Re: The Exiled Traveller (Open, mature)

[Rose for the Hunter]

"My name is Thorn, I'm one fo the sons of the great dragon and of course I will protect her she's my master and my freind" said Thorn shifting back to his horse form completely "we should get moivng then, I hate causing trouble" she said hiding the pendant again as the dragon on it gave a slight growl and moved around the gem more.
"We can take a short cut through the forest but we'll have to camp there, on the plus side there's plenty of food for the night" she said
Thorn looked to her 'did you jsut hear what he said" "yes I did, that's why we need to make sure we get there quickly plus i'm sure that we can all make it through there realtively easily, now come on" she said "Also they wouldn't expect us to go there since that's the last place we should go and before you say a thing, I can look after myself that goes for all of you" she said and Thorn sickered boobing his head slightly as they headed towards the forest ducking under a few branches in the process and guided Thorn towards the best place since she knew it would be getting dark soon.
The forest was light and had nearly every shade of dream one could ever imagine. Thorn treaded across a small river and waited for the other and both him and Kris looked back.
"Young miss, I don't think that dragon likes me" THorn shifted slightly "who would Mage?" "See?" Kris didn't say anything and just urged Thorn forward and he noded and walked forward heading towards a slope. She really didn't trust this mage despite the fac the was probably right. "You two comming?" She looked up the slope and then Thorn began climbing up with a slight rear and when they got to the top she jumped down and Thorn reared and streatched his dragon wings turning into a silver horse-dragon.
The mage looked up seeing Thorn take off to go hunt for himself quickly as she set up camp making a small fire.

[Guest]

Eric followed her up the slope and dismounted. The mage also followed on his disk like object. Eric watched as Thorn changed and flew off. "What do we call you Mage?" Eric asked. One could not keep calling him Mage.

"You can call me Seth. My name is a bit hard to pronounce and I have become known as Seth." He watched also as Thon took off to hunt.

Eric looked at Kris as she began making camp. The Knights of Light would have to be brought together. The Dark Riders of old had been formable groups that had spread terror and death thorugh out the kingdoms. Kris would need more protection then just him and her horse dragon, no matter how capable she was of taking care of herself.

As Thorn flew high above the forest, along the road they had been traveling he could see a group of riders, all dressed in black riding hard in the direction that they had just come from. They rode past the place that Eric, Seth, and Kris were at.

[Rose for the Hunter]

Thorn had spotted them and after he came back with his meal Kris walked over "any news?" " your estimate might have to be changed and there were strange riders, all dressed in black" "Shesh, those guys sure act fast" she said raising an eyebrow.. Thorn flicked his now dragon like tail and helped her with the fire smiling as she rubbed him behind the ear. "Do you two have blankets for tonight, we'll have to stay here" she said as she settled her bow beside her "Thorn, where is the nearest deer herd?" "not too far off, bit to the north but.. those riders were heading there" "then you'll go hunt for us" she said as she untacked Thorn to make it easier for him and he shook his coat.

"Riders dressed in all black huh, you should know what they are Knight and what fortell should I call you two anyway, I don't have any names?" said Seth. "My name is Kris, this is Thorn and that's my freind Eric" she said as the hung the sadlle and bridle on a thick low branch of a tree keeping her saddle bags beside her. She then jumped onto the bare back of Thorn "Ill be back in a bit ok, no horse can even hope to keep up with Thorn so I'll be fine" she said and picked up her bow and arrows.

[Guest]

Dark Riders already in the southern kingdoms. That did not bode well. News of their deeds would reach the headquarters of the Knights of Light. But that would probably be to late. If they were like those of the past, death and destruction would reign.

"You should not venture out alone." he told her. "The Dark Riders are not just a bunch of murderers and the like. They are a unit. A mage of power, a cleric, thief, and a couple warriors, all well seasoned. Even Thorn would be no mach for them, for they surely will have magical weapons and the mage will have spells that will kill." He looked at Kris and then at Thorn.

