everything happens for a reason, i think; open

[medeia alala]

Come the day and come the hour
Some will live in song and story
We were born to follow our guiding star
And to beat our destiny with glory
-----------------------

Medeia smiled as she rode along the cliffs, bringing the ill tempered stallion close to the edge, then spurring him forward to a faster gait. Turning the reigns, she turned back towards the large castle, facing it as she rode towards it. It was beautiful, and she had alwas admired it. But something about the way the sun caught the glass windows always took her breath away. Smiling wickedly with her eyes flashing, she pushed the stallion to a faster speed. She was attempting to break him for the stable master and was in a mind to see if she could just take him. He was a beautiful Dun, with black tail and main and tan hide. Smiling she led him towards the fields used for practicing weapons. She needed to put in some practice and the beast beneath her needed to learn a bit of patience.

Coming up towards the fields, she saw they were practically empty, which was to be expected. It was the end of the day, and most would be in their rooms changing for something or doing whatever. Medeia didn't really care all that much for that sort of thing. Coming up to a post, she slid from the stallion gracefully, and tied him to the hitching post. Satisfied with that, she turned and pulled the outer layering skirt she wore to look "feminine". With that gone, she wore shirt and tunic, with soft full breeches. The tunic was longer than a males, coming to the knee and then splitting up the sides to the waist ensuring the wearer's freedom of movement. The skirt usually tied around her waist hid all this, but with that gone, she felt more comfortable. Smiling she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, the rest of her long hair was tied into a braid, and retrieved her bow from the saddle.

Stringing the large bow and retrieving arrows from her quiver she walked to a station, and as she stood there, strapped her arm guard onto her left arm. Smiling with satisfaction she took an arrow, strung it, and took aim. She wasn't the best shot, but was rather decent with practice. That's all it took for her, practice. She wasn't the best and didn't want to be, for she was better than some things than most people. Having released all the arrows, she set her bow down and went to retrieve them from the target. She could remember the first day she picked up a long bow. It had been thousands of years ago, and yet she still looked the same. She was always puzzled by this, and couldn't help but wonder why she was this way. Why she had such a strong connection with every living being in this world, and yet wasn't connected to them individually but as a whole.

Medeia yanked an the last arrow out of the target and headed back to her bow. Why was it this way? She didn't know and she was frustrated with it. She had to deal with it though. Picking up her bow, she went back to shooting the arrows into the target, now with a firm determination, trying to run from her anger as best as she could.

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Word count: 644
Listening to: Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams
Lyrics Credit to: Celtic Thunder - Ireland's Call
Mood: Bleh
Tagged: Open :]

[Trumpkin]

((Hope you don't mind ))

As he surveyed the site, Trumpkin gave a grunt of disgust. Contemptuously, he kicked a small rock that had been lying at his feet. He had been sent here to scout the area for the rebuilding of the castle Cair Paravel, but exactly what he was scouting, he couldn't be sure; the lot was just a heap of stone and vine. While he was assured that this was an honorable job, and only a trusted advisor such as himself would be asked to do it, it still felt like something of a dismissal. He would much rather be back in the more familiar part of Narnia, where Caspian and Lucy were. After all, so far, his experiences on this side of the land had been less than pleasant. This whole business was something he did not wish to go about, for if Lucy lived here and Caspian there, he would have to do quite a bit of traveling to see both of his friends - while his loyalties officially lay to the King, he and Lucy had formed a fast bond. And he hated traveling.

As he was thinking this, the beast he had ridden up decided it was high time for a meal. It trotted off, its tail raised and waving gaily like a flag, while Trumpkin followed after at a futile stumbling pace. Dwarfs, who are not built for riding horses, are also not built for running. Heaving a sigh, he planted himself on a large tree stump in the ruins. He doubted he would have been able to mount the animal anyway - it had required an embarrassing amount of assistance to do so back at the castle - and decided he could do nothing other than hope to Aslan that someone would come and rescue him. He had, at this point, gotten rather used to it.

