|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 6:09 pm
 |
|
|
|
"Deal," Nor said, giving Darlin a hearty handshake and more than willing to accept the extra terms when it looked like he had this one in the bag. And hell, Darlin was ordering something stronger?! It was like the elf wanted him to win! Completely oblivious, Nor shook his head with a chuckle and knocked his glass against Darlin's in a 'good luck' before chugging his first drought down. It slid down nice and cool, though really the beer wasn't much better than near-room-temperature; though Nor knew fancier places in larger cities had particularly deep basements to keep such drinks cooler than that. Nor actually said so to Darlin as they somehow went through their fist six before the man decided to have a swing of the red wine-ish stuff Darlin was drinking, only for the elf to say the crimson liquid was supposedly several times stronger than just plain beer.
"No way," Nor was saying, looking surprised and impressed before raising an eyebrow at Darlin's many warnings and nodding complacently before taking a sip of the red stuff. It tasted almost like wine but ... thicker. The taste sticking to his tongue and tasting of wine and ... honey? "Huh. That doesn't make this much of a fair contest, now does it? You having stronger drinks and all," Nor pouted playfully, though even after six drinks the man could at least still put two-and-two together. "Why didn't you tell me you elves were super-drinkers, eh?" he asked playfully of the elf before grabbing his own drink and gulping it down, feeling pleasantly buzzed himself.
After ten drinks and well on their way to a dozen, Nor was busy asking questions about how on earth elves managed to make alcoholic drinks better than dwarves could; at least when it came to alcohol content and not tasty honey mead. Because damn could dwarven mead taste good; smooth and delicious. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:35 pm
|
|
|
 |
Darlin laughed, pleasantly buzzed and answering quite a few questions that the human had, he of course was a bit surprised by the fact that the other was so intent on finding out about the reason for the drink being stronger. "Where do you think the dwarves learned it from? We spent a great deal of time teaching them how to make it properly but of course we still do it better. Takes a lot more for us to get drunk so we would rather not teach every race under the sun how to kill themselves with alcohol!" Darlin chuckled again then leaned on the bar and downed the rest of his drink. He had stopped tasting it a while ago, his pallet desensitized.
"Though I have to admit the dwarves make a great mead and ale when they do try their hands at it. Which is quite often I have heard." Darlin was glad to be on a good subject, to be distracted, he had spent far to much time in the past few hours trying not to fall apart even further. He was really hoping that he could just forget what had happened with all of this and perhaps sleep well… or not sleep at all if he could convince Nor.
**
((And I think I will push this timeline up to match our other one :3))
After Aerion had passed out it took him a while to wake up again. Once he did he was silent for a long while, not know what to say or wanting to continue the conversation that they had been having, then again that's how it seemed to go for the next week or so. He wouldn't say much, he wouldn’t have many conversations, but when he did he seemed mostly distracted. It took a while before he was finally back to mostly normal and the archery training was back up and running. He knew that he had to continue teach Balrak and while he was tired he still was excited to see that the other was much better with the tail.
"I told you the tail would work" He had said cheekily after the first time but then fell silent as he started teaching Balrak again. He kept up telling the other that he was doing fantastic but by the time they had finished he looked tired, but he wouldn’t admit to the dragon that he wasn't sleeping. The other thought that he was but Aerion hadn't slept since he had passed out because he was to terrified that he would have another nightmare. He didn't know how much longer he could last like that though. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:50 pm
|
|
|
|
Nor barked out a laugh, raising an eyebrow but listening eagerly as Darlin explained the finer points of who taught who how to make the best alcoholic drinks. Of course the drinking and chatting continued, but after this point Nor's memory of the exact details would be far from perfect ... and completely sloppy in some areas. The pints and cups were drained down to nothing again and again, the prince's buzz growing until it was pretty safe to say the huge man was intoxicated. Who exactly won the contest would be a matter to debate later, though the blond prince was amused to find himself being led out of the bar, and back towards the inn they were staying at. Whether Darlin was supporting him or he was supporting the elf, the prince could not really tell. Nor chuckled heartily and squeezed the dark haired elf close, liking the feeling of the other's body close to his.
Stairs; somehow they had arrived at the stairs and were going up to their room. Nor's forehead wrinkled as he found himself focusing quite hard just to get his feet properly up one stair at a time, the planks seeming to swim and sway before his eyes. Narrowing his brown eyes the prince drunkenly made his way up with some difficulty, but eventually succeeded. Or at least he thought he did, because he made it to their shared room somehow. And once there, Nor found lips on his lips, and the elf pressed rather suggestively against himself; and the prince wasn't about to stop the elf.
