Looking for a Garden (Open)

[Deleted]

Faye woke to the sun shining brightly through the window in her dorm room. She stretched her arms above her head and let out a big yawn. She then got up and slid her slippers on and walked over to the bathroom to start a shower. She turned the water on, only turning the cold knob slightly. Faye slipped the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. When she stepped under the scolding water, she flinched momentarily before easing into warmth. The water felt good and seemed to give her more energy. Faye washed her hair and body and quickly groomed her other areas.

When Faye stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked over to her mirror. She wiped the steam off of the glass and stood looking at herself for a few moments. She didn't recognize the girl that she saw. Was it because she was no longer the innocent girl she once was? Was she homesick? No. Definitely not homesick. But there was definitely something different about the way that she presented herself. Perhaps it was how she was much more confident than she ever had been before. Faye decided to stick with that thought and walked over to her closet to pick out an outfit for the day.

Faye decided on a Lolita style dress with little pink flowers covering the fabric. After getting dressed, she ran her fingers through her hair, allowing her natural curls to take shape. She then took a strand of hair from both sides of her head and twisted them to meet in the middle of the back of her head and held them together with a thin pink bow. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and feeling like she looked good enough to venture outside, she walked out of the bathroom and back into her room.

The room was pretty dull. The only things in the room were a bed, a closet and small nightstand with a drawer, which contained nothing. Faye had put what little clothes she had into the closet, but other than that, the room was bare. Faye didn't like the emptiness of the room and decided to go find something to liven up the place. 

The Arch was a rather large place. Faye didn't really know where to look for decorations for her dorm, but she knew that she needed something. She tried to think of her favorite things that were pretty and the only thing that came to mind was the flowers back in her garden in Kanto. Thinking that a few flowers would look nice in her room, she decided to find out if the Arch had a garden anywhere. 

[Séanait Nic Ádhamhnán]

It was difficult to see Faye. So far, the Headmaster had been very good at keeping them apart, though he hadn't banned either of them from the town at least, and as yet they hadn't worked out any good system of communication. Shy couldn't really come all the way to Concordia as often or as regularly as she would like, and with messages being intercepted, she was just relying on blind luck to run into Faye. So far it had worked pretty well, but Shy was beginning to wonder if it would work today.

As she walked around the public gardens in Concordia, trying to seem nonchalant and generally succeeding, Shy thought through some of her frustrations. She refused to examine her feelings for Faye - the comment her lover had made about being able to see love for her in Shy's eyes had really shaken her - but she did consider Adrian. The Headmaster was honestly being more than generous to Faye, and Shy wouldn't have given her so much freedom that she been in his place, but what restrictions there were did interfere with her plans. When the time came to kill Faye, Shy might need to do it quickly, without any faffing around and waiting to stumble into her. Ideally, it would also be in the Arch or some other place strongly associated with Nova. That Faye wasn't allowed to leave the Arch or Concordia was a problem.

One solution was to see if Adrian would allow Faye to hire her as a bodyguard. Shy doubted this would work - it was possible that Adrian still thought she was a man, and mercenaries were generally not fit company for princesses - but it was worth a shot. If not, then she would need to find some other reason to base herself in Concordia once her other plans had come to fruition. Assuming, that was, she survived them and was not recognised. That was another thing she needed to do: work out some way to disguise herself. Was it possible for non-magical people to study at the Arch and learn the theory of magic? She filed the thought away for another day and kept on walking. If she didn't find Faye her soon, she would try elsewhere.

[Deleted]

Faye walked around the Arch absentmindedly, not really knowing where to even start to look for her dorm décor. If Kanto were closer, she would go there to pick her favorite flowers, but she couldn't risk getting caught by the royal guard and being imprisoned in her own kingdom by her father because she chose to run away. Even then, the kingdom of Kanto was far away and she was not permitted to go any further than the city of Concordia, per Headmaster Adrain's orders.

Deciding that her best bet was to go to Concordia to look, Faye ventured out. The journey was short, only a 15 minute walk. Faye had no guards or anyone to escort her to the city and she preferred it that way. She didn't like to draw attention to herself, despite her royal status. Most of the people here had no clue who she was and it was part of the reason that she chose to run here to Nova. Even the people she told the truth to questioned her honesty. She worried that her father would want her to come home and that Adrain would respect his wishes.

Faye wondered if her life would be easier if she just respected her father's wishes and allowed him to marry her off to a stranger. She would be miserable, but she would be well off. Her thoughts then drifted to Shy, the woman she loved with all of her heart, the woman she wanted to marry and spend the rest of her life with. The thought of Shy brought a smile to Faye's face.

Suddenly, as if fate was playing a heavy roll in her life, Faye caught a glimpse of Shy. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, thinking that her mind was playing tricks on her. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, Shy was still there, walking away from Faye's direction.

