Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » ~Paying The Price~

William smiled to Crow as she emerged, "Hello again my beautiful bird. I've found you at last." he says as he hugs her as tightly as he could, though this wouldn't be very tightly as his form would have passed through her, given Raven's physical body. Sadly yes... I died for a third time, my love... I'm really sorry that I did... But after coming home and finding your lifeless body, it killed me inside all over again... The thought of losing you was far more torture than wolves or arrows... and that coupled with what happened after you died... It was far too much to bear... But I resolved to find you again, even in death I would not allow myself to rest until I got to see you again at long last. Through sheer force of will alone I have lingered in this world without a physical body to call my own... Praying every day that I would find you again. And now... At long last... I finally have you in my arms again... I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you again, Crow. I've missed you so much." he says happily, hugging Crow a little tighter again, though eased up when his arms started to phase through her.

Merry stood calmly and observed all of the events, rather happy to be overlooked as she herself broke down in tears after her own song. She'd see Elesa lash out at Robin, finding her child-like defense of Will cute beyond reason, and watched as Robin tried her best to save Will from others touching him. One of whom was the spirit of Mother Gaia, which horrified Merry right off the bat, and she thought it only just to see Robin horrified at who he had just repelled, but in a way felt sorry for him, as he was only human and has never met nor conversed with Mother Gaia on as deep a level as most high level magic users.

She'd leave the water at last, approaching Mother Gaia's spirit calmly, "Mother Gaia... I beg you to forgive Robin... He is only a human and knows not what disrespect he shows... Please, allow your humble priestess to see to him. I will ensure that he does not dishonor you further with rash actions. Forgive me for not sticking around... Mother Gaia, may I call to you when Robin is safe and ready to apologize for his earlier behavior? I beg you to forgive him, please... Robin has been relatively kind to all of us since he's been with us." she says in a calm tone.

She'd give several seconds for Gaia to speak, and afterward would call upon her aura to surround her with wind and allow her to jump higher and carry her over longer distances. Organna's eyes would widen as Merry goes after Robin, "Blasted Elf is gonna get herself killed wandering off after a human all alone..." she says before taking off barreling after Merry. Pixel and Moonlight were close behind Organna, but Glitter would approach Gaia calmly, angling himself to her so that she may climb onto his back, "Allow me to be your support, Mother. Please, feel free to use my magic power to sustain yourself while we're away from this sacred place." Glitter offers selflessly.

He'd stay close to Gaia's side and allowed her to mount up if she wanted, then he'd take off after the others. He had faith in Merry being able to talk Robin out of doing anything rash.

Crow would be in tears, though rightfully so, as she clung onto her departed husband, looking up at him and reaching her hand up to his face, only to push the hair out of his face. She would remain in his embrace and hug him more tightly as she thought about what happened. She would become more angry, seeing what that man had done to the two of them, and she would shake her head as she looked at him with a fury in her eyes, though it wouldn't be towards William, no. It would be towards Pentre.

"Your old commander...Pentre....He was the one who officially sent the order to raid Merulan...He sent his men to finish you off to keep you quiet...I promise I'll avenge you one of these days, and then we will finally be together...."

She says, her expression softening as seeing her husbands face was reminding her that no matter how far apart they were, they were soulmates. And they would always find each other. She would tussle his hair like the old days, chuckling but still crying as she wrapping his arms tightly around her, only to watch as they phased through her. She would frown, watching his arms go through her body before she let his grip loosen. She sighed and brought a hand to her face as she looked down at the ground, facing him.

"How is any of this fair...I sold my soul to save you...I saved so many countless other people, only to use up the rest of my strength in saving you...I couldn't even move...I was chair-bound while you were struck by arrows, and I used up the rest of my strength to save you...I only want to be with you, and yet I was given another chance at life, at the cost of someone else's....how is any of that fair...."

She says unable to hold back as she sobs into her hands, leaning into her husband as much as she could without phasing through him.

William holds Crow close for several seconds, feeling her shaking like a leaf. He'd coax her back a little and slowly and gently used his thumbs to push her tears away and dry her eyes, brushing her hair gently with his fingers, "I know all of this, my beautiful bird... But we're together again. And I have more to the story that I want to tell you about... After you died... I was so hurt... And after Merulan fell we tried to rebuild... And while the buildings all came up just fine, the land began to suffer... Crops simply would not grow, and slowly the area around Merulan became barren. I fell victim to illness due to malnutrition one night, and as I fell asleep, my body was set to suffocate as my lungs themselves filled with fluid that I was simply too weak to cough up... But I prayed that I would find you again... And now that I have, I never want to be apart from you again." he says in order to offer some further closure on what happened to cause him to be a ghost presently.

