Royal Blood

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RoyalBlood
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:54 pm

Royal Blood

Post by RoyalBlood » Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:46 pm

I take in a long deep breath of sweet forest air. I am standing alone on a simple dirt path nestled somewhere deep within the forest. I admire a bright orange leaf as it flutters down from the tree tops swaying in a gentle breeze until the leaf finnally lands joining the leaf drifts that have built up along the sides of the trail. Above me, the warm sun glows through the trees as the leaves rustle gently with the passing of a cooling breeze. All around me there are the pleasant chirping of birds and the occasional rustle of some animal moving by. I feel content. I feel at peace.

As I stand in the middle of the road my golden flaked eyes slowly pan towards the west where I see something moving towards me. It's a buck with an impressively bold pair of antlers that the buck displays with a prideful tilt of his chin in an upward direction as he strolls towards me seeming unconcerned with my presence.

He continues his imperialistic stride until he is but feet away, so close that I consider running my fingers through the creatures fur. Would I be so bold as to touch something as magnificient as he? Before I can decide the buck stops in front of me, his eyes shifting to stare at me. I swallow nervously feeling a hint ashamed for thinking about touching the beast at all. I feel like he can sense this shame. It only makes me feel worse.

As I stare at he, and he at me the buck all at once lowers himself. His proud chin coming just above the ground as the noble beast bows before me. There he lingers, eyes closed in a respectful gesture I am not unprepared for. Caught up in the gravity of the gesture, I forget who I am.

I am Queen. I swallow nervously as I recall now that I am more than my humble origins.

"Rise" I say, and so rises the buck. So close to me, his stature towers above me. A creature so noble I feel as if it is I who am unworthy. The buck looks at me once more As if he knows my mind he seems to offer me a smirk and closes the gap between us leaning down to nudge my hand up until it is placed on his side. He then strides around me, allowing my hand to brush through his course noble fur.

A soft smile touches my lips as i grow more comfortable. I remember and can feel the crown on my head, a slim elegant band of adamantine that shines like the silver light of the moon against my bluish tinged hair. With greater confidence I stroke the bucks fur, honored that he would allow me such a privilege

Eventually the buck moves off and I am left alone on the path beaming with pride. I continue to walk, and as I do I begin to notice that the sun is fading quickly. Within minutes the warm glow of the sun vanishes leaving dusky shadow. I feel a pang of fear as my walk slows to a halt. I cannot see. Now the breeze that blows through the forest holds a tinge of bitter cold. I shiver, my ears twitching as the things that once seemed pleasant to me have now become ominous.

As I stand blind and chilly my ears twitch again. I can hear something approaching, boots crunch through the leaves. Crunch crunch crunch! The sound grows louder and more abundant as it becomes obvious that there was more than one of whatever was approaching. I hold my breath, my eyes straining to see into the dark as I murmur a small prayer to Correllon for safety.

All at once, the crunching stops. It is silent, not even a cricket is bold enough to chirp nor a leaf rustle in the trees.

As I stand, I see something tumble towards me. It makes a hollow sound as it thumps across the path, bouncing off a rock then coming to rest at my feet. I am provided some moment of clarity as my eyes focus on what lays before me. It is a skull.

I swallow hard, the black sockets where eyes once were staring up at me. I know this skull. It is the skull of a sun elf, one I slew long ago. A kin who had chosen to side with a demon and attack my companions and I. I had always kept his skull for I removed his head after I slew him and kept the skull to remember his betrayal.

As I stare, the crunching sound of boots moving towards me begin again as figures begin to emerge from the forest around me. They are all kin, but none of them friendly. One of them, covered in tatoos and battered with one gleaming eye approaches me with an amused smirk. I hear her snicker as she comes to stand just inches away from me. I would expect to feel the warmth of her body but there is nothing but icey cold!

She murmurs to me "Hail my queen." the words from her lips as cold as her body. She leans forward then to kiss me, her soft lips sending a chilling rush through me. As my lips remain locked with hers I feel a metal bite around my stomach. A dagger, I feel my flesh break across the wicked metal as I let out a cry of pain. Deeper and deeper this blade cuts into my flesh. I stumble backwards while pushing her away then grapple for my sword as the other shadowy figures move towards me.

The shadows laugh with insane delight, these betrayer kin, their faces known to me. Fallen children of Correllon, those who cursed themselves out of hate for the blood in their own veins! As they approach me, their wicked laughter echos through the air, they each draw a lesser moonblade. Cretins, all of them!

The shadows retract and I am on my knees. Blood drips from me Into the soil. My body aches.

"I tried to save you." I murmur, too weak to lift my head towards the single shadow that remains over my head. In response the shadow snickers at me. "Your mercy is the blade the has felled you." The shadow replies as I see a flicker of momevent in the shadows. It was the movement of a blade that soon comes to cut across my throat.

I lose the ability to stay on my knees. I fall on my stomach and feel my life force draining out from me. As I feel myself slipping away I hear the voices of my kin

"Show them mercy. Do not be like them." The voices of my kin grow louder, all around me they repeat "Mercy Mercy mercy mercy" they all say it now, so many voices I cannot place them all to faces as I bleed out. "You can't torture drow!" "The drow can be saved! Mercy! Mercy!"

I let loose a wet cough, I can taste the coppery sensation of blood in my mouth as I draw in a final breaths. The last sight I see is the body of the scout that died. Her delicate features are hiddeously bloated. She was bruttally drowned by forest ogres. My heart fills with rage but I have not the strength to move. All I see are her cold dead eyes. They stare at me, and I stare back.

Above me I hear the lamenting of my people "You can't torture ogres! Let the gnolls live! Let the ogre go free! This drow is a good one! Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!"

"Mercy is the blade that has felled you." I hear repeated in my ear. Darkness consumes me.

...

My eyes snap open as I lurch upwards in my bed sucking in as much air as I can muster! My upward jolt is halted by the arms of my partner that are draped over me in bed. I let out a sigh of relief as my skin tingles with warmth and my mind reminds me that I am not dead.

I hug my resting partner tightly, my heart thundering in my chest. The dreams of my reverie are becoming more distinct. Even in my dreams I am not free of the duties of being queen. I release a sigh as my mind wanders to all of my kin who have since come home.

It's all worth it.

I am safe.

I relax back into the bed steadying my breath. There was wisdom in my dream. Wisdom I perhaps felt to be true. My stomach churns a bit. There are many difficult choices to make on the horizon.

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