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  #826  
Old 07-03-2019, 07:21 AM
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Great post, Liri! Glad you were able to survive all the craziness, haha.
I think it was really cool that Ren was able to "hear" Ansell from so far away. It'll be interesting to see how her powers continue to develop.
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Old 07-05-2019, 02:17 AM
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Congratulations, Glory. Glad to see you back!

No problem, Alexa! Sorry it still didn't work.

I love your post, Liri!! Thank you for responding to Haven too! I love the idea of Ansell and Ren's connection, and I don't think it's power playing at all - maybe all Gifted (besides Nyna) with telepathy can do it with people they're particularly close to?



"Let's go!" I said urgently to Ezra, Hanna, and Rhea. Tori's distraction would buy us a few minutes at best. Despite the pang of concern I felt, I couldn't help but smile a little as the large hawk swooped down and began pecking at the cloaked man. He tried to swat her away, waving his arms furiously, but she kept darting just out of reach. Ah, classic Tori.

Once we were behind a thick layer of shrubbery, nearly out of sight of the castle, I glanced back once to see the Tori-hawk flying into a distant third-floor window. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Hopefully she can get back to her post before anyone notices her absence... I felt conflicted. Was I really glad that she was going back to the Dai Li? Why had she decided to join them anyway, when she knew what they were capable of doing to her kind?
But she had helped us escape, and risked her life to do so. I knew, deep down, that Tori wasn't a bad person. Why was she with the Dai Li then?
Could it be that the person she's looking for, the person she's chased for so long, is back there?

I shook off the thoughts as the four of us raced deeper into the trees, trying to stay as quiet as possible. I couldn't afford to be distracted right now. But silently, I made a promise to myself that we would come back for Tori. There was no way to force her to see the light; attempting to do so would only make things worse. But we were not going to give up on her. I was responsible for allowing her to get to where she was right now, and I wouldn't abandon her.
Would it have been better to force her to stay at the Clann, against her will? Did I make the right choice, Luc?

We took a looping, crooked path, jumping over a small stream and once splitting up and then regrouping, all to try and throw the Dai Li off our track as we put as much distance as we could between us and the castle. But I knew Rhea wouldn't be able to keep up the punishing pace for much longer. In the distance, I began to hear the pounding of hoofbeats, and my heart sank. There was no way we'd be able to outrun them now.

"Let's find somewhere to hide!" Ezra called out, having come to the same conclusion. He didn't say what we were all thinking - that we were on the Dai Li's turf, familiar territory to them and not to us. If they did a thorough search, they would have the advantage, especially if they used the Gifted army.
A feeling of dread crept over me as I realized what I might have to suggest. Not that... I'd almost rather walk back and turn myself into the Dai Li then have to return there
An involuntary shiver went through me, and I could almost see the red-orange flames, hungry and reaching, thick gray smoke, billowing into the sky. The crackle and roar like some mighty beast awakened from slumber. Choking on the noxious fumes as strong arms reached around me and pulled me away. No, not me... This was all my fault... We have to go back! The scar on my leg seemed to twinge in phantom pain. I'd never shown it to anyone, refused to speak of that night or let anyone see the memories of it in my mind.

Rhea stumbled and nearly fell, but Ezra caught her by the arm. He slowed to a halt, shaking his head. "We can't keep going like this. We have to find somewhere to hide, hopefully until they stop patrolling this forest."
Guilt shot through me, sharp and piercing. I did know a place, but...
"I'm so sorry," Hanna whispered, echoing my thoughts. "This is all my fault - "
Ezra shook his head. "No, it isn't! It could have been any agent. Things have truly taken a serious turn for the worst if the Dai Li are regularly camping out so close to the Clann. Besides, if we hadn't come here, we would never have known about the collusion with Noorwind. This is huge news for the Clann. And we managed to save Rhea."
"I think there's something over here!" Rhea called out. We all peered through the thick clump of foliage, seeing a small tunnel made by some woodland creature. As the shortest, Rhea had been the only one to spot it, and it would have been hard to notice by anyone standing at normal adult height.
We all had to crawl to make it into the tiny space. It led into a small cave made by some sort of animal, but it was unoccupied at the moment. Using some giant leaves, we swept our tracks away, then used more fallen branches and leaves to disguise the entrance even more.
The small cave was barely big enough for all of us to fit sitting down. Everyone looked tired and miserable. We'd been running for what seemed like hours with no food or water, and Rhea especially didn't look like she could make it any further.
The guilt pierced through me once again. It was partly my fault we were in this mess too, if only I hadn't blown my cover... Not that I knew how the pale, cloaked man had managed to find out. He wasn't a simple Dai Li agent, that much was obvious. Who was he, really?

:I wish you were close enough to hear me Lyren! I could really use some help over here!: I "thought" out, with a twinge of irony. Of course she couldn't really hear me, but I found myself wishing she were here. The person who knew the Dai Li and their territory best... Not to mention one of the smartest, most capable people I know.
:Ansell?!: I nearly jumped in surprise, crashing into the low ceiling of the cave.
:Lyren?! You can hear me? How?!: I "thought" back, half expecting her voice to have been a hallucination.
:I… don’t know…. I have never heard anyone that far away before! I don’t know if even Nyna have hear from that far away!: Came her reply, sounding amazed
:Well, we will have to figure this out later, we don’t have time now. Since you can hear me, come quick with help! My cover has been blown, and I have the entire Dai Li army after me...:
:What?! How did you manage that?!:
Now her tone was distinctly startled. :Never mind, you can explain later. I’ll get Talia and we will meet you with reinforcements. Keep heading this way as much as you can, and keep me updated about where you are. Did you find Hanna?:
:Yes, and Rhea too.:
:Rhea? You found her?!: I could feel her exhale with relief, :Ok, I am on my way. Be careful!:
:I will.: I replied, then added, :Please hurry… I think I really managed to make them mad this time…:
:More angry than you already make them on a daily basis? I’m impressed!:
:Oh shut up,: I retorted, smiling a bit, then abruptly turned serious. :Hurry Lyren, the girl has been through enough already.:
:I’ll be there as soon as I can.: I promised.

I opened my eyes and looked at the others, a grin already on my face. "You'll never believe what just happened...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

"I'm telling you, she'll be here," I insisted as we crawled out of the tunnel the next morning.
Hanna and Ezra still gave me skeptical looks. "Nyna's tested the range of telepathic abilities," Hanna reminded me - again. "At most, they can reach over a couple of miles, and even then, the signal won't be strong enough to hold a full conversation."
I shrugged. "Well, I know what I heard. Maybe the two of us just invented a new ability! I mean, is it so unbelievable that a girl would want to cross the infinite reaches of time and space in order to speak to me?"
Ezra rolled his eyes at this, while Hanna seemed to suppress a snort.
"I believe you, Ansell," Rhea pipped up in her small voice.
"That's because you haven't properly met him yet," Ezra muttered.
I put a hand over my heart in mock horror. "Ouch, Ezra! I thought we were best friends!"
He looked back at me, deadpan. "You're doing a great job in sounding totally trustworthy and not at all delusional, you know."

The joking immediately died away as we heard the distant sounds of galloping hoofbeats, steadily growing closer. Without a word, we began moving faster, still trying to be as quiet as possible in the dense undergrowth. We'd long lost any hope of gaining a head start, so our only option now was to try and sneak past the patrols - and hopefully Lyren would bring help soon.
There is another place...
The nagging voice in my head was back again. If Lyren didn't come, I promised myself. I wasn't so cowardly that I'd put the others in mortal peril rather than face the fortress of my past. But despite my joking, I knew what I had heard. It was her voice in my head. Every telepath's "voice" was distinct from all others, carrying a trace of their very essence, unique as the pattern of lines on a person's flesh. Somehow, Lyren had heard me, and she would come.
Suddenly, before anyone could react, a hooded Dai Li agent on horseback thundered out of the trees to the left of us. He snatched up Rhea in one hand and yanked her onto his horse. She screamed in terror, thrashing in his grip.

