Waking was becoming harder and harder every day, and this one was no different. Birds were having a glorious morning chatter and Araminta cursed their very cheer. She was not a morning person even in the best of days, so at her worst the happy songs were nothing but a frustrating nuissance, forcing her to grumble and shift and finally to actually attempt to sit up and once again face the world as a still living creature.
Wearily peering around, she found the fire was long gone but a mysterious waterskin left in it’s place. After swallowing half the bog last night, Araminta wasn’t too keen on adding more to her stomach. In fact, on top of the stiffness of joints and muscles she’d now grown used to, she now she had weak feeling dizziness to go along with it. That didn’t bode well at all.
She went ahead and took a few sips of water despite it. It’d be rude not to.
With her unwilling companion nowhere to be seen, it gave her the privacy necessary to handle some personal business and take the opportunity to peel down her mud crusted pants to check on the wound that was becoming too painful to keep ignoring. On inspection she was relieved to find that it hadn’t split open and started bleeding again, but after all of the twisting and running yesterday the gash and it’s strange inky black swirls had gone a swollen red. Araminta frowned, and though she didn’t wanted to waste the Ghost’s fresh water, she had to at least spare a little to try and clean off some of the muddy patches. The rest of her cuts, scrapes and slashes were well on their way to becoming long red scars in the making. This one just refused healed. She didn’t know what else to do at this point.
A problem for another day.
Feeling at least a little more refreshed and bolstered by the memory she’d completed one trial already Araminta gathered up all her thinks and pulled out her map once more. Not been too concerned about getting started on walking for her next destination, being fairly certain The Ghost already knew where she was headed next and could catch up to her as needed. In fact, she honestly didn’t expect him to actually travel with her the entire time at all. There was nothing to stop him from heading there at his own pace and waiting to see if she made it!
She would be correct that he had no reason to tag along to see whether she got up or not! Having to make use to return to the queen by use of body that did serve him well in many ways. One of the few things he could do that came from a male parent long since dead, buried and generally forgotten about. Mostly.
Travel was easy when one had some talents, though one could not escape even with said things. Nor did people question his ability to transverse such distances without known mount of some sort. He surmised this was merely one other thing that allowed him to be of continued use to the gleaming star of a lying matriarch. That son managed to inherit something of father that wasn’t bound to try charming her or another. The thought alone was enough to make him snort, even after he had left the embellished corridors of the castle. Giving report to the queen that the princess –in her own bungled way- made it through the first trial.
Where he admitted his hesitation had been done by choice and accepted the means of displeasure from her being. One could only hope that his accounting of watching the princess being tugged into the bog by a second jealous hag would tickle the queen. Though he made no verbal promise to accomplish the deed of parting Araminta to the underworld, he did make the effort to return to the witness position once more.
Waiting for her appearance when once could while still trying to fathom what the hell a roasted turkey would do for this trial. That intrigue was growing. Brushing finger over the smooth line across brow like it was aiding his thoughts and pondering.
Princess Araminta made it to the next spot on her map an entire day late and she looked furious.
The good news (or bad, depending on perspective) was that she seemed to be whole and in one piece. At some point she must’ve managed to get mostly cleaned up, as she and her clothing were no longer covered in splotches of mud. Though her long coal curls were twisted on top of her head in such a haphazard mess, hinting that it had at some point been much neater before some sort of frenzied tussle had sent it sideways and pulled out wild frizzed tufts dotted with what looked suspiciously of down feathers. She’d not acquired a new cloak, yet she carried her staff braced on her shoulder with a large brown bag that was HONKING a horrible chorus of birdly curses and seeming as if it was going to launch itself into oblivion. As well as a rather long coil of sturdy rope. Without the aide of her staff that limp of hers was looking less like a subtle bit of awkward walking, and more like an actual limp.
This particular area was over the edge of a rather high cliff and over the edge was a well known nesting ground for harpies. All down the cliff walls would be little craggy nooks where harpies nested and laid their eggs. Araminta was going to have to climb down there to get a bunch of fresh full winged feathers without falling to her death or getting eaten up in the process.
Once she spied him there and approached fully, without any sort of gentleness whatsoever she dumped her cargo on the rocky ground. The bag HONKHONKED in angry protest and tried to skuttle roll itself to it’s doom. Araminta promptly stomped a foot on the edge of the sack to keep it still.
“I hate geese,” she seethed through her teeth. “I’ve never wanted to kill an animal in my life! But I am joyously going to dangle their little necks to kingdom come!”
Not waiting for an immediate reply, Araminta took to uncoiling her rope, then glancing around for a sturdy looking tree. Running so high on her fury, she wasn’t taking the time to really take stock of the area. Finding the first tree that looked thick enough to hold her weight and then working to knot one end of the rope around it’s trunk. The other end she tied around her own waist.
Then it was a half stomp, half stumble back to the sack and for a second Araminta seemed as if she were going to kick it. She huffed with a sigh.
“…I’m sorry, that isn’t much of a greeting. Good morning, Ghost.”
What in the greater holy hell was going on?
