ROLEPLAY HQ - two-sides-of-a-coin

Wolves howled in the dark of the night as the snow fell on under the November sky, the lakes and rivers frozen, the unforgiving wind blew in the air. A fully-fledged storm brewed on the horizon, as every living animal and being looked to hide from the elements. Yet, on this harsh night, a group of warriors covered in thick snow fur, heavy winter boots, and massive hulking men marched and trudged through the heavy snow. Horses could not gallop in such weather, carriages would be stuck and be prey to predators lurking in the woods. Yet, 50 warriors trudged begrudgingly slow through the snow, to reach their destination. A warrior shouted in desperation. ''Lorax! The storm is too heavy! We have to find shelter, and we have to find it now or we will be snow cones by the time we reach the Half-moon village, do you fucking hear me!'' Introducing Lorax, a young man only 24 years old, ambitious, wild, and stubborn as a mule. There was a reason why he traveled in the storm, it was to reach the Halfmoon village before his rival returned with his main army from the front. Lorax grids his teeth in anger, even if he wanted to achieve his goal, there wouldn't be anyone left to command by the time they made it. In anger and desperation, he kicked the snow in front of him before agreeing to the warriors' demands for shelter. ''Fuck!'' He shouted. ''Alright, get into that fucking cave ahead, we'll wait out the storm, and as soon as it's over we're resuming our march. I don't wanna hear NONE of you want to sleep, not before our raid.'' The goal of this raid was revenge. His rival had convinced his ex-fiance of 8 months to elope with him when he found out it was already over. They married 3 days after her escape, making her his legitimate wife. Lorax wanted to get revenge, by kidnapping his sister, the young Freya. @ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya was in her family home, more towards the middle of the village. There was a fire, crackling in its place. She was sitting at the table near, her eyes scanning her father’s letters. It was mostly nonchalant things, asking her how she was and how their people were doing. She worried, worried for her family. They were in the line of danger. Her beautiful white curls were pushed to on shoulder, resting against the side of her face. It was a cold night, which left the Halfmoon Princess in only a nightgown. She heard the wind rattle the windows, her eyes kept glancing from the letter to the window. She was worried, worried for her people. The warriors and hunters that went off to protect their home. The people that stayed behind. This petty war was over a woman. She would never understand men but she was not in the position to rule. She was just disappointed in her brother, though she loved him, they were family. Did she believe this war could’ve been avoided? Yes… but here they were. Freya slowly stood up, walking over to chest. She kneeled down, pulling out ink and paper. So she could send a letter back to her father, explaining how the weather was causing difficulties within hunting and gathering. How many were now catching ill and how the healers were struggling with the ill and having limited supplies. She may have been blessed by the gods but she did not feel it! The winters were the worst. The weather, the cold, everything. She didn’t even know if she could get out of their hut. She was sure the snow had piled up in front of the door. Though, she knew better, she needed to stay strong for her people. She was blessed to have her people and she needed to protect them. She rubbed her forehead, finishing up the letter and pressing it down with wax sigil. She then walked over to the raven cage, grabbing one and opened the window. She gasped, feeling the cold air bursted into the room. She shuddered and quickly let the bird fly away, needing to close the door. Once she did, she shook her head, “Seven Hells…” She closed the curtains, finding herself alone now. Just her and the crackling of the fire. @Owen

The warriors lit a fire for the night, exhausted and sleepy, they couldn't move either. With Lorax breathing down their necks, they gave him an ultimatum. ''Lorax, we cannot stay up any further, we have been up for 36 hours. Let us eat, let us sleep for the night. Think of your people too. We promised to come with you, but you are overstepping your welcome.'' Left with no choice on the matter, he reluctantly agreed to let them eat and sleep for the night. ''Very well, Misha, tell the men they can eat and sleep, first thing tomorrow morning is the attack, you understand?'' ''I do, Lorax. You should sleep too. I understand you wanna get this over with, but you'll catch an illness if you don't sleep.'' He pondered Misha's words for a moment and reluctantly agreed. They all took out their bedrolls for the night, ate some dried meat, and went to sleep. When they woke up in the early morning, it was around 5 am, a perfect time to strike. They gathered everyone in a formation and they went through the plan of attack once more. ''Remember, we're not there to raid them, our goal is the princess, we go in, kidnap her, and go out, do not spill unwanted blood, was I clear? We're doing this so I can exact my revenge.'' @ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya sat by the fire for a bit more before she finally felt exhaustion flood her body. She walked over to the fire, putting more wood on it so that it may remain overnight. She made sure everything was secure, her hut was locked, her people were safe. She walked over to a window, seeing the dark streets of her village. She smiled to herself, knowing her people were resting in peace. She took a deep breath, closing the curtains. She had found peace with the dark and the cold. Freya walked over to her quarters, opening and keeping the door open so her the fire can leak into her room. She walked over to her bed, picking up the animal fur and getting underneath. She found herself looking at the wall, seeing the moon shine into her room. Finally, sleep founds its way into her mind and body. Her eyes fluttering close as her lips parted, gentle breaths escaping from her lips as she finally found sleep within this cold night. Five in the morning rolled around, the Princess was still asleep. Her fire had died, her home was cold. Yet she found warmth under the animal fur. Her chest rose slowly, her eyes closed. It was a peaceful morning, no one in the village awake at this time. Freya looked so peaceful, so beautiful in her sleep. Her white curls sprawled around on her pillow, her body covered in bear fur. Though, underneath was a silk nightgown. She was a pretty little thing, her father always had suitors offering themselves for her hand. Offering gifts and money, though her father always denied. @Owen

They slowly made their way towards the village gates, it was still dark at 5 am, giving the warriors an advantage. The sentinels on the wooden walls were idle, trying to keep themselves warm by the fire. When suddenly, an arrow struck one of the two in the head. In a panic the sentinel next to his dead colleague rushed towards the village bell, in the hope of alerting the village of this impending attack, alas, a spear to his dome stopped him altogether. With the Sentinels silenced, and the village unaware of the attack, Lorax walked towards the gates with Misha, they quickly climbed over. Then they lifted the latch off and opened the huge village gates. The warriors slowly made their way toward the village center, since one of them knew which hunt was the princess', they came up with another plan. In a hushed, quiet tone, Lorax told his party. ''Search every house. Do not kill anyone, if they do not fight back. Understood?'' The warriors gave him a nod, and the search began. The first house they broke into, had almost nobody inside, an old man slept on his bed, too weak to shout, and too old to care. He told the warriors inside. ''You will not find anything in my home. But feel free to try.'' After an hour of searching, nothing was found, only terrified women, children, and the elderly. What little warriors and hunters remained, were either tied up or killed due to opposing them. There was one last house left to search, Lorax, impatient at his lack of progress, walked in the last house with Misha, ordering his warriors the following. ''Keep the gates open, once we catch the princess, we bail out, and someone please keep an eye on the hunters and the few warriors they have left.'' Lorax walked into the house with Misha and began looking around the rooms. Misha found Freya first, she was still sleeping. He pressed his knife against her throat, and his hand pressed against her mouth. When she woke up he told her. ''Shh, shh.'' @ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya heard boots outside, crunching snow due to people walking. She thought it was just her people, up and moving for the day. She rolled onto her back, trying to sleep more. She didn’t think anything bad was happening. Her body slipped back into sleep while Lorax and his men began to search her home. She remained unaware when an unknown man came into her room. Though, she felt a sting on her neck and a hand covering her mouth. Freya’s eyes immediately shot open, looking up at the man. Her eyes widened more but she remained very still, she knew better. She wasn’t about to get her throat slit, her people needed her. She slowly moved her hands out from under the covers, instead of trying to fight Misha. Her hands went up by her sides, like she meant no harm. Misha was definitely the one in control of this situation, Freya had no choice but to listen to demands first and ask questions later. More so because she had no weapons, was only in a nightgown, and was very groggy from being woken up like this. Though, the more she woke up, the more this man looked a little bit familiar to her. Like she’s seen him before. Not that he lived around here but with her father, when she went somewhere. Her eyes relaxed, just looking up at the man. She didn’t try and scream, nothing. She was behaving, she wasn’t dumb. @Owen

