The Knight and The Maiden (Schattenkrieger&Anya_Rhodes)

[Anya_Rhodes]

“Into the bath with ya.” Helen ushered Lydia into the tiled room where a steaming water-filled tub was waiting for her. She waited for her nurse to take her exit before she discarded her dress and slipped into the relaxing water. It had only been a few years prior that Lydia had finally managed to convince Helen that she could bathe herself without need of assistance. And Lydia was certainly thankful for the privacy as Helen readied her bed for sleep.

As the water began to cool, Lydia had to force herself out and dress in the night gown Helen had set out for her. The princess went through the motions of her night time routine with Helen, even getting under the covers and feigning slumber. She didn’t know how long she had stayed in bed for, but she soon pushed herself out of the bed and went down to the kitchens to get food for their trip the next day. The cooks never bothered her when she came in, they practically forced food at her if she asked, not even questioning what it was for. So when she had a small bundle of food, she quietly began to make her way back towards her chambers. But her journey took a small detour when she saw that her father’s study was still lit. That wasn’t the strange part since her father was known for staying up late to look over papers or to read... But she heard him talking to someone and her curiosity immediately peaked as she tiptoed closer to listen.  

[Dante Rosaire]

When the king's messenger had contacted Alistair, his tone was not urgent at all. Which told him that at least he wasn't in trouble for anything. He had just assumed that it was official business, so he didn't think to worry about it very much. The king would often call on Alistair for military consultation, reviews of new recruits, or to help him handle recommendations for new members to the guard. The two of them got along very well, afterall, he was the one who recommended him for his position as princess Lydia's personal guard. He, like Helen, seemed to know of his feelings toward Lydia, but like Helen, if he knew he wasn't calling him out on it. So Alistair casually strolled through the castle gate, he was saluted by the guard. Also as he made his way up the various flights of stairs, he was saluted by the guards at their posts. When he reached the King Marius' study, he was greeted warmly.

"Come in my boy." He said cheerfully.

"Greetings your majesty," he began. "To what do I owe this summons?"

"Ahh yes, well it turns out that I am in need of your services. There finally seems to be a glimmer of hope for peace with the kingdom of Laklan. Their new ruler wishes to put an end to this unrest and begin negotiations. I planned to send Lydia to be our diplomat. But I don't trust those people as far as I can throw them, so I wish for you to accompany her. I have no doubt that she will be safe with you."

But he leaned in close before he continued speaking.

"Between the two of us, I also asked you to accompany her because I can see that the fact that you two haven't been able to see each other has been bothering Lydia. I sense that you are now attempting to detach yourself from her, though I understand your reasoning, it would make her sad. To her you're still the same boy she met back then."

"I understand my liege, I will not fail her, or you."

"I know my boy, the two of you are to leave in two days time."

He bowed in respect as he opened the door to leave.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

Diplomat?

Lydia wondered when her father was planning on telling her of this trip. To tell Alistair before her, she didn’t really understand it. Yet, the more she thought it over, it did seem to follow her father’s pattern of telling her things. When he sent her off or told her news of a guest coming, it was usually the day before. He always waited until the last minute, probably because it gave Lydia no time to truly think anything over and less time for her to complain about things if it was something she wasn’t fond of.

After she heard the King request Alistair for his protection, she could no longer hear the conversation. She could hear that they were still talking, but the voice was too soft to make out certain words. What could they possibly whispering about?

Taking a risk, Lydia tiptoed to the door of the study, pressing her ear to the wood and straining to listen. But to no avail. A frown appeared on her expression when she realized there was a secret she didn’t know about. The princess didn’t have time to dwell on it though because she heard the Alistair give his leave. Panic struck her as she pushed away from the door and thought about what to do. She couldn’t be caught listening or she would surely be scolded. Turning on her heel, she hurried away. But she had to slow her steps to a normal walk when she heard the door open, not wanting to seem suspicious. Though her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

Knowing she had been seen, though not caught in the actual act of listening, she slowly looked over her shoulder to see Alistair, having to feign surprise and ignorance. “A-Alistair?... What are you doing here?” She asked, trying to keep her tone calm and normal. “Where you speaking with my father?”  

[Dante Rosaire]

After his lengthy and somewhat private conversation with King Marius, he finally gave Alistair his leave. He was looking forward to the next few days, for now he would get to see Lydia a lot more often than usual. But he still had to remember to keep himself detached, or risk public scorn. The king was a very wise man, being able to pick up so much on both his and Lydia's inner feelings. It scared him sometimes how smart and perceptive both of them were. He had a lot to think about now, and a lot of things to plan for and strategize for. It would be painful to try and treat the princess differently, but he would have to at least try. Although he was grateful for this newfound opportunity, both from a personal standpoint, and from a military/social standpoint. The kingdoms of Vallon and Laklan had been at war for many years, Alistair himself had even fought against them. Earning a great deal of respect and infamy from them, and even a nickname: The Blood Angel. It would be very interesting to try and make peace with him in a diplomatic position.

