Into the Woods (Rannon, Beth, Rapalia, and Damien)

Status
Not open for further replies.

AHeartlessNobody

The Light Fury
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Multiple posts per day
  3. 1-3 posts per day
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
Genres
Any. I have no favorites.
Journey Into the Woods With Us....



"Love doesn't exist. People are just natural liars and will try to hurt you any way they can. Love is just a word people can use against others. It has no meaning. It's just a tool people use to move up and get what they want."
575d26bc3a9316febed8b6d2a7ecfa72.jpg

(Her eyes are green, not blue)

Name:
Rapalia, though she will often go by Ali because she thinks her name sounds weird.

Age:
17
Species:
Human

Pendant:
The same pendant as her brother, but a little smaller and with a different chain to make it more fitting for a girl. Just like her brother's it has her name engraved into the back of it.
il_340x270.820153565_af38.jpg

Child of:
Rapunzel and Eugene

Which Shadow Creature Came to You:
A fox

What is Your Wish:
To be able to tell when ever someone is lying to her or telling the truth.

Voice:

Theme Song:

Biography:
Ali was an infant, just a few days old, when the heirs were stolen from the cribs and beds by that evil creature. She was just a baby and so all she could do at the time was cry. She was found by a young man and his wife and taken in. When she was a young girl though, she saw the marriage of the two fall apart and it scarred her.

Yet, apparently it didn't scar her enough to make her shun love. When she was at the young age of sixteen, she 'fell in love' with a young man from her small town. He was kind, caring, and always said the sweetest things to her. But, apparently, she wasn't the only one he said sweet things to. While walking around the town, she found a few situations where she saw him, sweet talking to other women. At first, she brushed it off as him just being a nice guy. That was, until she caught him kissing another girl, much like he had kissed her with his 'true loves kiss'. When confronting him, he stated this was just who he was and that she was stupid for actually believing he had loved her.

From that moment forward, Ali decided that love didn't exist and that she would never fall into a trap like that again.

Other:
Ali truly believes that love doesn't exist and distances herself from any kind of romantic situation that might over wise prove her wrong.

She believes even now that the man and woman that found her are truly her parents, never having been told otherwise.

Not mentioned in her biography above, Ali discovered she had some sort of healing powers when she was seven years old and her pet cat got sick and was dying. She had sat there holding it, trying to comfort the dying creature, and in doing so began humming it a tune. This tune was just a lullaby, though she was so sure her 'mother' had never sung it to her before. She just somehow knew the tune (just the notes, not the words). As she held the cat, continuing to hum that tune, her hands began glowing and suddenly the cat was healed. That was when she first discovered her power but has kept it a secret ever since, only using it when she absolutely needs to.



"I'll show them. They'll see. They can't push me down forever. I'll be something one day. Just wait."
real_life_flynn_rider_by_inkyblackteardrops-d3ffctt.jpg

Name:
Rannon Fitzherbert

Age:
21

Parents:
Rapunzel and Eugene

Race:
Human

Pendant:
His pendant is pictured below. On the back of the pendant it has his name engraved into it, which is how he knows his name is really Rannon.
x354-q80.jpg


Which Shadow Animal Came to You:
Lizard

Wish:
His wish is to be the most successful man in the land(fame and fortune wise), to prove wrong those who always said he would amount to nothing.

Voice:

Theme Song:

Biography:
After being kidnapped and taken from his parents, he was left in the woods of his kingdoms by Hostis, where he was found by an old man whom worked as a stable hand for an upper class family in order to earn his keep(in other words, the old man worked there to earn a place to stay and a little money for food). The old man took care of him and when Rannon was old enough he started to help with the work in the stables as well, letting the old man rest more. When Rannon was twelve though, the old man passed away, leaving Rannon alone. he now continues to work as a stable hand, but wishes to get away and discover new things. And his first step to discovering those things is when he ventures Into the Woods.

Other:
The family he works for is a high class family that often have their noses in the air. In other words, they are spoiled and think themselves to be higher than anyone around them, very much so with Rannon.



"I don't know what's worse: To be trapped in a world where I know who I am and I hate myself, or to be in a world I hate and don't know myself."
727e3e7f41afa1a9c109c6911e9fd891-jpg.83727

Name:
Elizabeth Gray (Beth)

Age:
18

Child Of:
Cinderella and Prince Charming

Race:
Human

Pendant:
(When the carriage is opened it shows her name, Beth.)
004563-3-jpg.83797

Your Shadow Creature:
A mouse

Wish:
To stop the Rulers from being so cruel to the peasants or classes under them. To have everyone treated the same.

Voice/Theme Song:

Biography:
After Beth was dropped into the forest like all of the other lost children, she roamed around curiously. It was the first time she had ever seen the world beyond the castle walls, and she was curious as to what the world held within it. She stumbled into a barn where the saw the huge horse stabled up and ready to ride. Immediately she fell in love with the animal and was reaching up to touch it when a woman came in and stopped her. The couple lived on a farm, the woman selling goods in the city village and the male working on the farms to earn money. They took her in as their own and raised her. Once she was old enough, they told her how they had found her. She became curious as to who she was before she stumbled into the small barn and the more she began to explore, the more she realized how cruel the world could be. Anytime she got close to a castle or a queen or king her head began pounding so much that she couldn't take it. Once she turned eighteen her parents told her that they had to either sell her off to a family so she could help them or she would have to marry their son. She ran away later that night and entered the woods, later that night receiving the strange letter.

Other:
Growing up on a farm she learned to cook and clean, tidying up everything as she went along. She learned how cruel the higher people could be to some of the peasants and hated the way they were treated. She always stood up for them and tended to blurt the way she felt out and be completely frank and honest. She doesn't hold things in very well.


"When do I stop? When do I stop checking behind my shoulder, or making sure I have my necklace? When do I stop having to look for myself?"
liam-hemsworth-3-790x1024-jpg.83721

Name:
Damian Long

Age:
20

Species:
Human

Child Of:
Sleeping Beauty

Your Shadow Creature:
Dragon

Your Wish:
To live in a castle and eat the finest foods in the kingdom.

