Fairy Tale Cliché [ Misha & Kitten ]

[iKitten]

The Royal Castle, Tat'allia​

How boring. Kire thought to herself, shifting in her stance ever so slightly to make it look like she was still paying attention. She glanced around the room and realized that almost all of the nobles within the country were here today for her Coming of Age Ceremony. Today, the Princess of Tetâ??allia was turning eighteen years-old and her father had invited every noble under his rule to attend to her crowning in the guise of formality, but to also filter through all of the men within the room. The King was dead set on finding someone for his daughter to marry and to take over the thrown once he was ready to step down, but the lack of people that they could agree on was slowly grating his nerve.

He wanted her to be happy with whom he chose, but to also pick someone that wasnâ??t going to send Tetâ??allia into chaos. The neighboring kingdom had been restless in the recent years and he feared that without a true heir that could carry on the lineage of the Royal Family, then Tetâ??allia would be invaded by others once he was weakened. â??Kire, will you step forward?â? the King requested, his voice softer than the firm voice he was using to do announcements as he spoke to her.

She didnâ??t pay attention to what else he was saying because they had been through this enough times that she memorized her lines and his own lines. When he spoke certain words, she knew to close her crystal blue eyes and bowed her head to receive the Crown of the Northern Star. It was a temporary crown that would later on be switched with the Queenâ??s crown, once she was married. With someone I donâ??t loveâ?¦ the blondeâ??s mind happily supplied her. It was a strangely bitter moment that she had been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. As a child, she was never allowed to leave the castle and her friends were selected by her parents and their advisers. She was sheltered, but she wasnâ??t stupid, and she knew of the â??outsideâ?? world and what it contained. Kire wanted to be out there, and wondered if once she was married, would she be able to travel like her mother had with her father? Of course notâ?¦mother was trapped in this place until her death.

â??Upon my good name and my ancestorsâ?? good name, I pledge my life to serve my kingdom and to pray to the Goddess for Tatâ??alliaâ??s peace.â? the blonde Princess recited, standing up straight to stare out into the mass of people before her that would seek her hand in marriage and that sheâ??d probably never met before this day. Without a word and just knowing that her father was done with herâ??since he turned around and began to speak to the nobles againâ??she gave a small bow to the â??audienceâ?? and began to retreat to the garden on the other side of the castle.

This garden was where she would spend most of her time to rest and get away from the formalities that circled her life. â??Oh, get over it, Kire. Woe is me~â? she mocked herself, shaking her head and glancing behind her to make sure no one was following. â??Little Princess is like a caged bird~ Little Princess canâ??t do anything herselfâ?¦ughâ?¦â? she shook her head and shoved back her formal dress so that she may start climbing the side of the wall. The vines there nicked at her white dress and ruined the ends, but she couldnâ??t care less, because at the moment, she was set on escaping the castle. She couldnâ??t handle the thought of being trapped in the life that her mother had and dying with someone she did not love, so with effort and some pains, she decided she would leave. It was too cliché for words and she almost laughed at how stupid this felt, but she hoped that, like the fairy tale books she head read, she found something better.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

Naomi strolled into the castle square easily enough. She didn't blend in with all of the fancy lords and ladies that were here for the celebrations of a princess they either hardly knew or have never even seen thanks to the King's massive paranoia about the opposing kingdom. Tu'Lia, and the King in the North as they called him. Truth be told the King in the North was a little power hungry, but it was his subordinates that held the real ambition. Naomi didn't really care either way, the quarrels between the king and his lords were not her concern as she was native to neither of these two kingdoms.

Having come from a land far to the east and across a large sea, all Naomi wanted to do was settle in and do what she had planned to do in the first place. Since The king of Tet'allia was so paranoid, it was no doubt that especially in such a large fiasco of an occasion his daughter, the princess Kire, would be locked up in her chambers. Naomi sneaked around the people and found the stairs that went up the turret that held the princess's chamber. It wasn't hard since she wasn't wearing any of her gear, having left it away from the castle in a special place she found. She had considered leaving her horse there too, but that risked that someone would then find her gear.