After sitting there for a short while, he began to feel rather helpless. He greatly disliked this feeling, because he was most certainly not helpless. Getting to his feet, he wandered around the ruins, doubtful that he was going to see anyone but hopeful that his runaway horse might return from the nearby apple orchards. He did indeed spot a horse, but it was lighter in color than the black - or, rarely, bay - horses that the Telmarines bred normally, and looked a good deal more well-mannered than his own mount, seeing as it was standing patiently. No, he realized, it was tied. Which meant someone must have tied it there.

Cautiously, he moved out further from behind the ruins. There was a figure standing in the distance. As he took another careful step, still concealed by the growth that twined up the crumbling walls, he saw that the person - for it was clearly a person was shooting furiously. And accurately. He gave a low whistle. "Bows and bridles," he muttered, more intimidated than he would have liked to admit by the stranger's excellent marksmanship. Knowing he had no other choice, he reluctantly moved out into the person's line of sight. Just to be safe, he slung hid bow to a more accessible place on his shoulder, gripping his quiver.

"Hi! You there," he called, gruffly, to hide his grudging admiration. "Might you, by any chance, know how to catch a horse?"

[medeia alala]

Come the day and come the hour
Some will live in song and story
We were born to follow our guiding star
And to beat our destiny with glory
-----------------------

"Hi! You there!"

Medeia whipped around, arrow ready to shoot in her bow to find a dwarf standing behind her. As she heard his question she lowered her bow and smiled. She had been so consumed by her anger, that she hadn't heard the dwarf walk up, or notice the horse that had run pass, away from its rider. She watched the dwarf look at her, and could see he had been watching her shoot, as he gripped onto his quiver strap rather tightly. She nodded to his question, answering,"I can catch your horse." She said, setting down her bow and walking towards the dwarf.

Dwarves. They were interesting creatures. Secretive as far as she could tell, and bad tempered. This one, just seemed humiliated at the fact that he had to ask for help. Smiling, she came to a stop in front of him, eying the distance and land around them, she saw no horse except her own. Laughing a little, she shook her head slightly. "Where is this horse you speak of, Master Dwarf?"

She couldn't help but wonder what this dwarf was doing out here all alone. She hadn't seen many of his kind in a while. Pausing, she stepped past him and went to her own stallion, untying him and holding his reins tightly as he fought to go the opposite direction, wanting to run. "No." She snapped softly, as she walked back up to the dwarf. "So, lead on Master Dwarf, to this horse that needs catching."

--------------------------------

Word count:
Listening to: Star Wars VI :]
Lyrics Credit to: Celtic Thunder - Ireland's Call
Mood: Exhausted
Tagged: Open :]

[Trumpkin]

Trumpkin stood his ground as the person approached him, crossing his arms determinedly in refusal to show that he was oddly intimidated by this... this girl. He couldn't believe it was just a girl who could shoot that well. Mentally, he backtracked; her Majesty Queen Susan was one of the best shots in the land, and she was also admittedly female. He supposed if this girl - this woman? - could overlook his size, then he had no reason to pass judgment on her just because she was young and feminine. (Though, she didn't look it - unlike Susan, she was dressed just as a man would be. This also threw Trumpkin off. Of course it was understandable that from a distance she would look masculine, but he prided himself on his good eyesight, as most archers must.)

But, at the time being, she seemed unable to get over the fact that he was indeed a Dwarf. She was smiling at him, in that patronizing, slightly sympathetic way that he sometimes got from people who didn't know him. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, sizing her up and trying to look taller than he actually was.

"New here, are you?" he asked in a snort. Anyone who had been in Narnia in the past, oh, thousand years or so would be well aware of the presence of Dwarfs, and wise enough not to look at them the wrong way. Unless, of course, they were a Telmarine - but that lot was too afraid of any Old Narnian to look at them at all, and this girl did not have the look of a Telmarine. She moved around him like she was nothing, far more nimble than the stocky, ungainly creature that he was.

He curled his lip as she looked away to untie her horse, resuming his blank expression when she turned to address him once more. Muttering to himself, and giving the girl one last well-disguised glare with a (forced) smile of his own (it wasn't nearly as nice looking as hers was), he stumbled off over the ruins and roots in the direction of the orchard where his horse was probably contentedly munching on a choice apple.