Honestly, he had assumed by the lack of arrival that the girl had finally keeled over. Resigning himself to merely wait a while longer before knowing he was going to have to backtrack to find her corpse. Wherever it might have fallen, as to grab something from her that would be suitable as a trophy. And proof that he had not continued to disappoint mother dearest.
However, if he was about to give up and go hunting for a dead princess, she came to him. With her backside making more ruckus than he had ever heard before. Sure that no chicken coop he had ever wandered close by too made that same amount of scrabbling displeasured volumes. Let alone the girl looking more like some mad wandering hermit that had managed to grab and stuff some poor bird into a bag. Merely missing one eye going one rogue direction as the other pinned forward.
She limped along till there was an unceremonious dump of the bag to the ground. Where he –leaning against a sturdy enough tree- rose to straighten. Looking at the bag, to her and back again. Even at her proclamation about never wanting to hurt an animal but having developed a loathing for the feathered fiend’s.
How did she… even catch the geese. Geese… plural. There was…. Was there more than one in there!?
His mouth parted slightly in a obvious gawp, scratching at jaw with nothing less than a amazed consternation! Seemingly not about to get any better as the woman set to readying herself by arranging everything into what he had to guess was a trap. Of some sort.
Waiting. Waiting, till she stopped and he momentarily feared she would actually kick the bag! Funnily enough.
Just that he felt a soft relief when she didn’t but sought to greet him. Bringing those knife bright eyes to rest on her with brows neatly pressed into another. Mouth working open and shut with rising questions.
Settling on, “How.” Just how to it all. How she survived, how she was here. How she got the geese. How was an apt overarching question.
Araminta brushed the back of her hand against her forehead, so very done with the day already and not looking forward to the trial at hand. She grimaced as she tried to run the series of events through her head in a proper order.
“I walked until I found a farm and I made a deal with the woman there to do her day’s chores in exchange for some coin. Well, she was a rotten old beast and kept having more and more chores and come day’s end she dared to cackle at me and refused to pay! So tossed all the laundry I spent hours cleaning right into the cow barn and I stole as much rope as I could carry. Thank you for this, by the way.”
As she talked she’d set her travel sack somewhere safely out of the way and retrieved the waterskin to give back to him. Then, with the heaviest of sighs removed the staff from her sack of geese and got to fiddling with trying to attach it securely to the rope tied around her waist.
“Once I made it to the village not far from here, I traded all of my figs to a man for a big loaf of bread and wandered over to the lakeside, hoping to lure one of the geese. Did you know geese go absolutely nuts over fresh bread? I didn’t! Nor did I know if you try to grab one and stuff it into a sack, the entire flock of them turn into a feral murderous army of blood thirsty monsters!”
The geese in the sack were helping sell this tale as their resounding honks sounded just as vicious as she described. With the sack secured, she stepped over to the cliff’s edge and peered over.
“The stupid things managed to get out of my sack while I was climbing the hill and I had to chase them down again. I’d eat them myself if I didn’t need them.”
Then she went silent for a moment. A grimace crossed her features.
“That is such a long, long, long way down if I fall.”
No amount of perfected, practiced composure was enough to stop him from openly gawk at Araminta while this rather lengthy tale of chores, crones and geese came out. Feeling ever part of his features dropped in a sense of honest confusion muddled with disbelief. Though the geese making their cries certainly assure the girl wasn’t telling fish stories!
Just—
No, there was no way to explain this at all! Nothing to it made a lick of sense. Not a single thing. Leaving him to straighten with fingers rubbing at the top of cowl as if patting the spot would somehow make everything so feasibly functional that he’d stop being surprised.
Eventually shutting stare in failed attempted to digest it all further. Listening to her suggest that if she fell, it was a long way down. Creating a rift in lids to return to watching this peculiar girl, “Songs.” Theon stated with a word, “Harpies have alluring songs that affect people. Did you plan for that as well in some fantastical arrangement, Araminta?” At this point, he wasn’t even going to question himself for talking or mentioning the fact that harpies were prone to luring people to their deaths by lyrical majesty. Unlike sirens of the sea, harpies could affect men and women alike.
“What.”
Araminta turned around so suddenly with such a crestfallen look of shock and despair, he may as well have told her that her beloved pet had died. She absolutely did not know harpies sang deadly songs. Who would know that! Who would ever be dumb enough to go dangling off the edge of a cliff to find such a thing out! Araminta just used some common sense to know they’d eat meat, since predators had claws and sharp teeth for good reason. A roasted turkey would’ve been easier than these blasted geese she’d spent hours chasing down. Only now that might not be enough at all.
Well it was too late now. Aramina was going to have to figure something out quickly.
She glanced around the top of the cliff’s edge, trying to spy something that might be of use. Upwards towards the branches of the trees, along the bushes and the patches of grass. Araminta even gave the Ghost a thoughtful green-eyed glance before she (and her honking angry sack) stalked over to where she’d tossed her bag. On dropping to her knees she dug around in it’s contents until she pulled out that handkerchief he’d given her – now freshly clean – and pondered it for a moment.