So he opened the door only to see Lydia standing a few feet in front of it. He began to wonder if she had heard their conversation. She seemed a little flustered when she spoke to him. But he realized that this was the first test. A miserable look spread across his face as he tried to ignored her, only replying with a "Yes my lady." As he walked away. This was going to be horrible, not being able to act like Lydia's friend. But he knew that the princess would ware him down eventually.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

After the “Yes my lady,” Lydia waited patiently for him to continue, expecting him to explain more of what had gone on in the study. She didn’t expect for him to say everything, but at least give her a short summary, mention the trip they would take,..... at least, say something else other then ‘yes’!

Her jaw dropped when she watched him turn away from her. She didn’t know how bad it hurt to watch him walk away. Any other time, she might have ignored it, might have brushed it off. But seeing his expression before he left, and hearing the tone of his voice made her chest hurt and she soon found herself running back to her room to try and clear her head. It was harder then she thought, but she somehow found sleep, though it was filled with nightmares.

Somehow, Lydia managed to wake up before the sunrise the next morning, not finding it as difficult because her nightmares kept her up for most of the night. Quickly changing into a simple green dress and a dark brown cloak, she took the food she had gotten and snuck out of the castle and into the stables. The last person she expected to see was Alistair. Though he had promised to come, he seemed different; all the more reason for her to go on this trip, with or with out him.

Taking one her mounts, she walked to the stalls, knowing she had to hurry for the possibility of getting caught.  

[Dante Rosaire]

Alistair had not slept that whole night after his talk with King Marius. He just had had too much on his mind. But most of the night was spent debating with himself over whether or not to go on this little trip with Lydia. He had promised that he would go with her, and he never failed to keep a promise. So in the end, he decided that he would end up going. It was just a matter of trying to keep himself detached without hurting him or princess Lydia in the process. So when he deemed it time to go, rather than his usual formal attire, he threw on some simple clothing and a black hooded cloak. He figured that this way, it would be easier to keep his facial expressions hidden. But he still kept his silver longsword hidden under his cloak, and the necklace he bought for Lydia. In addition he also brought a map with him just in case they got lost. Even though it was a leisurely trip, he always tried to be prepared for any possible scenario that might befall them.

His mind was still running away from him as he walked through the castle corridors, trying to keep a low profile. His plan would have worked flawlessly if it wasn't for something that King Marius had told him.

"I sense that you are now attempting to detach yourself from her, though I understand your reasoning, it would make her sad. To her you're still the same boy she met back then."

He couldn't figure out why he would tell him that, he would have thought that the king would have encouraged it. It was clear that King Marius knew something that he didn't, and it bothered him. But he had to focus on today's trip. He quickened his pace as he walked towards their agreed meeting place, the stables outside of the courtyard. As he reached the stables, he saw a figure waiting on one of the horses. He assumed that it was Lydia, but he had to make sure. He walked up closer to get a better look, and he quickly recognized the cloak that she had always worn when she went out on her trips.

"Good morning my lady, excited for today?" he said smiling under his hood, but his mood became a bit more somber as he continued talking.

"My apologies for last night, it's just..." he couldn't figure out what to say at that point.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

Why hadn’t she left right away? No one was around, she hadn’t been caught yet, and if she stayed any longer her chances only grew of her getting in trouble. But there Lydia was, busying herself around the stable after she had mounted her ride. Now she found herself feeding and petting one of the horses that she usually rode around the paths close to the castle, with escorts, of course.

Lydia hated the fact that she was still in the stables. She should have gone straight away like she planned. But she still had hope that that someone would come like they had promised her the day before. She didn’t want to give up on Alistair over one statement he had last night. She didn’t know what had happened with him and her father, maybe he was just in a bad mood... She could only hope that was it and it wasn’t anything more serious.

A sigh escaped her lips, the minutes ticking by seeming like hours as she waited. She was still struggling with the idea to just leave when she heard his voice behind her, making her jump a little as she snapped out of her thoughts.

“Alistair, you came.” She said in clear surprise, a bright smile gracing her lips as she turned to look at him, taken aback by how happy she had gotten with him finally being there. She was also grateful by the tone of his voice, he certainly seemed to be in a better mood... at least, in the beginning. She could sense that he was slipping back into that solemn state and she wouldn’t allow such a thing.

