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The Journey (EvaRose & Rage)

Haine was about to touch one of the books when he heard Mystique knocking at the door. He looked down at himself, seeing his completely bare torso. He sighed, the self-conscious feeling of his scarred body coming back. His armor was too wet to put on, and he didn't feel like having it on for a few more seconds just to take it off again. He tossed the dampened blanket onto the small table and made his way over to the door, shaking the last bit of water out from his silvery hair. He gave a cautious glance at the bathroom door where Jyade resided before grabbing the doorknob.

He opened the door, peeking his head out so that she couldn't see the battle-worn muscled body of his. He saw her standing with the clothes and gave her a small nod. "Thanks," He said, lightly reaching over to take hold of the clothes with a bare arm. "Give me just a second to change." He told her, softly closing the door. He quickly made his way to the center of the room and pulled off the rest of armor. He quickly dried himself off with the blanket once again before slipping on the pants and shirt, the clothes a good fit. Satisfied with his clothed body, he made his way back to the door.

"Sorry about that." Haine stated, opening the door. He felt awkward, standing in front of her like that... the strange gleam in her eyes still confused him.
 
Mystique was surprised when he opened the door, catching a glimpse of his bare chest before looking away once her gaze fell on one of his many scars. Even she was a bit shaken after seeing all the scars on the man's body, but this man was already chosen to become king and she had yet to change her mind. Her blue eyes flickered to him when he opened the door once again, giving him all of her attention yet again as she smiled a bit. "It's alright sir. These are for the elf woman, please tell her not to tear them. Their some of my best clothes," she said as she handed over the rest of the clothes in her hands.

The sorceress didn't move from the door though, standing there and blushing a bit as she glanced down at her feet. "I can get you some food of your hungry. I have plenty of food here, I grow it all in my own garden. I do have some meat of course." Taking a step back from him, her gaze lifted to look him in the eyes once again. She was more interested in his appearance than she was his personality, he was a handsome man in her eyes, and there was no doubt that he was strong. For a person to hurt a dragon, they had to be strong.

Jyade sighed softly as she stood up, her hair clinging to her skin as she climbed out of the bathtub, water driping off her body and to the wooden floor. It took her a few seconds to find a large towel and begin drying herself off with it, eager to get the rest of this water off her body. The voices of the two reached her sensitive ears easily, and she was able to hear everything they said as if they were beside her. Strangely enough, she wanted to hear every word. There was something about the way Mystique acted toward Haine that made her feel a twinge of...jealousy. It was a first for her, the first time she felt jealous becuase of the way a woman showed "affections" for a man. The elf slowed ran the towel over her black hair, knowing it would take some time for each lock to be dried. Besides that, it was nice to listen to them talk without having to deal with the other woman.
 
Haine watched her suspiciously for a moment before cocking his head to the side in thought. Now that she talked about it, he was a little hungry... and he was sure that Jyade was a little as well. He cast a sideways glance at the bathroom door again before looking back at Mystique, gathering his thoughts. He could still hear the rain thundering down on the tower, the thunder shaking the stone walls and foundation. There probably wasn't a town for miles, and he was all out of food and rations... could he find it in himself to trust her for a bit?

"I'd like that." Haine nodded, giving her a look of satisfaction without flashing a smile. He had to admit, for giving them clothes, a room, and food... she was being quite kind. Could there be ulterior motive? Perhaps... man, he was bad with this kind of thinking. He shook his head, deciding to take a bit of a leap of faith. "But I have to say, I'd hate to ask it of you. You're already doing a lot for us, so I don't want to intrude more than we already are."

Haine walked up to the bathroom door, leaving the entrance to the room open. "Hey," he rapped lightly onto the wooden surface, "If you're hungry, she said she'd be happy to give us some food." His voice held hidden uncertainty, but he did his best to conceal it from Mystique. If she was doing this from the kindness of her heart, he didn't want to let her know that he was being very suspicious of her.
 
Jyade sighed softly when she heard Haine, lowering the towel from her head and wrapping it around her body. It covered more than the clothes she usually did, covering her chest and back as well as half of her thighs at least. She went to the door and opened it, looking at Haine before reaching out to take the clothes that Mystique gave him for her. "I don't want any food," she said softly. She looked in the direction of the doorway, looking at the blue eyed woman as she was glared at. "Can you ask her to bring something for Hunin though?"