[Rose for the Hunter]

She jumped down adn took the pendant off putting in his hand "I'm not going to far and Thorn can out run them if need be" she jumped bck onto Thorn "and I've been in these woods before plenty times so I know my way around them, the deer herd isn't far off and it only take one arrow" she then urged Thorn on and headed for the herd being very quiet.
She drew her bow once they were near and aimed quickly letting the arrow hit the neck of a deer. The rest of the herd paniced and she quickly went over adn pulled the deer onto Thorn's back quickly being careful not to make a sound and spoke to Thorn in a hushed tone asking him what he knew about the pendant, dark riders everything really.
She then jumped onto Thorn's back and began walking back silently as she picked up her bow and arrows she spotted something. It was strange nad Thorn didn't like it so she just left it for now and headed back to camp.

[Guest]

Eric took the pendent and rubbed a thumb over it's surface. The covenent that it represented was ment to help protect New Freed if it was necessary. But the way it had been done created a real disaster in the making. That was why it needed to be hidden and protected. Such a small thing that could bring ruin and destruction down upon all the Kingdoms.

"Strange that such a thing could spell doom for so many." Seth said.

Eric had to agree to that and nodded his head. He was a bit worried though. If the Queen had found it necessary to give it to a trusted retainer, then she knew something was up, or was it because she had once been one of Darkon the First's generals in the great war. She had been forced to serve him or have the entire Elven kingdom burned to the ground by a strange creature that was also one of Darkon the First's general. Was she still alive or was she now dead. He thought of Kris now being the guardian of the covenent. She was headstrong and an excellent bowman, but she would need more then that and Thorn to protect it.

A small huddled mass tried to make herself as small as possible as she saw the strange dragon like creature being rode by some one. She had seen some strange thing in the past few days. Dark clad riders, that were not to nice. Entire families had been murdered, after being questioned by them. Now a strange dragon like creature. She was a thief, running from the law, just barely keeping ahead of them. She was glad when the creature and rider moved on, but it had gone in the direction she was traveling. She only hoped she would not run into it.

[Rose for the Hunter]

She jumped off when they were close "see I told you I'd be fine, I'm not so clumsy that I'd let anything know where I was" she said and pulled the deer off Thorn who helped her skin it before she jumped up into a tree and pulled down some branches "heads up" she said adn Thron moved quickly a few of them almost hit Eric. "I did say heads up" she said as she jumepd back down picking up the brnaches.
After a while the deer was cooked and she wrapped up leftovers stuffing them in her saddle bags. she gave everyone their equal shares and leaned back against Thorn thinking about what she had heard and seen on the way back to camp thinking carefully and Thorn lay his head down falling asleep and she ruffled his forlock smiling.
"did either of you see anyone near here earlier, on the way back I heard something and Thorn seemed rather uncomfortable about what ever it was as well" she said and took a small bite of the cooked food.
"think we'll be leaving early?" she asked and stroked Thorn's head which lay beside her

[Guest]

(sorry about the slowness of posting. Been sick. Some kind of sinus infection that has me couphing and unable to sleep)

Both Eric and Seth shook their heads at her question. Eric moved up to her and placed the pendent about her neck once more. "This belongs with you." he said softly. "Your family was chosen by the old Queen so there is a reason for it." Leaving early would be best. They needed all the time they could to travel.

Sora made her way along the ridge line, keeping off the road. She didn't want to get caught by the local authorties nor did she want to meet up with the strange riders she had seen. But she stumbled onto the camp of Eric, Kris, and Seth. She cursed under her breath and tried to move away quietly, but her foot stepped on a twig and it snaped. "Shit." she mumbled and was about to make a run for it.

[Rose for the Hunter]

"Thank you" she said "and I know that my father said the same thing many years ago,I'm guessing we're leaving early then we need t travel a good deal quickly" she looked to the sky as she said it."and she must be old now, I guess" she muttered and jumped slightly hearing a twig snap, taking up her bow pulling an arrow from her quiver and slowly getting to her feet "come out or I'll shoot" she said pointing her arrow at exactly where she was and could easily kill her at this point. Thorn growled standing ready to attack standing behind Kris.

