Revenge (Ronja, Darius, Radella)

[NICHOLAS SANDROSE]

After inspecting the pistol one last time, Nicholas flipped on its safety catch and slid it into his jacket pocket. He’d been secretly practicing for several days -- deep in the forest behind the castle, where even the loud crash of a gunshot went unnoticed. The sessions hadn’t made him a great marksman. But he’d gotten comfortable with the weapon, and that was all he’d hoped to achieve. Nicholas didn’t plan on shooting at Radella from a great distance. No, he’d wait until he could look that Atra bitch in the eye, and then he’d grin at her while he pulled the trigger.

Having taken care of the gun, Nicholas gathered up his remaining supplies: a canteen filled with water, a compass, a blanket, some rations. He didn’t plan on being gone for more than a few days and he needed to travel light. With luck, this would be done before people had a chance to miss him. Nicholas hated the thought of causing Ronja or Ellylon any additional distress.

Although, in some dark corner of his heart, Nicholas couldn’t help wondering if Ellylon would even notice his absence. Everything had been so promising when they’d first become involved. She’d seemed so excited about their relationship. But now, days passed when he didn’t even see her. Did she still want to continue things between them? Or had the thrill of possessing a mortal lover worn off so quickly?

Well, maybe giving Ellylon some space would help her sort things out. And this needed to be done. Ronja deserved to be avenged. Other innocent fae deserved to be protected from monsters like Radella.

Walking swiftly, with a newfound sense of purpose, Nicholas left his room behind. In order to avoid notice, he exited the castle through the kitchen -- a door used by servants led him out into the vegetable garden. Beyond that, only an orchard lay between Nicholas and the road which would take him into the swamp. Many of the trees had already dropped their fruit, but a few late apples still clung to the branches, and Nicholas plucked one as he passed beneath it, biting into the crisp, sweet flesh. The sun shone brightly in the sky overhead. The air was just chill enough that he could see little puffs of breath when he exhaled. And, despite the grisly nature of his mission, Nicholas couldn’t help being in a good mood.

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja couldn't believe what Nicholas was doing. Not that he had expressly told him what he was doing, but it didn't tale her long to find out. Now that she was no longer on bed rest and feeling much better so that her scars were healed, but still very visible. She still bothered to glamour over them to some degree, but only Radella's name most days. She'd taken Darius as her lover and had enough for her usually multiple romps. Things still weren't exactly set with him, but someone was coming of it she was sure. That did not mean that she had no time for Nicholas, she made time for him, going on runs, playing those silly board games she had gotten used to... and following him when he went on little excursions without him. Now, it wasn't like she spied on him all the time, what if he was meeting Ellylon? But the time that she had, she knew something was up. Target practice. And she was smart enough to realize he was doing it for her.

So when he acted particularly fishy, she got dressed in heavier materials, slipped a knife into her pocket and followed him. Because really, what chance did he have with Radella? if she a grown fae couldn't take her? Sure Nicholas was a good man, but she never would describe him as physically strong. That wasn't what she saw in him. And maybe to some extent it was her pride, if he won, that made her weaker than a human she thought unable to succeed. Ronja might loose all sense self.

So she crept after him, outside and towards the swamps. She watched him grab and apple, her footsteps quiet as she followed a reasonable distance behind. he wasn't making a huge effort to be quiet yet so it wasn't hard. But she hated hanging back, waiting to pounce on whoever tried to kill him first, so she ran up behind him, her footsteps still light. "You're crazy if you thought you could get away with this without me knowing." She said from behind him. It was a suicide mission. And she would never let him walk into death, but she knew she couldn't get him to turn around and abort, just as he had to know she would never go back to the castle now.

[NICHOLAS SANDROSE]

Nicholas hadn’t thought he was particularly tense. However, when a voice suddenly addressed him from behind, he spit out his bite of apple with such force that it traveled nearly a foot before falling on the ground. Nicholas’s hand went for his pistol as he spun around, prepared to fight. But he never even drew it. After seeing who’d spoken, his panic ebbed away, replaced by a sense of resignation. “Ronja,” he sighed. “You scared the hell out of me.”

"You're crazy if you thought you could get away with this without me knowing."

Staring at the ground, Nicholas found himself unable to meet Ronja’s eyes. He felt like a child who’d been caught while trying to run off and join the circus. Maybe Ronja was right -- maybe he should have known that she’d discover his plan. She understood him so well. But she’d been busy lately. Not too busy for him, of course. Just busy enough that Nicholas noticed. Although they hadn’t really discussed it, Nicholas suspected that she’d taken another lover. Perhaps someone she met at that cursed Halloween Ball. Nicholas had hoped that the new relationship might keep Ronja so distracted that she didn’t notice his little trips out of the castle.