“Would you be terribly upset if I kept this and ripped it to shreds? I promise to get you a new one!”
This was dumb luck! It had to be!
What he was finding out rather quickly was Araminta was that oddity in a situation that no one could really plan for. Now at being told that harpies weren’t merely dangerous because they were winged beasts, but they had abilities that usually assured they got the first claw in! Leaving her to look momentarily saddened while her bag was just as noisy as ever.
Honestly, maybe he felt bad that she was about to die to the flying vermin monsters, that he gave her a little nudge to know these things weren’t easy to get around. Watching her die now seemed like he was watching a soaking wet kitten drowning!
However that was as far as he could go. He had too!
Seeing as she apparently rooted around to pull out the handkerchief with a wonderment if he would upset if it was ruined. Shaking his head at that. It mattered little to him after! Encouraging the argent gaze to narrow somewhat at the promise of getting a new one. “Your concern appears to be in the wrong direction.” Theon gave another shake of his head. “Do as you need.”
“I suppose a promise is rather empty when one is about to die,” she responded, this time without her prior cavalier mirth. For now she was all focused seriousness for the task at hand.
With permission to do as she pleased, Araminta found her dull little knife and got to work tearing up the seams of the handkerchief until she’d pulled free several raggedy strips. One of which she wound up tight into a tiny roll and tested it by stuffing it in her ear. After a few testing turns of her head, it came loose and fell out almost immediately, leaving the princess holding it in her hand and giving a second thoughtful stare.
It took a few moments of silence, but he could see it the second a new idea occurred to her by the way her features lit up. Araminta hopped to her feet to get the waterskin, and dipped a pair of the strips inside. Once she’d squeezed off the excess water, she tried her roll again. Grimacing and cringing when she stuffed it in her ear – but this time found that the dampness helped it stay in place. Two ears stuffed, she shook her sack, prompting those geese to start up their honking parade again.
This… wasn’t perfect. Muffled at the very least, and Araminta hoped it worked well enough to belay the effects of any magical songs.
“When I fall, you can have my sack. It isn’t much, but may as well send the hag’s hair back regardless,” she instructed, taking a seat on the edge of the cliffside and very precariously scooting over the edge to try and find the first steady rocks to place her feet upon. Araminta was pale in the face at this point, clearly dreading this excursion, yet clearly determined to carry it out.
That was hardly what he meant but be it far from him to argue with a woman that both seemed to accept she was going to die and act like she wasn’t. What a enigma she was. Only making his thoughts jumble with fussing confusion to just which way was she going to behave at all.
Which apparently now was making the cotton of the cloth into wet balls to stuff into her ears. Something that was worth a raised brow. Not in the same way the bag of geese had but rather this one was with impress awe. Trying to block her ears from hearing any potential lullaby songs was not a terrible thought.
Just it also meant it would muffle her from hearing any back attacks from the murder like humanoids.
Still, he stared at her no sooner with the returned controlled impassive stare at the mention of the sack. She had better not be worrying about returning the hag’s hair to his mother after all this! Truly, she needed to learn either some self preservation or manage to lose her air of baffling innocence rather swiftly.
All he could do was mentally sigh while signing hand forward to suggest she had best be on her way. To where, the ground? From the cliffside? By the God’s name…
Araminta was starting to like this Ghost. She hadn’t wanted a witness to her inevitable failure, worried that they make take cruel pleasure in her struggles or spend the entire affair lecturing her on how stupid she was being. After all, there was nothing stopping her from abandoning this quest altogether and just walking away. Yet this Ghost, even being silent most of the time, seemed to care enough to give her what small pieces of help he could. As futile as it might be in the end, she was very grateful for this kindness.
…she wished it made climbing easier, though!
The bog had been child’s play in comparison to the slow and clumsy trek she made down the cliffside. Araminta wasn’t particularly strong and those damnable geese were causing such a ruckus in the sack that they kept pulling her off balance. Clinging to rocks with bare fingers hurt and sometimes a piece of ledge wasn’t as stable as she’d thought and would crumble out from under her feet. Though, it was a lot worse when parts of the cliff from above would break off in the wind and come tumbling down on her. The process was agonizingly slow and impossible for her to tell how much time it took her to climb far enough down until she could see a cave opening up in the rocks nearby. Once she did, she had to scale the cliff sideways to try and reach the opening where tufted pieces of pine, leaves and twigs were sticking out over the rocks.
Peering around the edge of the opening for a quick look, she found it blissfully empty, scamping inside the nesting cave and collapsing onto her hands and knees to catch her breath. Her arms and legs felt like jiggling jelly! There was no telling when a harpy would show, though, so Araminta had little time to rest.
Examining the nest, she was saddened at the lack of loose feathers scattered about. That would’ve made it too easy, wouldn’t it! No matter how deeply she searched the rounded bed of twigs and pine, there wasn’t anything more than feathered down and broken bones. It smelled horrible and with a growing bit of terror she’d realized one of the gnawed bleached femurs belonged to a human! In fact, as she searched the cave she was finding quite a few remains of those that dared to enter the harpy’s nest. Old rusted armor. Several pairs of rotted boots. A shield so large it was taller and wider than herself and had to belong to a man at least thrice her size!
