Time of Tyranny (w/ Everly)

[Ozouko]

The fact that she was unsure of what to do surprised Caloop slightly. He had thought that she would have had something decided, but he didn't blame her. "Well we can just stay in the city for now then." He said with a reassuring smile. As much as he wanted to he couldn't help her make that decision. When it can to a person make a decision that could greatly impact the rest of their life he had always kept his opinions to himself. Partly because he didn't want the guilt if someone took his advice and it ended up bring the wrong decision, but also because he thought that when a person makes a decision on their own it had a greater chance of being the proper choice. It was like trying to order food for someone else. His own tastes would skew his decision. It was very similar except his past experiences would skew his view of the situation and result in him choosing something the other person would not have.

"Come on, let's go up stairs. I'm sure Granny will be making breakfast by now." He said as he turned away walking down the corridor and up the spiral stairs. As soon as he slip open the door behind the clothes the smell of fried pig meat came wafting in making his mouth salivate. Being a guard you were on a strict diet that rarely ever changed. He couldn't remember the last time he had bacon. He pushed his way out of the hanging clothes and into the small wooden shop. The sun was shining in from the windows at the front of the store, setting everything in a cheery light. He crossed the small room and went of the wooden stairs creaking with each step.

The top floor of the building was nothing spectacular. The stairs led to a landing with the back wall being a sort of redish-brown stone. There was a banister that separated the landing creating what almost looked like a balcony over the stairs. There were 4 doors that lead deeper into the floor. On the landing was a square table that was low to the floor with cushions on either side. The table had been set with glazed off white pottery, a bowl of exotic fruit in the center. Sitting against the stone wall was a large iron stove where his grandmother was hard at work. "Good morning you two!" She said with out even looking away from the sizzling strips of meat on an iron pan. He walked over and hugged her kissing her on the cheek. "Good morning Granny!" He said before sitting down on the on of the cushions.

 

[Ethys]

Keladry nodded and looked away. She felt.. alone. Sure, he was here, as well as his somewhat-adopted grandmother or whatever she was, but.. It wasn't the same. Her family was gone or held hostage, and she could not reach out to her friends because she did not know who to trust. Caloop couldn't make her decisions for her and seemed ready to blindly follow whatever she decided to say even if it was wrong. She just wanted to shut the door and go curl back up on the bed, but she couldn't do that. He expected her to interact, and she had to be polite. Besides, she didn't want to upset the older woman.

With that thought in mind, she followed Cal up the stairs, through the shop, and up more stairs. Something was cooking, but the princess had zero appetite. She'd try to eat anyway, she supposed. Give her something to do while she brooded in silence, which is exactly what she did after nodding toward Karin's greeting. The woman hadn't turned to them, so Keladry didn't have to force a smile. Instead, she sat next to Cal and lost herself in thought once more.

 

[Ozouko]

She pulled the pan off the stove and put it down on the table. Caloop reached for a piece and a wooden spoon smacked his knuckles held by Karin. "Don't you have any manners boy?" She scolded looking at his with a scowl, but as she noticed the extremely large clothing she burst into laughter. "You look like you are Mirrium's age wearing your grandfathers clothes again." Caloop became a little embarrassed as blood rushed to his cheeks turning them a slight shade of red, which only made his grandmother laugh harder. "I was going to change after we ate!" Caloop retorted trying to defend himself. The old women went back to her cooking smiling to herself.

The door into the shop jingled as someone entered. Moments later Mirrium came flying up the steps holding a white box in her hands. She handed the box to Caloop with a large smile on her face. He thanked her and put the box down in the table. "I know it wont fix anything that has happened but whenever I feel depressed one of these always to brighten my day." He opened the box and pulled out one of the large cinnamon rolls covered in icing and placed it down on the plate in front of Keladry. "If you don't want to eat it that's fine but they are always the best when they are warm." He didn't know if her had heard anything he had just said. Her eyes remained glazed as if she was lost in thought.

 

[Ethys]

"Hm?" Keladry asked distractedly, blinking as she realized a big cinnamon roll was now on her plate. It looked delicious, honestly. They rarely had such things in the castle, which was why she always snuck into the kitchens when her parents weren't paying attention. A bit of bribing with a compliment or two and the cook would give her any sweets she wanted. She had realized after a few years of the game that the cook's son had feelings for her, but he was much too polite to say so. Still, she felt badly about it. She was supposed to be married soon to some prince that she had never met. Supposedly he was quite good looking and would be a marvelous husband, but sometimes she longed for more. Was it too much to want to actually like a man before she married him? It simply was not to be. That was not the princess way.

"Thank you," she said, giving Cal a half smile as she pushed the random thoughts from her mind. She picked up a fork out of habit and munched a piece of the roll. Cal was right. It was very good, and still warm. The little girl.. what was her name? Mirrium?.. must have run all the way from the market with the box to keep them from getting cold. She ate a few more bites before losing interest and getting lost in thought again. It was impossible to focus, she needed something else..

"I want you to teach me how to fight," she said out of nowhere, looking up at Cal. "Please."

