Alone in the dark!

[Lessien Mithrandír]

[glow=blue,2,300]Drip! Drip![/glow] The constant fall of water echoed through the dungeon cell. Damp and dank, the flagstone floor puddle with condensation. The stench of corpses and burnt skin ran through the air; of urine and other necessary bodily functions. Th cell was small and dark; walls enclosed the captive, there was no means of fresh air. Alone figure shock with cold in a single corner; the brown hair tumbled in filth; with head bowed she made no move. Opposite her lay hay a make shift bed fit for nothing but rats. The plagued animals scared along the floor hour after hour. Time was no existent in such a place with no sun and no stars to tell the days apart. Coughing ripped through the small body as Lessien lifted her head. What had she done to be left here? What was it meant to prove? The once clean linen was now dirty beyond repair the thin material clung to ever curve of her body. Closing her eyes she began a small pray, anything to keep her mind of the situation.

[glow=purple,2,300]Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
for ever and ever. Amen[/glow]

[Lessien Mithrandír]

As time passed by ever so slowly in the tiny cell; the loneliness was consuming. With a lack of a companionship become intolerable. The Osprey’s absence lay heavy on Lessien’s heart. With no one to talk to the normal bubbly girl was fading away. She had no one to share her emotions with no one to talk to about the inner turmoil of her soul. Lessien simple slowly faded away, retreating from the outside world. The solitude of the dungeons although unwelcome offered one thing; time to think and reflect. Lessien did not know whether this is what was intended by the act of the dungeons or not and she didn’t want to know. What ever the Queen wanted she could keep to herself!

As time went on thoughts were thrown around the mind. Things began to organize themselves into some kind of order. Reasons sprang up and connected with event. Lessien began working out to an extent of the happenings and her life and their purpose. Things that had occurred long before Avaren became clear. Offers of marriage her father turned down without a thought. Reasons why her green Fay eye’s and oak brown hair; matched none in her family. The old stories about the ancient people if the Irish wood that surrounded Tryanth. Rumors of a babe found beneath the old oak by the rock pools. A Fay child! One of the others! Born of a mortal woman; pale skinned; to young to survive the birth.

The connections were coming together. Purpose and reasoning; opening to the unknown. Knowledge; that could shape the course of a future; already laid out. The constant voice! The old witch; of the Forgotten Woods. Fate was upon them all; all that was left was to act. As time slipped into unknown turns sleep drifted over Lessien. Her eyes weighed heavy, their lids slipping shut.

Birds flew freely in the open blue sky; gliding over rolling green hills and pastures; wild horses galloped after them as if in pursuit. Never such a sight had Lessien seen in her young life. It had been months since the 11year old and her family had step onto the decks of the Fair Maiden; heading for this new and foreign land. A new start her father had said to his little girl amongst brothers. Lessien’s green eyes had lit up with excitement but nothing was going to prepare her for the curse of the land; nor the pain it would cause her in future years. Living in the highlands was great until war broke out between the clans. Before the Great War Lord Macbeth was killed for his crown the family had made it away from their home of 5 years. Sir Laurence had thought his family safe but back home things had changed. Nothing was going to prepare them for the horrible fate that awaited them.

After settling back into life in Ireland, safe in their own keep of Tryanth; the Mithrandír family found happiness again for a short time. Trouble was brewing in the south. Loyalties began to fall apart. Trust was thrown out a window. Old friends became enemies and old enemies Allies. No matter what, you didn’t know who to trust. The eve of her eldest brothers betrothal came about he was to marry long time ally Daniel Lockhart’s daughter. With the Troth in celebration the attack came swift and sure, the target unseeing ad unaware. Lessien may have very well lost her life that night; save for the winds voices; the guardians of this unknowing young woman; guardians of this child of the other realm. Flames lapped at the keep and scrams rang out.

Sweat dripped from her brow; sitting up with her head in her hands the dream faded. The walls closed in again more a comfort from the demons than a restraint on her world; her sole companions quiet, unseeing but all knowing. Heart racing Lessien breathed deep; how does anyone survive such loneliness? The thought struck her hard as she hit reality, she was alone but not alone.

Lying back down; eyes open Lessien though of the banquet. The image of stern grey eyes came to her mind; they had greeted her as she curtsied, she had given due respect even when arrested. What was it about that woman that had Lessien in wonder? Was it the passion and the strength; her inner ability to judge rightly in the best interests of her people. Is it the wonder of her position strong and beautiful; a fair Queen who has great respect from her subjects? There were many positive feelings that had come from those eyes, but looking hard there was a fear not lurking to far below.

The bolt of her cell door slid open. Lessien stood covering her skin that the torn dress exposed. A guard entered with a bowl of watery broth and stale bread; and a clean bucket in his hand, behind him followed a hunched old woman who collected the used bucket. The guard’s eye’s looked Lessien up and down. As both turned to exist; unexpected words were spoken, “God bless you both. May I ask if a blanket could be spare? It is rather cold in here and…” The door was slammed shut the bolt replace. The darkness and silence once again engulfed the young woman with her Fay green eyes and oak brown hair.

[Lessien Mithrandír]

Lessien sat in the dark cell her hair in tangles; the long strands knotted. Her fine lined face covered in dirt. Sickness had progressed well; her cheek sunken, her skin plagued with fever. She had not put a morsel of food to her lips for fear of not knowing the contents. She sat there time after time as the pray the old sisters use to sing in the abbey passed over her lips. Lessien never made a move as people came in to collect her bucket and proceeded out again. She hadn’t spoken to another soul since asking for the blanket. Her ankles presented a number of bites from hungry rats. Whether it was plague that had its grips on this cold young woman or just consumption or a starvation from not eating; no one really gave notice. Time passed on as delirium passed a came again.

[Rianne Herculides]

OOC: Oh no hun >< I forgot I had to post here, I have been dealing with so much OOC battles I forgot about how I told Vidar not to post here, drat! Gahhhhhh! I will get right on this, sorry!

[Rianne Herculides]

There was a creak of the cell door opening to allow one figure to enter in the dimming light, with guards with torches behind her. Rianne’s face was hard and her eyes were flashing as she looked down on the small prisoner. She was wearing a cloak with the hood up on her plaited black hair and covering a dark blue dress. The Queen stared at Lessien for a few moments before taking a deep breath and a hand reaching into the folds of her cloak where she would usually have her blade. It rested there slightly before withdrawing and throwing the parcel at Lessien’s feet. It was not a blade, but a rucksack, surprisingly. “Sometimes God is merciful.” The woman said simply, not losing any of her composure and standing aside so that a guard could walk in with the girl’s osprey resting on his arm.

“Lessien Mithrandir, you are hereby pardoned by the Crown and the Church of any crimes we may have accused you of, on one condition. Leave Avaren, return from wherever you came, but do not return to this land.” Rianne said coldly, nodding to the girl and flashing a small smile. There were reasons behind why she hadn't set Vidar on the young girl, but it was mostly because she was too young and because she hadn't been dragged kicking and screaming to her cell. There was time for redemption in the young, they were not totally corrupt. “I hope you choose the right path Miss Lessien, and pray we do not meet again.”

With that the Queen walked out, leaving Lessien with the guard who had her bird. That was it…that was all she said. The rucksack had what Lessien would need to get out of Avaren and travel, and the guard was assigned to get her out of the borders. He walked over to the girl and held out a hand, his eyes much softer then the Queen’s. “Are you ready miss?”