Faye quickly caught up to Shy and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Oh, how I have missed you." She spoke softly with her head resting on Shy's shoulder.

[Séanait Nic Ádhamhnán]

Arms wrapped around Shy's waist, but this time she did not go into full paranoid mode. She had heard Faye walking up behind her, her footsteps rapid and light, and had glanced back just long enough to see that it was Faye. She smiled as her lover's arms tightened around her waist and her head rested on her shoulders. Faye had a bad habit of coming up and hugging her from behind, it seemed, and Shy wasn't sure if she should break her of it. Despite Faye being so much smaller and lighter than her, there was something Shy liked about being suddenly hugged from behind. It was a reminder that Faye wanted to make her hers. Shy told herself that that was the wrong kind of possessiveness and would make killing her that much easier. The truthful part of her admitted that she liked being Faye's.

"Hello, Honey." Shy twisted around so that she could slip an arm over Faye's shoulders and hug her tight. She bent down to kiss her on the lips, affectionately, but also short. They were in a very public place, and any excessive displays of affection might get Shy banned. Besides, if she kissed Faye for too long, Shy knew she would be looking for a bush for them to hide behind. "You look stunning today."

It was true. Faye's flowery dress suited her personality, and the simple pink ribbon that held part of her hair back matched the dress perfectly. Shy squeezed Faye up against her again, glad to have found her with so much daylight. They could spend most of the day out and about Concordia by themselves, assuming Faye didn't have any classes.

[Deleted]

Faye smiled and melted into Shy at the sound of her nickname. Shy then twisted around and hugged Faye, her arms around her shoulders. It made Faye feel small, but safe and warm. Suddenly, their lips crashed together, but were no sooner broken apart again. Faye whimpered, wanting to kiss Shy longer. She smiled when Shy told her that she looked stunning. "And you look just as gorgeous as ever." She smirked, knowing that Shy would shrug off the comment even though Faye meant it. "I am so happy that I ran into you here. You're just the brightness I needed on this dull day."

"I am out here looking for a garden that I had heard was towards the center of town. Want to help me look for it?" She had an enthusiastic smile on her face. She couldn't help but be happy, especially around Shy. She squeezed Shy's waist again and snuggled into her chest. "I have missed you so much."

[Séanait Nic Ádhamhnán]

"I'm the brightness, am I?"

Shy smiled down at Faye, feeling oddly warm inside. She had never really been called anyone's "brightness" before. And to have someone as truly bright and happy as Faye call her such, and to long for her kiss, was something so foreign that Shy couldn't help but feel happy. It was stupid, and probably lethal, but Faye made Shy forget about the Norus and her plans for vengeance.

Shy nodded at Faye's request and squeezed her close, even as she snuggled in closer to Shy. A nice walk around town to find some gardens would be a lovely way to spend her time with Faye.

"Of course! I would love to."

Again, she smiled, and then looked thoughtful when Faye mentioned how she had missed her so much.

"You know, we really need to work out a better way of meeting up and communicating with each other. We can't keep on planning to just bump into each other."

[Deleted]

Faye giggled and smiled, filled with happiness. "Well, I am not really sure which way to go, so I suppose we will just have to keep walking around until we find it." Faye slipped her fingers in between Shy's and began to walk in a random direction to begin their search for the garden in the city.

She looked over at Shy and smiled warmly as she mentioned a better way of communication. "Well, I suppose we could write to each other. It would be nice for when we aren't able to meet up in person as well." Faye seemed to almost have a skip to her step as she walked.

As they walked towards the center of Concordia, a large area with a tall, metal fence surrounding it began to appear. The wrought iron fence had many intricate patterns of vines and various flowers decorating the top. Faye looked at Shy and grinned. "I think we might have just found what we were looking for!"

[Séanait Nic Ádhamhnán]

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shy said, laughing as she squeezed Faye's hand, hip bumped her playfully and then began walking with her around the town. It was odd how natural it felt to be holding Faye's hand. It wasn't at all awkward or embarassing, as it could sometimes be with a new lover. That was another thought Shy had to try and stamp down.

Faye brought up the idea of using letters to communicate and Shy nodded thoughtfully. It was a reasonable idea, assuming the Headmaster didn't try and block the letters. Shy still struggled to comprehend his motives for allowing her anywhere near Faye. Perhaps he was not as all-knowing as she feared.

"That's a good idea. I know a scribe who works cheap, so I should be able to get him to read your letters to me and write my replies." She smirked and looked down at Faye from the corner of her eyes. "Just don't put anything too intimate in the letters. We wouldn't want the poor lad's head to explode, now would we?"

Eventually they found a tall iron fence that seemed to enclose the garden that Faye was looking for. Shy couldn't help but shake her head at all that metal. In her world, that much metal might not start a war, but it would make any man absurdly wealthy. Sometimes she forgot just how wealthy this world was.