With that, she retreated back into the bathroom, closing the door as she did so. She wasn't sure if Haine could see it by looking at her, that the woman had a thing for the knight. She dropped the towel to the floor, laying the dress carefully over a small table before slipping the nightgown on. The elf did not wish to leave the bathroom while Mystique was there, knowing by now that the sorceress had something against her by the woman looked at her.

Mystique looked at him once the door closed, her lips curving upwards into a small smile only now that the half-naked elf was out of sight. She couldn't stand the elf, the woman who wore so little around HER knight. "So, food for yourself and the gryphon?" She asked, looking only at him as she spoke. Reaching up, the young woman brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear then took a step back from the door. "Would you like some fruit with your meal sir? I know that it is hard to find fruit while traveling."
 
"Sure," Haine nodded in response, watching the door close behind the toweled-clothed elf. It appeared that Jyade didn't want anything to do with this strange woman, and a part of him could understand why. She was mysterious, they didn't know a thing about her, and she was manipulating a dragon. She must have some sort of secret up her sleeve, right? Looking at her, you couldn't guess it. She seemed beautifully innocent, with a sort of twinkle in her eye when she looked at him. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward in her gaze.

"Fruit?" He asked curiously. It hadn't been too hard for him to find... well, mostly because he traveled often in the woods. Still, it did sound good. "If that's alright... I wouldn't want to take too much from you. You're already letting us sleep in comfortable beds and clothes." Haine was just completely confused. Something was up, yet she was being really kind. There had to be something t hat she wanted, but what was it? They didn't have anything of value on them, so what was she trying to achieve?

"So, I have to ask, is it just you that lives here?" Haine asked, peeking his head out and glancing left and right down the hallway. "Don't you have a family? A husband or something?" The tower seemed too big for one woman... there had to be someone else, right?
 
Mystique looked at him, blinking a few times as she stepped back from him, looking down at her feet as she shook her head slowly in response. "No, its just me," she said softly. "I don't know where my family is, and I don't have a husband. I want one of course, but it's hard to find one after what happened to the town." She brushed her hair behind her ear, looking up at the man. "I have to go get your food, I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, the woman turned and started to make her way down the hall and away from their room.

Jyade heard that the woman was walking away and stepped out of the bathroom, going into the bedroom again. "She is strange," she said softly. The elf walked to the bed, lifting Hunin before sitting on the edge of the bed and placing the little gryphon on her lap. She didn't like the other woman. She didn't like the way that Mystique looked at Haine or her, and she didn't like that she had the power to control a dragon. It was unnatural and strange, too strange for her liking. Her head swiveled about to look around the room, gaze landing on the bookshelf full of spells.

The elf frowned as she looked at the different bindings on the books, wondering what kind of spells were in them. Her lips moved quickly as she whispered a spell, one of the books moving off the shelf and into the air, just floating across the room and into her outstretched hands. She opened the book and looked through it at the different spells. Her eyes narrowed as she read the spell, understanding most of the ancient words though some were foreign to her.
 
Haine closed the door softly, his expression cringing in thought. "Very strange," he agreed, "Something is up. A woman like her living alone in a giant, empty tower? That just doesn't sound right... Especially if she has a fire breathing pet." Haine turned, walking over to the table. He sat down at one of the chairs, tapping his fingers lightly onto the surface of the table. He could still hear the rain thundering down on the stone tower, the lightening as vicious as it had been for the past hour or so. It seemed awfully convenient that it started to rain and they managed to find a safe warm place in a strange tower owned by a strange woman. Haine glanced over at Jyade, watching her go through the books.

"I have no ability to translate, but I can tell those spells are old. Very, very old." Haine said, standing up. He walked over to Jyade to peer over her shoulder, taking a quick scan of the words. It looked somewhat familiar, but there was no way he could actually read the thing. He wasn't much of a reader either, so he didn't have that going for him anyway. Still, he couldn't make out a single word on the page.

"Whoever she is, she has a collection of strange text. Why did she leave us here with these? Did she know that we have no way of reading this?" Haine himself walked forward, reaching to grab a book. He stopped himself before slowly rearing back his hand. He was getting an uncomfortable vibe just staring at the books- with his weakness to magic, it made him very cautious even around harmless-looking spell books.
 
"One would think so," she said softly. Her eyes scanned the words slowly, her lips starting to move quickly as she whispered softly under her breath, involuntarily. "This...this is-" The woman couldn't finish speaking and instead closed the book quickly, her lips moving but not a single word coming out. Jyade closed her eyes for a moment, her chest rising and falling slowly as she tried to relax and breath, tried to stop thinking about the woman of the castle. Within a night, the storm would be over and the two of them would be able to forget about her.

