Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Whims of Power (Closed)

The day was warm and bright, the birds chirping and the warm sun shinning down. Everything would suggest it was a beautiful day, everything except the crowd around her. "Please, please, listen up!" She called from the market place in the center of the city. She stood on a small hill with a tree at the top, the shops surround the grassy area like a wall. "I know how you are feeling, I know that this is unfair. You all have every right to be upset." Though she was yelling her voice was calm and collected. The people were right. It was unfair that they had to struggle financially, and yet, her life didn't change at all. Her hair was blowing behind her, only staying combed because of the silver crown placed on her head. She glanced out at the faces of all who stood in front of her at the base of the hill. Their faces hardened and cold. Many of them were the men of the city but some women stood among them. But their were no children. "We can resolve this issue between us, my father, the king, will make a deal with the people. We will split the money as evenly as possible and your way of life will improve! Trust me when I say this, we do not need all of the money that we have in the castle!"

She looked out again and saw that the crowd was starting to get restless. Though she was good at speaking, this sight spooked her. She felt her calmness leave her with the next gust of wind. Maybe she should have listened to her father this time. She closed her fists tightly behind her back and continued. "You are our people. Without you, we are nothing and we, the kingdom, recognize this. We have made a mistake and we plan to fix this. I am here for you! I am here for the well-being of the city!" She swallowed deeply when the crowd continued to get more and more restless. Their side whispers became louder, she was loosing her control. She felt the change in the air and the sun went behind a lone cloud in the sky. "If you are here for us, where are you when your father keeps spending all the money? We have people starting to starve out here and still deliveries keep going to the castle." A genuinely concerned and slightly enraged man yelled from the middle of the crowd. She rocked back on her heals and glanced at her guard Eryk for a little reassurance. Help she mouthed, as she turned back to the crowd.

Behind a steel carapace of plate armor, Oliver 'Eryk' Seaton, stood close to the princess as she spoke. He never liked these little exploits, and the lack of other guardsmen made her all the more vulnerable. Trained eyes peered out of the visor slats at the crowd below, and occasionally the roof tops above, for potential threats. As he watched the restless crowd, a man shouted above the rest, challenging the princess's intentions. Had Oliver not been trained to be near unmoving and silent around his Primary, he would have replied back, reciting laws and customs of the land to silence the fool. He gave a reassuring nod when she looked back at him for help. 'You have this,' he mouthed, not that she could see it behind the steel helmet.

Damon stood by her listening to her speak. For a while it seemed to be going well. But with crowd of people this big and their irritation growing rapidly, her speech was breaking apart. Her eyes glaced at Erik and her lips were mouthing for his assistance. Erik was slow and not catching on. So he took the step forward, slowly bowed and approached the crowd. "The princess as spoken! She has come to you now in person to ask for your forgiveness and offer to fix this problem. Need I remind you that she is the future of this kingdom. You will do well to remember her generosity." He then turned to the princess. "Milady." He bowed again waiting for her orders.

Gwendolyn breathed out a sigh as she saw her protector nod. She took another breath and continued. "Sir, I hear your concerns, I just need to talk to my father and get this all straightened out. I care about my people and felt that I needed to talk to you all. I thought that the king was doing a poor job communicating and so that is why I am here." She felt her nerves slip into her speech and needed to get control of herself if she was going to be successful. "I'd like to know everything that is going on so that I can adequately inform the king of the hardships that his people are going through." Before she continued the crowd spoke up all at once yelling some of the issues that they were facing. Everyone was yelling at once so it was just a roar of noise. She took a step back towards Eryk. "People! People, if we want to fix these problems I am going to need to hear these one at a time!" she yelled as confidently as she could, but nobody heard her.

One of the guards banged his shield with his sword. Damon nodded approvingly at the guards quick response. These people had been worried, stressed, and starved. It was only natural that they acted this way. But the princess was the guard's top priority before anyone else. They moved to stand around her, but not to the point that it would be smothering.

Oliver stepped closer to Gwen as his right hand fell to his left hip, fingers dancing on the hilt of his sword, and his left arm bringing his shield into position. People can be dangerous, and riled groups inherently were. Cheers and chants rose up from one of the alley ways to their right. Breaking his statue-like demeanor for a second time, Oliver turned to see the new threat. Then he muttered ancient profanity under his breath.

A throng of angry common-folk, brandishing makeshift weapons from shops and the ground around them, were approaching the courtyard. Slinging and slurring words to degrade the speaker atop the hill, their violent threats mimicked their blood-thirsty minds. "Hang the royalty!" Came a shout from the mob. Someone in the listening crowd cheered before they were silenced by the princess's local supporters. "Long live the King! Long live the Queen!" Came another shout from nearby.

Then the blood bath started. One commoner struck another for their support of the current crown. He, in turn, was struck back by another. Several supporters tried to halt the progress of the mob as it hastened its pace. They were cut down, screams rose from the crowds of the terrified and the wounded as innocents fled, dedicated supporters of the crown tried to protect their cherished Princess Gwendolyn, and rebels and provoked commoners turned against their kin with something only describable as hatred.