She had hidden her pendant again getting a feeling it might be stolen from her. For Kris her pendant was more than just a coevent that protected New Freed but it was something ehr father had passed onto her and her mother adn was the last thing she had of her family now. Her mother had moved to New Freed as well in order to meet Kris so she was heading that way anyway.
Her mother was very good at sewing and could make small tapestrys and reapair things very well leaving no trace and had learned to repair some bits of armour from the blacksmiths of her old village to help her father. "Kris is taking her time, she might have ran into trouble" muttered her mother
(no worries,hope you get better)

[Guest]

Sora stopped in her tracks at the sound of Kris' voice. The growl from the strange beast that looked to have been in horse form was even a more powerful reason for her to stop. She slowly turned to face the three, "I mean no harm, an want no trouble. I did not mean to intrude on your camp and only wish to go my way."

Seth moved forward having a spell ready if he needed to use it. "Ahhhhhh I remember you." he held out his hand as if motioning her to give something to him.

"Oh shit." Sora muttered. "Knew there was something about you that felt wrong." she produced a small bag and tossed it to him.

"She is a thief and quite a skilled one to have taken this from me a couple of days ago." he gave her a gentle push towards the camp. "Looks like we have a guest for the night."

"Perhaps longer." Eric said. "She has seen us and if caught......." Seth nodded. Eric turned to Kris and Thorn. "See yon horse." he told Sora, "He will devour you if you try to escape. Thorn if you would be so kind to show her."

[Rose for the Hunter]

Kris moved away slightly and Thorn growled feircely showing his rows of teeth and acid drool , he was still actaully munching on a bone from his earlier meal and just crushed it like paper in his jaws. Kris lowered her bow watching Thorn. It was hard to beilive anyone thought this creature was a horse considering his grey fur had turned to scales and his eyes red. He looked more of a dragon now as well. "If your hungry we have some leftovers from our earlier meal, Also if you try anything, also he bites strangers" she said simply putting the arrow back in her quiver and tossing SOra some cooked meat from earlier adn then gave Htorn a bit and stroked his muzzle in which he turned into a baby and nuzzled her getnly eating the meat off her palm and an evil smile appeared on his muzzle and streatched his dragon wings folding them before he lay beside Kris as she sat back down clearly not trusting this new person now she knew Sora was a theif.
"What's in that bag?" she asked Seth looking to him as she talked and THorn lay his head back beside Kris chewing on a bone like a dog rather happily chewing it to get to the bone marrow.

New Freed...
Her mother had a guest "Oh Eva, how nice to see you again" an elf in very posh clothes walked in she was a bit old but still stunning "Sara, how lovely, I heard what happened Is Kris ok?" "she's travelling I moved here and sent her a message and she said she'll come back when she can, also she has that promise with you to keep"

[Guest]

"Oh nothing much at the moment." He put his hand in the bag and then his whole arm. "It is a bag of holding, something that I hold quite dear to me as there are not many of them around. This one can hold a room full of stuff." he pulld his hand out, then tied it to his belt.

Sora caught the cooked meat looking at it. She had not eaten in a couple of days as she dared not stop and try to catch and cook something. She sat down and devoured the meat, licking her fingers when it was done. She looked at all three of them and wondered why they wanted their presence to be unknown. Were they on the run? But that could not be, not with one of them being a Knight of Light. She recgonized the emblem he bore. She looked at them suspiciously. "Now why would you not want your presence know?"

[Rose for the Hunter]

Kris looked at the bag curiously "So you could practically anything but a house in there?" she said to Seth getting used to him being around by now.He was really odd for being a half dark elf even Thorn thought so.