Voice/Theme Song:


Pendant:
(Damian had his name in craved in the back of the pendant of the Dragon)
penumbraonneckwire-jpg.83755


Biography:
Damian was dropped into the woods and wondered around until a hinter found him and took him back to his sister. The old lady gave him soup everyday and fed him as much as she could spend. She took care of him and showed him how to work in the fields and her neighbor taught him to hunt. Any food he ate either came from him hunting and killing it or the old lady picking or growing fruits and did vegetables. He never had a nice meal and always wore the same old, ragged clothes. Once the old lady died when he was 18, he took off through the woods and then received the message like the other lost children.

Other:
Due to him living in poor conditions his entire life, he doesn't trust many people with anything. He has grown resentful of the rich and thought of them as the bad guys in his story. He doesn't talk much and stays reserved to himself unless directly spoken to.
 
Last edited:
"Alright girl, steady for me. I'll make this as quick as I can." Rannon commented, patting the brown mare on the side as he stood in the middle of the stables, horse shoe and hammer in hand, ready to nail the shoe to the bottoms of the female horse's hooves. He grabbed a stool from off to the side and sat down, patting her leg and having her lift it so he could place it in his lap and secure the shoe on comfortably. He repeated this with each hoof and when he was finally done getting them all on, grinned at the horse, holding out his hand, letting the animal eat the few sugar cubes he had for her.

Once he was done getting the shoes on, he made his way over to where they kept all the riding supplies, picking everything he needed in his arms, throwing the reins over his shoulder, walking back over, placing the saddle on, fastening it, before he went to putting the reins and such on her as well, the horse getting quite fussy about this, stomping her hooves and tossing her head, and all together just giving Rannon trouble. But, the young man had been doing this kind of thing for years and was used to horses that happened to have temperaments. He stayed calm with the mare, and every time she was took a break in between throwing her head he would fasten one or two things.

After a while, he had her all ready and smirked at her, patted her snout, "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" The horse though seemed to disagree, snorting in his face, causing him to laugh and rake a hand through his dark hair, shifting his weight, "Okay, well, that's your opinion. I think you're just being silly and trying to give me a hard time." If looks could kill, Rannon should would be dead. He loved horses and he knew normally the horses were awfully fond of him. It was only when those high class snoods were about to ride the horses that the gentle creatures would get anxious.

Sighing, he shook his head and began brushing her, "I know, girl. I don't like those inexperienced rag dolls riding you and the others either. But it's not my place to say anything." Once he had her finished, he did the same with two other horses and as soon as he finished with that third horse, three obviously high class people, an older couple and their daughter, came strutting down in their fancy garb, complaining all the while how the stables stunk (as if they expected a place where animals lived to smell like roses. and in reality the stables smelt better than most in the town because Rannon worked so hard to keep them that way), about how hot it was outside, and as though he couldn't hear him, about Rannon himself. Putting him down as if he were nothing but a dog at their disposal.

When they walked into the main area of the stable, the daughter spoke up, getting angry about the horse that was suited up for her to ride.

"I don't like this one! I want the white one!"

Standing up straight, Rannon spoke, "Blizzard is still injured from your last ride on him. He wouldn't be able to make the trip."

"Yes he would! Get me my horse! NOW!"

He stepped forward a little, trying his best to stay calm with the woman, "Mam, if you take him out, an accident could happen and he could--"

The woman, even before he finished speaking, was unnecessarily angered by his words, and drew a hand back before bringing it forward to make contact wit his cheek, the smack sounding off loudly, "Are you calling me clumsily! You have better be lucky my father doesn't hold your pay for even suggesting such a thing, you filthy rat! Now get me my horse!"

Though Rannon hated the thought of the white horse getting hurt more because of the incompetence of the woman, he knew with the horse not being his that his hands were tied and he had no choice but to suit that horse up instead, her jaw clenched the whole time. When he was done, he silently boiled as he walked the horse up to the woman and stepped back to allow her room to mount the animal.

Only, when she did, the horse immediately bucked throwing her off with a shriek, the woman landing in a unfortunate pile of....well....needless to say it was a rather smelly and disgusting place to land. Now it was the woman's turn to boil as she screamed out in anger, rushing toward the house, and seeing such a sight, Rannon couldn't help but muffle a chuckle. That chuckle though, of course angered the young woman's father more and he turned his wrath on the young man, "You think that was funny?!"

Straightening again, Rannon spoke up, shaking his head, "No sir, I didn't think--"

"Don't you dare lie to me boy! You thought it was! In fact, I have a feeling you even planned this!"

"What?" Rannon asked in surprise, now finally getting angry, "What makes you think I would do such a thing? Your daughter was the one who prodded an injured horse to do what it didn't want to! And she got what she deserved for it!"

"You shall pay for suggesting such a thing! You are fired! You better have be off of out property in one hours time! And you can forget about your pay for the month as well!" With that, the old man and his wife left the stables.

The angered and very much annoyed Rannon made his way to the small shack at the end of the property he stayed in, being quick to gather his things, not because the man said he only had an hour, but because h wanted to get out of here before he knocked the ignorant fool's head off. Stuffing everything he owned, which wasn't much aside from some clothes and the pay he had been saving up from his years of working there, and started walking, planning to leave as soon as possible when he paused, a crazy, yet satisfying idea coming to his head.

Hurrying back to the stables, he looked around, grinning when he saw Thunder. Thunder was a large black horse, which he had often used to run to market for the family, but now, he was taking the horse as his own. If they didn't want to pay him for his month's worth of work, then he would take what he felt would suffice for the lack of pay and all the years of being grossly underpaid and abused for the good work he did.

Gearing up the horse, he laughed as he took off, heading to the market first. There, he grabbed a few things; some apples for the horse, loafs of bread to eat, a canteen to put water in for his trip, and a coat, as winter was rolling in and the weather woudl surely be his greatest enemy. Once he had everything he needed, he turned his horse, heading down the road. He traveled for quite some time silently, hours passing, until he saw a stream on the side of the road and decided it would be good for he and horse to take a quick rest. So, hopping down, he lead the horse to the stream and let it drink, filling up his own canteen. Once it was filled, he knelled down, splashing his face with the water, when he saw something from the corner of his eyes.

