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Lyo wanted to correct her statement. Their weapons worked amazingly, as they weren't meant to kill the dragon, but to force it to land. He was very proud of his creation. The male had hand crafted each of the spears. After they had contained Eryelite, Lyo didn't want anyone messing up with the little bit of material they had. "Oh I'm sure you would love for me to freeze your body from the inside out." Lyo rolled his eyes, "Sounds a hell of a lot more pleasant than your damned attitude." He snapped back at her. The male could take it, just as much as he could dish it out. Although, he wasn't one to outright insult someone. Unless, they were unrelentingly. Quickly, Lyo backed up from the dragon's body. He was half surprised she hadn't yelled at him for using an unknown vial on the dragon. For all she knew he could have been poisoning the beast. That was far from it though. He'd applied the substance in the vile to help with the bleeding. It would kick in half an hour from now. He hadn't even bothered explaining all of this to the woman. Lyo watched the woman stepped up to him. He glared down at her outstretched hand. "Don't waste your breath, I don't care to know your name." He snapped, a fierce glare still playing on his features. Gregory choked violently for a moment, before clearing his throat. "No, no, no it's all our pleasure, Princess Ethelia." He bowed his head. (WIP I may or may not add more to this lol) |
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(I'll add more if you do) Ethelia had to smother a laugh when she looked at their leader's shocked face. She glared back into Lyo's amber eyes, a smug look on her face as she ignored them both. She was having way to much fun messing with them. She looked around the clearing again, memorizing as many faces as she could, just in case. The ground shook as Aegon rose to his feet, Ethelia's hair blowing in her face as he exhaled. She walked over to the beast as he lowered himself closer to the ground. She climbed up his chest, avoiding the wound, settling down at the base of his neck. Without looking back, she urged Aegon to take flight. It wasn't their prettiest take off, as Aegon struggled slightly to get himself off the ground, but when he did, they soared into the air. She only spared one glance back. The flight home was slower than it should have been, but Ethelia didn't push Aegon to go any faster. She didn't even bother looking where they were, as Aegon knew the way home. She rested her elbows in front of her, her chin in her hand. She sighed, "Should I tell Father about them, bud?" She said, running over the pros and cons in her head. Aegon huffed, his wing beats thundering in the air. She so badly wanted to follow them, find out where they were hiding, but she knew she needed to get Aegon home. Ethelia sighed again, rolling over onto her back, her gaze focused on the clouds. "I should tell him, because of what they did to you. And it's also illegal. But that would just cause a huge fuss and Father wouldn't even let me help." She thought of Lyo's annoying arrogance. "I hope I irritate people like him as much as he irritates me." She muttered to herself, folding her hands behind her head. She finally decided to keep the little secret to herself, for now. If she needed to, she would tell her father, but for now that was going to be her and Aegon's little secret. She spent the rest of the flight home thinking of an excuse for her tardiness and Aegon's injury. She finally settled on blaming it on a flying accident. Ethelia earned many alarmed looks when she walked Aegon into the stables where the dragon's we kept. One of the stablehands appeared from around a corner with a kit of supplies. "What happened to him?" The stablehand asked, pulling out some bandages. He was an older man, in his early forties maybe. "Flying accident. I was trying out a new trick and a tree caught him." She tried to brush it off like it was nothing, besides, the bleeding had noticeably lessened. The stablehand sighed, "You need to be more careful, Ethelia. You could get yourself and Aegon killed if you keep coming up with these deadly 'tricks' of yours." Ethelia bit her tongue to keep her from saying anything. She only nodded her head stiffly and waited for him to finish. "He needs to be on stall rest for a few weeks until that heals up, so no flying until then. I'll have someone check on him every day or so." The stablehand said, packing up the kit. Ethelia tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach at the news, and the burning hatred for those damned hunters. She walked Aegon to his stall and locked him up. "Sorry bud, I'll see you later tonight." She said, stroking his leathery nose. With that, she made her way into the castle to face her father. |