Misha quickly spoke to her. ''Get dressed and make no noise. You are being abducted, you have two minutes and do not try to escape your room through the window, your house is surrounded, we are 10 times your numbers right now and your sentries and soldiers have either been neutralized by rope or killed by the blade.'' He went to the corner and told her. ''I will not look at you change, but you must promise not to try and escape. Even if you do kill me, my friend Lorax Snowstorm will deal with you on the way out'' And so, despite knowing that there was a chance for Freya to kill him, he decided to trust his gut. He turned around and waited for the girl to dress up as quickly as possible. They couldn't kidnap her in her nightgown for she would freeze to death halfway through the journey. ''Hurry up would you, princess Freya,'' Misha mentioned he was getting impatient. Meanwhile, Lorax was sitting outside, waiting for Misha to bring him some news or something.

7:16 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya watched as the man turned around. He was in the corner, trusting her. She looked around her room. She moved the covers off of her legs, her feeling touching the cold ground. She quietly dragged her boots out so she could put them on. Once her boots were on, she made her footsteps a bit more quiet. So he didn’t know she had boots on just yet. She walked over to the fire iron, her eyes focused on the man’s back. Once it was in her hands, she didn’t even wait. In a blink of an eye, the Princess had swung the fire iron, connecting it with the back of Misha’s head. She then got to her window and forced it open, climbing out. She didn’t care if she was only in a night gown, she’d rather freeze. Once she was out, she took off sprinting down the street. She did notice more people, she knew wasn’t her people. Though, she threw the iron to the side so it didn’t slow her down. Though, once she got to the gate, she froze. She slid a bit on the ice as she stopped. Multiple men were in front of the gate, guarding it. She mumbled something, along the lines of, “Fucking Snowstorm- Amund, why- why… why did you take his bride. Stupid- stupid- brother.”

7:33 AM

@Owen

The men quickly surrounded her, while an injured Misha ran out of the house, looking at Lorax, and telling him ''The bitch hit me with the iron rod. Fuck, I should've been more careful.'' Lorax, however, seemed extremely calm. He nudged forward and told Misha. ''We've got it all settled, look over there. Our men have surrounded her.'' They quickly disarmed her and despite her wishes tied her up, of grabbed a sled from a shed nearby. They were gonna tie her up on the sled and bring her along like this, with this much snow the sled would slide on quite easily. Then Lorax walked up to Freya and told her in a calm tone. ''Good morning princess, as you know, your brother Amund stole my future wife, and for that reason, I'm gonna kidnap you and bring you back to Snowstorm territory.'' ''I hope you enjoy snow, because you're going in the mountains.'' He patted her head and ordered 2 men to drag the sled forward, they were finally going home, but not without Misha being absolutely furious about his minor head injury. (edited)

7:41 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya turned and looked at Lorax, she knew this guy. She knew him and she was not happy, not happy to see him at all. She struggled against the men tying her up but eventually she was in the shed. She glared at Lorax as he walked up to her. She then scoffed, finding this all ridiculous. “Why do YOU even need a wife? You’ll never be chief of your clan- you don’t need to sire any children. So why start a petty war over a woman who CLEARLY didn’t love you like you love her. And why drag me into this-“ She hated how she couldn’t even move when he patted her head. She rolled her eyes, “This is so stupid. If you are just going to kill me, do it now. It’ll save you the headache-“ As they kept up the march home, she felt the cold air nip at her skin and she regretted not getting proper clothes on. She found this so dumb, what did he even want from her? She was not going to marry him if that’s what he thought. She looked over at Misha and she felt a little bad, he was nice. Though, he did wake her up with a mouth over her hand and a knife to the throat. She shook her lead, looking back forward. She contemplated screaming but who would really be around? Maybe attract an animal but she’s tied up, she could end up getting hurt. She decided to sit still, remaining quiet.

8:12 AM

@Owen

''Quiet woman, I don't want your children. I wanna show your brother how it feels when someone you love is stolen from him''. As they traveled he couldn't help but gaze at her constantly as the two men dragged the sled into the snow, leaving a trail behind. He walked up to the two and told them. ''You two, go have a walk further, I'll drag the sled now. Go'' He felt bad about her being in those light clothes, she might get sick if he didn't do anything about it. Before he resumed dragging the sled, he covered her with his own large fur jacket, it was warm so it would help her keep her temperature during the travel. He didn't speak a single word to her as he dragged the sled further, his men were happy to go home, the travel would take around 3 days to reach Snowstorm Village. At one point they reached the cave they slept in the night before. As another snowstorm was brewing in the distance. Once inside the cave, he untied her from the sled and told her. ''You can lay down on this fur bed and sleep, princess Freya, do not think you can run, for you'll die in the snowstorm that is approaching.'' Then he walked to the makeshift fire and prepare to cook some of the raw meat they caught from way earlier, the cold weather helped the meat keep it's freshness. (edited)

8:21 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

“Well good because I don’t want your children either. What I would like is to go home because I DID NOTHING! Does it make you feel good? Stealing an innocent over something her brother did-“ She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Freya was curling up into herself, trying to stay warm. Though, she was also trying to keep her nightgown down. She really made a good choice when she attacked that guy, huh? She noticed Lorax commanded his men to leave them but what confused her the most is when his jacket was put on her. She looked at him, glaring as he adjusted it. She would kick him, if her legs weren’t tied. She didn’t like him being so close. Well, she didn’t like any of them being close. She was the only girl here now, surrounded by men. Ya, she was very uncomfortable with this. More so when they were going into a cave. She glare, “Hey- hey! I was joking when I said kill me.” Though, when he untied her. She was… confused. She stayed in the sled, she didn’t want to move. She didn’t trust them. So, she stayed in the sled, keeping his fur coat close for warmth. She watched as the men moved around, watching some guard. Some gather things, watching Lorax cook.