Ezra, Hanna and I immediately gave chase, but there was no way we would be able to catch him, not on foot. Ahead of us, Rhea's screams abruptly cut off. We skidded to a halt just in time to see a large stone levitated off the ground and flew right at the cloaked man, hitting him hard on the shoulder. He dropped Rhea and fell off his horse into the bushes. An invisible force caught her before she hit the ground, setting her down gently.
The three of us caught up just as a small group of riders came into view from the opposite direction. Riding at the front were two familiar figures, one with braided brown hair and a bow at the ready, the other with long golden hair and a determined expression.
I had never been so relieved to see anyone in all my life.

"Looks like you could use some help," Talia called out, smiling.
"Talia!" Hanna called out in both relief and excitement. She turned to me. "So you really were serious... You managed to contact each other from this far away." There was a note of incredulity in her voice, mixed with awe.
"Gifts really are incredible," Ezra marveled. "I wonder if we'll ever discover all that they're capable of."
Rhea shrank away at the sight of Ren, no doubt remembering her from her Dai Li days. I put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay. She's one of us now."
Lyren met all of our gazes squarely, raising her chin. "I've spent too much time tearing families apart. If there's a chance that I can help bring some back together again - " Her gaze fell on Rhea. " - then I will do whatever it takes." Her voice was full of conviction and determination.
"No time to chat. We have to get going!" one of the agents behind her exclaimed urgently.
Quickly, the four of us leaped astride the horses, and set off at a hard gallop. I found myself riding with Lyren, while Talia hugged Rhea close to her. Ezra and Hanna rode with two other members of the team.

"How's Finn doing?" I asked quietly.
"He'll be okay," Lyren answered, and I could hear the relief in her voice. "He's sleeping now, but the healers have told me that he's going to be just fine."
"And... Haven?" I asked cautiously.
She hesitated. "She and Talia had a talk. She feels horrible about what she did, but I've told her that Finn will be okay. We decided to give her some space for the time being." Softly, Lyren added, "I can understand what she's feeling right now. She's going to have to live with what she did, and it won't be easy... but she'll learn from it. I'm just glad that we'll be able to bring her sister back to her."

I didn't think there was anyone in the world who could look more bright and beautiful than Lyren did in that moment. That she had not only managed to pull herself out of that terrible place, but could find the compassion to reach a grieving, confused young girl in her darkest moment...
"You really are amazing, Lyren," I murmured, so softly that no one else could have overheard.

I couldn't see her expression from where I sat, behind her on the horse. But before she could respond, her body suddenly stiffened.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked, instantly on high alert.
"I can feel it... They have other telepaths," Lyren raised her voice so that the others could hear. "It's the Gifted army! The Dai Li have sent them to the border."
Everyone froze in their tracks.
"We won't be able to sneak past them," I said slowly, speaking what everyone else was thinking. "They'll be using them to find our thought waves."
"They've never deployed so many Gifted before," Lyren said, a note of worry in her voice.
I smiled tightly. "Wow, Galy and the troops are pulling out all the stops. Are they really so determined to keep me around? I'm flattered."

"What are we going to do?" Rhea whispered. I could see that she was trembling uncontrollably. Talia pulled her close into a comforting embrace. "We can't get out of the Capitol, and sooner or later, one of their patrols will find us."
I took a deep breath, squashing down the mounting dread. I really don't have a choice now, do I? "I... know a place where we can go."
Ren turned to me in surprise. Hanna and Rhea looked equally confused, but I could tell from the looks on their faces that Talia and Ezra understood.
"Are you sure, Ans?" Ezra asked hesitantly.
"Well, anyone else have a better suggestion?" I forced a cheerful tone. "Besides, it seems like a lovely day for a family reunion, doesn't it?"
At this, the others looked even more baffled. :Ansell? What are you talking about?: Lyren's telepathic "voice" asked, equal parts concern and befuddlement.
The last thing I wanted to do just then was to explain... everything. I knew that I wouldn't be able to avoid them for long, those inevitable questions. But now right now.
Not when I'm about to face... him... again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

The trees began to thin out. We had left the sounds of the Dai Li patrols behind hours ago. No reason for them to come this way - this was miles away from any path out of the Capitol.
Finally, the soaring iron gates were in view. The guards at the front immediately stood to attention, weapons drawn. I slid off the horse and walked up to them.
They relaxed when they saw me, sliding into smiles of familiarity. "Welcome back, young master," one said, sliding into a bow.
I nodded at them without speaking as the gates opened before us.
"Is this..." Lyren whispered as we walked through the immaculately cut hedges and perfect flowerbeds, up the long drive to the massive oak doors. I knew that she would have heard of this place, and its inhabitants.
"Lord Gervais's estate." I finally turned to face all of them, my expression twisting into a humorless smile. "The home of my father."

I turned away before I could see any of their reactions. We walked all the way up to the enormous oak doors, which swung open before us. Two servants greeted us with smiles and bows, setting everyone up on the plush sofas with trays of food set before them. Rhea curled up in a corner armchair and was asleep in minutes.

Finally, I couldn't delay it any longer. I owned them some sort of explanation, at least.
I turned to Hanna and Lyren. "Talia and Ezra already know this. Basically, the short version is: my father was a high-ranking member of the King's council. He used to be a commander of the Dai Li. When I was five years old, my mother had a Gifted child. Adonis gave Father a choice - my sister or his wealth, his power, and his place among the Dai Li. He chose the latter."
Meira... the name echoed through my mind. The baby sister I had never gotten to know. I didn't even know what she had looked like... I had been too young to remember. Sometimes, when I lay awake at night, I wondered what she would have been like. Gentle and soft-spoken like Mom? Determined and fiercely driven like Lucien? Would we have been close?
I didn't meet Lyren's gaze, but I knew that she must be remembering the stories that she'd heard at the Dai Li. A high-ranking member of the King's council having a Gifted child was a huge disgrace, a scandal that would be spoken about for years. Father had publicly spoken out against my sister, denouncing both her and my mother for bearing him such a child. Meira had been torn from Mom's arms and sent to the barracks, to be trained as a soldier as soon as she could walk. And Mom... she was permanently banished from the Capitol and my father's household, stripped of her name and titles. Lucien and I may have been permitted to stay, had we renounced our ties to Mom and cut off all contact with her. Of course, neither of us would think of considering such a thing.
It was why Iolanthe had protected Nik's secret so carefully, why she was willing to turn traitor against her own husband to protect him. She knew, from the stories of my family, that both her life and her son's would be torn apart by the truth.

Being woken in the middle of the night by a firm, insistent shake.
"Come on, Ansell. I don't have time to explain right now, but you need to get up. We have to go, quickly," Lucien whispered as he pulled me out of bed.
"What's going on? Where's Dad?" I asked as we ran down the stairs, still in our pajamas. Confusion and the first hints of terror were breaking through the haze of sleep.
A shadow passed over Luc's face, and he seemed to struggle for a minute before his resolve hardened. "Father... won't be coming with us."
I wanted to ask why. I didn't understand... What was happening? But one look at Mom's face made the words dry up on my tongue. She was weeping openly, her face blotched and red, long brown hair a tangled mess around her shoulders. Her entire frame was shaking with the force of her sobs, and she looked hardly able to stand. Lucien put his arm around her, supporting her as we set off at a dead sprint to the carriage waiting in the back of the property. The entire journey was made in pitch darkness, with only the sounds of Mom's muffled wails in between the shake and rattle of the wagon's motion.
It would be years before I saw that house, and my father, again. Years before I learned the full truth about what had happened...