He said nothing else, not willing to make friends with someone who clearly thought herself so superior to him. Dwarfs in general, and those who had been mistreated as he had, were not apt to trust any Human so easily, and Trumpkin was no different. He hated to ask for help and hated even more doing so when he knew that he had no other choice. When he spotted the unfairly enormous beast, scratching itself on a tree, he simply pointed to it, his face stormy.

[medeia alala]

Come the day and come the hour
Some will live in song and story
We were born to follow our guiding star
And to beat our destiny with glory
-----------------------

Medeia laughed out loud as she walked next to the dwarf. "No Master Dwarf, I am not new to Narnia, only returning back home." She smiled down at the man. He didn't seem too happy to be near her or asking her for help, but all she could do was laugh and smile. "Why are you here? There aren't many people around this area."

They were heading towards the apple orchard, and all Medeia could do was smile. The horse was smart. As they came closer she saw the beast rubbing itself against the tree and trying to relieve itself of the saddle. Medeia just shook her head as the dwarf indicated that, that was indeed his horse. Keeping a grip on the stallions reigns, she walked toward the other horse. Whispering softly, the beast looked up at her, whinnied and danced to the side. Medeia looked from it to the stallion, nodding, she tied the stallion to the tree closest to her, and walked up to the horse alone.

His nose was soft as he placed it in her palm. A gelding, Medeia thought. They tended not to like stallions, and she had the feeling that her own stallion would give him a hard time. Taking the horses reigns, she turned and walked back to the dwarf, whispering to the horse as they walked. The stallion neighed loudly at her, for leaving him tied to the tree, but all she had to do was look at him for him to cease. "Here you go Master Dwarf." She smiled as she handed the dwarf the reigns. "He was just tired and wanted a rest and some food. I would recommend carrying some apples with you when you ride this one, you'll get more out of him."

Looking from the horse to its rider she just shook her head and walked back to the stallion. He thrust his head into her as she walked up. Laughing and shaking her head, she untied him and led him around the gelding, making sure he wouldn't try anything funny. "Your not accustomed to riding are you?"

--------------------------------

Word count: 466
Listening to: Jai Ho - A.R. Rahman
Lyrics Credit to: Celtic Thunder - Ireland's Call
Mood: Bubbly
Tagged: Open :]

[Trumpkin]

Trumpkin followed the girl with his uneven stride, limping slightly. He was what one might call saddle-sore. Riding, for one of the first times, for three hours, was a quite unpleasant experience and was coming back to haunt him even worse than it had been during the actual ride. If it is bad for a human, whose legs are long and can wrap around most of a saddle, it is much worse for a Dwarf. He did his best to hide this, though was unfortunately quite unsuccessful. As they walked, she answered that she was indeed from Narnia, and he harrumphed. Normally Narnians had better manners than this one. But he supposed if she had been absent, at least her ignorance of who he was and what he was doing could be forgiven.

"I am Lord Regent of King Caspian the Tenth," he said, with obvious pride. "I was sent here in hopes of restoring the castle Cair Paravel to its former glory, so that their Majesties could live here once more." After he finished speaking, he decided to say no more about any of the kings or queens. If this girl really was from Narnia, he didn't know why she was asking such silly questions, and in such quick succession. One of his main priorities was to protect his rulers, and if this girl was a spy, she was doing a rather bad job of it. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm not human," he retorted, as if she couldn't tell. This had clearly been made obvious to her, since she had been staring down at him nearly the entire time since he had asked for her help. He now quite regretted doing so.

But then, wouldn't you know it, she managed to catch the horse just as easy as you please. Trumpkin's jaw dropped in shock at the sight of it. And the beast actually seemed to like her! Of course, when Trumpkin had been riding it, it had been nothing but ornery. Had even tried to throw him. (Thankfully, Trumpkin had managed to keep his seat on the way here - otherwise he would have never gotten back on. And this was the trouble.) "Reins and riches," he said under his breath. Some people just had all the luck. The horse was walking along with her nicely, and she was... she was whispering to it. Trumpkin shook his head, dumbfounded, and when she returned to him with the horse obediently walking at her side, he reached up to take the reins from her with the most sullen expression he could muster to hide his awe.

