Vindicated

[Trinn]

A purging. That had been a sentiment of Nethia's for some time now. The human race. They were vile! And oh how she had suffered under human hands. Perhaps shades weren't as evil as people said they were. However, Nethia found she couldn't look into the shades eyes again. She trembled slightly at Kat's touch, from both fear and anticipation. This was a fight she could rally behind. Nefrox even seemed to agree. "I will join you, Shade Rider. What you speak of is what I've long yearned for. Nefrox and I shall assist you in whatever you need."

I hope this is the right choice, Nethia. Nefrox said softly. Nethia could feel his doubt. He was the more reasonable one, it was true. But Nethia had felt a kinship in the shades words. She had felt a blooming purpose.

I will not let any harm come to you, Nefrox. My loyalty will always be first for you. That seemed to comfort him some, but a lingering doubt remained.

[Max452]

Yes, I understand. Many defected from Galbatorix because they did not understand his vision. They feared him and soon became traitors. Vanilor agreed to Katriana's wishes. He was soon pleased to learn that this new two-legged was joining their ranks, but somewhat disappointed too. He wouldn't get a chance to truly test his dominance over this indigo dragon; Kat would be mad if he killed him. Resigning back to his leisurely position, the yellow dragon relaxed, feeling Kat was pleased.

***
Dominic let out a silent breath. So Master Katriana was pleased and thank the Gods that Nethia agreed. He would feel bad for having laid her to her death if she hadn't.

***
"Samara...I..." Aramis struggled to find his voice as he felt Samara turn and gaze at him. He could feel the warmth of her lips coming toward his own. For a fleeting moment, his mind lost sanity and he returned the kiss. It was brief and chaste, for after a second, Aramis' remembered that he was meant to protect Samara. He pulled back. "Not here; news will travel that I'm near here. We need to move before there are others." He reminded her, slowly disengaging himself from Samara. "We'll go North, perhaps to Melian. I'll stay with you for awhile, but than you must promise me that you'll go back home. I need you safe, Samara. Please, understand that." He pleaded with her, hoping that she would accept this small compromise.

[Tismri]

