos
Age: 17
Talents Skills: Sewing, making a good cuppa tea, hair and makeup, archery
Gift: Empathy link (sensing other people’s emotions and surface level thoughts)
Siblings?: a little brother called Jamie who is seven years old
Features: Fair skinned, long red hair, brown eyes (they turn green-gold when her gift is being used), freckles, 5’4”
Quirks/Habits: She tends to sing to herself when focusing or whenever really.
Hobbies: Archery, poetry, playing games with her baby brother
Flaws: She tends to over worry and stress out too easily over little things. She can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her own passions. She also has a bit of social anxiety, which makes being a princess even more difficult than it already is.
Strengths: She is ridiculously kind, but this can lead to another one of her flaws-- trusting people too easily. She tries to see the best in people, and it helps to be able to feel how they feel once in a while. Also, she’s very good at telling when someone is lying, so that’s helpful in that respect.
Fears: Fire
Dislikes: Snobbish people, heartbreak, large social events, being forced to do things
Likes: Books, kind people, nature, love/romance, playing with her brother
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:50 pm
|
|
|
|
 Caelum Venator
It was a bright and hopeful morning, the radiant sun warmed the skin while the crisp morning air, damp with dew, still sent a chill through you. Birds were well into their songs and sweet scents wafted through the air as flowers opened their petals to the growing sunlight. It was a nice day for a birthday, and not just any birthday, a coming of age celebration at that! One hundred years ago this day the ivory dragon hatched out of it's egg, the last of his siblings to crack open the shell and greet life with his own blue eyes.
Today he was to prove that he was worthy of calling himself an adult, and to do so, he had to undergo a great challenge and come back with proof of his endeavor. He had until the full moon rose over the highest peek of the Mons Ariolos to go and achieve this goal. There were three days till the full moon. Caelum crawled out of his cave and perched on the cliff's edge, feet from the mouth of his abode. There he sat and spread his large, leathery wings, catching the sunlight on them and soaking in the warmth. His cold blood rose in temperature, and he felt energy growing within. When he had reached the prime body temperature, he pushed himself off of the cliff and sped off and up into the sky.
Around him, other dragons took off from their perches to take their own challenges. He shared the same day of birth with three others in his clan, three others to compete with. The better the prize, the better standing in the clan he would achieve.
He pushed his wings and soared upwards, gaining altitude to get a better view of the land. He saw the red dragon, Ignis Veru, flying off towards the western coast. The blue female, Flovios went to the north, where the snows came all year round. The black dragon Malae Tenebrae seemed to be circling, deciding where to go in search of his treasure. Caelum decided not to wait and find out where he would go, and chose to follow Ignis for a while.
Ignis was heading for the ocean, that much was clear, but he couldn't copy the fire drake, so what would he do instead? Veering to the south a ways to see what he could find. Caelum had flown over these lands so many times over his century of life, but today he was determined to go further than he ever had before. Kicking into high gear, the north wind pushing from behind, Caelum jetted across the cloudless skies.
Nearly an hour of flying, Caelum spotted something on the horizon. Spires or some thing like it. What ever it was, it was new, and it was different and different could be just what he needed. As he came closer, he spotted pieces of what seemed to be fabric flapping in the wind atop the spires. Flags? They weren't spires, they were towers! He had read about these. Castles where humans dwell. Humans. He had never encountered them before, but from what he had read in the past, they could put up an impressive fight. If he managed to bring one back, that would surely be enough to gain a good standing in the clan. He set his sights and dove.
The first thing Caelum noticed was how small and strange looking humans were. They would best be compared to primates, he though, but not as hairy, or ugly looking. Well some of them were, but on a whole, they did not look to disgusting. Maybe even tasty. The next thing he noticed was when they spotted him, they made very loud and shrill cries and gestured at him. He decided it would be best to be as intimidating and aggressive as possible. Then maybe they would not put up as much as a fight. He roared, flames licking up around his lips. There sure were a lot of humans gathered around the castle. A quick analysis told Caelum that there was a specific human that was the center of attention, and he concluded that this was the human he should take back with him. He turned his sights on her, and fought furiously against anything that got in his way.