"Lazy animal," he grumbled, his stubborn way of saying thank you. When she moved to get her own horse, he jerked roughly on the reins, causing the horse to throw its head and practically dislocate his shoulder in the process. As he gave the beast a sour glare, he was glad that the girl hadn't been watching.

Knowing that he could not mount without something tall nearby to aid him, and refusing to ask the girl for any more help, he grasped the reins more firmly. He had to hold him nearly by the ends because the horse was so much taller than he was. But he was too stubborn and proud to do anything else. He shuffled along back towards the ruins, hoping that there would be a stump he could employ as a makeshift mounting black. At the girl's latest question, he replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "You're a regular genius, aren't you?"

Ugh. The things he had to put up with. If Caspian knew how much trouble he was going through just to look at a piece of bloody land, and land filled with rocks and weeds at that, then he would be thanking Trumpkin profusely. And giving him a much better meal upon his return than normal. He sighed like the long-suffering public servant he was beginning to be, leading the horse back towards the castle he was supposed to somehow figure out how to repair.

[medeia alala]

Come the day and come the hour
Some will live in song and story
We were born to follow our guiding star
And to beat our destiny with glory
-----------------------

Medeia smiled as she listened to the dwarf talk of the kings and queens, and of Caspian, oh she had heard about him. Smiling she walked along with the dwarf, listening and nodding. Finally she laughed at his dripping sarcasm.

"So, the Kings and Queens really are back, and Caspian has joined their ranks? Interesting. I remember the first time they came to Narnia. It had all been very interesting." She paused for a moment, looking up at the ruins. She missed the castle. It had once been so beautiful, and had always taken her breath away. She couldn't help but feel a loss, and wishing it was back. "The castle used to be beautiful. When the sun caught the windows just right, it was breath taking. I'm not surprised that they are trying to restore it."

She walked a bit ahead of him, tying her stallion to another tree, deciding to leave him in a patch of grass where he could munch away on it. She continued on through the ruins, remembering the halls, and the beautiful architecture. She had never seen such like it, and it had always held her heart. Turning back towards the dwarf, she tilted her head to the side and looked at him with a question burning in her eyes. "Would you mind if I went with you back to your king's castle?" She had her own reasons of wanting to go. Not only did she want to see how the kings and queens of old were, she wanted to observe the culture of this new time of Narnia. "I promise not to hassle you with being slow. I travel quickly and lightly." She laughed softly. She traveled with only the clothing on her back and the spare set in her saddlebags. Everything she needed fit on her saddle.

Quite short I know...sorry

--------------------------------

Word count: 415
Listening to: Here Comes the Sun - ?
Lyrics Credit to: Celtic Thunder - Ireland's Call
Mood: bouncy
Tagged: Open :]

[Trumpkin]

Trumpkin stopped suddenly in front of a stump at the beginning of the ruins, and it wasn't because he wanted to get back on the horse (no, that would definitely not be it). He looked at the girl with eyes wide with surprise. "You remember what?" he repeated incredulously. Had she just said she remembered the first time the kings and queens had come to Narnia? Perhaps he had misheard. Nay, it was more likely that she had misspoken. What she had meant to say was probably that she had remembered hearing tales of the Golden Age. That was how Caspian knew of them, after all - that would make sense. Surely she couldn't mean that she had actually been in Narnia when the kings and queens of old had first been there. That was... that was thirteen hundred years ago! It was impossible.

Looking up at the girl - or at least he had thought she was a girl - with a critical eye, Trumpkin forgot about their height difference and how he hated looking up at anyone for only a moment. He was too busy thinking. He supposed certain things weren't impossible. Lucy had taught him that. For starters, Aslan had shown up and proven himself to be real, after over a thousand years of absence. And Lucy herself, along with her siblings, had come to aid Caspian too. It was difficult enough to believe that a spoiled, sheltered Telmarine had wanted to give back to the Old Narnians what had been theirs so long ago. But it was all true. Trumpkin huffed, not willing to back down and still unsure whether or not he was comfortable with this... creature. He had met many strange things during his time with the Narnians, but this rather topped them all, he thought. Even Minotaurs - horrid, stinking beasts - and Fauns - it was unnatural to be that happy all the time - didn't live for thirteen hundred years or more.

