Jupiter’s
Comments
(group member since Nov 11, 2018)
((that's ok, take your time ^.^))
Hanzo hated the waiting game. He could feel the drops of sweat running down his temples as Bella sized him up. He knew he was less than an amateur for her, but he liked to think he had gotten better. He learned that he could put all that upper body strength to good use, and hand-to-hand combat he could pin down his opponent in less than five minutes.
But this was a swordfight, a completely different game. Bella was talented with knifes and daggers, and if he wanted to be better, he had to learn from the best, which often meant getting injured. Not often, constantly. Hanzo scrunched his eyebrows in concentrations as she smiled. It all came so easy to her, the mocking, the fighting, the stealth. Against her, Hanzo felt like an elephant in roller skates.
And then she struck. He thought she was moving towards his chest, but in the last minute changed direction and in one fluid motion made a cut on the side of his leg and pushed him to his knees. Hanzo groaned as he hit the floor, muttering a curse under his breath. He was much taller than her, and he knew she was much more nimble and fast. He was staring down at the muddy ground, watching a line of blood drip down his leg. Only a few minutes had passed since he had agreed to fight her, but he knew there was no way he was going to beat her in a swordfight. Maybe he had to change his strategy.
"Bella," He groaned, looking up in exaggerated pain. "Wait," he pleaded with his right hand and stuck the sword to the ground, using it to hold his weight. "Something's wrong..."
Hanzo almost jumped ten feet when Bella whipped around with a knife in her hand.
He raised his hands in defense. "WHOA, whoa, whoa, it's me!" He said, half and half sure that she wouldn't hurt him. His already tired heart began to beat faster in alarm. It was on him, startling her like that, it was Bella after all, the rebel assassin, talented and deadly but also a little crazy.
Okay maybe more than a little.
Hanzo took a breath once she lowered her weapon, thankful she didn't decide to teach him a lesson right there and then. He watched her bandage her wounds, shifting his weight, unsure if he should reach out and help her. He wanted to, but he could bet anything she wouldn't be too happy about that.
Hanzo didn't like that look Bella gave him, looking him up and down like a sick cow. He knew he looked the part, but he really had been trying! He hadn't joined the rebellion that long ago, and while he was strong (years of being a blacksmith's apprentice will do that to you) he was far from being the soldier he wanted to become.
"Uh...we haven't fought in a while...?" He asked, unsure of where the conversation was going. Hanzo gave a quick look around again. Did she think they had been followed? Should he be on alert? Hanzo's mind began to run a mile a minute, wondering what he could use as a weapon in a place as beautiful as this, and for a second got distracted with the lights and the trees when he was brought back to reality with Bella's voice.
He tried to catch the dagger. Really, he did. But he preferred to let it hit the floor than have him hurt himself before they even started fighting. That would've been embarassing.
"O...ok..." He said, picking up the dagger and holding it with his left hand, moving the handle around until he was comfortable. Her bet made him smile. "That sounds like an excellent challenge" He replied with a grin, setting his battle stance.
Boy, he really hoped he didn't disappoint her.
(view spoiler)
((Sorry I haven't commented in so long!))Nera grasped her son's hand, tighter when her husband spoke. Despite the fact that they had built a family years ago, it still didn't feel like they had built a home. The queen had always been on edge, wondering if today would be the day he finally got tired of her, when her usefulness as childbearer or otherwise had run its course and she would be taken out. But years had passed. Her children had grown. And she was still there, doing as much work for the kingdom as she could, getting out of the castle as much as she could, hoping Lotor would forget and not care about her.
It certainly seemed that way now. The king almost didn't give her a second look, focusing on Syannis. Her child.
Theirs, technically, but Nera wasn't about to let a wounded Syannis alone with his father. She winced at the exchange between them.
