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Jugger82 x MiHanna

MiHanna

MiHanna

Moon
Joined
Nov 28, 2013
Johanna sat in her family's box, bored and resentful. Her father sat next to her and slightly forward and raised - he was King after all.

"Johanna," he began, his voice hard though he was smiling for the people. "You would do well to pay attention to the games."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "When I can out shoot, out fence, and out ride every single one of the contestants? What would be the point?" she asked, her voice defiant.

Before her father could respond, however, the answer came whizzing through the air. It seems that one of the entrants had a problem with the royal family and had aimed his arrow to strike the King. However, his aim was not true. Johanna, being seated next to her father, was struck through the chest, directly through her heart. She did not pass immediately, but it was not long before Her Royal Highness Johanna Marie passed from the mortal realm.
 
That was a few years ago. The king grew dull and ill after the death of his daughter...though the kingdom ran the way it had previously, as if it was barely affected by her passing. The kingdom's influx of travelers actually increased with the death of the princess, as many were those offering their blessings to the king and others came to see the annual Servant Gladiator Tournament; which was a huge part of the kingdom's influx of traveler and income numbers. Magi from all over would participate after paying a large fee, and would be given a special seal to summon a warrior from ages past to fight by their side for domination. The victor received two prizes: One wish for the master, and the rebirth of the servant...so long as both were agreed to by judges and the king alike.

Nathan Stone is a recent entrant, gaining the last entry to the tournament and just barely making it. He used all the coin he had to enter, but it would definitely be worth it, especially with the tournament paying for his food and shelter during the battle. Nathan was redirected to the summoning room...and instructed as to how to summon his very own servant. The seal was placed within the middle of an incantation and Nathan would have to offer a blood sacrifice. A slit to the thumb would provide enough...and soon, a portal to the netherworld opened, giving access to only one person that would become his servant.
 
Johanna came hurtling through the portal, looking precisely as she did the day of her passing - tiara in place, fancy dress and all. She landed hard on the floor and looked around.

"The Summoning room...?" she said aloud, her voice showing her complete confusion. "How did I get here?" She looked at Nathan. "And who are you?"
 
"W-What in the nine hells is this...?" Nathan replied as he saw who he had summoned. "Princess Johanna...?" He couldn't believe she was the one he had summoned. "You only died a few years ago...how is this possible that you would be the one I'd summon...?" He murmured. "You must have been a great warrior to be chosen for the summoning catalogue so soon after your death...Do you know where you are right now? And whats happened...?"
 
Johanna rose to her feet and raised a brow at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "Language, peasant," she said, her voice full of disdain to hide her continued fear and confusion. Then he mentioned her death and her eyes grew wide. "I'm....I'm dead? But...no! Surely I'd know if I had passed, wouldn't I?" She raised a hand to her mouth, her fingers curling into a fist before she began nibbling thoughtfully on a knuckle. "How long?"
 
"About ten years I think...It wasn't as long as most people who become servants have been dead...It usually takes decades more but you..." He shook his head. "You're dead...Er...Your Highness...And you've been summoned by myself to fight by my side in the Slave Gladiator Tournament...Which is why you're 'alive' right now." He pointed above her head. "In case you haven't noticed, your highness...you have a Halo above your head, like all slaves who fight here."
 
She glances up and, indeed, there is a halo. "Indeed, it does generally take longer......However, please. If I am your slave, you must not call me Your Highness. Johanna will suffice." She looks at him. "You don't seem as though you'd be able to carry a sword long, let alone participate in the games..." Her voice grew slightly defiant. "No wonder the Fates sent me to you. Obviously you need me to survive, never mind win."
 
"Thanks for the vote of confidence...but no. I am not a swordsman nor your typical magi. I only possess enough magic to make the summoning happen and maybe a few sparks of fire here or there but thats just about it." He murmured, and rubbed the back of his head in shame. "Your high-...Johanna...We should really get going to the room they've prepared for us. I'm certain they want to get things underway as soon as possible to keep the tourists happy...We've got about two days to prepare for the first fight."
 