8:40 AM

@Owen

He noticed Freya staring, the meat was seasoned all over, it smelt good. He personally brought her an entire plate filled with roasted boar meat. He didn't speak a word, he simply left the plate in front of her and distanced himself away. He looked at Misha and told him. ''You're such a fool for trusting her, now you have this zit on your head, that we cannot squeeze until we get back to Snowstorm village. Great job, you fucking idiot.'' He grumbled and rubbed his head, before applying a bandage around the wound. ''What do you plan to do with the girl, Lorax? Surely you don't wanna force her to marry you, do you?'' ''No'' He replied. ''I will only keep her for a few weeks until my anger subsides, I will let her go eventually.'' ''Really, you took 10 of us, on this harrowing journey to only keep her for a few weeks, what do you get out of this? We are already at war with the Halfmoon. Amund will retaliate, you do know that, right? Your father will be pissed at you, I know you need some reputation, but kidnapping a chieftain's daughter is insane, even for you.'' (edited)

8:47 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya flinched when he brought a plate over, glaring at him once again. She didn’t want to eat, she wasn’t even hungry. Which was probably due to the stress and anxiety of the entire situation. So she pushed the plate away, curling up once again. She had her back facing them. She was eavesdropping or trying to, she heard them talking. She wanted to know what they were going to do. She heard someone talking about marriage, causing her to tense but hearing Lorax say he wasn’t going to. She relaxed but it didn’t make sense. He was just going to make her a prisoner until he didn’t feel like it anymore? He took men, vital men, that could help his clan with a war or protect their clan. This war was all over some girl and then Lorax was going to make it worse for another girl who didn’t even do anything. She scoffed, shaking her head. She was thankful he wasn’t gonna force her to marry him but who knows what his father will do or say. His father could force them to wed but why would he? It wouldn’t stop anything- her father and brother would kill anyone to get her back. His father would be setting Lorax up for death basically. So maybe he wouldn’t… maybe he’ll just order him to let her go.

10:19 AM

@Owen

''I did what I had to. Enough of that, my decision is final.'' He spoke, before going to check on the guard for the night. He told him ''I'll be first on guard today, you go get some sleep.'' Mainly, he did it because he wanted to clear his head. He was hurting from his fiance's betrayal. 8 months he dedicated to her, he dedicated all his riches, and he never even laid a hand on her. He was honorable, he wanted to wait until marriage only then would the two get intimate, and what did she do, she threw it all away. Yet, Freya's words haunted his mind, he repeated them in his head on a loop. A woman who clearly didn't love you He gripped his palm into a fist, deep inside he was hurting a lot. What would he do now, was it too late to change course, or was it? No, he wanted to stick to the plan. Occasionally he checked upon her by glancing in her direction. Wanting to make sure she wouldn't try to escape, not that she would manage with how the weather outside was. (edited)

10:55 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya finally moved and picked up the plate. She took small bites, she just wanted to go home. If she would’ve known that her brother’s wife, would be causing her problems. She would’ve thrown her to the wolves the night they came home. Once she was done eating, she placed the plate to the side. She left his cloak on the sled as she got up. She wasn’t going far, only to the bed she was offered earlier. She wasn’t going to try and escape here. Only one exit and she was all the way in the back. She noticed some of the guys looking at her and she knew it was because her lack of proper clothes. She felt the cold air once again and went to get under the covers. She needed rest but she couldn’t keep her eyes closed. She was just looking at the fire, she didn’t trust them not to hurt her. So she didn’t want to fully sleep. She saw Lorax at the entrance and everyone else in her path to freedom. She then looked back at the fire, praying her father or brother would get a message before. Then she remembered the letter she scent last night… they would think everything at home is okay. They wouldn’t know… Freya slowly curled up, trying not to cry as she thought about how her people were left stranded and her father wouldn’t know. There was no way, the last raven was sent.

11:47 AM

@Owen

He noticed she couldn't sleep, at all. Even if she was his prisoner, no one should treat her like this. He walked up to her and told her. ''There is a solidary spot in the very back of the can sleep there, should you want it.'' Then he returned to his post, watching, observing the weather outside, it was brutal. The wind refused to die out, and the snow kept on pouring like it was not going to stop soon. He was pondering if the snowstorm would halt their progress. it seemed like it would. Meanwhile, somewhere in the Snowstorm clan, Lorax's father had gathered the news from a raven. He was furious. Safe to say Lorax was in big shit when he returned. Alas, with this Snowstorm going hard all over the region, nothing would be achieved.

12:19 PM

Regardless, Lorax sat down and grabbed a piece of wood, then he began carving it with his knife. He was a skilled carpenter. He started carving bits and pieces until it finally resembled a wolf. It was pretty cute. He set it near the entrance of the cave and then resumed watching until eventually morning rolled around, the weather was calm and the sun shuned through.

12:19 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya noticed Lorax begin to come closer and she tensed, though… he didn’t do anything. Minus offer her another place to sleep, she shook her head. She just wanted to stay here. She sighed, eventually sleep found its way into her mind. Eventually, the Princess managed to go to sleep. It was very reluctant but she eventually couldn’t keep her eyes open. In the morning, she was awoken by the moment of the people around her. She rolled over and saw the men packing up. She slowly got up, trying to gauge the situation. She look at the opening, noticing no one was exactly there. Which meant if everyone was distracted, maybe she could escape. So, she slowly got up, acting like she was just going to get into the shed. She was looking around, looking for an opening. She began to slowly make her way to the opening, getting ready to run the moment she was there.

1:11 PM

@Owen

Lorax sat on outside of the entrance, he looked at Freya intently, warning her directly. ''Do not try and run, Freya. We'll catch you. Even if you do, you'll die in this cold weather.'' After that he and Misha sat in front of the cave, facing Freya, and looked at their map. ''Maybe we could cross the ice plains and we'll reach Snowstorm faster, what do you think, Misha?' Misha shook his head and told Lorax ''No, the ice is too fragile. If we fall into thin ice we'll freeze to death. We should cross Frost Maw, it's a lot safer, the ice is practically non-existent, and we may be able to hunt a polar bear.'' ''Very well, we'll go through Frost Maw, you two, you'll be looking after Freya, you don't have to tie her up, make sure you have her in your sight at all times. So, they didn't tier her up with a rope this time, she was only gonna get dragged around on her sled. It was a lot easier this way @ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya acted causal, backing away from them. She didn’t say anything, just going back to her sled. She was surprised she wasn’t forced to walk, though she was not gonna start complaining. She listened to where they were going and she heard the words ‘hunt a polar bear’ and looked over at them. Her expression was very clear, it had the expression of, ‘Are you fucking crazy?!’ She thought these people were out of their minds. Well, she thought that and she was also kidnapped over something she had zero part in. So ya, they were crazy, very crazy. Though, once everything was packed, people were back to dragging the sled she was on. She also had supplies and stuff. Had wolf fur for a blanket to Lorax got his coat back. During the trek back home, Freya was asleep again. Well, she looked asleep, she was truly trying to find a way to escape. She “woke up” and looked at the two people supposed to be watching her. Then she saw it was Misha and realized, her plan wasn’t gonna work. Though, maybe it didn’t hurt to try, “Excuse me?…”

3:29 PM

@Owen

Misha looked at Freya and asked. ''Hmm, what's wrong Princess Freya, can I help you with something?'' Meanwhile, Lorax was in front of the group leading them through a canyon. It was mostly rocky terrain covered in snow. Howls could be heard in the distance, they were walking into a wolf-infested territory. Lorax then informed everyone. ''be on your guard, this is wolf territory. They might attack us so, weapons at the ready, guard the Freya at all cost'' From the distance, they could see furry creatures moving about in the shadows. ''Looks like they're stalking us,'' Misha commented as he kept dragging the sled with another slightly shorter man. ''Are you scared of wolves, princess?'' Misha jokingly asked, as he panted and continued dragging the sled through the snowy terrain.

7:15 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at Misha, crawling a bit over so she could get closer to her two body guards. She then smiled softly, “I wanted to apologize… for hitting you on the back of the head. You were being nice. I just… didn’t trust you and I apologize… I’m sorry.” She then hears the howls and maybe if she acted scared. They might take pity. She was good at acting when needed. So she started to act scared. She hid herself in the blanket, nodding her head. “I’ve always been scared of wolves… it’s why I never liked going hunting…” She whimpered softly, going to the back of the sled once again, curling up into herself. “I don’t know how you guys do these types of stuff… long treks, all alone in the wilderness…” She pouted a bit, acting all scared and like a girly girl kinda attitude.