"Some family time may be exactly what we need." She commented, standing up and momentarily separating from her son to take a chair, only to show how committed she was of staying by his side. She overheard Syannis' whispers to Wren and gave a small smile, but worried. She knew Lotor contained himself in front of his daughters and younger son. There was only so much she could do against...him. The man had worked for years to have complete control over the kingdom. Nera had heard the whispers of rebellion, sure, but this was his castle, his domain. Truth was, if he decided to end both his wife and son right there and then there was absolutely nothing, and no one that could stop him.
So maybe she had to try another strategy.
She knew she would regret her words as soon as she uttered them.
"Please my lord," Nera bowed her head "Sit with us"
MY FINALS ARE OVER but I have to fill out applications for summer programs during the break T.T I'll definitely be way more active though!!
oke sounds good! Thank you ^.^
So Xwft and I wanted to explore Syannis and Nera's relationship a bit more, and we were wondering if we could have a Flashbacks folder or thread? So we can rp things that are not necessarily in the current timeline of the story but that can help develop characters, explain timelines, etc...
Hey everyone! So sorry for not responding/being absent. I've been in finals so I've been entering GR sporadically. I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here, will be done with finals on Thursday (YAY) and if I've left anyone hanging on a response please send me a pm and I'll answer as soon as I can!
OK so this third prince's story is incredibly sad to say the least! Is he Lotor and Nera's son? Would Nera believe he's dead?
She nodded at Kaito as he referred to her as 'Your majesty' like it didn't pain her. Like she didn't feel like a horrible parent for having him refer to her with such respect and such...coldness. With all the time he spent with his father, Nera painfully realized how much of a stranger she must seem to him. And she detested it. She detested herself. "Kaito, what happened to you?" Nera asked, referring to his bandages. She caressed Wren's ginger hair, her youngest, her flower. The only one who seemed out of tears, but holding onto her brother for dear life as if leaving him would mean his death. Wren, who was often so frail as well, who was so sweet and so smart, and didn't deserve to see her brother like this.
Nera gripped her son's hand as tightly as he did. He had been such a vivacious and healthy boy, it seemed almost a dream to see him so pale and lifeless. She caressed his forehead softly, his pained eyes crying for her help. Syannis eyes were so frail and so very young, like when he ran toward her when he hurt himself and she would sing to him. She would cradle him until his cries were no more, what she said then she repeated today with her eyes.
I am here. Everything will be alright.
Once she came in she gestured for Jasmine to come closer. Sweet, young Jasmine. Nera could see the tears forming in her eyes, and knew that despite how much she wanted to cry with her she knew she couldn't do that. She had to be stronger for her, for all of them really.
The queen was startled by the stranger's answer. The woman insisted on her respect and yet would not allow her privacy with her child. Her injured child. She was about to speak up when Syannis raised his voice against Yurina, as he had called her. Seeing her son in such distress and such anger, she was sure he would only make himself worse. And Nera wouldn't have it. She took her son's arms and led him back to the bed. She then rolled her dress' sleeves and took a towel on the bedside table, slowly and carefully wiping the sweat from her son's face.
"If you saved his life," She spoke as she worked, not looking at her. "we will reward you. I would appreciate it if you took your leave, there is plenty of guards in this castle to protect my son." She kissed his forehead and stood up, turning to Yurina. "And I remind you that you are speaking to the queen, and his mother, and I will not repeat myself."
She was about to call Erec at the door, send him to get the medic as surely Syannis required a change of bandages, but she was paralyzed when the door creaked open and he came in.
Syannis' father.
Her husband.
Lotor.
Nera's breath got caught in her throat, his yellow and purple eyes pierced her, throwing her off balance, because it seemed as if he could read her very soul. It had always been this way, since the day they met and her life changed. She found it hard to read him, to know what he was thinking, but he didn't seem to have that problem with her.
She was always so vulnerable with him.
Lotor's words came like unexpected arrows. For a second she could've sworn there was...worry on his face. There it was, was it the minuscule spark of a heart in a heartless man?