No, Nor pressed back against the beautiful captain of this small party and also sole survivor of his 'type' of elf; hair color at least. Nor was too drunk to think in the finer specifics, and too gone to care about anything but the growing and needy 'right now' in his pants. The blond kissed sloppily and embraced the elf a bit roughly, but felt an odd, burning kind of urgency that was foreign to him. Even below the alcoholic lack of inhibition the man felt a ... need to be with Darlin, something that felt like usual lust but not quite. There was something different about this elf, and not just his species.
"Oh Darlin'," Nor growled huskily with the more human pronunciation of the elf's name, pushing the elf down to the bed with their clothes falling to the wayside. Things were rapidly devolving into the primal tangle of limbs and bodies that would lead to something that required no words. "Shut up 'n jus' keep kissin' me," he slurred, exactly what the other had been saying filed under 'unimportant and not even processed by the prince's slow-turning mental gears. The elf's body was completely foreign to the young man, making this whole blurry ordeal have a flavor of something exotic, unique. Different. But Nor was determined in his clumsy way to pleasure the hell out of the other male, until both of them were burnt out from it all.
Though ... when the morrow came, it was a sure bed Nor would be hungover to hell, snoring like a hibernating bear, and about as easy to wake as a log.
*
Balrak was heavily displeased with Aerion's 'withdrawal' of sorts, but amazingly enough didn't threaten the elf too much. The dragon mostly badgered the elf, and kept an eye on the other as often as he could between finding other ways to keep himself occupied since the golden-haired prince had elected to become so boring. The dragon did not breath a single word of getting rid or Aerion; not a single grumbled threat, apparently worried repeating the words that had set the elf off in his earlier collapse would create a repeat of that episode.
When the elf finally took up the bow once again and resumed the archery teaching where they'd left off, the dragon huffed at the tail comment, but kept his mouth shut, biting back snappy words. He puffed up at all the praise, head held high and tail arched as he fired shot after shot. The dragon had actually been practicing during Aerion's long quiet period; but just as the elf had kept his not-really-naps a secret, the dragon had been very, very careful not to let the elf see his fumbling attempts on his own. The proud creature would not stoop so low as to admit even he needed to work hard to achieve results.
But the quiet between them could not last forever.
"Are you ill," Balrak said as simply as one commenting on the weather would, the words barely even a question at all as he took his last shot at the target, hitting it solidly. The dragon turned his human head, looking down at the elf with a raised eyebrow. Balrak was getting better at 'human' expressions. He could keep his face as still as a reptile, but that wasn't the dragon's style; he liked dramatic flair, and bigger expressions made for more flair. He lowered the bow, poking the prince's leg with his tail tip. "Something ails you. Though you always seem ailing with one thing or another, elf."
Balrak sighed, walking over to an old stone table of sorts and sitting on it. Well, perking on it while staring Aerion's way with his dragon-yellow eyes, feet swinging in an oddly childlike manner for such a pompous creature. Instead of questioning Aerion heavily on how he was doing, however ... the dragon opened a different, likely unexpected, line of questioning. "What is your favorite food? Hm, no. What are your favorite foods?" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:44 pm
|
|
|
|
Their drinks started going and going as they spoke about things that started to make less sense as the seconds ticked on. Soon Darlin was finding himself stumbling, laughing, tripping over himself in the eagerness to speak and be heard but also listen at the same time. They made quite the pair and soon they were talking about experiences they had with sex then finding themselves both leaving. Darlin held Noran up the best he could but he was almost as drunk as the other male and he was starting to think it may have been a tie till they reached the stairs and he was hauling Noran up them because he could at least manage those while the other male was too far gone for even that.
When they reached the bedroom Darlin gave up any formality that they could have had, stopped all conversation, and instead he pressed himself against Noran and kissed him needily. He wanted to feel the other against him, he needed to kiss him, it wasn't something that he was used to. He wanted to be with the other, to be taken by him without another word, and of course it seemed he was going to get that wish because in the next moment Nor and him were falling onto the bed and things became much less the push and pull for kisses and much more the push and pull of clothes.
Something ripped, Darlin's hair ended up undone and spread out on the bed, the head board clanged against the wall for most of the night. There was no holding back on either end, no muffled tenderness, there was just the need to give and receive until they were both completely spent. As it turned out such things were easier than one thought after a previous night of good sex but still not entirely easy when apparently dealing with both Noran and Darlin together.
The morning found Darlin draped with his head on Norans chest, one leg over the other mans, and completely pressed into his side completely dead to the world. They were supposed to be awake but as it seemed they both planned on sleeping much later than expected. There was an unheard knock on the door and then suddenly the door to their room burst open with three concerned looking elves as Darlin jerked up and awake. He pulled the covers up with him, eyes darting around, then he spotted his team and let out a relived sigh.
"Dear gods you guys… I thought we were going to be under attack." The other three just stood there for a moment before they burst out laughing. Darlin huffed and looked over to Noran "expect more of this… I don't plan on letting this one go so soon." Darlin grinned.
