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#Post#: 386091--------------------------------------------------
Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: guest1220 Date: June 3, 2015, 5:47 pm
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Beautiful, crisp rose petals filled the room with an alluring
scent. It was disgusting.
Ayla flicked one of the roses, knocking off a few petals. With a
yawn, she leaned back in her seat, ignoring the sharp pain that
arose as her skin became stretched. At her side, Jasper was
still asleep. It had been a solid week since he had been out.
Essie had watched over him for days until Ayla demanded that she
go rest and let her take over. They were still working out their
relationship. In spite of knowing the other was related, it was
hard to think of her as a sibling.
She looked at Jasper and poked his side. "You know, I think you
are being selfish. I was only in bed for three days. Your
recovery rate is pathetic."
Her dry sense of humor masked her concern for the man well, or
at least it sounded so in her ears. She folded her arms over her
chest and sighed.
"Seriously, Jasper," she told the motionless king. "You left me
with Essie! Do you know how annoying she has been fussing over
you?"
She pushed her chair back on its back legs, pushing her back
along with it.
"If you don't wake up soon, I think I may just die of boredom,"
she concluded with a nod and then bent forward, pushing the
chair back to where it was.
She sat there for a moment and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Please, wake up," she asked, softly with her lips close to his
ear.
#Post#: 386092--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 6:11 pm
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The sleep induced by the Divine Tongue spell was always
dreamless. there were no visions, no senses from the surrounding
environment. There was only darkness. A week of Darkness...But
after seven days, the sound of a voice started to peek through
the shadows, guiding Jasper back to the light. He couldn't make
out the words, but he was sure it was Essie, attempting to bring
him back, as she had done before. The voice came in waves,
echoing slightly, as if traveling through cavernous walls, and
resonating in Jasper's mind. And then finally, something he
could understand...
"Please, wake up,"
"Well, since you said please..." His voice was weak, as was his
smile He still hadn't opened his eyes, but it was clear that he
was coming to. He didn't speak again for several minutes, but
the color was coming back to his skin. "How long have I been
out?" Memories were flashing back now. The battle. They were
victorious! His hand reached out for hers, searching clumsily
over her thigh, stomach, arm, and finally grasping her hand. "I
guess we made it. " When his eyes opened, they were grey,
lacking the brilliant colors they normally put on display. And
they didn't see Essie, but instead Ayla, watching over him. She
was the one who watched him while he was out? He should have
known. His muscles were too weak to give away his confusion in
his expression. He gave the woman a tender smile, before closing
his eyes once more. He wasn't ready quite yet...
#Post#: 386093--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: guest1220 Date: June 3, 2015, 6:39 pm
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She returned his smile, grateful to see him awake..
"A week," she replied.
Her gaze followed his gesture, letting him explore until his
hand came go rest on hers. After a hesitant moment, her thumb
wrapped around his fingers, but she did not do anything more.
When he spoke again she nodded.
"Yes, Jasper, we won," she murmured, breathy.
At last, he opened his eyes, but she read the confusion across
his expression and immediately dropped his hand. She couldn't
help but wonder if he had been disappointed who he had seen.
Just as quickly as he had awakened, he sleep back into
unconciousness.
Just as soon as he feel back asleep, Essie arrived. She asked
how he was and was very delighted to hear that he had been
awake. Then, she insisted that Ayla go rest and she would sit
with Jasper. She nodded and got up. At the door, she glanced
back and saw Essie in the chair holding Jasper's hand.
#Post#: 386094--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 7:02 pm
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It was another two hours before Jasper opened his eyes again.
They were still grey as a rainy day, but this time, they had a
bit more life in them. And this time, they were looking up at
Essie. They must have been taking turns watching over him. It
wasn't until that moment that Jasper noticed the similarities
between the two. Now that it had been brought to his attention,
it was clear that the two were sisters. "Good morning, your
majesty." He said. He had no idea if it was really morning time.
For all he knew it was the middle of the night. He didn't even
know where he was. But after everything that had
happened,something as trivial as the time didn't seem to matter.
"I guess we have a lot of cleaning up to do?" He had no idea
what had transpired since he collapsed. In his mind, he hadn't
really put together that it had been a week, despite hearing it
from Ayla. To him, no time had passed at all. He tried to sit
up, but his muscles wouldn't allow it, so he lay still, looking
up at Essie. the two had many things to discuss, but now didn't
seem the time. For now, he would just enjoy the warmth of her
hand. Who knew if it would last...
