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#Post#: 407627--------------------------------------------------
Raging Storm
By: guest1383 Date: September 26, 2016, 12:29 pm
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His home was exactly like they had left it: chaotic and
miserably hot. Her skin quickly became sticky and her hair
obtained some abnormal curl to it due to the horrible humidity
of the place. Despite the heat, the world around them flourished
with greenery, complimented by colorful plants that hung in the
backdrop next to mountains that lined the horizon. But none of
that was what had drawn Winter here.
The palace in which they stood in was immaculate, lacking
nothing in terms of royal grandeur. At her feet, golden spirals
intertwined with marble, paving the entryway. At the center of
the room stood proudly a phoenix statue with rocky imitations of
fire molded around its wings and parted beak. It would have been
beautiful if it were not tainted with the memories of blood and
death.
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off by the rapping of knuckles
against a stone pillar a few feet from her.
"Blessed be the fire within you," said a white haired man with
beady, blue eyes.
He wore the ceremonial robes of a priest, with a colorful hat
that covered his balding hairline. Heavier than most she had
seen here, his wealth was evident in his rounded belly as well
as the many rings flattering his knuckles.
"And let you always rise from the ashes," she said, finishing
the traditional greeting of his people.
There was no fire within her. Only frozen fractals.
Winter shifted, distributing her weight to one leg, and folded
her arms across her chest, watching the man. She did not trust
him or hardly anyone else from this realm. There was too much
political struggle and too little advocates the vouch for those
in poverty. Ambrose, despite being the next in the bloodline to
rule, he was hardly interested in the politics which made him a
weak candidate. But then, he was also very much still young.
No matter the case, it was not her place to say anything. But
she knew from the look in some of the peoples' eyes, some would
much rather have Ambrose out of the picture so that they would
be able to rule for themselves.
If that were to ever happen, she feared what it would do to
those without a voice. Without him, his realm would crumble.
#Post#: 407628--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1220 Date: September 26, 2016, 4:45 pm
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Home.
To many home was a safe haven, a sanctuary away from the turmoil
of life, but for him it was a place of endless responsibilities
and work. When they reached the palace, already they were
greeted by officials asking his permission or his advice for
things.
He had returned because something was not right, but it was now
clear that he had been wrong. Everything was exactly the same.
After the officials left, Tory, his advisor, knocked and then
came in, spouting out the customary greeting. Before Ambrose
could respond, Winter replied, butchering the tradition, but at
least she tried. Because she did, he granted her an amused, half
smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
"What is it Tory?" His eyes flitted to the man's waistband, half
expecting him to pull the dagger from it and attack.
It was no secret the man hated him, but Ambrose kept him on
trusting that his loyalty to the crown was stronger than flimsy
rivalries, and also because he risked his own life in attempt to
save his father.
"The blood festival preperations are underway. We need your
participation and also to decide the final competitors for the
finale. It is rumored the Shange are entering their warrior."
Ambrose's lips curled into a frown. If that were true, they were
in trouble.
"I'll decide soon. For now, Winter and I are going to go out and
check out the site, I think," he replied, looking to Winter for
her to agree or disagree.
Tory placed his right fist over his chest and bowed before
exiting. Once he was gone, he sighed and turned to Winter,
running his hand through his hair.
"I don't know why you came back," he said, studying her with
curiosity hinting at his gaze. "It's all just business stuff. If
you want to stay, you're more than welcome, but I have a lot to
do."
#Post#: 407641--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1383 Date: October 5, 2016, 10:50 am
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When Ambrose looked for her opinion on doing whatever it was he
had said they were going to do, she merely stared back without
giving any indication to what she wanted. This was his kingdom.
His home. She was merely a tag along guest. A guest that did not
belong here more than he was aware.
Once Tory had left, Winter methodically sidestepped his inquiry
with one of her own.
"What is the Blood Festival?" she asked, as they departed and
went to look at the site he was speaking about.
The air buzzed with untapped energy, like a volcano blowing out
warning puffs of smoke. It was a wonder no one felt it,
especially Ambrose. Maybe he did. It would explain why he was so
on edge.
Stone steps soon gave way to colorful brick as they came onto
the path that led into the center of the kingdom. Unlike typical
kingdoms with walls and fortresses, this was all open. Beautiful
tropical plants and animals wandered freely down the streets
beside the people. Their stunning culture was vividly showcased
in the artwork strewn along the buildings of the marketplace.
Nearly all of the people had olive colored complexion, which was
a stark contrast to Ambrose.
