Medieval Fantasy: Closest Friend, Worst Enemy

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loyalist_historian

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Secure in a tent deep within the trenches of the rebel campsite sat a seventeen year old girl, her moss green eyes resolutely examining her reflection in the simple wooden mirror. Her dominant left hand repeatedly ran through her long curtain of dark red hair, smoothly piecing through the gentle curls reaching the halfway point of her back.

Placing the mirror on her lap, the girl reclined on her makeshift bed, staring up at the 'ceiling' of the tent with a plastered frown as her thoughts returned to the trauma she had undergone over the course of these past few months. It seemed that her brother thought he understood her completely--when she was happy, or distressed, or angry--but Jaina had long been taught by her parents to keep those emotions hidden, and, whether Henry knew it or not, Jaina did that with him as well. How could she burden him with the silly ramblings and fears and worries of a child? She couldn't. With everything else going on, tacking something else on wouldn't be fair.

Generally Jaina's mindset, the thoughts were rarely followed to fruition when it really mattered. Jaina acted unfazed by so many little things, and kept so much inside, that when she bursted, she bursted, and acted even more immaturely than she would have admitted she could. And now seemed like it would be one of those times. Allowing her hand to fall, the girl rose, smoothing the dirt streaked emerald green dress--she wished it hadn't gotten so dirty--before beginning to pace slightly, a conflicted look on her face as she bit her lip before glancing at the exit from her tent. She wanted to exit, to find her brother, to be there with him as he spoke with the leader of those who had helped them both so much already. Alyss could be there. Why couldn't she? She should be there! But she knew how her brother felt about that, and how protective and off-put he would get with her if she even tried.

Still. She wanted to go.

Releasing the pressure on her lip, the girl nodded to herself, walking to the exit-way and deciding that she would stick her head out to see if any of her guards were around. If not, Jaina would continue as she wished. Breathing in deeply for a moment, she opened the cloth that served as a door, looking around in the green for any keeping an eye on her.

((Alyss is the prince's advisor =). And I made an assumption on the sibling relationship--that the prince would be overprotective of his little sister. If that's not what you want, let me know, and I'll change this =). And you'll get Alyss' intro when I know what the situation is like where THEY are =P.))
 
((Alright! and Perfect relationship. Fyi, I did try to post once... xD Funny thing: Stupid power outage. *MumbleMumble*))

Henry was sitting at a table, his fingers running through his short-cut red hair. Closing his aqua-green colored eyes, he let his hand slip under his jaw so he could rest his head on his arm. He let out a soft sigh of distress. This meeting was annoying and stressful, yet it was important. "So, you're telling me we have to stay in hiding? Because of all of this?"

The man across the table nodded. He pushed back his shaggy, medium length blake hair, shrugging his opened black shirt on more. Through the opened shirt, his muscular body was visible. His black pants with spiked belt was hugging his hips. He leaned back against his chair, his redish maroon eyes showing through charcoal strands. "Yes, I am. Sorry Henry, but you and Jaina will have to remain hidden for a while. I'm not quiet sure what to do yet, with the King and the King's advisor back in power, you and Jaina aren't safe."

Henry mumbled, cursing under his breath. What has this come to? His freedom, his limitless life, his life in general... Gone. His and his sister's. How would he tell her? All she probably wanted to do was go home. Sh was being a good sport about all of this, though. "I understand. What can we do to help, Mitch?"

"Well, for now.." He glanced at Alyss. "Listen to Alyss and also stay here unless we move you. Our base is pretty secure, so you should be fine here. I'll set up a training for you two, in case there's any point where you would be attack- you both need to know at least self defense."
 
((Hahaha! Also, I TOTALLY didn't mean to name him, I thought I'd deleted all of those name placeholders 0.0. If you want his name to be something different, you can change it =D.))

Alyss sat a step behind her friend, glancing over at Henry every now and again. She could tell that he was aggravated and uncomfortable, and she shoot him a look. Alyss understood Henry's situation, but it was rude, purposeful or not. Mitch had already done a lot for them, and he deserved their attention.

Besides, counseling Henry was her job. And she tried to fulfill it now, not only in silently chastising him but also sitting, a pace behind, ready to intervene if needed or if called upon.

Alyss knew it would be hard on Henry to stay hidden, but at least he could move about the base. If Alyss knew anything of Henry's relationship with his sister--and she did--Jaina would not even have that freedom. Not that that would be new for the redheaded princess.