Over beside him, sitting on a rock was a lizard about the size of his hand and curled in his tail, was a strange black piece of paper. Curious, he moved toward it, expecting it to run, when it calmly stayed there, only moving to let the paper drop and roll toward him. Picking the parchment up, he read it over, raising an eyebrow at the message,

You are one of twelve chosen to receive this letter. You were chosen, because you wish for something with a great desire. So I shall grant you your wish. Into the Woods you must travel, to the Tree of Truth. There you will find me and if you follow my commands, you shall have your wish granted.

The message disappeared right before his green eyes and he looked back up, picking up the lizard to look at it When he did, it moved its tail, as if pointing in a certain direction, toward the woods. He looked between the lizard and the woods, before a wide, yet rather charming grin came onto his face, "Well, Thunder, " He said patting this horse's side, "I guess we're taking our trip through the woods now." Giving a happy laugh, he hopped onto the horse, and they took off, dashing through the trees.

...


"Alright Thunder! Keep it up!" He said with a laugh as the horse made another sharp turn, barreling through the trees within the forest without a care in the world while the little chameleon, who had had soon after named Liz (hey he was never creative with names) sat upon his shoulder, making small noises of compliant when a turn was too sharp or the ride got too bumpy. What a little character this lizard was. He would just chuckle and keep Thunder going, hooves pounding against the ground. It was finally a few hours into his little trip and the sky was beginning to grow dark, meaning very soon he would have to settle down and make camp. After all, it was a very bad idea to wander the forest at night with predators and possibly loosing one's way in the dark.

Pulling Thunder's reins, the horse came to a stop in a small clearing, where Rannon slipped off the tamed beast and looked around, nodding to himself, "Alright. This looks like just a good a place as any to set up camp." With that he slid his satchel from off of his shoulder, letting it drop to the ground before he began to gather up firewood from the surrounding area. Once he had enough, he began stacking a good bit of it in the center of the small clearing and tossing the left over pieces to the side in case he needed them later to fuel the fire some more. Once he had all the pieces, the young man knelt down and started to use the flint from his bag in attempt to cause a spark.

It took a few tries, but finally some of the sparks caught the wood and very soon he had it lit, the bright flames lighting up the small area, as well as giving some warmth to the small clearing, something they needed with the summer season beginning to cool down. It wasn't necessarily cold yet, but it did get a little chilly at night. He knew that very well from his days working over night in the stables for those ungrateful nobles. Never again. He would never again force himself to work for people like that. Once this journey was over, and he had his wish, he would have everything he ever wanted. Never again would he ever have to put himself below someone else. He just wound't allow it.

Grinning to himself he leaned back against Thunder, the little lizard sitting on his lap. Rannon first pulled one of the apples he had bought at market from his bag and began to cut the thing into slices, feeding each piece to Thunder, then once that was done, Rannon himself started to slowly eat one of the loaves of bread he had bought for himself, thinking back to the letter he had received from this little lizard, thinking back to the first five words in the letter. You are one of twelve. Twelve. So, that meant others were in this place, right?

So...did he have to try and find the others here in the woods? Would he even run into any of them at all? After all, he had no idea just how big this forest was. For all he knew there could be miles and miles in between them all. He supposed it was just a matter of waiting. If he ran into one of them, he ran into one of them. That was that. It didn't mean anything more.

Raking his brown hair from his face he let out a sigh and continued to eat the loaf of bread that was his dinner, quietly enjoying the night while he could.
 
"Come on Rapilia. Just one night out? We can go horse back riding and--"

"First of all, its Rapalia. And second of all, no. I will not go out with you tonight. Nor any other night for that matter. So just leave me alone or else I will have my father after you." With that, the young blonde girl walked away from the young man trying to win her over. She was so over men trying to hit on her and trying to win her heart over. Some girls had ropes binding their hearts. Well, Ali had chains around hers, along with a few locks for extra measure. No one was getting into her heart again. Not after finding out the way he truly was.

She had loved him. He had become everything to her and she had though the feelings had been mutual. Just how many girls had he told the same things to? How many girls he courted? Kissing their hands and whispering sweet words to? It made her sick just thinking about it. She had been betrayed, thrown to the side and then laughed at by him for the fact she had believed his lies and had cared about him so.

Never again. If someone who had seemed to love her so much had betrayed her and made her feel like this, then she obviously couldn't trust any other man out there. That four letter word they might try to use on her. The one that would have any other girl swooning and falling into the man's arms, it didn't exist. Love was for fools. It was just a tool those men could use to get what they wanted and that was that. Once they had tricked the woman into thinking what they said was true, they would get bored, dump her to the side, and go after another woman. And she surely wasn't about to let that happen to her twice.

Sighing, she walked into her home and smiled as she greeted her mother in the ktichen, the older woman stirring a pot of stew, "Hello mother." She kissed the woman's cheek and the woman smiled back at her,

"Evening sweet heart. Could you pass me the salt please?" Nodding, Rapalia grabbed it and walked over, sprinkling some of it into the food as her mother continued to speak to her, "How was your trip to the market? Did you get the apples?"

Ali nodded, "Yes mam. I got the apples. The trip itself was....frustrating."

"How so, dear?" The woman looked up at her and Ali sat down in the chair beside her mother with a sigh, "One of the men, you know, the Bakerman's son, was trying to court me again. He and all the others in this village just won't give it up."

Sighing herself, her mother hugged her, placing a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead, "Men can be such cats when it comes to women. Always chasing and not giving up when the mouse says no."

"Mom, don't compare me to a mouse. That's just weird."

She laughed softly and nodded, "Well, you know what I mean. Just stay strong sweetheart. And next time if you have to, bring your father along."

"I suppose I might have to. Those beasts just won't give up." Standing up, Ali brushed a strand of her hair back, "I'm going to my room to read for a bit before dinner." Once her mother gave her a nod, the young woman went to her room and sat down on her window sill, reading when she could have sworn she saw something outside. Looking up, she gasped when she saw there was a fox outside. They couldn't have foxes here on their land! Those things would eat their family's chickens.

Finding it quicker to open up her window and climb out of it, the young woman rushed up to the fox, thinking she would scare it off like she normally did when those things came around, but the fox, strangely, was not attacking the chickens and just sat there, its fluffy tail curled around itself, blinking up at her as if she were some crazy person. More so, between its tell and its body as a rolled up piece of parchment. When she seemed hesitant to get it, the thing uncurled its tail and nudged the thing forward toward her.

Carefully, Ali knelt to take the letter, unrolling it and reading it.