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Although Lyo didn't personally know this woman, Ethelia, as she called herself. He disliked her for the fact she rode on the back of those beasts. Plus, he wasn't a fan of her attitude so that just added to his dislike of her. Lyo was never one to care to know who the latest King was, or their kin. Of course, he wasn't going to recognize the youngest daughter of the King. Hell, it wouldn't have mattered if he was speaking to the King himself. He would have spoke to the King with as much disrespect as he was his daughter. Lyo's deep glare was unwavering, as he watched her climb her pet and take flight without another word. He scoffed, turning towards his large wagon. Greg roughly grabbed his shoulder to turn him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" He shrieked, at Lyo. "I was doing my job, Greg." He hissed at him, glaring down at the man. "That was Princess Ethelia Sonnet for heavens sake!" Greg snapped back, panic in his eyes. Lyo scoffed, "And? Since when do criminals respect those kind of people?" Lyo argued back, motioning toward where the dragon once laid. Greg and Lyo were always at each others necks. Mostly because Lyo did not agree with...well just about anything that came out of Greg's mouth. "You've just endangered the mission! We could all be sentenced to beheading because of your damn mouth!" Greg pointed and accusing finger towards Lyo. Lyo shrugged his broad shoulders, "That's if you're foolish enough to get caught." His jaw clenched tightly. "Were done here, Greg." Lyo's deep voice was final. Lyo spun on his heel, swiftly climbing into the carriage. Alaric was quick to follow him, climbing in next to his brother. The rest of the hunters were quick to disperse. Each going their separate ways. Lyo was fuming. If Greg hadn't put his worst look out man to do a simple job, they wouldn't have made this mistake. Here Greg was throwing the blame on Lyo, as if this was his fault. They messed up the moment, they speared a dragon with a rider. That was not Lyo's fault, they were suppose to have someone checking the skies, for riderless dragons. The boy Greg put on that job proved to be incompetent. Lyo's comments to the Princess was not what was going to get them thrown in jail. Halfway through the ride to the drop off location, a large Harpy Eagle made an appearance. It spotted the two men and made a quick turn. Alaric put an arm out, for the eagle to perch. The eagle was quick to land, gripping it's talon's into Alaric's leather armor. Another one of the male's tamed creatures. Lyo pushed the horses to their max. Reaching the stable, he pulled in. Quickly dismounting he didn't bother uttering a word to the stablehand. They knew what needed to be done. "Where are you going?" Alaric called out to his brother. "To clear my mind." Lyo shouted back, as he exited the stables. Leaving his brother to care for the large bear, and eagle that were following the carriage closely. The group of dragon hunters would have to lay low for awhile. There was no doubt in Lyo's mind that once the Princess made it home, she'd alert her father. The city would be crawling with guards within a few hours, on the lookout for said dragon hunters. This particular hide out, was not within the city walls. The small village was just outside the city limits, so he wasn't too worried just yet. The unfortunate part for Lyo was he hadn't bothered pulling up his hood and mask to hide his identity. She knows what he looks like. Hell, Lyo's features were pretty distinguishable. His sheer height wasn't of any help either. Throwing the door of the pub open, the loud chatter filled his ears. Finding his usual table he settling into the chair. He was a regular at the pub, so they were quick to bring him his usual drink. Lyo just needed a moment to think. |
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Ethelia widened her steps as she hurried to the throne room where her mother and father were sure to be. She kept repeating the lie of what had happened in her head, thinking over how she would say it to make it sound believable. The two guards stationed outside the huge double doors dipped their heads to her, opening the grand doors for her to enter. She had no idea who they were, and never bothered to find out. She was immediately pinned with her father's piercing stare, enough to make her want to cower away. Ethelia threw her shoulders back, her chin held high as she approached her father, his green eyes filled with anger. "Ethelia. You're late." Her father's deep voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I know." She said evenly, meeting his glare with just as much fire. No apologies. "Shall I have that damned beast killed?" He asked, knowing it would rouse a reaction. Ethelia bit down on her tongue to keep her from saying something she would regret. It was all empty threats, he had threatened to kill Aegon many, many times. But she knew he wouldn't. One of the few things her father cared for where dragons. "I think that is unnecessary." She tried to keep her voice level. "Well then you'd better give me a good reason why you