The Main Road

[King Thedriol]

There is one road that leads directly to the city, as long and as dusty as they come. The gold towers and spires rear up the distance so you can see the tips of the tallest buildings long before you reach the City Gates. If you don't want a journey across open fields, then this is the route you must take.

[cien]

Cien trudged along the road, her boots clouded with dust. Even her puru-puru was a dirty orange colour due to the dust. It bounced excitedly in her pocket, only to fall out with a soft thud onto the ground. She would laugh, pick it up, brush it with a gloved hand and place it back in her pocket, only to have the whole process repeat again...

Finally, after the fifteenth time, she caught it in mid-fall and held it close to her face. "Soon I won't be able to tell you from the ground. Enough, please."

It sighed a furry sigh and hopped back in her pocket with a defeated "Puu..."

She smiled and walked on, readjusting the strap of the bag hanging from her shoulder, while keeping an eye out for any who would be headed to the city...

Calamere.

[Lady Brynna Halider]

Brynna trotted down the road, her delicate heels diggin into the dusty road with every third step. She had been out riding when her beloved horse had taken fright and galloped back in the direction of the city, leaving her to walk back on her own. She could already see a good deal of the spires in the city, but she knew that meant nothing; she could be miles off.

Itching her tight dress, the Lady sighed and quickened her pace. With new vigour, she soon spotted a fellow travellor up ahead.

"Hie! Hie there!" she cried out, and slipping her heels off her bruised feet she ran to catch up. Her pale blue eyes wide and full of hope, she asked, "Excuse me, but please could you tell me how far we are from Calamere? I've only ridden into the city before." Gathering her black-violet hair into a bundle at the back of her neck, she fastened it with a dusty blue ribbon that matched her dress.

This girl looked friendly enough, and there was something playful about her that intrigued the Lady.

[cien]

Cien turned around with apparent slowness and smiled. It was quite clear that she was addressing someone of standing. It was also quite clear that the one she was addressing had not expected to walk back.

Cien turned back with the guise of trying to estimate the distance of the city and slipped on her eyeglass, fitted with a blue lens if the lowest power. Just the basics would be enough, she would delve no deeper into the person's mind.

"I'd say it's not too far from here, but," she eyed the Lady's shoes, definitely not suited for walking on a road such as this,"Maybe still a way yet. Do you need any assistance, Lady Brynna?"

[Lady Brynna Halider]

The Lady started. How had this traveller known her name? She wondered if perhaps this girl possessed some magic.
"Th-thankyou," she smiled nervously. "I'm afraid unless you could conjure some horse out of the air, there's little that could be done to assist me!" She hesitated. "Unless, of course, you'd like some company on the road into Calamere?"

She looked with some interest at a small pink "thing" in the girl's pocket, and wondered what it was. She had never seen anything like it before.
"Well, it seems that you already know my name." she said absently. "But would you please tell me yours?"

[cien]

Cien tapped her cheek with her finger, amused. She did not meet too many people of a higher social standing in this sort of situation. Undoubtedly though, Lady Brynna seemed like a pleasant enough person. Cien smiled and bowed cordially. "My name is Consceince, though few who know me call me Cien. And this intrepid creature is a puru-puru, also known as, well, Puru-puru." She undid her pocket and held it firmly in her hand.

Cien looked at Lady Brynna apologetically before continuing,"I'm afraid I'm not very good at tricks like conjuring up a convienient ride and I would like to beg pardon for my rude intrusion. You see, I read your mind, though on a very basic level, to be sure of your identity. One can't be too careful about strangers. As for company, I sure I would enjoy yours. But if you don't mind me asking, you seem to be from Calamere... and yet you don't seem to be too sure of your bearings. Why is this?"

[Lady Brynna Halider]

"Hello Puru-puru!" Brynna bent down to smile wonderingly at the little creature. "It's so cute! And I'm pleased to meet you, Cien." She paused to look at the skyline, and was pleased to see that the city looked a little closer at any rate.

"In answer to your question... I have never walked beyond the city before." she said a little sadly. "I'm allowed out on horseback... But other than that, I'm pretty much confined to Calamere. One day, when I'm older maybe, I'll travel. But my parents are sending me to Court so I doubt I'll get away from there much... I'm sorry," she blushed, suddenly aware how much she'd just related to a total stranger. "I didn't mean to lay my troubles off onto you. Please, tell me a little about yourself!"

