Roleplay

Same woods, near the castle lol))

(Ooo, since the woods are near the castle I can see maybe uhhh learning about it more bc it’s so nearby? Uhh maybe(sorry I’m just interested in your characters’ backstories they seem so cool lol) Uhh also I made more drawings!! :D I did Pixie and Dusk, and Pixie and Scye, the best friends <3 Also, there’s some (spoiler-free?) very young Daryne and very young Eurus. ) [img]https://images2.imgbox.com/7e/7e/7vtUv6TF_o.jpeg[/img] [img]https://images2.imgbox.com/92/ff/ROEO1Ysl_o.jpeg[/img] [img]https://images2.imgbox.com/66/ea/zZxbV3U7_o.jpeg[/img]

OH MY G O S H MY CHILDREN HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHXJDHXHDHDBDBHDHDHDHDBD I love them all Jos

Also yes there is a very good chance you could learn more :)))

It's like
Close to the castle, kinda in between it and the town and next to the forest. More so just ruins now, though!

Oh cool, ruins are always so interesting. Always some ~pieces of the past~ left behind lol.

Hey, uh, I’m sorry this thread got so dry! Willow, Dragon, do you guys still go on this website? It’s totally ok if you don’t, or you’ve been busy. I’ve been busy too! I’m just checking, no pressure. :)

I'm on here every day, actually! Or almost every day. Not sure about Willow, but I miss you guys! ;u;
I really liked this rp

But also if you all wanted to chat more, I do have a Discord I can share if yall have it! Might be easier lol))

Aw, I miss you too! I love this rp. I do have discord! My id thing should be sarodriguez#5597 so let me know if that works!

Oh sweet!! I'm Viatorem, by the way lol

Got it! I just added you :)

(Here it is guys >:))) )

“One more, one more!”
Daryne and Osias jumped from their place on the bed, their eyes bright with the same boundless energy.
“It is time for bed,” replied Eurus, directing his stern eyes to both of them. “You two must learn to wake early.”
“Please, just one more,” whined Daryne. “It doesn’t have to be long. I’m not tired!”
Eurus looked at them, his face inscrutable, and then he smiled.
“Alright. A short one.”
He picked up the heavy book again and cracked open its worn spine. It was an account of the animals west of the mountains, the second volume. The pages were yellowed and fragile, so naturally Daryne was afflicted with the urge to touch them. They were too old, though, and she wasn’t allowed.
“The western spider cat,” began Eurus. “This creature dwells in the center of the Western Swamp, and has only been described in three accounts. Its shape may be compared to that of the mountain lion, or the fox. It has six eyes and serrated teeth, with a yellow face that is wrinkled and twisted. It makes home in the trees and descends to the ground to hunt. Its prey consists of rabbits, squirrels, and small birds.”
Eurus’s face flashed with mischief, and he met the eyes of Daryne and Osias as they listened.
“Occasionally, rumors say it will prowl the halls of this fortress in the dead of night.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Once within the border, it is said to favor most the taste... of children who don’t go to sleep on time!”
He lunged forward, tickling Daryne and Osias, and the two of them burst into giggles. Daryne pulled Eurus down and tickled him right back, and then he was laughing along with them. It was a rare and special occasion when his laughter graced the room.
The door swung open and suddenly Eurus jumped, scrambling to get to his feet. Daryne could see that his face was redder than before.
“Esiro,” he said, any joy hidden behind his blank face. He blinked at the man in elaborate blue robes who had interrupted them. “My apologies.”
“These are the late hours of the evening, Lord Conover. It is not my place to interfere, but I heard a disturbance from halfway down the corridor and perceived a possible need for assistance.”
Eurus nodded, his nervous eyes struggling to stay in one place. “Yes, I—my brother and sister... requested to be read aloud to. Forgive me. I have broken the peace of your night.”
“There is naught to forgive, my lord, for you have made no such intrusion.” Esiro bowed his head, his voice old and deep. “Although I hope this does not mean you’ll delay our session tomorrow.”
“I thank you for your kindness, Esiro. Rest assured I would not keep you waiting. I am a diligent student, as always.”
The man nodded, and then he was gone.
Eurus’s shoulders deflated, and he sighed.
“We were too loud,” he muttered as he turned and retrieved the old book. “I mustn’t be so neglectful. It is time for bed.”
He made certain Osias was asleep, and showed Daryne to her chamber.
“Wait! Stay with me,” she said as she lay in bed. Eurus hesitated, then grumbled words of agreement and sat down in the chair nearby.
Soon sleep drifted upon her like a mist, but instead of resisting it like usual, she let herself feel tired. Eurus was there. He made her feel a little better; she never liked dreaming alone.