She eyed him then, out of her peripheral. His skin was tanned,
much darker than her blinding pale skin, yet shades lighter than
those around them. One of his parents clearly had not been from
this tribe.
"Winnie!"
Out of nowhere, a pair if slender arms folded around her waist
and hugged her as tightly as their maturing forms could muster.
There was only one, ONE, person who could live after calling her
that ridiculous nickname, and it was only because it was
impossible to say no to those big, blue eyes.
Winter smiled and hugged the small girl back, mindful of her
current state. "Hello, Nioma."
Ni grinned, looking up at her as her long braids fell around her
bare shoulders. "You came back!"
Winter patted her on the head. Normally she shied away from
children or old people. They were much too needy and handsy.
Also, they saw too much. It was hard to fool them.
"Of course, what would your brother do without me?"
Ni giggled and took her hand, leading her through the crowd that
was busy shopping and working. "Everyone is getting ready for
the blood festival. I made my own dress! It's blue, just like my
eyes, Fifi said. Are you going to the festival?"
Winter thought back to her own homeland. It would be best if she
didn't stay. "No, I have to go home."
Nioma stopped in her tracks, nearly causing Winter to plow into
her. "But you can't yet! You have to enter the tournament!
Please, Winnie! I don't like anyone else in it."
The child's begging did nothing to help her confusion. Winter
frowned and looked to Ambrose for answers.
"What does it matter if you don't like them?"
#Post#: 407642--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1220 Date: October 5, 2016, 11:06 am
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He took notice of her refusal to give an outright answer go her
being here. It intrigued him.
"Yes, it's the annual festival where my people pay respect to
the phoenix." He didn't look up at her as he focused his
attention on the place around them. It was very busy today,
making it difficult for him to get to the site quickly. But at
least it was easy to blend in and remain under the radar. He
took a sideways glance at the girl next to him. Winter was on
edge beneath her cool and collected front. He could not
understand why she was so uptight all the tiime, but they both
had their secrets.
"Nino, don't you have anywhere else to be?" he groaned. "Surely
there's an unfortunate soul somewhere else you can torment?"
She ignored him as her and Winter talked. He smiled to himself
as he watched them wind in and out of the crowd together. He
owed Winter everything for what she had done for him with his
sister. He fell partially behind as the crowd thickened. As they
neared the outskirts of downtown, it thinned enough to allow him
to catch up to them. When he had, he immediately wished he
hadn't.
"Nino," he growled. "Winter is not old enough. Beside, the
contestants are already chosen."
Ambrose ignored those prying blue eyes from Winter. They were
too much sometimes.
"It doesn't," he answered her flatly.
They had arrived at the site now and from the looks of it, not a
moment too late. The workers were arguing and the arena was a
mess.
"Winter is old enough," Nioma argued.
Like twigs, her arms dangled at her sides. She was still
recovering. Still so breakable.
"That's enough, Nino. Winter does not belong with us. Go lie
down some more. You shouldn't be out in thus chaos." There was a
sudden commotion and then the entire East balcony that
overlooked the arena shifted and crumbled in a heap of wood and
nails. Along with all the other men, he cursed. "You two stay
here. I'm going to go help."
With that, he sprinted over to the other guys to help.
#Post#: 407643--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1383 Date: October 5, 2016, 12:17 pm
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Their banter brought to memory her own siblings, and with them,
a bitter taste along with a painful pang of guilt. She ignored
the pain and waited until it faded into the noise of the world
around them. When Ambrose claimed she was not old enough, she
raised her chin and met his gaze levelly.
Why was he growing so agitated?
It was true. She was sixteen. But she felt years older, as if
somehow youth had skimmed over her. There was no going back from
the hell of the past.
Instead of joining in, she allowed him to think as he might, and
then watched him power across the span of the area to where the
trouble had ensued.
"You are old enough," Ni insisted, tugging at her arm.
Winter looked down at her. "How old do you have to be?
Ni crossed her arms. "There's not a set age, but I heard they've
had as young as nine before."
"What is the tournament?"
The child considered her seriously. "Its a ceremony. Different
tribes as well as our own enters one girl. They all go against
each other. The last one standing wins."
That did not sound that bad. "Do they fight each other?"
Ni shook her head and tugged at one of her brown braids. "They
use knives and cut themselves. Whoever can get as much cuts
without losing wins."
"That sounds..." Barbaric. "... interesting."
Ni nodded. "It is!"
Winter quieted, deep within her own thoughts, as they watched
the men rebuild the balcony. In the midst of it, she could see
Ambrose helping. His shirt expanded as his muscles flexed
beneath the heavy burden of carrying the wood.