You are one of twelve chosen few to receive this letter. You were chosen, because you wish for something with a great desire. So I shall grant you your wish. Into the Woods you must travel, to the Tree of Truth. There you will find me and if you follow my commands, you shall have your wish granted.

"What?" She asked in confusion, looking up at the fox, "So, something at this weird tree is supposed to grant wishes?" What did she want as a wish? Hmmmm, well, thinking back to her own personal experiences, her wish would have been to tell when people were lying to her all the time. That would make her life so much easier. But, was it worth the trip to the woods for such a thing. After a moment of thinking she nodded, deciding it was, "Alright. I'll go. But....I want to tell my parents first. I don't want them worrying about me."

With that, she walked inside of the house, having the fox stay outside, hidden away. Surely if her father saw it he would have a fit seeing the animal on his land. But she did carry the black parchment, letters long since disappeared, in her hands as she walked back in. Sitting them both down, they were both clearly worried and upset that she would be leaving so suddenly, but they understood. She was seventeen now and thus almost grown. One thing she loved about her parents was that they always understood her and supported her in anything she wished to do. And this was just one of those times.

Her mother packed her enough food to last her a long while, while her father brought her a knife in which the blade would flip out when she needed it, though otherwise was hidden. She at first was hesitant to take it, but he insisted, saying one would never know when such a thing might come in handy. And so, she took the things she needed and after an emotional goodbye and promise to return, Ali set off, heading into the woods.
...
Following a fox was a little easier than Ali thought it would be. The white fox would run a few steps, even hoping on rocks and such to pass the time, looking back over its shoulder with its golden eyes as it waited for the blonde girl to catch up. It never went to fast, but never too slow either. Ali supposed she should be grateful for that. She wasn't the best at traveling through the woods and would sometimes have to stop and rest, but she surely wasn't as horrible at it as some of those high class people that pranced about and hated to get a spec of dirt on them at all. She couldn't stand to be around them. But then again, who was there that she could stand to be around?

"Luna, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" She asked after what seemed like forever of them being the forest, yet not seeing any signs of the tree that the letter had talked about. Luna simply hopped up one a rock, looked at the girl once again, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth, before the fox hopped down and started to walk again. Ali sighed, shaking her head slightly, "Well...I guess I can take that as a yes." She muttered, following the fox for a little while longer when she could see something in the distance. It seemed like a light, and confused, she began to make her way through the trees until she could make out just what it was in the distance.

It was a campfire. And not only that, but there was a young man sitting there, chowing down on a loaf of bread while leaning back against a large black horse, an expression on his face that said he probably didn't have a care in the world at the moment. She huffed and shook her head, starting to walk off before the young man could see her from the distance. As chilly as it was getting, and as much as that fire did look warm, she was not about to try and socialize with a man just to get warm and rest. No, absolutely not. Especially since that man was a stranger.

Shaking her head a little more, she began walking in the direction that would take her around this man's campfire (as it seemed this man had set up camp right between her and path Luna was trying to take her down), so that she could keep going and get to this tree she had read about in the letter as soon as possible. And right now, she wasn't going to let anything stop her. Or at least, she was hoping she wouldn't let anything stop her. Of course, one never knew what kind of things would happen in the woods.
 
They were running. They were dancing. They were swimming. They were talking. They were... perfect. He could remember it all. He remembered everything perfectly.

He remembered her hair. The way it smelt like strawberries. The way her eyes shined in the moonlight. How hard it was to just get close enough to feel her skin against his.

Her lips. Red and full. Her cheeks, soft. Her hands, small, gentle. Everything about the girl was mesmerizing. It was.. Amazing. Beautiful. Beyond that even. It was magical. Like all the good magic in the world flushed away the bad and she was the outcome.

So innocent ... so soft ... so ... beautiful.

A thump against the roof awoke the male from his dreams suddenly. It was always the same. The same girl, but a new adventure every time. The girl? He had never once seen her before. But there was just something about her he just couldn't let go.

Part of him thought that it had came with the dragon necklace he had always wore. He had never taken it off, ever. And he always had strange dreams. ALWAYS. They were usually different every time but recently they all had this girl in them and he couldn't put his finger on who she was.

He didn't know, or at least he didn't think he had seen her before. Now he had no idea. He had trouble figuring out what was a dream and what was real, but slowly.... very slowly Damian was surviving.

He jumped up from the cot where he slept and walked outside of the small hut to see what had landed on his porch. With eyes wide, he held his breath in as he saw a small, baby, red dragon fly down from the roof and land at his feet.

Damien stumbled back in shock and looked at the thing as he coughed and shot out fire. He jumped again and this time landed a few feet away and his butt while staring at the animal. He could have swore he seen the dragon laughing as a black letter was pushed towards him and landed on his thigh.

Cautiously Damien opened it up and read the white words as they disappeared.

You are one of twelve chosen few to receive this letter. You were chosen, because you wish for something with a great desire. So I shall grant you your wish. Into the Woods you must travel, to the Tree of Truth. There you will find me and if you follow my commands, you shall have your wish granted.

He again looked at the dragon as the small creature tugged at Damien pants legs, trying to urge him towards the woods.

"Wait! I have to get somethings! I need food and water. Clothes. How long will I be gone?"

The dragon continued to pull on Damien's legs until he finally just grabbed some water and a canteen, along with some food. He was finally pushed into the woods.

---

The dragon had been dragging Damion on for hours and hours. He wouldn't even let the male stop to fill up his empty water canteen, or use the restroom. Apparently wherever he was suppose to be couldn't wait five minutes, or at least that's what tell dragon thought. He had finally decided to call the dragon Mase. Why? He wasn't sure. It just looked like the type of dragon that needed the name Mase.

Eventually the blue sky began to darken, so Damion stopped and leaned against the tree beside him, completely out of breath. When he looked up, he saw the dragon hovering in front of his face, not a happy look on his face. "Oh come on Mase. I need a break. I'm dying over here. I get it, I need to get to this tree but it's getting dark and we need to rest. Or at least I do! And besides, it won't matter if I make it to the tree and get a wish if I'm dying! Come on, how much further?"

The dragon rolled his blowing green eyes at the boy and pushed against his back with his nose. He kept Damion walking for another good thirty minutes before the dragon and Damion both stopped in their tracks to see fire ablaze in front of them. Damion and the small dragon exchanged small looks before shrugging and walking their way into the clearing.

