The Kingdoms' Fall

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Purpisoful

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Mariota, the fine lady of a young twenty years, woke up to the loud noises of the bustling and hazardous roads. The day was getting old, sun starting to set which led early evening to fall upon the seven kingdoms quickly. Through her window she could see bright red and orange, as if there was a house fire in the distance. Rubbing her eyes, she stood up and tossed on some clothing - nothing too fancy. Stepping sluggishly to her desk, she grabbed her wand - which looked like an ordinary stick - from between the pages of a grimoire she had found.

Making way to the door, it only took a small crack before she could hear the screams and howling of people as they ran about the streets in panic. Fire lit up several houses and buildings in the distance, a bright orange creeping into her house through the cracks. This was a complete disaster and Mariota had no clue what was going on.
These noises and sights woke her up fully, she now able to process what exactly was happening. It looked like that of a riot and she knew she wouldn't be safe in her house much longer. Even being as good a mage as she was, she wouldn't be able to take on a mob of people large enough to turn her whole kingdom into turmoil.

She grabbed her traveler's bag and packed her most important grimoires. Her extra wand and some blue prints for never before seen magical items were packed as well. Of course clothing and small foods accompanies whatever space was left in the bag. Sliding it onto her back, she clenched the wand she had grabbed earlier within her right hand and head out through the door.


Later on, during the night, she ended up in a different kingdom - the Dalian Kingdom. It was a long and tiring walk, but it was the safest thing to do at that moment. The stars were now shining brightly above in the blackness of the sky.
Stumbling upon a tavern, she entered and instantly looked for a seat. Finding one at the counter, or rather the bar, she sat and sighed.

"Did you hear about the war?" Some man said to another. Mariota was able to hear this, focusing on their conversation now more than the water that was served to her. He continued on, "Three of the kingdoms started fighting."

Mariota grimaced at what she heard. "War? There was a peace treaty between every kingdom though..." All of her words were a whisper so she wasn't caught eavesdropping. She couldn't believe this was happening, but it made sense. Sipping the water, she removed the pack on her back, letting it fall beside her.​
 
It had been a really fucking long day. In the morning, she had been forced to deal with a patron refusing to pay because her work was "unacceptable". She had responded by declaring his inability to handle his own fucking problems was "unacceptable". The situation worsened, guards were summoned, and she ended up spending a few hours in the local jail until she successfully bribed the guard to release her. The rest of the day was spent on the road. Then she arrived at this place, some small inn near the Dalian border, which had bad food.

Making an irritated noise of disgust, Laura pushed the half eaten plate of food away from herself, then put her elbows up on the table and rested her angular chin on her hand so she could properly glare at the disappointing end to a disappointing day.

With that particular look on her face, she looked...adorable, like a frustrated puppy. Laura was a fairly adorable looking woman. She wasn't short or anything, settling right about average height-wise, but she did have a cute little nose, pretty brown eyes, and a heart shaped face. Even with the unusually short cut of her hair, she still looked fairly cut Although, the expensive, well made splinted armor she was wearing and the greatsword leaned up against the table at her side served as something of a warning she was no one to be trifled with. Even with her appearance, she was an accomplished swordsman and a savage fighter, as quick with her fists as she was good with a blade.

A conversation happening at another table drew her attention away from the food. War? She'd heard talk in Rykor about the same thing a few months before, but she'd put it down to rumor. It was simply too difficult to imagine any of the royalty being fucking stupid enough to ruin an almost ideal peace between the kingdoms. Apparently she'd been too optimistic. War would be good for her business, sure, but that didn't mean it was an intelligent move. This required investigation.

Laura abandoned her plate at the table and picked up her greatsword, which was nearly as tall as she was. Plopping down in between some young girl and the men who'd been discussing the war, she leaned the hug blade against the bar right up next to her leg and turned toward the two.

"You two mentioned war?" she asked, tone somewhere between shock and incredulity. "Between which countries?"
 
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The men that were talking their rumors looked to the woman who sat down and shrugged. They only knew what was tossed about - mere word of mouth. However, the rumors and gossip were more true than anything. Mariota noticed the woman who sat in a close by seat, placing the now now empty glass of water down. Thank heavens it was free; she had no money to pay for anything since she only took what was absolutely needed. Oddly enough, her small amount of coins didn't cross her mind.

