ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏʏᴀʟ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ - advanced roleplay discussion

Living room




Lorelei's room

Lorelei opened her eyes softly. She could hear the rustling of clothing in her room and a pat on her head. She tensed at first, but calmed quickly when she realized that it was the hand of her brother, Jet. He was making sure she was alright, as he did every morning, and Laurette smiled softly, her eyes drifting back closed. Everything's okay, she thought to herself. Sometimes she needed to repeat that to herself when the morning sun was barely up. It was hard to believe, that she had come so far in just days. Finding Jet, getting the cottage, fixing it up. It was all just a dream, a dream that she'd had just a year ago, when she was running barefooted through the forest with cuts, burns and bruises riddling her skin. It was a dream she had when she was sold as a slave, when the only freedom she had was in her thoughts, when she was abused and terrified. But that was gone, it was all over. And Lorelei could rest her head with those thoughts, "I love you," she murmured to her brother as he walked away. Lor snuggled back into her blankets, the pure white fabric covering her nose as she closed her eyes again, drifting back off to sleep for another hour or so, before she needed to heave herself from bed and go to work herself.

It was a dimly lit house, the same house she always returned to when sleep took her away from reality. The lights that blazed from the ceilings were all covered by shades of a gaudy plastic that crinkled and popped at the touch. The walls were made of wooden beams, like the houses they'd made back home, when she had her family and her friends. The paneling comforted her sometimes, with its stripes of brown and red and orange, reminded her of other places. But when she had been young, the houses didn't stink of alcohol and decay, as this one did. It was a lodge, really, made more for seasonal hunting, but it's owner stayed year round, his kills lined up just outside the open windows, sending a putrid smell wherever you walked. And the snow had started to melt, releasing its hold on the green grass that was waiting for its turn beneath it. Lorelei didn't hate the cabin, she actually thought her family might quite like it. The four walls weren't the terrible thing about it. It was the people, the husband and wife, that defiled it with their evil ways. That night, the same one she always returned to, was dark and calm outside, but inside, it was anything but. Mrs Finch was upstairs. She was usually the more brutal of the two, so Lorelei wasn't as stressed as she could've been. Mrs. Finch whipped her open palms, and even as she cleaned the kitchen, Lorelei could feel the sting of the water entering her open wounds, and bit down harshly on her lip to fight the urge to cry out in pain. It was only worse if she did, she'd learned to not cry years ago. Silence was best in the Finch home, except for when it came for Mr. Finch. He was a tall man, with small shoulders and skinny limbs. He had skin that was tan and starting to wrinkle, and barely any hair left on his head. Lorelei wasn't even worried about him that night, since she'd assumed that he was occupied with the television in the other room. Lorelei's blue eyes watched as a tiny spider crawled across the countertop before her. He was harmless and small, and had probably come in through one of the many open windows. She couldn't help but smile at seeing a new life in the house, and let her finger slide along the wood toward it, and watch it scurry faster away from her pale finger. Lorelei giggled softly, and reached for a piece of paper towel. She could catch the spider, and let it outside through the window. Just because she had to stay in the house didn't mean the spider should have to. Her hand had just touched the roll of towels when she felt a hand grasp her waist from behind, and she let out a soft gasp and turned quickly around. She knew what was about to happen, but she could never get used to it. She looked up to see Mr. Finch standing before her, smelling like whiskey and sour bourbon. He was grinning down at her, the yellows of his teeth glinting as she backed away, but it didn't matter, he only followed her. He said nothing, but his old hands started to wander her form. One hand went to her chest and the other to her leg, touching her and pressing his hands all over her. Lorelei shook her head and tried to reason with him, but it did no good. After a few minutes of this, with Lorelei's protesting, he usually slumped over, too drunk to continue, or spat on her and retreated back to his television or his rifles. But this time was different, this time it only got worse. Lorelei grimaced as the tears rolled down her cheeks, she couldn't let it happen, not after what had happened to her when she was eight, she simply couldn't. Her pale hand drifted behind her, finding the knife block easily, and her hand grasped onto one of the black-handled knives. She pulled it from the block and slashed it across the skin of Mr. Finch's arm, and Lorelei watched in horror as she drew blood from the evil man. He let out a howl and she shrunk, trying to stay away from whatever blow was next to come. Her hot tears spilled freely from her eyes as he screamed at her, clutching his arm he roared about killing her, about her being a bitch and a cunt, and how she wouldn't see tomorrow's light, she wouldn't see any light ever again. His bloody hand came towards Lorelei's face and she let out a scream in fright, flying wildly into her own defense and sinking the knife into the chest of her attacker. Lorelei sobbed quietly and gazed on as the life was drained from him, and the blood spurted out of the gaping wound she'd just caused.