Katriana was pleased to hear that the girl agreed to join her. She left Nethia and rejoined Vanilor.
Worry not, my heart, she told her dragon, patting his side. If this hatchling does anything to displease you, you may rebuke him as much as you wish, provided you do not kill him. She turned again to face the gathering. They were still a relatively small group, but their numbers were growing steadily every day.
"Tomorrow, we should begin to journey east," she said, her tone contemplative, but her voice loud enough for all to hear. "I feel the Spine will not provice the protection and concealment we require for the moment. We shall travel in small numbers, and rejoin within the desert." She sat back against Vanilor and leaned against him lazily. "Feel free to sack villages along the way, provided you don't leave anything pointing to our presence." She let them interpret that as they would. Some would doubtless merely rob some houses, while others would murder all the inhabitants. She cared neither way what they did.
Her eyes settled back on Dominic. She'd temporarily put him out of her mind. Now she returned to stand before him again. "My dear Dom," she said, her voice like honey. "How quickly can you travel on just one leg?"
~~~~~
Samara became lost in the moment when she felt his lips against hers. Her Joshua. She felt more content that she ever had before and wanted to linger that way. But as he pulled away, his warning reached her ears. She understood and moved away from him. She didn't want any more assassins getting near him. She grasped his hand and walked with him northward.
"I understand," she replied to him, though she didn't like it. He would always be in danger and she wouldn't be able to protect him. "Thank you..."

[Max452]

Vanilor hummed, pleased at Kat's words. Thank you, Kat. He nuzzled his Rider, before she began speaking her plans. The yellow dragon released smoke from his nostrils as his body anticipated the thought of decimating towns. That would be fun. His yellow eye snapped to Dominic. He must learn not to disobey us, Kat. He must be made an example. Vanilor read his Rider's thoughts, although, his was a bit more viscious. He personally, wanted to bite off the man's leg.

***
Dom's face went a bit pale at Katriana's question. He knew the punishment for failure: Death. The fact that she asked about only one leg...he hoped she was being merciful. He inahled deeply, expecting the worse, nonetheless. "It will not be as fast as two, my lady, but it will be my best. I understand that I have displeased you; that will not happen again. I accept my punishment and will move and do as you so which." He bowed his head. This was what he was taught all his life: to do as he was told without question or remorse. His master taught him so, and he lived to please his master.

**
Aramis glanced at their joined hands for a moment. It felt oddly...nice. He nodded to her, glad that she understood the situation for once. He walked with her, allowing their hands to be joined on this journey. He smiled at her words and brought their joined hands to his lips, kissing her's. "You're welcome, Samara." He gave her a light smile. He brought their hands back down and focused on the journey before them.

[Trinn]

Sensing that her time with Katriana was over, Nethia moved back into the crowd, which parted to make way for Nefrox's bulk. He was large for a one year old, she thought. He had been a large hatchling too. She looked about the crowd now, noticing that the shades seemed enthralled by their leader. She noticed other dragon riders too, and wondered why they had defected from Bromsland. There was one dragon that caught her attention. He was as large as the yellow dragon, but jet black. Near him was a woman with a cruel disposition who Nethia assumed was the dragons rider. As she made her way through the crowd, she heard Katriana's question to the man who had brought her here. His name was apparently Dom, and he was apparently about to be punished. Nethia wondered why she didn't find it more strange that a shade who wanted a new world was also a merciless killer and master. But she chose not to think about he details. That would only complicate things.

[Tismri]

Kat narrowed her eyes. She was quiet displeased with Dominic, and his groveling was not helping her mood. As she was, she was more inclined to just let Van devour him and be done with it. However, she knew he could still prove useful, and he would need to be at full capacity in order to hunt down Aramis efficiently. Plus, a one-legged soldier was worse than useless to her.
Next time, Van, she promised. This one is too useful to me for the moment. Should he fail me again, you may make him a snack. She glared down at the boy, her anger more than apparent. She took ahold of his femur and squeezed slightly, the resounding crack like music to her soul. She did the same to several other bones in his leg until it seemed like a warped mass.
"I am showing you far more mercy than you deserve," she told him. "You may not use magic to heal it until after you have brought Aramis' remains to me. You may use mundane methods to relieve the pain if you must. But do not fail me again."
~~~~~
Samara walked happily alongside Joshua, almost not believing this moment to be real. She never thought he would feel for her the same way she did for him. After all, he'd known her ever since she was a child and she believed he always thought of her as such. She was so glad he seemed to love her as well. If he hadn't returned her affection, she wasn't sure what she would have done.

[Max452]

Dominic screamed out in pain as Kat broke his right leg. He crumpled to the ground, his weight giving in. He vaguely heard what Rider Katriana was saying, but he managed to grasp that he could not heal it. His eyes teared from the pain, but he nodded nonetheless to his Master's leader. "Yes, Argetlam. I understand." He croaked out through his pain. He clutched his leg instinctively.

His whining annoys me. Get someone to haul him away before I eat him, Kat. Vanilor's nostrils steamed as he glared at the writhing boy.

***
The two traveled for some time before they had finally reached Melian. Recalling old memories, Aramis entered the city with Samara. He no longer held her hand, as he did not want to draw attention to them and hid his face with his cowl. "It has been some time since we came here last." He commented to his companion. "Its grown." He added as he led her to an inn to rest and eat.

[Tismri]