are tardy." His voice was laced with authority, leaving no room for an argument. "I was out flying and Aegon got caught on a tree branch, he fell and got cut up some. I had to let him rest and recover from the shock before we could fly back home. He was slower than usual." The lies rolled off of her tongue one after another. She hated lying about the hunters, but she wanted to investigate more before she reported them. Her father made a disappointed sound but didn't argue. "Your siblings are already in their classes, you'd better hurry along. If I don't have word that you have arrived in your classes in the next hour, you will be punished accordingly." Ethelia nodded, turning her back to leave. "Change out of those filthy clothes first." The King spoke again, his voice laced with disgust. Ethelia hurried out of the throne room, quickly changing into a simple dress before rushing to her classes. The last thing she wanted was for her father to suspect something. |
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This is usually one of the spots Lyo hung out at when he needed to think. It was no where near quiet, but he didn't need quiet to problem solve. His large hand swallowed the cup whole. His glare sweept the room, as he took a sip of his ale. He was half paying attention, half thinking. Gregory should be the one thinking of their next steps, but Lyo didn't trust him. There had been plenty of times Lyo disagreed with a plan Greg had come up with. Splitting the group of hunters in half. They could lay low for a few months, but they had to figure out more than just that. Like what are they to do if some of the mens are arrested. What they were doing was beyond illegal, and could get them all beheaded if they were caught. The good thing was, there was much too many of them for her to have memorized their faces. Plus, some did have their hoods up, hiding their identities. He also would have noticed a giant dragon following them, if she did follow them. Which he was sure she hadn't. He'd come up with something at some point. He always did. The male was clever. (Sorry short having a bit of writers block) |
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Ethelia suffered the rest of her day in her classes, learning about the proper etiquette, the different houses in the court, and about a million other things she had already forgotten. By the time her classes were finished, it was well after midday, but she still had a few hours to kill before dinner. She wanted to go out on another fly, maybe see if she could find any more information on the hunters, but there was no way anyone would let her take Aegon out after what had happened today, and she didn't want to hurt him even more. She did remember that there were dragons available without permanent riders that she could take out for a few hours, she could search around, and make it back before dinner. Ethelia hurried to her room to change into the clothes she wore earlier, informing a maid of where she was, just in case. Ethelia walked back out to the stables, visiting Aegon for a few minutes to check on his wound. The bleeding had noticeably slowed, only a small amount of blood had soaked through the bandages. She pet his nose and ambled off to where the 'lesson mounts' were kept. These dragons were normally used for newer riders learned to fly, or just for anyone who wanted to use them. Ethelia picked out one of the smaller females, one that was labeled as a 'tracking dragon'. She figured that would come in handy if she found anything on the hunters. Most dragons were ridden under saddle, but Ethelia had chose not to train Aegon under a saddle. She liked having the freedom of movement without a hunk of leather in the way. But, most of these dragons were saddle trained, so she saddled up and hopped on. Ethelia didn't normally like riding other dragons, as her and Aegon were very used to each other, so it took her a few tries to gets used to everything. When she was mostly comfortable, they took to the skies. She had memorized where she was on the way back home earlier, so she retraced where her and Aegon had been only hours earlier, and within a few minutes she found the clearing where Aegon had been shot down. Ethelia landed about a half a mile away, wanting to remain undetected in case the hunters were still lingering in the forest somewhere. She walked the rest of the way to the clearing, the dragon following her. Not to her surprise, the clearing was completely empty, no signs that a dragon was brought down here only a few our earlier besides the bloodstained grass and wagon wheel tracks. Ethelia scanned the clearing, trying to decide how to track them. She wanted to track the leader of the group, but he had left nothing that could help track his scent. None of the hunters had actually. Not even the man who had pushed her. Lyo. She recalled. Then she remembered the huge bear that had been with them. Ethelia started searching the forest floor for any signs of the bear. Someone had to have taken it with them, which would lead her right to them. There was no hair or pieces of it's armor anywhere, but she found a set of bear prints in the mud, right next to a horse's. "Someone definitely took him." She said, mostly to herself. She brought the dragon over, showing her the tracks. The dragon sniffed at them, eyes lighting up as she caught scent of the bear. Ethelia hopped on the dragon's back and let her to the work. |