"I would say that maybe she can't read these and only has them for show, but even I don't think that's true. Her controlling a dragon..." the elf trailed off and looked down at the book in her hands with narrowed eyes. "I think that she might practice dark magic." That was all she could say on the matter too. There was nothing that she knew for sure, there were just some things that couldn't be figured out when one first met a person. That was why it took the two of them so long to get along, they only got along and found out things about each other a few days after. There was no way she could find out about this woman unless they stayed for some time.

"I don't think we should leave Haine." Her hand stroked the head of the gryphon of her lap as she looked back at the knight. It was strange to see him in regular clothes instead of his golden armor, he looked smaller but not significantly so. "If she is the one who ordered the dragon to attack people then we have to do something about it, once we find out if it's true. Tomorrow, do you think you might be able to distract her while I look around? She seems to...enjoy your company." She chose her words carefully, not wanting to say something that would anger her. Thinking about it did make her angry for some strange reason. And she was jealous. Never did she feel jealous of a woman before, and not over a man. Jyade looked away and whispered under her breath, letting the spellbook return to its spot on the cabinet now that she was done with it.
 
"Dark magic?" Haine raised an eyebrow. He had never been affiliated with dark magic before, and he had only heard about it in stories. The manipulation of blood, souls, and death... all that just sounded so evil. Was Mystique doing something in the same way? He couldn't know, but if she was practicing dark magic, they could be in danger. This only made him even more wary of the woman, and the tower started to feel less like a haven and more like a prison. Haine glanced at the door quietly, listening for any footsteps. He wouldn't want her to hear their conversation... that might lead to some trouble that would be difficult to get out of.

"Controlling a dragon with dark magic... makes sense, I guess." Haine stated, feeling a little awkward with his lack of knowledge on magic. "She must be a pretty powerful sorceress if she's controlling a dragon as strong as that. This doesn't make me comfortable... especially the creepy way she looks at me." He almost felt a shiver sprint down his spine with that motion. It was something about the way she looked at him that just made him nervous.

"So... you're saying that I should stick close to a possibly powerful magic user, which is my great weakness I might add?" Haine frowned, scratching the back of his head. "If need be I can do it, but I won't be too happy about it. This isn't a good situation to be in, and I hope that you have a good idea on what to do. I wouldn't want to be stuck with her for too long."
 
Jyade nodded at what he said, biting her lip as she tried to think about what she would do. This place was so big, she could easily lose her way unless she resorted to magic. Using magic in a castle that was owned by some sorceress wasn't a good idea but the elf had no choice. And she knew that Haine wasn't made to use magic, after the way his body seemed to crumble under that simple light spell before. There were a lot of books in there though, and it wasn't like she needed to sleep for long. Maybe she could find some way to help him even if she wasn't there, if Mary attacked him. She was sure though that he didn't have to worry much about being harmed by her.

"I'll make sure to find something fast, so you won't be alone for long." She said, frowning a bit as she looked at him, knowing then that he didn't understand why he was stared at like that. The elf went quiet then, the sound of light footsteps approaching the door before she heard a knock. Jyade stroked Hunin's head, bending down to put the gryphon on the floor before lifting the cover and moving under. "Make sure you get some sleep, we're both going to need it." She laid down on the bed and turned so that her back was to the door, not wanting to see the sorceress. Her mind was on everything right now, wondering if she should tell her companion that his newest enemy was attracted to him, wondering what they could do against a sorceress who could control a dragon.

"Sir Haine, I brought some food for yourself and the gryphon." The woman at the other side of the door called out.
 
Haine glanced back at the door, hearing the knocking echo through the room. He opened and clenched his fists repeatedly- a sign of his uncertainty. He watched Jyade take to the bed, moving so that her back was towards him and the door. She was acting awfully strange towards this lady, and the situation as well. He didn't blame her for distrusting the other woman, but he didn't expect her to go out of her way like this. He scratched the back of his head and made his way to the door, his mind still in jumbles. Should he eat the food he's given? If she wanted to kill them, she would have just given that dragon a simple order. So what the hell did she want?

Haine opened he door, looking back down at the woman. It didn't look like anything suspicious... just something nicely prepared for him and the gryphon. "Thanks.." He stated, gently taking the plate from her hands. He had to bend down a little so that he didn't bang his head on the door frame. What what he could tell, the dinner smelled rather well... there could be some unscented things that she could have easily spread in, but maybe he was just being paranoid. Haine spun around, setting the plate down onto the table.