[cien]

Cien smiled again. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you just told me." She stroked Puru-puru with her forefinger. "About me? I'm afraid that there's not much to tell. I'm just a traveller, though if I may say so, I'm an unusually curious one. I came to Calamere to find out more about it and I intend to stay for quite a while."

She laughed and nodded at Puru-puru. "This one here is quite a food connoisseur, so I have to keep an eye out for the specialities. Other than that..."

Cien looked at the road strectched before her and back at the Lady. "I am rather interested to hear more from you, especially concerning your family, if you allow it, but you can tell me on the way. If we are to reach before sundown, we had better begin walking." She stepped forward with a slower pace than before to accomodate her newfound companion.

[Lady Brynna Halider]

Brynna smiled gratefully at Cien as she set off at a slower pace; the Lady's feet were sore and a little swollen.

"If you're looking for some good food," she said thoughtfully, "Then obviously the Castle's the place to go for the best - I could take you to the Kitchen's, if you like. In the city... well, either the tavern or the inn!" She paused to yawn widely. The sun was already low in the sky - Conscience was right, they did need to get going if they were going to make it back before sundown. "My family...." she hesitated again. This was a tricky subject to talk about, but she sensed that this girl was pretty trustworthy. Brynna was generally a reserved person, and it felt good to talk. She had to be careful thoguh... she couldn't let slip any knowledge of her magic. No matter how trustworthy Cien seemed, Brynna had been fooled by appearances before.

"I know my parents want the best for me, I just sometimes wodner if perhaps a life at Court isn't what I want. To roam exploring the Golden Lands just sounds far more exciting then forever sitting in a dark Castle idly chatting with people I might not even like, and who would probably only like the side of me they saw in Court... It's difficult..." She trailed off, blushign uncomfortably. She didn't know how much to say without sounding desperate for a talk.

[Rose]

Rose rode down the road at a leisurely pace, enjoying the light breeze that blew into her face. Her horse, reddish brown in colour, shook his mane and stopped still in the middle of the road. Confused, Rose tried to sense his emotions, an action that came almost as an instinct to her. She could sense his excitement; he'd picked up a new scent, or possibly it was the smell of the city. He snorted, and then began to trot towards the city. Rose noticed two fresher sets of footprints, not that she could tell much by the tread, although she would guess that they were female.

Grimacing with the thought of shoes, she bent back her leg to take a look at her foot, which was (as usual) bare, as she considered shoes as somewhat of a restriction, not that her mother had agreed! This did mean that the soles of her feet were almost always dirty depending where she'd been that day. Today, they weren't that bad as she'd been riding on horseback.

As they came to the top of a particularly large bump in the road, she found that she could see the beautiful gates of the city in the distance, as sign that, to her, meant home. She could hear voices in the distance and rode on with her fingers crossed, hoping that it wasn't bandits.

[cien]

"Hmm?" Cien glanced at Lady Brynna. "Well, roaming the Golden Lands is an experience in an of itself, but it seems as if you've never done it before, or you would not have said that. With the approaching war, there is more to travelling than meets the eye." Cien laughed. "But I understand what you're saying as well. Sitting dully in a castle doesn't sound like much fun. Isn't that right, Puru-puru?"

Puru-puru bouced energetically on her shoulder and lost it's balance. With a shrill "Puuu!!!" it fell towards the ground. Cien caught it and slid it back into her pocket. Just then, she heard the sound of hooves in the distance. She turned around quickly. "Someone is coming..."

[Lady Brynna Halider]

Brynna nodded her agreement; sitting in a Castle was no fun at all!
"Well, maybe you can help me think of a way out of it?" she asked thougthfully. "But I have heard nothing of a war... I don't know anything about the world."
Her own magic hummed slightly as someone approached from behind.

She spun around and looked at the crest of the hill they had just walked over. Smiling to herself as Puru-puru playfully bounced about Cien's person, she waited to see who this newcomer was.

[Rose]

Rose pulled tight on the reins, and Whisper slowed down and plodded slowly towards the newcomers, his nostrils flaring with the unfamiliar scents. Which, Rose noted, smelt like some sort of perfume. She smiled to the two girls in the road and without dismounting introduced herself.
"Hello, I'm Rose. Are you two travelling to Calamere too?" she gripped the reins tightly out of annoyance as soon as the words left her lips. Of course they were travelling to Calamere! It was the only place the road led to. She realised too, that she had been smiling inanely all this time and probably the two strangers thought she was a little crazy. She stopped immediately and ran her fingers through Whispers mane, waiting for them to reply.