Staring over the woman a bit, Mariota's brown gaze fell upon the rather large sword she carried. It looked very heavy and complicated to swing, especially for a woman her petite size. She was only a mere five feet three inches herself, being a tad bit on the shorter side. After waving the waiter over, she began to speak to the woman. "Um, excuse me miss." She stated at first, trying to be as polite as can be. She blinked a few times before talking again, "I know one of the places going to war is Qimwen." After talking, she became mouse-silent, not really being one to enjoy interactions with strangers.

Reaching down, Mariota opened her sack and took out an apple. She was glad she had packed the small assortment of snack-like foods, especially since apples were by far her favorite treat. Taking a bite out of the apple, she looked to the waiter who finally arrived affront her. It took so long due to the other men ordering tons of beer, so she wasn't angered over the delay on the waiter's assistance. "Another water, please." She said in a very delicate manner, sliding the glass that she emptied into her stomach moments before to the waiter. He took it and vanished off to the side, returning shortly with another cold glass of water.

Reaching down again, she pulled out one of the grimoires - the one she had found her wand in this morning to be specific. She opened it and flipped through the old and damaged pages, searching for the spot where she left off. Once found, she began to read, studying the several spells and magical knowledge the book had to offer. Every now and then she took another bite out of the apple, washing it down with a swig of water.
 
Laura whipped around in her seat, to address this random girl's interjection of course, but it seemed that the girl was pulling out a great big book and poking through it. It looked like one of those books her little brother had his nose stuck in all the time when they were children. He'd always snap that they were grimoires when she called them spell books. Maybe this girl was the mage type too, then? Either way, it didn't matter. It was rude of her to put her face in the book and act like she hadn't made a valuable contribution to the conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Laura asked, tapping the girl on the shoulder with one hand encased in a gauntlet. "How do you know Qimwen is involved?" She paused for a few seconds, not nearly long enough for a person to respond to her questions, before tacking on a third and a fourth. They were the only assumptions that made sense and weren't highly unlikely, after all. It was doubtful this cute little thing was a soldier of any sort. "Did you come across the border from there? Was it being attacked?"
 
Mariota hadn't noticed that the lady now faced her, eyes glued to the very cryptic and foreign words. Pinching the top corner of the right page, she was about to turn it until tapped. This caused her to jump a bit, a chill instantly sent down her spine. She turned to face the lady who tapped her, and blinked again.

Once the questions were asked, all in quick succession, Mariota nodded to the lady. "That's right. I come from Qimwen. There were fires and people running for their lives." She became quiet a bit, thinking of all the screaming that removed her from her slumber and brought her here. "That's all I saw, but it's logical that it's the war. I came here to be safe. I had no clue what was happening." Shaking her head, she closed the book, took a tiny sip of the water, and placed down the half eaten apple in her left hand.

Behind them people were listening in and starting their own conversations, the words war and Qimwen tossed about more than a little. The all made Mariota she slightest bit uncomfortable, especially since she had no solid proof that there was war back in her home kingdom.
 
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"Fire, running, and confusion? No, that sounds nothing like battle," Laura remarked sarcastically, shaking her head with a deep frown. If this really was war, how many people were going to die for what was likely some bullshit feud between royalty? It was doubtful there was any sort of valid reason. A valid reason would have been known absolutely everywhere in the seven kingdoms. A valid reason would make people angry, make them actually want to go to war. That was how it should work. That wasn't how it worked, but that was how it should.

Laura felt like discussing her opinion on the matter, but the two men who'd brought up the subject of war had launched into their own discussion, and judging by the noise, the rest of the people in the inn had followed suit. That left the mage girl. Ah, well, perhaps she had some interesting opinions, if Laura could wring them out of her. "That is fucked up, if it is war. People are not toys for the nobility to push around like pieces on a board." That was, in fact, one of the bigger points her and her family had contested on and one of the reasons she'd left them.
 