"Thanks for the hospitality." He nodded, looking at Mystique.
 
"You're most welcome. I hope that you...and the elf will be able to join me for breakfast tomorrow morning." The woman curtsied to him, smiling a bit as she did so. "I'll see you two tomorrow. I hope that you sleep well sir knight." The sorceress turned away and started to make her way down the hall, glad that she didn't have to look at the elf when she got to the room. Maybe Jyade didn't like her, but the feeling was mutual.

The elf didn't turn back around until she was sure that Mystique was gone, looking at the plate of food for a moment before turning away again. "The food looks fine to me," she said softly. She was sleep by then, not used to sleeping on a wolf any longer. The plate of food had deer meat, some fruit, and some rice on it. It wasn't the look that she paid attention to but the smell that reached her nostrils. There was only one reason that the elf didn't ask for food for herself, knowing very well that the sorceress didn't like her by then. It would be dangerous for the both of them if she did request food, there was no telling what a person using dark magic would do out of anger.

Hunin was starting to stir where he lay on the floor, the scent of warm meat having roused the gryphon. It lifted its head, looking around the room before chirping and moving to the bed, looking up at Jyade as it continued to chirp in request for food. When she didn't stir though, too tired to get up, the chick turned away and bounded to Haine. It still remembered that the man fed it earlier of course, which was the only reason it moved to the man.
 
Haine seated himself by the table, glancing back over at Jyade occasionally. The sooner they got out from this tower, the better. This situation was definitely affecting the elf somehow, and he just wanted her to go back to her former self. He took a fork that Mystique had left him and lightly stirred the rice in thought, a frown tugging down his lips. Taking a leap of faith, he ate a little bit of the rice. There wasn't any change that he noticed, and it was rather good. He continued to chow down, chomping the fruit, rice, and meat eagerly. He forgot how hungry he was.

It wasn't hard to hear the little gryphon bumbling over to him. With a light chuckle, he reached down a decent-sized chunk of deer meat, handing it out to the little gryphon. The little guy looked hungry, and he was going to have to eat a whole lot more if he was going to grow up to be a vicious, blood-thirsty beast. Haine had a hard time picturing that just by looking at little Hunin... would he be like the others, or would growing up with a mothr like Jyade change him? Haine glanced over at her one more time, sighing lightly.

When he was finished feeding himself and Hunin, Haine made his way over to the bed. It was soft and comfortable, something he wasn't quite used to. Still, it was better than nothing. He laid onto his back, staring up at the dark ceiling in silence. What would come tomorrow? Would Mistique's plans bear fruit? Would he finally find out her full intentions? Only time would tell.

In barely a minute, he fell into a deep, troublesome sleep.
 
She felt the bed move and opened her eyes, looking over at Haine now that he was asleep. A slight shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't from fear, it was from something else entirely. She wasn't sure what to think when it came to Haine, didn't really want to think much about the way she felt when it came to the knight. She felt safe with him though. If she didn't then he would know because she would have screamed or kicked or did anything she could to get him off the bed. But she did nothing. Instead, the elf laid there and let herself slowly fall asleep.

'There was soft laughter, laughter from two children who were playing around a large gryphon. And there was a man, a man whose face was a blur for what seemed to be the entire dream, until the children were put to sleep and she led the man into a bedroom. There were kisses, clothes fell to the floor and then they were on the bed, and she wasn't scared of him. She felt safe, cared for, loved. He pulled back and looked at her with his icy blue eyes and then she saw him. It was-'

"Haine." The elf blinked a few times as she woke up, cheeks red and body hot as her eyes finally opened. She was lying beside Haine, having moved closer to him while she slept, which wasn't so hard given that that he took up more than half of the bed. He was so warm that the woman didn't want to move for a moment, but her dream scared her and so she inched away from him then got off the bed. Jyade still wasn't scared of him, but her dream confused her in a way it shouldn't have. She dreamt of her and Haine, of the two of them being together and it scared her because she knew how easy it was for a person to die, and she was starting to do more than care for the man. She was falling for him.

Hunin was sleeping on the end of the bed around her side, away from Haine's feet and the elf's as well. She looked at the gryphon chick for a moment then picked him up, stroking the head of the sleeping gryphon as she thought about her dream. The sunlight shone through the curtain, though it wasn't as bright as it could've been when the curtain wasn't covering the window, but it still illuminated everything in the room. It didn't matter though because she would've been able to walk around anyway. She was in love with Haine, and the thought made her heart patter in her chest, it excited her more than anything ever before. But he was such a nice man, and if she were to have feelings for anyone than it would be for Haine.
 