The dream began in darkness. Then, a glittering silver sword cut through the black, wielding itself with no warrior in sight. It had a blue dragon hilt that gleamed as it spun and slashed and whirled, seeming in control of itself. Daryne was whisked away from that, and into a new place.
An armored giant hid behind a hulking mountain, almost as large as the rock itself. Massive serpents with deep black mouths coiled around the mountain, hissing before the giant plucked them up and crushed them one by one.
It faded out, and she was thrust into a room of unrelenting white sunlight. Two women walked hand in hand away from Daryne, one golden-haired and the other small and svelte.
A flame lapped at the side of a rock, and the rock absorbed it in turn, the two of them twisting in harmony.
Purple enveloped her, twisting and suffocating in folds, until she didn’t know which way was up and which was down. She clawed her way through and came upon a forest clearing.
A little girl with black hair and blue eyes spun threads of light between her fingers, and the golden wisps of it floated above, illuminating the air around her. The little girl collapsed, her eyes rolling up into her head, and the shimmering light turned black as ink, an unholy disease oozing from her hands and spreading upon the ground.
Daryne’s eyes widened in terror, her alertness returned to her, and she ran the other way, but she was in the woods, sharp branches clawing at her face and pale mist swirling everywhere. She tripped over a jutting tree root, soaring towards the ground, but as her face hit the dirt...
She awoke breathless, gasping as she tried not to cry. It was fake, all fake, she wasn’t there anymore.
Though it was better here in the real world, she felt exhausted, like she had truly been running through that wood.
But no one else was thinking about her dreams, so she forced them out of her mind as best she could. They were only dreams, and there were better things outside.
Eurus wasn’t in the chair anymore. He was probably with some boring teacher learning about boring old person things. She knew where to have fun.

That morning, she dodged the librarian’s wrinkly claws, snuck past the children studying number books and found the courtyard where her brother and mother were.
Cresson was three years her senior, and at eleven had already learned so much about fighting. He was already a bit taller than the other boys, and heaps more cheerful. Cresson was friendlier than anyone, Daryne thought.
She crouched behind a wooden pillar, overlooking the area from an elevated platform encircling the courtyard. It seemed a long way to fall, so Daryne clutched tightly at the rail. She glimpsed Eurus standing to the side, leaning against a wall, watching closely.
Mother was guiding Cresson’s hands on his bow, making sure he nocked the arrow right. He aimed, concentrated, and loosed. The arrow landed far from the target, instead snapping against the wall behind it.
“I want to train with the sticks and shields, Mother,” Cresson said. “I’m no good at this part.” Mother smiled.
“You mustn’t give up on something just for not doing it right the first time. If you work at it, you’ll get better, just like you worked with sticks and got better at those, hm?” Daryne saw her brother nod. “I won’t make you do it if you don’t want to, but I think you’ll find it shall make you even better at everything else.”
Daryne stole a look at Eurus, and his eyes went straight to her, and he winked.
He always knew where she was.
Daryne grabbed a small sparring staff from a pile of them to her left, her fingers tightening around it. She felt good with something in her hand.
Cresson had already taken aim with another arrow, and Mother was turned away for a moment, so Daryne took her chance. She rocked backward and used her momentum to slide off the platform and stick a foot on a supporting rafter under her. Then she twisted and jumped onto the lower cornice of a pillar, all the while gripping her staff. Her free hand pushed off the rail and she vaulted off the cornice, free falling until the last moment, when she threw her staff into the air. She curled as she hit the ground, rolling to break the impact, and stuck her hand out to catch the staff just before it hit the ground. She stood and puffed out her stomach and lowered her voice, trying to look angry and grown up. She held her staff like a sword and waved it a few times.
“It is I, majestic King Jorunn! All kneel before the king!”
Her brothers were watching her with smiles, but her mother’s face twisted with concern.
“Daryne! Where did you come from? You’ll hurt yourself. Be careful, else I’ll forbid all tricks like that. Are you alright?”
Daryne pointed at her brothers. “They liked it.”
Her mother cut a glance to the boys, and they stopped smiling. She turned to Daryne.
“Don’t you want to study?”
“It’s boring today.”
Her mother smiled that little half smile. “I suppose you could do with a little reprieve. Do you want to play with Cresson? Teach each other a bit?”
Daryne grinned at her brother, her eyes full of mischief.