7:42 AM

@Owen

Misha was a naive man, he liked female attention a lot. Before he could get all buddy with Freya, however, the group was ambushed from above. As 9 wolves lept from the ledge and onto unsuspecting men. Lorax yelled in surprise. ''Ambush! Fight them back!'' As he said that, a wolf tried to attack him from behind with a leap attack, only to be cleaved in two by Lorax himself and his big broad sword. A splatter of blood hit his manly face as the wolf's blood flew in all directions. The wolves were smart, always attacking busy individuals. Misha himself was busy fighting off two wolves at the same time while guarding the sled, alas, his colleague beside him was killed in the process, as a wolf was already sinking his teeth into his now lifeless corpse. As more wolves popped up, the soldiers abandoned the sled. Now focused on fighting for their own survival. This was Freya's chance to run, Lorax was too busy cleaving through wolves, and surviving himself, as well as the naive Misha. (edited)

8:02 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya was about to get all flirty, seeing how Misha was reacting when wolves began to attack the group. She let out a scream when one lunged at one of the men protecting her. She was now, officially, terrified. No longer acting, she was scared. She immediately got out of the sled and began running. The wolves were too busy attacking the men, she’ll have a good head start. She began to run in any direction. She knew her village was south but she was running east. She was just trying to escape, when she got snagged on a thorn bush and tripped, tumbling down a hill. She winced, noticed some of white snow was turning red. She looked down at her leg, noticing the scratches. Even her nightgown was a bit bloody. She got up, limping over to a tree. Her next best option was climbing. So, she got to the tree and began to feel for stable branches. She then began to climb up the tree and once she was a good and safe distance, she relaxed. She took deep breaths, her head leaning against the trunk with her eyes closed.

8:33 AM

@Owen

The battle was brutal, the wolves kept sending in more and more into the fray. Their corpses began littering the ground at this point, for the men had cleaved through 14 or so. Yet, in the confusion, Lorax was weaving and fighting his hardest, until he noticed Misha being trapped by 4 of them. He rushed to his side and cleaved two wolves in two, their heads now rolling on the ground beneath them. He asked Misha. ''Where is the girl?'' When Misha didn't reply, he grabbed him by the collar of his leather blouse. ''Where is the girl Misha!!!! Damn you!'' He shouted. No answer. Misha simply apologized. ''Forgive me, Lorax.'' In anger, he told them the following. As the battle raged on, the wolves were seeing their losses mount higher and higher, they decided to retreat into their dens. Lorax ordered his men and Misha the following ''Retreat back to Snowstorm, I will go after the girl. I will hear your report when I'm back home.'' Then he left to seek after the girl, her tracks were all over the place, then...he found blood. He just hoped she's okay. He began following the tracks and yelling her name. ''Freya, Freya!'' ''Freya please, if you are alive shout, do anything.'' When no answer was heard, he kept following the trail, extremely worried in his heart that his mistake might have killed her in the process. (edited)

8:44 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya heard someone calling her name and she opened her eyes, looking down. She noticed Lorax, she sighed, knowing she needed help. She climbed up here but she was too weak to get down. She cleared her throat, licking her lips and then called out, “I’m up here! Up here in the tree…” She watched him look around and snapped a tree branch off then threw it at him. “This tree! Where the blood is pooled- my leg is messed up. I can’t get down…” She sighed, she knew she was needed alive so she was somewhat valuable. Her brother might’ve taken his fiancée but killing her, would start an all out war that would never end. She rubbed her face. “Your plan is really working out for you, huh?”

10:24 AM

@Owen

He shouted ''Wait, I'm coming to get you!'' He stabbed his sword into the rough ground and began climbing up. He slowly made his way to her, and when he gently reached, he told her. ''I'm gonna pull you now. Do not squirm okay?'' He pulled her gently into his free arm and held her tight. Then, bit by bit he made his way down. Slowly, carefully. Once he managed to take her off that darn tree, he quickly looked into his bag and wrapped her leg with bandages. After bandaging her leg temporarily, he checked to see if she was okay. ''Are you okay, how did you even hurt yourself like that? I have no choice but to return you back to your clan, even tho I wasted 5 days of my life on this journey.'' He commented before picking her, alas, another howl was heard. 5 wolves quickly surrounded him. He gently placed Freya against the tree and told her. ''Don't worry, I will protect you.''

10:59 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya nodded her head, shaking her head. She noticed him climbing up and she wasn’t about to fight back. She needed help and so she allowed him to pick her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, helping him keep her up so they didn’t fall. Freya was sat on the ground while she let him wrap her leg. She didn’t fully want to talk about it. She felt kinda dumb, getting tripped up on a thorn brush. She whined a bit, “I uh… I got tripped up, on a thorn brush. Trying to escape…” She silently thanked him, for bandaging her leg. She then slowly got up, laughing a bit. “Ohhh, this is funny. How many men died for a girl you aren’t even gonna keep? Have fun explaining that to your father.” Though, the smirk was quickly wiped off her face when wolves surrounded them. She had her back pressed against the tree, nodding her head. She didn’t want to die like this. She absolutely did not.

11:29 AM

@Owen

He reached around his back and took out his survival knife, it was sharp and deadly, and threw it at her feet. Without turning his back he told her. ''I will distract them, keep the knife in case I die and you need to defend yourself.'' The wolves growled, and paced back and forth, looking for an opening to strike. They knew he had the advantage with his big broad sword in hand. One of the wolves got impatient and lept forward towards him, only to be cleaved in two, his remains splattered across the snow. They still held the advantage in numbers, however, they once again split, one from the right and one from the left, in unison they attacked. They attacked from a rough angle, where he couldn't fully swing his sword in all directions. As they lept from both sides, Lorax ducked underneath, for the third wolf to leap forward, knocking him off his feet. They struggled on the ground as the attacking wolf desperately tried to bite into his neck, alas he shielded himself with the sword, all the wolf was biting was the cold heavy steel. Still, he was pinned on the ground wihile the remaining two wolves were free to attack, one of them bit Lorax onto his inner thigh, causing him to wince in pain, he kicked off the wolf, but then his other buddy bit into his knee cap, sinking his teeth deep and trushing around, before he too was repelled by a kick. He was in deep trouble and needed Freya's help, or they would both die. (edited)

11:37 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya stumbled to grabbed the knife that was thrown at her. She wasn’t completely useless, she knew how to use a knife. Though, she didn’t know what to do. She kept the knife in her hands as she looked around. She saw how he dealt with the wolves but she was still nervous. She didn’t know how one man can take on five wolves. She wanted to run but the wolves would just chase her down. She felt better staying with him right now. Though, her hope was killed when he was taken to the ground. She felt her breathing hitch, it felt like everything just froze. Her mind racing. Once she heard him wince, her head snapped back into reality and she quickly used the knife stabbed the wolf in the side. She kicked another one away. She lost the knife but she grabbed a rock nearby and used it to hit a wolf away. Though, once the wolves were off of Lorax, she took his sword and swung it at the wolves, getting them to step or limp back. She was trying to scare them away, “Back! Back! Get back!” She wasn’t gonna let them close, her hands firm on the sword. She couldn’t believe she was protecting this man. He kidnapped her and now she was protecting him.