((I did it! First post!))
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:50 pm
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
The day had been all planned out for her, down to the very perfume she wore on her skin. Everything was a schedule when it came to her family, and everything was structure. She couldn't blame them, of course. They were the royal family, heads of the kingdom known for its elegance and prestige and sheer beauty. That is what she had been raised to believe. That is what she had been told all her life. And now, as she stood in front of the full-sized mirror in her bedroom, she wondered what the purpose of it all was. All this fluff and frill... it was no fun. And it certainly wasn't freedom. All of this prep, pomp and circumstance seemed rather trite. There was nothing special or important about this day, no more than any other... But Princess Annalise was turning seventeen on this day, and that made it an extraordinarily important day indeed.
A knock on the door snapped her out of her pensive trance. Annalise had been staring at her reflection with disbelief and dislike toward every bit of it. Her hair was pulled up in at least a dozen intricate braids and buns, and the dress she wore came in pieces, making it even more difficult to function than with nothing but a corset on. She knew her parents meant well, and she knew it was her duty to celebrate her coming of age in this way, but did she really have to wear such ridiculous clothing? Even on her fanciest days, she made her best effort to remain as comfortable as possible. Now that she was older, the servants brought her the strangest looking ensembles... But she couldn't argue. She had to wear the traditional garb and get through the day with as little fainting spells as possible.
The knock on the door came again, and a maid said, "Princess, are you ready?"
Annalise had been humming without realizing it, and once she did realize, she stopped to reply with a smug smile, "Is that a trick question?"
The maid took this snide remark to mean "yes, I'm ready" and opened the door. When her eyes fell on Annalise, she practically burst into tears of joy. This was followed by half a hundred gushing compliments from all the servants they passed as the princess was escorted down the halls and out to where the banquette took place. The smell of freshly made food found its way to her nose, and she was momentarily relaxed.
It was when she arrived to the large, over-decorated courtyard that she began to feel the nervous butterflies in her stomach. She'd barely seen her family all day, let alone the hundreds of people that were now clapping and "oohing" and "ahhing" at her appearance. It was all so flushingly formal she felt like she could vomit, but she maintained the sweet smile she was ever so good at, and waved at each and every lord and lady she saw.
Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, she let her father sweep her away from the crowd and to the stairs, where the ceremony would begin. Her heart hummed like a humming bird, and she nervously glanced around her to make sure there were people she knew there. She saw her mother, a dazzling older woman with strawberry blonde hair and the kindest smile in all the kingdom. Beside her was Prince Jamie, the tiniest but most precious of the Corinthos family, with his cherub face, shimmering sapphire eyes and curly shadow-colored hair. Her father had dark hair as well, but it was turning a peppery gray color, making him look both older and a little wiser.
Just when Annalise thought that she could handle all the attention, a terrible noise from above made them all fall to their knees. An incredible roar ripped through the sky, and something swooped toward the castle with eagerness. At first, most people thought it was a cloud, as it blended in with the thinly overcast sky easily. Then, the sun peeked out behind one of the clouds, revealing the horror of what flew toward them. Many people screamed, some ran, but most screamed and ran, a ridiculous looking procession of richly dressed nobles and wide-eyed royals. Annalise was among those who screamed, but she was suddenly rooted to the spot. Nothing would allow her to move, least of all the ridiculous dress she wore.
"ANNA!" someone yelled... maybe it was Jamie... Annalise did not know; her hearing became muffled and black spots obscured her vision. Damn this stupid corset, she thought as she fell to the ground, her head spinning. Immediately, the king scooped his daughter into his arms and attempted to run from the beast that now approached them with increasing persistence. It was mass chaos, the kind of chaos the kingdom had not seen in a hundred long years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:30 pm
|
|
|
|
 Caelum Venator
With an earth quaking smash, the white predator landed, shattering the fine marble landing overlooking the sea of panic in the courtyard. Some of the humans seemed to remember that they were supposed to protect the royal family and began shooting him with arrows. They glinted off of his scales without so much as a scratch, but Caelum had a feeling the thin and sensitive membrane of his wings would not last long against such sharp opponents. He tucked his wings close to his body and took a deep breath, and exhaling a powerful gust of wind, knocking the archers off their feet and sprawling across the courtyard.