Although Damion wasn't connecting the letter to this other boy like other the others, he wanted to take precautions. He pulled his knife from his belt and held it to his side in a definite position as he walked closer to the male who was eating bread.

"Who are you? What're you doing out in the muddle of the woods while the sun is setting? It'll he dark in a few hours, don't you know?"
 
Beth sat staring at her mother and father. He hands clenched the woolen seats beside her as she tried to take in the words that they were explaining her. While she was growing up this was the kind of thing that they joked about, but never thought would happen. Now that the king was requesting more money for taxes... Everything was becoming real.

The words from her father's mouth and the tears from her mother's eyes blinded Beth. She couldn't even hear what they were saying, it all jumbled together into the stupid, cruel world that she lived in. All she had wanted was to know who she was and now she was being sold off to a man to marry him. It was digesting in her eyes. Cruel. She hated it, and she hated the king for everything he had done to the innocent villagers that lived around her.

It seemed like nothing he had was good enough. She finest diamonds and jewelry, more cattle than anyone else around them, but yet he still wanted more. Why couldn't he settle with what he had like they were all forced to? She had seen babies die of starvation because their mothers were too weak and starved to feed them. She had seen elder veterans be homeless because the king wouldn't give them a shelter. All the king wanted was more and more and more. And she hated him for that.

"Oh, honey. You know this is the last thing that we wanted but what other choice do we have? We cannot support three people anymore. We met the young man. He is kind and gentle. He will treat you right! And his father has money and will be able to support you, you will be better and happier there. We are getting old. Our bones are going to break and you'll have no one left."

Her ears tuned back in as she listened to her mother finally speak. She knew they were right. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that it was just a matter of time before her parents vanished away from her like everything else in her life. She felt like poison. Anything she touched would turn bad and die, the only thing that stayed with her for more than a couple years had been her parents.

She had died a little inside when she found out that they weren't her real parents , but to her they would always be her mom and dad. She just wanted to know. Who she was, why she was here and not there, if she had always been so bad at running people out of her life. She couldn't remember anything though. The only thing she did have from her parents was the small carriage necklace around her neck. Once it opened a woman's voice sang a lullaby and Beth's named was carved into it. That was all. One necklace was all she got. That wasn't even half of an answer.

The talk with her parents left her emotion and vulnerable, so in avoidance of others seeing her, she simple walked to her room in the barn and locked the upstairs door. She laid down on her blue sheets and crossed her legs. She shook her head in disbelief as tears ran down her cheeks. What was she going to do?

Just as she asked herself this there was a small mouse hop onto her stomach. She looked down at the sudden feeling on her stomach and squealed as she saw the mouse. He immediately jumped away from her and on to her floor where a black envelope was under him. She sat up suddenly and was surprised to see that the mouse stared up at her, not moving nor running away. He was just staring at her.

She lifted the envelope up as the mouse nudged it towards her feet with his nose. As she lifted it and pulled out a black letter, she opened it and began reading quietly to herself.

You are one of twelve chosen few to receive this letter. You were chosen, because you wish for something with a great desire. So I shall grant you your wish. Into the Woods you must travel, to the Tree of Truth. There you will find me and if you follow my commands, you shall have your wish granted.

"Wait.. Did you bring this to me?"

She squeak coming from the animal surprised her. She looked over the letter again, reading it another time right before the white letters faded. She gasped in surprise and thought about what it said again before standing up. She scooped the small four legged creature into her hand and let him sit on her window seal as she gathered clothes into a bag, along with some food and anything she could put water in.

"I have to go. It's better than staying here and being sold like a slave, right?! Oh no. I have to leave mother and father a letter. Ill come back for them. Once i know who i was before. Ill save them and ill help them. I wont let them die."

Beth wasted no time writing a quick farewell letter to her parents before she snuck out of the barn doors with the small mouse sitting up out of her dress pocket. She turned towards the barn and house she had lived in as long as she could remember, and with one last wave towards it, she hurried into the woods.

---

Beth had no trouble walking through the woods. There was a few times she would stumble and find herself face down on the ground, but she didn't let that stop her for even a second. Instead she stood back on her feet, readjusted her bag, helped the mouse back into her pocket, and allowed the mouse to tug her pocket in the direction they needed to go. They traveled for quite a few hours, stopping a few times to take a short break and breath or get something to drink.

Eventually they stopped at a nearby river and she filled her canteen back up. After she allowed the mouse to have a bite of her bread and get some water from the stream, they continued on their way. Time passed and eventually Beth looked up through he limbs and trees to see the faint sunset. She smiled at the beauty but realized she needed to find a spot to rest for the night. That's when she felt the mouse going crazy in her pocket and pushing forward.

She did as the small creature asked and she continued walking, her body and mind both physically and mentally tired. She stopped suddenly as she felt the warmth of a campfire and she could hear the crackling of the firewood. She looked around before she saw a faint glow in front of her. After she turned her head again, she saw another blonde headed girl about the same height as herself standing behind the Tree watching the man in the center of the clearing.

Maybe this is what the letter meant. Maybe they were also part of the twelve who were chosen to get their wishes granted. What could their wishes be? Should she go forward and talk to them, or at least to the girl and ask her if she had received the letter, or would that sound crazy?

Beth simply shrugged as she found her way over to the other blonde slowly. She made sure to stand a couple feet away before she finally spoke up to the girl. "Um, I'm Beth. I know this must seem weird, but... did you happen to receive a letter from a mouse?" She pulled the letter from her pocket and showed her the blank piece of white paper. "The words disappeared, but this mouse brought me it and led me here. I thought that maybe you had received it too and the mouse brought you here also?"

Beth looked at the girl, her blue eyes shining brightly as she stared at the other girl. She had to admit, she was a very beautiful girl indeed, but she had never seen her before. At least not that she remembered although she did look faintly familiar.
 