Winter cleared her throat. "What is the prize if they win?"
Ni frowned at the question and kicked at the grass. "The winner
marries my brother."
-
Sometime later, once all the preparations were in order, Winter
caught up with Ambrose again. Apparently, there was to be a
large ball of sorts to usher in the traveling guests and those
in the tournament.
Winter had no plans on attending despite knowing Ambrose would
have to go. She would be wise to get what she came for and leave
as soon as possible.
"I'll see you in the morning," she would mutter to him.
The conversation with his sister had soured her mood towards
him.
Not old enough? She was sixteen! And so what if she entered the
tournament. Was she really that appalling? Not that she wanted
to get married, but he would he lucky to have her!
She could not bring herself to quite believe the last part, but
she still didn't think she was that bad.
Unless he already had eyes for someone else.
Maybe that was why he was upset the one tribe entered a
contestant.
In the castle now, she found herself in the large library that
kept thousands of old text and scrolls. She was in search of one
in particular. It was the entire reason why she had come here in
the first place.
Yet, no matter how hard she looked, she could not find it.
The night tarried on as the candle that illuminated the texts on
the counter she was at, burned through its last few minutes of
wax. She always felt like she was just one turn of a page away
from discovering the answer, when the text left her hanging.
"Winnie, I-"
Winter nearly jumped out of her skin. Having been so deep in
reading, she had not heard the young girl enter the library. The
girl stood, holding a lantern with blue flames in one hand, and
a mess of fabric in the other. Her dark hair was tied up against
her head and a mixture of glitter and shine coated her dark
shoulders.
She wore an elegant, golden dress that was nothing short of
fitting for royalty.
All in all, she looked much better than when Winter had first
met her.
"Ni, what are you doing here? Isn't it late?"
The child grinned. "The party is just getting started silly. The
guests are coming in now. It's not too late for you to go."
Winter looked back to the mound of research before her shook her
head. "I'm reading right now, Ni."
There came a soft, yet firm 'clap'. Winter turned and saw that
the girl had seemingly stomped her foot. Given her short and
thin stature, the weight of seriousness along her delicate
features was all too amusing. It took a lot not to laugh.
"Books can wait! Boys can't! Please, Winter, I don't want to be
alone with Aim, he's just so bossy and you're a girl. I bet
you'd let me dance with the prince of Nejeh if I wanted to!"
The girl was very stubborn, Winter gave her that. "Look Ni, I
don't want to interfere."
Ni sniffled. "Please. I heard Tory talking to Geral, they said
the contestant of Shange is very strong. It is likely she will
get it."
Winter frowned. Weren't they talking about going to a dance, not
the festival? "Your brother will do well with whomever wins. He
will make a good husband."
Winter nearly choked at 'husband'.
Ni shook her head fervently. "The Shange are a very cruel
people. If they win, they will invade and take over. We will
never be at peace. Aim thinks I'm too young to understand, but I
heard them talking."
Winter soaked in the information. Why hadn't Ambrose talked with
her about it? She pursed her lips and eyed the thing in Ni's
arm.
"Is that my dress?"
Ni beamed. "Yes! And it's your color!"
-
By the time the servants had detangled her hair and brushed on
some suspicious powder onto her face, as well as forced her into
the dress, the ball was in full swing.
Winter stood at the top of the staircase, fidgeting. Ni giggled
beside her.
"Just copy me, you'll be fine. My brother is going to drool all
over you."
Frowning, Winter seriously doubted the girl's ability to read
her brother. Winter was in no way looking to make anyone drool,
much less someone who had more interest in a rock than her.
In full confidence, Nioma strutted forward. The nine year old
embodied grace in a strangely intimidating way as she descended
the staircase. Winter took a breath and followed her.
The light hit her as she stepped out, blinding her momentarily.
As she came into view, the room hushed.
Not that she could blame them, the dress was just plain
stunning. Like blue fire, the skirt of the dress was darker than
the top, but different hues of blue and black meshed together,
flowing beautifully. Whomever had dyed the material, had a
crafty ability to mold the colours specifically to enhance the
curvature of her body.
Her white hair fell along her shoulders, barely reaching them in
their short height. After her father had passed, she had cut it
in attempt to shake off the past.
She had not seen her appearance yet, but trusted the servants
did a good job on her hair and make up.
All eyes on her dress, she braced the crowd. She couldn't think
of it as a dance, rather a battle. Breathing in through her nose
and out through her mouth, she tried not think how ridiculous
she looked sporting a dress much fancier and gawdy than her slim
body could hold. Other women could pull of flashy attire, but
she did good to hold her own in a hoodie and jeans.