In her bed, Lorelei had started to thrash. Her pale limbs wrenched from side to side, her brow started to dampen. She sat up in bed, her eyes opened, but she was still trailed, still living in the terror that only existed in her head. The night terrors usually only came when Jet was absent, since around him, she felt safe. But Jet was gone, and Lorelei was trapped. She pushed back the covers as she saw Mr. Finch before her, and her heart started to beat faster, faster. It thumped and smashed against the inside of her chest, her head, her feet. She could feel it everywhere, even in the palms of her hands. "No!!" She screamed as he came closer, crying out in her home, scurrying away from the bed and backing away to the far corner of the room, away from the windows and the door. "No, no please! Get away from me!" She screeched, standing in the corner with her shoulders hunched and her head bent, trying to shield herself from him, trying to stay safe.

Jet had run into a few guard son his trek to his new home, they said they'd heard strange sounds from his home and it sounded like his sister might have been being attacked, but the door was locked and they hadn't been able to get in. Jet took off, his legs going faster than ever, he was glad he wasn't in uniform, all that armor would've only made him slower. Instead he was in a loose, thin, white linen shirt, and a pair of brown pants that fit him snugly. Different servants had to rush out of his way as he made his way out towards where his place was, it was a good distance away and by the time he made it there sweat clung to his body. His blue eyes searched the house for any signs of forced entry, none were found, then he put his key in the door and went inside. That was when he heard the yelling and cries of his sister, she sounded terrified, his heart sped up even more than before.

Jet pushed his way into Lorelei's room, taking in the scene before him. His sister was in the corner, screaming at no one, and she looked a ragged mess. He wondered what was happening and approached her cautiously, "Lor?" He said in a whisper, "Lor its Jet," He kept himself back for a moment, not wanting to frighten her in the fit she was in. "Jet's here Lor, everything is okay, you're safe, we're safe, nothing's going to harm you," He turned her towards him, her eyes were open! But they were slightly glazed over, which made him believe she was possibly sleepwalking, they were staring straight ahead, she didn't seem to see Jet, but she was putting up a fight against him. "LORELEI,' He said in a much firmer tone, trying to keep her flailing fists away from his face, finally he pulled her into his embrace, holding her against him. "You can come out of this little sister, its okay," Jet whispered in her ear as he held her to him, terrified at what had happened to her.

"Stop!!" Lorelei cried, tears starting to stream down her pale cheeks. Her eyes were rimmed with red by the time Jet entered the room, and Lorelei could barely hear him. She was lost, trapped inside of her terror. Her eyes could only see the disgusting face of mister Finch, and she reached behind her for the knife, because it wasn't ending, and it wouldn't, unless she ended it. But in reality, her hand only hit the wall, smashing uselessly against it and making her shout in pain again. There were arms holding her, but she didn't recognize them as the arms of her brother, she only thought of them as an attacker, and so she pushed to get away from them. She thrashed in Jet's arms, screaming at him to let her go, she scratched her hands against his chest, tried to back away, anything that she could do.