Rannon had to say that, despite the fact that the man that walked into the clearing had a knife at his side, he wasn't too worried. After all, Rannon himself had a small dagger he had purchased at the market, and it seemed that he was also older (even it was be just a year or two), possibly even stronger? Then again, working with horses and carrying bales of hay and other heavy supplies for years would make anybody strong. Either way, he wasn't too worried if this guy tried to attack him with that knife of his. He himself just grinned at the other man's harsh words, sliding his own dagger from its shelth. Though, unlike the young man that held it so defiantly at his side, Rannon instead began to lightly flick it skillfully into the air, tossing it up and catching it again, as if it were a game to him,

"You know, Kid, it's not so smart to come into someone else's camp and act so threateningly. After all, for all you know, I could be some murderer hiding from the law. And you would have just gotten yourself killed. Or perhaps a thief? Then all your supplies would have been mine. You should really be smarter about how you handle things." He chuckled and finishing off his piece of bread he had cut form the loaf, stood up, standing there rather casually, "And besides, why suddenly jump to asking me what I'm doing in the middle of the woods at night? I mean, I could just turn that same question on you. It's already very dark out, no one in sight. Very suspicious."

Why did he take everything as if it were just some big joke? He wasn't even sure himself, but it did keep things quite interesting and entertaining. Seeing anger flair in the eyes of people he taunted was just one of the perks he guessed. Even so, he kind of didn't like the way this guy had just waltzed right into his camp with such a accusing tone as he had been giving him. In a way it reminded him of the people he had been working for as a stable man. How they had always looked at him and spoke to him like he was a criminal of some sort. Did he just have a deceiving looking face? Or did he just have really bad like with any people he knew or met?

Now all joking expressions and amusement off of his face, he spoke more seriously, his hand halting in its flicking of the dagger to hold it at the ready in his hand in case this actually did turn into a fight, "I really don't like the way you acted coming here, Kid. My suggestion? Put that knife away and start thinking. Because clearly you haven't been using that little brain of yours."
 
Ali had just turned, ready to start making her way around this clearing to avoid the man in it, when suddenly there was a girl beside her, speaking to her. Something about being let here by a mouse and about a letter where the words had disappeared. Interesting. Perhaps this girl was one of the other people the letter had spoke of. After all, she herself was one of twelve, so maybe this girl was another? Maybe that guy was too? Titling her head tot he side at the mention of the mouse though, she pursed her lips in thought, "My name's Rapalia. Though, most call me Ali since Rapalia is a mouthful."

She shrugged, "As for the letter, yes I did get one. A black one like yours. Speaking something about twelve of us heading to get out wishes granted. But a mouse? Not so much. A fox brought me this way. Perhaps that man by the fire was brought here by an animal as well? Perhaps by an animal different from a mouse and a fox?" As if mentioning a 'fox' got the her attention, Luna hopped gracefully off of the rock she had been perched on, looking at the girl with curious golden eyes. The female fox even sniffed and came close to the new girl, tilting her head to the side as the mouse poked it's head out of the girl's pocket.

Now, knowing fox's to be hunters of such prey, Ali had prepared herself to stop Luna from going after the poor creature, yet it seemed there wasn't a need. Both animals seemed very calm around each other, the fox not looking at all like it wanted to hunt the mouse and mouse very much unafraid of the larger animal. Seeing this, Ali stroked the fox's head, smiling slightly, "Seems our two friend's here are on good terms." As she said that, another voice came to her ears, and she turned her head to see another male, unaware of the presence of the two females in the trees, approach the male by the campfire, "Hmmm, seems not everyone is as friendly as out two pets here though...this looks like trouble."

She turned and with the girl watched as things unfolded between the two males. Both seemed rather viscous toward each other. She scoffed slightly at the sight of that, "Just like men, huh? Always starting trouble. You know, if we don't stop them they'll probably try to slit each other's throats." She mentioned, and as if what she said was true, the older of the two men seemed to step out of that causal stance of his, looking just as ready to fight as the younger male did. Seeing that, Ali looked to the other girl with a sigh, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd perfer not to be a witness to murder today, so I say we stop these idiots before that becomes a reality."

Finally, stepping out of the tree line and into the clearing, Ali stood a bit of a ways from the two men, her hands on her hips, Luna following right behind her, the two gazing at the men, "Both of you stop being so brash and put those weapons away before someone get's hurt."

Rannon had to admit, he was ready to fight this man, but at the sound of a woman's voice, turned to look over his shoulder at the female that had stepped into the clearing as well. She didn't look to happy with the two of them for almost starting a deadly fight, but that didn't stop him from putting on that charming smile of his, slipping back into his more relaxed and joking posture as quickly as he had slipped into his more serious one, knife flicking causally into the air once more, as if forgetting he had almost gotten into a serious fight with the man still there, "Well, well, well, now this intruder on my campsite is one much better to look at. Now you I don't mind coming here. Prey tell, what is a fair woman such as yourself doing in these woods?"

"Shut it and keep your sweet talk to yourself. It does you no good here." Ali stated rather harshly to the comments Rannon had thought were charming, her eyes looking between the two, "Did I not speak clearly before, or are you two just as hard of hearing as any other man out there? Put your knives away."

Rannon, though obviously displeased his attempts at swaying this woman didn't work, wasn't a man to fight while in a female's presence if he could help it. After all, what would happen if she got hurt while the two of them did go at it? He may have been a bit rash sometimes and bold in his flirting, but he was also a gentlemen. And gentlemen didn't put a lady in danger. And so, giving the other male a look that said he better not try anything funny, Rannon slipped his dagger back into its sheath, looking at the girl, "Fine. No fighting. For now anyway. But I must ask, what is someone like you doing in such a dangerous place as this."

"Most likely the same thing as you two, if my suspicions are correct that is." Reaching into the bag at her side, she pulled out the black parchment and showed it to the two of them, "I received a letter. Saying to come into the woods so I can receive my wish. Just as the girl I just met did." She looked over to the brush where she had just walked from, wondering if Beth was going to show herself.

"Another girl?" Rannon said, looking in the direction that Ali, momentarily distracted by the thoughts of having a better chance to woo this other girl than he had had with the blonde in front of him, though forced himself to be brought back to her other words, "Yes, I received a letter like that as well. Hmm, well, perhaps all four of us are here for the same thing then?"

"Perhaps." Ali nodded, crossing her arms, bright green eyes glancing over to the other male, "Though, we have't heard anything from you. What is it then? Are you here for the same reason we are? Or are you just causing trouble for anyone who walks through this forest?"
 