[cien]

Cien looked at Rose and smiled. "Hello. Yes, we are headed to Calamere." She looked her over through her eyeglass, her smile still on her face. "Perhaps you would like to join us, if you're not in a hurry."

Cien turned back towards Lady Brynna. "I would have thought that you would have heard of the war too, especially since it is slowly drawing nearer. But it's alright. The war is a very serious one this time. Perhaps it is better that you never heard about it." Her smile waned.

[Lady Brynna Halider]

Brynna looked eagerly at the girl on the horse. "Hi!" she said. Although she was glad to have another companion to travel with, she still wondered who this stranger was. She was naturally suspicious of strangers. She had to be. Her words were laced with a degree of care. "I'm Brynna." she said. "And I too would be glad for some more company. The more the merrier!"

Smiling at Rose, she said quietly to Cien, "Perhaps it is true that ignorance is bliss. But now I know of a war, at least I have the opportunity to do something about it - if you would perhaps tell me a little mreo?"

By now the city was reasonably close, the gates just visible on the skyline. Raising ehr voice so that it was audible to both travellers, she said, "Maybe you two would like to join me for something to eat when we reach the city?"

[Rose]

Rose wound Whisper's reins round her hand as they neared the gates.
"Food sounds like a good idea, I haven't eaten since this morning!" she replied to Lady Brynna. She wondered what they had been talking about before she arrived, but decided not to pry. She watched Brynna and Cien carefully, they looked nice enough. she wondered how long they had known each other. Lady Brynna's feet looked quite sore.
"Would you like to ride Whisper the rest of the way, it's just, your feet look a bit bruised" she hoped she wasn't being out of place saying so, but she was also curious to know why the lady wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Have either of you been to Calamere before?" she asked "because I need to find..." she finished mid sentance as something moving in Cien's pocket caught her eye.

"Oh!" she exclaimed "What's that?"

[cien]

Cien glanced down. "Looks like you have been attracting a lot of attention lately, Puru-puru." She smiled and pulled it out of her pocket. "This... is Puru-puru. I'm sure it's glad to meet you, but-" she slid it back again, "I'm afraid it has to stay here or it will get too dirty for me to recognise."

She turned back to Lady Brynna. "It may not be my place to tell you more about this war as I do not know where Calamere stands. Perhaps you had better speak with someone nearer to home."

Puru-puru nudged against her, reminding her of the Lady's offer. She laughed. "I think we'll be glad to take you up on your invitation. But that aside, why don't you accept Rose's offer? It will be easier on you."

[Lady Brynna Halider]

Brynna nearly leapt onto Rose. "Thankyou!" She cried, her eyes brimming. "I would be very grateful, as long as it doesn't put you out of your way at all! I lost my horse while riding out here." She added, as an explanation for the atrotious state of her feet.

"I'm very glad you two can join me for dinner," she smiled, returning to her usual, quieter demeaner. "And while I do intend to find out about this war, Cien, I'm sorry to have asked you if it puts you in asn awkward position." She then said to Rose, "I live in Calamere... Whatever you need to find, please let me help. I am in debt to both of you because of your kindness! If you need a palce to stay, or even a tour around the city, I'd be glad to be of service!"

[Rose]

Rose walked beside Whisper as they neared the gates of the city. She smiled at the puru puru, it was unlike any creature she had ever seen. It seemed cleverer than most as well. Turning to Lady Brynna she said:

"My parents live just outside the town, it's quite a nice house with large grounds...but I've never been to Calamere before, Not really. I was allowed anywhere in Elidwen, just not the city. My parents often went up to the castle...they liked to think they were upper class..." she rolled her eyes out of annoyance,

"...but my sisiters and I were never allowed. Now that I'm eighteen they have to let me go..." she trailed off, realising she had completley gone off the point.

"In answer to your question though, I would love to have a tour of the city!" she smiled brightly thinking of her new found independance. She could see the city rising infront of her, and guessed that they would probably reach the gates in a few minutes.

[cien]

Cien smiled. "Thank you. I... and Puru-puru will be glad to accept your offer of a tour." Looking at Rose, she said, "What ever you are looking for, maybe I can help you find it. I happen to be quite good at searching...and it seems like we are reaching the city."

ooc: Do you want to move this to another board?