After several seconds he spoke again, "Also I have been meeting with the Goddess Gaia. She told me so much as to why areas that have been attacked by Pentre's men have since grown barren and have become subject to plagues. And she has taught me how to use my spirit to accomplish small feats of magic. And there is a spell I'd like to try... If you and Lady Raven would be willing... It'll be a difficult spell to cast, and I will need your help, but if it works, I'll be able to possess Lady Raven's body just as you have. I'll only be able to occupy the subconscious long term though... But in times of crisis, maybe I can be of use to you. If you'll both allow this of me, then I'll always be right here beside you... And we can be together forever like we promised. I'll be on my best behavior always, I will promise you that right now." he says as he looks into Crow's eyes, wanting to hear what she thought of this idea.

Crow would place her hand atop his as he used his thumbs to dry her eyes and brush her hair with his fingers, and she would intertwine her fingers with his as she gazed up at him, the stars reflecting in her eyes. Though she would listen to him whole-heartedly, her eyes widening as she listened to him. She wouldn't be able to help but tear up even more, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"My love...William...I would love nothing more than to be reunited with you...but I couldn't ask that of Raven...I couldn't ask her to-"

"Do it."

Crow's eyes widen as Raven's voice echoed and emanated from her body, and Crow would just stare blankly as Raven's words echoed inside her head, speaking up to address Raven.

"What..?"

"I said do it. Crow, you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I know we were fused together by force, but I don't regret it. And I know you would regret it for all eternity if you let your husband, the man you've lived your life for, slip away from your grasp once again. So I don't mind letting him fuse with us if it means you finally get to be reunited."

"Raven.....Thank you...."

She says, knowing that Raven wouldn't be taking no for an answer on this. She smiled up at William, grabbing his face and pulling him in for yet another long and passionate kiss, running her hands through his hair as she cried tears of happiness this time. She would continue to hold him in her embrace as she kissed him, before breaking it and smiling up at him, her hand tenderly holding onto his face, while her other would hold onto his hand.

"What must I do?"

Merry approached Robin calmly, lowering herself to kneel in front of him, "Robin... I didn't come for the horse... I came for you. I came to tell you that you are not beyond redemption even now. You cannot claim fault for facts you did not know. Listen to me... I witnessed the whole thing. You did not cause Mother Gaia harm. You can still apologize. And... No more blood, ok?... Too much has been spilt in this land as it is. You will need every spot on you healthy and in peak condition in the times ahead. Robin... Come back with me. Allow me to take you to Mother Gaia again so you may offer your prayers to her directly. You are not beyond hope, Robin. Please do not stain the land with any more of your blood. Instead, act to nurture the land with your heart. You can still learn to see the good in those around you. Just as the rest of us see the good in you." she says before slowly standing again, "Will you walk with me, Robin?" Merry asks as she holds out her hand to help him to his feet.

Organna and the others would appear a few seconds after Merry got done speaking, and Organna would gasp softly as Robin was seen kneeling before Merry and Merry was holding out her hand to help him to his feet as a gesture of kindness. Pixel and Moonlight would look on quietly, both feeling rather calmed once they saw that Merry was in no danger at present, though Moonlight began to get a feeling that this peace would not last as long as they hoped it would.

Glitter would appear behind the rest, carrying Mother Gaia on his back. He would be using his magic to help her maintain her corporeal spiritual form, walking slowly as he brought Mother Gaia closer to Robin and Merry.

William smiles to Raven and Crow as they both agree, "Thank you... Both of you. I will be forever grateful, Lady Raven. I will do my absolute best to help you when you need me. Goddess Gaia told me that there is a specific prayer we must say while we are surrounded by water. She said that all types of water welcome all other forms of liquid to become one with it. So it's symbolic, I think... I'm still learning about magic, so you'll have to forgive me for not knowing everything I should... But... Hopefully all we'll have to do is stand together in the stream and pray aloud while we focus our magic." he says as he looks to the river, then back to Crow, "Do you mind getting your feet wet, my beautiful bird? Or shall I carry you like old times?" he asks teasingly.

(sorry for short this time.)

(thats okie!)

"Don't mention it. My mother believed in finding true love, in finding your soulmate...and Crow, you found yours. Who am I to take that away from you??"

Raven says, Crow smiling all the while. She would hug her husband one more time, eagerly waiting for them to both be in Raven's subconscious so they could hold each other as tightly as they wanted to. They would be able to stand before one another in Raven's mind, and would be able to express their love however they saw fit. And while William might not be able to take control of their body, it would be enough just to be together again. She smiled as she learned that he was learning magic so that they could be together again, and held onto his hands tightly, before giggling at his statement, nudging him slightly.