“Forget about that. We must quickly take our leave before anyone else wakes.” Lydia stated, patting the horse once more before she turned away from it and walked further down the stalls. She wasn’t planning on taking horses like he probably expected.

“I am sure you must have some experience with these creatures, Alistair.” Lydia said as she stood by a door, though the stall appeared empty by first glance. And yet, a smile was playing on Lydia’s lips and she had a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Helios.” She called simply.

Claws scrapping against the dirt and stone floor could suddenly be heard, the sounds coming within the stall were enough to guess that whatever was in there was certainly big as the loud thud of each paw landed on the ground and the beast pushed himself up onto all fours.

Large golden eyes stared down at Alistair since he towered over him by a good four feet, a hiss rumbling in the beast’s throat as he stared.

“Now, now. Calm down, Helios.” Lydia cooed as she ruffled the gryphons feathers and the creature chirped happily as he turned his attention to Lydia, nudging her shoulder with its beak.
“Since you were late, we do not have time to ready Luna. So you’ll have to ride Helios with me.... If you are still planning on coming.” Lydia said, eyeing Alistair carefully while she tied her hair back with a ribbon. He had not mentioned anything about the trip as of yet, so she was still unsure of his plans.

Nevertheless, Lydia opened up Helios’ stall door to lead him out, showing off the large golden wings folded at the beasts side.  

[Dante Rosaire]

"Of course i'm still coming my lady, regardless of what your father and I talked about, I wouldn't miss this for anything." he replied.

He stood there as Lydia wandered further into the stables, he began to wonder which horse Lydia was going to pick. He figured she would bring our Mirabel, her personal favorite. He then assumed he would take Shadowmere, his personal steed. Both horses were among the fastest in the kingdom. But when he began to hear strange noises, he began to wonder what she was doing in there. The noises turned into clawing and flapping and a deep chitter. His full attention was turned to the stable and what would come out of it. First it was Lydia who emerged, but she was leading something by a set of reigns.

The creature emerged head first, it had the head of an eagle, a large powerful eagle at that. He could then see wing tips as it came out further.

"I've never seen an eagle this big before." he thought to himself.

But when it came into full view, his jaw dropped in shock.

It was a gryphon, a flesh and blood gryphon.

He was thankfully able to hide his face, otherwise she would have seen his utter shock and awe.

"By the gods..." Alistair gasped, "They still exist."

He had heard rumors that the royal family had kept a pair of gryphons as pets, but he, along with most people, thought that they had died out years ago. Gryphons were highly prized for their feathers, they were believed to possess magical properties. For that they were hunted to extinction, or so he thought.

The gryphon, Helios, eyed him suspiciously, he had to show no fear. But he wasn't afraid, just surprised. As he walked over and attempted to pet it.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

Lydia was tightening the mount when Alistair reached out to pet the gryphon. Right as Helios saw his out stretched hand, he began to stamp his paws against the ground and back away, letting out a squawk as it did.

Her head snapped up when she heard the noise, certain that it would wake someone up if it continued. Rushing over, she place her hands around his beak like a clamp and brought the gryphons face down so she could look it in the eye. “Helios.” Lydia warned like a mother scolding its child. “Please behave or you want be able to fly today. Understand?” The princess asked and the gryphon snorted in response, seeming like he didn’t want to actually listen, but on the other hand he would do as he was told.

“Good.” Lydia said with a smile as she released her hands and ruffled them through his feathers and fur to calm him down.

“Now, let’s....” The princess started, but her words quickly trailed off as she set her gaze on Alistair and she quickly recalled why that little incident had happened. “Here.” Walking over, she took his hand, placing her on top of his as she slowly placed it on the gryphon’s neck. Helios quickly turned his heard around when he felt the foreign touch, but Lydia shot him a look before he could make another noise.

“Talk to him.” Lydia stated out of the blue as she turned her eyes up to Alistair’s, showing she was completely serious, and let her hand drop from his. “You can’t ride a beast you’re not familiar with and they are not familiar with you.” She explained as she went back to working on the reigns and such. After another minute or two, she began to lead Helios out of the stables, expecting Alistair to follow.

Once they reached a good clear area, Lydia walked to the gryphon’s side, patting his wing slightly and picking up on the hint, he unfolded on of his wings for her to use as a step to get on to his back. “Well, come on.” She soon said with a laugh as she looked down at Alistair. Helios still had his wing unfolded for the knight, but it’s eagle head was now craned to stare back at Alistair, as if waiting for him to make the wrong move, though Lydia didn’t seem to notice in the slightest.  