1:12 PM

@Owen

The wolves regrouped after inflicting some damage to Lorax. He groaned as he stood up, his knee now bleeding slightly from the wolf's bite from earlier, as well as his thigh. It was pierced by those sharp teeth. The blood on their teeth as they growled made them a lot more dangerous. Those wolves had tasted human blood and were now hungry for the flesh. As he slowly thought of a plan, he told her. ''Here's what we'll do. You see that big black wolf in the center? He's their Alpha. If we kill him, they will retreat.'' ''Here's my plan, Freya. I will take this knife, and directly charge at him. While we are tumbling on the ground, I want you to swing as hard as you can, try to land a strike or a thrust between his eyes or skull.'' ''Ya got that?'' He smiled, and slowly hyped himself up to charge the big wolf. Alpha wolves were responsive and Lorax knew how to challenge one. By directly staring at its eyes, Lorax was challenging the Alpha to a fight for dominance. That is what differentiated humans from animals, the logical and tactical approach to it all. ''Come on you big furred bitch. FIGHT ME!'' The big wolf charged him and lept forward, he tackled Lorax on the ground, Lorax protected himself with his arm protruded against the Alpha's mouth. It hurt as he tried to bite it off but it also bought huge amount of time for Freya.'' ''Freya, do it now or we're both dead!'' He said, plunging his knife into the Alpha's left eye, it blinded him, in the process, however the knife remained in his eyes socket, stuck. (edited)

1:47 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked over at him like he was crazy, which at this point. She was starting to think he was. “Wha- no!” Though, it was too late, he already decided to confront the beast. She watched him challenge the alpha and she was just standing there, shocked. He was absolutely fucking crazy. She shook her head and used his sword, not wanting exactly get him in the skull due to not wanting to hit Lorax. So, she plunged the sword through the wolf’s throat and pull upward. She managed to push the alpha wolf off and she quickly stabbed the wolf in the head. She found it stuck, so she placed her foot on the corpse and used it to pull it out. Though, she stumbled back and landed on the ground. She huffed but watched as the other wolves ran off. She then glared at Lorax, “Are you FUCKING insane?! Fight the alpha?! How did you even know that would work? Kidnap a girl who did NOTHING! Wanting to hunt a polar bear?! And now fighting the fucking alpha wolf. By the gods, you are going to get us killed!”

2:21 PM

@Owen

He panted after this extreme fight. He slowly removed the lifeless corpse of the big bad wolf out of the way. ''Arghhh shut up, shut up damn you! You're fucking free now, go home if you want, if you can even find where your home is.'' He was stressed the fuck out too, not only because he failed to do anything, but with his men now gone home, he had no choice. ''Fine, you fucking win, I am a scum, I am whatever you want me to be, I almost fucking died protecting you, but you wouldn't care, right? Yes, I did kidnap you, and look at where that got me! In the middle of nowhere, bleeding out of my fucking leg, and for what? For revenge, hah, revenge. I have nothing anymore. You wanna go home? Go ahead, go back.'' ''You might even make a meal out of this dead wolf, his fur could keep you warm for days on end.'' Lorax snapped, he had enough. All of this was his fault, he just wanted to get out. ''Goodbye princess'' He said in an irritated tone, and began walking away, without even picking up his weapons. His mind was lost, he didn't know what to do anymore, this betrayal from his fiance hurt him alot, heart-broken men do insane things to sooth their broken hearts, most often than not it leads to their ruin. (edited)

2:28 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya flinched, not expecting him to just snap. She wanted to argue back but he just stormed off. Bleeding and no weapons. She sighed, grabbed his sword and knife. She quickly began to follow the blood trail. “Wait! Lorax… please?… I’m sorry! Okay?! You did kidnap me and I am still mad… but you did keep me safe. Please, don’t leave me out here alone…” Freya called out, only seeing him walking in the distance. She was having a hard time keeping up. She wasn’t in something to survive the cold. She sighed, “I’ll mend your leg! And any of your other injured men. I’m a healer, a good one within my clan. I’ll do it… just please, don’t leave me?…” She was actually showing weakness and following after him. She was keeping a distance. “I’m sorry for what my brother did to you… what he has inflicted on you and while I cannot mend a broken heart. I can mend physical wounds…”

2:47 PM

@Owen

He turned around and told her. ''It wasn't your brother's mistake to make, princess. It was my damn fiance stabbing me in the back. 8 months of my fucking life I have slaved over to secure her everything she ever wanted, I never even touched her, not once.'' ''She kept demands from me always, always expecting something from me, without ever giving something in return, a wave, a handshake, a kiss, anything. She kept promising me that she'd marry me, and we would do all the things married couples do.'' ''For 8 fucking months!'' He yelled loudly, before falling onto his knees. Exhausted from this miserable life he led. He turned towards her as he knelt on the ground and told her. ''Why don't you just kill me? Don't worry, I won't fight you for that. I just want the pain to stop'' He said, kneeling on the cold ground, snowflakes slowly gathering on top of his dark hair. He looked absolutely broken. (edited)

2:55 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at him, she threw his sword and knife to the side. She shook her head, “I cannot kill you for the same reason. You cannot kill me… if we kill each other, this war would never end.” She slowly sat down in front of him, shuddering due to the cold. She didn’t touch him, but she was just trying to give him some comfort. “She is not worth it. She is not the woman for you. She wanted someone who could provide her lavish life. She chose based on materials, not love. You need… to find a nice girl. A girl who loves you for you. Not the fact you are the chief’s son.” She rubbed her arms a bit, “She makes Amund miserable… sometimes. She’s always asking for things and when he doesn’t provide, she threatens to run away. That’s why he’s keeping her with him. Too afraid she’ll run away… you need to find a girl for you. She was not the girl for you. She’s a bitch… and while you are a bit of a prick. You did it for your heart… you tried to heal yourself and while- I want to strangle you. I can forgive…” Freya gently leaned forward, her hand gently pushing his head up so she can look at him. “You… already killed some of my people. Some of your men are dead. We will go to Snowstorm. Your father will react however and then you guys can use my as leverage to find a peace and maybe this war will end. My family was the aggressor in this… but I swear. If you tell anyone, I said this. You will not live to see another day.”

3:19 PM

@Owen

''I'm not taking you to Snowstorm.'' He told her, the tone of his voice was cold, distant. He stood up and handed her his fur coat. ''I'll lead you back to the Halfmoon village. The path from here will most likely take around 1 day and a half, if we do not have as violent of snow storms.'' Lorax picked up his weapons and pondered for a moment. He began walking back to the giant wolf carcass, he turned around and told Freya ''What are you waiting for, Princess. Follow me back to the cave, I need to get my leg patched up and we need a place to rest.'' He mounted the wolf carcass on his back, and began walking towards the cave. With Freya following closely behind. While his leg was bleeding, it wasn't that bad, yet. He wanted to make sure they had a place to rest and hopefully eat for the night, and that cave was the safest place, with the inside being some what insulated, it provided warmth if a fire could be made.

3:31 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya sighed and nodded her head, she walked behind him, deciding to just trust his judgment. She didn’t dare call behind, not wanting to get lost. She didn’t know how he was carrying that wolf on his own. Though, she was going to stop fighting and stop being rude. To the best of her abilities. While they made their way to the cave, Freya picked up some sticks and stuff for a fire. She was just trying to be useful. She didn’t mind the stick, compared to him carrying the wolf. Once they got to the cave, Freya put the sticks down at the fire. She then looked around, trying to see if anything was left behind so she could bandage his leg. She looked over at him, watching him place the carcass down. “I uh… I’m looking for something to bandage your leg. Do you know where you men went? Well… no they probably are halfway back now- or a quarter. I don’t know… how are you going to get back on your own?”