They donned pads of leather where armor would belong, and little caps instead of helms. A wooden sword with rounded edges and a shield for both of them, although Daryne took the smaller shield. Shields were cumbersome, extra limbs that weren’t supposed to be there.
Her brother stepped back, not wanting to make the first move. To him she was small and weak, and needed coddling. It was true, he was bigger and faster. She swung first.
They parried and lunged for a bit, both using what their parents had taught them, but it seemed Cresson always shielded himself at the right time and knocked her blade with the perfect amount of force.
Her mother taught both of them as they went, guiding them and stopping them when they made too many mistakes. Daryne copied his actions, dodged when she knew what was coming, but then he knocked her sword out of the ground. We teach each other, her mother said. She grabbed his sword fast and yanked as hard as she could, and he actually lost his grip on it. She flipped it so she held it by the hilt and pointed at him, laughing.
In the afternoon, her brother Osias finished his studies and joined them. Daryne sparred with him and easily won, though he was older. He smiled at her too, and they spent the rest of the day studying maps together. She didn’t feel so alone anymore.

~~~

“Scared, princess?”

This was a new dream. A different dream, something that wasn’t a memory or the kind of dreams she used to have, but something natural brought forth by the events in her waking hours. She hadn’t dreamed for a long while, and she hadn’t meant to. Somehow, though, they were returning.
She was remembering.
There was a forest clearing. The dawn hadn’t quite come yet, and everything was tinted greyish blue.
Daryne could hear the voice, and tried to make out words. They were murmurs, secrets whispered desperately to anyone that would listen. They echoed through the trees from every direction, at once within the wood and without.
You look lovely, my princess.
You’re good at swordplay, for a pretty princess.
Alright, not a princess, as you prefer. But stars above, you look the part.
Princesses don’t marry beggars.
People call you lots of things now, don’t they? I still like ‘princess.’

Daryne recognized the memories floating back. She recognized the voice too, and called the girl’s name, and then the voice stopped. She felt her stomach turn as the sky became a starless black.
The girl’s words changed to pleading, shouting. Daryne’s heart started to hammer in her chest, and she spun around, her eyes scanning the darkened wood. There was something wrong, something was hurting the girl.
She tried to follow the sound, to run somewhere, to do something, but she was frozen in place.
No no no, not again...
This had happened before. Except this time, it was her.
The pleading turned to agonized screams. There was hope and life draining out of the voice as it begged Daryne to help her, and in return received nothing. She was dying, and Daryne just stood there.
I need you. Please don’t go.
I know you won’t come back.
The cries became louder than they should have.
Why did you leave me?
Please, I just want to see you again.
Words that had been said and words that Daryne’s mind made up blended together until all she heard was the shrieking and sobbing, as if she were right beside her. It didn’t stop.
You can’t be gone.
Please.
The girl was alone, and Daryne had abandoned her, thinking of no one but herself.
I’m sorry, she wanted to say. It’s my fault, I should have listened to you.
Daryne dragged her hands down her face, squeezing her eyes shut as if it would make any difference. She ground her teeth together. The screaming was never going to stop...
...and then it did.
She had drawn her bow, aiming at the princess. She tried to put the weapon down, to aim somewhere else, but she was watching it unfold, powerless. This had already happened.
An arrow stuck out of the princess where her heart was.
Daryne blinked and her hands were slick with blood. Thick, dark blood. It was not her own.