"What are you?" he burst out, forgetting that he was supposed to be the stoic one here. Her casual comments and often-given smiles were beginning to unnerve him, but it was the mention of her age - or at least the odd indication of it - that was the final straw. He might have believed her words to be a mistake, but then when he heard her talking about the castle Cair Paravel in its earlier splendor, he knew that it was not. His hands hung limp at his side, forgetting entirely about the other beast beside him in favor of the more interesting one in front of him, and his eyes were alternating between wide and narrow as he tried to figure her - it? - out.

Remembering himself, he snatched up the reins of the horse, hopping up onto the stump so that he would be at eye level with the girl-thing. Awkwardly, he clambered up into the saddle, knowing that she would be able to swing up in a moment if she felt the need. He, on the other hand, knew that if he waited much longer to gape at her, the horse would probably run away again. So he would take his opportunity while he could.

"You've got to be joking," he growled, as she turned and asked him whether she could go back to the castle with him. It was strange enough that she somehow managed to catch his wild horse, live more than a thousand years, and arch like a goddess. He was willing to bet that she was some sort of spy. For who, he didn't know, but from the looks of things, she seemed an awful bit like one of the lot that Nikabrik used to hang around with. It was true that he hadn't, for a long time, believed in Aslan, but that didn't mean he was willing to canoodle with a follower of the White Witch. And from what he could make out, that was what this... this thing was. "I don't even know what you are, let alone who you are!" he exclaimed. "I don't care how fast you are. You could be the bloody White Witch herself, for all I know." He humphed and wheeled his horse around in the opposite direction, not bothering to see if she was following him (if he turned around, he would more than likely fall off, anyway). She would catch up to him easily, he was sure, but he wasn't going to be very welcoming about it. She could kill him, for all he cared, but he wasn't going down without a fight, and he wasn't going to lead her to Caspian unless she gave him a bloody good reason.

((No worries))

[medeia alala]

Come the day and come the hour
Some will live in song and story
We were born to follow our guiding star
And to beat our destiny with glory
-----------------------

"I didn't stutter did I?" Medeia asked as she leaned against an old wall. [/color-beige]"This place was beautiful in its prime. Its sad that it fell the way it did."

[/color] She looked down then, feeling his eyes on her and watched in amusement as he stared and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. It was amusing to see someone try and figure her out, when she herself hadn't figured the whole mystery of what exactly she was out. Turning away from him, she went to the stallion, placing her hand on his neck. what am I? she thought as she leaned against the horse. She had pondered over that question many times before, and the fact that she baffled this creature, which had seen the other strange mysteries of the world for what he was, had a looked of confusion and fear in his eyes for what she was. Sighing, her thoughts were broken when she heard his out burst. She turned slowly back to him, looking him in the eyes when she had come full circle.

"I don't know exactly what I am." She spoke calmly, as if she had said it hundreds of times before. "I'm a part of everything, but nothing at the same time. Only once have I heard a name for what I am, but I could never find anything that described what I was. An Elidhu some call me, but what that is I have no idea." She stared at him for a moment, letting what she said sink in a little. "In all, I'm not a creature that you've seen before. But if you continue in the direction of what I am Master Dwarf, what are you? You may be a Dwarf but what is a Dwarf other than a small human? You are what you are and I am what I am. It is how this and many other worlds work." She gazed off into the distance, keeping an eye on him as he gazed at her.

When he mounted his horse, and spoke, she pulled the reins free quickly and mounted the stallion. Watching him go, knowing full well she could track him easily with the way he led his horse. "I don't care how fast you are. You could be the bloody White Witch herself, for all I know." What he said as he rode off made her spine stiffen and her eyes glaze over slightly. Did this Dwarf even know who and what the White Witch was. He wasn't even born when she was in her full power or when she was defeated. Kicking the stallion forward she caught up easily, stopping the stallion immediately in front of the other horse, spooking him slightly. Her eyes glistened furiously. "I was asking to ride with you out of courtesy, for with how you ride this horse even the stupidest of beasts could track you." She snarled softly. "Comparing me to that bitch is the wrong thing for you to do. She was vile, wicked and one of the worst creatures to ever set foot into Narnia. You can never know how hard it was to live under her those thousands of years ago. Be glad their majesty's and Aslan killed her." Medeia took a deep breath, leaning back into her saddle and watching the young Dwarf, at least he was young in her eyes. Something there hit her, and she looked at him questioningly. Why would he even ask if she was in league with the White Witch, she was dead.