3:41 PM

@Owen

''Don't worry about me'' He told her, while checking the damage done to his thigh and knee. He looked into his pouch, luckily he had one last bandage. He threw it at her, telling her ''Catch'' He had a flintstone with him, and he quickly smacked it against his knife, causing sparks. Once the remains of the fire had gotten some smoke, he threw the sticks she had gathered onto it, it caught fire and soon they had a warm fire to warm themselves to. He exposed his thigh and knee, they were badly damaged. One of the wolves' teeth was stuck into his thigh flesh. He looked at her and asked her ''Think you could pull that tooth out? It's causing me immense pain, to the point where it's tough to concentrate.'' ''Don't worry about using force, I will muffle my mouth and bite into my blade to muffle the sound of my screams.'' While he waited for her to patch him up as best she could, he took to skinning the big wolf, it was quite fat of a wolf, meaning they would have a food source for the night. He skillfully began removing the skin from the wolf's flesh and taking out its organs to be cooked on the now-rising fire. ''There should be some leftover logs deeper in that corner of the cave, throw them on the fire later.'' (edited)

3:51 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya caught the bandage and nodded her head, she saw him beginning to start the fire. She went to go grab the logs and put them on while he skinned the wolf. She didn’t want it to be too cold. Once he was done and she was done. She sat down next to his leg. She was being gentle with it, not wanting to hurt him worse while she inspected the wounds. She was mostly worried about infection but she didn’t have any of her normal herbs and such. She then nodded her head, “I can and will hurt… I worry about the bleeding afterwards though. There is little I can fully do…” She grabbed his knife and placed it over the fire, letting it heat up. She was going to have to cauterize the one with the tooth stuck in it. She then grabbed the knife once it was red and hot. She used the knife to dislodge the tooth, using her fingers to get it out. Once she done, she pressed the hot blade down on the wound, burning it so it stopped pleading. She then used split the bandage in half. One for his thigh and for his knee. She tightly bandaged it. Not too tight to keep circulation but enough to stop the bleeding. “Is… is this okay?”

4:13 PM

@Owen

He bit into his sword to muffle the sound of his screams, cauterizing a wound was painful, not to mention the tooth she pulled out caused him the most immense pain ever. Once she was done he finally let out a sigh of relief, with the tooth out he could finally let his nerves heal. Even if the burns hurt, nothing could hurt more than his current situation right now. He thanked her for it. ''Thank you, that pain was gonna drive me insane'' With a deep breath, he sat up and took a few sticks, impaling soft meat on them and placing them on the fire to roast. They would cook slowly, most likely for a few hours, at best. He didn't wanna talk to her really, whatever she said would make sense, he just wanted to do a good deed for once, before going back to his miserable life in the Snowstorm clan, as nothing but a stool to be used. Yeah, that's how he felt, as he gazed at the snow dropping outside, he couldn't help but reminisce of all the times his fiance was mean to him. She called him useless, worthless, and pathetic for not being able to provide her with jewelry, and when he did, she criticized him for that. That's it? Come on Lorax you can do better, those aren't even worth half the price I'm sorry Amirah, I will try to do better next time. I promise You better, otherwise our marriage will be delayed once again With those memories he had, he felt like a fool. He should've foreseen her betrayal, but he didn't wanna admit it to himself. (edited)

4:23 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya nodded her head, wiping the blood off the knife before giving it back to him. He helped her, she had to help him once. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t do one nice. She hated being in debt to people, absolutely hated it. “You’re welcome… I’m a healer. Just something I can do…” She sighed, moving to sit on the opposite fire from him. She was just looking at the fire and the meat cooking. It was awkward silence for her, very much awkward silence. Though, she didn’t really wanted to talk either. She pulled her hair pack, moving her night gown so her knees were up in her chest but so she could stay warm. She worried for the other men that were attacked but hopefully they’d get back to their clan before the bleed out. She wondered what her village was life right now and how her family was doing. Her brother’s wife was a piece of work. The man in front of her was broken, very broken… right now.

4:42 PM

@Owen

He closed his eyes, and before he knew it he dozed off on the spot. The stress he had was too much to handle his brain needed a reset. Luckily for them, no wolves would roam the area, now that the Alpha wolf was dead, they would be too busy fighting among one another until a new alpha rose up to take his rightful place. It sort of reminded them that, this is how their clans were as well. Always fighting one another, spilling blood for 3 seasons. Until new younglings replaced the fallen. Meanwhile, the group was almost home, just a few hours and they would finally see their wives, children, and family. When they arrived they were greeted with open arms by their wives and children. Tho, not everyone returned that day. 2 men had lost their lives fighting wolves, and their corpses most likely were eaten by now. When Misha went to report to Chieftain Snowstorm, he was furious. ''What do you mean Lorax isn't here! Explain yourself! Where's the Halfmoon princess? Don't tell me you failed to provide bring her here!'' In his anger, he knocked out his cup of ale. Misha spoke in a shameful tone. ''Lorax went to chase after the girl, he gave us orders to go retreat home, we were beset by wolves on all sides. 8 of us made it out of the 10 men, well 7 if Lorax has also perished.'' ''Should he ever survive, Misha, I want Lorax brought to me. You understand. Good, go prepare the warriors, we're going on a big hunt, I got some news for you. One of my wives is expecting a child, and this calls for a celebration. Well, off you go now.'' Another child? Damn, Lorax's adopted father surely didn't waste his years. He wanted to spread his genes wide at that point, he and his wife already had 7 children, including Lorax, and even tho he was adopted, he still counted as one of his offspring. (edited)

4:53 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

When Lorax fell asleep. Freya took his sword and went to go stay at the cave. As a watch for the night, just because there was no wolves. Doesn’t mean there was no other predators. She did not want to wake up with a bear in her face. Though, Freya accidentally fell asleep at the entrance. The sword in her lap. She didn’t mean to, she was just exhausted. These past two days were exhausting. She went from getting kidnapped, to running from wolves, to helping her enemy. She deserved some sleep. Though, she was freezing so after a bit she woke up and got closer to the fire. She left the sword at the entrance by accident. She just wanted to get warm, wanted to escape the cold.

5:15 PM

@Owen

Lorax woke up a few hours later to the meat being ready. He gazed at Freya who sat near the fire. He asked ''Are you okay? Please, come have some food. It might not taste that well but it beats starving.'' When he took a bite of the meat, it was indeed not the best, due to the lack of seasoning. ''Yeah, it's not the best of tastes.'' He ate his fill and stretched, looking outside. It looked clear enough to travel. He waited for Freya to eat, and then told her. ''We should get going, princess. Its sunny outside and if we're lucky, we might make it to Halfmoon village by tomorrow morning at the latest.'' He then sheathed his sword and knife and took a step outside, the sun gently touched his skin, it was warm to the touch, it was refreshing given the two snowstorms from the last few days he had to endure. He turned around one last time to see if she was ready, then told her. ''Use that fur coat of mine, it'll warm you up.''