Araminta didn’t hear the flapping of wings, but the cast of a shadow and the way her captured geese went silent was a hint to the danger. She bolted for the giant shield and pulled it over herself for cover. Peering out the underside like a tin covered turtle. Within seconds a creature with features so gruesome, she could’ve made the bog hags look young in comparison, landed on thick feathered haunches. Sniffing the air as she approached the nest cautiously, clearing being able to tell there was a disturbance there.
The princess held her breath. Once the harpy had stepped far enough inside, she unleashed absolute madness into the cave.
A trio of geese burst out of their sack with the screeching honks of hellfire behind them. Wings of geese and harpy alike went flapping and flailing in every direction in a flurry of confused angry chaos. Araminta, with her arms tucked into the straps of the shield to keep it at her back reached out the second that harpy came close enough and YANKED out a handful of feathers just as hard as she could.
The harpy let out such an otherworldly wail that pierced through the cotton in Araminta’s ears it stunned her frozen in place. As if the very voice of the harpy had crawled up under her skin and down to her bones to turn them to ice. She found herself with beady black eyes staring into her own deep fir green. The pair staring at each other in surprise for what felt like eons before the harpy flapped those giant wings so hard they collided with Araminta and she went falling right over the edge of the nest.
The rope above slid and slid until it went taunt with a sudden sharp snap. Araminta hadn’t tied it tight enough around her waist so went she hit the end of the rope’s reach it slipped up her body and caught her under the armpits — but it held!
She didn’t have enough time to even bless her luck, for all of a sudden CLANG. Claws hit the shield on Araminta’s back with force so strong it knocked her heavily against the rocky cliffside. CLANG! On the second one she screamed, tasting blood in her mouth and drawing up her legs and trying to squish up her whole body behind the shield as she clung desperately to her rope. Somewhere she’d had enough wits to stuff the harpy feathers into her shirt so they wouldn’t be lost, but with the barrage of hits against the shield, Araminta couldn’t get the grip to start climbing. Every time she tried it would be another CLANG and she’d drop back down to the rope’s end.
Ground into paste against a cliff was not how Araminta wanted to die, either!
Questions could be ask later. Or perhaps never.
Never was equally good. Because even if they were asked, he wasn’t sure he would have the answers to give anyways! Even if he did, they wouldn’t be of anything constructive by any means. Rather they’d be empty. Confused and honestly, nonsense!
He ought to hope that his actions were too late. That the girl had become that of a plastered bit of nothing against the rocky surface or a new lunch menu to the flying overgrown pigeon!
Just that his body had come over the cliffside and the sound of crackling had been unleashed into a fwooshing ball of heated fury. Preparing a second and a third in either hands as his vision temporarily glimpse the piñata princess and the assailant. Leaving the aforementioned second fireball to leave hand with a direct intention to veer the furious harpy away. Whatever the girl did now, was her choice.
Araminta had been prepared to dangle there until her skull was cracked open or the harpy got bored trying to batter her to death. Which ever terrible thing happened first. So she was quite surprised when the wailing creature veered off which such a sound that made the princess shiver, and even more stunned to catch a glimpse of fiery red from the corner of her eyes. Tilting her head back, she couldn’t quite see all the way up to the top where the Ghost had seemingly forgotten he was only supposed to bare witness and not to interfere. Araminta couldn’t seem to draw in enough breath to yell at him to stop it, that he was wasting his efforts now as she didn’t have the strength left in her to make it back up the cliff.
He’d feel so terrible, though, to have tried to help only for her to give up.
Well now she had to climb.
Going back up was easier in some respects and harder in others. Gravity appeared to be even stronger as she worked against it to move upwards and her limbs threatened to give out with every motion. Yet, now that the rope was fully uncoiled, she was able to use it to keep herself better balanced. Trusting it more to hold her weight than the rocks on the cliff. Ever so often she’d freeze when she could feel the beat of the harpy’s wings flapping and hear that wail through the cotton. Yet another crunch against the rocks never came, so whatever the Ghost was doing must’ve been not worth the risk of flame just to catch an easy meal.
Once she’d finally reached the top again it was a grueling claw and scramble to get enough of her body on stable flat ground. The second knees hit flat earth, she crumpled face first into the dirt. Booted feet still hanging off the edge and giant shield preventing her from be able to roll herself over. Not that she had the willpower left to even do so!
She’d made it to the top, the Ghost was going to have to forgive her for dying now. Araminta’s last thought before passing out was that she hoped she hadn’t riled up the whole cliffside of harpies and left him to be chased down the hill the same way those god awful geese did to her.
At least the vile beast had enough self preservation not to keep trying to come at him when it became apparent, he could contently lob fireballs rather efficiently and often. Not that the airborne ogress was silent about her ire. Declaring it rather loudly but seemed smart enough not to try her chance either with swaying his efforts with a song at all. Merely glowering at him from a safer distance. Allowing the time to be used for the girl to climb up certainly not empty handed. Or empty backed. With what he might have guessed was a close tower shield, she impressively got up to the top.