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Seeing as Lyo had ditched his brother, Alaric had to deal with the animals. The stable hand knew how to put away the wagon, back to its original form. Although, Lyo would have to patch up the spear. Since he only broke one chain link, he only had to fix one link. The spear itself would have be tested to make sure it was still working properly, then reassembled in the large makeshift crossbow. It was time consuming, but slowly Lyo was created an efficient, lethal weapon. A weapon all dragons would begin to fear. The dragon hunters didn't travel in groups. That attracted unwanted attention. Each of the wagons had hidden areas stretched out among miles. It was too difficult to conceal those wagons in one area. The hunters didn't have one set area that was their hideout. They did have a meet up location, but it changed every so often. When they had reached the town, Torrin the enormous Kodiak bear took off down a hidden path. That path lead to the brothers secluded cabin. Near the cabin was a large building made of stone. Lyo and Alaric built with their bare hands from the bottom up. The building was meant to prevent ruin from dragon fire. Wooden buildings were very much susceptible to dragon fire and would come down with a single spark. The large stone building housed a multitude of animals. Although, the tamed beasts did not spend their entire day enclosed. They had free range of the wilderness, but some choose not to leave. Keeping close to their humans. Their humans being Alaric and Lyo. Beast taming was a dying craft. In all the brothers years and travels they've never meet another human with tamed beasts like theirs. The stone building wasn't just a safe haven for their animals, but Lyo's lair. His lair being a large workshop. Parchment papers strewn about the road, some hung on the walls with daggers. A multitude of weaponry, some one of a kind. The inventor being Lyo. Would he share his crafts with the public? Absolutely not. They were his inventions. He'd use them as he pleased. He usually liked to improve his inventions the best he could, adding and removing pieces. Seeing what worked best and what didn't work. Creating lethal weapons of war with his bear hands. The workshop had a large forge that was running 24/7, making the room immensely hot. The kind of heat that made you sweat instantly with one step in. Alaric wasn't a fan of the forge so he didn't normally go downstairs to his brothers workshop. Plus, the room was pad locked. Alaric worked to remove the armor off Torrin. His hands quickly working to unbuckle the strap around the bears chest. Torrin nipped at Alaric's tunic. "Stop it, Torrin." There was humor in the males voice as he spoke to the animal. Torrin snorted, shaking his thick fur as the armor was lifted off him. "There you go." Alaric chuckled, as he hauled the heavy armor away. Putting it away in its respect spot. The armor was of course another hand crafted invention of Lyo. It took months, but it was worth it, as it's saved the bears life on a few occasions. Kodiak bears weren't easy to kill, add armor into the mix and the odds of winning against Torrin were easily zero. The armor itself was unique and one of a kind. Who makes armor for animals? No one. Besides Lyo. Torrin clambered over to one of the beams, rubbing back against it. His sharp claws clacking against the stone floor. Alaric chuckled at the animals antics. The male walked over to the stables. Peaking over he glanced at the horses. They owned about five large war horses. They bred them, to make some money on the side. War horses like theirs were not cheap. The bloodline was sought after. Gathering some hay, he began cleaning out their waters and passing out their food. He hummed a tune, while he worked to care for the animals. He left one of the large barn doors a jar, in case Torrin wanted to leave for the night. The building was large and almost maze like. Many large enclosures within. Most if not all were empty. That was the thing about beast taming. These animals were still wild at heart, there was no such thing as keeping them captive. As long as the animals were able to hunt on their own they were allowed to go as they pleased. At the end of day almost all of them returned at some point. Some were a little more attached to the men and stuck around most days following them on their travels and such. Torrin was one of the attached animals, only leaving for meals if the men didn't provide a deer carcass for them. Alaric went around doing his rounds to end the night. Torrin following closely behind where ever he could fit his giant body. Alaric was much shorter than his foster brother, Lyo, standing at 5ft 10in. The two men were drastically the opposite of each other. Alaric was fair skinned, shaggy brown hair, and Forrest green eyes. Even personality wise they were different. Alaric was an extrovert, and Lyo was introverted. Yet, the two got along well. (Sorry I got nothing for Lyo right now lol, so I'm using Alaric right now XD) |