She pushed on the door, finding it unlocked. She looked inside and found it strangely empty. "Hmm..." She mumbled aloud before looking out the open window and seeing a small figure climbing the castle wall, then remarked in an accent that was obviously foreign. "That sneaky bugger."

 

[iKitten]

Landing on the ground, she took a look around to make sure no one else was around the area, before hurrying along to the exit she knew of. It was a fairly hidden doorway that leads outside of the castle, but since it was rarely used, she was sure of the fact that she wouldnâ??t be caught. Kire had planned this out months in advance, knowing that once the Ceremony was on being held, everyone would have been in the main sector of the castle; dancing away, parting away, pretending like the cared about whatever was happening.

The blonde did care what was happening at the time, because it was her birthday, but also, it was her kingdom. However, a predetermined life was never wanted by anyone, and she figured that her father was still young enough to bestow upon one of the many â??wivesâ?? he could have another heir. Forgive me, fatherâ?¦but Iâ??d rather live the life out there in struggle, then become some breading sheep. she mentally apologized, sneaking her way pass the stone walls and wooden doors to the exit. Once she reached her destination, she did a quick glance around, before slipping outside and rushing for a place to hide before person walked by and spotted her. Even though there wasnâ??t many people around, probably just chefs and maids, she didnâ??t want to risk it.

Once the maid went into the castle again, she hiked up her dress and quickly began to rush pass the last 'door' and found her way outside. There was a field of nothing but grass and flowers and trees, so she had to make a dash for it, least someone saw her in the field. "Here goes nothing..." she encouraged herself, holding her dress up high and literally making a run for it.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

Naomi saw the girl running away then growled. She looked down at the moat surrounding the castle, judging quickly how deep and how wide it was, then as she hopped up onto the windowsill she hoped that she had enough room. Naomi jumped from the high tower, focusing on the moat as she fell for nearly ten seconds, then curled up into a ball as she hit the water. She hit the bottom of the moat a little hard, but not in any serious way. She crawled out, soaking wet and coughing but smiling since the girl was still in sight.

She shook off some of the water, her long brown hair sticking to her face in long wet and wavy ropes. She ran at Kire at full speed, not trying to keep silent. Once she got close enough, she leaped to tackle her to the ground.

 

[iKitten]

Hearing a strange splash behind her, she feared that the guards had spotted her and were coming after her. So instead of looking back and stopping, she forced her legs to take her further away from the noise and ran with all her might. Kire couldnâ??t be caught, not when she was this far along, and even though her heart was racing to get her away from this brainless life she hated so much, her dress said otherwise. It caught on her shoes many times and caused her to stumble slightly, but she was quick to rebalance herself and was up and running again.

I wonâ??t go backâ?¦not without trying my bestâ?¦ the blonde told herself, not wanting to regret that she â??gave upâ?? as soon as she saw the sign of trouble. With that determination in her mind, she surged forward and ignored the small tears that she was causing in the lower half of her dress.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

Naomi tackled Kire to the ground in fairly short order, covering her mouth so she didn't scream. "Don't you dare scream, girl." She said in her thick accent. "I'm not here to take you back. Not yet at least. Come with me quietly and I promise you won't get hurt." Naomi intended to take the runaway princess back to her hiding spot once she called her horse here. She felt so light without any of her equipment on her, and she needed some dry clothes lest she catch a cold. "I'm going to let you up now, if you run away, you won't be awake to see yourself leave the country."

 

[iKitten]

She felt whoever it was tackle her to the ground and she would have screamed if there hadnâ??t been a hand covering her mouth. Her fall wasnâ??t exactly â??gracefulâ??, as they landed in a heap of dress and limbs. Kire felt wetness seep into the back of her dress and she heard the words with a bit of fear and curiousness. She had feared that whoever this person was, was a guard to take her back, but when she heard the â??demandâ?? of cooperation to get her out of the castle area, she stilled in her thought to struggle.