10:29 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya eyes opened a bit, a small yawn coming from her. She nodded her head, rubbing her eyes. “Ya… I’m okay.” She slowly moved over, getting closer. She didn’t know if she really wanted to eat. She gently got herself a bit of the meat, taking a bit. It wasn’t so bad, not the best but not the worst. She looked at him as she ate. He was already having a plan put together. She finished her bite, titling her head a bit. “You know… if my brother is there. You are probably going to get killed and/or at least, hurt. He will want to kill you but he might not kill you. You should let me go alone… I know how to get back.” Her brother and his wife have already done so much to Lorax. She didn’t want to add to it. She wasn’t the nicest to him and she probably won’t be because he again, kidnapped her and he’ll never live that down with her. Though, she was gonna be cruel, she had no need to. He wasn’t cruel to her. Though, she immediately put on the fur coat. She needed some escape from this cold. She walked over to him, looking up at him. “I can get back on my own… I really can.”

11:09 AM

@Owen

''I cannot let you roam alone in bear territory.'' He said and told her. ''I'm taking you back, as for whatever happens, so be it. Now come on, let's go until the sun is up and the weather is merciful'' So, they walked, Lorax had his eyes peeled, worried that a bear cub or a grizzly bear might pop out of somewhere for a quick winter snack, and he wouldn't dare leave Freya alone with such dangerous beasts roaming around. This area was known to be ruthless to travelers. One could easily lose its life to Winter cats, wolves, and grizzly bears, and they even heard stories of yetis. What were yetis? Large hulking ape-like monsters that live in mountain areas and devour everything smaller than them. However, no one has seen them. Some claim to have heard their unnatural calls in the dead of the night, but no one has ever really encountered such a beast. Regardless, as the hours passed they were getting closer and closer to Halfmoon territory. Eventually reaching a valley. There they stopped for the night once again. ''We'll rest in this cave, I remember it cause it was the first one we found on our way back.'' He told her before setting up the fire. ''Get some sleep, Freya. Come tomorrow morning you'll be home.'' He spoke softly, rather strange for someone who was deliberately walking into the enemy's jaw all by himself.

11:19 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya was growing a bit irritated but little she could do but just following him. She didn’t want to fight with him. It wouldn’t accomplish anything. It would most likely attracted animals to them. While Lorax was looking around cautiously. Freya was grabbing some herbs, berries, other things. Just in case they get something else. He is not allowed to cook again. She will but she’d need something from him. “Oh! We should go get rabbit! I love rabbit…” When he would turn to look at her, she had a basket. Where she got the basket? Made it! She was pretty handy to have. The basket held different things for cooking she saw. “I’m not eating gross wolf meat again.” She walked past him and went into the cave, placing her basket down. She even had sticks for the fire, to keep it burning and such. She looked up at her, the fire illuminating her feature. The soft yellow hue made her look like an angel. “If you are hell bent on dying tomorrow. Then I’m going to use you while I have you. Go get a rabbit or something- not wolf again. Something you can get on your own.”

11:44 AM

@Owen

''Where in the 7 hells am I gonna find a rabbit in the dead of night, woman? For god's sake,'' He sighs but does as she says. He could use the meal too. He took out his sword and told her. ''If I don't return in an hour or two, consider me dead.'' He ventured out in the night, slowly fading into the darkness of the night, as he roamed around the dark forest in front of the cave. He noticed a silhouette of a person, sitting in the trees a top of a heavy branch. Might've been his mind playing tricks, so he didn't any attention to it. He continued to hunt around, finding a rabbit hole, it was still being dug out, he took the chance to react and grab the two rabbits, them still squirming around. He caught a total of 3 rabbits, a good haul overall. He took his time to return, however, he spent 3 hours roaming around. When he returned he placed 3 dead rabbits in front of her, a little annoyed at her. ''Now I'll use you, I want you to skin them yourself and prepare them princess'' ''I'm going to sleep for a few hours, wake me up when it's all done.'' He left his knife on top a tiny rock for her to use, and laid down near the fire. (edited)

12:09 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya giggled, “Well if you die, I die! So try not to-“ She teased, watching him venture out. She got some time to herself. When he returned back to the cave, she kept the fire going and she saw he had three rabbits. She got excited, “Oh thank the gods..” Though, she got a look on her face. “Excuse me. I’m not some stupid princess. I skin and I cook and I can do it. So you can sleep and I will skin and cook it and you will realize kidnapping me might’ve been the best thing you did because I’m a GREAT cook.” She glared. She then used a smooth rock to sharpen his knife and began to skin the rabbits. Once they were cleaned and properly cut. She used berries and herbs she found, mushing and mixing them together, making a rub. After seasoning and making a rub, she placed the rabbits on a smooth rock and watched it cook. She had to flip it and so. Though, once it was done, she nudged Lorax. “Rabbit is ready and I’m not letting my work go to waste. Wake up-“ It took her like an hour or two to do all of this. Maybe a little more. She wasn’t exactly keeping track. Though, she wanted to eat and she didn’t want it to be wasted.

12:32 PM

@Owen

He grumbled and woke up to the delicious smell of freshly cooked rabbits. He commented ''Smells delicious'' He sat up and began eating. Upon tasting it he complimented her. ''Mmm, it tasted delicious too'' After he ate he lay against the wall, his stomach full. ''Whoever marries you will be a lucky man'' He said, jokingly. It was late at night, the moon shining bright in the sky as if it were a sign of goodwill. He spoke. ''The moon is shining bright, is there any meaning to it in your clan?'' ''In my clan the moon shining is usually a sign of good luck. What does it mean in yours?'' He thought about his first encounter with his fiancee. It was under moonlight and she had just arrived with her father, head of his own clan at the time. He introduced her to him. Lorax Snowstorm, meet my daughter Amirah An honor to meet you, Chieftain Sunrider, you and your daughter are welcome in Snowstorm lands

1:58 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya laughed and smiled at him, “He’ll be well fed. I can’t say lucky because I’m still a pain in the ass.” She took another bit of her own food. “But thank you… give you a good last meal. Eh?” She was just teasing. She looked at him and then looked up at the moon. She nodded her head, gently wiped her mouth. “Ya… strength and insight. Courage… to be touched by the moon’s light. Though, many say love. Which I think is dumb but- it’s what they say.” “I was born on a full moon, a big importance to my village. Many say I have the beauty and the grace and the wit of the moon, herself… say I was kissed by the gods, touched by the moon. It’s the white hair and my birth of a full moon,” She shrugged. She was spiritual like her family but her views were a bit warped. “Though, the moon and her signs are up to the views of the person. I do not know… why do you ask?” She looked back at Lorax.

2:22 PM

@Owen

''I have fond memories'' He admitted as he stared into the moonlight. ''8 months ago I met my ex-fiancee in the moonlight, she had arrived with her father for a possible trade deal.'' ''Alas, she was the biggest mistake of my life'' He said in a cold, distant tone. He then stretched and stood up. ''I'm gonna be right back, I'll go for a little stroll.'' ''Do not worry, I will be in the vicinity.'' He then left and walked a bit ahead, he wanted to get out of sight to get his rage out. He punched a tree several times with full force, as his heart ached once again. He commented under breath. ''I gave my all to you, you fucking bitch and you stepped on my heart and crushed it into a million pieces, never to be whole again. 8 months of my fucking life'' He whispered in anger...

2:29 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya nodded her head, she felt bad but she knew he needed his space but she didn’t really want him to go alone. It was so dark and what if he got lost? She didn’t know, she was nervous letting him go. She moved to where she was sitting on her legs, watching him walk off. It left her to just eat alone. She didn’t mind it as much. Though, she looked at the entrance after she left and saw a little snow fox. She smiled and gently threw a piece of the rabbit over to the fox. Which seemed to be a mistake because the fox took it and brought it into the cave. Freya blinked but now she had a little buddy and she didn’t fully mind. The fox was peaceful, she was peaceful. She wasn’t alone anymore. They just ate in silence. She hoped Lorax wouldn’t mind, though, the fox was so fluffy and cute. She doubt it would be a threat nor would he think it was.

