Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » A Princess's Plight (1x1)

"Shatrill is a dark horse, but she has a golden undertone to her coat. Makes her sparkle in the light!" She was smile and limped very lightly, quick to take the weight off of her leg, "What does the name of your horse mean?"

The large dark elf nods along to the answer he's given. "Fair enough. Childish, but fair." As they grow nearer to the inn, Johann puzzles over Pythas' question--he appears to be doing so intently, as his thick brows knit very hard together, and his mouth creases downwards at the corners.

"... to be perfectly honest with you, I don't remember. He wasn't mine from the start. 'Grím' is simple enough, but I believe the second half has to do with strength." He shrugs to himself, satisfied enough with his own answer. "You'll see why that's appropriate shortly."

Pythas picked up her pace just a little more, eager to make friends with the horse. Of course she would love animals, wasn't that just such a stereotype for a princess? Her eyes flashed happily and for the moment she didn't seem to be in pain.

She walked a little faster than Johann, "Come on, I want to get going!"

Johann rolled his eyes at her rather eager display, but the gesture doesn't seem quite as stern or malicious. "Aye, aye, I'm coming. How old are you, fifty?"

Upon their approach to the inn, Johann squints through the fading evening light and grins to himself. "Lady Kennyrvirrea'bar, if you'd like to go ahead and meet 'im, head over to where they keep the horses back behind the inn and go get him for me. I'll go get my stuff and we can be on our way." He pauses upon realizing something and lessens his smile a little. "You can handle that on your own, yes? Big black war horse, white markings on the nose and legs. Can't miss him."

Pythas laughed, "I'm a hundred and ten years old! I'm not a child anymore!" She kept laughing, a gleeful, happy sound. The kind of sound that could drive someone as serious as Johann mad. Maybe that was her intention.

She turned to look right at him when he gave her permission to go on without. Her eyes got wide and excited and she clapped her hands and took off running. It was a miracle that she didn't fall as she made her way into the stable to look for the horse.

The dark elf's lips tightened into a very thin, very annoyed line, making him look 'older' than he physically appeared to be. Without remark he watched her scurry off towards the stables, and then he turned away to head into the inn. "By Sentinel," he hissed under his breath, "She's older than I am!" Maybe it was an elven thing... what was she anyway, a high elf? Wood elf? Johann made a mental note to ask later.


At the stables a pair of boys were busy feeding the horses being kept. Off to Pythas' left, just as the owner had described, was the big black horse called Grímvarðr. The beast of a horse has his muzzle buried into a bag of oats, which one of the boys is trying not to drop due to the forceful munching.

Pythas gave a bright smile to both of the boys, waving cheerily. She looked at the horse and smiled, "Hello!" She looked into the big eyes, pleased as punch to be there. She looked at the boy, "I can take over, if you'd like."

To most people she was a sweet, disarming girl and hopefully this boy would be no different. There was little a pretty face couldn't solve if an old grump like Johann wasn't involved! She put her hand on the bag, looking at the horse again, "My, you're big, aren't you, Grímvarðr?"

The one stable boy caring for Grim turns to look at Pythas, momentarily surprised to see her. She certainly doesn't look like the big ol' grump who brought the horse in initially.

"O-oh, uh... s-sure, here, ma'am!" Pythas' pretty face wins this time, and the brown-haired boy hands the bag off to her. He scurries off to go help his friend clean out a stall a ways down instead, uttering "Thanks!" over his shoulder at her.

Hardly bothered by a change of feed-holders, the large horse stares complacently with big brown eyes at the princess. He continues to munch along, and in spite of his intense eating, the horse looks to be rather healthy.

She held on with both hands, watching the horse's face, wondering what he might be doing in Johann's care. He didn't seem much like the kind of person who would keep an animal companion, even a horse like this.

Pythas was at ease though. Animals were easy to deal with. She relaxed while the beast ate and when he was finished she pulled the bag away, carefully removing one of her hands to feel the velvety nose in front of her.

Grim snorted in that silly way horses do and nudged into her petting hand, more than appreciative of the petting.

"Princess." Johann's voice thundered from behind the elf. "Quit buttering him up. I need a mount, not a filly." Although he was probably just kidding, nevertheless the dark elf stood several feet behind her with his hands settled on his hips. A saddle bag and a bedroll sat tucked in one of the crooks, and as usual he was bearing his standard frown at the world... in particular it found a target in the stable boys, who Johann leveled a stare at from over the top edges of his glasses. "Get the tack. We're leaving, now."

The pair began to scramble away, off to find the items in question. With that out of the way, Johann looked back to Pythas and softly sighed. "Is my assumption correct that what I see on your person is all your current worldly possessions, Princess?"

