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Post by Taylan on Feb 19, 2007 17:47:45 GMT -5
Soft laughter drifted through the air, a breeze scented with lilies danced around her, a day full of summer magic with every sway of the tall grass. Children ran with joy as their energy, smiles of unbroken innocence shining with delight. Father stood in the center, a grin of love dancing on his chiseled face, playing with his boys...and his little girl...Mother watched from a safe distance, careful not intercept sprinting young boys as she knitted for the winter to come....a little girl held tight to her brother's frame, giggling excitedly as he dashed about the field as her piggy and she the rider. But the ride ceased violently and she was thrown off his back, landing roughly on the grass...she looked up, emerald eyes confused as her family stood away from her...and burst into hellish flames, suddenly sucked from the earth and leaving a hole where once stood the Varkatzas family.
Taylan snapped straight into a sitting position, grasping her sheets for dear life and rationality, panting from lack of breath in the dream. Perspiration trickled down the side of her face even though the night was cold and she shivered uneasily. Eyes of jade closed tightly, spilling tears she did not know were there. Another nightmare. Another one with the same ending; her inability to save her family....her lack of power to stop the fate that which consumed them.
Regaining vision, Taylan looked around her room as though having forgotten where she was currently residing and sighed a shaky breath in relief. She was still here...not dead....Atreyu remained silent, possibly still in slumber and she was silently grateful for it – now was not the time to talk about it. If anything, she wanted to leave it behind, on her bed, at the pillow.
Getting out of bed on weak legs proved to a be struggle but she managed and quickly left the guest room, deserting what had tormented her and yet loved. With no sense of direction but that of her drive to get away, Taylan hurried down the halls and up some staircases, never knowing where she was going until she reached a tower and scampered to its open window, gasping for the air of what she deemed as freedom. Were it not for the grip she bestowed upon the edge, she would have collapsed without a single doubt.
Falling victim to vulnerability, the strong warrior broke down into silent tears. Typical, she thought gloomily, typical of her to have those dreams before the day of their deaths. Dark strands of hair danced out of the braid she had placed them and fell loose around her shoulders and back, drifting with the wind about her. She bit her quivering lip to succumb a sob, choking it down though it hurt. Without any given consent to her mind, her body crumbled against the window as she rested her head against the arms that lay on the sill and cried quietly, becoming the little girl that waited ever so eagerly at her door for her father and brothers who fought in the war to come back.... but never did.
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Orion
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Posts: 227
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Post by Orion on Feb 22, 2007 13:17:30 GMT -5
Night. It was Orion's favorite part of the day. No meetings to be held, no audiences to attend to, no kingly duties other than getting his usual night's sleep. The moon shone brightly through a stained glass window in Orion's bedroom, illuminating his figure as he shed his clothing to retire for the evening. The pale glow defined his masculine form, rippling muscles hidden beneath a relatively lean frame. It was almost impossible to explain how Orion had such incredible strength, it was a phenomenon he'd been blessed with his entire life. Numerous scars from countless battles littered his body, each with their own story. He was a young king, but already he had lived through a lifetime of fighting. Giving a sigh, he tossed his upper garments onto a nearby coat rack, turning his gaze to the window.
I have come a long way father...please continue to watch me, for I will strive to continue moving forward...
Giving a sigh, he moved into his usual nightly workout. A few hundred push-ups, countless sit-ups, and a little stretching just to balance things out. By the time he was finished, a fine coat of sweat had covered his naked upper body, reflecting the moonlight as it shone against him. He moved to the dresser besides his bed, ready to take his usual tall glass of water before he finally succumbed to the sleep racking his body. But he only grasped air, for the glass was not present. Raising an eyebrow, he gave another sigh, shaking his head. Well, he couldnt expect the servants to do everything right, they were only human.
"Guess Ill just go get something myself..."
Instead of bothering to reclothe himself (a rather unkingly thing to do), he left his room and began to wander the massive hallways of the palace. Luckily, there was very few people about at this hour, save for a few handmaidens, who blushed and did their best to remain silent as they watched their king pass in the distance. Orion was just about to reach the kitchen when he paused, hearing something. It sounded like...crying? Curious, he turned from the kitchen entrance and headed towards the sound. His hearing lead him to a balcony. There, he saw a lone figure hunched against the railing, sobbing. Frowning, he moved forward, placing a hand gently on the woman's shoulder. He had no idea that it was Taylan, although as soon as she reacted, he immediately recognized her. He didn't waste time with lengthly words. He simply looked with concerned blue eyes, asking simply:
"What is the matter?"