**
Aerion looked up at Balrak, a bit surprised by the fact that the other was actually asking him about how he was feeling but then again it was short lived. The next question was as much of a surprise though and Aerion couldn’t help but just reply "Lemon custard cake." He stared at the dragon for a moment then picked up the bow and started cleaning it. He knew it would sound a little weird to the dragon because surely the creature had never had it. "To be honest I like any and all pastries that have fruit in them." Aerion was sure that the other was just giving him some pleasantries because he has been unwell. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:54 pm
|
|
|
|
Prince Noran groaned in a rather unprincly manner, groping at the covers that had been pulled a little off oh him at Darlin's sudden need to be a bit more, well, covered. Half-consciousness brought with it a splitting headache that was not helped by the laughter in the air, so Nor just grunted and turned sluggishly over, grabbing and pulling the blanket as he went. Noran pulled said covers over his head and resumed his deep-chested snoring, apparently more than willing to just sleep off his hangover ... and to hog the sheet himself, leaving Darlin with next to nothing to cover himself once the sheet had been pulled away.
Clearly, the man was not going to be going anywhere anytime soon if he had any say about it, though mid-snore Nor suddenly came back awake a bit and groaned once again. "I lost didn' I? Damn," Nor said with muffled defeat into the pillow. But hell, if this was loosing, he didn't mind too much; the hangover was bad, but he remembered enough of last night to know it had been quite an enjoyable one otherwise.
((Blah, little short. But wanted to leave it up to you if Nor gets dragged out of bed or not >D And/or have Darlin's new man-slave get to work on the bet winnings xD ))
*
The dragon-turned-human wrinkled his nose at the elf's reply, not surprised to hear the other liked fruity things ... but pastry? Pastry. Like ... bread? Balrak had very little experience with human food, and even less with pastries. But the dragon gave a small nod to himself before shifting his position until he was laying flat-out on the old table, belly down and staring curiously at Aerion. His fingers were lightly threaded between one another and currently being used as a cushion for the dragon's chin as he rested his head upon them. The pose might've been odd for most; but it was an often-assumed pose for the dragon who was usually so large laying on his belly was the best way to speak to other species. Not that he did that often for anyone besides the gilded elf prince.
"Lemon, custard, cake. Any and all pastries that have fruit in them. How come I have never-- Ah. You lack the required ingredients to make such things, do you not?" Balrak pondered a moment, tongue sliding out to lick his upper lip; more in a reptilian habit of tasting the air than in a show of hunger. "If you possessed the ingredients, would you be able to create such food for me to sample? Perhaps pastry-fruit items will be more interesting than just plain herbivore roughage," the dragon decided, though he had another agenda. Perhaps food that pleased the elf would make the golden haired male more happy, and in extension more healthy. The fair folk tended to be more healthy when happy; as did humans.
Balrak let his tail hang off of the side of the table, swaying lazily as another thought came to mind. The dragon himself did not wish to leave his lands for such a trivial thing; humans and their ways were beneath notice so long as they did not intrude upon his property. But perhaps a change of pace would also help the elf get over whatever illness he had.
"You know the penalty for fleeing," Balrak said simply from his spot, "but I believe you know the penalty well enough to not do anything foolish, should I be lenient. I will give you leave to travel abroad for ..." The dragon trailed off, closing his eyes. The nearest human town to his forest had been burnt to the ground by him; the next-nearest was quite a distance away. "... two weeks. More than ample time for travel," the black-haired male said simply and opening his eyes once more. "To go fetch items for your pleasure; foods, clothes, and whatever is in lack here."
Balrak was looking pretty pleased with himself; a 'I am so benevolent to my little elf' smile on his face, and looking to expect some sort of thanks in return. Aerion had entertained him with archery and his questions; the dragon felt returning the favor to allow the elf some space and leave to gather what he liked more than enough of a boon to get the golden-haired elf happy and perhaps even healthier upon his return. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 6:18 pm
|
|
|
|
Nor lightly huffed at the nudge and confirmation he had, in fact, lost. But the husky cream-blond sighed contently and just fell back asleep after Darlin's kiss and messing up his already bed-mussed hair. It was nice sleeping in a messy bed dirtied by their activities last night and with their mixed smells all tossed together in an almost-pleasing musk. Nor was a lightly-snoring log as Darlin went around the room, the prince oblivious to the elf's distress and eventually re-waking feeling a little less hung over ... but not by too much.
"Damn it's been a while since I've had it this bad," Nor grated out, slowly sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. He lightly kneaded along his spine and at the base of his skull, wanting the hang over and taste of old alcohol out of his mouth now but knew neither of those things were going to happen anytime soon ... but at least the latter could be fixed by getting out of bed. "Hooo boy ... well, at least I can work my feet now," he chuckled and stood, before blinking and looking impressed. By this time, most of the stuff in the room was now properly packed, more-or-less, and ready to go.