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Ethelia scanned her surroundings as the dragon walked on, nose to the ground. She noticed they were coming up on a small town, one she didn't recognize. It was too small to be on any of the maps, but she thought she would have noticed it since it was so close to her home. She dismounted the dragon. She knew leading a dragon into a town that small would not only cause chaos, but also draw more attention than she wished. The ground was muddy from the rain a few days ago, but she was unable to make out any bear tracks that were mingled with the others. Ethelia finally decided to just walk into the little town and see if she could find anything herself. After all, if a whole group of dragon hunters were hiding out here, it shouldn't be too hard to track them down. And she could always ask the locals if they had seen anything, since she knew who she was looking for in specific. Ethelia walked the dragon away into the woods until she was sure no one would find her and tied her to a tree, making it very clear that she was to stay there, knowing she could easily chew through the reins. The dragon laid down and curled up into a somewhat little ball, her eyes closing as she fell asleep. Ethelia made her way back to the town, pulling her hood up too conceal her features. Even though she was the forgotten daughter of the King, some people still managed to recognize her here and there. She doubted anyone here would, but she wanted to be safe, as the whole town knowing she was a princess would also draw unnecessary attention. The townsfolk bustled right past her, not concerning themselves with the stranger, too busy with work to even bother. Ethelia tried to nonchalantly look down at the tracks, trying to find a bear's in the mix. The small town only consisted of a few homes, a small market and blacksmith, with some other miscellaneous buildings scattered throughout. She walked up and down every street of the damned town and found nothing. Not even a clue of where they could be hiding. Annoyed and defeated, she stopped her pacing and leaned up against a building, feeling foolish for coming here. As she looked up she noticed a small building that looked rather packed with people, noticing after looking closer that it was a pub. A very small, dirty, disgusting, wretched looking pub. Ethelia shrugged, noticing the weight of the coins in her pocket. She could go for a quick drink before she left. She opened the doors to the pub and was immediately suffocated by the stench of alcohol and bodies, trying her hardest not to gag at the stench. The pub was packed full of people as she weaved her way through the crowd and sat at the only empty table left. Someone quickly brought her a mug of ale, and she sniffed it before she took a sip. Watery and nearly flavorless, but it would do. Her table was in the far corner of the pub, and if that didn't keep people away, her irritated glare definitlely did. She had learned easily when she was young how to keep people from talking to you. She scanned the room, unsurprisingly, not seeing any familiar faces. Until her eyes landed on a mop of curly black hair. Her heart both jumped to her throat and fell to her toes as she tried to convince herself it wasn't him. But then she looked closer at his amber eyes and swore under her breath. Ethelia pulled her hood farther over her head, quickly tucking her hair behind her shoulder to avoid being noticed. This was what she had wanted though, to find him. All she wanted to do was talk to him, even just to spit the words at his feet, so he knows how she felt and that one more wrong move and he would be dead before he could run. She had actually wanted to catch him off guard and hold a knife to his throat, but that option didn't seem to be available at this time, so she would settle with talking. She kept her gaze in her mug of ale as the cowardly part of her prayed he wouldn't see her. |