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Post by Taylan on Feb 23, 2007 9:50:13 GMT -5
The foundations of stone within her that she had slowly and steadily built after the massacre of her life broke and crumbled away into dust, some pieces of rock pressing down into the pit of her heart. She could not hold back what torment she felt and let the rampage of tears bleed down her hidden face buried in her arms. She would have felt his presence before, long before he made contact, but reality was far from her and all Taylan could do was despise living at that very moment.
Until she felt the touch on her shoulder, the sensation jerking her back from the deep chasms of her mind.
Alarmed, Taylan turned around sharply and met with the eyes of a friend. The thought of being found at her weakest frightened her and she looked into his eyes, her own with panic. What had been dull, olive irises burning with pain suddenly flared some life in them, Orion’s appearance giving her the incentive to be what she was supposed to be: strong.
“O-Orion!” She exclaimed with shock, brushing past him to move away and hide her tear-stained roster from his view. She hastily wiped away the remains and turned once more, a smile plastered on slightly quivering lips. “You’re up late…” Her eyes never met his gaze; she didn’t have the strength to bear it.
Taylan looked down at her night dress, sweeping down to the floor and tried to be casual about what he had seen, brushing away imaginary dust from the gown – it was the only thin layer of defense she had against him at the very moment, it seemed…
There she was: unraveled, revealed, broken and breathless. Silence ate away at her, Taylan standing away from Orion with her hands faintly shaking though the moonlight pitied her and hid that action from sapphire eyes. Feeling the loose dark locks breeze past her cheeks, she quickly grasped the tresses and worked her slender fingers into them, fixing her hair back into a braid. Her eyes anywhere but on him.
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Orion
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Posts: 227
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Post by Orion on Feb 23, 2007 12:54:12 GMT -5
Orion had known Taylan for only a short time, yet to him, she had become a companion equal to that of someone he might of known his entire life. He saw in her all the virtues a person should possess; honesty, loyalty, kindness, and an undying determination. Before, she had been strong, never giving up in any situation. There was very few signs of weakness, that is, until now. Immediately, he wanted to know what the cause of her obvious sadness was. For a brief moment, he feared it was some matter that had to do with Rahn, or even himself. Only when she had turned to him did he realize that it had to be something deeper, the kind of pain that did not surface unless one was left to their own innermost thoughts.
"I was thirsty, so I went looking for a glass of water. Taylan...what's wrong?"
No matter how hard she tried to hide it, even if she wiped away her tears from his sight, he already knew she had lost to those inner thoughts, whatever they were, and was showing it when not in the company of others. He looked to her with obvious concern, care for a person who meant so much to him, taking a step forward as she fiddled and played with her garment and hair. His hand found hers, and he held it gently, looking directly at her, waiting for his eyes to meet hers. He spoke softly again, showing his compassion as best he knew.
"Whatever it is...You arent alone here. I don't want you to be sad Taylan...But if you must shed tears, then do not be afraid to."
He moved forward further to embrace her, closing any distance between them, wrapping his free arm about her, making his warmth hers. She meant much more to him than he could ever fully admit, and if this would help her, then his midnight stroll was not in vain.
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Post by Taylan on Feb 23, 2007 20:50:59 GMT -5
At his response Taylan nodded silently, keeping her hands in the long locks of hair for longer than necessary. Finding the braid's design far more interesting than possibly the very existence of life, she placed her eyes solely on her mane, never on him...never on him...
And yet when she felt him motioning towards her, shivers dashed down her spine at an unspeakable speed. She prayed to whatever higher power there was in the universe to keep her from shattering into any more pieces before Orion. Her hand suddenly stopped its motion as he gently grasped it, causing a beating heart to pound louder in her ears than ever before. Taylan could feel his eyes on her and with much reluctance, she rose her emerald gaze up to meet his gentle orbs, her own sparkling with tears that dared to fall at any moment.
Whatever it is...You aren't alone here.... Alone. The slow consumption of one's soul, the deterioration of one's purpose in life...she wasn't alone here....there with Orion. There in his arms, against his rising chest, near his heart, she wasn't alone.
The last thread of strength in Taylan Rose Varkatzas snapped at the sharp blade of Orion's compassion and she freely fell into the comfort he offered. She had been standing rigid against his strong frame, shocked at the words, at the embrace, at the strange feeling of having someone there to tell her it was alright to be a young woman and not an unbreakable warrior. But the thoughts dispersed and Taylan hopelessly softened into his touch, letting go of what she had hid behind a porcelain smile.
She rested her cheek against his firm chest and tucked in her arms between his upper torso and her bosom, her petite body shaking with the force of her quiet crying. Taylan closed her eyes and like a wounded nightingale, nestled against what she suddenly understood would protect her tethered wings from any more harm of her past.
