Wonders of Adventure {Open}

[Deleted]

As soon as she'd finished exploring the house her father had procured, Larken had given her guards, and everyone else in the household, the slip. She had years of practice to guide her as she crawled out an upper story window, dropped into an alleyway, and took off in the direction she vaguely remembered one of the military compounds to be. She had spent a few hours exploring, picking out her room, instructing how it was to arranged, and finding various hidey-holes that would be splendid for future pranks. Then, she had waited until everyone was busy and vanished. She knew the maids would be in a tizzy and at least two of the guards would go off looking for her, but, honestly, they all knew she wasn't foolish enough to go wandering into strange parts of the city unaccompanied.

Dressed in her green gown and brown leather corset, her hair loose, her bow and quiver on her back, she found her way to the next main street and turned in what she believed was the right direction. It had been a number of years since she'd been to this particular compound, but, she seemed to remember that it was next to a rather tall building of distinctive shape towards the center of the city. She would know it when she saw it. She made a strange sight, a lady dressed rather well and carrying her weapons in broad daylight, but, she paid onlookers no mind as she kept a brisk pace, smiling all the while. Her father would most likely scold her when she arrived, but, he would be secretly pleased to see her.

Around her, the city was still at full life. People were everywhere. It was not very unlike her own home, save that she could not smell the water. That she did miss, and it sent a pang to her heart. But, as she looked up at the sparkling crystal of the edifices around her, she let that pang slide away. This place was beautiful in its own right. She turned her eyes back to the road, sure now that she was on the right path. Perhaps, after such a long while spent cooped up in that carriage, her father would take pity on her and allow her to practice her archery on whatever fields were provided. She dearly hoped so.

[Tismri]

"One. Two. Three." The line of soldiers counted their pushups as the sergeant oversaw them, threatening slackers with additional work. The repetitive action was mindnumbing to Reyn, a workout he had done nearly all his life. He welcomed the fire in his arms that burned with every movement.

For Tylon, however, the workout was strenuous. The young prince shuddered every time he took a breath while sweat rolled off his face. Near the fiftieth repetition, he collapsed, planting his face into the ground. Reyn glanced sidelong at him and looked around for the sergeant. Luckily, the officer was distracted, and Reyn took a moment to put a hand on the kid's shoulder. Tylon met his eyes and gave a brief smile before summoning the strength to continue the exercise.

Tylon was worried about more than the discipline of the sergeant. He'd not expected to be reassigned to Freia for additional training. He couldn't refuse without looking suspicious, but he was concerned. He knew his mother and brother were both still in the city, and probably just as worried about him as they were on the day he left. He only hoped he could blend in with the rest of the soldiers here; he could only imagine what his mother would do if she found him here. Probably loudly reveal who he was and drag him off, removing any chance he had of continuing his military career.

Eventually, the exercise finished and the men were given a break to move around the compound grounds. Tylon gave a quick glance up at the castle before joining Reyn to the side.

[Deleted]

Larken felt a breath of relief leave her when she found the compound. It was unmistakable. Everything about it screamed 'military'. She smiled widely, walking quickly up to the entry. There, she was halted by a sentry. After a brief discussion, the man led her inside, still dubious that she was who she claimed to be. Still his doubt would be easily confirmed or allayed by simply seeking out the Captain she claimed as father. The sentry escorted her through the yard where the men were taking a break. She glanced around at them briefly, used to seeing such things from the times she had accompanied her father. Military life was familiar to her. She ignored the strange looks that she, a properly lady in the middle of a military compound, received. That, too, was familiar to her, and she had bigger things to attend to.

As it happened, she was in luck. The man she was looking for had just stepped outside on some matter of business or another. Larken and her escort waylaid him outside the exit. As she had predicted, her father was surprised to see her. When he looked up and caught sight of her, the shock played across his face. It was followed by a stern exasperation. And then his eyes betrayed his fondness. Her smile widened and she quickly strode forward leaving the sentry to keep up with her. She really wanted to run into his arms, throw her arms around his neck, and rejoice in their reunion. However, it was not the time or place. Her father had a reputation to uphold. Which was why she stopped only a pace or so from him and dipped her head. He looked at her for a moment, expressionless. Then, he seemed to slump just slightly in defeat, acknowledging that she had snuck out and safely arrived to see him. He waved the sentry off, allowing him to return to his post. He then took his daughter's arm in a gentle but firm grip, guiding her towards a more secluded area.

"Larken. I would have thought that you would wait for me at the house," his voice was firm and clipped, more accustomed to giving orders than words of affection.

Larken gave a small laugh in response.

"Father, if you truly thought that, then you don't know me at all," in response to the look of long-suffering that flashed in his eyes, she laid her hand over his where it held her arm, "Come now. I think you truly expected me to behave exactly as I have."