She stared at him, incredulous, and was surprised her jaw didn't hit the floor. "Are. You. Joking?! You have no skills, by your own admission, but you entered the games?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!?!" She rolled her eyes and started pacing. "I'll never earn a rebirth at the rate...." She looked at him. "Yes, let's go to the room. From there we can discuss how you intend to survive this."
 
"Come on now. Its not like I came here without a game plan! Strategy wins this tournament, not brute force!" He replied to defend himself. "Lets go...We have to prepare for whats to come." With that, Nathan pulled out a small incantation. It was as if a tattoo was hanging onto the air, design in perfect shape as he held it. The next thing Johanna would know would be the stinging sensation of Nathan slapping the incantation across her chest, just above her cleavage. "Thats your marker to show that you're a servant...I've also given it a special property...but that will come out later when we need it. Are you ready to go?"
 
She gasped and looked down at her chest before glowering at him. "What kind of property....?" she growled low enough that he probably wouldn't hear her. She stood straight before curtseying to him sarcastically. "Of course, oh Master mine. Lead the way." In her mind she was trying to figure out what kind of strategy he could possibly have planned to save himself.
 
The next thing he would pull out would be a small cloth rag. It was clean and had a red flower designed in the middle of it. "For starters...we should do this first...Stay still, Johanna." He replied as he reached forward and began to tie the rag around her face, sort of like a facial bandanna that showed only her eyes and left everything else of her face to the imagination. "We should probably keep your revival a secret for now...if people find out that you were summoned so suddenly, it might cause an uproar and the king might just halt the entire tournament altogether...even forcing the judges to grant you a revival. If he does that, the tournament would be in shambles and collapse under the refunds they'd have to give to their customers. With no money, they'd shut down...and your kingdom would lose a huge part of its economical gain and even collapse into poverty. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
 
She batted at him with her hands struggling as he tried to tie the rag around her face. Slowly, though, his words got through to her and she stopped struggling, her eyes still blazing at the indignity. "Of course not, my master. It is ridiculous that you could even suggest such a thing," she said softly, her mind beginning to run through the different things that she'd do to him after her rebirth. Because she WOULD gain the rebirth...Even if she had to do everything for herself AND her "master".
 
"Alright...Now just keep quiet. I need to make a few more adjustments...You absolutely cannot look like what you used to when you died..." He moved behind her, and began to start putting her hair into a ponytail rather than curls...though the ponytail had a few curls in it, it was unlike her previous hairstyle at least. "Thats your hair and your face...That should be good. Try to keep your voice down, or alter it when we're in public okay?" With that, he began to walk off...heading out of the summoning room and looking at the magi and the passerbys who had been waiting to see what the last entrant's summon looked like.
 
She sighed and let him arrange her hair, taking off her tiara and tossing it into the corner of the room. "Of course. I'm not a bloody idiot," she hissed at him before letting her head droop and her eyes fell to the floor at his feet, making sure to follow a couple of steps behind like a good servant so as to not gather attention. She knew that her identity being found out would be nothing but detrimental to the both of them.
 
"Come along, Anna." Nathan called back. It was similar to her name yet not similar. He needed something to call her in public and somehow he felt calling her 'slave' and 'servant' would give him an earful when they were in private. As they walked onward, they would pass by other magi and their servants...all having a small conversation with one another, and going about their own business. Many historical figures lined this room and it brought an interest to Nathan's attention the entire time they went to their room...and upon arriving, he shut the door behind Johanna once she was inside. "Alright...First things first...If you must know, my name is Nathan Stone."
 
When he called to her, she quickened her pace slightly so that she was just behind him, but still respectful. As they walked, she saw many people from her past and in her mind, she started looking forward to her unveiling. "While I was alive" she thought "None of these people believed in my abilities, insisting that women - and PRINCESSES especially - should always be guarded and shielded from the harsher aspects of life." She grinned, knowing that the expression was hidden by the rag on her face. She would certainly show them. When they reached the room and he had closed the door, she looked up at him. "Nathan Stone....For whatever reason, that sounds familiar."
 
