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Neutral
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Ronan shook his head when the woman spoke that she did not know the way back. This wasn't the first time people had left the kingdom in hopes of finding something, but Ronan normally avoided them. Very rarely were they girls and even more rare that they meant to return. He huffed in distaste, his face resembling something of an annoyed and disappointed look. However, Ronan stood his ground and while he was in pain, showed no signs of it. He could most likely go back and grow bored and do as he pleased with such an injury, though there was an obvious obstacle in the way. Ronan watched closely as the girl observed Vyrmoth who continued to make a fool of his rider. The black monster showed no signs of being vicious as he lay on the forest ground, which defeated the entire purpose of Ronan giving the go ahead to the woman to leave. You'd thinking munching on dead people would serve as a threat, not a welcome, but Vyrmoth was always being unsuspecting and unpredictable. Ronan closed his eyes for a moment before the woman began speaking. "Your kingdom takes hatchlings from a young age to abuse them into their own ways," Ronan grumbled. He was confused, and his face spoke that for him. While she had froze for a while, she was closer to Vyrmoth than anticipated and that caused Ronan to pull his sword out of the ground. He did not stand in such a way that said he was going to attack her, but rather saying he wanted her gone and he could do worse than what those men had intended. "Great, you've met one. Now leave," Ronan spoke with slight hostility. "Your kingdom is back that way," he said and pointed east with his sword. He continued to observe, taking a few steps closer. Vyrmoth gazed his dark eyes open, looking at the woman. He then lifted his head and breathed deeply, a low grumbling emitting from his throat. Perhaps it was a burp, but the heat of it made Ronan immediately want to stab his companion. Ronan glared hard, his eyes wandering back to the girl. When Vyrmoth lowered his head again, Ronan watched her reach out to touch the beast who had basically fallen asleep right then and there. His heavy body rose and sunk like the heavy waves of an ocean storm with each breath. Ronan looked at the girl, following her hand, and noticing a long scar on her forearm. His eyebrows furrowed in the slightest. No. It wasn't her. Ronan used to thrive in the kingdom. When he was twelve, just about thirteen, he had begun his Rider training. Him and the Princess Adalia were quite close. One day, Ronan could recall the sun being high and beating down on the earth harder than it normally would. The breeze brushed through their hair and they had been sparring with wooden swords. Ronan was the dumb one to think it was a good idea to use dull steel ones, wanting the full effect. He accidentally cut her that day, and since then he had been on his own. But the true familiarity of her made Ronan believe this was truly the Princess. Her hair, her eyes, her clothes... all mature now, yet somehow, Ronan did not feel the need to clarify it. He hummed softly to himself. Unsure of what to say, Ronan reached into one of his pockets of his cotton pants and dug out and old ring he had taken off a dead man a while ago. He tossed it to her. When she spoke again Ronan simply shook his head. This had to be her. No girl had such a fascination with the beasts the way she did. A number of thoughts flooded his mind, but Ronan remained calm and remained to keep them to himself. "It's real gold. Take it - sell it, keep it, but leave," Ronan said once again. "You'll be killed if you don't leave now." Ronan could have been referring to a lot of things - himself, more savages, maybe even Vyrmoth having a sudden change of mind. "Or you'll be killed when the servants see what they've done to your dress," Ronan mumbled, unsure if it was audible or not. His words still pierced the air however. Ronan approached Vyrmoth's side and traced his scales before saying a few words that awakened him. His eyes open and his head rose. Vyrmoth turned his neck to look at his rider. Ronan clicked his tongue like he had done earlier, and the brute rose to his feet and flapped his wings, the created air hitting Ronan's face and ruffling his hair as he took off. Ronan turned his attention back to the woman. "You've seen what you want. Now go," Ronan continued to insist. |
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Neutral
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Adalia watched the man as he tossed the golden ring to her, insisting that she left or that she would be killed. At this moment she did not believe he would hurt her, or the dragon by the looks of the sleeping beast. Why would he kill her after just saving her? The princess had been known her whole life to be a stubborn one, once her mind was set, it was hard to change it. She sighed before looking off in the direction he had pointed, the way home. She knew how long it had taken her to get to this point, it was not going to be safe, especially if she was to get turned around again. As Ronan stepped forward and spoke to his companion, she watched in awe as the beast stood up, taking flight back into the skies. The powerful wind from his wings blew her golden hair around, twisting and twirling. The skirt of her dress rippled against the wind as well. She watched the beast disappear past the trees before looking back to Ronan as he spoke. “It will be dark before I make it near home. I will find a spot to wait out the night” she said, stepping forward and handing the ring back to Ronan, “You can keep this” she added. The girl turned and walked towards the pile of rope she had slipped from, grabbing her dagger that had been tossed from her grasp. She dusted it off before she concealed it again, though as she did so a thought popped into her mind. Adalia turned, a smile on her pulling at the corners. “What if you help me get back, and in return I will get you some supplies. Some food, maybe some new clothes with the winter months approaching?” She offered as she stood, arms clasped before her. “I promise not to bug you, I’ll even sleep away from camp, at least let me repay you by getting some necessities. Then you’ll never have to see me again” she added, her eyes looking at him. That glint in her eyes sparkled, a look she always had, one that made people fall. It was as if you couldn’t say no to her. |