Oliver half grabbed the Gwen's arm, and half pushed her the other direction toward the alley to their left. "To the Book Shop," he commanded shortly, "go!" He unsheathed his blade as he rushed his Primary away from the assaulter. Between the courage of the unarmed commoners loyal to her, and the cold steel wielded by her personal guard, a path was barely made to get them out. A handful of lightly armed civilians filed into the alley way, turning their backs on the princess and giving one brief stand before fleeing for their own lives.

The royal guardsman led his Primary down the alley way, racing against the charging few behind them that managed to stay on their tale. Their pursuers were cut off when a small band of local guards flanked them from a side alley, overwhelming them with their training. The duo burst out of the alley and into the market place, changing to the next alley way. Blood puddled on the cobblestone floor of the market as rebels engaged the local militia, rallied in a last ditch defense of the crown. It was hard to tell who was who, so many guards had changed their loyalty that only their battle cries could tell them from the loyalists.

Finally they reached a quieter corner of an alley behind the market. Fel's Books, read the sign above the door as they hustled inside. Oliver nearly pushed the princess in before looking down the alley for a tail and entering behind her. Three locks were placed on the door before her slid a wooden beam in place. "Close the shutters," he ordered while pointing toward the dainty windows and their crude, but sturdy, wooden shutters, "then head upstairs and wait for me." He walked to the back of the room and knocked several books off the shelf until the hidden blanket roll behind it was revealed. Oliver would then check the shutters and bolt them in place. They were too small to fit a person, but everything counted.

Gwendolyn stood in fear as the crowd started to rally. She was forced out of this statue like state when Eryk pulled her arm and yelled, "To the Book Shop!" She felt her legs running as fast as she could in her heals but her eyes were focused on the blood. There was so much of it. She had always been hidden from this type of thing. Her eyes darted to the walls, to Eryk, to the fighting behind her. Her heart was racing so fast and yet she didn't even feel tired. As they were darting into another alleyway she saw a guard that had just been in the castle a couple hours ago. And then another, and another. She felt safe for a moment until she heard what they were saying. They were against her. What was happening? She couldn't think straight. When they got to the Book Shop she felt a nudge from Eryk to get inside.

She just stood their, in the middle of the entrance way, trying to process what she saw out there. She heard a faint voice and eventually came back to reality. It was Eryk. He was telling her to shut the shutters and then to go upstairs. She numbly obeyed. Once she got upstairs she collapsed on the ground and mindlessly took off her shoes. Her mind was everywhere and no where at the same time. Small, quick thoughts of her family dashed through her mind followed by images of the people on the streets. She couldn't help but think, Have I done this? Did I make this all happen? . The thought terrified her. She started to worry about Eryk. It seemed like he was taking a long time. But she couldn't move to check on him. She couldn't even muster up a sound. Her head dropped as the first tear hit the wooden floor that supported her.

Heaving the bundle up, he plopped it down on the counter behind him. He replaced the books on the shelf, and made his way upstairs with the bundle in his arms. None would be the wiser of the shop's new occupancy. The pack was dropped at the top of the stairs, and his helmet was placed beside it before he knelt next to his Primary. "Gwen," he said quietly before repeating himself again, "Gwen, are you alright?"

She heard Eryk come upstairs but didn't move. She heard him speak as the quiet tears continued. "Did I do this?" she mustered. Even to her she sounded weak. She always prided herself on her courage and her individuality and yet now, she hated both of those attributes. She didn't even feel like herself. "Eryk, are we going to be okay?" Her quiet tears fell quickly and her breathing hastened at the thought of not being okay.

Oliver forced a smile at his friend. "I have been looking after you for fifteen years, and you still need to ask that?" His arm hesitated before raising to put a hand on her shoulder, "you didn't do anything wrong, it isn't your fault." But that fact did not help their situation. A war raged in their home city, with their own people tearing each other apart. After all they had been through together, and all of his training, nothing prepared him for this. "We're going to be fine."

She couldn't help but smile at his comment. "Still, in fifteen years has this ever happened to us?" She tried to sound like she was joking but it didn't come out quite right. "So, now what do we do Mr. Royal Guard? How are we going to get home? They all want to kill me and all you have is a sword." She half wished she could see what was happening outside and the other half was extremely thankful that she couldn't.

"Fifteen years of putting up with your rule breaking," he responded as he stood back up and turned back to his bundle. He moved it to a table and unrolled it. "We stay here and we stay quiet." Laying on top of the coarse blanket, now unwrapped, was a select few supplies for their stay. He picked up a bow and strung it before laying it back down. "I have a lot more than my sword, and you know that." Left on the blanket were four arrows bundled together, a loaf of dense, oddly shaped bread, a water skin, a small amount of first aid supplies, and a plain dagger. "Only a couple others know about this place, they will send someone when it is safe. For now, we just have to hold out." He broke off a piece of the bread and tossed it to his Primary. This was not the bread a royal would be used to. It was made for survival, dense with nutrients but not as easy to swallow, or kind on the pallet.