 

[Ozouko]

Caloop stopped just as he was about to pop a piece of his own cinnamon roll into his mouth. He lowered his hand from his mouth and looked at Keladry the shock of her sudden decision clear on her face. "Um well I can show you the basics but if you want to learn properly we are going to have to find you a master." The shock melted to a smile. Making a decision in what you wanted to do was always the first step in getting over a problem. "Not that it would be a problem! I mean anyone would be willing to teach the princes of the kingdom but it's finding a master that is right for you." Caloop had never actually had a master. He had learned to fight on the streets and his magic had kind of come naturally to him but he was never able to do more then produce small spines. When he get inducted into the the guard they had showed him the general theory but he hadn't progressed high enough to get thought more. Mirrium sat across the table from Caloop listening as she ate she cinnamon roll.

"You should first get her tested to see if she has any magical ability first. It will make your search a bit easier." Karin said as she scooped some scrambled eggs out of the pan in her hand and on to a place on the table. She must have been listening too, as she was cooking. She stacked the pan on top of the one she had cooked the bacon in and sat down at the table picking up a purple and red skinned fruit. "You can always go see the old mage that is always in the center of town. Although she is kind of crazy so her predictions might be wrong but no one would believe her if she was to say she saw the princess." Karin suggested, taking a bit out of the fruit. Calooped took some of the of the eggs and bacon and put them onto his plate. "If it's alright with you, I think it's a good idea."

 

[Ethys]

Keladry nodded a little as he mentioned a master, though she wasn't too sure about the idea. That meant somebody else knowing that she was out of the castle. But.. maybe that wasn't such a good thing. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage. She realized now that she didn't necessarily need to go find allies - they were here. The city would not be pleased if they realized the castle had been taken over. By all accounts, the people were pleased with their king and queen. If Keladry could convince some of them to fight, they could retake the castle! But first, she had to know how to fight. She refocused on the conversation between Cal and Karin, tilting her head.

"I already know the answer," she said with a half smile. "Royal families have tutors in all subjects, magic included. I was tested as a child and taught from then on. It is expected to have at least a basic understanding," she explained. She held out a hand, palm up. A soft light formed about an inch above her hand and she focused, the light growing brighter for a few moments until it faded and a small silver locket fell into her hand. She held it out to Mirrium with a smile. It was her own locket, but it was empty. She had simply called it to her from her bedchamber where she knew it was.

 

[Ozouko]

The three others in the room watched in wonder as her preformed her magic. Caloop completely taken back by her ability. Mirrium let out a small squeal as she reached to take the locket from Keladry. Karin stopped her telling her to go wash the sticky icing off her hands so that she didn't get the locket dirty. The young girl ran off into one of the doors the lead off of the landing into the bathroom. "Please excuse my incompetence your highness." Caloop spoke in a respectful tone, however there was something different in his voice. It wasn't so tight as if he had started to relax in the presences of the princess. Although being at home was a contributing factor. Unknown to Caloop, his slight accent from growing up in the slums was starting to become audible.

"The fact that you understand and can use magic will make you a much stronger fighter." Caloop had been thinking the same thing as Keladry was, it would be risky to let a common person know about the castle being attacked. If the word got out it could cause a panic to spread though the city or rally the people together, both out comes had the same likely hood. "You must have some allies in the city, am I correct to assume so?" Caloop inquired as he scooped the last bit of eggs into his mouth. Even though Caloop had grown up in the slums Karin had made a point about having manners. Even though he ate quickly there was never a lack of manners. Mirrium burst back into the room her hand clear of all icing. She took the locket from the princess and slipped the chain over her head. Flipping her hair out of the chain she turned to Keladry. "Do I look like a princess too?"

 

[Ethys]

"It's okay," Keladry assured Caloop with a bit of a laugh. Doing magic always relaxed her for some reason, and she felt more at ease now. It was easier to smile and pay attention to the conversation. She nodded as he mentioned allies. "I am hoping so. The people are not going to be pleased that the castle has been taken over without them knowing, particularly during the festival. It's just rude. I am hoping that if I learn to fight, I can rally them and we can simply take the castle back. I know it won't be that simple, but.. We would outnumber them easily," she explained, shrugging a bit. She was no war general, but nor was she an idiot. It could be done. They just needed a leader, and she knew she'd be able to find one in the city that could direct them appropriately.

"Hmm.. Not quite, you're missing something.." the princess mused, eyeing Mirrium as she wore the locket. Hiding her hand under the table from the child for a moment, she lifted it into view a few seconds later and gently placed a crown on Mirrium's head. It was Keladry's from years ago, when she was about Mirrium's age. She had grown out of it, of course, and had no use for it now. The fact that it was worth thousands of gold pieces did not matter to her. "There. Now you are the most beautiful princess I've ever seen!" she exclaimed, giving the girl a smile. Doing magic twice so close together like that made her hungry, so she finally started eating more.

 

[Ozouko]

Mirrium ran around the room yelling "i'm a princess, I'm a princess." Caloop laughed the the young girl. He could almost remember when he was that young, to not be introduced to the cruelties of the world. The bliss of ignorance. He stuck his arm out just in time to catch her and swing her to a stop. "Okay princess what do you say to her majesty?" Mirrium bowed to Keladry and thanked her before running off to her room saying something about giving commands to her stuffed animals. "We'll give them back after she has played with them for a while." Karin said when Mirrium had closed the door.