Nera heard Syannis' reply to his father, and turned to him.
"Yes, that's what matters." She said, kneeling back down and taking his hand to retrieve her balance and remember. Lotor didn't care. This was one of his games. One of his tricks to make them believe they were a happy family. It had to be a trick.
Right?
((Imma wait for Syannis' reaction to the queen and king entering before Nera responds. She's gonna be super surprised to see her dear husband lol))
((@jellybean yess I love that, they'd all be super confused and scared, but mostly confused XD@solanine she's trying her best poor darling \^^/ ))
jellybean wrote: "((damn, poor poor Nera. . . now would be a great time to bring Lotor into this! xDeither way, that filled me with so much emotion Jupiter I love it so much. . . and I want Lotor to act with all h..."
((oww thank you jellybean! she will be so distraught tbh seeing lotor have some compassion will give her doubts about him bc she's super scared of him but also wondering if there's a heart underneath that facade))
((ok I switched my reply around so it makes sense!!)
There were few places in the castle where the queen felt safe. It seemed like he had his eyes everywhere. Like every wall and every door was an accomplice to her imprisonment. Nera had gotten used to the feeling after more than twenty years of marriage, sadly, because she knew deep inside that it was true. The castle was Lotor's fortress, designed to intimidate outsiders and hide his secrets, which meant he had to know everything that happened inside and out. It wasn't mere paranoia. Nera was very well aware of the king's spies and guards with hidden agendas. She wished those would be directed toward outsider threats, but she knew Lotor kept her and her children as under watch as any other enemy. His own family.
She shivered. Sometimes she doubted she saw them as such. Sometimes it felt like they were all pawns in a game without rules. Just Lotor's will.
This was why she had to take care of them. Kaito, Jasmine, Wren, Syannis. Her children. The only light of her life. Her life had been destroyed by him, but she was damned if she was going to let him destroy theirs.
The garden was one of the few places she found peace. A ray of light, the green around her, this felt like home. Home. Something she couldn't find in the chambers and throne she shared with him. Nera paced around the garden, her dark blue dress becoming less impeccable with each step, and she turned toward the light. A strange, demented thought formed in her mind, and she started walking toward the edge of the forest, toward the light, toward freedom--
"Your majesty!" She heard a call behind her and halted. She could feel her heartbeat going a mile a minute, and she took a breath to calm down. It was good that the maid came in at that moment. She had no business having such ridiculous thoughts.
"Yes, Jemma?" She asked, turning toward the woman, who strangely was accompanied by a guard. They looked at each other worriedly before she turned to the queen.
"It's Syannis, ma'am."
-------
The Queen was running. She was running as un-royal and un-dignified as she had ever run in her years as a queen. Because this wasn't Avel and Atlas running after her in the wide country, or her husband leading her after their wedding. Nera wasn't a carefree child or a condemned adolescent. She was a terrified mother.
She arrived near Syannis' chambers and her face went white when she saw the crowd of guards and medics at the door.
"Her majesty, Queen Nera" Erec, the guard who escorted her, proclaimed loudly. Immediately dozens of faces turned to her and bowed. Nera threw her shoulders back and began to walk toward the door, quickly and decisively.
"Your majesty," One of the medics spoke, raising his head and bowing again in embarrassment "the crown prince has been stabbed."
He began to explain how they had cured him, how he ran them out of the room, how the rest of her children were there, but Nera could only hear one word.
Stabbed.
She raised her hand to stop the medic from talking and turned to him. The years of royal training kicked in.
"Thank you for your service medic," She began softly "please write a precis of his injuries and treatment for my review. I trust that all of you," She said turning to the rest of the medics "will be standing by in case my son's condition changes." She then turned to the rest of the guard. "Erec, Thomas, you two will stand guard here, the rest of you are dismissed and can return to your posts."
After a few bows from the guards and the medics the door was cleared. She took a deep, jagged breath and nodded for Erec to open the door for her. She was barely standing straight.