So this person would help me escape? she thought briefly, with a small tilt of her head. She debated whether it was worth it or not to follow a kidnapper to get out of the area, but if she was to scream for help, sheâ??d be right back to where she didnâ??t want to be. With a small sigh, she nodded her head and agreed to this strangerâ??s terms. She would not fight for now.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

Naomi stood up, letting Kire stand should she want to. "I'm Naomi." She said in her thick accent. "I'm a mercenary from a land far from here called Braavos. I doubt you've heard of it. You will come with me for a while until I hear of a response from your father, and with all of this havoc going on, that might be a while." She used her fingers to whistle for her horse which came running quickly, holding a non-descript sword and a small pack with a change of clothes. "Get on."

 

[iKitten]

Shivering as she heard the foreign accent, she glanced up at the horse she was suppose to get on and raised an eyebrow. â??Naomiâ?¦I guess itâ??s nice to meet you.â? She joked, laughing slightly and shifting her dress to get on the horseâ??s back. It felt strange to ride sideways, so despite having a dress on; she saddled it with one leg on either side and held onto its reigns while she waited for the brunette to get on the horse as well. Kire figured that even if she tried to escape this kidnapper with the new mode of transportation, it would have been useless, since the horse appeared to listen to Naomiâ??s commanding whistle.

â??Where are you taking me while weâ?¦wait for my â??ransomâ???â? the blonde asked, staring down at the other girl with a raised eyebrow. She wondered if her father would pay for the ransom or would he rather send someone to get her instead.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"Somewhere. It's a clearing in the forest not far from here. We won't be staying there long, keeping mostly on the move for now." She mounted her horse and kicked it lightly to get it going at a trot, heading south. "First order of business though, you need to get out of that dress." She motioned to the pack on the back of the horse. "Open that. You can wear the clothes in there until we find something that might fit a little better."

 

[iKitten]

She raised an eyebrow at the order and shook her head with a small chuckle. It was different to have someone order her around, but it wasnâ??t that bad of a feeling, she supposed. Kire held onto the horseâ??s flanks with her legs as she reached towards the pack on the back and found a thin tunic with leggings. She was glad she decided to wear her boots under her dress todayâ??mainly because she was planning to run in generalâ??but for now, it would have worked for the same purpose. She was gong to have to run from this kidnapper soon anyways.

â??I guess Iâ??ll change there, then.â? She announced, not seeing a way she could change her outfit while they were riding. Resting her head back, she doesnâ??t think twice about the dangers of being over familiar with a kidnapper. The blonde didnâ??t know who this Naomi was, but for the first time being outside of the castle, she didnâ??t care. All she knew was that it was just another â??personâ?? she had to escape soon. For now, she would play along.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

They arrived to the small clearing soon enough. They were surrounded by large trees with white bark and red leaves, and each had a layer of amber sap that formed a face on the side of the tree. She dismounted her horse and knocked on a couple of big rocks in the clearing, checking which one was hollow. Once she found it, she lifted it up and found all of her precious equipment. A rapier coloured purple by the special alloy of steel that was used, a single handed crossbow with a bag full of quarrels, and a set of black and sleek leather armor. "Go change," Naomi ordered while she did the same, happy to be out of her wet commoner's garb. She kept a close watch on the princess, making sure she didn't run away. If necessary, she kept her crossbow loaded just in case she had to put a bolt through her leg to keep her from running.

 

[iKitten]

When they arrived at the cleaning, she looked around the surroundings and admired the simple beauty that wasnâ??t â??touched upâ?? by people like it always was in the gardens of the castle. Naomi went to check rocks for some reason until she found some equipment that she must have hidden before. I better change now I guessâ?¦ she sighed and dismounted the horse herself, shifting her dress as she used the horse as a shield from the other womanâ??s sight while she changed.