Her throat closed up. She couldn’t breathe. She was drowning.
Dizziness took over, and she dropped to her knees. Without enough air, she felt herself sway out of control. The ground became closer, and her eyes rolled up into her head as she fell.

Daryne snapped awake. She must have fallen asleep on the couch. She hastily examined her hands, and her mouth twisted in frustration. Of course her hands were clean. Marked with scars, but clean. It was a dream.
One that left the sound of screaming still ringing in her ears, and the feeling of paralysis still making her limbs hesitate.
She looked to the window facing the front of her house, greyed by fog. Something felt wrong.
She stood and made her way towards the window, following that feeling that she was off. It was too foggy and dark to see anything past her porch, so she opened the door.
Daryne froze, and for a moment she was falling. Her heart clenched, and she took a step back, teetering.
A figure kneeled several feet before her in the snow, hunched over in broken, bloodied armor. Dozens of arrows stuck out from his chest and shoulders, and thin streams of crimson dripped from the breaks in his steel, staining the white snow red around him. She couldn’t see his downcast face, but she didn’t have to. It was an image she had tried in vain to rid from her memory.
She had started to lose him over and over again in these dreams, and each time, the reminder hurt with the sting of a hundred blades.
Her stomach tightened. She could feel that ache in her heart twisting and writhing like a fresh wound. She longed to peel her eyes away, to shut the door and fasten every lock, but she couldn’t. She gave in.
Daryne went to him, taking it step by step, down the porch and through the frozen grass. He looked more and more real as she neared, more and more what he looked like on the day he died.
He was motionless as she finally stood right in front of him, the growing pool of red around him nearly touching her feet.
Daryne dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. She took his bare hand, rubbing her thumb over it. She knew exactly what he looked like; he was burned into her mind forever, yet her eyes moved upward nonetheless and looked at his face.
But it was not the face she expected.
His dead eyes were sunken in, his skin gaunt and pale hanging thinly over his bones like silk, his jaw hanging askew with no living muscle keeping it in place.
It was the face of Eurus.
Daryne’s eyes widened and she jerked away, scrambling backwards on her hands. The corpse tumbled to the ground before her, the armor and bones clanking together, almost reaching for her. She was going to die.

Daryne jolted awake in a cold sweat, gasping for air in long breaths. She swung her legs to the floor, adrenaline and terror pulsing through her, and sat on the edge of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She failed to keep from shaking.
I am awake. I am alive. I am awake. I am alive.
Eurus’s face swam before her eyes, refusing to leave her mind. She wanted to believe it didn’t mean anything, that it was her damned head playing games with her, giving her dreams to scare her, and yet... the body that kneeled in the snow...
Daryne blinked and then she was right there in front of it again, and her stomach turned violently.
She staggered to her window and threw it open, breathing the cold air, and leaned heavily on its frame. Her muscles were weak as though she’d run a hundred leagues, and still her heart pounded.
Thin fingers of moonlight crawled into the bedroom and reached for her, their pale source glowing terrible and cold in the black sky. It signaled night, but she wouldn’t be going to sleep anytime soon.

(This came out longer than expected akdjshffghd sorry that’s a lot to read lol)

(Holy... Wow, Josell. Don't apologize, that was amazing. I love reading about Daryne. And that was some really...terrifying...awesome...stuff. Poor Daryne. Wow. Bravo? I don't know what else to say, I need to digest this :D)