After Mitch finished speaking, Alyss nodded, taking the opportunity to enter the conversation. "Henry already has training in that regard, although it won't hurt to refresh it. Jaina's a different story." Alyss remembered growing up with Henry, their play sessions constantly interrupted with this lesson or that lesson. Everything from diplomacy to battle planning to personal combat. Jaina had never had any of that.

Alyss saw a flash of red outside of the crack between tent and fabric, and her lip wavered before settling on a frown. Jaina was like a sister, and she loved seeing the girl, but Jaina was supposed to be in her own tent. Alyys slowly rose from her chair, moving around Henry and the table before moving the fabric to the side and acknowledging the younger girl. "Jaina," she prompted, a bit solemnly.

Jaina bit her lip, nodding her head. She blinked, trying to empty her expression of emotion before looking around Alyss and taking in the scene inside the tent. She tried to lock eyes with her brother.
 
((I'm imagining Henry as an older Robb Stark. Accurate =P?))
 
Henry watched Alyss walk to the tent door, and then noticed his sister. He sighed softly, in annoyance she didn't listen. "Excuse me for a moment, Mitch."

"Sure, do what you gotta do." He asked, looking in the direction Henry walked. Out of all the women Mitchell had seen in his past eighteen years, he had never seen someone so beautiful as Jaina. He almost hated the fact, because as he learned more about her, the more he wanted to protect and help her. She seemed so..delicate.

Henry stood next to Alyss. "I told you to stay in your tent. You deliberately disobeyed me. . . Why did you come here?" His voice was low and quiet, but you could almost feel the tension in it.
 
Alyss followed Jaina's gaze as it trailed to her brother. She felt the urge to sigh, but kept it inside--she had long suspected that Jaina was not as well as she put across, and as much as Jaina tried to hide that fact from the group now, Alyss could see that something wasn't right. Even as she looked at the younger girl, she could feel the tension inflating in the room behind her, could feel Henry bristling. She hoped he saw through his sister's facade, and that he wasn't too hard on her.

Jaina had to will herself to not take a step back nor bite her lip as her brother came closer. She could tell that he was angry with her, and that killed her. They were all each other had left. Jaina glanced over at Mitch, still seated at the table, but quickly diverted her gaze back to her brother when he was directly in front of her. A single tear glistened in Jaina's left tear duct. She tried to blink it away before anyone saw. "I'm sorry," she whispered back, her voice breaking before she managed to get it back under control. But she didn't say anything else. She didn't know how to phrase any of it, which was pretty new for her. She'd just. She'd wanted to be with him.
 
He sighed. Henry hadn't ever been very good when it came to people being upset, but he could tell from her voice cracking like that that she was indeed upset. He pushed past Alyss, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Listen...Later on we'll do something here in the camp.. Please wait until the meeting is over, okay? Can you please stay in your tent until it's over? We're almost done.."

Mitch spoke up. "Well, I guess if it's alright with you Henry, she could come in. I don't have anything against it. Your choice.." Mitch continued to look towards Jaina.
 
Alyss moved over to the side as Henry reached forward for his sister, silently praising him for taking the time to comfort the girl. Jaina leaned into her brother when he took hold of her, pushing her head into his shoulder. It felt good to be held so closely to him. She felt the emptiness in her demeanor start to waver, and a small frown was the only indicator she gave that his demands were returning her to that...that place where she'd been moments before. After all, Henry might have been asking 'please', but everyone in that tent knew that his word was law.

She stayed in her brother's arms, but stiffened, largely breaking off the contact as she tried to put that wall up again. She turned her head to look at Mitch as he spoke, now making eye contact with the man while still gripping her brother's arms. She was conflicted. A part of her hoped that Henry would agree and let her stay. She didn't want to be alone. But then, now, when she felt unable to stop her emotions, maybe being alone was best. She'd already displayed enough vulnerability in the minute she'd been there.

Besides, she didn't think Henry would agree. Their own father had done everything he could to keep Jaina away from anything remotely related to palace intrigue when he'd been. Well. When he'd been alive.

Jaina bristled again in Henry's arms as those thoughts returned.
 
Henry sighed. He felt between a rock and a hard spot. "Oh...Fine. I guess if you want to you can." He said it somewhat reluctantly. Mitch smiled a bit- mainly to himself as Henry gave in. He'd give the girl some freedom..

Mitch waited as Henry came back to the seat, and then he got down, pulling his chair out for you.
"M'Lady?" He bowed slightly, offering you the seat as someone who was in the room as a guard grabbed another chair for Mitch. Mitch ignored the seat, waiting to see if Jaina would stay or go. He'd give the seat to Alyss if Jaina sat down.
 