"Darlin'," Nor said in his lazy drawling way of saying the elf's name with a small smile even if his head still felt like a cracked melon, "you don't waste a second, do you? Damn, we have any water to drink around here," he asked while grabbing up his breeches and pulling them on to cover his tender bits. Nor's body was as muscular as it had probably felt the night before, and by the light of day even more detail became apparent. Most of his skin (where armor and clothing usually covered it up) was a pale pasty color, while the rest of him was clearly sun-kissed; darker in tone and rougher to the touch.
Once he'd at least gotten his pants on, Noran walked over to the dark haired elf and put an arm around him, brown eyes turning to the ripped shirt with a small wince. "Sorry about that--I assume that was probably my fault from what I remember—but I'm sure we could get you a new one. I'll pay for it," the prince said before moving to let go and get his own scattered stuff picked up and tossed into his bag ... more than a tad less neatly than Darlin's things.
*
Balrak only smiled a slow knowing smile at Aerion. "And who in this land could possibly help you now, little prince?" he said with far too much glee and pride. As far as Balrak was concerned, he was the most awesome and powerful creature on middle earth. He blinked, freezing before looking down at his knee, then towards the elf, then back to his knee again. Though Aerion touched him often enough during lessons and so forth, the casual pat was still ... alien to a creature normally so solitary and hated as the dragon.
"I never worry," Balrak said in a matter-of-fact tone, standing up himself from his 'perch' and streached his arms out before looking up towards the sky with a familiar gaze instead of one of unknown longing most landbound creatures had. Though the elf prince's last question, head tilting with a look of confusion for once. "... Spicy." The dragon's tone almost made the words a question; he knew well enough it was a kind of taste, but had never tasted anything beyond meat in his life so he had no point of reference he had no idea how to smartly respond. Balrak disliked being out of his depth ... greatly. Because he liked deluding himself into thinking he was the great know-all be-all; suddenly having such a small roadblock in the conversation over such a seemingly simple thing was infuriating ... and embarrassing.
"Yes. I do like spicy things, so do so," Balrak said stiffly and curtly in an attempt to present a 'I know what I'm talking about' air flipping the subject to something else. "Otherwise, do be prompt in returning. I, myself, will try my hand at some exotic foods myself. Hm. Where do thing like Hobbits live?" Balrak asked, wondering if such small-sounding things would taste like anything but an empty mouthful. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:06 pm
|
|
|
|
Aerion stared at the other for a moment when he seemed to not understand what spicy was then he almost smacked himself for assuming. Most of the time Balrak was a giant dragon, not really knowing of what spicy or anything like that was, for all the dragon knew he could despise spicy things. Aerion chuckled at the others quick recovery though, playing it off rather well, before Aerion grabbed something off one of the bushes he was near and held it out to the other. "Here try that. And I don't recommend the hobbits. They live in small holes in the ground, work fields most of the time, they aren't much to talk about and the only thing interesting about them is their mead." Aerion watched the other eat the berry he had given him and waited.
It was something spicy, Aerion actually quite liked snacking on the berries, they were nothing special just small and red with a hint of spice to them. Aerion popped a few in his mouth "I won't be leaving right this moment because I will be needing to take some things with me. I'll leave tomorrow though… please don't let all my plants die while I am gone please? I will need some of the fruits when I come back…" Aerion hummed a little to himself "I think I'll get pomegranate while I am gone." He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to leaving though.
Something about suddenly just being able to leave didn't feel right, it made him nervous, but he guessed if Balrak was doing it willingly then there wouldn’t be a problem?
**
Darlin smiled a little when he heard Nor waking up but his mind was really starting to flit about after what had just happened. He didn't quite understand what was wrong with his head and he was hoping it didn't have to do with what had happened to his people. Darlin chuckled at the others mention of his shirt then rolled his eyes. "I don't need to buy a new one. I have another with my horse and that will do for now. Just don't go ripping anymore of them." Darlin turned around and watched the other just sort of haphazardly throw things in his bag before he walked over and started sorting it with a shake of his head.
"You know it fits better if you do it right…. Then again that's the same for a lot of things." Darlin gave Nor a coy look before continuing to put things away properly while they were picked up. He decided not to bother with the bed seeing as that what the inn keeper did. Though as Darlin flopped onto the bed once he was done, still missing a shirt, he really didn't want to get up. "Did I ever explain to you about how elves die?" Darlin tapped his fingers against his stomach. He wanted to say more, to explain the process, but there was a knock on the door and then Darlin was standing and stepping right up behind Nor.