Damien listened to the males words and narrowed his eyes. True, he probably didn't think things through, but when you grew up living like that and having to defend yourself and the people you cared about, he didn't do much thinking. He did and then thought later. Thinking things through was for the privileged, or the people that could literally buy themselves more time. Not people who had to pay for every step they took.

"Alright then. So be it."

The knife in Damien's hand slid back into his belt loop and he dropped his hands to his side. He circled the male, obviously not threatened by his knife or by his words. Yes, this guy was much bigger and stronger than him. Probably older too, but Damien had a lot of fighting experience; even without weapons.

"As stupid as it may sound, I got a letter and I'm out here to fulfill it. You could be a murderer or thief, but you aren't. So I'm not worried about that. As for the whole 'kid' thing, I'm not much younger than you I'm sure. So call me Damien instead. Grandpa."

He used this term mockingly, obviously, and then finally the small dragon that had been trailing along behind Damien flew up and landed next to Damien's foot. He looked down just in time to see the red and orange flames curse through the dragons nostrils and he looked back up at the other male he hadn't yet caught the name of.

"Oh yeah; this is Mase. He brought me this letter."
 
Beth hesitated as Ali matched in the middle of the fight and commanded them both put down their weapons. One of the men didn't seem as hesitant and he dropped the knife into his belt almsot immediately as he saw Ali coming, and began to introduce himself to the other male. Beth didn't quite catch his name, but why would she need it anyway. She watched them all carefully and suddenly saw fire come from a small dragons nose, and she jumped back nervously and fell to her bottom on the rough woods ground.

Just at this time, Beth heard the mentioning of her and could almost feel the stares from them through the trees and bushes. She stood up and quickly wiped her bottom off with her hands, and then walked through the bushes with her hands dangling down to her side. She made her way towards the group of three without even a stop, surprisingly because she was so clumsy, but managed to stay away from the dragon at one of the males feet.

She then pulled out her own letter from her pocket. "I got the same letter. I guess we are all part of the twelve."

Meanwhile, Damien stood beside the dragon, a few feet from the male who he had nearly gotten in a fight with, and across from a girl who had seemed all too familiar. His eyes studied her, up and down her body, not missing a single details he watched as she talked and her forehead made small crinkle between her eyebrows like she was stressed or worried.

He watched the way she moved swiftly, like she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She was so familiar to Damien; but so unfamiliar also. He had defiantly met her somewhere.. or seen her.. but where he couldn't put his finger on it.

Even his conscience knew it also. When he had seen long, blonde hair walking towards him he immediately put his weapon down. He wouldn't fight when a lady was around; but he also wasn't one to put away weapons when he didn't know if a fight would be started. But he just reacted; like it was what he was suppose to do.

Maybe she had powers and forced him to do that; although the other male still held the knife in her presence. It wasn't making since to Damien until suddenly, it clicked.

She was the woman from his dreams.

She was the one he danced with; he sung with (although badly). He won her over and he loved her. He protected her, and he did everything in his power to make sure that she wasn't hurt or sad. In his dream, he was her hero.

Was this some kind of sign or something he should take? Maybe his dream was just images of the future? If so, he probably didn't start off on her good side...

Once he realized his mouth was hanging open in shock, he snapped it shut and swallowed before turning back the woman who was speaking now.

"Anyway, I am Beth. What's your names?"
 
Seeing a dragon was certainly was quite a shock for both Rannon and Rapalia. The two immediately jumping back instantly, Rannon pulling out his dagger once more instinctively while Ali had to catch herself on a near by tree from tripping over some roots in her hurry to back away from the scaly creature that looked about ready to shoot a fire ball at any second. Weren't dragons only supposed to be around witches? That's what Ali thought anyway. But, this man didn't exactly seem like a witch. And he had said the creature had been the one to bring him the letter, so maybe it was just some chance of random it happened to be a dragon that brought it to him. Besides, this dragon was kind of small, so surely it couldn't do much harm, right?

After the shock of seeing such a creature had worn off, Rannon slowly slipping his dagger once again into its sheath and Ali swallowed, standing up straight, watching as Beth came out of the brush as well. She introduced herself, just as the boy, Damien she believed if she heard correctly, had. Rannon spoke up first, leaning against a nearby tree with his arms crossed, giving his best charming smile(time for the smolder) to the new young lady that had come into his presence, "The name's Rannon. It's quite a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady. And to meet in such a deserted place as the woods? I have to say that's a sign that fate brought us together."

"Oh boy...." Ali said with a roll of her eyes, glancing side ways over to Beth, "Best thing to do? Ignore the advances. Men like him are only trouble. Trust me I know from experience. Well, then again, I guess any man is trouble really. So, try to fall into their little traps."

"Hey!" Rannon said standing up straight, arms still crossed over his chest, "I'm just trying to be nice. Ever heard of a guy giving a girl a compliment?"

Raising an eyebrow she looked at him, clearly passive despite the young man's frustration, "Uh-huh. So saying 'that's a sign that fate brought us together,'" She mimicked his tone of voice, her hands resting on her hips in annoyance, "Was just 'being nice'? I highly doubt that. It seemed more to me like you were skirt chasing."

Now it was Rannon's turn to roll his eyes, though he didn't deny her comment. Instead he moved over to his fire and flopped down to sit on a fallen log there, going back to eating his bread, "Yeah, well, sue a guy for trying."

Huffing she shook her head at the boy's antics and went on to finally introduce herself, "My name's Rapalia. A mouth full, I know. So most people just call me Ali." Walking over, she herself took a seat in front of the fire. She was a rather bold person herself, quite clear from the way she had just sat down in front of the fire as well without even asking if she could, "So, this tree thing. How do you suppose we'll have our wishes granted if we go there?"
 
Beth listened to the male speak to her as he leaned against a nearby tree. She raised an eyebrow, obviously picking out a skirt chaser when Ali pointed it out also. She laughed a little and after they all introduced themselves, she saw down on the log next to Ali.

She looked around before she noticed the other male sit down across from them on his own log. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed his eyes never leaving Ali. She chuckled, but wondered why he wasn't making a move on her like Rannon had obviously tried on the both of them. He just kind of sat there and stared at her like she was the only girl in the world, which Beth of course couldn't help but find cute.

She then turned back to Rannon and the conversation at hand when Ali spoke up again.