#Post#: 386102--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: guest1266 Date: June 3, 2015, 9:46 pm
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It had not taken too long for him to wake up again. She was
excited to see him alert. As soon as he woke up, she withdrew
her hand and laughed.
"Morning? Maybe to you, but it's technically evening," she
replied.
Essie immediately shook her head and stood up after he spoke of
a clean up. Edging to the window, she ran her fingertips along
the stone wall as she went. She stopped at the window and gazed
below down into the courtyard and watched men scurry about. He
was spot on. It had been a huge mess, but not anymore. The pads
of her fingers embraced the cold texture of the stone as she
thoughtfully ran them across it.
"I have everything under control," she said, turning her back on
the outside view and choosing to lean against the wall.
The woman appeared to be exhausted as she rubbed her eyes. In
truth, she was. What nights she didn't spend by his sides, she
spent tossing and turning only to be woken up at the crack of
dawn with new reports to review or meetings to attend. Then, she
also had the elders on her back in the midst of her worrying and
her hectic schedule. Her lose fitting dress also shed light on
how little she had been eating.
"Just keep in bed until you are sure you are better," she said.
"I will continue to oversee everything until you have
recovered."
She smiled at him, truly happy to see him awake and improving.
Their relationship may not ever be as it was before, but at
least it hadn't ended with his death.
#Post#: 386104--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 9:58 pm
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It wasn't that Jasper was unhappy to hear that Essie had things
under control. But it wasn't solely her responsibility. He
should have been out there taking care of things with her! "Are
you alright?" He asked. He noted how she put distance between
the two of them, and that wasn't all that surprising. But she
looked exhausted, malnourished, and all around poorly cared for.
It wasn't surprising. In a week's time she lost both her
parents, and then spent the next week caring for him.
He shook his head upon hearing her orders. "No, Essie. You take
care of yourself. Eat. Rest. I'll figure the rest out." He
wanted to give her a hug. He wanted to kiss her forehead and
tell her he would take it from there. But he didn't have the
strength. The color was slowly returning to his eyes,
indication that his strength was returning. Within the hour he
would be up and on his feet again.But for now, he was bound to
his bed. "Where are Ayla and her men?" he asked. He knew Ayla
was nearby. But he had heard nothing of the men that helped them
on their path to victory. He wanted to extend his gratitude to
all of them.
#Post#: 386106--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 10:23 pm
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Jasper spent the next three hours lost in his own thoughts. The
woman who had just left his side... She was not the same woman
who had cared for him the last time he found himself in this
condition. The woman who traveled through that time at his side
with unwavering loyalty. Of course, he knew there were many
reasons for that. A part of it was evident even in the way he
had gotten there. The last time he had used the spell for Essie.
This time, it had essentially been for Ayla. He saw the way she
looked away at the mention of her sister's name. What would
happen next was up in the air. No one had planned for it,
because there had been no guarantee that they would live this
long.
When Jasper finally felt strong enough, he got up, and gathered
a towel. and some clothes, and headed down the hall. He figured
a hot bath would do his muscles some good. After that, he would
go find some food, then meet up with Essie and the Elders. That
was the plan at least... When he dropped into the bubbling
waters of the tub, he felt years of stress he didn't have ooze
from his pores. Tension he hadn't recognized eased, and he sank
back until all that was visible were his lips and nose. He
hadn't planned for the baths to be so amazing! Damn food and
business! He would spend the rest of his life in the water!
#Post#: 386107--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: guest1220 Date: June 3, 2015, 10:43 pm
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The long table that separated her and the elders by at least ten
feet, motivated her not to strangle the elders. However, that
motivation was dying down as time went on. Ayla remained poised
and silent as they continued to argue. They needed Essie here,
or so they claimed. Really, all Essie had been able to do was
keep them from killing each other. Ayla had just sat there and
nodded or shook her head every time they asked a question.
"We need to get to the bottom of this!" exclaimed a tall,
muscular woman who was, in Ayla's opinion, possibly the most
attractive woman over her fifties she had ever seen. "Where is
Essie?"