Normally his people would just barge in if they felt the need to come in so he was curious but as the door opened Darlin heard and almost imperceptible twang of the draw of a bow and pushed Nor out of the way as the door was shoved open and Darlin was face with a crossbow instead of the normal bows he had grown up with. They were vial things in his mind, hard to load but the damage they left lead to most accidents being deaths. Of course this wasn't going to be an accident and Darlin had just enough time to twist his body so the arrow would hit him in the shoulder before he was jolted by the impact.
He didn't go down though, blocked out the pain, just watched the man fumble before he charged the man and slammed him against the wall. "One thing about crossbows… you can get the same draw from a normal bow you just have extra loading time." Darlin yanked the arrow out of his shoulder with a small grunt before pressing the tip against the man's neck. "Who sent you and why was this arrow meant for Nor?" The man was silent until Darlin pressed firmer. "Alright! Alright… Someone doesn’t want anyone knowing about the dragon alright?!" Darlin growled "So you would kill a PRINCE?! In my company?! Whoever this is was not to smart!" The man choked.
"He was supposed to be alone! No one had thought your kind would actually be with him!!" Darlin stared at the man, saw he had more arrows ready, and instead of letting him go he jabbed the arrow through the mans neck. "Name now, while you can." The man sputtered on blood "I-I don't know…" Darlin stared at him for a moment then twisted the arrow and the man went still. He searched him quickly, hand shaking, when he found nothing he stood up straight and set a hand against his shoulder. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:41 pm
|
|
|
|
Balrak reached out and took the little offered berry, looking it over suspiciously a few moments as Aerion gave him the low-down on hobbits. With a wrinkled nose at the thought of eating something not-meat, he nevertheless popped the small red berry in his mouth ... and swallowed it whole. Predators were not particularly known for their knack to chew things up before swallowing; especially small berry-sized things that were easy to swallow. "I do not know what you see in plants; so small, no taste," the dragon complained, before frowning at the elf prince.
"... Care. For your leafy things. Can they not live a few cycles of the sun without withering away?" Balrak asked in sarcastic bemusement at the other's attachment to trees; and the apparent assumption dragons took any sort of pity upon 'double please' requests. But on second thought having the elf go off to get happy an healthy only to get depressed and wilted over wilted and depressed foliage was a stupid waste of time, so the black haired dragon whipped his tail through the air and sighed with an eye-roll. "Fine, fine. I will make sure your greens do not get singed or dead."
How hard could it be, anyway? As far as Balrak knew plants tended to do well enough when left alone. "I just have to make sure no leaf-chews get at your garden, correct?" The dragon turned his golden eyes towards the elf, waiting for confirmation and wrinkling his nose at something: "... Pom-an-granite?"
*
Nor grinned saucily at Darlin playing around with just how 'right' things could 'fit'. "Clothes don't appreciate the care as much as some; besides, I have plenty of extra space in my pack anyway," the prince went on as they both finished packing up their things. Once everything was settled Nor still had a bit of a pounding behind his eyes thanks to their contest last night, but was more than ready to start getting his armor on when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it one of the elves, Nor of course went to go see who it was first, Aerion right behind--
When suddenly Noran got the rather solid reminder that though the raven-haired elf was as pretty and lithe as any woman, the elf still had strength far beyond the norm for a human of the same size. The larger male stumbled to regain his balance and not fall flat on his face and was turning by the time Aerion was already shoving the would-be assassin. Nor grabbed his sword and hurried out to the hall where Darlin had shoved the stranger against the wall opposite to their room door, only to find the elf had everything well in hand. Nor kept his fish clenched on his blade, brow furrowing. It would take an awful lot of killing to keep word of the dragon's awakening secret; the damned monster had eaten a whale in front of a shipful of fishermen and hardly seemed abashed at raising a village. That left several talkative seamen, several very angry survivors, and whoever they all told, along with--
His brothers. His father. Damn it. But no one would be stupid enough to go after an entire royal family, would they? And who had given word of where he'd been out seeking the elves; wouldn't only his father, brothers, and top-level nobles know that much? Something was very, very not right, and it left Nor's hair standing on-end even after than man was dead and Darlin was looking fruitlessly through the assassin's pockets.
"Why would anyone be daft enough to try to keep a beast that big a secret; and risk several wars popping up over a dead prince--Damn it Darlin; sit yourself on the bed," Nor finished sharply, noticing the other's shoulder and the blood oozing out of the new hole in it. With the way the elf had been moving, Nor hadn't even noticed the wound until Darlin had actually put a hand over it. The large man pulled Darlin back into their room, not caring about the body in the hall, and smoothly grabbed the already-ripped shirt and tore it completely in half before ripping strips from the now completely-ruined garment.