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Neutral
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Ronan watched her closely. He sighed softly, feeling a bit conflicted. Helping her would mean returning to his former home. He was aware nobody would recognize him - the small, scrawny kid now large and broad, his face matured and his scars intimidating. Ronan stood there for what seemed like an eternity before he shook his head. "Fine," he spoke. His tone wasn't disrespectful but it was reluctant. She wasn't wrong - with the cold months approaching rapidly, Ronan was due for new clothes and supplies. Game would almost be completely gone at that point, and Vyrmoth would grow restless by the time Ronan could even find something. While the beast did hunt for himself, very rarely did he leave his territory. Ronan decided this was a behavior that he taught him on accident, as tending to him all those years ago made Vyrmoth a bit more attatched than Ronan had deserved. Ronan played with the ring in his hand for a moment before slipping it back into his pockets. He watched her grab her own dagger, knowing who she was. Ronan felt a slight sense of nostalgia grow from within him. "My camp isn't far from here. I will sleep on the outside and take watch," Ronan said, and made sure his tone was authoritative. He did not have the energy to try bargaining with her. Ronan groaned slightly as he began walking back to what he considered home, but the makeshift shelter would be seen as barbaric and wild. He turned his head every now and again to ensure that the lady was following him. When they reached the camp, Ronan grabbed his own knife out of the shelter and his sheath, grabbing one of the wolf furs for himself. "Use what you'd like," Ronan offered under his breath before he would sit himself against the tree the shelter was built off of, observing the environment. It reminded him of a simpler time - his late father taking him out when he was young to hunt. Ronan never enjoyed it, at least not with him, and now it was all he really knew how to do. Hunt and kill. --- The next morning, Ronan sat restless. His tired eyes found nothing new to observe, which he felt a bit more comforted by. He had built a small fire, allowing the woman to warm up if she had wanted when she woke up. But after a time, Ronan was quick to wake her up. "We're leaving," he huffed, gently shaking her awake. A silver necklace of his dangled, an ancient dragon emblem on the end, which he tucked back into his bloodstained shirt. Ronan sighed softly, gathering the last of what he needed. The walk back would only be a few hours, but with his injury, could be longer. With no food in his system, Ronan could be deemed unfit to comm it to the journey, though the woman would have no way to return. "I'm Ed by the way," Ronan informed her. Obviously a lie, but what else was he supposed to say. Adalia would perhaps recognize him later on, which he still remained a mystery even then. He never knew what the people back home thought of his sudden disappearance, but he was sure he wasn't missed. |
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Neutral
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Adalia’s lips turned up into a smile as the man had finally agreed, though holding a reluctant tone. She nodded as he explained his camp was not far and how he would take watch, and though she felt bad that after saving her and getting wounded in the process, she was not about to argue with him further. She knew she would lose. Adalia picked up her cloak and began to follow, staying just a few paces back to give him his own personal space. She stayed quiet, her eyes focused on what was beyond them, a small tick in the back of her mind that maybe there were more eyes watching. It somewhat reminded her of her childhood, Adalia and her once best friend sneaking beyond the castle walls. They would run off through the woods to a lake they loved to go to. A small hut they had made from sticks and bark, toy wooden swords and targets surrounded the secret get away, the trees a perfect coverage. They would always go on their “adventures” when they could. Maybe that was where her love and curiosity of the forest and beyond came from. Adalia stayed behind the man until they reached his camp. You could tell he had been living there for awhile, and while to her it may have been scraps, to him it was a home. She smiled softly at how put together it was, making the best of the situation. She stood to the side as Ronan grabbed what he would need for the night, soon walking past her to take a seat beside a tree. Adalia sat herself under the overhang of the shelter, settling against a tree before wrapping her cloak around her form. The air was silent as they sat apart, Adalia mainly thinking back to everything that had happened. She also thought about how panicked her family would be, hopefully they would just assume she had locked herself in her room…hopefully. As the sun had begun to dip, Adalia got herself comfortable for the night, wrapping the fabric tighter around her body. Before she let her eyes fall shut, she spoke once more for the night, “Thank you”. With that she settled for the long night, trying to get her mind to slow and fall asleep. It took some time but soon the exhaustion of the day had finally set in, drifting her off into a slumber. She woke a few times through the nights, her dreams feeling as if they were real at moments. When morning came, the princess was still asleep by the time Ronan had set the fire and warmed himself up. Adalia slept on her side facing away from the soft breeze that rustled by. Soon Adalia’s slumber was interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulder, softly shaking her up before Ronan spoke. She groaned softly, her eyes tightening as the sun began to break through. After a moment her long lashes fluttered open softly, meeting the man above her, his silver necklace glinting softly. Her brows furrowed softly, the familiar item being tucked away as her mind still needed to wake. Simply she nodded, rubbing her face softly before she slowly sat up, standing afterwards.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Adalia was not a morning person whatsoever, so their first hour or so were quiet. When they had been miles in, Adalia looked at him as he informed his name was “Ed”. She was sure he probably had no clue who she was, especially if he had lived out here. “Ada" She replied, just deciding to give her nickname in case there was a way he knew.