"Normally I wouldn't say no to you carrying me, but..."

She says, before sticking her hand through his stomach. She shakes her head and smiles even bigger at him, teasing him right back before speaking up again.

"For you, I would do anything, if I haven't proven that already."

She says taking his hand and walking towards the river. She would lift up the bottom of her kimono and take her sandals off, dipping her toe in the water and chuckling. She would then step inside the water before turning to him and taking his hand, coaxing him in the water as well, before taking both of his hands and holding them in her own. She looks around and back up at him before nodding.

"Ok, what's the prayer?"

William walks with Crow into the water and stands hand in hand with her in the center of the running water. He'd smile to Crow and bow his head, closing his eyes to lead the prayer.

"By the moon and stars in the night sky above and the will of the water around us...
Mother Gaia, Goddess of the Earth, we your humble servants pray to you now to pool our strength together...
As the water welcomes all other liquids into its form, so too do we ask that our spirits unify...
I, William, surrender my form and power to Her Ladyship, Queen Raven Blackwing."

As they recite the prayer, the water would slowly climb their forms and coat them in a soft covering of water. And as William says his final line, his form would begin to vanish, being drawn into Raven's body until he would fully vanish and Crow would be left standing in the water alone. The water would then all fall from Crow's form and leave her comfortably dry once again, the water even parting a bit to give Crow a dry path back to the shore, though the path would become submerged again as crow walks back to the shore to stand with the others again.

"Crow?... Can you hear me?... I'm here with Raven in the subconscious. I believe the spell worked, my beautiful bird.

Raven... Thank you so much for this, again... I promise I'll be on my best behavior and you can call on me any time you need me. Oh, and I have knowledge you might find interesting. The reason the land is dying after the raids by Pentre and his men are due to a curse that came from the blood of the King Dragon under Camelot castle. The curse is carried in the armor and weapons of the knights and raid groups. When the King Dragons blood mixes with the blood of a freshly slain being, magical blood or no, it creates a plague of anti-magic. And without the presence of a living magical being, Goddess Gaia is unable to regulate her magic in that area, and without the magic of Goddess Gaia, the land inevitably withers and dies no matter what effort is made to save it by those without magic. Camelot will eventually become a lifeless, barren dessert nation if this war is allowed to continue and more innocents are slain by King Conrad's Knights.

William says before falling silent. He hugs Raven gently from the subconscious, whispering his gratitude yet again before awaiting Crow and Raven to switch places, knowing that Crow would be very eager to switch places with Raven just to be with him again at long last.

(And from here, Raven, I forfeit control of William the Blacksmith to his rightful creator. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your characters development and evolution. )

The sorcerer looked to Taff, "Maybe I do not. It is all I've ever been. I've grown used to the burden that I fear I may be lost without it." Audemar asked softly, "A bit selfish, isn't it?"

Will watched as William and Crow were reunited. He watched the two, glad for William to be back with Crow, in a couple of ways. He couldn't help but look at his side, at the sword William had made for him and named after Crow. Truly after everything was done, he would have to give them back the sword, but for now he would keep a hold of it, being his only weapon besides his magic and hand. He just stayed silent, rubbing Elesa's back and showing her enough attention she can sleep and regain some of her strength.

Merry looked to Mother Gaia as she spoke, passing it off that she was simply looking to Glitter. Returning her face towards Robin as her eyes remained closed, those treasured eyes of hers remaining sealed closed and hidden from the world, "When we return, Robin... I ask that you and I have a word with W-... With Captain Will... I will... summon a Basilisk Council of Judgment to hear your crimes, and I will preside over your hearing and let your commander pass sentencing for your repentance... Will you comply to these terms?" she says in a soft but attemptingly formal tone, rather happy that Robin couldn't see that well in the dark, because Merry was blushing rather brightly both out of modesty and out of uncharacteristic speaking.

Humbly, she didn't enjoy putting herself in a position of power as she was being more or less forced to do by Robin and his warrior's path and the better knowing Goddess of the Earth, Mother Gaia. She would respect Mother Gaia's words though, and relay the message of her Goddess as best she could. As long as she could get Robin to forgive himself without maiming himself or spilling his blood somehow or finding a way to be killed, then she'd consider that a victory. Merry was still very young, and still learning that there were often special ways that some people had to be dealt with, as not always do kind words coax a better mood out of someone strictly set in their ways. And for this knowledge, Merry was grateful, and reached out with her Aura Telepathy to speak to Gaia without Robin hearing.