"He regretted it later." My voice sounded distant and remote even to my own ears, like an impartial narrator simply dictating these events. "He would eventually contact the Clann, offering up information and aid from his time on the King's council. He was demoted after the scandal, of course, but was still well respected among the Dai Li and had many connections."
Which was why all of Ren and Galy's complaints and petitions for me to be removed from the Dai Li were ignored. My father was there, though I had never visited or spoken to him throughout all my time at the Dai Li. I could always feel his presence, behind the scenes, pulling the strings. What he always excelled at.
I knew Lyren had to be putting the pieces together by now. Few would have spoke of Lord Gervais's younger son, the toddler constantly chasing behind his older brother. Ansell was not an uncommon name, and I'd been using my mother's last name at both the Clann and the Dai Li, so it wasn't surprising that none had thought to make this connection. Most people would have just remembered the golden son, his talented and charismatic heir...
"Lucien Gervais?" Hanna spoke up then, sounding hesitant. "So is he..."
I nodded. "He's my older brother."
"He never told us about..." she trailed off, seeming uncertain on how to approach the topic.
"I told him not to. At the time, I had no intention of joining the Clann, and I didn't want anyone there to know about me." I didn't clarify as to why. Why I wanted my own brother to hide my existence, and why we'd gone our separate ways all those years ago. What I had been doing at the time, and why I still hadn't told most of the Clann who my brother had been.
They deserved the truth, the full truth - especially Lyren, after everything she had revealed to me. But I just couldn't say it. Either out loud or telepathically. The memories felt like poison, locked within that mental barrier, behind the walls of grief - and shame.
Neither Hanna nor Ren tried to press the matter any further. "I'm sorry," Hanna said after a moment, her face soft with genuine sympathy.
Having grown up in the Clann, she would have known Luc, as they all did. Had they been close? My brother got along well with almost anyone, though it was Talia and her team that he had trained with, fought beside, and forged the strongest bond with. Sometimes I wondered how often his memory caused them to cut me just a little more slack than they should have for my behavior.
And of course, she must have known about his death... though the details of that night had always been shrouded in mystery. Only a select few knew the truth.
I shook my head. "I'm not the one you should be sorry for." My voice came out flat. "You don't know all that I've done."

The butler entered the room just then and bowed. "His Lordship is ready to see you now."
I got up abruptly. "I'll speak to him. All of you, just ask the staff if you need anything."
I could sense that someone had gotten up to follow me. Once we were out of earshot of the others, I turned to Talia, unable to meet her gaze.
I swallowed. "Talia, I'm so sor - "
She pulled me into a tight hug. "I told you four years ago. Never apologize to me again. You have nothing to be sorry for. Lucien never blamed you for what happened, and neither do I."
Unable to speak past the sudden lump in my throat, I nodded against her shoulder.
"You were just trying to figure things out," she whispered. "We all know you never meant for things to get so out of control. You did what you could at the time."
"I know I should tell them everything. The whole truth. Hanna, Ren, the team, and Haven, too, they deserve it... I know they do, but I just - can't."
Talia shook her head. "Do it when you're ready, and only when you are. They will understand."
Nodding, I pulled away and turned to face the door to Father's office. "Thank you, Talia." Somehow, her words had given me a renewed sense of determination.
Lucien's last request to her had been to look out for me, and that she always had. She had been my rock, time and time again, over the past three years. And Ezra had been my light. The two of them had pulled me out of these dark places so many times over the years. They were my closest friends, my family, and there were no words in this world or the next that could express my gratitude for the two of them.
And I was going to make sure they, and Lyren, Hanna and Rhea as well, made it out of this place.

"Father," was my only greeting as I stepped inside the spacious room, paneled in a dark mahogany wood.
"Hello, son." As usual, he couldn't quite meet my gaze, instead staring off at a spot on the wall just over my right shoulder. "I heard that you caused quite a commotion. They even deployed the Gifted army."
As usual, the ghosts that the two of us shared felt so palpable that I could almost see them materializing in the air between us. Mom. Meira.
And of course, Lucien.
"I apologize for that. The situation spiraled out of control," my voice sounded strained and formal even to my own ears. "We will require safe passage out of the Capitol."
Father nodded. "I can arrange that for you, as far as the town of Telenoria."
"That would be sufficient. Thank you." I turned to leave, before he could say anything else.
Not that I really thought he would. Perhaps it would always be like this between the two of us. Some things in this world were too badly shattered to ever salvage.

The entire ride back to Telenoria was spent in a darkened carriage, heavy blinds drawn over the windows. The guards at the border didn't question a personal carriage of one of the King's former councilmen, and we made it out of the Capitol with no further complications. I don't think any of us breathed easy, however, until the familiar thatched roofs and tall spiers of Telenoria were finally in view.
I hopped out of the carriage first and spun around to the others, my usual careless grin already plastered back on. "I thought that would never end! Seriously, being a nobleman and all, you'd think he could afford more comfortable cushions. Or at least some travel-time entertainment? These Dai Li always have such dour taste in interior design." I stretched, putting aside everything that had happened in the Capitol - for now. For now, I was only going to be the Ansell Vaile that they had all known at the Clann. Being so close to home felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders, and it was much easier to suppress the dark cloud that had seemed to hang over everything for the past day and a half.
"Well, we'd better get back there before they send out any more rescue parties, eh?" I smirked.


(Liri, I hope you don't mind that I changed the "at the palace" line!

Let me know if you're all okay with how your characters were used. Sorry for taking us all on a rather large tangent!)
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  #828  
Old 07-05-2019, 04:00 AM
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I loved it all, Night! Great post! You used my characters perfectly - as always!!
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Old 07-05-2019, 05:09 AM
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Lovely post, Night!! You used my characters perfectly as well. I've no complaints.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Ren and Ansell's relationship continues to grow.
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Old 07-28-2019, 08:20 PM
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So, I was waiting for Glory to post but since she hasn't yet I may start on another post for this.
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Old 07-31-2019, 01:41 AM
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Oops, sorry to have made you wait, Alexa! I'll post as soon as I can.
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Old 07-31-2019, 08:52 PM
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Old 09-15-2019, 06:49 AM
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Hellooooo? Anybody around? I know everyone is probably really busy, I know I am, but I hope we can keep this RP alive! I miss writing with everyone!

I have so many exciting ideas for what's up ahead for our characters, and I hope we can make it there!

Also, sorry in advance that this post is crazy long!! There was a lot that I needed to have Ren and Talia say/think/experience from everything that happened in Night's last post for Ansell. Hope everything in it is ok with you all! Let me know if something isn't!



Ren

Talia and I were perfectly paced together as we raced towards our friends in trouble, riding through the night with only brief pauses for the whole team to water and feed the horses and ourselves. Only Talia’s elite team came with us, and they were used to rescue missions racing against time, so they didn’t complain about the lack of rest. As dawn arrived, we drew near where I had “heard” Ansell “call” from, and we slowed a bit to look for tracks. Then we heard a scream of terror nearby, and we rushed towards the sound.

I spotted a Dai Li agent riding off with a small girl thrashing and screaming, and I acted without stopping to think. I levitated a large stone and “threw” it towards the agent with my telekinesis. It hit his shoulder and he immediately dropped the girl and fell off his horse, which continued to gallop away. The girl shrieked in surprise, and I quickly caught her with my Gift before she could hit the ground, gently lowering her. We slowed our horses as we neared the trembling girl, and then three familiar figures charged into view - the blonde Hanna, dark-haired Ezra, and then Ansell with his brown curls and green eyes. Ansell and I met gazes, and we both exhaled in relief - and a bit of disbelief. I wasn’t imagining I heard him after all! I really heard him - from miles and miles away!

I had never been so relieved to see anyone in all my life.

"Looks like you could use some help," Talia called out, smiling at them.
"Talia!" Hanna called out in both relief and excitement. Then she turned to Ansell, "So you really were serious... You managed to contact each other from this far away." There was a note of incredulity in her voice, mixed with awe. It’s crazy, I know, I thought.
"Gifts really are incredible," Ezra marveled. "I wonder if we'll ever discover all that they're capable of."

The trembling girl on the ground finally looked up at me, and shrank away in fear, no doubt recognizing me from when I was Dai Li. I looked down in shame, then heard Ansell tell the girl, Rhea, "It's okay. She's one of us now."
I looked up quickly at that, startled by his words still - even after all the kindness he and the others had shown me lately. Then I raised my chin and met all of their gazes squarely.

"I've spent too much time tearing families apart. If there's a chance that I can help bring some back together again - " My gaze fell on Rhea, full of determination, " - then I will do whatever it takes."
"No time to chat. We have to get going!" one of the agents behind me exclaimed urgently. Talia nodded commandingly, and we quickly pulled the four up on our horses with us and set off at a hard gallop. Talia hugged little Rhea close to her, Ezra and Hanna rode with two other members of the team, and Ansell leaped up behind me.