Nor wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer; he forced the elf to remain seated while he wet one cloth strip to clean off the wound and double-checking with the elf the arrow had come out intact (and no bit of it left in the shoulder) before binding up the wound. "I'm not used to getting pushed around like that you know; you're supposed to be more polite to royalty, right?" he joked lightly, though he couldn't keep from frowning and quickly moving to get his armor on; hangover completely ignored for now. "What reason would anyone have to keep a dragon secret? Try to get it's treasure for themself, or something?"
*
It was a blizzard. A god-damned blizzard on the god-forsaken mountain with a rough mountain trail barely wide enough to let the mountain goats pass, let alone human beings. And yet, it was the only road known by traders up the mountain to go see the reclusive clan of 'dragon slayers' who supposedly lived up near the peaks with their feral ways of living.
On this a dwarf was slowly making his way along with a massive round barrel strapped to his back, whistling some kind of tune to the howling mountain wind as it tore by. He had a bushy red beard, and was well-covered in clothes as he made his assent, stepping with the familiarity of a dwarf who had made this trip many times before. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 12:09 pm
|
|
|
|
Darlin wasn't to fond of the manhandling but he didn't mind so much as he was sat down and Nor started silently patching up his shoulder. The raven haired male winced and thought silently to himself before Nor was asking him questions and he was honestly wished that he had the answer before he shook his head. "Well if that's the case you should have handled me a little more gently last night and not shoved quite so much." Darlin nudged at the others leg with the inuendo. Of course he was just saying that to get his mind off his shoulder.
"I can't give you a straight answer but there are plenty of reasons to keep quite about the dragon. Right now most people think the dragon is a joke, your family is the only one taking it seriously, so if you were taken out of the mix and silenced then there wouldn't be anyone to contest that it was all just a hoax or some orcs or something." Darlin set a hand over Nors where he was patching up his shoulder. "This means we have something more pressing to do than go save a prince that is either dead or want to be saved." Darlin gave Nors hand a squeeze.
"Elves rarely meddle in the affairs of men but this is something that needs some meddling. I'll tell everyone to change course, we need to get you home, it shouldn't take to horribly long." Darlin stood, pressing a hand to his shoulder, before grabbing his things and his spare shirt. "Drag the body in from the hall, don't mention me getting shot, we need to get going without a fuss and I should be fine."
**
It was cold, always freaking cold, and his a** was really starting to hurt. He had gotten more used to the saddle but dear lords was it hard to stay in it for long periods of time still. It didn't help that the prince was used to short calm rides through his garden or just into the woods, even then never very far. He was raised to be a book keeper not to run around and save the world from dragons by meeting some imaginary band of Dragon hunters that he would have absolutely no knowledge of how to speak with even if they were real.
His long blond hair was limply held at the back of his neck as he trudged behind on his horse with the rest of the men that were with him. He couldn’t help but be grumpy and upset, he wasn't made for this kind of thing, and it seemed that they were running in circles trying to find these people. Zemmin sighed in his saddle for the millionth time. "I wish these people were not so hard to find." He said to himself under the blaring of the wind but of course it didn't go unheard. "Hey if they were easy to find then everyone would know where they were." Zemmin looked up to the man who had come with him, one of his father's personal guards, then again he had left with many personal guards at his side. His father was just as unsure about his safety as he was. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:56 pm
|
|
|
|
Nor was hardly in the mood for the other's innuendo, but rolled his eyes and gave a small amused huff before returning his attention to the task at hand: binding up the shoulder wound. He let out a deep breath at the certain knowledge his family was in danger though; especially considering right now the 'middle' older brother of his who was really not built to protect himself … was off in the (dangerous enough on their own) mountains, looking for dragon slayers. Slayers Nor wasn't sure actually existed after the elves had given him the low-down on just how intelligent a creature a dragon could be. How could men, especially men who'd supposedly been killing dragons until the species had become not-so-completely-extinct, kill the monster Darlin and the rest of the elves were so sure was best left alone to go back to sleep ... eventually. Some lifetime from now.
"I've got to warn you Darlin, most of my folks won't be too happy to see your kind in our city. You all will have to follow my lead once we get there," the prince said truthfully; most humans on his father's lands had never even seen an elf, and likely only knew them by stereotype ... and stereotypes were not particularly kind in human circles. Nor let Darlin get up and quickly grabbed the body from the hall and dragged it inside. Letting the prone form fall, the prince used the remainder of the ripped shirt to smear and mop up the blood on the floor as best he could with just a little time spent on the endeavor. Then got his own armor clamped on as quickly as he could manage. Clothe and leather first, then chainmail, and lastly the solid metal breastplate and other armor pieces.
“Should be fine and will be fine are two very different things,” Nor said with a glance Darlin's way as he grabbed his own back and moved to open the door for the dark haired elf. “You get the others, explain the circumstances, and I'll head to the stables and get the stable hands to help me get the horses ready.”