Haine's eyes cracked opened, his eyelids feeling heavy and slow. His thoughts didn't keep him awake, but they certainly remained in his dreams... he woke up occasionally, but he would always drift back to sleep after a few moments. He was very conscious of Jyade next to him, and he had been very surprised that she didn't try to move away from him during the night. She was certainly changing, and he was positive this meant that she was opening up to him. It was a tad funny since he was also opening up to her in more ways than he realized. Were they close? Or was their relationship still strictly comrades? Maybe he should ask her once this whole ordeal was over.

Haine sat up in the bed, running his hands over his silver hair. He could no longer hear the sound of the pouring rain, the screaming thunder, or the flashing lightning. It appeared to be perfectly good weather, and hopefully they could be off on their journey soon. He glanced over at Jyade to say something but stopped for a sudden moment. She appeared to be deep in thought, petting her gryphon's head over so gently. Had she ever looked so... so peaceful and majestic? He shook those thoughts out from his head.

"Sounds like the storm is over." Haine stated, yanking his legs out from underneath the blankets. He stood up and made his way over to the window, pulling the curtain aside. He couldn't see any cloud in the sky at this point.

"So... are we sticking to the plan?" He asked, glancing over at Jyade. "I don't mind distracting her for the day, but I'm not going to be completely comfortable with it."
 
Jyade heard what he said and looked at him for a moment, not at all alarmed when he spoke. She heard him earlier when he sat up on the bed, though the woman was still thinking about her dream. It was so vivid; it was like it really happened. And it was distressing. She barely heard what he said and it took her a moment longer than usual for her to answer his question, and even then all she could do was nod. Her gaze darted from him and to the elf in her hands, and she wouldn’t look at him anytime soon. “Make sure you wash up,” she said softly, “you have to make her think that you really care.”

The elf stroked Hunin’s head softly as the chick started to stir in his sleep, chirping lightly as he blinked his eyes open sleepily. Even though she was looking at the chick her mind was elsewhere, back to the dream where she was happy and had a family. With a sigh, the young woman pushed the dream to the farthest reaches of her mind, having decided that it was something implanted to put her off track. After all, where was there happiness for an elf like her? With this thought in mind, the elf’s gaze became icy once again, though it was a more of a farce than anything. “You have to act like you’re comfortable around her. That woman is dangerous Haine, and since I’m not going to be nearby, you have to do everything in your power to keep her from using magic. Keep the woman happy. Don’t talk about me, a woman like her will like it more if she thinks your mind is only on her.”

Striding to the table, Jyade placed Hunin on it, watching as the gryphon slowly got to his feet. She knew that she had to get done as fast as possible, leaving Haine in the hands of somebody more skilled in magic than any normal human was a last resort really. A soft sigh escaped her as she turned to the bathroom, going inside and leaving the door open just a crack. She proceeded to take the nightgown off and put her own clothes on, not wanting to wear the restricting dress that the sorceress gave her. “And there’s one more thing: if she tries to make a move on you, you better not back out.” It wasn’t long before the elf had her top and skirt on and was walking out of the bathroom again with her sword and knives in hand. “The only way you can back out is if she tries to…sleep with you.” She was trying to choose the right words, but that was hard given the fact that she was talking to a guy like Haine. “If she does you can say you’re a virgin who’s waiting until he’s married to do something like that.”

Her hands moved quickly as she put her sword in its place at her hip and her knives hidden in her skirt once again. The faster they got out of there, the sooner she would stop thinking about nonsense. “I’m not going to be joining you two for breakfast, it’s best if I don’t really. If she offers you anything to drink though, only drink water. Okay?” She picked up Hunin, holding the gryphon carefully as she looked back at Haine, close to the door and ready to step out once she was sure that he understood everything she said.
 
Haine leaned his back against one of the walls, his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded as he listened, taking in all of her advice. It appeared that Jyade had changed again... last night she was a bit quiet and perhaps sad, but now she had the same air about her that she had when they first met. Her tone was much more firm when she spoke about the sorceress, and Haine had no real idea as to why. The two women were at odds as soon as they met, and he couldn't think of any apparent reasoning for it. Was something going on that he wasn't aware of? Or was this just a woman thing? Haine decided to keep his thoughts in his head.