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The pub was quickly growing louder and more crowded. This pub was the go to location for the end of the night when everyone was finishing up their work day. It wasn't like there was much for entertainment in this shabby town. The town was basically dead to the big city next door. None of those city dwellers really adventured out down here. It wasn't as if the small town was far either. Lyo never bothered glancing up each time the doors to the pub swung open as people entered. The population was ridiculous small, so everyone knew everyone. Well, they were aware of each other. Not everyone was a friendly town-goer wanting to get to know their neighbors and such. Lyo and Alaric had moved here about five years ago, yet not a single person in this town knew anything about the two men. Only that Lyo was a hot-headed asshole and Alaric was a friendly happy-go-lucky man. Quite the duo they were. Hell, the town people couldn't even tell you where the two men lived, as they would simply disappear into the thick forest growth that surrounded the village. They were completely oblivious to the giant creatures the two men took under their wing. Lyo's striking amber gaze was trained on a painting that was on the opposite wall. The muscles in his arms bulged as he crossed on the table. One hand swirling the ale in his mug. A few ideas had come to him. When the time came he'd set them into action. He'd been sitting there for a few hours now at this point. Simply thinking, strategizing a cunning plan of action. The pub doors swung open again for the hundred time tonight. Lyo dragged his gaze over to the man approaching. None other than Alaric, his brother. Alaric sent a goofy smile to his foster brother, as he approached. Lyo's glare remained, unwavering as he watched his brother. Alaric pulled the chair out across from Lyo before plopping himself down with a huff. "Got the horses situated. No thanks to you." Alaric snatched his brothers mug from his hand and began chugging the rest of its contents. Setting it back down, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Lyo rolled his eyes at him. "Because it would kill you to do it this once." His tone bored. As if sensing the arrival of Alaric, the same woman that had served Lyo his drink earlier, scurried over to bring new mugs to the men. Alaric voiced his thanks, and Lyo simply slid a few coins into her hand. "I'll be right back." Lyo stood up to his full height, announcing his departure. He'd been drinking consistently since he first arrived. In desperate need to relieve himself. He wasn't even close to be drunk, or tipsy for that matter. Being his size, it would take an elephant sized jug of ale to give him a buzz. If anything ale just made him fuzzy and warm inside. A feeling he quite enjoyed from time to time. Gripping the low beam with his large hand, he ducked his head. The building clearly was made for average sized people. Not very 6ft 6in friendly. The crowd of people parted like the red sea, as he made his way towards the exit. A deep glare living rent free on his features as he glanced at the people who moved out of his way. Stepping out, the breeze hit his skin. Blowing his cloak back slightly. Making his way to the back of the building, he made a bee line towards the forest. He didn't bother going to far in to relieve himself. The perks of being a man. You can pee anywhere. Pausing at a tree trunk, he leaned one arm onto the trunk. He sighed, as he relieved himself. |
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Ethelia sipped on her ale, watching customers come and go. The pub was packed considering the size of the town, but it didn't surprise her this many people were gathering here at this time of night. She didn't fail to notice Lyo's smaller counterpart slip and and take a seat next to his brother, friend, or whatever they were. She hadn't caught the man's name in the forest, but she didn't really care as she tried to watch the two without getting caught. The man seemed to be trying to crack some jokes, those of which weren't enough to shake Lyo's 'I'm trying to look tough' scowl. Ethelia had just finished the last drop of the mediocre ale when someone sat down next to her, a middle aged man with long brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He winked at Ethelia, enough to make her want to vomit up the ale she had just finished. She quickly stood up and found the girl who had delivered her the mug, placing a few coins in her hand as she slipped through the crowd, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by multiple people. "Filthy slugs." She muttered under her breath as she made her way to the pub doors. Ethelia glanced back as she opened the door, hearing a sudden uproar. Sounded like a bar fight was about to commence. She didn't have time to finish her thoughts as she ran into what felt like a solid brick wall. "Watch where you're going-" She hissed, but the rest of her words died in her throat when she realized who exactly she had just ran into. Every one of Ethelia's instincts told her to get out and forget this had ever happened, but the prideful part of herself made her take a step back and forced her eyes up to his. She put of the mask of icy calm she had mastered over the years as she stared up into his amber eyes, daring him to say something. (Sorry for kinda short post) |
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Spring 
Night Weather: 
Clear Moon: 