Apparently not.

“I didn’t want you getting hurt,” Nicholas mumbled, dragging the toe of his boot through the dirt. “I knew that if I told you what I was doing, you’d insist on coming. You’ve already been through so much. I didn’t want to put you in any more danger.”

Beyond that, Nicholas couldn’t really explain himself. Why didn’t he just let Ealdun’s knights handle Radella? Why did he need to prove himself to Ronja by attempting a task for which he was so utterly unsuited? She didn’t expect him to be a warrior. But Nicholas was tired of feeling weak, tired of feeling helpless. He needed to assert some sense of power. He needed to show that he could triumph, even if he was just a mortal lost in a world of magical beings.

Besides, the thought of what Radella had done to Ronja still drove him nearly mad with rage.

Finally, Nicholas met Ronja’s gaze. His face was a mask of stubborn pride. “You’re not going to try and make me turn back, are you?”

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

"Imagine if I wanted to do you harm, I certainly wouldn't start by talking, I would have pinned you to the ground from behind." Ronja hadn't meant to scare him, but obviously she had. "Besides, something I learned from Rad, keep your body loose, the stiffer you are, the harder you fall."

Ronja listened to him explain himself. She felt like a teacher or a parent, having caught their child doing something they were not allowed to do. Now, Nicholas was a man, and he the right to do as he pleased, but no one was free to do as they pleased without the influence of others. She just smiled and shook her head, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nicholas, its sweet that you worry about me, and care about me, but this is a suicide mission for you, and if its an issue of pent up rage and testosterone, I can think of far better ways of releasing it than this." She said raising her eyebrows slightly. He had to know that this was out of his league, out of hers too, they should let someone else handle it.

"No, I figured couldn't. But you're not getting rid of me, because if I walk away now...I know for sure you won't make it back." It wasn't that she thought he'd win every fight, but Ronja had lost to Rad, and she wasn't exactly soft. Ronja smiled and crossed her arms across her chest, almost daring him to pick a fight with her over this. He had to know he needed her help--someone's help.

[NICHOLAS SANDROSE]

“...this is a suicide mission for you.”

Nicholas shook his head. “No. It’s not.” Did Ronja think so little of him? Did she really imagine that he would march into the swamp and throw rocks at Radella? Pulling the pistol from his pocket, Nicholas showed it to her -- since she regularly visited the human world, he assumed that she’d recognize a gun. Besides, if this wasn’t the first time she’d followed him, she’d already seen him use it.

“Fae are stronger, faster, more magical. But you get stuck in your ways. You still fight your wars with armor and swords.” Nicholas turned the gun in his hands, tracing the trigger guard with one finger. “Humans constantly change. We imagine. We invent. That’s our advantage. And I’m going to use that advantage against Radella. When she sees me, she’ll just see one more helpless mortal. She won’t expect a gun.”

With a grim smile, Nicholas slid the pistol back into his jacket pocket. “One shot at close range is all I need. And she’ll never harm anyone again.”

However, when Ronja folded her arms across her chest, Nicholas’s smile turned genuinely mirthful. He adored her stubbornness. And he appreciated her concern for him. After all, if his suspicions were correct, she now enjoyed the comfort of a lover’s bed -- it meant a great deal to Nicholas that she was willing to exchange such comfort for a trek through the swamp.

“Alright,” Nicholas surrendered. Leaning forward, he placed an affectionate kiss on Ronja’s cheek. “You win. After all, what am I going to do? Outrun you?”

Offering his hand to Ronja, Nicholas resumed walking toward the road which lay on the orchard’s far side.

[DARIUS BYRON GOODLIFFE]

Darius had been with Ronja for most of his waking life since their reunion and when he wasn't with her, he wished with all his might that he was with her. So, when he found himself done sparring for the morning, or whatever time it was, he hurried to his room, took a quick shower, and headed toward Ronja's room. He was dying for her company and nothing would keep him from her right nowm unless she herself did not wish to see him at this moment.

Darius pushed this thought out of his head. Ronja had not turned him away yet. He approached her room and told the guard that he wished to see Lady Ronja. To his great surprise, however, the guard told Darius that Ronja was not in. He thought to ask the guard which way she had gone, but the fact that the guard was looking at him like he was an idiot, he decided not to bother. Knowing Ronja, after all those hours being cooped up, she had went for some fresh air.