Kire heard the â??orderâ?? and sighed. â??I amâ?¦it takes time getting out of this type of dress.â? Once the straps were undone, she reached to unknot some of the back ribbons and the top of the dress went limp. With a few shifts in her stance, the dress fell loose from her hips and she reached for the tunic and tights to place on. For a moment, she thought about making a run for it, but when she peered over the horseâ??s flanks, she saw the weapons Naomi had and thought better of it. â??So, where are you taking me after this?â? the blonde asked, use to attempting small conversations with people she just met. Escaping the castle was surreal enough and probably dangerous enough, so she wondered if she wasnâ??t afraid of this brunette because she was just still in her adrenaline rush.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"There's no telling, to say the truth. We'll keep roaming until I hear a response from your father, and if I don't get one then you're no use to me. What would I do with you then, hmm?" Naomi wrote a note, using the rock as a writing surface then tied it to the leg of a raven that she kept in a small cage. She whispered something to it then let it fly off into the distance. "There. Now if your father's there to get the message, he'll receive it." She sat down at the base of the large white tree and continued to keep her eyes on the princess. "You won't have a chance to run, sweetheart. Right now, staying with me is your best bet for a pampered princess like you to survive outside of your bedroom."

 

[iKitten]

As she listened to Naoki speak, she fastened the tunic on tightly and turned to shove her dress into the bag she found her new outfit in. â??You know, sending a ransom note wouldnâ??t do anything but make my father suspicious. Heâ??d send out hunters to find if this was true or not and they would rescue me before heâ??d pay up whatever you wanted.â? she stated, petting the horse with gentle strokes along its mane, before hopping onto its back again and giving the brunette girl a small questioning smile. She tilted her head to look down at Naoki and tried to steady the horse in its place. â??I would rather not be â??caughtâ?? again, if its all the same.â? She raised a thin, blonde eyebrow at the other girl in a challenge. â??Care to show me around the â??outsideâ?? before returning me? The prize he would pay might increase the longer Iâ??m away.â? It was a small bribe she knew was not in her fatherâ??s favor, but at the same time, she knew that her fatherâ??s men would eventually come.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

Naomi gave Kire a wry smile before snapping her fingers to order the horse to buck her off gently. "He will only send one wave. When they don't come back there's little chance he'll send another considering what it is I told him I was. You might not know of my homeland, but your father does, and he knows what kind of warriors it produces. I'm trained like no warrior here is. More focused in swift movements and deft strikes rather than heavy armor and brute force." She looked up in the sky for a moment, seeing only patches through the canopy of red leaves. "We shall stay here for the night and move on tomorrow. I don't want you getting to anxious and do something stupid now do I? No, that might result in me having to rid myself of my bargaining chip just to save my own skin."

 

[iKitten]

Feeling the horse gently rear back, she gives a small cry and is bucked off to the side. Kire felt the ground crunch under her and quickly ignored the pain to bring her arms above her head, least the horse decided to kick her as well. However, when nothing came, she just peered up and over to Naomi as she spoke. It wasnâ??t like she had a choice at the moment, so when the brunette said that theyâ??d stay here for the night, she shrugged. The Princess wasnâ??t stupid as to opposite kidnappers, because she knew what they were capable of, having been kidnapped before. That one didnâ??t get out as far as she was now, but it got far enough to be â??dangerousâ??.

â??Whatâ??s your homeland like?â? she suddenly asked, sitting with her legs crossed under her and watching the other woman with curious eyes. She had learned of other places, but from what Naomi told her, she hadnâ??t even heard of this land.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"It's difficult to describe seeing as how I spent half my life blindfolded as part of my training. I only really remember seeing some sparsely populated cities that weren't much different than these castle towns here. Truly it is not the land that is different, but the culture and the ways of every day life." Naomi looked back down at Kire curiously. "You seem oddly calm for one who is being kidnapped. Do you really think your father's men will be able to take me? Even if he sends a small army, just a few need to die in the middle of the group for the rest to lose their morale against a single opponent."