The main threat out of the way for now, Caelum located his target and saw that she was being carried off by a larger, seemingly male, important looking human. He roared and lurched forward, his tongue lashing out and wrapping around the man's ankle. He jerked his large, lizard head back, pulling the king's leg out from under him. His target tossed from the man's arms. Caelum released the older man from his deadly tongue and leaped over him, spreading his wings and pushing himself into the air while simultaneously snatching the female up into his foreclaws and making off with, dodging arrows as he went.
Soon he was out of range of the arrows and, high above the clouds, he flattened his wings to let them catch the wind and hold him in the air while he looked over his prize. Peering down at her with the bowl sized sapphire eyes, he realized she was barely conscious... or not conscious at all. With a disappointed snort, he resolved to take a better look at her when he reached his cave. With a push of his wings, he set off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 9:07 am
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
The soldiers tried their hardest to defeat the beast and protect the princess, but they were no match for a dragon. Their weapons were pretty much useless, and even the king could not get away from the dragon's wrath. He yelled in raging defeat as he watched his helpless daughter being scooped up by the claws of the creature. His whole world was crumbling to pieces. Part of him knew he should be grateful that the dragon had not destroyed everything in the kingdom, but his daughter was his everything, and it made this all the more difficult when he finally reunited with the rest of his family.
Meanwhile, Annalise was completely unconscious. Her vision had gone black moments before the dragon plucked her from midair, which made the transaction somewhat easier for all those involved. Her face was peaceful as she slept in a prolonged, frozen sort of state. She could feel herself lift up into the sky, but to her it was a dream. She was still back in her comfy bed, being surrounded by downy sheets and feathered pillows. Or she was even younger, and her mother was rocking her in the rocking chair, singing her songs... Or, perhaps, she was finally free, feeling lighter and lighter until she could basically fly herself.
The daze lasted for as long as she was suspended in the sky, and for the time being, she had no idea that she was currently being hauled off into the sky, away from everything she loved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:38 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 4:00 pm
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
Annalise slept the whole time she was in the air, which was probably a good thing, because if she had woken up in midair, she would have just fainted again out of shock. At least when she did awake it would be on solid ground. Metaphorically, however, the ground beneath her did not feel solid at all. The situation she was in was an odd one, and it was still quite the shock when she did wake up.
At first, the poor girl thought she was waking up blind, because her vision was still fuzzy and dark from the blackout she'd experienced. Once her vision did return, her eyes widened at the sight before her. It was a large sapphire eye so big that she could see her own reflection inside it. She didn't have much energy to move or panic, but she inched away from the face of the dragon like a frightened child. She moved slowly, not wanting to cause an uproar of whatever sort of chaos he could cause, and also not wanting to get burned to a crisp.
She opened her mouth to speak, but words wouldn't work. All she could say was: "Oh, wow..." She had heard of dragons in fairy tales and bedtime stories, and now there was one, huge and breathing in front of her. It wouldn't have surprised her if this was actually a dream.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:08 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:19 am
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
The dragon appeared terrifying at first, and Annalise could suddenly see all of her family's and royal subjects' faces as they watched in horror as she was taken away. The memories flooded back to her and she looked down at the ground to prevent the world from spinning around her. What a terrible thing to have happen on a day such as this... And yet, how lucky she was to be able to escape in such a grand manner. Then, she shook her head, trying to bring herself back to a version of reality that made sense. She looked up at the dragon as its mouth opened.