"How's Finn doing?" He asked quietly.
"He'll be okay," I answered, still feeling relieved that Finn was alive, "He's sleeping now, but the healers have told me that he's going to be just fine."
"And... Haven?" Ansell asked cautiously, almost afraid to hear what my answer would be.
I hesitated, then replied, "She and Talia had a talk. She feels horrible about what she did, but I've told her that Finn will be okay. We decided to give her some space for the time being." Then I added softly, "I can understand what she's feeling right now. She's going to have to live with what she did, and it won't be easy... but she'll learn from it. I'm just glad that we'll be able to bring her sister back to her."

"You really are amazing, Lyren," Ansell murmured, so softly that no one else but me could hear, and I was stunned, at a complete loss for words and barely able to think. No one has ever said that about me.
But before I could really process what he’d said or begin to respond, I felt a probing thought sweep by - just barely missing my mind - and I stiffened in alarm.

"What? What's wrong?" Ansell asked, instantly on high alert.
"I can feel it... They have other telepaths," I replied, then raised my voice so that the others could hear, "It's the Gifted army! The Dai Li have sent them to the border."
Everyone froze in their tracks.
"We won't be able to sneak past them," Ansell said slowly, speaking what everyone else was thinking. "They'll be using them to find our thought waves."
"They've never deployed so many Gifted before," I said, worried.
"Wow, Galy and the troops are pulling out all the stops. Are they really so determined to keep me around? I'm flattered." Ansell replied, with a tight smile, and I noticed the flash of worry hidden behind his joke.


Talia

"What are we going to do?" Rhea whispered, trembling uncontrollably, and I pulled her close into a comforting embrace. "We can't get out of the Capitol, and sooner or later, one of their patrols will find us."
I saw Ansell take a deep breath, then he stated, "I... know a place where we can go."
Ren turned to him in surprise, and Hanna and Rhea looked equally confused, but Ezra and I understood. We both looked at him in concern.
"Are you sure, Ans?" Ezra asked hesitantly.
"Well, anyone else have a better suggestion?" He forced a cheerful tone. "Besides, it seems like a lovely day for a family reunion, doesn't it?"
At this, the others looked even more baffled, and I noted that Ren looked at him with concern and befuddlement, with the same focused look in her eyes that Nyna had when she was speaking telepathically with someone. I took a second glance at the pair as we all began to follow Ansell’s direction, and started to notice how comfortable they appeared with each other - a surprising change for my once-enemy. I thought back over the past few weeks and started to realize that they had become close, and blinked in bewilderment. Ansell and Ren actually becoming friends? Never thought that would happen in a million years!


Ren

:Ansell? What are you talking about?: I asked, confused and concerned, but was met with shielded silence as Ansell took the reigns from me and began to guide our horse. He kept his eyes ahead and mental shield raised, avoiding my gaze. I blinked in surprise at being shut out after how open we had been with each other lately, then faced forward again, worried about him. This must be something really hard for him if he won’t even answer me after how close we have become.

Then I mentally shook my head and started to put up my old walls, closing off my feelings. Who am I kidding, he doesn’t owe me an explanation, we still barely know each other. Just because we shared some hard things with each other doesn’t mean… after all, we used to be enemies. Why would he want a friend like me anyways?

I looked down then, and saw his hands shaking - just a little, barely noticeable, and my walls crumbled back down. Silly Lyren, he doesn’t have the energy to explain anything right now, he is barely keeping his composure. Now that I had stopped trying to hide behind my walls of ice again, I felt the fear leaking through his mental shield. Oh Ansell, whatever it is you are facing, I wish you didn’t have to go through this right now! I reached out and steadied his hands on the reigns, and felt him take a deep breath to brace himself.

The trees began to thin out, and then massive iron gates soared into view in front of us. The guards at the front immediately stood to attention, weapons drawn. Ansell slid off the horse and walked up to them, leaving the reigns back in my hands.
They relaxed when they saw him, sliding into smiles of familiarity. "Welcome back, young master," one said, sliding into a bow. Ansell simply nodded at them without speaking, and the gates began to open before us.
My eyes widened in surprise, and I looked over at Talia. She gave me a nod, then lowered Rhea to the ground and swung off her horse, so the rest of us followed her example.

Ansell stood in front of the gate as it finished opening, then began to stride inside. I hesitantly came up just behind him, leading my horse, uncertain how he would respond if I spoke to him since he was still shutting me out.
"Is this..." I finally whispered as we walked through the immaculately cut hedges and perfect flowerbeds, up the long drive to the massive oak doors, recognizing the estate but unsure how he fit into this world.
"Lord Gervais's estate." Ansell finally turned to face all of us, his expression twisting into a humorless smile. "The home of my father." Then he turned away and continued forward.

I stood frozen for a moment, the rest of the group passing me by until Talia put her hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my racing thoughts enough to get me walking again. I had heard stories about Lord Gervais when I was Dai Li, the man who had handed over his Gifted little girl to be in the Gifted army and exiled his wife. That little girl had been Ansell’s baby sister, I realized, horror filling me. Once, I would have agreed with his father’s decision, but now it was unthinkable, and my heart ached for Ansell.

We walked all the way up to the enormous oak doors, which swung open before us. Two stableboys came up and took the horses away, and two servants greeted us with smiles and bows, setting everyone up on the plush sofas with trays of food set before them. Rhea curled up in a corner armchair and was asleep in minutes - and after a nod from Talia, her team did the same nearby, exhausted from riding through the night before.

At last Ansell turned towards Hanna and I, "Talia and Ezra already know this. Basically, the short version is: my father was a high-ranking member of the King's council. He used to be a commander of the Dai Li. When I was five years old, my mother had a Gifted child. Adonis gave Father a choice - my sister or his wealth, his power, and his place among the Dai Li. He chose the latter."

Ansell avoided my gaze, knowing I knew the Dai Li gossip version of the story - what the Dai Li saw as a huge scandal. A high-ranking member of the King's council having a Gifted child was a huge disgrace in their eyes, and the scandal was spoken about for years. It was still being spoken about when I was brought in to join the Dai Li at the age of 8, and I had heard that the Lord Gervais had publicly denounced his daughter - and his wife for bearing him such a child. I knew the girl had been sent to the barracks, to be trained as a Gifted soldier as soon as she could walk, but none of us had known which girl she was as the King had ordered her name changed so that no one in her family could find her later if they tried. Anyways, the Gifted army were never spoken to by name, they were each given a number instead. It was likely that the girl didn’t even know she was the daughter of Lord Gervais, since she had been taken at such a young age and likely didn’t know what her name once was - and who knows if she is even still alive in the Gifted army.

And I knew that Lord Gervais’s wife had been banished, stripped of her titles and wealth, and that his sons had disappeared with her, never to be seen at the palace again - or so I had thought.

"He regretted it later." Ansell’s voice sounded distant and remote, like an impartial narrator simply dictating these events. "He would eventually contact the Clann, offering up information and aid from his time on the King's council. He was demoted after the scandal, of course, but was still well respected among the Dai Li and had many connections."
Which was why all of Galy and I's complaints and petitions for Ansell to be removed from the Dai Li were ignored, I realized, beginning to put the pieces together.

Lord Gervais must have helped Ansell infiltrate the Dai Li, protecting Ansell as much as he could in that. Ansell just didn’t use his father’s last name, and no one realized he was Lord Gervais’s younger son, after all he wasn’t the charismatic heir that people would have recognized.
"Lucien Gervais?" Hanna spoke up then, sounding hesitant. "So is he..."
Ansell nodded, "He's my older brother."
"He never told us about..." she trailed off, seeming uncertain on how to approach the topic.
"I told him not to. At the time, I had no intention of joining the Clann, and I didn't want anyone there to know about me." He didn't clarify as to why, and he still refused to meet my gaze, keeping his mental shield firmly in place.


Talia

Neither Hanna nor Ren tried to press the matter any further. "I'm sorry," Hanna said after a moment, her face soft with genuine sympathy.