"Eh?" Nathan seemed confused by what she said. "Familiar? I don't think we've ever met personally, Johanna. In fact uh...I sort of just recently came to this kingdom about a year ago. I've been away for quite a while and just returned when finances were just right for me." He smiled innocently. "Anywho...The fact of the matter is, I know nothing about your skills first-hand, Johanna. I've heard tales that said you practiced the sword and some spells but I've never heard anything other than you dabbling into it...How good are you exactly if you were chosen as a servant?"
 
She shrugged it off. Maybe it was simply the fates messing with her. That would be like them. Then she smirked at him. "They still talk about me, hmmm? But you doubt my abilities?" She raised a brow at him, walking to a nearby table and picking up an apple.

'I wonder if I need to eat, seeing as I'm not alive any more....' she thought to herself. She turned to face him, tossing the apple nonchalantly.

"Let's put it this way: Before I died, I was complaining to my father that the games couldn't interest me because I could out ride, out shoot, and out fence every one of the entrants. I was not being boastful." She said simply.
 
"Yes I somewhat recall someone saying the same thing about what you said before you died..." He murmured. "How ironic. I guess you could outshoot anyone in the arena because your assassin was trying to kill your father and he simply missed and hit you." A small snicker left his lips. "Anyway...You need a weapon. First thing in the morning, we're going to the blacksmith to get you a weapon...though I don't know how I'm going to pay for it. The Arena only pays for food and lodging...everything else comes out of my own pocket and all my money was spent into participating in this tournament..."
 
She waved her hand. Suddenly, the table behind her held a sword, a bow and quiver full of arrows, and several daggers. "Hem hem.....A weapon like these?" She gestured, her brow rising. "Do not forget that I also studied under the strongest magis of the kingdom...I am a very good student." She turned away to inspect her handiwork. "Why would you spend all of your money to enter some stupid tournament, anyway?" She asked offhandedly.
 
"You don't know what the prize is? You only know about your rebirth, don't you?" He shook his head. "I get a free wish...anything my heart desires, so long as the judges and your father don't deem it too hazardous to the kingdom and the world itself. My wish is private and I'll keep it that way. As for you, you just focus on getting your rebirth alright?" He crossed his arms. "This covers the blacksmith problem...so now I just need to see more of your skill first-hand. They have a training room for us here...but the problem is, its public. We can practice but everyone would be able to size you up and see your abilities as well."
 
"I KNOW what the prize is," she said, slightly indignant. "I just can't imagine anything being worth it....particularly since you have no skills." She muttered the last bit under her breath. "Well I took care of one problem. The practice bit is up to you. I know I can carry my weight, anyway." With that, she sauntered over to one of the chairs and sat back, her legs curling up under her as she got comfortable.
 
"You're aren't a princess anymore, so forgive me for speaking my mind...but stop acting like such a brat." He said in annoyance. "You should be thanking me for giving you this chance at Rebirth. If it was anyone else, you wouldn't have been summoned for a whole nother century perhaps, and then everyone you know would be dead!" He stood up and leered at her. "I have my own reasons for partaking in this tournament, despite me not having skills. Strategy will win the war, not abilities and brute force, Johanna." He sat back down and sighed. "Now then...About now would be the time you'd question what has happened since you died. Is that what you want to know?"
 
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THIS?!" She jumped to her feet and stomped to him, pushing both her hands against his chest. "I did not ASK for rebirth! If not for me, you would have NO HOPE of winning this tournament and your precious wish. Strategy will only get you so far without SKILLS!" She yelled at him. As he sat, she watched him warily. Something wasn't right...."The way you speak....as if something terrible has happened....what is it?" She asked, her voice significantly more calm.
 
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