And in all fairness, he was more surprised that she had managed to do so. Half expecting her to give up and let the rope continue to dangle her like some random bait.
If he was about to feel slighted that she had decidedly passed out after the ordeal, he wasn’t about to start barking about it. Adjusting his own tactics to cover his eyes and turn from fireballs to an little orb of light that was tossed and forcibly exploded in a flashbang! Giving him the shrill cry from the damn beast and a chance to turn and grab the girl with whatever he figured at that moment was important. A pack included.
It wouldn’t do well to linger here anyways, less he wanted to see just how mad a pack of humanoid birds could truly get!
Just she would have to leave the shield, he wasn’t taking that with!
The place itself was pretty much devoid of anything one might have considered elegant. A simple hut. With four walls, a small stone fireplace in the corner that was an afterthought of creation than original, and a small table with two chairs.
There was no bed, the place was hardly used as such. More of a wait out nook that was used more often than naught for him. Far enough from the harpies nest but not so distant that the trials would be inaccessible.
Currently as he sat on one of the chairs facing one of the two windows of the petite hut, fingers idly pulled along jaw. Having so many large question marks of thoughts in his head that were still eluding any logical answer. The newest now being, why he had interfered and why had he put the fallen princess on the floor with his own cloak. A small fire had been started to give heat while making sure as best he could that Araminta wasn’t about to roll into it either.
He made a grave mistake today, he knew this. Yet… the lie he wanted to tell himself wasn’t coming forth. There was something innately strange about the girl and… her ability to survive. Was… this supposed to be some greater sign for him or was he simply arranging her uncanny ability of living into a sign to take.
One might never know.
Araminta did not remain unconscious for long, but on waking it was pretty clear she was frustrated that she even did. Making a soft mrphing sound of protest even as she took a slow glance around in ever growing confusion that she’d suddenly been displaced to somewhere she definitely never remembered walking to. With the Ghost’s cloak no less! That explains why he was sitting in a corner, though she couldn’t fathom why he looked just as bewildered as she did.
Perhaps he was surprised she even woke up. Araminta was too!
Against her own body’s wishes, the princess forced herself to sit upwards. If she could’ve gotten away with it, she would’ve preferred to curl up in a ball to sleep away a day or three. Unfortunately, there were a great many trials still to do, and now she was starting to realize they were going to all get more and more difficult. She hadn’t known about harpy songs and that could’ve been a disastrous mistake. Next trial, she would need to take extra time with her planning.
And she could still taste blood! Frowning slightly, she pressed her fingertips to her lip to see just how badly she’d bit herself and ran her tongue over her teeth to make sure she didn’t loose any. It was bad enough she was a fallen princess, Araminta didn’t want to earn an awful nickname like Toothless.
“Don’t worry, Ghost,” she murmured softly to the man lurking in the corner. “It’s not cheating if I technically completed the trial.”
Araminta reached under her shirt to pull out the bundle of feathers she’d managed to claim. Despite the terrifying form of the harpies themselves, the feathers were quite beautiful in shape and color. She turned slightly to eye him again, now seeming to be on that side of being completely confused by him.
“Thank you. Though you shouldn’t have. I might not have climbed up and you could’ve been ambushed by a whole flock of them. I can tell you, after being battered by birds–” she paused at that, almost amused at the accidental alliteration, then continued, “–twice in a day. You honestly do not need to experience it.”
He heard her long before he started to watch her from corner of eye. Eventually turning chin towards while grasp rose to smooth back tendrils of crimson. Narrowing lids slightly with no less perturbing thoughts. Somewhere wishing that anything so far made any sense.
Currently? His actions were practically treason. Going against the Imperial Queen’s commands.
The girl was not to live. She’d been so close to that end and he had acted in favour of her survival. Quite literally the opposite of what he was supposed to.
“Save your consideration. It has no use here.” Intending it to sound sharp, the effort was lackluster. Pitiful really. Hardly close to his intention when it sounded brittle. Cracked on its ends, invoking a mental disparaging frown. Settling to close gaze in vain hope it would stop everything else. Only for them to pop back open at her nattering.
Curling palm to fist. Bracing it to chin while vision scrolled across her again. Impassive outwardly. Leaving the internal whirlwind to make violent haste. “Peculiar. “
Peculiar indeed, Araminta thought. By that impassive expression and the way he was so intently eyeing her, Araminta guessed he was having a bit of an internal crisis. As one of the Queen’s Imperial guard. he had to obey her word and law. But only a maniac expected someone to stand idly by and do nothing when someone needed help.
“I’m serious,” she responded earnestly. “I won’t ask for your help, nor will I be upset if you don’t or even dare to tell her if you do. It’s a wretched, difficult, evil thing what she’s demanding of us, and it isn’t your fault.”