But then it all started to fade. The edges of the lodge and of Mr. Finch fizzled at the edges, disappearing into a whole of blackness. Lorelei slumped against her brother, the night terror releasing her, letting her fall back into her peaceful sleep as she had been, before the dream had come to her. She was quiet, then, and resting against Jet with the weight she had. They only ever lasted so long, and Lorelei stirred against Jet's shoulder, her eyes blinking opened. She was confused, though, her light brows furrowing together as she lifted her head and looked up at Jet. He was holding her, but why? She felt a wetness on her cheeks and lifted a hand to wipe at it "What...what happened?" She asked him, looking to the wall behind her, then to the bed behind Jet. How had she gotten from one point to the other?

Jet actually felt quite out of his depth as he held her, letting her fight against him, not hurting her, but not letting her harm herself either. It took some time but she eventually snapped out of it and just relaxed in his arms, nothing happened for a bit. She just laid in his arms, looking all of innocent, you wouldn't know that she'd just had that episode if it weren't for the sweat on her brow from all the exertion she'd put out.(is it okay that I put that there?)

She spoke up and his brow furrowed with true concern, "You don't remember?" The older brother smoothed his sister's hair back, wondering how much he should reveal about it. "You were having an episode of some kind, I came in and found you beating the walls, so I brought you into my arms and kept you here to keep you safe from yourself," He left out the part about guards overhearing, she didn't need that on her plate too. "Lor," Jet looked slightly uncomfortable, "What happened during our time apart, why were you yelling like that?" He'd respected her privacy up to a point, but now it was time to reveal all, because it would drive him crazy otherwise.

Lorelei watched on as Jet's eyes filled with a genuine concern for her. He was worried, confused, and it was soon obvious to her why. When he mentioned a fit, Lorelei's eyes darkened and she broke their eye contact, guilt bursting from her heart and into her veins. She hadn't told Jet because it was shameful; she'd killed a man, and she wasn't nearly over that yet. But now he wanted to know what happened, and her eyes clouded with more tears. "I'm sorry about the fit. The doctor in Swendway said they were night terrors. He said it happens to a lot of people after...after they've gone through something troubling." She whispered, afraid to let her voice even reach its full volume. Jet's warm hand swept her hair away from her face and the first tear rolled down her cheek. "A lot of things happened, Jet. Bad things. But they're over now, so it doesn't matter." She said softly, finally peeking her blue eyes up at him. If he knew that she'd killed a man, that she'd taken a life, he would be disgusted. In their culture women weren't violent, they were demure and sweet, steady and good. He would be ashamed, and he would probably kick her out, not want her as his sister anymore. It would be the end of their happiness, and she couldn't have that.

She wouldn't look at him for the longest time, and that made him worry even more for her, what had happened that was so bad that she couldn't even look him in the eye? Finally she spoke and told him nothing, nada, a sigh escaped his lips and he hoped for patience. "You have to tell me Lorelei, if its that bad then you need to talk to someone about it, I won't judge you. There are so many things I've done since I was a boy that I could tell you about that would make you fear me for life, trust me, I can handle it," Jet tried to sound reassuring, loving, and compassionate, but since he had no experience with such things he wasn't sure if he came across that way or bossy, hopefully the way he meant it. He hoped that whoever had hurt his sister so was dead because he was going to kill them personally if they weren't, Jet would do anything to protect his sister and make sure that she felt safe with him at the palace and never feared for her life again.