Nor took the dark haired elf's bag with a small tight smile, before hurrying out and downstairs. At least thanks to their bet he'd have an excuse to do the elf's hard labor for the next month. Nor had seen other guys in the guard get shoulder wounds, and they tended to smart a good long while even after the wound closed.
The cream-blond male forced himself to put on an air of near-cheerfulness and normalcy as he dunked his head into the nearest cool horse trough and gave his head a good shake before quickly getting the available stablehands to help get the elven horses saddled up while he took on his own warhorse steed himself. The stallion seemed perky and eager to have a good run, hooves clopping up and down and nudging Nor's chest demandingly after giving a greeting huff.
“Good lad, good lad; now hold still. I need to get Darlin's horse loaded down too, you know,” Nor said lovingly to the beast, though his eyes traveled the stables carefully. One failed attempt on his life likely meant there would be more, and he wasn't about to be caught with his guard down again anytime soon. He got the two horses saddled and the baggage neatly distributed for each horse.
*
The dwarf, one of the very few who actually knew his way around on this god-forsaken mountain, turned in surprise at the first hints of sound that indicated he was no longer alone on the trail. Far behind, he could see the first distant figures on horseback and sighed. Now, what to do: find a damned cold place to sit and hide while they went past, or have some fun? Beneath his massive, woolly beard the dwarf grinned. Fun was often on very short supply nowadays, and he was sure his business partners would enjoy a game, even if it got a little bloody. And as the mounted men came closer the dwarf was sure it could get bloody; most of the small company seemed armed and ready.
But the stout dwarf waited, giving a wave once they came close enough to see him and not mistake him for a oddly-shaped rock. “Well ain't this a pleasure. Ain't often I get ta see folks 'round these parts, let alone this many! So, my good men, what brings yee all here? If yee don't mind me askin', tain't my business.” The dwarf shrugged—though it was hard to tell, considering the burly male hardly had any visible neck—and picked up the massive barrel once more and began walking forward along the cold, miserable path they were all traveling. “Though, since we all seem ta be headin' the same way, would help pass the time.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:58 pm
|
|
|
|
Darlin nodded when Nor mentioned about his people not being to kind towards elves, it was actually rare you found a town like the pleasant one that they had stopped in, but Darlin knew there was nothing that he could do about that. He sighed heavily and started dressing himself again but didn't get the chance to say much more before the other was telling him to get the others and leaving. The elf stared after Nor, really wishing that this had all been so much simpler, but in the end he was stuck just having to dress and grab the rest of his things before going to gather the rest of his men.
They were all taking care of two other bodies, apparently two other attempted assasinations, but thankfully none of them were hurt. They had all been wearing their armor and ready to go while Darlin had been lagging behind, then again that was something he was used to, of course he knew that he would be fine. The wound would heal with little coaxing and there was little to no threat of it festering. Darlin helped them dispose of the other bodies before explaining the change of plans and the situation, his men eager to do as they needed, they figured that their prince was either safe or dead so there was no real reason to rush. Salin had made the assumption that the other was safe of course, he doubted that he would be killed by the dragon, but then again the male had a strange idea that the fates had good reason to send their prince back to the dragon alone.
He had explained to Darlin, and the king, the the fates were rarely so cruel and since they had sent the call to him it was good that the boy had answered. Of course that kind of talk did not go over well with the king who already had a certain displeasure for the elf for his past relations. Darlin had decided that he would not focus on the kingdom for now, or his wayward friend, because for now he had to stop a possible war that was being brought on by a mad man with little intelligence. After Darlin was done speaking with his men they headed for the stable and the Raven haired male was pleasently surprised to see that his horse had been saddled and readied for him to ride.
He grinned at Nor, gently resting his hand on the others shoulder, before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I guess we'll have to make good of what time we can on the way to your home yes?" He pulled away with a smile but something in his chest pulled at the thought. Once they reached Noran's home they would need to cut all forms of closeness, he would need to pull himself away completely, and Darlin did not wish to do that. He could still be friendly but what ever they built up till then would need to be shoved down and then most likely… Darlin would need to leave. He could pull rank, he could say he was a king and it meant more if he could be with Noran than any human princess, but who would trust a king of a dead people? Someone who could then have no legacy, who could hear the ocean calling to him already, someone who was foolish enough to take away a son from a king for his own selfish needs.
Darlin didn't let it show on his fact but there was an ache already building in his heart and he hated every moment of it as he grabbed his horse by the reigns and started guiding him out of the stable.
**
Zemmin and the other men continued riding on for quite a while when they passed what seemed to be a rock and then turned into not a boulder but instead a talking boulder of a dwarf. Zemmin was startled near off his tall horse as he stared down at the man but instead of the often harsh reaction to dwarfs that most people had he instead just shifted so that he was sitting up straighter on his horse and stared down at the man. Zemmin saw his gaurds lean away from the man and ready themselves so he assumed that they would be prepared for what ever trouble the dwarf may pose.