Soon the two had made it to the edge of the town, the trees thinning to reveal the stone and brick buildings beyond. Adalia paused, slipping her hood up to cover her head, her eyes peeking out from under. “Just act natural” She spoke, looking to Ronan with a smile. Adalia looked to the sun for a moment, the guards shouldn’t be on their runs yet. Adalia just needed to get them into the inner markets and they would be clear, it was the edge of town that was dangerous. “Follow me” She said, now leading the way. Her form slipped through the streets with ease, knowing this place like the back of her hand. Heer smile stayed on her lips, enjoying the sneaky feeling once again. It always felt so freeing. As they made it into the middle of town, Adalia was able to finally slip her hood free, knowing no one here would rat her out. “Feel free to get whatever you need, anything at all” She said as she stopped, looking up to the man beside her. They strolled through the markets, Adalia helping to get him food and goods, some new clothing, anything that would help hold him out. It was quite nice to have someone at her side, spending time with the people she had grown around and loved. They were able to hold a small conversation here and there, just little things, but the longer they were out there, the longer the talks and more personal.
That was when Ronan’s cover had slipped. They had just stopped to grab some pastries to eat, the two running off no breakfast or dinner the night before. She had led them to an older woman’s shop who sold divine tarts and pastries filled with fruits. One bite and it was to die for. When Ronan had exclaimed how delicious they were, reminiscing on how he ate them as a child, Adalia paused. He had chosen the blueberry tart, one she knew no one liked except a few. She stood frozen as she looked at him for a moment, her eyes widening just a bit. That’s it. The necklace, the tart, everything. Quickly she grabbed his sleeve, pulling him harshly around the corner out of the view of others. Dropping her pastry she looked at him wide eyed for a moment before pointing at him.
“I should have known! How couldn’t I?” She began, a smile curving on her lips. “It’s you! Ronan!” She exclaimed. She was certain it was her long lost friend. “I… I can’t believe it is truly you! And you have a dragon! Where the hell have you been for all these years?” She said, her eyes seeming to sparkle with excitement before her arms wrapped around him in a hug, stepping back as he winced. “I have missed you so much!” |
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Neutral
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Ronan had led the pair most of the way until it became familiar terrain to Ada. He followed with ease, almost as if he had been here every single day of his life. He huffed gently at the thought - he had been, up until about a decade ago. Ronan continued to follow her and nodded at her request. Acting normal would be easy enough, he thought. Nobody would possibly recognize him, but rather only see him as a stranger simply passing through.
Ronan followed her through the markets that were clearly familiar to her. She had slipped through the crowds with ease and found herself smiling. Ronan remained stone-faced, mostly expressionless, though most could be surprised considering he was accompanied by the Princess. The thought was rather ironic. There were few memories that had flooded his mind, and he was quick to remember one of his favorite things. There were these pastries, and he could feel the emptiness in his stomach slip away when he had taken a bite into it.
However, that was a risky choice.
"Just like forever ago," he said softly, though still audible for Ada to hear. He was then quick to clear his throat, realizing what he had said. He cursed himself in his head, unknowingly blowing his cover while in the comfort of good food. He gave an unsure smile, but before he knew it, Ada had wrapped herself around him, embracing in a hug. He closed his eyes for a moment, not trying to push her away or refuse the warmth of another human, let alone his childhood best friend.
Ronan had pulled away, taking her hand and dragging her into a small alley between two buildings nearby. A few guards stood outside of the doors, though seemed to be unbothered. He had turned away from them to keep his composure, unsure if having the Princess all to himself could be considered a good look.
"I never ran away, Ada. Your father banished me," he explained softly. He sighed. "Not long after, I found Vyrmoth. It's... uncommon to hear of an outside dragon pair with a rider." He leaned his back against the stone wall of the building, her standing in front of him.
"The raids have been getting worse, especially with winter. Vyrmoth grows restless each day," Ronan added, looking down in some sort of shame. He hated to be the one to request for help, but he wasn't sure what else he could do. The man was injured, dirty, and bloodied hands cupped his own face that wasn't his own. He sighed.
"I shouldn't have come," he finally said again. Ronan stood tall, slightly groaning at the shocking pain in his shoulder. |
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Winter 
Day 