I knew how hard it was for Ansell to talk about all this. Ansell had told Ezra, Nyna, and I eventually, after… well, after the day we lost him. And he hadn’t had to tell us the part about that day… we were all there. It was one of the worst days of my life.
I missed him so much, he had been my closest friend besides Nyna, before Ezra and Ansell became part of our group. He was my teammate. My best friend. He trained with me and fought beside me, always there to have my back. And then he was gone. Not many knew the details of his death, only the Council knew outside of Nyna, Ansell, Ezra, and I.

Ansell shook his head at her apology. "I'm not the one you should be sorry for." He said flatly, "You don't know all that I've done."

The butler entered the room just then and bowed. "His Lordship is ready to see you now."
Ansell got up abruptly. "I'll speak to him. All of you, just ask the staff if you need anything."
I silently followed him out into the hallway. Once we were out of earshot of the others, Ansell turned to me, unable to meet my gaze.
He swallowed. "Talia, I'm so sor - "
I cut him off by pulling him into a tight hug. "I told you four years ago. Never apologize to me again. You have nothing to be sorry for. Lucien never blamed you for what happened, and neither do I."
Wordlessly he nodded against my shoulder.
"You were just trying to figure things out," I whispered. "We all know you never meant for things to get so out of control. You did what you could at the time."
"I know I should tell them everything. The whole truth. Hanna, Ren, the team, and Haven, too, they deserve it... I know they do, but I just - can't."
I shook my head. "Do it when you're ready, and only when you are. They will understand."
Nodding, he pulled away and turned to face the door to his father's office. "Thank you, Talia."

I stood there in the hallway after Ansell went into the office, lost in a memory.

“No!” I screamed, running towards his crumpled body, “Luc!”
I cradled his head in my lap, sobbing.
“T.. Tali… shh, Tali, it’s ok. I.. I’ll be... ok…” He gasped out, “Tali… promise… me… take care of… Ansell… please…”
“I promise,” I vowed through my tears, and then he was still. Too still. “No!!” I sobbed. But he was gone.


I sank to the ground, hugging my knees. Oh Lucien, I miss you so much. Then Ezra came quietly into the hallway, and sat next to me. He looked at me knowingly, and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Thanks Ez. Thanks for always being there for us,” I said finally, because he had always been the light of our trio. And Ansell was our soul, whether he knew it or not. I don’t know what I would do without the two of them - and Nyna. They were my best friends, my family.


Ren

The entire ride to Telenoria was spent in a darkened carriage, heavy blinds drawn over the windows. The guards at the border didn't question a personal carriage of one of the King's former councilmen, and we made it out of the Capitol with no further complications. I don't think any of us breathed easy, however, until the familiar thatched roofs and tall spires of Telenoria were finally in view.

Ansell was quiet and withdrawn during the ride, mental shields still locked in place, but once we arrived in Telenoria he hopped out of the carriage first and spun around to face us with his usual careless grin already plastered back on.
"I thought that would never end! Seriously, being a nobleman and all, you'd think he could afford more comfortable cushions. Or at least some travel-time entertainment? These Dai Li always have such dour taste in interior design." He chattered, back to his cheerful act. "Well, we'd better get back there before they send out any more rescue parties, eh?" He smirked.

I studied him quietly while he helped the others out of the carriage, then let him help me down too. For a brief second, his mask cracked when he looked at me and I saw his raw grief and shame, but then the grin and the shield were back in place. He started to turn away to follow Talia and the others, but I grabbed his arm.
“I’m here for you, whenever you are ready,” I told him softly, looking him in the eye. For a moment I thought he might say something, then he gave a quick nod and pulled away again. I sighed, but didn’t push him. It was still too raw… he would tell me if and when he was ready - I hoped.

I followed to join the rest of the group where our horses were waiting, Lord Gervais had arranged for them to be brought here by some of his pageboys under the guise of being brought ahead of his “hunting friends” coming in the carriage - us - who were “looking to hunt” in the forests surrounding Telenoria. Soon we were mounted up, me behind Ansell this time so I could finally rest while he ensured I didn’t fall, and then we were on our way back home.



(Hope you guys like it!)
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  #834  
Old 09-15-2019, 10:11 PM
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Aww, what a great post, Liri! I love both Talia and Ren's perspectives.

I've missed writing with all of you too! I hope everyone comes back soon!
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Old 09-24-2019, 03:00 AM
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I'm sorry this is so late, and not very long. I haven't been feeling very inspired lately. I'll post for FFA as soon as I can!



The whole way back to the Clann, I was quiet, lost in thought. Everything that had occurred that day felt like a blur. I was still reeling from all of the revelations, and beneath it all, the shame that all this had happened because of my own carelessness.
From finding out what had become of Ivan, to being held captive by the Dai Li, to Tori's betrayal and subsequent aid, the whirlwind panic of the escape. Spending a night cramped and cold in the small underground cave, terrified of being discovered. The sudden, miraculous appearance of Ren and Talia, and finally, the revelation about Ansell that I still didn't entirely understand. I didn't want to ask, for fear of opening up old wounds that I hardly understood.

When we arrived back at the Clann, the entire Council and Nyna stood in the front entrance, waiting for us.
"Hanna. Welcome back." There was relief clear on my uncle's face, but also disapproval. Clearly he knew, or at least guessed, how I'd gotten myself captured.
I bowed my head. "I'm sorry. Uncle, Nyna, and especially you guys - " I turned to the friends who had come to rescue me in my darkest hour. "I'm so, so sorry to have put you all in danger like this! I was stupid, and careless, and I know I shouldn't have been out so far at night." I wiped away the sudden tears that sprang to my eyes. "And now, the Dai Li will hate us more than ever, and Ansell's cover was blown, and it's all my fault."
Uncle Solon's face softened. "It may have been careless of you, but you needn't be so hard on yourself, Hanna. You're still learning, and it's expected that you'd make mistakes. This one, however, could have had devastating consequences," he added sternly. "We'll need to have a serious talk later, but for now..."
"We're just glad that you're safe." Talia put an arm around me gently.
"Oh, and don't worry about the cover thing," Ansell assured me, back to his usual grinning self. "I was getting tired of that dour uniform anyway. Besides, the Dai Li already wanted our utter annihilation to being with, I'm not sure it's possible to raise the hate meter any higher than that."
Elder Pierce, looking as dour as any Dai Li agent, leveled a glare at Ansell for his flippant tone. "Nevertheless, it is true that you have caused the Clann a great deal of trouble, and you must be punished. It will be your job to clean all of the Gifted's facilities for the next two weeks." He said sternly.
"Yes, Elder Pierce," I said, in a much meeker tone than was usual for me. At that moment, I was just happy that he hadn't suggested stopping my training to become a Clann agent entirely.
"How did you get captured, anyway?" my uncle asked. "You're too skilled, even as an agent in training, to fall for a trap so easily."
I lowered my face. The betrayal still stung, despite how long it had been since he'd left the Clann. "Ivan was... one of the Dai Li who captured me."
There was a silence, and this time, it was Nyna who wrapped me into a hug. "Oh, Hanna. I'm so sorry." She knew that the two of us had been close friends, once.
"I see. It's truly sad what's become of him," Uncle Solon murmured, though he didn't seem entirely shocked by this news. We'd all known Ivan was going down a dark path when he left us. It was only the depth of his treachery, joining the very people who hunted his own kind, that still left me shaken.

"Nevertheless, due to this excursion, we obtained a crucial piece of information," Elder Clarissa said, her face looking grave. "An alliance between King Adonis and the Queen of Noorwind! This will be a disaster for us, if they succeed in signing a peace treaty."
"We'll need to make plans, send out patrols to monitor the situation, as well as to track the process of their negotiations," my uncle declared. "It may be dangerous to try and sneak back into Dai Li territory at the moment, but..."
"They won't keep up this level of security for too long," Ren assured them. "For several reasons. The Dai Li won't be able to stop all of their regular activities keep up the border patrols forever. At some point, it'll become clear we must have escaped somehow and are beyond their grasp. And they'll have to make preparations for the arrival of the Noor parley. Plus, Adonis wouldn't want the queen to become suspicious at the military barricade by the border and wonder why he took such drastic measures."
"After all, it'd be pretty shameful to admit he was betrayed by one of his own agents, nearly got assassinated, let a valuable prisoner escape, couldn't keep his own Dai Li under control, and not to mention, lost a major battle to the Clann just days before,"Ansell added, smirking. "All in all, pretty embarrassing."
Nyna nodded thoughtfully. "So we'll wait for them to relax the border security, then send our most discrete agents to try and monitor the situation. And... it may be time to think about getting some allies on our side as well."