Another pout crossed her face and she leaned in to kiss the large horse's nose before she stepped away, "A little bit of love won't hurt him any!" She nodded at his question, "I've got a blanket, a change of clothes, a pot, some food, a water skin, a sewing needle, some thread, rations for half a day..." She ticked off each item in her hand.

While the blanket would be good for her to sleep under it would do nothing for her to sleep on. There was no way a delicate girl like her could sleep on the ground. Couple that with the fact that she didn't have a tent... it would make for an interesting couple of nights.

"... Rations for half a day?" Johann didn't even bat an eye about the blanket. "I thought this was nearly a two-week trip. What in the world are you doing with only half a day's food supply?" Johann sighed in frustration and reached up to gently squeeze the bridge of his large nose. Should Pythas have begun to answer, he'd start to interrupt with, "Nevermind, don't answer that; I shouldn't be surprised by this point."

The two stablehands return carrying Grim's tack, though they're sure to give the dark elf wide berth in wake of his newest fit of annoyance.

Pythas seemed to shrink, "My guard had most of our food and our tent and some other things. I can't carry much. I'm not very strong." Her brows knit together and she looked like she might cry. It wasn't too late to just kill her and put everyone out of their misery.

She stroked Grím's shoulder, trying not to look too hurt that he was angry with her.

Oh, right. The incompetent guard. Johann appeared to look a little bit uncomfortable with the way she was wilting like that. "... right. When you're returned to your parents, let them know that guard needs to be sacked and then whacked over the head for being a fool. I'll buy us something on the way out of town."

He glanced over at the two boys, catching onto their mildly uncertain looks. After a moment he figured it out and spoke up again: "Princess, move it. Grim's gotta get dressed for the trip too, y'know." This time his voice was lacking an annoyed growl-- if anything, Johann seemed a little worn out by this point.

She skittered back when he explained Grim needed to be dressed. She had no idea. Things like that were always done before she got near her horse. She was woefully unprepared for all of this.

She looked at her feet, "Are you going to abandon me too? I can find someone else to take me!"

The two boys took the opportunity to get into Grim's stable and start getting him dressed up to go. Johann continued to stand around, scrutinizing their work, until Pythas spoke up again.

"... what in Mother Gaia's name are you talking about," the elf dully retorted, looking back to the princess with a matching look. "We haven't even been on the road yet, let alone together for a day, and you're already starting this? What has possibly given you the idea I'd abandon you and over five-thousand gold in payment." He looked back to the stable boys and made purposeful eye-contact with them--almost threatening with his newest stare, though he didn't say a word to either. The youths quickly returned to their work.

Pythas shrunk into herself and didn't say anything until the boys were finished dressing Grim. Well, no, that was a lie. Even then she didn't say anything, she simply struggled to get up on top.

Grim was large and Pythas was small. She struggled to drag herself up there without help, trying to prove her worth to herself. It wasn't working. It was simply reminding her that she was not going anywhere any time soon. Her ears turned red, but she didn't otherwise show her shame. Johann wanted his money and by the Gods he would get his money, even if he had to bring her corpse to her parents.

Suddenly she was determined to go. She looked between Johann and the boys and finally resigned to asking her companion, "Can I get a wee bit of a lift? I can't quite get up there."

((I have this awesome vision in my head of her hanging from the stirrup unable to get out, just dangling there))

(( Poor Pythas.))

The two boys retreated, and Johann dug out a few silvers for each before he bothered to help Pythas out. He looked positively unamused, but then again, when did he look anything else? The dark elf knelt down, planting his elbows on one knee as his clawed fingers laced together.

"Alright, stick a boot there; up you go before I get the urge to toss you up there myself," he announced quite factually. Why yes, he would be the sort to heavily consider throwing her into the air at the saddle.

Pythas took his help without another word, finding her way into the saddle. She looked content up there and she stroked Grim's neck, "Thank-you." She directed her words down to Johann, smiling, "I feel so tall up here. I can see everything!" She clapped her hands gleefully, falling right back into her bubbly personality.

It was hard to believe that she was sane with the violent swings of her internal mood.

All the elf offered in way of reply was a low-key, "Mhm", and with Pythas up in the saddle now, he took a quick moment to re-assess their belongings and pack a couple of them around Grim's own tack. Shortly satisfied, he looped the ever-patient horse's reigns over his broad neck and began to lead them away from the stables.

"Right, so you said you only had half a day's rations," Johann bothered to note again. "It's getting late, so we'll settle with that and be on our way. In the very least, I can hunt, so hopefully you won't mind a few days of meat and berries as your diet." He paused and glanced up and over one shoulder at the princess. "You do know where we're going, yes? Are there any towns en route, Princess?"