"Thank you, Mother Gaia, for your knowledge of Robin's ways. I will do my best to appropriately accommodate my speaking to the way he will best understand. I pray that I'm able to get him to forgive himself without causing himself harm... Though I have my doubts he'll accept a slap on the wrist with a sharp switch as his... Punishment... Anything it takes though. As always, I will heed your wisdom, Mother Gaia."

If Robin agreed to Merry's relayed message from the Goddess, then she would turn and start to lead her party back to the spring, making sure Robin was in tow. She rather wished he'd walk a bit closer to her, but she'd let him stay where he felt his place was most appropriate.

(Thank YOU, Sally, for doing my characters justice! You did an amazing job at capturing both of their personalities!)

Crow would wait for William to be standing in front of her, and bows her head as well, closing her eyes and listening to his prayer. She would recite the prayer in her head alongside William, and would feel the water slowly climbing up her body and coating her. Though she would never once open her eyes, not willing to risk the prayer not working and never being able to reunite with her husband once and for all. She would hold his hands until she felt them slowly fading from her grasp, until eventually she could no longer feel any type of presence at all. She felt a force going inside her, but it was warm and familiar, and it wasn't difficult to let it in. She opened her eyes, to find herself standing alone in the water, and looked down at herself to see the water being drawn back into the water, except for her feet which were submerged in the water. She would step out and listen to her husband's voice echoing from their body, smiling at finally being reunited at long last.

"I can hear you my love!!"

She says, practically ecstatic. She would throw a glance at Will Stone and nods in approval, showing him that it would be ok. Meanwhile, Raven in the subconscious would hug William and shake his hand, never having actually met before. She listened to everything he said and nodded, pondering this for quite some time. The black smoke would surround them once more, and Raven would be standing amongst everyone. Raven approaches the grave and kneels down, taking her necklace off and placing it on the ground in front of the tombstone, smiling as she stood up and resumed her spot next to Lilim, holding her hand.

"We will never be apart...I promise..."

She says with a smile. With the ceremony ended, it would be time to go back to the village and sit down for the feast, as they remembered those that had departed. Or at least, that was the idea. She would nod to Lilim and hug her, then everyone else before pointing down at the village.

"Now that the ceremony is over, we hold a feast in honor of those that have departed...If that's ok with you guys. It's been a long day and I'm sure everyone is hungry."

She says before looking around and noticing Robin and Merry were missing. She raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but feel like something was wrong, making it a note to set out and find them later. She would hold her hand up in front of the steep slope, before chanting something under her breath. The ground would shift and shape itself so that a stairway would lead from the top of the waterfall down towards the village. This way, anybody who wished to visit her grave would have easier access to it. She would look to Lilim one last time, hugging her to say thank you for everything, before descending the stairs and heading towards the feast. She would also have to give Sally her deepest thank you later. Meanwhile in Raven's subconscious, Crow and William were locked in each others tight embrace. After decades of being apart, they were finally able to hold each other once more, so their grip on each other was so tight that it made it hard for either of them to breath. They would hold each other closely before locking themselves in a passionate kiss. They had both yearned for the warmth of each other, as they were locked in what could almost be a romantic frenzy. It had been so long, and they were not about to let go of each other anytime soon as they continued ravishing one another, taking what they had so long yearned for from one another.

Will waited for everything to be done before saying one last prayer for her mouth before walking down the steps behind Raven. He looked over at Elesa, who would probably be drooling on his shoulder at this time and chuckled as he walked down the steps, trying not to shake her too much walking.

Lilim hugged Raven tightly and lovingly, happy to see that everything was playing out for the better. hearing the mention of a meal, she'd look around and consider her options, "Hmm... Maybe I'll ask Merry if she can spare some energy... You know me, Raven. When it comes to feeding, I don't eat real food." she says before looking back at the grave, which to the best of her knowledge had never got covered or filled in, so Lilim would use a bit of what was left of her Ground energy to cover the now resting body of Poppy and move back to the platform she brought everyone up with, "If everyone is set to walk back, I'll just take this back to the village and replace it as I promised, shall I?" she says as she picks it up again with her magic, starting after Raven and giggling playfully as she flies off ahead of her, taking the sizable disk with her to replace from whence she removed it.

Elesa would flinch sharply and jar awake with a timid whimper the instant Will started to walk, clinging to him tightly as she seemed to experience a few seconds of panic from being unsure what was going on or why they were moving. Nine years as a child slave took its toll on her psyche, and made it so the slightest shake had her awake and alert, and equally as scared instantly. Wiggling a bit, she'd look around, "Mister Will?... Wh-where are we going now?... Is... Is something happening?" she asks nervously.