"But that's a discussion we'll save for a later time. There's nothing more we can do tonight." Uncle Solon stood up. "You must all be exhausted. Get some rest, and we'll resume in the morning."



The Council and Nyna, along with several important and high-ranking Clann agents, were deep in meeting nearly the whole next day. Though they didn't make any public statements, rumors traveled quickly, and the story of Talia, Ezra, Hanna, Ansell and the others escaping from the Dai Li was all over headquarters by noon. No one actually knew how they'd managed to do it, and each rumor was more outlandish than the next.

"I heard they had to fight their way past a whole army of Dai Li!" A girl whispered excitedly that afternoon during Gifted training. Since Nyna was occupied, we were all to practice the exercises she'd taught us on how to control our abilities.
"No, no! The King sent out his entire army to try and mind-control them into giving up!" A boy insisted.
"There is no mind-control Gift!" I laughed.
"Maybe we just don't know about it yet," the boy persisted. "King Adonis keeps his Gifted army under wraps all the time, we have no idea what they're capable of!"
I rolled my eyes, then went to join Grace and Joy. With them were Joy's sister Hope and the other new girl, Sierra. Haven still hadn't joined us, and I was worried about her, though also a little nervous.
"These rumors are getting more and more ridiculous," I declared.
"I hope Nyna makes an announcement soon about what's really going on, though." Grace said worriedly.
The only thing that was consistent in all the rumors was that the King was considering a peace treaty with Queen Adaria of the neighboring country of Noorwind.

"I wish we weren't about to be enemies with Noorwind," I sighed. "I would've wanted to know more about them."
My friends shot me questioning looks, and I smiled. "You see, my mom was from there. Both my parents died when I was really little, and I was raised by my grandmother." She must be worried sick by now, I thought with a pang of guilt, though I knew I couldn't contact her. It just wouldn't be safe. We had no idea how strong the Dai Li presence in Davinia was right now.
"Noorwind and Alagaesia didn't have a good relationship, but my dad used to be a traveling merchant. He met my mom when he was selling his wares in Noorwind, and they fell in love. But she was from a wealthy and powerful family, and they disapproved of her marrying an Alagesian. They eventually decided to elope, and opened up a shop together in Davinia, in the north of Alagaesia. That's where I grew up." I smiled. I used to love it when Grandma told me the story of my parents. I thought it sounded so romantic.
I knew now that the people of Noorwind feared and shunned the Gifted. And they may soon be allied with our tyrant of a king. What would my mom's family have thought of me? Of having a granddaughter who was Gifted? I can't imagine they'd approve of me, seeing how they despised Dad simply for being from Alagaesia. I wondered just then. What about Mom? If she'd still been here, what would she have thought about me being Gifted?

Would she have feared and hated me too?
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Old 09-24-2019, 03:10 AM
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Great post Glory! And don't worry about the length, not everyone is as long-winded and crazy as Night and I! Haha. Yours was perfect! Thanks for transitioning back into Clann and into the thoughts of alliance some, and I could 100% believe that some pretty wild rumors are going around! Hahaha.

I look forward to your FFA one too
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Old 09-24-2019, 05:15 PM
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Old 10-18-2019, 03:56 AM
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Great post, Glory! Thanks for getting us back to the Clann part of the story.

This one's not as long as usual, just want to try and get us going again.



I lay awake that night, even as the normal bustling noise of the Clann faded away to soft snores. I couldn’t stop seeing their faces every time I closed my eyes. Rhea’s… and Finn’s.
The sister I couldn’t save, and the child that I had hurt… I did that. I curled into a ball, feeling wretched. Was he still in pain? He must have been terrified. I stared down at my own hands. Hands that had wielded the power that could have killed him. The memory of that blinding rage left me in a cold sweat. What if it came back, and I lost control again?
I curled my fist. No. Never again. I would master this gift, whatever it took. I would never allow myself to hurt someone again like I did Finn. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t use my gifts against another human being, ever again, until I was really sure that I could control it.
And that meant being able to control my emotions.
I slipped out of my room and into the hall, still unable to get the image of Finn’s body crashing against that wall out of my head.

There was a small commotion at the end of the hall, and several shadowy figures stepped around the corner. A patrol?
There was a cry, and a small, familiar figure ran across the hall to throw herself into my arms. Her entire body was shaking with barely suppressed sobs. “Haven!”
“Rhea?” I gasped, pulling away so I could look her in the face. It was really her – not a dream or an illusion, but my sister, solid and real, in my arms. I could scarcely breathe, not daring to believe it.
My voice seemed to break something in her, and it was like a dam had burst. She buried her face in my shoulder, her thin frame shaking with sobs.
“It’s you… it’s really you!” I gathered her into my arms in a tight embrace, a myriad of emotions rushing through me. Relief, gratitude, love… “You’re okay,” I whispered into her hair. “You’re going to be just fine, you hear me? I won’t let anyone or anything tear us apart ever again.”
I was almost too afraid to ask this next question. “Mom and Dad?”
Rhea’s sobs grew louder, her entire body wracked with them. “I don’t know what – what happened to them. We were separated after – after they took me to – “ Her voice caught.
“It’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” I murmured soothingly, though my heart sank. “We’ll find them, I promise. Then we’ll all be together again, you’ll see.”
I could feel her wince as my arms tightened around her reflexively. “Are you hurt?” I whispered, pulling back.
Rhea shook her head against my shoulder, still crying mutely.
Nyna spoke up after several minutes. “Haven, you sister’s been through quite the ordeal. I’m sorry to interrupt, but we should get her cleaned up and into bed.”
I nodded, pulling away, but Rhea clung to the front of my shirt. “It’s okay,” I murmured soothingly. “You can trust these people. They’re here to help those like you and me.” I turned to Nyna. “Is it okay if she sleeps in my room?”
“Of course! We wouldn’t think to separate the two of you, after everything you’ve been through.” Nyna smiled gently before taking Rhea’s hand and leading her off to the infirmary to treat her various cuts and bruises.

I turned to Talia, Ansell, Ren and Erza, the joyful tears still fresh on my cheeks. “Thank you. I’m so – I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done. For both of us. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you – “
Talia pulled me into a fierce hug. “All that matters is that you’re both here, and you’re going to be okay. I’m just glad to see you smile again,” she murmured against my hair.
“Hey, don’t mention it – we got to make a scene at Dai Li headquarters that they’re not going to forget anytime soon.” Ansell grinned. “Frankly, I’d do it all over again just for the look on Galy’s face.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” Ren smiled. “Seeing you reunite with your sister – it’s given me purpose again. I’m going to spend the rest of my life helping to bring families back together, to atone for all the ones I’ve torn apart.”
I looked at her, and the knot of distrust and suspicion began to unravel inside me.

Later, I lay in bed, gently stroking my sister’s hair as she curled up tightly against my side. And for the first time since I had seen her being dragged away in chains after the battle, I felt like I could breathe again.



It was impossible not to notice the stares that followed Talia, Ren, Ezra, Hanna and I as we walked through the main hall the next morning. Seems like news of our daring escapade has spread quickly, and the rumor mill was all abuzz.
“Is it true that your team managed to fight your way through an whole squadron of Dai Li?” one particularly daring little boy bounded up to us, almost tripping over himself in his excitement.
I pretended to think for a moment. “Was it only one? Hmm, in my memory, it was at least three entire squadrons of elite agents, including Captain Galadriel herself. And, let’s not mention, we had to battle our way out of the grand Council room, where all of the Dai Li were gathered! Ezra even threw a knife right at the King.”
The little boy’s jaw dropped open. I winked at him. “His expression was priceless.”
He immediately scurried off to chatter excitedly with his group of friends. No doubt he couldn’t wait to share all the juicy details he’d just learned.
Talia rolled her eyes at me. “You really shouldn’t be encouraging the rumors.”
“Oh, come on! The vibe around here has been so dreary since the attack. Let them have some fun.” My smile faded. “Silly as it might be, we have to let the children believe that they’re safe here, and we’re more than capable of protecting them.”
Nobody spoke out loud what we were all thinking. Are we, though?
Amid the chaos and tension of the last couple of days, none of us had the time to let the full ramifications of what we’d learned sink in. The King, gaining allies from outside Alagaesia. And we hadn’t even seen what his Gifted army was truly capable of.