"Fifteen years of having fun and living life with my rule stretching!" she joked back. She caught the piece of bread that he tossed. She placed it in her mouth and without any manners muttered, "What is this?" She swallowed hard and stared at Eryk, "Yum." she stated dryly. She was starting to feel her body again. Her sore feet from running in heals, her burning calves, her sweat covered dress clutching to her skin. She stood up and joined Eryk at the table. She pulled the crown off of her head, causing a piece of her grey hair fall in her face. With one hand she put the short piece behind her ear and while placing her crown by the bow she said, "Eryk, there were guards out there. Fighting against me. I know you saw them. Are we safe here?" She touched his shoulder to make sure he was looking at her.

Oliver responded with an austere nod. "These are my people. We can trust them." He broke off a bit of the bread for himself and swallowed it before handing the water skin to Gwen. "It's a survival bread, meant to keep you going, not happy. Now drink up or it won't do you any good." He busied himself checking the dagger before pulling out his sword to clean the crimson stains. "We may be here a while, so you might want to make yourself comfortable."

She took the water skin and took a sip. She stood there watching him for a moment. He looked older now, stressed, and she has put him in some pretty stressful situations before but nothing like this. Gwendolyn pulled out a chair and slouched in her dress. She could almost hear her mother storming into the room telling her to sit up straight, and right now, she would give anything to hear that. "I wish I could just be Belle right now. Change some clothes, put that cape on, and just walk outside. Everyone out there loves Belle. But at the same time they hate Gwendolyn." She was barely audible. In her mind she remember one of the first times she left the castle. She walked out and ditched Eryk so that she could do whatever she wanted. She put on a plain dress and found a cape with a hood to hide her hair. Then she was just walking in the streets when a little boy came up to her. What's your name miss? he said to her. Without missing a beat she responded, Belle. And since then she had a certain freedom out in the city.

Oliver took his turn with the water skin, holding it above his lips and pouring some in. He would not dare touch his lips to the same that royalty used, he would never hear the end of it. It was capped and placed back on the blanket after he wiped his mouth. "You aren't Belle. The tradition of royalty mingling with commoners in plain clothes ended one-hundred and thirty-seven years ago, with the death of your great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, King Alios the Third." He shook his head and gave a soft sigh, "you caused more trouble than a princess's ransom could cover." Oliver, too, remembered the days of her sneaking out. Always having to chase her down or relocate her before someone realized he had lost the princess.

"Well it shouldn't have ended. Royalty should be able to mingle with the people in their kingdom. It just makes sense Eryk! We are people too. There is no reason for me to be locked up in the castle all the time." She was visibly frustrated with her best friend. "Also, why don't you just drink from the water skin? You're basically my brother." She rolled her eyes and marched herself over to the bed. She sat down and looked around, "So, you really think it's safe here?"

Quick to shake his head, Oliver countered her rationale on water usage. "I am not your brother, I am a member of the royal guard, son of the Captain General of the Royal Guard, who is also your father's, the King's, personal protector, as I am to you. All servants of the court are forbidden from drinking from the same cup as royalty, we learned this from your tutor." Then he quoted their old teacher, "'Circa year 1010 of the New Era, King Thilius decreed that no servant shall elevate their own status to that of the cup of a King, or the royal family, nor shall one of the royal family transgress their noble status for the likes of a commoner,' and so on." He shrugged, it was a fact he accepted. He sheathed his sword again as he finished cleaning it. "Yes, I am sure. Nobody will find you here."

"No, you're not my brother. But you are like my brother. I don't care about those laws. We grew up together. Sure you took care of me a lot but we grew up together and have spent almost all of our time together." She drug out the all to bring mention to the fact that he never let her go anywhere by herself. "You really need to loosen up Eryk." she pulled a ribbon off of her wrist and tied her hair up. Her demeanor changed slightly as she continued, "If you're sure nobody will find me here, I'm going to go to sleep. Please wake me if anything happens." She looked at him as she remembers looking at him when they were little. Like a little sister looking up to her big brother when their were monsters under her bed. "Also, I want the dagger if it comes down to it." She offered a quick, shallow smile and laid her head on the pillow facing away from Eryk as another tear slipped down her cheek.

"It will not come down to that," Oliver reassured. He sighed silently as he pulled up a chair to sit on at the back of the room. Here he had just the right view, able to see down the stairs, the windows, and, most importantly, Gwen. He set the sword down beside the chair, along with the arrows leaning on the opposite side, and rested the bow with one arrow in his lap. By now the sun had retreated back to its home, the elegant moon taking its place. Then he sat, waiting for daylight to come again.

Some hours later he would break the silence to wake Gwen. "Wake up," he said urgently. "Someone is here." Voices mumbled from the streets in support of his statement as torchlight flickered through the window.