Thorn lifted his head up when Sora asked the question "Because, there have been a lot of robbers taking things from travellers and me and my master do not wish to run into any trouble since we have certain things we do not wish to be taken" he said in a deep voice and then went back to chewing his bone keeping an eye on Sora to make sure she didn't go near the pendant or try to steal it from Kris. "Also, it's somethign I promised to show the elven queen after a certain amount of time" she said "and we are not on the run, you've guessed that atleast... but apart from robbers there are other unsavoury characters which none of us wish to meet" said Kris

[Guest]

Sora snorted a bit. "So you have valuables that you wish to hide." she grinned. "From the crusades Knight? I bet there was plenty of loot from there." her eyes twinkled.

"No." Eric said quietly, "Nothing from that False Crusade." he gave her a stern look, one that told her much about how he felt about the Crusade. "So lets just leave it at we don't want anyone taking what is ours.

Seth "That also means you. I think I will magically trap my stuff so as to sharivial the hands that touch them." he too gave Sora a menacing look.

"Alright I get the idea. Hands off." she shrank back a bit more from Thorn. He scared the hell out of her.

[Rose for the Hunter]

Thorn nuzzled Kris acting like a complete baby around her and nipped her playfully.."Ok Thorn. I'll give you a brush at the next village" she said and tugged his forlock "We should get to sleep, it's getting late and we need to leave earlier "and I suggest you don't try to steal anything, my horse is very protective of those under his.. wing" she said. Thorn stood up and shook his coat still chewing the bone with an evil look on his face Kris pulled a blanket from her saddle bag and also a spare encase anyone needed one. "anyone need a blanket, I have a spare?" she said looking back to them all waiting for an answer.
"Also Thorn said we should be a New Freed the day after tomorrow, and also the next village by tomorrow so we can go the the Inn there for the night" she said and hung up her bow and quiver on a branch by her sadle.

After everyone had settled down adn was asleep Thorn kept guard watching Sora and Seth particaulary very cautios of them while Kris was curled up under the blanket with her hand around the pendant and Thprn would not stray from her side while she slept completely unaware of anything around her.
He lay down and began chewing on his bone quietly checking on everyone and putting the fire out a bit after he was sure no one was awake before going back to chew his bone happily.

[Guest]

Sora slowly reached for the blanket that Kris had offered, always keeping an eye on Thorn. She wanted to make sure the beast didn't mistake her movements for other then just taking the blanket. She wrapped it around her and laid down. She watched as everyone began to drift out to sleep, all except the great beast that seemed to love chewing on a bone. She so wanted to get away from them but with that great beast watching she was trapped.

But all to soon the days of being on the move with little cat naps caught up with her and she was soon sound a sleep. Eric sighed. It seemed they had picked up yet another. He could not afford to have her captured and interrogated. So she would have to be taken with them.

[Rose for the Hunter]

As the night went on Thorn occasionally slept before nudgin Kris earlier in the morning making her wake up and sat herself up checking she still had the pendant before hiding it under her shirt again and looked to everything still asleep and signalled to Thorn slightly as she checked her saddled bags and tacked him up as he finished his bone before hse put on his bridle and fastened it neatly petting his neck. Thorn then woke up Sora while Kris woke up Seth and Eric telling them it was morning. she waited a bit to see if they'd get up and gace Thorn a quick brush off picking out thorns from his coat as he changed into his grey lusitano horse form quiet happily looking no more than a normal stallion jsut enjoying his masters attention as she gave him his breakfast of leftover meat before she ate something herself waiting for the others in silence.
"Oh, wake up you lot" she said before she stretched her arms a bit and Thorn snorted suddenly which made even Kris jump and he nickered laughing slightly through it.
"we should be able to get to the next village and if we go through the night we'll be in New freed tomorrow morning or afternoon if we stay at he village." she said

[Guest]

Eric was up and getting his things packed up. Sora didn't want to get up. She had managed to get comfortable and fall a sleep with out having to worry about someone sneaking up on her. The bestie Thorn was one not to be trifled with and she had let her self relax and give way to a good sleep. Now she wanted to continue to sleep since if felt so good. "Aggggg. How can you people get up so early. It isn't even light out!" she pulled the blanket over her head.