It was with a more solemn, subdued atmosphere that we returned to the Council room, where Nyna and the Elders were already gathered.
“Thanks for coming.” Nyna smiled at us. “The Council and I debated late into last night, and we came up with a proposal. We’re going to send our own treaty delegation, to the kingdom of Cerrawen.”
There was a pause as we all digested this. “I think it’s a good idea,” Talia said at last. “Cerrawen has always been known to be sympathetic to the Gifted. In fact, the reason they sealed their borders and cut off trade with Alagaesia was because of King Adonis’s aggressive plans for the Gifted in our country. If we let them know there are factions in Alagaesia that appose the King and seek to create a better world for Gifted and non-Gifted alike, they might be persuaded to help us.”
“There’s no guarantee that they’ll be sympathetic to our efforts,” Elder Pierce grumbled. “And it’s not certain whether or not they’ll be willing to oppose King Adonis directly. They might not even believe us – all the stories about Alagaesia talk about how much we fear and hate the Gifted, and the King even imprisons them.”
“Always the ray of sunshine, aren’t you, Elder?” I teased. “I thought this was your plan!” Ignoring the icy glare he shot my way, I continued in a more serious tone. “Whether or not they agree to help us, I agree with Talia. It’s well worth a shot. If they do decide to join us, it might be just the thing to turn the tide for us. We should send a delegation of both Clann agents and Gifted, to show them that we really do stand for a united world.”
Nyna smiled, evidently glad to have our support.

“Then it’s settled.” Elder Solon folded his arms across his chest and sat back. “In other news – according to our spies at the border, a ship from Noorwind has just arrived on our shores. The negotiations with King Adonis will take place in three days, but it’s likely they’ve sent a scouting party ahead to gather information about Alagaesia and ensure the safety of Queen Adalia’s delegation before she arrives herself. We were considering sending out a patrol to meet with this scouting party, gather what intel we can, maybe even reach a negotiation of our own before they can meet with the King. However… we would have to cross Dai Li territory in order to reach the Noor scouts, and after what happened just yesterday…”
“I can go.” Ren spoke up without hesitation. We all turned to her. “I was one of the top-ranked agents, and I know the territory far better than most of the Dai Li. I know a few secluded routes to the Noor border that are known to very few people. Plus, most of the Dai Li army will still be gathered around the Capitol, since they don’t know for sure yet that we’ve escaped.”
“That’s true,” Nyna said thoughtfully.
“It can’t be too many of us though, a large patrol may attract suspicion.” Ren turned to me. “Ansell, will you come with me?”
:If it’ll bring back any painful memories… you don’t have to,: came her telepathic “voice”, gentle and a bit hesitant.
“Absolutely.” I grinned to let her know I was okay. “It’ll be a special trip, just the two of us! Of course, you might not be able to enjoy the scenic view, with me around to capture all your attention.”

(Since we're already pretty far along in this RP, I thought we could get "that" part started, Liri! )
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Old 10-20-2019, 02:57 AM
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Great post Night! You have masterfully steered us towards "that" part!


Ren

Just before we reached the Clann base, Ansell gently shook me awake. As we rode up to the building, we found the entire Council and Nyna waiting for us at the front entrance. I looked over at Talia to see that little Rhea was asleep in her arms.

The Elders spent some time scolding Hanna, until she told them how Ivan had captured her, then Nyna quickly began comforting Hanna. How did she know Ivan? I wondered, but was quickly distracted by the rest of the conversation.

"Nevertheless, due to this excursion, we obtained a crucial piece of information," Elder Clarissa said, her face looking grave, "An alliance between King Adonis and the Queen of Noorwind! This will be a disaster for us, if they succeed in signing a peace treaty."
"We'll need to make plans, send out patrols to monitor the situation, as well as to track the process of their negotiations," Elder Solon declared. "It may be dangerous to try and sneak back into Dai Li territory at the moment, but..."

"They won't keep up this level of security for too long," I assured them all. "For several reasons. The Dai Li won't be able to stop all of their regular activities keep up the border patrols forever. At some point, it'll become clear we must have escaped somehow and are beyond their grasp. And they'll have to make preparations for the arrival of the Noor parley. Plus, Adonis wouldn't want the queen to become suspicious at the military barricade by the border and wonder why he took such drastic measures."
"After all, it'd be pretty shameful to admit he was betrayed by one of his own agents, nearly got assassinated, let a valuable prisoner escape, couldn't keep his own Dai Li under control, and not to mention, lost a major battle to the Clann just days before,"Ansell added, smirking. "All in all, pretty embarrassing."
Nyna nodded thoughtfully. "So we'll wait for them to relax the border security, then send our most discrete agents to try and monitor the situation. And... it may be time to think about getting some allies on our side as well."

"But that's a discussion we'll save for a later time. There's nothing more we can do tonight." Elder Solon stood up. "You must all be exhausted. Get some rest, and we'll resume in the morning."

At that moment, Rhea woke up and looked around groggily.
“Rhea, we are at the Clann base now, your sister is inside.” Talia said, putting her down.
“Really?” Rhea gasped, “Where?”
“Come on,” Talia said with a laugh, leading the girl inside. The rest of us followed, some Clann members coming to take our horses to the stables.

There was a small commotion at the end of the hall, and then Rhea ran and threw herself into the arms of her sister, who had come out of her bedroom to see what was going on.
“Haven!”
“Rhea?” Haven gasped, pulling away so she could look the girl in the face. Rhea buried her face in Haven’s shoulder, her thin frame shaking with sobs.
“It’s you… it’s really you!” Haven hugged her tightly, and murmured things into her sister’s ear.

Nyna spoke up after several minutes. “Haven, you sister’s been through quite the ordeal. I’m sorry to interrupt, but we should get her cleaned up and into bed.”
Haven nodded, pulling away, but Rhea clung to the front of her shirt. “It’s okay,” she comforted the little girl, “Is it okay if she sleeps in my room?”
“Of course! We wouldn’t think to separate the two of you, after everything you’ve been through.” Nyna smiled gently before taking Rhea’s hand and leading her off to the infirmary to treat her various cuts and bruises.

Haven turned to Talia, Ansell, Erza, and I, tears of joy still fresh on her cheeks. “Thank you. I’m so – I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done. For both of us. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you – “ Talia pulled her into a fierce hug at that.
“Hey, don’t mention it – we got to make a scene at Dai Li headquarters that they’re not going to forget anytime soon.” Ansell grinned. “Frankly, I’d do it all over again just for the look on Galy’s face.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” I smiled, warmth filling my chest, “Seeing you reunite with your sister – it’s given me purpose again. I’m going to spend the rest of my life helping to bring families back together, to atone for all the ones I’ve torn apart.”