Practically running, he was soon outside. Darius called her name, looking all around. His eyes landed on Ronja and a other guy that he did not recognize. Now, come on, what do think he was going to do, act normally? Jealousy overwhelmed him, and Darius found himself marching up behind the two, who were now holding hands. Feeling extremely satisfied with himself for being somewhat reasonable, he tapped Ronja on the shoulder. He pulled her into a quick embrace and looked loathingly at the man next to them. He wasn't fae, but had an important, but not gloating, aura around him. He seemed to feel something for Ronja, though it was not apparent whether the feelings were romantic.

Trying to keep a level voice, he asked the only question that would come out without sounding extremely wierd. "So, who's this?

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[RADELLA SYLPH RYME !]

[GO TO THE CRIES OF THE INNOCENT]
[RADELLA SYLPH RYME]

orchestrated music from behtoven (SPELLIN! XD) flitted through the ipod's speakers, into the pale ears of the monstrosity that held the hot pink ipod. the brown curls were planted on top of her head, the arrogant eyes ignoring everything but the music blasting into her ears. radella was sitting up high in one of the huge trees that dominated this part of the atra terra, right before the swamp took up most of the land. it was near the sight of her merciless torture of an argentum fae, Ronja, that one night a couple weeks ago. rad hadn't kept track of time since then. she'd become a classic nomad, walking anywhere and everywhere and never stopping once. she'd hoped that her crime would have been brought to attention right now - the three days was more than up - but sadly, no ravenous dogpack of good faeries were chasing her. which either meant ronja did not tell them, or that her words had been ignored. neither was very likely, so what was the true cause?

the girl shifted in the branch, adjusting her pale body, dressed in a gray tank top and ripped jeans and sneakers. she had a very expensive bracelt on her arm, all silver and encrested with angels, ironically, that she'd stolen from a jewelry store when she wanted to feel pretty. and it did bring up her already gorgeous features. it was only a few hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, that she heard them from somewhere. rad tensed, jerking the earphones from her ears, and moving to a crouching position, hanging downward to get the best possible hearing ability. she heard two faeries at first, and she recognized a petty human male voice and the voice of ronja - how lovely! and then, another male voice, a fae. she supposed, since the new male voice wasn't attacking the other two, he was also an argentum. so two argentum fae and one human. wonderful.

with inhuman percision, rad swung herself down from the tree silently, placing herself a good half-mile away from them, circling in a big arc around their bodies. they were close together, which made this easier. she inhaled deeply, tasting their scents on her tongue. this monstrosity was getting ready for another hunt, but first she would learn exactly what they were doing out here. she circled in slowly, not making any sound as she carefuly glided through the trees, until she was about 50 feet away. there, she stopped, angry she could not get a clear visual through the dense thicket. they seemed to be in some clearing, which would make it hard for her to see them period. but she heard.

they were talking about something. the male coming to get someone. ronja trying to stop him. then irrelevant sentences. the tangly smell of a gun, the sweet smell of the argentum fae. rad closed her eyes, placing her face millimeters from the ground. they were walking, away from her, seemingly towards a road. which was good to know. briefly, rad's mind went back to that day with ronja, the day she'd inadvertently given the girl several of her key tricks. stay loose - the stiffer you are, the harder you fall. among other things. she silently cursed that she'd given ron that advantage.
but for right now, rad was concentrating on the task at hand. they were talking about her. the little human with the gun wanted to kill her, ronja was afraid for his life, which was smart, and the other, irrelevant male seemed to be ron's lover. hmm. so three against one. she would not attack now. she would build up some followers first. rad was no fool. the gun that the human held would injure her as sure as anything else. by the sound of their talking though he wanted her to come into close range, which would not happen anytime soon. rad would stay in the shadows. maybe she would invite danny or some other atra to come and help her tear these imbeciles apart. really, she would not need help - she would just need these atra fae to occupy the two argentum while she grabbed the gun. right now, the gun was the main weapon that they possessed. unlike pure muscle and gut, a gun was able to impale a faerie without much effort at all. if shot in the right place, rad would go down. fae bled just as well as humans. she'd found that out on ronja.

so now came the question, how would she get the gun from the boy? but one thing was clear. somehow, ron and this other guy were going to try to protect this human from his doom. and so it was quite clear to radella what she needed to do now: the fae would not be allowed to baby the human forever. man had a natural 'personality' around fae. they hated to be treated like something less. this male would most likely wander off into the woods, anger fueling him as he tried to proove himself more than an big-headed mortal. and then rad would be waiting. from now on, the atra faerie would not stray far from this group. she would listen silently and hear what they were planning, and then, when they were at their weakest, she would let them attack.

of course, they would not hear her or see her. she was too skilled to let that happen. no, she was an expert at her game, and she knew exactly hwo to play this right. sure, humans were unpredictable, fae arrogant and strong-willed, but this was already playing out in her head, the pieces set up at the start, ready to play her malevolent, wonderful, amazing game of death.




words: 1000 even.
tagged: ronja, darius, nicholas
outfit: gray tank, ripped up skinny jeans, plain white skater shoes
notes: i love posting for radella, guys. excited for this thread. GO ENEMIES OF THE MONTH!