She was idly staring at the shelves and rows of alcohol behind the bar as the lady stated her first sarcastic remark. In fact, it didn't even register in Mariota's mind due to how spaced out she was. Shaking her head several seconds later, she was able to catch the second thing the lady said. Now for her opinion. Silence overcame her for a bit, then suddenly she replied, "No people aren't. We'll always be used as them, though, so long as factions exist." Quiet once again, she picked up the half eaten apple and bit into it.

Using her right hand, she slid the large grimoire into her bag again, not wanting it to get stolen or dirtied. It had a whole new outlook on magic from what she could translate and it would be very efficient in battle or just in general. Clearing her throat, she swallowed whatever apple she had chewed and took yet another sip of water.

Night was coming very quickly and if Mariota didn't find somewhere to rest soon, she'd be caught up on the roads. How filthy. She couldn't do such a thing ever. The only question was where would someone find a place with no money. Idea coming to her, she glanced over at the lady who dressed and looked like a warrior. "Um... I hope you don't mind me asking..." It was gonna take a bit of courage to get her words out, hating to be a beggar in any case, ever. "But I was wondering if you could... well... spare some coin. I have none since I left mine back in Qimwen... I just need enough to rest somewhere." The was the most sh's ever said to a stranger and it made her insides turn.
 
Laura had nodded along in agreement when Mariota voiced her opinion, then lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Her mind was mainly occupied with fantasies of rebellion, of exacting some small justice on unfair monarchs and entitled nobility. What an entertaining but impossible dream it was. Mariota's voice quickly brought her back to the present, however. She immediately felt a welling of sympathy, having been in a similar situation before, and felt a strong desire to help the girl. Maybe it was a stupid thing to do, but...

"You can have my bed," Laura responded quickly, without a thought as to how that could be taken. She was just as quick to clarify. "I will be sleeping on the floor anyways. Beds make me uncomfortable." After too many years sleeping on the hard ground, laying on something soft and above the floor just didn't feel right anymore. Explaining that to this girl did not sound like an entertaining prospect; hopefully she wouldn't pry.
 
Mariota became curious rather quickly as to why the lady responded so willingly and fast. They haven't even exchanged names yet. Tilting her head to the right, she took the last bit out of the apple, the only thing remaining being the core. Setting it down, because she knew the waiter would clean it up, she stared at the lady.

"My name is Mariota." Head straightening out, she continued on. "Thank you for allowing me to stay with you." Although there were plenty questions bouncing around in her head, she didn't ask them or even react to them. Damn her shyness. Standing up, Mariota slid the chair in and grabbed the rather heavy bag. In one big heave, the bad was placed onto her back. She couldn't wait to put it down already, only now noticing the weight of the bag. She probably hadn't before due to fright and the urgency of escaping Qimwen.

Looking to the lady, Mariota sort of leaned onto the bar chair she had been sitting in before. She was very patient and would wait as long as needed for the lady. Her eyes started to dance about the place, studying each and every occupant of the building closely. She noticed many people dressed differently than others - probably people from out of town. Even Mariota herself was dressed a bit strangely to be someone born in the Dalian Kingdom.
A yawn passed by her lips,covered by her lithe right hand. It was rude to yawn without covering it - well at least it was to her. She was raised in such a way after all.
 
"Laura. My name is Laura," she responded simply, making a dismissive gesture with one hand to the second sentence. "It is no trouble, truly." It was doubtful the girl could make enough noise to wake Laura up, considering how deeply she tended to sleep. She could always be a thief, but that was a risk Laura was fine with taking. Her coin was kept in a hidden pouch in her belt and her sword was always by her side, and there was little in her pack worth taking.

Laura waited for a few minutes, making idle chat with the pair who's conversation she'd interjected into earlier, before realizing that Mariota was in fact waiting for her, not the other way around. "Shit, sorry, I was under the impression you were getting food or something," she offered as an apology. "Come on, then." She stood and stretched just a bit before collecting her blade. Instead of just grasping it, she slid the straps on its sheath on, one over each shoulder, with the blade between her shoulder blades and the hilt poking up a bit above her head. Then, with a look back to confirm Mariota was following, she headed into the back to the room she'd been given. In accordance with her sleeping habits, a bed roll was already laid out on the floor between the bed and the door, and there was a sturdy leather pack leaned up against the wall next to the door.
 
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