Speaking of tasks demanded, she spied around until she spotted her pack and with a few soft grunts of discomfort she drug to her. Araminta took a bit of twine to bind the base of the feathers together, then she rolled them up neatly with an old scrap of leather. Something that would keep them from getting bent and broken as she travel – or at least she hoped.
“She’s so unnecessarily mean,” Araminta huffed. Finding the more she thought about the Imperial Queen, the more angry it always made her. Before she’d seen the woman face to face, Araminta could make excuses for her. That she was a powerful woman with a huge empire – of course she would be too busy to meet with some random refugee. Then she’d seen the way the people feared her in the Capitol and met her council and the very woman herself… To have the power and opportunities to do some many good things, but instead use her position to torture people for sport!
Araminta hoped that one day someone knocked that awful woman right off her throne and on her arse.
“…I shouldn’t be talking about your queen that way, I’m sorry.” she apologized with a frown. “Where are we now exactly? I need to-“
She paused, taking stock of what was left in her bag as well as the absolute useless shape she was currently in.
“…I need to make some money if I mean to get any further.”
The situation itself was peculiar but he meant so Araminta. Of course he had been thinking that since the first moment he had seen her offering that sandwich to the bog hag! And how this girl continually kept saying things about him that was showing compassion, sympathy. Things that weren’t at all necessary. Actually it was confusing if he was going to spend any amount of time thinking about it.
What he could do though was listen to how the girl expressed she would not waiver in fear if he told the queen what happened. Of course, he was obligated too. Just he wasn’t making any promises right now that bid him to do so.
But to say this wasn’t his fault. Wasn’t that going too far. She clearly had no idea who the hell he was. That even as she went and expressed how the queen was unnecessarily mean, he just sort of shrugged. By no means was he expecting the Imperial Queen to be kind or tender at all. Her appearance was false, her acts were backhanded and she schemed like the world depended only on her to accomplish every whim. Using others to complete the tasks without dirtying her own hands.
Rubbing at his face before holding palm right across the lower half, he wasn’t about to snap at her for speaking her mind. Shortly straightening somewhat, “You are in no condition to work currently. I would say if you are that eager to die, then you might as well leap into the fire. Otherwise afford yourself rest proper, otherwise your actions are entirely for naught.”
How awful it was, that he was so used to rule under the Imperial Queen, that he could only shrug it off. Attempt to be dismissive of it, when he’d clearly been moved to help her, so he wasn’t a blissfully callous follower of the woman. Then she thought, it was ironic she felt so bad for how he was trapped in such a life when she herself felt trapped by her own situation. It made her stop for a moment and wonder if she needed to change the way she was thinking about everything. She’d made it through two trials now. Why did she keep thinking herself so woefully trapped to an inevitable death? It was her choice, wasn’t it?
As if he’d been reading the very thoughts in her head, he made a comment that sent her face into a warm flush. Araminta was definitely not eager to die. Seems she was going to have to start acting like she wanted to live.
“Dear Ghost, if I don’t find work and make some money I’m not going to be able to afford that rest,” she mentioned, in case he’d forgotten she didn’t have a penny to her name. Her figs traded off for bread, the bread devoured by a legion of geese… And now that she was looking around, it seemed he hadn’t brought that shield with them nor her make-shift staff, so there certainly wasn’t anything left for her to trade either.
Thus Araminta needed to get off the floor and get going. Except, she couldn’t seem to command her legs to obey beyond a bit of awkward shifting, nor could she get her elbows steady enough to crawl up off the floor. This was the most infuriatingly, embarrassing thing!
“Blast this useless body, why couldn’t I have been born a dragon!”
A pair of polished argent discs lingered upon her. Addressing him in such a manner that she surely could hear the own folly of a reply in her tone. To say that if she didn’t work and find the coin attached that any rest was useless. Yet it was what she needed right now to even be able to work. She might contend that very notion but a body would eventually stop doing what it told to do because it was unable to push any further.
He might not have inspected her to gauge how her body was actually doing, but he could see well enough.
As if the very moment was about to prove him correct, her attempt to get up proved rather useless. Leaving him to slowly blink in a sort of silent appraisal. Finding her outburst fruitless. Obviously if she had been born a hardy fire breathing lizard, she wouldn’t care about her fallen kingdom. Or much else, he surmised.
Instead the sound of the chair scraping across the floor was given. Rising up as he turned to address the door. “Stay.” The tone given was surprisingly light. “Even a warrior knows when one must afford time in urgency.”
The frustration was clear on Araminta’s face and so was the resignation that she wasn’t going to be able to stubborn herself out of this one. All the huffing and puffing in the world wasn’t going to get her off that floor if her arms and legs refused to work. A day. She could give it a day to regain her strength as best she could. That’d give her enough so she could find a small job somewhere to get the things needed for the next trials.
As she glanced around the small, empty shack again, she surmised that at least it would be safe here. The fire was pleasantly warm and she wouldn’t have to worry about getting rained on or dealing with raccoons snoopings through her bag, or bugs biting into her skin. It wasn’t livable, though! There was no bed nor kitchen nor means of comfort. This wasn’t his home and he couldn’t possibly spent much time here. Which was quite curious in itself!