While he spoke to her, all Lorelei could do was cry. She felt the tears stream down her cheeks, and she angled her eyes down to the floor, taking a step away from Jet. She didn't think she deserved to be held and cared for by him, she was a monster. He was a guard that was strong and true, but Lorelei was a girl that had committed murder. She lifted her head, trying to hold back the tears when he went silent. She owed it to him to be truthful "That...that day on the boat, when they dragged some of us off, Jet they sold us as slaves. And I was only 8, so I didn't, I don't think I understood what that meant, and I did all sorts of things to try and escape the couple that bought me. They would whip my palms and my back, and throw hot water on my face. I used to get these burns that would last for weeks, whenever they touched air it was just torture. And, well, as I got older, the man, he started to, well. He would always get drunk, and when he was that drunk, he'd touch me. And on one night he wasn't stopping, so I," Lorelei had to stop for a moment, getting up the courage to tell him. By that point she had tears streaming down her face and she had backed herself into the corner again, covering her face as she opened her mouth again "I took a knife from behind me and I only meant to scratch him and make him stop, but he wouldn't stop so I stabbed it into his chest and left him dead on the floor. And his wife heard him scream and she tried to get me but I just took the knife and I ran into the woods and I kept running Jet, I'm so sorry I just ran." She cried, her shoulders hunched and tensed as she turned away from Jet.

The moment she stepped away was the moment Jet realized just how serious the situation was, there was such turmoil on her face that all he wanted to do was make it all go away. He couldn't though, she needed to get this out, to tell him what had happened so that they could both move on, or at the least so that he could help her. Then she began speaking, of their separation, and how she'd been sold. The rest, well the rest turned his blood cold, and he itched for a sword to cut the man into pieces that had tried to sully his sister, but then she said she'd done the job already and he felt relief. She was as tough as any of the Steele family, and he was damn proud of her, Jet walked forward, turned her and pulled her hands down, then hooked a finger gently under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Lor, you're the bravest woman I've ever met and I am so proud of you. You did what you had to do to get out of a situation you never should've been put in in the first place. And little sister if you hadn't done that, I'd be gathering my sword and shield to go do it myself right now," And only after he'd made sure that she knew what she'd done was right, he pulled her into his arms and crushed her to him in a hug that said he loved her to the moon and back. "Nothing, nothing," He repeated, "Will ever happen like that again on my watch. You're safe here, I'll protect you with my last breath, so please know that you can sleep soundly while here in my care."

Lorelei was torn up by her own guilt. Yes, that man had hurt her and abused her how no child should ever be hurt, but it was her life for five years, and even though she knew it was completely wrong, she'd gotten into a sense of awful normalcy there. It was disgusting and terrible normalcy, but that's what normalcy could be. And she'd killed a man, had driven a knife into his chest and murdered him. Justified or not, it made the tears continue to flow. But then there was Jet, calling her brave and telling her that he was proud. Brave? How could she be brave? She didn't understand and was about to shake her head no, to tell him how wrong he was, but he wasn't giving up. Jet cared so much for her, he was the best she could ever imagine. And then his arms were wrapping around her and pulling her tight against his chest. Lorelei let out a whimper and she buried her head against him, trying to calm her breathing. Her whole body was tense and she tried to listen as best as she could. He would protect her, she was safe, it was all okay. Lorelei lifted her head and looked up at Jet, her whole face was tinged with red from how terrible she felt, but she nodded "I know Jet, I know I just think...I don't see it the way you do. I killed someone, and I know he was terrible and awful but his blood is on my hands and I don't know what to do.." She trailed off, biting down hard on her bottom lip so she wouldn't sob again.

The thought of his little sister having to deal with all of this, and having to live with the guilt and memories, well it tore poor Jet apart, and made him want to go tear limbs off people, maybe thread them up in trees and take a knife to their bodies and- he stopped. That line of thinking was not going to get him anywhere, and his little sister would be horrified if she could read his mind right then. He tried to concentrate on her, the way she was stiff in his arms, and the way her face was kind of blotchy from her tears and crying. She was going to have to live what she'd done, but he could help her move past this remorse, hopefully. "We'll talk about it, and maybe even get you to talk with others? You will move past the guilt little sister, but you must know that you had no other choice. I believe you're a wonderful person, and that you just need some love and a safe environment, which you can have here." Jet pulled her toward the bed and sat with her, wanting to make sure she was comfortable, "Please," He moved some hair from her face, "Don't tear yourself up about this. You deserve to be happy, to laugh, and smile, to sleep peacefully, to be loved." If only he could have killed the guy instead, at least he could have spared her this.