“I'm...so....weak...” Her trembling voice let out softly, shuddering with every breath taken. “I...I c-c-couldn't save them...”
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Orion
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Posts: 227
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Post by Orion on Feb 24, 2007 20:51:12 GMT -5
(brain...not...functioning well, stupid hw... >_<)
He knew he had reached her when she had returned his embrace, her frame loosening from its ridgid state as soon as it had touched his. He did not let her go, knowing somehow that right now, she was as fragile as a glass rose. He knew she was holding back tears, easy to tell from just one look into her equally azure gaze. Squeezing her hand gently, he reminded her that he was there, unable to let her fall into dispair by herself. He felt her beating heart, stronger than most these days, against his bare chest, threatening to burst from the emotion that was surging through her for whatever reason she had for recalling troubled thoughts.
This was why many considered Orion far beyond his years. Right now, he did not see a woman of unmatched beauty and strength. He did not look at her physical being at all. In this moment, all he was concerned about was keeping her, the one whom he admired more than any could have guessed, from falling into the dark hole which threatens to swallow any who let their troubles get the best of them. He did not want those he cared about to ever feel alone, and right now, he was doing what he could to remind her that she had no need to.
“I'm...so....weak...I...I c-c-couldn't save them...
A window into her past had suddenly been opened to him. He may not have known who she was talking about, but even that did not matter to him. He held her closer still, rocking her gently back and forth as a caring father would for a child that had begun to cry. He shook his head slowly, his voice carrying over the evening air.
"You have more strength than you know of. It does not all have to come from one's physical prowess. Strength can be found in other places, for you it is your heart Taylan. What is past is past, its alright to miss it every now and then...But you cannot let it control your present. There have been some I was unable to protect, and to this day they haunt my dreams. But then I wake and I know that I can use those dreams as a reminder to do my best to ensure that it never happens again. I believe in you Taylan, I believe you can do the same..."
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Post by Taylan on Feb 25, 2007 15:27:38 GMT -5
(pfft, lend me ur brain!)
The closer they became, the more her mortality showed until the final point where despite her age and physicality, Taylan was a young girl finally able to break through. How long had it been since she had pushed those internal monsters away, locking them into a cage that rattled within her heart and clawed at her soul? They were the reason for her determination and yet the reason to her self-annihilation but no one ever knew that; they simply settled for the idea that she was merely cruel in battle because there was something wicked about her. Her father had never been like that, they would whisper behind her.
But here, revealed to the sole person that she trusted her life with, Taylan could amend those false pretenses. Soothed by gentle rocking and his sweet warmth to ease her shivering, she knew telling him what she kept away in the sewers of her mind was alright....Taylan closed her eyes and engraved his words inside herself, finding comfort but at the same time....pain.
Shaking her head in objection, Taylan shuddered and parted her trembling lips to tell him how that wasn't enough for her. She was nothing like that...”I s-should believe...but n-no matter how many times...I tell m-myself that...it's not enough...” Shifting to be able to look up into his eyes, shades of blue swirling with concern, Taylan broke a little more.
“I could have...helped them...I could have at l-least saved one of my....brothers...” Almost furious at her weak state, unable to stop the tears or the broken speech, she bit down on her lip and wiped at her eyes once more. Finding it easier to look at Orion's collarbone than the soul-peering eyes as she would be handing him her heart to look upon, Taylan rested her gaze there, her mind never truly receiving the realization that she was in the arms of a bare chest king.
She would have to tell him everything then....Emotions playing vividly across her face, she let it out quietly. “My father and brothers....fought in the war...the last war...and t-t-though I was able to help...they refused to let me go...I might have been very young...but the army was in dire need of men willing to fight...we were losing numbers steadily... but they wouldn't let me g-g-go.”
“They....,” her eyes softened at the memory before her, “never came back...My mother..she couldn't look at me in the eyes...She would see through me but...never at me...I think...I think that's why she went blind...to save herself the pain...of seeing her dead family in my presence.” Utterly naked in the sense of shedding all that was her defenses, Taylan stood there with Orion and bowed her head in defeat. She rested her forehead against his chest and breathed what had crucified her for years: “I couldn't save them...”
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Orion
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Posts: 227
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Post by Orion on Mar 31, 2007 23:44:00 GMT -5
As he held her in his arms, consoling her as best he could, Orion realized how much Taylan meant to him. This realization came from the fact that right now he was not thinking about anything else, not even the possible threat in Decimus Nocturne. All that mattered to him was making sure Taylan did not feel alone. Orion was so focused on this that his mind did not even begin to explore this new discovery, although perhaps in time his feelings would elaborate on the matter.