“You still haven’t told me exactly where we are,” she reminded him quickly. “Are you going to leave me here?”
Araminta didn’t mean to sound a little worried about the prospect of being alone. She’d gotten well used to it by now and it wasn’t what she feared. But not knowing where she was and being trapped in a little hut with no easy means of running… that scared her. How could she know who else might walk through that door and force her to defend herself with nothing but a dull knife. These windows didn’t look easy to jump out of!
Leather boot soles clacked across the wooden floor. Mentally arranging some thoughts for a plan of action before pausing at the door that had been his focal point. “Half a day walk to the third trial.” Theon replied to her wondering of where they were. It wasn’t precise after all but it at least had some information to aid her. “Nearby a village, ten minutes away.” As not to make her think he wasn’t listening to her need for coin.
Just that was enough to say as well.
With palm filled by that of doorknob, he shook his head. “No. It would be a waste to have put that effort into helping you if I was going to abandon you right now.” He still had a job to do, even if he was obviously floundering on it. “Stay.” A final word as he pulled the space open and closed behind himself.
As the inside was nothing much at all, the outside was at least somewhat forested. With a small spit that allowed him to busy momentarily with. Cooking inside was foolish when the smell would linger far too long. At least the outside, it was able to disperse. The firepit easy to drench and cover compared to the interior.
The place was secluded enough that his efforts of grabbing the minor trappings of hare, was suitable enough. Making a return indoors easy with a small procurement of a rather cooked but absolutely furless, headless critter. Taking short steps that at least made an offering to the girl once he set the item to the table. Saying little that he expected her to struggle up here and at least fill her face a little, while he intended to leave her to it.
How long had Araminta been unconscious? Surely it couldn’t have been more than an hour at best, yet they were already half a day away from the next trial! Leaving her wondering exactly who the Ghost was to be able to make travel so quickly. She’d heard mages could do rather extraordinary things with magic, but fast travel was a rare, rare skill. Araminta couldn’t even imagine what method was used either…!
When he’d left her alone, Araminta’s mind was still racing with the hows, and wheres, and whys. With a village so close by, she needn’t feel so bad about taking the extra time to rest. There’d be plenty of odd jobs she could pickup for shop owners, or if there was a tavern, a day serving food and drink or washing dishes could make her enough coin to get her thru the next trial. Food, a new cloak, supplies…
Except her mind kept wandering away from her planning to the very man that was tasked to witness these trials. To act in the heat of the moment was one thing. Any person with a heart would try to save someone’s life if they could. Bringing her to a safe space – not just safe but close to where she needed to be – and the care he was putting to her now, that was not part of his task. This was above and beyond, too much for him to be doing. Araminta wasn’t his responsibility to care for… and he spoke about it as if it were nothing! Like it wasn’t actually such a kind and monumental thing!
Araminta was going to have to firmly set some boundaries. Continuing to help her would put him in hot water with the Imperial Queen.
Once he’d returned, she was still sitting in that same spot plotting and pondering. Finding herself surprised again that now he was bringing food too. Freshly cooked and smelling divine to her dangerously empty stomach.
…yet she could not bring herself to eat on the floor. Araminta hadn’t yet succumbed to being a wild forest creature, she seemed to still have at least a little pride and a wish to feel like a civilized human person. So with some fussing (thankfully not as much as she was expecting, now that she’d calmed down and related to not being in a rush to go, go, go the tension in her muscles had ceased enough to allow movement again) she crawled herself to a seat in one of the chairs. Peeling bits of rabbit meat off the bone with a grace and restrain that was insane, considering she hadn’t had fresh meat since… well, she couldn’t remember! Araminta hadn’t been able to get over the hurdle of killing an animal for food, and thus far had been sustaining herself on what wild things she could find while she traveled or the brief moments she had enough coin to buy something.
“We have to have a serious conversation, Ghost.” she murmured between heavenly bites. “I’m very grateful, but you’ve done enough already. Okay? No more! If you catch the ire of your queen she’ll send someone else as witness. I already like you, another may not be as good of company.”
Leaving her to her means of crawling across the floor and whatever other things were rummaging around within her own private thoughts; he made sure the door was shut properly. Avoiding the door being an accidental loose seal. Perhaps giving her a little bit of privacy within the small space to eat at her leisure or demand.
At least for a moment till it seemed that she wanted to have some words of her own.
Well enough did he pivot on heels. Turning to face her once more as to be an attentive listener all the more. Even if what she had to say was nothing of importance really to him. He doubted another witness would have been sent anyways. Just a plain assassin that would properly assure in their own way that Araminta was rendered to the void of death. Assumed lost to the trails and no more.
Honestly, he wouldn’t know what would happen to himself at that point. Failing to adhere to his mother’s demands. Faltering and failing. Unsure if he had managed to do either in the past how many years! He was the last child of her reign… thus far. There was no telling what sort of feat she would do next.