"Well we are searching for the Dragon slayers. We have been searching for a great while and I am certain I am frozen to my seat… would you happen to know where they are kind dwarf?" Zemmin wasn't sure what would happen but he figured there would be some help to asking. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:21 pm
|
|
|
|
Noran couldn't help the grin that came on his face at Darlin's whisper, even in this serious situation. Damn it was infuriating to so easily get turned into an excited puppy for the 'fun time' they'd likely both have tonight once their group stopped after a day of travel, but the young man couldn't really help it. Darlin just seemed easily able to push his buttons, and the more he got to know the lonely king, the more the prince came to like him more and more. "Very good time. Between me doing your laundry and grooming your horse, that is," Nor said back lowly and quietly before grabbing his own stallion by the bit and guiding the temperamental beast along after Darlin's horse.
The cream-haired blond knew as well as Darlin this couldn't last; but Nor is lucky in the regard he could live in the relative joy of the moment and not worry too much about tomorrow. When they finally arrived though ... it was not going to be a happy time for either of them.
((Mm~ We can leave this group to travel and luuuvmakin' for a bit and focus on others, methinks~))
*
The dwarf pulled off his faded cap and gave a low bow, before straightening up and putting it back on his unruly tangle of hair. "Farond the Quick, at yer service! Dragain slayers, eh? Well, who else do ya think I'm deliverin' this grog ta?" The stout male gave his barrel a fond pat before hefting the item back onto his back; the item having straps like some odd sort of back pack. "I do know where they are, no doubt, and I'll show 'em to ya! Though, yer only here for business, am I right?" Farond made a show of suspiciously eyeing the rather large amount of armed guards.
"Them slayers are the only good business fer me 'round these parts, an' I'd be put inta a really ... unfortunate situation if it came about that ya and yer merry band sliced up my business partners, yeah? I'd feel quite a touch more comfortable leadin' a smaller armed party ta the dragon-killers instead of nearly a dozen guardsmen armed ta the teeth." Knowing this offer was likely to not be met well, the Dwarf shrugged his shoulders (which was a bit of a hard gesture to see, as either he didn't have a neck or it was completely hidden by his beard and greasy hair) and gestured to the desolate path ahead of them which looked no different from the trek Zemmin and his guards had seen for likely the past several days, if not a week or more. "But if ya want ta try findin' them on yer own, well ... I'll be on my way then."
Farond turned, as if to go on with or without the fragile-looking male and his escort. The dwarf was confident they'd never find the Slayers without him; that bunch of wild humans had the best hiding spot as their lair in all of these horrible frozen peaks. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 6:37 pm
|
|
|
|
Zemmin was curious about the dwarf as he started to speaking. Dwarfs were far and few between for his people to see, more often than not the race preferred to stay away from the human population, but now that Zemmin could see one up close he was intrigued. That did not last long though, as the dwarf spoke on, and then seeming to make a decision for himself the Dwarf was walking off and Zemmin was motioning for he and his men to follow. "I highly doubt we could cause any trouble to your patrons seeing as we are a band of few men with little to nothing of worth. We simply seek their knowledge." Zemmin chuckled a bit but soon after the interest died off to the lingering weariness. He had been riding for so long but the snow was too deep for him to walk and he was no elf.
Eventually there was a patch where the snow cleared in small amounts and Zemmin dismounted his horse much to the groaning of his men. They did not enjoy watching over the middle son of the king. Then again he was one to cause trouble with his words and not actions. His eldest brother was one to cause battles with and action, to jump from a tree without looking, while Zemmin… Zemmin was the one to urge his brother into such actions while knowing exactly the conclusion. He was not always listened to and he was never a true trouble maker but he was the voice and brains where his other two brothers were mostly brawn.
Zemmin let the others guide his horse while he stepped up beside the dwarf and kept pace with him. "The mountain is losing its chill here but we have only gone up from our previous point… This is curious." Zemmin looked behind him. "We will pay you when we reach the dragon slayers… but only when we reach them." Zemmin sighed, feeling irritated.
**
Aerion tilted his head when the other asked about the leaf chews getting to his plants and pomegranates. It always confused Aerion when the other had no knowledge of what he was speaking of. "For an all knowing dragon you have a great many questions and curiosities." Aerion chuckled and then brushed off his hands. "Yes just keep the bugs off of them and it's not that they will die but simply that they will wither a bit and then they will not produce the fruit that I eat." Aerion sighed and then started heading to go finish his packing. "And yes pomegranate is a very good red fruit. I often had it as a child but once I got older it was harder and harder to find. I will bring you some to try." Aerion grinned up at the dragon, already feeling a bit brighter now that he would get the chance to leave for a while. He would have to return, there was no doubt about that, but a short time away from this place covered in sickness and death would be… pleasing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