Nera's eyes immediately began to wet when she saw the scene before her. Her son, her eldest son, pale and almost lifeless, laying on his bed with a bloody red bandage. Her two daughters beside him, both with the same fear in their eyes, fear for the life of their brother. Her youngest son, who, Nera was alarmed to note, was also hurt and had also been bandaged. And finally, another woman she didn't recognize. Not from the castle servants or otherwise.
She darted toward the bed while she spoke to the unknown woman. "I don't know who you are nor why you are here. Frankly, it's not my primary concern at this moment. Seeing as you are alive next to my children I am led to believe you have their trust." She arrived next to her son and offered a melancholic smile. With a slight tremble she kneeled next to his bed, softly caressing Wren's head, who was already by his side. She then turned to the strange woman again. "You don't have mine." She spoke, swallowing her tears. "Please retire from my son's chambers," She turned to each one of her children. Jasmine, Wren, Kaito, and finally Syannis. "I want to be with my children."
Xwft wrote: "((Awww yes!!! Queen darling! I just need to Get Syannis own reply out))"((oh my gosh I just saw this! I didn't know you were going to post something before I'm so sorry!))
((oke time for the queen to come to the care of her babies))
(view spoiler)"Bella wait!" Hanzo shouted, and as soon as the words escaped him he knew it was useless. She was gone. The crowd of people approached the fallen prince, closing his path to Bella.
"Excuse me," He said, darting between the people "excuse..." he pushed someone slightly "excuse me..." Frankly, he didn't care much for the prince, and he seemed to have more than enough people caring for him. He was surprised no guards had arrived yet, but he guessed the majority of them were busy with the ongoing riot. Once he arrived to the other side he looked around, trying to find her escape route. He looked up and caught a flash of her hair and sighed. Of course she was on the roof.
Hanzo wasn't...physically gifted per se. He tried, bless his heart, but this was the exact reason why Bella was his mentor. When he learned she would be teaching him the ropes, he was equal parts excited and scared out of his mind. On one hand, he knew she would get down to business and there would be no crap. She'd be ruthless. That was also the reason he was scared out of his mind. But he couldn't and wouldn't complain. If he wanted to contribute something to the rebellion, he had to be trained in weaponry and defense and...climbing buildings apparently.
Well, this was as good time to learn as any.
By the time he arrived to the top he could only see her figure some rooftops away.
Now he had to jump from the rooftop? This was just great.
Hanzo wished he could call out to her, but 1) that would only reveal their position to royal guards and 2) he was too out of breath each time he ran and jumped that he wouldn't be able to get a word out even if he tried.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Hanzo saw Bella jump down to ground level, and he thanked the gods. Sweat dripped from his arms and forehead, his hair slightly damp, and his shirt almost soaked. He jumped down, startling a woman and a child with his pants and huffs, and he raised his hands to reassure them. He had no intentionor energy reallyto hurt anyone. He looked up to see Bella enter the forest, and sighed. Where was she going?
"Bella!" He shouted when he entered the woods, scrambling to follow her. Hanzo was hoping she would hear him and slow down, but she either couldn't hear him or didn't care (both equally as likely). The forest was cold and dark and it was getting darker as they moved farther and farther in. Finally, he saw her disappear between some vines, and when he entered his mouth hung open in amazement.
He had never seen something as beautiful and wonderful in his life. Hundreds, if not thousands of small fireflies fluttered around them, and he observed with a smile how they posed themselves on Bella, as if they were old friends. It was strange how she could be deadly and ruthless and maniacally stabbing princes one moment, and delicate enough to hold a firefly the next.
He walked slowly to her, not wanting to startle her. "Bella?" He whispered, feeling as if the magic atmosphere of the fireflies would break the moment he spoke up. He saw her cleaning a wound, and the pond at her feet going dark. "Bella? Are you hurt?" He said, alarmed.