He snorted, an almost amused sound.

"Yes. And leave the calming of the maids to me. And our guard will attempt to confine you to no avail. And soon you'll be traipsing all over the city without a 'by your leave'."

She frowned at her father, shaking her head slightly.

"No, father. I will maintain my safety. I know that we are no longer at home. I shall find a way to let you know where I am."

This seemed to provide a very small measure of comfort. Her father gave another small sigh. His daughter took after her mother. A free spirit whom he didn't have the heart to contain.

"Very well. As long as myself or our guard is informed."

Larken immediately smiled again, knowing that she had emerged victorious in gaining a bit of freedom.

"Wonderful! I thank you, father!"

They had stopped out of sight and earshot in order to continue speaking. Larken was a bit awed at the size of the compound. Still, it made sense due to it's location.

"Yes, yes," the officer waved her off, "Now, I know that you did not just come to see me...you also came to make use of the archery range, yes?"

Immediately, his daughter's eyes lit up. Her fingers twitched, almost as if they could already feel the bow. She could see the glint of pride in his eyes. Pride that she would immediately seek out a place to practice. It was a mark that he had trained her well. She quickly nodded, expression hopeful. Her father's soldier's countenance cracked just a bit and his lips twitched in almost a smile.

"They lie on the other side of the yard where the men were training. I will inform the sergeant that you will be using them this afternoon. I do not believe you will be in the way of training. If I am wrong, though, and you are asked to vacate the field to make way for the training of the soldiers, please, do so without a fuss."

Larken's frown returned. She never 'made a fuss'. She was a lady. Upon seeing the amused glint in her father's eye, though, she let her expression smooth.

"Thank you, father. I will do as you have said."

Together, the pair of them returned to the training yard. Her father approached the sergeant in order to do as he had promised, and Larken approached her target.

She lined up at as far a distance as she dared, ensuring that she was out of the way of any ongoing training or business, and pulled her bow from her quiver. She strung it with practiced hands, giving the string a light pluck to test it. Then, she drew her first arrow, briefly sighted her target, and let it fly. It whistled through the air and smacked into the painted center. A quick, accurate shot was what her father had trained her in. She felt a bit of smugness wash over her at doing so well on her first practice shot. Especially while in a dress.

[Tismri]

All eyes snapped toward the young woman as she entered the yard. Some of the men stared as if they had never seen a girl before in their lives while other more rowdy ones whistled and cat-called to her. Tylon couldn't believe that in a country ruled only by queens that there were still men who disrespected women in such a way. This train of thought led him to a smile, however; it made him think of his mother and sister, two women who were nearly constantly complaining about piggish men. Reyn noticed Tylon's smile and clapped him on the shoulder.

"She's a cute one, ain't she?" the bigger man asked with a chuckle. Tylon rolled his eyes.

"It's not like we can spend our time thinking about girls right now," he informed Reyn. "We're all getting ready to risk our lives. If we live, they'll still be here when we get back. And if we die, we will have needlessly broken their hearts."

"All right, I see your point," Reyn said, rolling his shoulder. "Still, ain't no harm in looking." The words were hardly out of his mouth when the captain appeared and began speaking with the girl. Most of the men made the connection that she was his daughter and immediately pretended they hadn't just been staring.

"Listen up!" the drill sergeant called. "Break time's over men! Time for weapons practice!" He listed off a number of men to practice sparring together and others to head to the archery range. They all started to walk to their assigned practice quarters when the sergeant, after a brief conversation with the captain, withdrew one of the archers to practice elsewhere.

Tylon was among the practicing archers, and when they arrived they found someone already firing arrows at a target: the girl from before. As he strung his bow, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, observing how comfortable she was with the weapon, making a perfect strike in the middle. He took his place at the firing line beside her and took a few shots of his own. Though they all hit the target, only one or two hit the center; range was not his preferred style.

"You remind me of my sister," he commented to the girl while he shot. "She's hard to compete against with a bow. She wouldn't be caught dead in a dress, though." He smiled slightly. The statement wasn't entirely true. Tatiana wore dresses when she was expected to, often around the castle. Being relatively close to the throne in the line of succession, she was expected to look the part of a princess when occasion demanded it. But beneath her lovely exterior, the family all knew she was a bit of a tomboy at heart.

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Larken glanced up when she was suddenly joined by the trainees. It had been amusing, the way her father's presence had immediately caused the men to behave differently with her. It always was. Now, she doubted that she would be bothered. She returned her attention to her target, drawing two more darts and firing in quick succession. They sunk into the straw, one right beside the other. Now that she was beginning to get into her rhythm, this range would provide little challenge. It was standard practice range. The truly exciting challenge came when the target was just outside of regular bow range and anything short of a perfect shot would result in failure.