Will looked at Elesa and rubbed her back. "You can just call me Will if you want to Sweet pea. And we're going to the feast and get some food. Are you hungry or thirsty Elesa?" Will asked as her as he continued walking down the step. He saw her nervous and rubbed her head, trying to calm her. He gave her an assuring smile.

Raven would smirk at Lilim as she closed her eyes and chanted, growing her wings. At that moment she would soar off the steps and fly towards the rock pillar, landing on it gracefully before turning to Lilim. She would chuckle and hug her playfully, nudging her slightly and bowing to her.

"And you know me, I can give you some of my energy if you need it. I understand if you don't want to attend the feast, but it would mean a lot to me to have you by my side as I remembered my mother."

She says before turning to Haldor and raising an eyebrow at him. She wasn't sure if he was trying to propose or not, but she found it quite amusing and giggled, before looking at Lilim and giving her a wink.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone...I hope to see you at the feast."

She says to Lilim before smiling more and flying off the rock, darting ahead of her so that she could help finish getting set up. She would normally have been crying and bawling, unable to even walk. But Sally had given her something so precious, and being able to get closure with her mother meant a great deal more to her than anybody could have imagined. She knew it would be ok, and to honor one of her mother's request, she wouldn't dwell in sorrow, for her mother was right: that was when she was her weakest. When she finally reached the house she would land on the ground and her wings would disappear. She would walk inside the house and start getting the food ready, setting up an enormous table with food that anybody would find delicious. After she had finished, she would take a seat and wait for the others to show up...hopefully.

As Merry and the others led Robin back toward the waterfall, Merry would listen to Gaia and would become increasingly distressed at the explanation of the Basilisk Battalion's creation, function, purpose, and methods. She'd shiver and pull her arms up into her stomach to hug herself the more she thought about it and the more that was explained to her, which in turn caught Organna's attention, "Hey... You ok, Merry?" she asks worriedly. Merry would slowly nod, "Y-yeah... Just... F-felt a sudden chill is all..." she says calmly.

Glitter glanced to Merry out the corner of his eye, having spent so long with Merry now that he knew when she was fibbing. Organna would buy Merry's explanation, but Glitter knew better. The words of the woman mounted to him were causing her mind to become ill at ease. And so much so that she would see fit to dismiss Organna's question with a reassuring lie. Merry would keep her mind silent on the matter, but Glitter could feel that Merry was hurting. He had a mind to speak up, but at the risk of upsetting Gaia or Merry any further, he'd say nothing for the moment.

Moonlight would become weary as Merry hunkered over, sharpening her senses and fluffing her folded wings as she prepared to protect Merry. She didn't know what was wrong, but huddled closer to her and even nudged her softly with a wing asking if she'd like to ride for a bit. Merry would look to Moonlight as she nudged her, smiling to Moonlight and hopping aboard, "Thanks, Moonlight. I needed that offer." Merry says briefly and quietly, leaning into Moonlight's neck lovingly.

Will walked in carrying Elesa and sat her down at the table next to Raven, pushing her chair under before sitting down in the seat next to her, laying his sword on the ground because it was uncomfortable to sit in the chair with it on. He waited for everyone else who would come to arrive before he ate. He let out a long yawn and stretched his arms out.


Meanwhile a distance away from Wellsprings in the forest, the same people Pentre had went to earlier were making their way to Wellsprings to complete their contract. A tall and skinny man wearing a black robe, his face covered by a plauge doctor's mask, lead the group, followed by a woman with a whip on her hip, wearing some leather armor with chain mail underneath, opened up to show lots of cleavage. Behind her a massive, unholy beast called a man, a collar around his neck with a chain on it, which was being held by the woman with the whip. He was completely armored from head to toe, and stood probably around Eight Feet tall with his arm and leg muscles being twice as big as most trees. Whatever small woodland creature run in front of him would be squished by this mans massive foot as he followed the woman, like a dog follows their master.

Behind the man was a Tall and muscular Viking, his beard thick enough it could probably deflect arrows and an axe in his right hand. He rode behind the Giant on his War-Mounted Grizzly bear. Behind those two was a man clad in leather trousers covered by fur and a breastplate big enough to cover his stomach, no sleeves on it to allow his arms free mobility to swing the two handed great sword he carried. They walked through the woods, making their way to Wellsprings, going to fulfill their contract to Lord Knight Pentre, and earn a hefty sum of money.

Audemar felt like a weight was lifted from his body. The curse was finally gone from him but he clung to it for so long. It was with him for so long, Audemar didn't know what to do but shortly dwell on the fact it was gone. He didn't know how to feel emotionally or mentally but he knew he was free and walked back to that filthy place.