However, head bent a little as he gave a renewed shrug. “If you wish.” Theon once more sidestepped. Migrating back into the place as to check the flame burning within the fireplace. Grabbing a poker to shift the ablazed logs to arrange for a fresh piece to be pushed into its gap. Finding some strange little notion in his skull bubbling up like a air pocket from a toxic sludge. Wondering if this one was thinking clearly. That it would be perhaps easy enough for her to offer some sort of liberating plot that he might sink his teeth into. Thus far, he hadn’t been behaving as he ought to be. Likely blaming Araminta for her unusual presence, but the girl didn’t seem to clue into that.
Nor should he be thinking it.
Treasonous thoughts.
Once satisfied with the fire, Theon righted. Smoothing hands across forearms with a slight nod. “Then I will see you at the next trial.”
The queen didn’t deserve such a knight, Araminta thought. He didn’t seem to understand the value of his kindness. Or maybe she was giving him too much credit and he simply thought she was such a sad, pathetic ragamuffin that he was disgusted to see her struggle so.
Still, he was quite special and had come about during a moment where she really did need to know people like him existed. The world wasn’t all demons, neglectful queens, cruel people. Araminta was quite inspired to try a little harder to succeed.
Abandoning the rabbit just for a moment, she turned in her seat towards him.
“Ghost,” she beckoned with the name she bestowed him, realizing there he’d never attempted to correct the calling or tell her his actual name. “Come here, please?” Those words she whispered. Then she wriggled a finger to gesture that she wanted him to come closer and kneel so she might have him at eye level. It must’ve seemed quite dramatic in the moment, but she hadn’t the energy to hop up to a stand as she would’ve preferred. Yet, what did it matter anyway, Araminta was a princess and was dramatic by her very upbringing!
The next trail wasn’t terribly far as he said. Well not so terribly far for himself. It wouldn’t take long to cross the distance and continue the mean’s of waiting. It would likely be a good idea to scout around as per cautionary measure to assure no one was nearby. Or had fallen prey to the next little bit of chaos that was the following number three of twelve. Though he could report back to the queen, till his mind sort of just pronounced how bad of an idea that was.
He’d already disappointed her the first time with the failure to kill Araminta. A second time wouldn’t be forgiven and he had no back-up plan to give anyways.
It was better to stay absent till either she died, he did his job or some other circumstance appeared that could have righted everything back into a familiar normalcy. There was always something for him to do anyways.
A voice still bid and had a proper halt made. Being addressed as that of a evanescent form, there was little resistant to her softened asking. Righting about face thus more, if he was about to grow all fussy about being indicated to kneel, the memo had been missed. Or he was simply accustomed to bending to knee before royalty. Prestigious or not.
Making the same motion that was similar to breathing, taciturn features raised somewhat. Not entirely but close enough to express he heard and was waiting. Internally curious to what this oddity of a royal needed of him after the moment’s prior but not about to vocalize such things. She might not have a kingdom any further but it wasn’t in his experience to be snide or rude to anyone of similar or higher rank.
He was still very proving to be a gentlemanly knight of the highest order, again giving Araminta those thoughts that he should have better than being a witness to death and serving at the cruel behest of a thoughtless queen. But even with those thoughts, what did she even think she could do about it? Wild and stupid ideas of mouthing off to a woman that could easily have Araminta beheaded on a whim. If she actually lost all sense and attempted to march up to the Imperial Queen and tell her off… what a spectacular and stupid death that would be!
Best to mind her own problems. He did not need a silly fallen princess to save him from his own life. His kingdom was not hers to manage.
Now that he was in reach, however, Araminta lift her hands to place gently against cheeks bowing his head just enough so she could lean forward and press kiss to forehead. Then she released, offering him a genuine and warm smile… It was likely the first time she’d given a real smile at all since she’d met him.
“From this princess of nothing, thank you.” she stated first, because he deserved to hear it a thousand times. “Three days? I’ll take your advice and rest as best I can. Expect me there in three days… with a little buffer of time in case I have goose problems again.”
This… was not expected.
If the puckered brow was anything to suggest as such. With no availability in his head to find any sort of gentle acts of what was most likely useless kindness, he was momentarily cowed. Looking at her with a silent awe. From a means of gratitude and a authentic beam, he felt… terrible.
Add that to the stockpile of things that weren’t supposed to exist in his chest.
Still, it was not his turn to linger as per usual. Even if there was a sarcastic tumble of thought in his head. If she knew who he was, it was doubtful she would be offering any sort of words at all. Rather flinging curses and demanding to know what it was that made the Imperial Queen, his own flesh and blood, behave like a manic beast. Suppose having no real tether to the world, its emotions or actions proved useful for him. It made it so much easier not to find fault or demands between words or thoughts.
No less, he bowed his head formally before rising. Offering a throaty hum at her statement of three days. That to expect her in such a time, though he didn’t say it, he contemplated it. Would it not be easier to just abandon this all…
Not his place.
Merely repeating the nod before returning to his means of departing the cabin as originally intended. Leaving her the cloak at least, he would be able to get another.