[RONJA IRIS AMALIA]

Ronja didn't have time to reply to Nicholas's question. It had been rhetorical anyway, but she had fully intended to tell him that there was no way on earth that he could out run her, no one but Rad could really outrun her, and even then, it was close. But she got no chance to speak because in a second someone tapped her on the shoulder. her first thought was Rad, but as the figure drew her into an embarace, the scent of her lover reached her and she realized who it was.

Darius.

Ronja leaned back in his arms a little, an almost sheepish look on her face. "Darius, this is Nicholas. He's my best friend." At these words she looked at him intently so he would understand. She wasn't cheating on Darius, and not with Nicholas. "He's going after Rad, and I could let him go to his death alone." Now maybe she should have been thinking more positively, three against one, two fae, one man with a gun... maybe they could pull it off and she tried to make herself smile hopefully. It mostly worked.

"I wasn't cheating on you." Ronja said more bluntly, pulling herself from his arms but holding his hand. "Nicholas, this is Darius." Ronja looked from one man to the other, trying to get a feel for the situation, but they were already too far out. they had to be careful, Radella could be anywhere, and her scars were still visible. Ronja didn't really want new ones, nor did she want matching ones on her friends.

[NICHOLAS SANDROSE]

When Nicholas felt Ronja being tugged from his grip, he spun around, prepared to attack. But it instantly became clear that she wasn’t in any danger. The man behind them held Ronja in a lover’s embrace, not a chokehold. And, as he gazed at her, his expression betrayed nothing except adoration.

So. This must be Ronja’s most recent lover. Relaxing slightly, Nicholas swept his eyes over the newcomer. He looked vaguely familiar...Nicholas felt almost certain that he’d seen him before, sparring with some of the other knights. His appearance and bearing definitely suggested someone who fought for a living. Rugged. Muscular. Smoldering. Everything which Ronja craved, everything which Nicholas simply couldn’t be. Nicholas was surprised that it still stung a little. After all, he loved someone else now. Shouldn’t he be happy for Ronja?

Of course, on some level, he did feel happy for her. But it was harder to experience that happiness when he was staring into the face of her new lover.

"Nicholas, this is Darius."

“Hello,” Nicholas greeted, making no effort to sound enthusiastic. But he did extend a hand for Darius to shake. “I’m Nicholas Sandrose. The court bard.”

Rather selfishly, Nicholas liked having Ronja to himself when they were together. He wasn’t happy about becoming the third wheel on a mission which had originally been his idea. But Darius could fight. Nicholas felt fairly confident that shooting Radella would work -- otherwise, he never would have allowed Ronja to come along. However, just incase something did go wrong, Darius could protect her. Nicholas couldn’t stand the thought of Ronja getting hurt. And if ensuring her safety meant that he’d be falling asleep to the sound of sex noises every night, so be it.

“I suppose you can come with us,” Nicholas muttered. “If you have to.” Then, without looking at either of them, Nicholas started walking down the road which would lead them into the swamp. He just assumed that Darius would follow. After all, if Darius allowed Ronja to face danger without him, then he was no worthy lover.

[DARIUS BYRON GOODLIFFE]

"Darius, this is Nicholas. He's my best friend."

Darius couldn't mask his relief, but even then, he was still wary of the, as he now recognized by the scent, mortal. He didn't impose any danger, but he was jealous of the time that Ronja must share with her friend. The human seemed affectionate enough, what was there to worry about? Then, Ronja's next words registered in his mind. Radella. Thay were going for Radella. He couldn't let them go without protection. He didn't doubt Ronja, but, looking Nicholas up and down, it seemed that she would have to protect more than herself. Nicholas didn't seem to be very strong or muscular and Darius doubted that the mortal could defend himself against a horrible fae, such as Radella. He would be walking straight into his own death. The two would need help and Darius could provide it. No, he would.

At Ronja's cheating comment, Darius laughed a little. "No, I suspect not. That thought didn't even cross my mind. In this case, lying was the right way to go. Then Nicholas introduced himself and stuck his hand out for Darius to shake. The court bard, huh? Interesting. Darius gripped Nicholas's hand and shook it, nodding. He would be amiable for Ronja, but Nicholas could not expect them all to hold hands and skip off into the sunset. As Nicholas walked off, Darius turned to Ronja. "So, how good is this Rad, anyway?"

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