Seth laughed. "I see that you are not use to being an early riser." he nudged her with his foot. "Now we could have Thorn have her for breakfast...." At that she was on her feet backing away from the blanket and Thorn. "Well that is better." Seth grinned.

[Rose for the Hunter]

"Too bad, we need to get moving early for certain reasons" she said and Thorn nickered "remember where we're going boy?" she asked Thorn who nodded "New freed correct?" he asked "Yeah, we need to get their quickly my mother expects me there in the next few days" she said to him and waited until everyone was ready before she jumped onto Thorn and waited for them all as Thorn made his way down the slope and back onto the path sniffing the air for any signs and caught the scent of the dark riders from the night before and snorted not liking it one bit.

Kris loked to him and he whispered "We might have to travel through the night, Thorn picked up the scent of some unwanted characters which no one wants to run into" she said not giving much away still wary of Sora because of her pendant.
Once everyone was there Thorn lead the way and Kris laid her bow and quiver on her back whilst Thorn picked a silent route to be sure they didn't run into anything whilst in the forest atleast.

[Guest]

"I will take my leave of you then, if you must be heading to New Freed. My path lies in a different direction." She made a move to leave, but Eric moved in front of her.

"Sorry, but you will be coming with us to New Freed." Eric said with a smile, "Can't have you telling anyone that you saw us." he pointed in the direction that they were going to be going. "That way." Turning to Seth, "Think you can conjure up another one of those things for her." he asked as Seth created another flying disk for his transportaion.

Seth shugged his shoulders and pointed at Sora's feet. The black disk appeared just before her feet. "Just step on it and think of it moving along the way we are going."

Sora did as instructed and the disc moved forward a bit at her command. She grinned as she moved it around among the others. "Wow this is great." she began bending her knees and moving it side to side keeping her balance on it. "You know how to travel mage." She came a bit close to Thorn and Kris and moved away fast, not wanting to provoke the horse dragon.

[Rose for the Hunter]

Thorn snorted "think your horse can handle a gallop so we can get ahead of time?" she asked Eric knowign Thorn would gladly gallop for miles on end and probably all the way to New Freed. "and Thorn won't bite unless you try to leave, tell anyone about us or if you try to harm anyone in our group" she said and Thorn bobbed his head adn reared up with kris still on his back adn bucked playfully... "Oh come on THorn, Once we're in New Freed you'll have yourself a fresh new stall and the entire area outside the place to run around in and do whatever you like" she said. "And you'll be working with your mother?" "of course, she needs help now come on you silly stallion" she said and he chuckeld adn lead the way as Kris waited for Eric to answer her "Also can thise flying discs keep up with the horses?" seh asked almost forgetting that two of them weren't on horses.
Thorn stopped slightly and snorted "I hear riders, and they don't smell pleasent" he muttered to Kris

New Freed...
Kris' mother and the elven queen were excited about seeing Kris and Thorn again after so long.

[Guest]

"Do not worry about us keeping up." Seth said and cast another spell which created a teather to Thorn's saddle and another to Eric's saddle. The other ends wrapped around the waists of Seth and Sora. He turned to Sora grinning. "Think the disk is fun, then hang on." he chuckled, "This could get a bit insane."

Eric was ready and moved up next to Kris and Thorn. When Thorn says he hears riders he nods and put his heals to the flanks of his horse. "Time to go. His horse springs forward at a gallop pulling Sora behind him. She lets out a slight yelp of surprise and hangs on to the teather and moves her body to keep her balance.


The old Elven Queen still looked beautiful as she had when she had married Katal long ago. She had given the covenent to her cousin who had been one of her retainers. She had gotten word from the north of the trouble brewing and wanted to make sure that the pendent was hidden. It would surely be known that she had it and if it was known that some one else had it, it would be harder to find that person when they didn't know who it was. Her cousin had given it to his daughter. He had disapeared shortly after, perhaps making it seem that he still had the pendent.