[Dante Rosaire]

Alistair was unsure of how to talk to it. Up until a moment ago he wasn't aware of it's existence. But Helios seemed very apprehensive with him so he re-approached him slowly and deliberately. He kept fighting the urge to draw his sword, but he knew better than to attack a gryphon, he had had heard way too many stories as a child. So he decided to handle the situation like he would with a normal person. He looked Helios directly in the eye and spoke clearly and evenly.

"You and I are both loyal servants of the princess. I have no intentions of hurting you, I was just surprised. I was lead to believe that your kind had disappeared. But I serve and protect Lydia until my dying breath, in my opinion this makes us allies. My name is Alistair by the way."

He almost felt silly for talking to an animal. But since Helios hadn't pecked his eyes out, he assumed that it was helping.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

When Alistair made another attempt to go near Helios, the gryphon snort and stamp his front paws once again as if trying to ward off the knight since he didn’t dare move with Lydia close enough to get hurt herself. Yet, right as the two made eye contact, Helios calmed down significantly, finally taking Alistair seriously and seeming to actually be listening to all that he said.

A smile was playing on Lydia’s lips the whole time she listened and caught glimpses of the two, glad that he hadn’t snuffed her suggestion since now Helios was actually willing to help Alistair onto his back, let alone ride him at all. It seemed like a miracle. But she knew that Helios already had a newfound respect for the knight, she could just sense it through the bond that they shared.

“Well...” Lydia then began in a teasing tone as she looked down at Alistair, with her already sitting on the large gryphons back. “Make haste before someone wakes and catches us.” She urged, beckoning him with her hand to hurry on.  

[Dante Rosaire]

"I'm going to trust the both of you." he said as he walked over to Lydia.

As she beckoned him, he hopped on top of Helios. He ruffled his feathers and squawked a little, but he figured that since he wasn't bucking him off, that everything would be fine. He hoped for the best and braced himself when Lydia jumped on. He decided to just focus on making sure that she didn't fall off, rather than think too deeply about what was about to happen.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

“Ready?” Lydia called back when he had gotten on, trying to hold back her excitement as much as she could, but she couldn’t stop the big smile she was showing. When she knew they were both settled on the the gryphons back, she patted the beasts neck. “Helios, let’s fly.” She announced and the gryphon automatically began to move.

Starting to run across the small field, his large wings began to unfold and flap. Within seconds, the gryphons legs were being lifted off the ground. They had just gotten enough air to pass over the castles walls and Lydia began laughing from the adrenaline rush she was having from being so high up. “Finally.” She said with an immense sigh of relief, having begun to think that they would never leave, but here they were, soaring over the tree tops.

“Anywhere you’d like to go?” She asked as she peered over her shoulder at him with a smile.  

[Dante Rosaire]

A strange sensation came over Alistair as the gryphon took off. His massive wings were emitting an audible flap as they ascended higher and higher, eventually flying over the castle itself. He was speechless as he observed the view of Argordet from the air. All of the people and buildings, they seemed so insignificant from up there, almost like they didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was himself and Lydia. That feeling swept over him again as Lydia turned around and spoke to him. It was painful at this point, knowing he loved her but nothing could come of it. It was getting harder and harder for him to hide it all.

"No my lady, anywhere you choose to go is fine by me." he replied plainly.  

[Anya_Rhodes]

Once again, Lydia’s smile faltered when his tone of voice fell flat on her ears. She attempted to keep her smile so as to not let him see that anything was wrong, but the sorrow in her eyes gave her away before she could turn back to face forward. It appeared like Helios was also aware of the plummet in the princess’s mood because he let out a small whine which Lydia tried to mend by petting his neck and cooing softly. Lydia kept silent for the rest of the ride, still trying to wrap her thoughts around Alistair and what was happening with him, a part of her still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, so once again she pushed the negative thoughts away as she tried to find a place to land.

It wasn’t for another twenty minutes or so that Lydia finally broke out of her trance and instructed the gryphon to land on the out skirts of a town near a lake. Helios floated gracefully down to the rocky shore, his claws scraping and rattling the pebbles and stones as he found his bearings. Lydia wasted no time to slide off the beasts back, not wanting to wait for Alistair to help her down, she certainly didn’t want any help at the moment, especially from him. If he didn’t want to speak nicely with her, she definitely didn’t want him to try and act nice. Brushing off her skirts, Lydia led Helios over to the water when Alistair also dropped off, using the gryphon as a guard from the knight so she could use the time to think.