At the bottom of the stairs she looked out over the crowd. Here
she felt like nothing more than another fish among a sea of
sharks.
Maybe she should go back and read...
"Excuse me, may I have this dance?" asked a tall, handsome man
with dreadlocks tied behind his head.
She eyed the hand he held out for her. "I don't dance."
Where was Ambrose?
#Post#: 407644--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1220 Date: October 5, 2016, 3:18 pm
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As was customary, he greeted the guests. There were many
travelers and beautiful conestants, but his mind was too
scrambled to notice. Playing the role of a diplomat was easy.
Just make the women swoon and stroke the mens' egos and all was
well. Tonight was different.
Earlier he had spoken with Tory some more. Something deep down
warned against trusting the man, but who else could he trust? If
the Shrange won the tournament, not only would he have to marry
as soon as the girl turned eighteen which was this coming week,
but he would basically forfeit everything over to them. The
contestant chosen from their own kingdom was talented, but she
was no match against the Shange who trained all their children
in combat. No. They needed another way.
On top of everything, Winter was seemingly distraught. He was
not even sure why. After working at the site, she seemed oddly
mad at him. Maybe she was upset because he dragged her out
there, despite having told her she did not have to go.
He shook his head, determined to not dwell on it any longer.
Just as he did, the room fell strangely quiet. He looked up to
see his sister stepping off of the staircase and smiled,
believing that everyone had silenced for her entrance.
A man nudged another man in front of him and point to the very
top of the staircase. He followed the direction and understood
at once why everyone was speechless.
It was Winter. She held herself well, with her chin fixed at a
level that was not too low or too high, just perfectly placed in
confidence. In fact, she appeared to be getting ready for war
rather than for a dance. Her blue eyes shifted across the crowd,
but whatever she was thinking was a mystery as usual. The dress
hugged her curves like a glove, emphasizing what he had missed
before. She looked as radiant as a goddess.
He weaved through the crowd until he found her turning down
another man. The man looked hurt, but took the hint and left.
For some reason, it made Ambrose's chest swell up with pride
when she turned the man down. "Winter? I thought you didn't like
dances- or people."
Before anyone else could sweep her away, he held out his arm to
her.
"Might as well make the best out of it, aye?"
#Post#: 407650--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1266 Date: October 10, 2016, 1:03 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Naturally, her body relaxed as a familiar face came forward. She
had to admit, he cleaned up well.
To his question, she merely inclined her chin. For most, it was
infuriating that she always seemed to keep her thoughts to
herself, sharing as little as possible. As she accepted his arm,
she looked for any trace of annoyance along his features.
There was no denying the little twinge of irritation as they
went together through the crowd. She was being stubborn, but she
could not help herself. He thought so little of her! It was
shallow of him to judge her by her age. Had she not proven how
capable she was, to him?
"Radiant, child," said a man in tribal ceremonial attire, as he
stepped in front of them, blocking their path. He was short,
hardly a foot taller than Ni. "Simply radiant. Are you here as a
contestant as well?"
Winter eyed the man as a sense of familiarity sank into her
bones. Not being able to place the man was like having an
untouchable itch.
"No." Whoever he was, she did not trust him.
But then, she did not trust anyone.
"Jayle! Why there you are! Talking with the prince and-"
The next man who had joined them was much taller than the first.
His cheeks were red, no less as a result of the alcohol in his
hand.
"Winnie! I can't believe it's you!" the man exclaimed,
startling her.
"Winter," she corrected, glaring at the man.
The man cleared his throat and adjusted his position so that he
was standing up straighter. "My apologies. Ni never said your
full name. I'm internally grateful for what you did."
The other man gawked at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Will you excuse me?" Winter asked, removing herself from
Ambrose's arm and leaving the conversation.
It wasn't a secret. She had saved the princess. No one really
knew what had happened since the only ones present were that
man- her advisor in court-, Ambrose, Ni, and her. People had
heard rumors, but given the gravity of the situation, no one had
leaked too much information.
It did not feel right. Why should they praise her for saving
someone's sister when she had helped kill hers?
#Post#: 407666--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1220 Date: October 14, 2016, 9:11 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The room was too crowded for his liking. He bumped others with a
man as he took her hand into the crook of his arm. Her hand was
soft and cool, like always. The coolness of her skin did not
bother him. He was always too warm anyway. When he was a kid,
his parents always thought he was feverish, but it was always
just his natural temp.
It also didn't bother him that she was so quiet, but it did
bother him that she was always keeping things to herself. Jayle
stopped them and commented on the way Winter looked. His grip
tightened on her. If it wasn't for politics, he would not stop
long enough to entertain the man.