A bird flew into the window and landed on the arm of the chair the Queen was sitting on. It chirped away and the Queen nodded. "Dark riders are in the south. Once more a call to arms will be sounded. It seems that Kris has picked up a few people on her journey. One is a Knight of Light." she smiled as the bird continued to tell her more. "A decendent of mine and Katal's. Then there is a mage....." her brow furlled, "A half dark elf. Now that is a strange one to have join the fight. Then a thief, a woman." She rubbed her chin thinking of something. Could it be.

[Rose for the Hunter]

"You should worry about being attached to Thorn's saddle don't forget what he is" she said and Thorn sped off ahead of Erics and Kris looked back behind her seeing black horses. "Hurry up!" she shouted and Thorn nickered slightly keeping at his steady gallop not slowing down in the slightest but always flickering his ears. "want to try a shot?" he asked "Yeah" she said and brough one leg over to theother standing in one stirrup and then fliped the other leg onto the other side leanign again Thorn's neck for a bit of supprot sitting backwards in the saddle as she leaned back on Thorn's neck and pulled her bow back aiming for the lead rider it went there perfectly but suddenly swirved off an an unnatural angel for any arrow. "that's strange" she muttered "they have a mage, he could probably control the arrows very well" snorted Thorn becoming quiet and Kris quickly fliped back to her normal position on the saddle putting her bow resting on her back in her quiver with her arrows.
Thorn galloped through a river "Careful here, it gets a bit rough"she shouted back to the others as Thorn swam through the deep river at a fast pace.
He galloped at an endless pace not stoppping but keeping ot a pace in which he wasn't too far ahead of Eric and Sora picking the quickest route he could carefully turning partly back to his dragon form.

Kris' mother waited a long time and went to visist the queen before she was introduced by the others there. She walked in wearing usual clothes nothing specail but a locket and that was it "Any news of my daughter, she should be here by now" she said softly. "Is she travelling alone still?" she spoke very timidly because of her worry. "Is Thorn still with her as well? and how have you been? you haven't changed a bit since long ago" she said smiling at the queen softly. She noticed she was thinking "something on your mind?"

[Guest]

Sara looked at Kris' mother and smiled. "Welcome." she rose and took the womans hands in hers. "Yes I have had word of Kris." she said as she guided the woman over to a comfortable seat. "She is about a day out from New Freed and probably another day from the city. She is traveling with three others that she seems to have met on her travels. One is mmmmmm you could say my great, great, great, great grand son." she chuckled.

Eric looked back and saw the riders. Not good, not good at all. They were to far from New Freed to get any help. A head on the path that they were riding a lone rider stood off the road, watching. He did not move or attempt to do anything as Thorn and Kris approached. But moved forward as Eric got close. Eric brought his horse to a sudden halt as saw the man. "Not like you to be running from trouble." the man said, as he drew a one handed mace. Eric turned his horse about to stand beside the man. "Well it seemed to be the thing to do at the time." he grinned. "How have you been my friend?"

Seth let go of the teather and turned his disc around, he moved up beside the two. The five riders slowed their pace.

[Rose for the Hunter]

Seliene had already sat down and thanked Sara "Then she'll be fine then, what's he called? she asked smiling "and that is good to hear she must have left a bit late, just like her father planning something and always turning up late" she said laughing lightly. "how have you been lately, it's been soem time since we last saw each other, Sara" she said softly "it's been years if I recall correctly"

Thorn slowed his pace and turned round as well but snorted at the stranger as he walked oveer watching the five riders as well pinning his ears slightly Kris was cautious as well and watched their movements Thorn followed Seth and stood beside him on the disc and lowered his head resting one foot lazily but seemed very alert. Kris wrapped the tether loosly and stuffed the end in her saddle bag. "Who are you?" snorted Thorn in a rather disapproving voice since he was tired and not in a good mood either. He snorted again and also watched Sora encase she tried to run off suddenly. Kris leaned down and tapped his nose "don't be so grouchy, you can sleep later" she whispered

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