"Well, this tree... If it.. Grants wishes... it has to have some kind of magic enhancing it. Or maybe the tree is just where someone with magic lives. Either way, we are all suppose to get a wish from it? Well... how? I mean... I've seen ferries and witches cast magic before, but a tree? That seems crazy..."

"Maybe it's just a trap to get us there. Maybe it's going to get us there and then use us for something. I mean, it seems unlikely but shouldn't we think of the worse possible scenario and consider it instead of assuming the best and getting the worse? I mean.. people are cruel. Who knows if there's even a Tree of Truth?"

Beth turned and looked at Damien as he finally stopped gawking over Ali, and joined into the conversation. After he stated his opinion, she knew that that was true. She had read and studied many things, but never had she heard of a Tree of Truth or something that granted them wishes in the woods. And why would they choose twelve? And why these twelve and not older, stronger, and wiser people?
 
She would be lying if Ali didn't admit she noticed the quieter of the two boys staring at her. It was a little....awkward to say the least. She didn't want to grab any guy's attention what so ever. She had been happy when the one named Rannon gave up his advances so quickly. She supposed it likely wouldn't be the same for this one. With the way he kept staring at her she had a dreadful feeling she wasn't going to shake him off any time soon. Well, t least it didn't seem like he was going to stare at her forever because soon he was speaking, saying how they needed to assume the worst as well as the best, just to be safe.

Ali had to admit, she kind of agreed with him. While she did think it was kind of unlikely, they couldn't throw those thoughts out either. They would have to be careful. She pursed her lips in thought before nodding, "You're right. We also need to take that into account. But, I mean, even if there was something bad there, apparently twelve of us are coming right? Surely we would be able to over power whatever it was if it did mean us harm. Right?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Rannon commented, leaning back against Thunder again, "What if this thing is like a witch or something else with bad magic? Something like that could probably take us out."

"Well....I suppose we'll just have to be very cautious? That's really the only thing we can do is be ready to run if something like that did happen."

"Either way," Rannon said, reaching into his bag and tossing each of the three of them an apple from it, "I say thinking about the worst is just stupid. It ruins the fun of the adventure. Now tell me, what exactly are your wishes, hmmm?" He looked over at Beth with a grin, "Why don't you tell us first, Miss Beth? What is it your wishing for this person or tree or whatever to grant you?"
 
Beth looked at the man who called himself Rannon and her eyes widened in embarrassment as she was asked her wish. Honestly, she had never thought of her wish. Of course there millions of things to wish for: money, power, love... But she didn't really want any of that. Money, she could earn that fairly; power, she didn't need that as long as she had power over herself; and love, she defiantly didn't need that if all the males were after one thing and one thing only.

She took a small breath as she tried to think of a quick answer. What had she always wanted ever since she was younger? What had made her want to change? She had always wanted to know who her parents were and why they left her alone, but... more than that... she had always wanted to stop the Rulers from being so cruel to everyone.

Where she grew up, the king was always cruel and angry at people younger than him. She never saw him smile or visit people to get to know them, he only came down when he was angry or he wanted to take money from people. He was never happy with what he had, he always wanted more. If she could change one thing in her life... It had to be that.

"If I... When I get to the Tree or person or whatever it is, my wish will be to stop the rulers from being cruel and mean and awful to the underclass. Where I grew up, the king never, ever was nice! He took a little boys toy shovel once because his parents had failed to pay all of their taxes. I wouldn't want any king or queen to be like that in any kingdom. I'd want them to be caring and compassionate. I'd want then to actually know their kingdom instead of just rule it. "

Beth looked around the fire as she saw the other three and wondered what their wishes was. She took the apple from her lap and looked at it slowly before spinning it between her hands. She then glanced back up at the three new... friends... she had made and took a slow bite from the green apple Rannon had handed her.

Meanwhile, Damien listened intently to the girl across from him as she spoke about her wish. He had to admit, it was a rather good one. He had never liked the way kings and queens treated people. In fact, he had only heard tales of when kings were nice and gentle men rather than harsh and cruel leaders. He completely knew where she was coming from.

Although that was a great wish, it wasn't what he was going to wish for. But that wasn't the attention now. Now, he was curious as to what this other girls wish was. Her name was... Ali? It was a beautiful name to match a beautiful lady, but he didn't want to say anything. Besides, how many people actually have dreams of someone and then eventually meet them one day? It would sound weird if he said it out loud.

"What about you, Ali? Correct? What happens to be your wish if we ever do make it to the tree or person or whatever it is? Anything big?"

He flashed her a soft smile, not one to flirt with her and defiantly not one that said he wanted to get in her pants. Instead it just said... Hi. Like he so wanted to have the courage to say.
 
What an...interesting wish. Could whoever or whatever was granting their wishes pull off something like that? Make it so someone could be less cruel? Well, they would find out when they got there Ali guessed. She had to admit, it would be nice to know that none of the rulers in any kingdom were horrible to their citizens. Not that the rulers in her kingdom were. No, Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene were very kind and caring toward their citizens apparently. She hand't seen them before or been around when they were, but she had heard stories and such so she had no reason to believe that the rulers were anything but good rulers.

Soon the other girl was done speaking and then the attention was on her as Damien looked to her with a soft smile and question her on what her wish was. She blinked in surprise for a moment at suddenly being called out before just simply shrugging her shoulders, looking away from the other three as she spoke, "When we finally do get there....I'm going to wish to be able to tell when ever someone is lying to me." She spoke quietly (which was rare considering she usually had such a loud mouth), knowing that it would seem like a strange wish for someone to have.

"Really?" Rannon spoke, scratching the top of his head in confusion, "Thats....kind of weird. Why would you want to do something like that? Someone said you looked nice in an outfit when it only made you look fat or something?" That got the apple he had tossed to the girl thrown back at him, hitting him in the head.

"No! That is not what happened, idiot!" Men just didn't understand, did they? They never would. That was why a woman could never trust or lean on a man for anything. No, she had to only trust herself.

Rubbing his head where the apple hit he grunted, "Okay, well why then?"

Looking away again, Ali crossed her arms over her chest, "It's private, okay?" Wanting to get the attention off of herself and why she wanted a wish such as that, she looked to the boy that had asked her, too annoyed with Rannon to speak to him at the moment and ask him, "What about you Damien? What's your wish going to be?"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.