"No," he said in unison with Winter. "She isn't. She's just
visiting."
Then, another came up. As his sister's adviser, he was around
often, talking too much and being too nosey. It was quickly that
things escalated and Winter excused herself.
"Winter," he called after her, but she was already gone. "I
think that's enough alcohol for you. Go home."
He glowered at the man before heading off to track down Winter.
It didn't make sense why she would get so upset. She did save
his sister. Something told him she was not just being modest.
"Hey." He caught her by the wrist when he had finally reached
her. "You okay?"
#Post#: 407667--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1266 Date: October 14, 2016, 9:33 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Ambrose's voice stalled her in her stride and she turned to him,
following the pull of his hand on her wrist. His skin seared
into hers. It never seemed to bother him how cold she was, but
it felt uncomfortable to her. The fire at his fingertips coursed
through her icy veins like an electrical current.
"I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm thirsty. Where is the-"
A scream drowned out the remainder of her question. Suddenly,
the room exploded into chaos and people began running to the
center of the room. She frowned at him and then sprinted over to
where people were gathering. Squeezing through the crowd, she
eventually saw why everyone had freaked out. Hunched over, a
girl in a yellow gown was holding her stomach with golden liquid
leaking from the cracks between her fingers.
"She's bleeding!"
"Who stabbed her?"
"Get a towel! We need a healer!"
Winter was capable of healing, but she knew nothing of their
health. The only one she had healed was Se-
"Move!"
A woman emerged from the crowd, holding a messenger-like bag
with the symbol of a phoenix on it.
-
A few hours later, she found herself in the throne room,
standing beside the throne as if she belonged there. No one
seemed to notice, except for Tory who already despised her, no
matter what she did.
"This is not good," a man stated the obvious, pacing the floor.
A few others nodded or agreed vocally. It was some time until
she figured out why they wet we so upset.
"You know what this means."
"Its a grave situation. I fear-"
"Phoenix don't fear!"
"Well I fear. What does that make me?"
"A deit. That's what!"
What is a deit? She shook her head.
"Without our contestant, they will surely win."
Ah. There it was.
"We have no one else. She was the strongest."
"What about, Valia?"
"No, Xim."
"There is no one." This time, an old man spoke. He had kept
silent through it all until now. By the way he silenced the
room, she could tell everyone respected him most. "We prepare
for war."
They all hung their heads, silently accepting the cold hard
truth. Winter was not so disappointed.
"Wait! We have someone!" Ni shouted, coming into the room.
Winter looked behind her, wondering if Ambrose was close behind.
He had stayed to make sure the people calmed down including
their not so friendly guests. "Winter!"
The princess threw her hand up and pointed her index finger at
Winter. Winter glared. She had purposely picked the spot
furthest away possible to go undetected. She had spoiled her
plans.
All eyes turned to her, then an eruption of questions.
She did not move. In fact, she barely even blinked an eye at the
men. Tory was glaring, the old man was watching her with
curiosity, and all the others looked at her with doubt. The
chorus of voices were shut down by a simple flick if the old
man's wrist. She had to admit, she liked the guy.
"Are you able to fight?"
She nodded. Yes. She could fight.
"Then it is decided! She will fight!"
The room exploded again. This time, with shouts of joy.
#Post#: 407668--------------------------------------------------
Re: Raging Storm
By: guest1220 Date: October 14, 2016, 9:45 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Everything unfolded quickly. Before long, he found himself
separated from Winter again. He had to take care of the
situation at hand, starting with clearing the ballroom. The girl
fell into unconciousness and there had been no witnesses, making
it impossible to get a lead on the culprit behind the stabbing.
After it all was settled and people had left, he went to join
the elders and officials in the throne room. They were sure to
be upset.
But when he arrived, they were anything but. Overjoyed even.
He came with a puzzled look. Winter stood beside the throne and
all the men were cheering and talking with each other.
Nino ran up and tugged his arm. "Winnie is going to fight!"
His went cold. "No."
Nino pulled away and put her hands against her hips. "She said
yes."
"Oh did she?"
He crossed the room, ignoring everyone as he went. When he
reached her he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room,
onto the outside balcony. There, he shut the doors behind them.
The moons shone bright in the night sky, painting her skin with
their red and blue glows.
"You can't fight. Are you crazy? This isn't a game, Winter. You
are too young anyways. I will not allow you to fight. What would
your family say? You won't last with these fighters. They have
trained their entire lives for this. You just got done with
school!"
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