Her back tensed when she saw the razor sharp teeth, the long curious tongue. But he didn't look like he would eat her, just sniffing and tasting the air like a giant lizard. When the thing blew air out of its nostrils, she jumped, then giggled in surprised amusement. "You're a curious thing, aren't you?" she spoke to it. She didn't know if it would be able to understand her, but she figured it wouldn't hurt anything to try. "Not to be rude, Mr. D-dragon, but is there a uh.. particular reason you decided to swipe me away right before my coronation ceremony?" she asked in the most patient tone possible. It was difficult, considering she was hiding many emotions all at once, most of all fear.
At the same time, she was trying to make herself relax. Maybe she could bargain with the creature. She'd heard of stories of dragons and how they loved treasure more than anything; she wondered if she could trade herself for some of the riches in their kingdom. It would be a hefty price to pay, but for her life, she was willing to exchange anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:46 am
|
|
|
|
 Caelum Venator
She spoke! And it startled Caelum, who snapped his mouth shut and lifted his head, looking down at her curiously. She went on, and he slowly lowered his head once more to be at eye level with her. She was polite, for one thing, and one thing dragon's valued over treasure was conduct. He inspected her a little more before settling in front of her, tucking his wings against his back.
"I took you for my own ceremony." He answered simply, his deep voice a soft rumble, like boulders falling deep inside of a cave. She was interesting, considering he had never seen a human before. He waited for another question, as he felt like she would have more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:25 am
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
Annalise's eyes widened when she heard the dragon's voice. So he does speak, she thought to herself, musing over this fact for a while. What an interesting sound. He didn't appear nearly as threatening as he had been when he first stole her away from her family, so she managed to relax just a smidge. His voice was somehow reassuring as well. Although it was very different from a human's, it still sounded reasonably human-like, which made her feel better. Perhaps dragons weren't complete beasts... then again, this could just be her wishful thinking again.
The princess took a deep breath and crossed her legs where she sat, then smoothed out her skirt around her. Some of it was ripped, which she was grateful for. Made it easier to breathe that way. "I wasn't aware that dragons had ceremonies of their own," she replied lightheartedly. "Actually, I wasn't aware that dragons existed at all until today." She laughed nervously then swallowed a small lump in her throat. "What, may I ask, does this ceremony of yours consist of?" She looked at the dragon carefully, folding her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:40 am
|
|
|
|
Caelum Venator
The girl seemed to relax a bit, and so did Caelum. Now that he was sure she was not broken and that she would not fight him, he allowed himself to relax. He let out a small chuckle, "Nor was I aware that humans still existed." He revealed. "The ceremony is a celebration of our day of hatching." He explained, "Myself, and three others of the same brood, hatched this day one hundred years ago. As we are now adults, we are to go out and find or do something that proves we are capable and useful to the clan. Bringing you back proves I can withstand a human threat, and bringing back a human, after believing them to be extint will surely impress the council."
He shifted the topic, feeling like he was doing too much of the talking, "What is a coronation, and why were you having one?" he asked her, his tail flicking back and forth in interest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:23 am
|
|
|
|
Princess Annalise Corinthos
All at once, Annalise became rather fascinated with these creatures and their customs. She had no idea something as beastly as a dragon could have such intricate traditions. She couldn't help but feel a little awkward, though, about being taken away like she was some sort of prize to be won. It felt like her own ceremony, but worse, because she'd just been pulled away from at least half of what she knew back home. This was completely unfamiliar territory. It was exciting, but terrifying. She hoped at least the other dragons would be as kind and polite as this one.
She wiped her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress and replied carefully. "Well, much like your ceremony, it was to celebrate my coming of age. I'm seventeen now so I have a lot of new responsibilities as princess of my kingdom. And, well..." She trailed off for a moment, blushing at the thought. "Well, it was sort of supposed to be when I found my future husband." She shrugged shyly, thinking the whole thing to be rather silly anyway. It had partially been why she was so nervous in the first place, and now she might never have to worry about such triviality again... The thought made her heart squeeze tight in her chest, so she moved on. "It's a whole lot of formality, really. I daresay you saved me from a rather humiliating fate in the long run." Here she was, sitting in front of a colossal dragon, miles away from him, still trying to think on the bright side as usual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