When Jyade brought up sleeping with Mystique, Haine visibly shivered. It wasn't like he didn't find the mysterious woman attractive- it was quite the opposite, really. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and the way she spoke and carried herself was stunning. But Haine found that sometimes the most beautiful women are also the most dangerous... he had thought the same thing about Jyade when he had met her. Of course he wouldn't say anything like this to her face... at least not now.

Haine watched her move around and equip herself, coming back into the room with her normal attire. "Okay... I think I got this?" Haine said, more to himself than to Jyade, really. Even though his interest would be fake, he never really tried any advances on a woman. Most of the time he locked up, and couldn't find anything to say. He would have to keep Mystique talking to by him some time, but that didn't seem too difficult.

One his way to the bathroom, Haine spun around to face Jyade for one last time. "Be careful," he stated firmly, "we don't know what she may have in this tower of hers, and there can be traps. Remember: We are not going to die on this journey. If you need my help, call me. I'll be there in a heartbeat. Understood?"
 
"Of course." She couldn't look at him when he said that though, not after that dream she had. Even if she tried to push her feelings back it seemed like she couldn't; the thing he said was so strange, so nice really, she couldn't think straight. Her hand went up to Hunin, helping the gryphon climb onto her shoulder, its body spread out so that it just hung there, neither talons nor claws poking her skin. "Anyway, I can take of myself Haine, I've been doing it for ten years so far."

Jyade could say no more, and so she turned away and opened the door, stepping out of the room before shutting the door behind herself. Doing that felt strange for some reason, saying that when she seemed to need his assistance so many times since they met. They fought bandits together, he go her out of that dark cave(though it was his fault that they fell in there anyway), and he was someone she needn't keep secrets from either. A soft sigh escaped the elf as she turned and started to make her way quickly down the hall, reaching up carefully to pet Hunin as she did so. She didn't notice that there was something off about her gryphon, that he was more silent than usual and was continuously moving his talons as if getting ready to grab at something.

"I pity the person who thinks they can outsmart me."

The elf was about to turn but Mystique already had a hand raised and stopped her from moving. "It's too bad that you two can't do this the easy way. I was going to just let you go, elf, but I think your body will be useful. You know how to use a sword and elves were made to use magic, it's perfect really."

A strange feeling came over her, she just felt cold. Everything went black for a moment until she was looking at herself, looking through Mystique's eyes instead of her own. "This is a new one for me, taking an elf's body, but it's still good. I would rather use my own but, I think it'll be easier to get to the knight in your body. Bring out the beast in him." She reached up to pet Hunin, the gryphon having been under her control since he ate the meat the night before. "You are going to be a good girl and stay in my dungeon with the other dragon." With a snap of her fingers Jyade was gone and Mystique was smirking triumphantly, sure that Haine would do nothing if he thought it was really Jyade inside that body.
 
Haine walked into the bathroom, shedding off the clothes that he had been given the night before. Remembering Jyade's words to clean himself up, he was preparing to do just that. He quickly turned on the bath, watching the warm water fill the tub with clean water. He spotted a number of strange soaps and herbs placed near the tub, and really couldn't figure out which one did what. With a shrug of his powerful shoulders, he decided to use the ones that smelled the best to him.

It didn't take him too long to clean himself off. He soaked in the water for only a little bit, washing his body with wonderfully fragrant soaps and cleaning off his hair before stepping out. Draining the tub, Haine quickly wiped over his body with a towel hanging from the wall. He paused, glancing at the steamy mirror reflecting his muscular build. Was Mystique really going after him? Somebody with scars carved into his body like that? Somebody with too much strength for any normal person to handle? He frowned, quickly drying off his body. He shouldn't think too much of that.

When he was no longer soaking wet, Haine put on his clothes again. He thought for a moment, gazing over at his sword sitting limply on the table. He felt naked without it, but maybe it was necessary to be unarmed. He didn't want Mystique to think he was trying to hurt her or anything, but he still wanted some sort of protection. He grabbed his mysterious enchanted knife, hiding it in his large boot. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use it.

With a sigh and a clench of his fists, Haine left the room.
 
And she stood at the other side. As soon as Haine stepped out of the room, Mystique raised a hand to cover his mouth, lifting a finger to the lips of the body she was using as if to signal for him to be quiet. In a way, she was enjoying this. This body still belonged to Jyade of course and the sorceress didn't like the way it was reacting when near the knight. "Don't say anything," she said, Jyade's voice still escaping that body. It was the perfect disguise of course, as long as she acted like the elf anyway. "We have to go, right now." The hand lowered from his mouth as she looked down the hallway, trying her best to act as if somebody were about to come in search of them. But this strange, eleven body was annoying, and it took a lot out of Mystique to stay inside of it. It wasn't as weak to magic as Haine's was, so she wouldn't be able to spend much time in it.