 

[iKitten]

She listened and wondered if the land that Naomi described was truly similar to the one they were near. It seemed unlikely, but since she didnâ??t even know her own land that well, she wasnâ??t one to question further. Naomi questioned her and it took her a moment to realize what the other was saying, but she shook her head with a small smile stretching her lips once she did. â??You knowâ?¦Iâ??m sure you can take on my fatherâ??s menâ?¦but life here and life thereâ?¦thereâ??s really no difference, so why should I be afraid?â? it was a rhetorical question that she didnâ??t even know the answer to. â??Thereâ??s nothing there for me, so being out here, with youâ?¦this might be the better option.â? She answered truthfully. Back at the castle, the only use her father had for her was her bloodline, and because her mother was of no more use, he had her executed. Kire grew up with â??serve your kingdomâ?? taught deep into her, but as soon as she realized what was going on, she couldnâ??t keep the lessons to heart as she once had.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"Seems like an odd choice to me. You probably got to play and do what you wanted to as a child. I was forced to become what I am since the day I could move on my own. In the long run, it's not so bad to me seeing as it was all I knew, but even having the option of wondering what else there was for me...I would have considered myself lucky." Naomi was convinced that there was more underneath Kire's half-truth. She was a brave girl to be sure, but there was an icy cynicism in her that made a chill go down her spine. "Judging by the way you are now, you would have made an exceptional faceless man."

 

[iKitten]

Kire didnâ??t mean to be rude, but she couldnâ??t help but giggle at what Naoki said, about her having the choice to do what she wanted. â??A faceless man, huh?â? she grinned, shaking her head slightly and sending a few blonde strands into her face. With a small huff, she brushed them aside. â??Whether it is a Princess or a common warriorâ?¦arenâ??t we all trapped in our indecisions?â? she wondered out loud, glancing up at Naomi with a small smile. She didnâ??t say anything about how her life was, because it hadnâ??t mattered. As a Princess, she had many things she had to do and couldnâ??t do, but with it being the only thing she knew of that the time, Kire had almost done each order given to her with excitement and actually felt honored. â??It must have been hard for you.â? She concluded, neither pitying nor mocking. Just slightly amused.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"I suppose so, compared to the lives of most other people I guess I could say it was." Naomi shifted on her earthy seat and smiled slightly. "A faceless man, despite the title is not limited to the male gender, since as you can see I am one. We employ special techniques for close quarters combat and espionage, using special swords that one would not likely see here, and something that some might call magic to drastically change our appearance at will." As a demonstration, Naomi stood up and walked behind the large white tree, coming out the other side a few seconds later looking exactly like Kire, only the clothing had not changed. "This is but a small demonstration." She said in a stunningly good imitation of Kire's voice.

 

[iKitten]

Kire listened to Naomi speak as if the other woman was telling her a story and not some biography. It was interesting to listen to and it was strange to comprehend, yet she found that it was something she’d like to know about and experience. When the brunette stepped behind a tree and reappeared with her image, she gasped slightly and stood to move closer. “How did you do this?” she asked in wonder, reaching out a hand to touch Naoki’s cheek once she got close enough. “You sound just like me…but…your clothes didn’t change…” Kire noted, still amazed at this ‘magic’. It would have been such a good skill to hide herself away from the guards her father was sure to send.

 

[Misha Hiroki]

"That's because I didn't need them to, but if I did, it could be accomplished in short order." Naomi said, still using Kire's voice until she went back behind the tree to turn back into herself. "As for how," Now speaking in her heavy accent again. "That's a well kept secret. I'm sworn to die before I tell an outsider." As she finished the sentence, she heard the soft sounds of branches cracking under feet a little way's away. "They're here. Hide." Naomi drew her sword from its sheath and leaped up into the branches of the tree, leaving her horse where it was to lure them in.

 

[iKitten]

She continued to watch Naomi speak with wonder and an almost â??awedâ?? feeling at how easily the other woman worked her disguise. Kire knew that the brunette must have trained since she was little, because it was almost flawless in the way she mimicked the Princess. When she parted her lips to speak again, about to ask why Naomi would travel outside of her homeland to come here, and why did she plan to kidnap her, she was quickly shushed and told to hide. The blonde quickly stepped aside and hide behind a further out tree with plenty of coverings and bushes around so that she wasnâ??t spotted. She knew that she should have been thrilled that the guards had come so soon, but at the same time, she hadnâ??t want to go back just scant moments from escape. Peering around the bushes, she watched with wide eyes at what Naoki was going to do.