"Why do you even wonder if I'm the White Witch? She's dead and long gone by now." She asked curiously, confused at the present tense he used of the White Witch. That woman had horrified her more than any other. She took away the light and beauty of life, and she was always looking for more followers to hurt others.The woman was mad, and as Medeia looked down at the Dwarf, she wondered if Jadis could actually be back again, and how horrifying that would be.

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Word count: 835
Listening to: Pirates of the Caribbean 1 Soundtrack - Klaus Badelt
Lyrics Credit to: Celtic Thunder - Ireland's Call
Mood: bummed/riled and playful :]
Tagged: Open :][/size][/blockquote]

[Trumpkin]

Trumpkin clenched his jaw, uttering a low growl as he exhaled through his nostrils with a long, whistling breath. "You may wish to consider, in your smallish mind, that you insult a man of the king." He was doing his utmost to contain himself, but this thing was trying his patience. "A fact you seem to have forgotten, and would do well to remember." Looking back as she did at the ruins over his shoulder, he shook his head slowly. Cair Paravel hadn't been the only thing that had fallen after the disappearance of the four kings and queens. The confidence of the Narnians, as well as their unity, had spiraled from its high point in the Golden Age like a Gryphon shot out of the sky. He could care less about the old castle itself - he had, by now, come to regard it as a burden - but what it stood for... There was nothing more important in the whole of Narnia. He sighed heavily, realizing that he actually agreed with the she-thing on something. She certainly wasn't going to get him to say the same.

Less than patiently, he listened to her explain at length what (she thought) she was. He'd admittedly never heard of an Eldihu - or an Elidhu - or whichever one it was - and knowing what she was called didn't reassure him any. She didn't have to give him a bleeding lecture on life, in any case. After all, he was no human, that was for certain. What did she know? Not even what she was, so she could say nothing of him. And being called Master in what seemed a sarcastic fashion rubbed him the wrong way, not that he would give her the pleasure of telling her so. If she was as old as she said, she was probably stubborn, and possibly proud. He hated those sorts. They were incorrigible.

As she caught up to him, her haughty words also came. "Then how fortunate for you," he sneered at her, not feeling the necessity for court manners here. What did she know of Aslan and their majesties? How dare she even mention them?! Her insolence would be duly paid for, in time. But for now, he supposed if he didn't answer her idiotic question, even more of the like were to follow.

Rolling his eyes towards Aslan's country as if to plead for help, Trumpkin muttered flatly, "I know you're not. I've seen her." He was done with people - and whatever else - acting like he was inept. Wasn't it possible that they were the ones making the mistakes? Of course it was. Looking back at the she-thing, he mustered up all of his small amount of tolerance.

"It's a shame you didn't stay in your tree, then," he snorted. He had tired quickly of these odd creatures - Dryads, Naiads, Elidhus, what-have-yous - while living in the forest that they had been forced into after the Telmarine take-over many years ago. Now, he'd thought beating the tar out of the Telmarines might mean leaving the blasted forest forever and not having to deal with all of its freakish creatures, but it seemed as though neither of these were actually the case, for he was in the forest and with the epitome of a freakish creature simultaneously at the moment. And the worst part of them was that they had been ever-so-helpfully asleep for a thousand years, resulting in the unfathomable stupidity and ceaseless questioning that this one exhibited so gracefully. "While I hate to end your entertaining ignorance, the one of which you speak is rather not-dead at the moment." As if to underscore his disdain, he leaned over the withers of his mount - careful to do so on the same side of his unwillingly-accepted companion - and spat. "Nor has she ever been, simply trapped in the ice from whence she came, now drawn forth by the spells of her wretched minions. Why have you any interest in the matter?"

From the look on her face, she looked as though she might want to go back where she came from at the simple mention of Jadis. Trumpkin would not have really minded.