Smiling back a Faye, Shy craned her neck, looking for an entrance, but couldn't see on for all the trees and vegetation. "Looks like. Any idea how we get in there?"

[Mysteria]

3 days and 5 hours had passed. That was how long the poor young Tary Gregger had counted. A personal bodyguard hired by the regent to find and ‘protect’ a member of the noble court Faye Noru. He had wandered the streets of Concordia for hours with no luck at finding this woman. His garb in the colors of the house of Fair’lones, while dressed in some plate armor around his torso and thigh. He had been given a drawing of the young woman the last time she had been seen, along with instructions to look around the arch or the village to find the ‘run away’ princess.

By the time Tary passed another street with no luck, he began to fear for the worse. Breton’s words ringing in his ear. His imagination going wild at what the regent would plan if he failed at his mission. A cold sweat rolled down his temple at the very thought. He would have to pick up his pace if he were to report anything back to the regent. It was when he turned the corner; Did his eyes widen and lock onto a couple who walked by. The girl looking familiar to that of the girl on the drawing.

In fact, Tary took this moment to pull out the drawing and stare at it in a moment in comparison. His head darting from the paper to the woman as she walked further down the street. The poor chaps eyes widening even further as a lump formed in his throat. It was HER! It had to be!!! At long last he might have found her! His heart began to race in his chest, causing him to choke while stuffing the picture back into his shirt and under the armor chest plate.

Quickly Tary took off, his armor making a loud clanking sound as he ran in almost a odd waddle towards the couple standing at the fence.

“ STOP! Oh please for the sake of mylee stop!”

He shouted, The young man almost out of breath when he finally reached the two and stopped. “ Lady Faye? I pray it be you. I’m..I’m Tary Gregger. A body guard sent by Lord Breton Fair’lones, Your future husband wishes to provide protection.” He spoke in a deep accent, slightly out of breath, while he gained his composure and searched for the drawing he had stashed on him. Once found he found the picture, he held out before the two with a hopeful look.

[Deleted]

"Well I suppose we could try just pushing on the gate. I don't see a lock or a latch anywhere." As Faye reached up with her right hand to try to open the gate, she paused with her hand midair. She could hear a man yelling and she turned around to see the guard running towards her.

As the man introduced himself, Faye became angry, but stuffed the feeling down and hid it with a smile, which only faded soon after the introduction. She had thought that maybe Adrain had sent somebody after her once he had noticed she left, but no, this was a guard sent by Breton? Noku's regent? Faye wrinkled her forehead to try to process what was going on. Then her eyes became wide at the words 'future husband'. "I am sorry, what did you just say?" She blinked, anger forming very obviously on her face.

Faye took a deep breath. It wasn't the guards fault after all. It was her father. He just wouldn't quit. "I'm sorry Tary, but Lord Breton is no future husband of mine. I have my future standing right here next to me." She smiled sweetly and looked over towards Shy. "Your services are not needed here." Her tone was firm, but not unfriendly. "I am sorry to have wasted your time."

[Séanait Nic Ádhamhnán]

When Shy heard the clanking, her head whipped around involuntarily, looking for danger. What she saw was a flustered looking young man, only partly armoured, and wearing the colours of the Regent. Shy narrowed her eyes and moved to put herself between the man and Faye. She had no idea what was going on here and, though the man didn't quite look like a threat, she didn't want to take any chances where Breton was concerned. Mentally cursing herself for not wearing any kind of armour, Shy hastily looked around for a good stick she could grab if the need arose. With only a belt knife, finding a good stick might be the only way to protect Faye.

Unfortunately, Tary was not there to kill Faye. Oh no, he was there to do something far worse: tell her that she was going to marry Breton. Shy realised that she was gripping her belt knife tightly and glaring murderously at Tary, so she took a deep breath and released her grip, holding her hands palm forward at her waist to show him she wasn't planning anything stupid.

Glancing at Faye, Shy sighed and slumped against the fence, smiling sadly. She was done, she knew. She was probably never going to see Faye again, and if she knew anything about Breton, he would quash any rumours about her and Faye with prolonged torture and a public execution. She could run now, she knew, run away and go back to where she had been before. Breton probably wouldn't try to pursue her too hard, and she might even be able to come back in a few years to try and finish her work.

Then her anger sparked. No, she would not run away from things again. She would not be a coward, she would die as honourably as possible.

Straightening up, Shy placed a gentle hand out Faye's shoulder. "How about we go and sit in the garden while we discuss things? I don't think you're going to get to run away from this marriage."

There was a sour twist to her lips, and she sighed as she looked at Tary.

"He'll probably have to come to. I don't doubt Breton will kill him if he doesn't."