I was tired, but I wanted to make sure Finn was ok. I headed to the infirmary, and found Nikko still by Finn’s side.
“Hey!” He greeted me with a smile as I sat in the other chair next to the bed. I felt tension melting away when I saw Finn’s chest still rising and falling. He is still alive.
“Hey,” I replied, having assured myself that Finn was still ok.
“Don’t worry, nothing exciting happened while you were gone. The Healers say he should wake soon though, maybe tomorrow.”
I nodded, “Thanks for sitting with him for me.”
“No problem, we all care about him. I assume you are going to stay here?” He asked, and I nodded. “Did you sleep at all?” He asked.
“Yes, I slept on the ride here. I’m ok, you can go get some rest.” I told him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Nikko came back with some breakfast for us to share.
“Rumors are spreading like wildfire,” The prince told me, “They are saying you all had to fight your way past the whole Dai Li and Gifted armies to escape, and Ansell was feeding the rumors.”
“Of course he is,” I replied with a laugh, “He tends do do that.”
“Yeah, he told one little boy that you all had to battle ‘at least three entire squadrons of elite agents, including Captain Galadriel herself. And, let’s not mention, they had to battle their way out of the grand Council room, where all of the Dai Li were gathered! Ezra even threw a knife right at the King.’”
“Well, the grand Council room and Ezra throwing a knife at the King… that part is true. And fighting Galadriel, true. Three entire squadrons… maybe… I wasn’t counting.” I laughed.
“They are also saying that my fa- King Adonis, is considering a peace treaty with Queen Adaria of Noorwind. Is that true?” Nik asked, worry in his eyes.
“Unfortunately, yes. That is true,” I replied, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. He.. well, you know how he is. Anyways, I almost forgot, Nyna told me she wants you to be in their Council meeting as soon as you finish eating. I will stay here with Finn.” Nikko informed me. I nodded, finished eating, stroked Finn’s hair, then left for the meeting.

It was impossible not to notice the stares on me as I walked through the main hall towards the Council meeting. I tried to ignore the discomfort it gave me, and walked quickly through the halls, at last reaching the council room where everyone else was waiting for me to arrive.
“Thanks for coming.” Nyna smiled at all of us. “The Council and I debated late into last night, and we came up with a proposal. We’re going to send our own treaty delegation, to the kingdom of Cerrawen.”
There was a pause as we all digested this. “I think it’s a good idea,” Talia said at last. “Cerrawen has always been known to be sympathetic to the Gifted. In fact, the reason they sealed their borders and cut off trade with Alagaesia was because of King Adonis’s aggressive plans for the Gifted in our country. If we let them know there are factions in Alagaesia that appose the King and seek to create a better world for Gifted and non-Gifted alike, they might be persuaded to help us.”
“There’s no guarantee that they’ll be sympathetic to our efforts,” Elder Pierce grumbled. “And it’s not certain whether or not they’ll be willing to oppose King Adonis directly. They might not even believe us – all the stories about Alagaesia talk about how much we fear and hate the Gifted, and the King even imprisons them.”
“Always the ray of sunshine, aren’t you, Elder?” Ansell teased, “I thought this was your plan!” Elder Pierce shot Ansell an icy glare, which Ansell ignored and then he continued in a more serious tone. “Whether or not they agree to help us, I agree with Talia. It’s well worth a shot. If they do decide to join us, it might be just the thing to turn the tide for us. We should send a delegation of both Clann agents and Gifted, to show them that we really do stand for a united world.”
Nyna smiled, evidently glad to have their support. I stayed silent, still not feeling like I belonged in this room after everything I had done.

“Then it’s settled.” Elder Solon folded his arms across his chest and sat back. “In other news – according to our spies at the border, a ship from Noorwind has just arrived on our shores. The negotiations with King Adonis will take place in three days, but it’s likely they’ve sent a scouting party ahead to gather information about Alagaesia and ensure the safety of Queen Adalia’s delegation before she arrives herself. We were considering sending out a patrol to meet with this scouting party, gather what intel we can, maybe even reach a negotiation of our own before they can meet with the King. However… we would have to cross Dai Li territory in order to reach the Noor scouts, and after what happened just yesterday…”
“I can go.” I quickly spoke up without hesitation, knowing that this was something I could actually help with. Everyone turned to face me. “I was one of the top-ranked agents, and I know the territory far better than most of the Dai Li. I know a few secluded routes to the Noor border that are known to very few people. Plus, most of the Dai Li army will still be gathered around the Capitol, since they don’t know for sure yet that we’ve escaped.”
“That’s true,” Nyna said thoughtfully.
“It can’t be too many of us though, a large patrol may attract suspicion.” I continued, turning to face Ansell, with just a moment of hesitation before I asked, “Ansell, will you come with me?”
:If it’ll bring back any painful memories… you don’t have to,: I “sent” him, softly and a bit hesitantly.
“Absolutely.” He responded with a grin, letting me know he was ok, and I let out a soft exhale of relief. “It’ll be a special trip, just the two of us! Of course, you might not be able to enjoy the scenic view, with me around to capture all your attention.” I laughed at that, and at Elder Pierce’s glare of annoyance at Ansell taking things lightly. I knew that Ansell was taking all of this seriously though.

“It’s settled then. Ren and Ansell will leave in the morning. Take the rest of the evening to rest and pack. The Council and I will reach out to King Arwin and Queen Elyssandra of Cerrawen in the morning to enquire about an alliance.” Nyna stated, dismissing us all.

I immediately returned to the infirmary to check on Finn. Nikko smiled at me, then asked if I could tell him anything from the meeting. I told him that we were looking for allies and that Ansell and I would be heading out in the morning to scout the Noor border. We were discussing the wild rumors that just kept on growing, when suddenly Finn took in a sharp breath.

My eyes flew to his face, and watched his green eyes open. I gasped, then shook Nikko’s arm. The prince ran out of the room to find a Healer, quickly returning with Healers in tow - Nyna being one of them.
“Hey Finn, welcome back,” I said with a smile.
“R-Ren…?” He said weakly.
“Yes, ke’chara, I’m here.” I soothed him.
“What… happened..?” He asked, then started to sit up abruptly, fear on his face.
I gently held him down, “Whoa there, don’t sit up just yet. You’re safe, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Finn, what do you remember about what happened?” Nyna asked gently.
“Ha-Haven… she was so angry… I couldn’t… she… I went flying into the wall.. Then everything went dark.” He was shaking, his eyes were darting around at everyone in the room, and I kept a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
:Nyna, can you check his head? I don’t want him to sit up if he shouldn’t yet, but he needs more comfort than just my hand on his shoulder: I asked, and she nodded, closing her eyes briefly.
:His head is healed already, the coma gave it time to heal. He can sit up: came her response.

“Come here, ke’chara,” I said softly, pulling Finn into my lap and hugging him close. Just then, Ansell opened the door, having heard Finn was awake.
:Hey, how is he?: Ansell asked.
:He is scared, but his injuries are all healed: I replied, and Ansell nodded.
:He might be a bit frightened and jumpy for a while, but he will get through this. He has a lot of people who care about him: Ansell replied.
: I feel bad leaving in the morning…:
: Don’t worry, Talia and Nyna will look after him. They are good at that. And I bet Nikko will stay with him too:


He was right. But it didn’t make it any easier.
“You should all get some rest.” Nyna’s voice brought me back to the conversation occurring in the room. “And no need to stay here anymore, Finn is healed of any injuries.”
“Finn can stay with me,” I said, when he tensed at her words, gripping my wrist. “It’s ok, I’ve got you.” I murmured into his hair, hugging him.
“Of course, he shouldn’t be alone right now.” Nyna agreed.
:Nikko, Nyna, promise you will both look after him when I leave tomorrow?: I asked, sending the question to both of them. Nikko’s eyes widened a bit in startlement at my “words” in his mind, but then he nodded and mouthed ‘of course.’
: Of course, we will all take good care of him: Nyna promised. I nodded at them both gratefully, then led Finn into the hallway, where Ansell still waited.

“Hey there, kiddo.” Ansell said with a warm smile. Finn smiled a bit at him, but was still glued to my side. “How you feeling?”
“Ok, I guess. But I am scared.” He replied, looking down at the last words.
“That is nothing to be ashamed of, and completely understandable. I get scared sometimes too! But you are a pretty brave kid, probably braver than me! In no time at all this will all just be a distant memory.” Ansell replied, getting a smile out of Finn again.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” I said, and the three of us walked down the hall - carefully avoiding the place the incident had occurred.

When we reached my room, we said goodnight to Ansell.
:See you in the morning: I sent, and he nodded, then left with a wave. I already had a bag packed, I always had a bag ready in case I needed it, so I didn’t need to worry about packing for tomorrow. I tucked Finn into bed, running my fingers through his soft, brown hair until he fell asleep, singing a lullaby softly - one I hadn’t sung since… since Skyf was still here.
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Old 10-21-2019, 01:14 AM
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Awesome post, Liri! I can't wait to see where you take this next! Poor Ren... but it really does show how far she's come.
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