"You can't go to her," she said, turning her gaze to Haine. "I heard her talking to her dragon, saying something about tainting you to bring out that...thing out of you." She paused for a minute, wanting to let this sink in. "She wants to make you her dark king or something like that. I don't know how she plans on doing that so we have to go." The look in her eyes when she looked at him was wrong though, it was the same look that Mystique had in her own body as she looked at Haine.

Jyade winced as she tried to move, looking up at the red eyes that hovered above her, knowing very well what it was. It was like she could actually feel its massive body as it stood above her once again, the same way it did when she was little. The elf wasn't scared though. Maybe she wasn't in her own body with her sword and knives but she still wasn't scared for herself. "Damnit all. That stupid man." She muttered as she stood up, the dragon moving back from her. Her throat hurt, or at least Mystique's did, when she spoke. But he was weak. She breathed in deeply, sucking in as much air as she could into her lungs, all those knights of her playfully howling with the wolves in mind as she opened her mouth and called out loudly. "Haine!" The shout carried throughout the castle, louder than she thought it would be though the fact that there were passages and glass made it louder.

Hunin heard her shout and jumped, his little eyes becoming normal once again as he did, jumping off the shoulder and onto Haine's, scrambling from her because of the air of darkness around it. "If I knew this was going to happen then I would've used my own body," Mystique muttered as she took a step back. "Stupid elf can't keep her mouth shut. Or maybe I should say my mouth," she said, giggling softly as she looked at Haine.
 
Haine was slightly startled by the hand quickly moving to cover his mouth, but calmed down when he saw Jyade signal for him to stay silent. Did something happen? What was going on? Were they found out? Although Haine's thoughts were frantic and scattered, he remained calm and nodded to Jyade. If something went wrong, so much for their big plan. Jyade seemed to really be on edge... but something was perhaps a tad off. She seemed a little amateurish in her movements, slightly more sluggish than usual. Could this be some sort of an effect that the tower, or Mystique, was giving her? Haine wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to worry about it now.

"Dark King?" Haine frowned in disbelief. Him? Some sort of dark king? Saying that outloud sounded funny to him. But he recognized what she meant by bringing out that thing in him... that "thing" that gave him nothing but trouble, but was often misunderstood... and it appeared to be that Mystique had not quite understood it either. When she glanced back at him, Haine noticed it almost immediately.

Something was off.

Jyade didn't look at him like that. Those eyes, that gleam... that shouldn't be there. Where had he seen them before? He couldn't place it at the moment... something must have really been wrong with the elf.

"HAINE!"

The shout immediately brought the truth out. Hunin quickly jumped onto Haine's big shoulders, and the knight took a quick jump back. He moved so that his back wasn't to a wall, his hands clenching into fists in front of his body. "You..." He seethed, "You aren't her..." This wasn't good. He was almost tricked, and Jyade wasn't anywhere in sight... but he felt relief that she was still alive somewhere. But for how long?
 
Jyade turned to look at the dragon behind her, only a bit of light allowing her to see its massive body. It looked like it was strong enough to escape, but there was something wrong with it. "Please tell me what's wrong with you. I have to help my friend and he can't stand magic," she said softly. The dragon looked at her for a moment then shook its head slowly, obviously not thinking that she could handle healing something of its size. "This body can handle it and so can the spirit of an elf. Show me your wound, " she said more forcefully.

The dragon looked at her before moving, stretching its arm out to show her the long cut that went from its elbow and to its paw. Jyade moved to the dragon and her hand started to glow, letting her slowly heal the dragon.

"No, no I'm not," she said softly. Her lips curved slightly into a small smile as she approached him, knowing what she was going to do to him. Her eyes grew dark though, anger and hatred showing in them as she walked over to him. "I don't see why you're with a girl like her when she doesn't even love you. Not as much as I do anyway." She raised a hand and a blue field of energy trapped him in place. Whispering an incantation, a black smoke came from her and started toward the man. Then, the castle started to shake.

