Mercenary of Maleficient (for Rysk)

[alien_knight]

Ciaran treaded slowly through the bright forest, keeping his senses open for any trace of human habitation amongst the trees. The forest was something to behold; the grass seemed almost emerald in color. He could hear the gentle rushing of a nearby stream along with the chorus of the forests' birds. As beautiful and pure as these woods were, his purpose for being there was precisely the opposite.

Sixteen years ago, the knight merely a child squire who happened to be present at the celebration of the princess Aurora's birth. Ciaran watched in awe as two of the three good faeries bestowed their blessings upon the princess, but before the third could complete the ritual a fourth faerie arrived seemingly out of nowhere. This one was darker, more beautiful, and more majestic then all three of the others combined. She cursed Aurora to die before her sixteenth birthday by having her finger pricked on a spindle, and soon afterwards disappeared in a column of green fire.

Ciaran was horrified by the power of this dark faerie-queen who he came to know was named Maleficent. But at the same time, she had the most power and ambition of any living being that he had ever seen, and in time he began to see her as almost a goddess. When he came of age and attained his knighthood, Ciaran set out to find Maleficent and swore his sword to her, becoming her champion and dark knight. She rewarded him with a black sword infused with fel magic and sent him on his first quest:

"Find the princess Aurora and bring her to me!"

The task was not as simple as expected, for the princess had apparently gone into hiding. The black knight traveled across the lands, kidnapping several maidens from their homes or off of the roads. Each one he brought back to Maleficent's stronghold in the "forbidden mountains" were confirmed to not be Aurora by her, but were taken into their new mistress' service as maidservants. Both wicked and perverse, Ciaran relished the act of capturing these young women; either through fraud or force. Some of the girls were seduced by the young knight into traveling with him on some kind of adventure, only to awake bound and gagged over his saddle and realize that she had been tricked into becoming his captive. Other times, Ciaran was much more overt and simply took his victims from where they stood. He was always amused when a maiden would try to defend herself, only for him to easily disarm her and carry her away as she screamed in distress. Ciaran was always under strict orders from Maleficent to not bring any serious or lasting physical harm to his hostages, but he was by no means gentle with them. He especially enjoyed taking a girl over his knee and spanking her into submission, and tended to do so when one of his captives was acting defiant (or whenever it amused him).

But now, Maleficent was getting tired of him showing up at her doorstep with new maidservants, and demanded the he find the genuine article. Ciaran briefly stopped his search and knelt down next to a stream, observing his own reflection. He had a navy-blue cloak and semi-long dark hair. If one were to comment on his features, they might say that he looked sharp and handsome but that there was something about him that was just...wrong. His sword was strapped to his back, but he took it off and let it down on the side of the river.

"If I were a princess....where would I hide?" he mused quietly.

[Rysk]

Aurora walked through the woods, followed by an entourage of forest dwelling animals. She sang softly to herself and the animals as she walked. Her long blonde hair hung loose down around her shoulders.

She came to a small clearing by the river and stopped. She sat by the water, and the animals drew closer as she continued to softly sing. The two deer, a doe and a buck lay down behind her as if to guard her. A few rabbits hopped around infront if her, and a fox sat at her side. She paused for a moment and pet the fox on the head before she continued singing. She wasn't wearing a spectacular dress that would be fitting for a princess, however the blue dress she wore was still nice. It would have been affordable for a peasant however, it didn't look as though it had ever been worn by one. The cloak she wore around her shoulders was a light gray color.

She was completely unaware that there was anyone else in the area, let alone a short way off on the opposite bank. She began to sing again, this time to and somewhat about the animals around her. After singing for a bit she looked back at the deer and away from the river. She smiled at them then looked back to the water, looking at her own reflection in it. She placed her hand on the fox's head again but didn't say anything this time. She simply observed her reflection.

[alien_knight]

Ciaran's contemplation was interrupted when he heard a feminine voice singing nearby. Looking up, he saw wondrously beautiful young woman with golden hair and red lips on the other side of the bank, surrounded by a following of various animals. He was immediately surprised and impressed how graceful the cadence of her voice, but more impressive was the fact that she had all of those woodland creatures crowded around her. They didn't seem to be tamed or anything, and it felt as if they had come to her of their own will.

"Gift of song..." said Ciaran, under his breath. Maybe she was the one. He would have to play things carefully if he wanted to get his hands on her.

The rogue knight clapped in applause, hoping to get the girl's attention.

"Hey there! That was beautiful. It seems as if you've attracted quite an audience."

[Rysk]

Aurora gasped when he clapped and then spoke. Most of the animals scattered, the deer went just into the tree line. She herself turned to face the man who spoke, "And you've frightened them away.." she said as she looked in the direction of the deer as they continued walking off. She walked to the edge of the bank, allowing the river to separate them. "I've never seen you around here before.." she said softly as she studied his face. She looked at him for a few moments, then stepped back, "I.. should be on my way.." she said, it was clear she wanted to turn and walk away, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

[alien_knight]

Ciaran picked up his sword and strapped it back on as he rose to his feet.

"I'm terribly sorry; I didn't mean to scare them off. As it happens, I'm just passing through this region. A knight is always in search of wrongs to right."

He wondered how gullible the girl was. She seemed to be on-guard, so anything he could say to put her at ease would work to his advantage.

[Rysk]

Aurora smiled at him, "I see. Well... they can be a little skittish..." she said glancing in the direction the deer had gone again. She visibly relaxed just a little, "So.. what sort of wrongs do you right?" she asked watching him. From the look on her face her question was pure curiosity, as though she wasn't thoroughly aware of what most knights actually did.

[alien_knight]

"Well..." said Ciaran. He figured that he'd need to improvise a little bit.

"A knight, if you haven't heard of them, are warriors who have sworn chivalric oaths to a king or other member of the royalty."

He stepped onto a nearby rock and postured proudly, resting an arm on his knee.

"Our duties involve fighting in wars on behalf of our leaders, protecting the innocent, and saving those who are in distress."

[Rysk]

Aurora laughed just a little when he postured though she had no real reason to do so."Oh, I see.." she replied, "Who is your oath to?" she asked curiously. Then she caught herself, "Nevermind.. I shouldn't pry.." she said softly. "Well, it was nice talking with you.." she said as she turned and began walking along the river bank. The water was still between her and the stranger so she wasn't worried. She began to hum softly and a little bird came and landed on her shoulder. She glanced behind her once at the stranger, she'd only taken a few steps. "By the way, if... if you need to get across the river there's a fallen log that spans it just back that way.." she said with a smile.

[alien_knight]

"Oh! What a coincidence!" said Ciaran with a playful smile. "I just happen to be going the same way you are."

He paced along the riverbank, parallel with Aurora.

"What's your name, anyway? I'm Ciaran."

[Rysk]

Aurora looked at him for a moment, smiling just a little. "Are you? Then perhaps we could walk together Ciaran.." she was quiet for a moment, "And.. my name is Briar Rose.." she answered with a smile.