She seemed to cast aside his advice, shaking her head in disbelief, as though whatever it was that haunted her mind was in complete control. He found her hand and grasped it gently, stroking her palm as he listened to her words. A frown appeared on his face as he learned more about her, the woman behind the warrior. Tragedy, it was so damn common in those times. Orion definitely had his share, it was the very reason he was now the ruler of Rahn. His father and mother were both dead now, leaving him the soul heir to the Armstrong name. If he died without leaving behind a child...it would mean the end of a great legacy.
He listened in silence as she told him more. She had suffered a great loss, wounding herself deep inside because she had kept it locked within herself. Now, as she told him of her past, all the pain rushed out, making her weak against him. The two of them were both remnants of a bloody era, an era of loss and heartache. Sighing after she had nothing left to say, he squeezed her hand gently and shook his own head, his eyes moving skyward to gaze upon the pale moon which shone upon them
"I know it hurts. I know that no matter what I say or do it wont change anything. The past is the past...Unfortunately, that time was a time of war. I lost my father and my mother, not to mention many of my comrades, all because we had to fight in order to live. I hated those times, and that hatred spurred me to do all I could in order to end the war, just so there could be an end to that loss. Taylan, you are an exceptional warrior, I can tell. Do not let the past sap your strength. There are many out there who have had to live with losses just like yours, and yet they live on. I think it is because they know that those they have lost would have wanted them to carry on, to live. Dont you think your brothers would want the same of you?"
He moved his gaze down again, trying to meet hers. He would reach her, he had to reach her, for reasons he was still trying to figure out.
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Post by Taylan on Apr 1, 2007 19:51:11 GMT -5
Crying eyes gently concealed themselves behind long, dark lashes, forbidding sight to the world around. She did not wish to see or be seen. An aching heart clung to every syllable Orion comforted, burning with pain as it revealed entirely what had been kept quiet under blankets of strength and invincibility. But now, Taylan willingly gave into him and found it worth becoming human again.
Safe near Orion, she placed a warm cheek against his skin, slightly shuddering in the wake of her sobbing. Between the comfort of his beating heart and the consoling words, there was no more perfect haven for the lost soul. She had strayed away from what she believed to be the right path and found herself in the arms of a friend…
Were it not for the current situation of revealing the broken pieces under her armor, Taylan would have thought and felt differently. But those thoughts and feelings were forced to be hidden, for emotions seeping past a friendship with the king only spurred problems for each other…
She understood that he was opening up to her as well, letting her see what was inside of him and if anything had ultimately reached it, it had been that. A quiet gasp left her rosy lips in sight of a new reason to live. The mentioning of her brothers wishing for her to let go of a past so horrible…the monsters in her suddenly reversed in their screams, dying and fading. All this time…she had believed and burdened herself with the blame of their deaths, twisting stories and truth to fit the pain she couldn’t release. But Orion, sweet and kind Orion, gave her the key to that door, letting her step out the cold and dark room Taylan had locked herself away in.
“...Orion….,” A whisper so soft escaped her, eyes looking up to meet his. He had been the only one to find the broken doll, porcelain scattered among the floor, and actually placed her back to again.
“….Thank you…” A true smile rose to her mouth accompanied by fresh tears that streamed down her face. But they were of joy, of that exhilarating feeling of having been freed.
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Orion
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Posts: 227
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Post by Orion on May 9, 2007 11:44:56 GMT -5
Ever since his father's death, Orion had questioned his own right to take his place. Was he fit to rule? Sure, his people seemed to adore him, his record of helping the land fight numerous evils making him well known and well liked. Still, the last time he had been in a royal court was back when he was only a small child, watching in awe as his father lead an entire kingdom. Now that the human race had become a minority, Orion was put in charge of not just a single kingdom, but of the very survival of his race. He had no formal training, all he'd known was the life he had lead as a Champion. Doubt in his own ability to govern was always with him, yet he would never show it. A king cannot show weakness, but that did not mean it wasn't hidden where none could find it...
But here, now with Taylan holding onto him, releasing her inner evils and opening herself up to him rather than anyone else in her past, it gave him reassurance. She was reminding him why he was what he was. A king was not all about politics and defending his people. A good king was able to comfort each and every individual who came across him. Showing compassion was a strength which only a good leader could have. A little weight from Orion's being was lifted from this small realization, and it made his return smile to Taylan all the more warm.
"Its getting quite late, and its growing cold. Come, I'll walk you back to your quarters. Sound good?"
His hand moved to hers, grasping it gently. More reassurance, only this time, it was for the both of them. In the beautiful eyes of Taylan, Orion saw his purpose, his fate, his future.
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