Dom's evident pain brought a smile of pure pleasure to Kat's lips. She enjoyed seeing people suffer, even if they were her followers. She wanted to make certain they all knew their proper place. Then she sensed Vanilor's annoyance.
"Get out of my sight," she told the boy. "Don't show yourself before me again until either I call for you, or you bring me Aramis' entrails on a platter." She returned to stand next to Van and glanced over at Selene. Cold, hard, merciless, emotionless. Because she was so silent, Kat often worried that the woman may be contemplating betrayal, but there seemed to be the same level of loyalty to her as there ever appeared for Galbatorix.
"Selene," she called out. "Why don't you and Slade be a couple of dears and show Nethia and Nefrox around?"
~~~~~
Samara looked around the city as she entered with Aramis, observing the changes that had taken place in the city. She could remember the last time they were here together, around sixteen years ago. She smiled fondly as she remembered teasing him about traveling to Melian to see the cute boys. She wondered if, on some level, that had made him jealous at all. He was always fearful for her life, it seemed, even from seemingly innocent strangers.
"Yes it has," she replied to him. "They've adapted well since the end of the war."

[Max452]

Dom staggered to a stand, nearly falling in the process. He meekly nodded his head at Katriana's wishes and painfully left to find some aid. His face was flushed from pain and he tried desperately to hold back the screams he wanted to unleash. He disappeared into the crowd and toward his tent, where he hoped to relieve his pain.

***
At the sound of her name, Selene turned her head toward Katriana. She could feel Slade's annoyance at being ordered about, but the black dragon was put in his place by Vanilor when they had first encountered, despite him being older. Selene and Slade knew that they had lost only because Katriana was now a Shade, and her bond was reaping the benefits of that union as well. Selene and Slade, knowing defeat, and retaining their honor, swear fealty to the Shade Rider.

The black Rider inclined her head to Katriana, showing no emotion as she did so. Selene was still a master at never revealing her thoughts; it made her weak to do so, and once, long ago, nearly cost her and Slade's life; it was when they were fighting against the Varden in Uru'baen. Thoughts of that day flooded into her mind, but she mentally shook them away. It was the past now and despite her hidden fury, she remained a stone. She appeared before Nethia, using her speed to do so; Katriana did not like idleness. "This way, Rider." Selene gestured toward the tents that were set up.

***
"Many cities have." Aramis replied idly. They continued to walk until they spotted an inn that looked reasonable. Aramis led Samara inside and went straight to the innkeeper. "A room with two beds, please." He informed the man, dropping gold coins before him. "One with a window, preferably." Aramis asked, already planning escape routes should they encounter trouble here.
"Here you be, room 14, in the corn'r, sir" The innkeeper swiped up the coins without question and handed them their key. The old man rarely asked questions; people come and go and as long as they didn't cause trouble, he didn't care what they did.
Aramis nodded through his cowl and took the key. He again, led the way to their room. Opening it, Aramis gestured Samara inside, inspecting the hallway for anything abnormal before inspecting the room they were assigned. "It seems safe." Aramis declared after a moment of silence. He closed the door behind them and sat himself on one of the beds. He was so exhausted; having missed a few nights of rest already. His leg throbbed, despite having been healed. His body was not what it once was, even though he was still exceptional for one his age.

[Trinn]

Nethia stared back from where she had come, at the carnage that Dom now suffered. She felt frozen to the spot. The sound of Dom's agony made her feel like turning and running. Part of her wanted to go help him, but the other half thought he deserved it too for bringing her here. But, then again, she wanted to be here. At the sound of her name, Nethia froze up. Was she to be punished too? No, apparently not. The rider she had noticed earlier now stood next to her. She nodded to the rider and followed after her towards a group of tents. She wondered if there were more gruesome things waiting inside those canvas shelters. Body pieces, maybe, or corpses.

[Tismri]

Samara sat quietly down on one bed while Aramis looked around the room for anything suspicious. She had learned a few tricks over the years, but more often just let bodyguards do that work for her. She rarely knew what to look for.
She stared across at him for a few moments after he sat down on the other bed. He seemed weary to her, older and tired. There were more lines on his face that she last remembered. But to her, he was still the same Joshua. She moved over and sat down next to him.
"How have you been?" she asked him, her expression a mix of concern and affection.

[Max452]

OOC: Hmm, not sure where to go with this now...meep!

Selene led Nethia to the tents, while Slade gestured for Nefrox to follow with his snout. "We are on the constant move, Rider Nethia, and so, we cannot afford the luxury of a stable living enviroment. We shall be in tents during our campaign. You may choose this option, or sleep with your dragon; most Riders prefer the second option." Selene stopped at a large tent. "This is where meals are served." She then turned and pointed to another large tent that was toward the edge of the camp. "If you need supplies and a blacksmith, that is the tent you seek." The blond turned to face Nethia. "This is the basic tents you must know. Do you have any questions?"

***
Aramis' eyes followed Samara as she sat next to him. He gave her a tired smile. "Mostly tired." He told her honestly. "I've been very tired for a long time." He confessed, referring to numerous things in his life. "Either than that, its been the same. Avoiding assassins and mercenaries, and wandering to find a place safe, so that I can keep you safe." He told her. "And you, how have you been? And I do not mean about your duties." He desired to know how she truly was.