"I'm sure the people will be willing to fight." Caloop said with a serious look on his face. "However with out the proper training and equipment we will get slaughtered. Those guards are highly skilled and wont hold back just because they are civilians." His brows came together to form a crease on his forehead, as he sighed his eyes become distant becoming focused on his thoughts. "It will be difficult to pull this off without Carson and his group finding out about it but it is possible." The idea was a good suggestion but they would have to proceed extremely carefully to make sure that Carson didn't start killing civilians or worse capturing and torturing them. Caloop was strong for a fighter, but a fighter was all he was. He wasn't a leader or a general. He was the one the general told what to do. They needed someone like the captain of the guards. His face light up like a light bulb.

"The Knights!" They weren't at the castle when it was attacked it was one of the contributing factors as to why it fell in only one night. He jumped up in excitement. Having the Knights as an asset to their cause would give them an equalizer. "They are the best out of all of the guards! They are still alive! They will be returning today and will be heading to the castle..." Caloops smile and excitement fell from his face and was replaced with a look of horror. "Where they won't have any idea whats going in and be killed before they reach the inner gate." He looked at Keladry, determination burning in his eyes. "We need to reach them before they get to the castle."

 

[Ethys]

"No, no need. She can keep them," Keladry assured Karin, then she turned her attention to Caloop. He seemed to agree with her, which was good. Perhaps they'd make it through this after all. He brought up a good point.. they needed training. Weapons. Everything else.. She pondered that, munching a piece of bacon absently as Cal talked about Carson. Eugh. If she never saw that traitor again, she would die peacefully. Unfortunately, they were bound to cross paths if she was going to pursue the castle. She frowned at the thought, then looked at Cal as he burst out with something else.

"We can meet them before they even reach the city if we take the outer road. I don't know if they'll listen to me, but they don't have a choice now that my parents aren't available to give orders," she said, sighing. They had to move fast. "They could be back any minute. We should go, now," she suggested, standing up and looking at Cal.

 

[Ozouko]

Karin had disappeared into one of the doors as the two of them realized what they needed to do. "I agree! We will head to the main entrance to town and find out if they have even entered the city yet." Caloop wasn't giving orders but the stiff guard persona was starting to fade the more comfortable he became with Keladry. What he told her was the best way to ensure that they would caught up with the knights before they reached the castle. He looked down at his over sized clothes and as if on cue, Karin opened the door a small pile of folded clothes on her arm. "These should fit you." Karin handed him the brown clothes. They were made out of a much nicer fabric then the one that occupied the store tables down below. Caloop looked at them a little stunned. How had she been able to afford this fabric? Why hadn't she use it to make better clothes for the store and make more money? Karin spoke knowing what was running through Caloop's mind. "Don't worry about how I was able to get the fabric! You are in a rush aren't you?" Caloop smiled and hugged the old women tightly and then ran off into the bath room to change. Karin turned to Keladry. "If you wanted anything to be made to fit yourself milady I would be more then willing to do so."

When he emerged moments later from the bath room, the gray baggy clothes were laying in a heap on the floor. The brown clothes felt soft on his skin, probably made out of pure cotton. He wore a pair or dark drown pants that were slightly tight so that they hugged his calves but were slightly baggy, but still stylish, over his thighs. There was a light brown tunic that was trimmed with a dark brown to match his pants and fit snug against his chest but more lose around his stomach. A long dark brown jacket sat on his shoulders and with accented with gold. The clothes felt amazing with the combination between the soft fabric and the perfect fit. It always impressed Caloop on how she was able to get the perfect measurements by just looking at a person's body. He realized that she must have stayed up late into the night making these clothes for him, as last night being the first time she had seen him in months. It must have cost been extremely hard for karin to save up the money to afford these clothes. He promised himself that he would repay her. "Well shall we go?" Caloop asked to Keladry.

 

[Ethys]

Keladry nodded and looked up as Karin came back with clothes. Perfect. Now Cal wouldn't be tripping over himself in clothes that were too big.

"Oh, that's alright, Karin. I am more than comfortable in these and I would hate to put you through the trouble of creating more needlessly. Thank you for your offer, though. I appreciate your generosity," she said with a smile, staying comfy in her chair as she waited for Caloop to come back out from the bathroom. It didn't take long. He soon emerged, and it was obvious that the fit was much better than the others. It was obvious he preferred this as well, given his relaxed stance when he wandered out.

"Yes, absolutely," she agreed as he looked to her. She stood and pushed her chair in, then followed Cal back downstairs and outside. If they were going to meet the knights, they had to be fast. The main gate was not terribly far since they were in the middle of the city now and the castle was further back. She stayed close by Caloop as they went, keeping her head down, but it was unnecessary. Now that she was out of her royal clothing, nobody gave her more than a glance or a smile. It seemed she was completely unrecognizable. Fantastic! She smiled to herself, relaxing but keeping up a fast pace as they went.