When she was spoken to, Larken paused. She briefly lowered he weapon, turning her eyes to the newcomer at her side. He was young, on the line between boyhood and manhood. A bit young than her, she would assume. At his comment, she gave him a smile, teeth flashing for just a moment.

"Ah, but dresses can be so comfortable. And they can be so terribly useful in helping us get what we want from men," she replied, a bit of teasing in her voice, "Though, I suspect that your sister has chosen the path of the warrior rather than that of the lady, no?"

She let another arrow fly. It impacted, hurling with the others in the center.

[Tismri]

Tylon couldn't help a chuckle that came from his mouth when the girl mentioned getting what she wanted from men through her clothes. He could practically hear Tati's outrage at the implication. He concentrated on his arrows, each one landing solidly in the target, though few hit the center. He couldn't help but feel jealous of those who could use the bow expertly, though he knew few could rival his ability with the sword.

"Oh, she considers herself a lady," he continued his conversation. "Our parents just made sure we all became proficient in some weaponry. My mother was always an independent woman, and my sister kinda idolizes her for that." He glanced sidelong at her with a slight grin. "I'm Tylon, by the way," he introduced himself. He secretly hoped she wouldn't recognize his name. As a boy in the royal family, he was less likely to be known than Tatiana, the main reason why he made sure not to mention her name. But being the child of two of Ismalia's few Riders was surely going to get him recognized by someone eventually. So long as it didn't get to the wrong people...like his family.

[Deleted]

Larken's smile grew as she listened to him. She let another arrow fly, keeping her mind half on the conversation and half on the form her father had drilled into her since childhood.

"Ah. And that's where we are similar. My father gave me a bow as soon as he was certain I was able to shoot," she drew another arrow, twirling it around her fingers, "As for my mother...I'd like to imagine she was like me."

Her father was strict and stern. Larken liked to think that her mother had been a gentle but strong woman. At least, that's what she had gathered from her grandmothers. Her father didn't talk much about his deceased wife. Larken thought that maybe the pain of it kept him from doing so. She fitted the arrow to the string and fired. It caught the edge of the painted area, just below another.

When the boy at her side introduced himself, she thought his name sounded very vaguely familiar but could not place it. With a mental shrug, she dismissed it.

"I am Larken," she held her bow at her back and dropped into a curtsey, her expression full of a teasing light, "A pleasure to meet you."

She stood upright again, keen green eyes watching him. She waited until he lined up for his next shot. Then, she stopped him.

"Here..." she pushed his arm a bit, adjusting slightly, "And here," she tapped his foot with her bow to indicate she wanted him to shift his foot, "Now shoot."

[Tismri]

Tylon paused for a moment when the girl mentioned her mother. From the information she volunteered, he inferred that she never knew her. Either she died or left, and both scenarios seemed incredibly tragic to him. It made him feel guilty that he'd left his own home with just a note to explain his disappearance. He shook off the thoughts when the girl introduced herself as Larken; it was an adorable name that made him smile again.

"The pleasure is all mine, my lady," he responded before lining up his next shot. He was a bit surprised when he felt her move his arm and glanced at her. He shifted his feet as she indicated and took a deep breath again, sighting down the shaft toward the target. When he released, he watched the arrow sink in, much closer to the center than he had ever gotten before. He turned to her with an amazed grin.

"Thanks," he told her before the obnoxious voice of the sergeant echoed into his skull.

"Oi! You ain't training to make small talk with pretty girls! Squat jumps across the yard, ten laps!" Tylon grimaced at the order, dreading how numb his legs were going to be by the end of the day. He unstrung the bow and laid it and his quiver on the ground, then gave Larken a shy smile.

"Thanks for the help," he told her. "I hope to see you around." He turned and, with a grunt, began the long torture of his legs across the yard.

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Larken laughed in response to his smile. She had never had the opportunity to coach anyone before. The feeling of contributing to another's success was one that she found she enjoyed. She clapped him lightly on the shoulder, not a very ladylike gesture, but one that she had picked up from being around her father and his men. Despite her grandmothers' attempts, they had never been able to keep that military influence from affecting her behavior.

"You're welcome! Try to keep that form and I think you'll improve. Maybe."

She was startled when the drill sergeant called over to the boy at her side. Her eyes widened just slightly. She hadn't thought that a conversation and a bit of tip-giving would result in punitive measures. She returned his smile with her own apologetic one.

"You most likely will. My apologies for causing you trouble."

She watched with a sympathetic look as he began his laps. Then, she turned back to her target and emptied her quiver in quick succession. Better to go now before she caused more issues. When it was time to retrieve arrows, she did so with quick, practiced movements, refilling the quiver on her back. Then, she left the practice field to again find her father.