"Tending to the king probably, as usual," an older man with long
black hair and a matching beard replied.
"He doesn't need someone to hold his hand!" bellowed an elderly
female from across Ayla. "What the king needs is a queen to look
after his duties."
Ayla tilted her head, thinking of just how much Essie had really
sacrificed for them and yet they still weren't satisfied.
"I suppose you know what men need," the man spat. "How many
relationships have you had?"
The woman stood up, slamming her fist on the table. "How d-..."
"I think it's best for the king to decide what he needs," said
Essie walking into the room through a pair of opened doors.
The elderly woman scowled. "Eavesdropping? Isn't that a criminal
activity?"
Essie seemingly had aged a few years since last week. She sat
down at the head of the table and folded her hands in front of
her. "It's not eavesdropping when you are filling the halls with
your voices. Now what's wrong?"
Two hours later, they were still fighting. Essie spoke up a few
times, but otherwise she let them battle it out. Every time she
did open her mouth, it was full of mercy and wisdom. Well, at
least in comparison to what was on Ayla's mind. When a goblet
was chucked across the room and the man who had thrown it was
escorted out by a guard, Ayla decided it was time for a
breather.
She went outside and sat beneath a few trees. It was dark out,
but she didn't mind the dimmed light just as long as she
couldn't hear the elders.
#Post#: 386108--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 11:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It had been four hours now since Essie left Jasper's side. He
had gotten a servant to deliver a meal to the baths so that he
didn't have to leave the water. Lazy some might say, but what
good was being a King if you couldn't have little perks like
that from time to time? Damned if he didn't deserve it after
everything he went through just to GET his crown! And he STILL
hadn't worn it once! He finally dressed and headed to the room
where his father held his conferences with the elders. As
always, he could hear their voices going back and forward from
all the way down the hall. No doubt stressing Essie out.
Gasps and wide eyes greeted Jasper as he walked into the room.
Essie, was at the head of the table, which was, of course, the
furthest from the door. He acknowledged the various greetings of
the Elders with nods and smiles, but he didn't speak as he
walked past all of them and to Essie's side. He placed a hand on
her shoulder and a kiss on her forehead. before speaking to her.
"Go to bed. Now." While his voice was soft and comforting, it
was clear that the matter wasn't up for discussion. Once she was
gone, he took a seat in her place, and spoke to the entire room
at once. "Alright what are the issues being discussed? I don't
want your opinions, or solutions. I just want to know what it is
we're discussing. He looked toward the man with the long beard,
assigning him the one to explain what the King had missed.
#Post#: 386110--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tale of Two Kingdoms
By: Renegade Date: June 3, 2015, 11:56 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Jasper listened intently to the matters that were being
discussed. There was still some degree of people talking over
each other, but compared to their normal banter, it was mild.
Jasper nodded his head and thought. So that was the issue. The
discovery of Ayla's identity as Essie's older sister. Once he
heard it all, he cleared his throat, and spoke up. The matter of
the homes within the village is something that we can settle
with minimal issue. We will not tax the citizens to solve an
issue that they had no hand in or control over. We'll use our
own resources to ensure that the Kingdom returns to it's former
glory.
But everyone knew that was the smaller of the two issues.
"Concerning Essie and Ayla... I have no Jurisdiction over
Mybville's matters, but I will share my thoughts on the it. Ayla
is Essie's senior by three years. Normally that would make her
heir to the throne. I don't want to see her return to a life on
the outskirts. She's a Royal, and she should be among us." He
paused for a moment before continuing. "However, Essie has spent
her entire lifetime training and preparing to be Queen. There's
no amount of prepping that you can give Ayla that will amount to
the 19 years of training that Essie has been through. Also, as
you stated, A Princess may not ascend to the throne of a Queen
before she be wed. I couldn't think of a scenario under which
Ayla would be willing to marry me, or anyone else for that
matter. And had it not been for my mother's treason, Essie and I
would already be married, and the crown of the Queen would be
resting on her head" In truth, he couldn't be certain that Essie
would marry him either at this point, but he decided it best not
to mention that. "Have you asked either of the potential Queens
their opinions on this matter? All I hear is the lot of you
arguing amongst yourselves, as if you aren't discussing THEIR
fates." He looked to each of the advisors, awaiting a response,
and hoopefully an explanation for their behavior.
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