She fell to the floor, then her eyes went wide as the barrier went down from around him, her own soul going back to her own body once she stopped concentrating. Jyade was back in her own body, patting herself down and feeling her hair. Hunin knew the difference and climbed to the ground before running to her, rubbing his head against her leg now that the elf was back in her own body. She picked up the gryphon and hugged it to her chest, looking at Haine as she got up. "We have to go now. The mother of the baby dragon is out and she is not happy. She might take the castle down." Her hand went to her waist to feel the sword and knives, making sure that they were there hefore turning around to look down the hall. Only then did she realize that she had no idea which way led out.
 
Haine was easily trapped within the blue barrier, his body completely freezing him up. The spell wasn't intended to harm him, but an icy pain plowed through his veins and bones. It wasn't a complicated spell- it didn't have to be. His lack of resistance was showing, and he could only grit his teeth. The black smoke that approached was dark and malicious, creeping over the stone floor of the tower to either entrap him or worse. Jyade had better do something fast...

Suddenly, the pain disappeared and Jyade's body collapsed onto the ground. The black smoke disintegrated, leaving only them in the hallway. Haine dropped down to a knee to catch his breath, his body regaining it's composure. It was a good thing that Mystique didn't try and use a more advanced spell or he might have been done for.

It didn't take much for Haine to realize Jyade returned to her body. The gryphon quickly rushed to her side, and the gaze in her eyes had returned to normal. Still, he was a bit cautious and stood up onto his feet, watching her for a moment before she stood up. He sighed in relief and ran his hand over his hair.

"Right... let me get my things." Haine replied, quickly sprinting into their room. In a moment's notice he managed to shed the clothes Mystique had given him, and he quickly went to work on strapping his armor. It wasn't a fast process, but Haine had trained himself to be armed and ready for battle as soon as possible. After a few moments Haine emerged from the room clad in his shimmering armor covered by his deep red cloak, his longsword clutched tightly in his hand.

A roaring tremor rippled through the tower, taking Haine by surprise. "Dammit..." he glanced back and forth, "Let's just go!" He sprinted down the hallway, desperately searching for a way out. The hallways and paths all looked alike, but he had no choice but to press on.
 
Jyade waited for him to get his armor on and get out of the room, hoping that they would get out of the caste without problem. In all truth, she wasn't sure what happened after she healed the dragon. It all happened so fast that it was hard for her to remember. From the anger in the sound that emanated from the dragon and echoed through the castle and the air itself, the dragon she healed truly was mad. And Mary was weak, or hopefully still was, after Jyade used the sorceress's body to heal the dragon, there was no way she couldn't of been weakened.

The elf hurried after her companion when he started down the hall, looking out one of the windows down it as she tried to think. She already jumped down one story and twisted her ankle, there was no telling how bad it would be if she fell the wrong way after falling from such a height. And, in all truth, she didn't think that Haine could fall from there safely. The castle semed to shake beneath them, unstable now that there was a giant, angry dragon inside ready to kill a sorceress.

Another rage filled roar sounded.

The black dragon could be seen for a moment through the window, beating its wings and looking around the base of the castle. Its eyes were as red as ever, looking just as ferocious as it did when it killed the alpha wolf the day before. It dove down suddenly, hitting the castle with all its might, making the large building shake as it crashed through the wall as it tried to get to its mistress. The castle was beginning to tilt by then. There were so many things going on but so little time for the two to get out safely.

There was something she could do, but the spell she had in mind was never done in such a situation, at least not by her. She wasn't even sure if it would work because they were so high up. Turning to look down another hall, her hope seemed to leave her when she saw that it was nothing but the same hallway. The only difference was that there was something else to look at through the window.
 
"Shit!" Haine growled, slamming his fist into the stone wall. It was like they were trapped in an inescapable prison on the verge of collapse. No matter where they ran or what they did, it was always the same. They were too high up to jump out of the window, and even if they did make it the dragon would make quick work of them. Haine guessed that they only had minutes until the entire place collapsed. There had to be some way to escape...

"We're not dying today," he glared, tightening his hand into a fist. The castle quaked again, and a series of large cracks spread over the floor and across the walls. Haine watched them for a quick second before an idea popped into his head. He quickly sheathed the sword onto his back and cracked his knuckles, observing the floor. If they couldn't navigate out, they would have to break their way through. Still, this was dangerous, but they had little options.

Haine slammed his fist into the stone floor, aiming for a particularly large crack. The floor instantly gave way, almost shattering apart and revealing a hole to the floor below them. "Come on!" He waved over at Jyade, "Unless you have a better idea, this will have to do for now." Haine quickly jumped down to the next floor, and the weakened structure almost gave way with just his weight. He reared back and punched it again, breaking a new entrance to the area below.
 
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