Jaina maintained eye contact with Mitch as her brother finally agreed to allow her to stay. The way he had said it, though...did he not want to be with her? Jaina shifted her gaze away from Mitch, staring into her brother's shoulder once more and allowing herself to straighten her stature and empty her expression once she was confident that no one could see through the cover her brother provided. And then she pulled away from Henry, smiling gratefully as Mitch pulled the chair for her. "Thank you," she said, and she did not just mean for the chair. She took a seat, tucking one leg behind the other and folding her hands in her lap.

Alyys was still off put by the abrupt shifts Jaina was displaying. She had never seen the girl like this before. From what she knew, neither had Henry, but her friend had never been perceptive, and she wasn't even sure he saw what she did in his little sister. She thought on Jaina's behavior some more, and blinked, realizing Mitch was addressing the chair. "No, thank you, I'm fine," she told him as he offered her the chair. Alyys preferred to stand.

((How old is Henry?))
 
((Depends. Three years older then Jaina.))
((And can Mitch be a vampire? Mwahaha.))

Mitch gently pushed her in, and accepted the refusal from Alyss. He sat down in the chair instead. "So, Jaina, what we talked about was pretty much that until this whole thing blows over, you two are to remain here at camp unless escorted by my men and women. I also mentioned I want to set up a few training courses- a self defense, weapons usage, and maybe offensive combat. And please, give any opinion you have on the subject."

Henry kept his eyes on his sister, but remained polite. "Mhm.. I could use some refreshing courses. I haven't really needed those skills until lately. Maybe a horse back riding one too?"

Mitch nodded, and took out a pencil and paper, writing it all down.
 
((Oh, I'm down. Anne Rice style, or a derivative of that? Or Vampire: The Requiem? What are you thinking? There's always The Vampire Diaries, but they're pretty Ricean.))

Jaina tried to focus on Mitch as he spoke to her, but she felt her brother's gaze burning through her. She grew more unsettled, wondering if she'd made the wrong decision. Maybe Henry had only agreed to Mitch's proposition because he hadn't wanted to seem like he restricted her freedom too much. After all, the last time she'd been so restrained, she'd been in the dungeons of their own palace.

But she didn't let any of this unsettledness show--she saw her brother staring at her, but she ignored all of the emotion, focusing on the scene at hand. She nodded as Mitch spoke--after all, the restrictions weren't too much compared to what she was used to. And she was excited to learn the training he mentioned. She'd never been allowed to before, and, now, she hardly expected Henry to deny her of them. Now, it was critically important that she could defend herself.

Still, with Henry, it was 'I'.

Alyss stood behind Henry, continuing to take in the scene as she had before Jaina had arrived. She raised an eyebrow at the king, but as she was behind him, she was sure he couldn't see it. It seemed like her friend was fuming. She understood why he was upset--she agreed with him that Jaina's behavior was reckless--but this was too much. And it wasn't fair. After all, Jaina was still very young.
 
Mitch looked over at Jaina. "Jaina.. Ideas? Opinions? Wants and needs? Tell me to shut up?" He added the last part, smiling, his fangs slightly more pointed than his other teeth. Though he wasn't human, he also wasn't hostile towards them. In fact, he was one of the few that weren't. But, he still did drink human blood. And most of his members knew their leader was a vampire- save for Jaina and Henry, of course.

Henry glanced at Mitch on the last one, and laughed softly. Suddenly, someone pushed into the tent. "Mitch!" She was hopping up and down. "Come on, they're waiting for you over in the weaponry."

"Oh..Sorry Lilly, I forgot. Well you two, I can either continue the meeting later, or it can be finished for now. Your choice.."

"It can be done. Let me know when the training programs are ready, alright?"

"Absolutely. Have a wonderful rest of the night, Prince, and Princess. And Advisor." He bowed to them, and left the tent.


((Similar to Anne Rice.))
 
Jaina smiled, laughing very, very slightly as Mitch engaged her directly. She shook her head. "No. You and your men and women probably know what I need. I mean, I could postulate, but it would be coming from a complete lack of knowledge. I'll trust you and what you think I need. And no, I'm fine, I don't need anything. Thank you."

She turned as a woman entered the tent, tilting her head to the side as the woman--Lilly--spoke. And then Mitch ended the meeting, and Jaina rose in respect as Mitch moved to leave the table.

Alyss smiled as Mitch rose to leave the tent. "Thank you for your help, Mitch," she said, not for the first time. Mitch had done so much, it was hardly believable.

Henry agreed to end the meeting, but his tone sounded so hostile to Jaina. Her own sense of foreboding returned as she wondered what confrontation they would have when Mitch was gone. And then he left, and Jaina turned to her brother, waiting.

Alyss watched the siblings in alarm. She was prepared to interject if she needed to, but, for now, she'd wait for Henry.
 
Henry looked at Jaina, then at Alyss. "So.. The training program.. I especially thought you could use the horse back riding one." He said after a few moments. "Maybe we can go walk around this afternoon, and see the horses they have in the stables." He said. Earlier on in the discussion, Mitch and Henry had talked about Jaina- before Ayss was able to make it. Mitch had asked to see Henry about fifteen minutes early. Mitch was quite frank with Henry- Is Jaina was to survive in the rebel camp, she'd have to learn about freedom. If she were to survive anywhere, she'd need to know what freedom was like. Henry reluctantly agreed, not wanting to loose the help.

Mitch got to the weaponry. He saw the delivery there, and his personal delivery. "Huh. Didn't think it'd be delivered to the same place."
"Sorry Mitch.. I wasn't sure where you wanted it. AB negative, right?" Lilly looked at him, hoping to have gotten it right. He nodded.
"Well, let's organize the weapons." THey opened the boxes, and got started.
 
Jaina felt a small, hopeful smile start to form on her lips as her brother spoke. "Really," she asked, excited. She pushed some red hair off of her face. "I would really like that, Henry," she told her brother. She hesitated, wondering, to herself, if she should say more. She decided that her brother was stepping out of her comfort zone--she could too. Still in her own chair, Jaina looked into her lap, before she looked back at her brother and started. "Henry, I'm really, really sorry that I didn't listen to you," she said, softer. "I just. I can't. I'm lying, in that tent, and I'm just thinking about losing mother and father. I'm just thinking about being apart from you, in the dungeon, and having no idea what was coming next. I can't do it, it's killing me." She swallowed, hard. "I know you're not trying to be spiteful, you and Alyss just want to keep me safe." She nodded at Alyss. "But. I can't do it, Henry, I can't." Her voice cracked again, and she felt tears start to form again, but this time, she knew she was going to have trouble keeping them in.

Alyss was confused by Henry's change of heart. It was a fundamental shift in his entire approach to his sister. She wanted to talk to him about it, but not here, in front of Jaina. And certainly not after the younger girl started pouring her heart out. She wanted to jump forward and hug Jaina, but she'd give Henry the chance to do that first.
 
Henry sighed, looking down. He..wasn't sure how to respond to such unsettling words. I knew he needed to be there for his sister- but he was able to push his emotions aside and deal with facts, why couldn't she? He glanced up, seeing her starting to cry- it broke his heart. He did't want his sister to be so upset. He got up and went over to her, holding her to him.

"I'm..sorry. I didn't realize...." He wasn't sure what to say, after all... The only person he had ever actually seen upset was their mother.
 
Jaina jumped up, pushing herself into her brother like she had earlier, but even more so--this time, she didn't hold back, and started crying into his shoulder, wrapping both arms around him. These were all of the emotions she had kept inside since before they had been saved by Mitch and his men and women. These were all of the tears she had not shed in that dungeon, out of fear of expressing weakness when the wrong person was watching. She couldn't do it anymore, and they all came spilling out. She didn't say anything. She didn't really have anything more to say, she had already poured her heart out to him. She just needed her brother there, and she needed to cry. And she did.

Alyss walked around the pair, settling behind Jaina and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to quiet the girl's cries with soothing words. She hoped that the comfort that not only she but also Henry was providing would help the girl just let it all out without fearing judgement.
 
A little taken back, Henry hesitated, but then tightened his grip around his sister, his arms around her waist. He gently kissed her forehead, letting her cry. He was a little uncomfortable, but he understood that she needed this. He wanted to help her- he wanted her happy and content. He was a little more comfortable with Alyss went to the other side of Jaina- she didn't do anything to stop him, or correct him, so he mustn't be doing something he shouldn't be. He gently rubbed her back, holding her close and letting her cry.
 
Jaina hugged her brother tightly as he held her close, Alyss' hand on her shoulder helping her realize, more, that she was amongst people who loved her and cared for her. It felt good to be so close to Henry. He was always so distant, acting the way he was expected to, just like her. He never showed emotion. And now, here he was, seriously trying to take care of her, and clearly upset himself at seeing her so upset.

It really helped. And Jaina just cried, between her brother and the woman who might as well be her older sister. She didn't even try to make her cries silent nor quiet, as she might have normally. She didn't care who heard, she just needed to cry. A few minutes later, Jaina started to feel legitimately better, and her cries grew slower and slower, before stopping. She still rested her head along her brother's chest, but she was in a much better place.
 
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