2:40 PM

@Owen

He returned to the cave after his little cathartic rage. He was feeling better. When he saw the fox eating, he commented. ''Cute Fox.'' Before lying down and going to sleep next to the fire. It was late, and he knew he was gonna need all his energy for tomorrow. Gods knew not what his fate would have for him. He knew one thing, his rival would be pissed, and a lot. The next morning he woke up and saw Freya snuggling with the fox, they looked cute. Alas, he had to wake her up. ''Princess, wake up. It's sunny outside, we gotta go. We still have 6 hours before we reach Halfmoon village.'' When they finally departed the weather was nice, the sun was bright in the morning sky. They were walking peacefully towards their destination, and Freya could finally notice signs she was familiar with, this was her territory. Lorax wasn't thrilled to meet her brother, for they would have to fight each other, but, he wanted to at least escort her back to the village, before pondering on his next move. @ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya was petting the fox when Lorax came back. She smiled a bit when he commented on her little furry friend. “I named him Creek. He makes a weird cr noise. He’s so cute and all white. Like my hair!” Though, when she turned to look at him, she noticed he was asleep. She huffed but she didn’t fully care. Her and her little fox fried stayed cuddled up for warmth, right near the fire. She didn’t want to be woken up but she knew better. So they got up, making the trek home, with a little furry friend. Freya kept pointing out different things to Lorax. The names, the memories, so on. She also occasionally would play with her little fox friend. She even sang some old folklore songs she remembered. She was trying to speed up this six hour walk. Once they broke the forest and saw the walls of her village. She looked over at him, “I can walk… please, I don’t want my brother or father to hurt you…”

3:55 PM

@Owen

''I have to be a man about it.'' Just as they stepped in, they were surrounded by Halfmoon warriors. They quickly asked Freya. ''Freya, we got you, step aside so we can take care of this scum Snowstorm warrior.'' Lorax lifted his arms up in surrender and kept quiet. Before Freya could say anything, Amund arrived at the location, anger sipping from his face. He embraced Freya in his arms and spoke to her in a soft tone. ''You're okay...you're okay. Now, What in the 9 hells is HE doing here. Men, kick his fucking ass!'' They quickly pounced on him and began kicking him, and punching him, until he fell on the ground. Then they kept on kicking him as he laid on the ground, curled up. He stared at the ground as they kept on beating him, alas, he knew he deserved his pain. Until a kick met his face, bloodying his nose in the process. And they would've kept on beating him up, should Amund allow it further.

4:06 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya sighed, she hated the whole chivalry act right now but his life. Though, she jumped when her people quickly surrounded them. She wasn’t expecting them to just come out of no where. She was about to speak before she was pulled aside by her brother and before she could even speak to HIM. He was already commanding them. “Hey- WAIT! Wait- wait!” Freya spoke out, causing her people to look at them. “He may have taken me but he could’ve left me to the wolves- he HELPED me- he…” She looked up at Amund, pleading with him, “If you kill him, if you kill Lorax. His father will fight this war until the end- this needless and stupid war will never end! It’s just… please- let him go…” She looked at her people, “Back away from him at once!” Which her people had to listen to. She could command them just as much as Amund could. Amund glared but before he could say anything, Amirah, approached from the walls. She placed a hand on Amund’s arm and looked at who it was. “You- You stole my sister-in-law?” She gave Lorax the same embarrassed expression she used to give him whenever he didn’t do stuff to her standards.

4:34 PM

@Owen

Amund saw his wife's reaction, and like a obedient puppy ordered his men. ''Throw him into the cell, we'll plan an execution day with my father.'' They nodded and grabbed hold of his half-unconscious body. They dragged him through the snow with each guard holding him by the arms. They threw him in the cell in Amund's basement, where his hounds resided. As for Freya, she was free now. Many of the villagers gathered around her and happily welcomed her back. ''Welcome home, Freya. We were so worried about you. We thought that brute of a man had kidnapped you back to his stinking village. Not to mention this war we're waging against them'' A woman in her late 40's spoke to her. She was called Maria and was pregnant with a second child, while her eldest child sat by her side. Amund then addressed the people directly. ''People of Halfmoon, with my sister, restored, we can now invade the Snowstorm lands. With her back, they have nothing to leverage against us, meaning we can execute Rygor's bastard son without a worry!'' The people cheered at this notion, meanwhile in the dark cell, Lorax was sitting up, blood still dripping from his broken nose, it made it hard for him to inhale oxygen through the nose. (edited)

6:29 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at the woman, smiling warmly at her people. “It is a pleasure to be welcomed home but you should be resting… please. Do not get up for me. You carry an important life. The future.” She looked around her village, hearing Amund rallying their people with his wife by his side. Amirah was holding onto Amund’s arm and was supporting whatever he said. Freya’s little fox friend walked beside her. She just wanted them to listen to her. Lorax wasn’t an heir but he was important to Rygor. Lorax’s father would stop at nothing for his bloodline and if they killed him, this war would never end. Why could no one see this?! Amirah broke away from Amund and approached Freya, smiling warmly. “I am glad you are safe, sister… I was so worried he would’ve harmed you.” Freya looked at Amirah with indifference, “You know him for eight months… do you really think he’s the man to do that?” Amirah flinched a bit, “I do not know- he was not the man I knew. The Lorax I knew would’ve never-“ “I do not wish to be talking about this with you- because none of this would’ve happened. If you would’ve left my family alone,” Freya glared and got a bit closer to Amirah, “Amund would’ve never gone with a woman who was promised to another without the knowledge she would accept. You would’ve have to initiated it and now there is a war and now my people die because you couldn’t keep your legs closed-“ Freya then walked off, knowing Lorax needed medical attention. So that’s what she was going to do. She got a basket of things and Creek followed her to cell. He needed to be able to breathe- if he couldn’t breathe. He would die. Freya got to the cell and had it opened for her. When Lorax looked up, he could see Freya kneel in front of him. She saw his nose and asked, “How hard is it to breathe?…”

6:42 PM

@Owen

''What are you doing here...Freya.'' He asked, trying to take a breath through his nose, only to inhale blood before spitting it onto the floor. ''Get out of here before you're seen. What would your brother do if he were to see you aid an enemy? I will die soon, probably by hanging or decapitation, so you shouldn't worry about me.'' His eyes were empty, he looked at her with defeat, acceptance of his fate. Those empty eyes, blue like ice, yet empty like a hollow spirit. He didn't understand why she went through all the trouble to aid him. This was all his own fault, if he listened to her and went back home on his own, he would've lived. But what was life for him? Endless depression, he had no idea how he was gonna face his father, or his clan members, whom he even sacrificed for this plan of his. He had no idea if his father even cared, but why would he, he was waiting with another child to come. He had no fear of leaving this world behind without an heir. Lorax had a total of 7 step-siblings. With the new unborn baby, the number went up to 8. He was sure his father didn't give a shit, after all, he wasn't his own, but an orphan who he saw pity for. As she treated him, he stared at her once again, his empty-of-life eyes stared directly into her soul. (edited)

6:50 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya gently held his face in her hands, examining my face. She shook her head, “No- my family can think whatever they want. I don’t care, I am a healer. Your nose is broken, I need to fix it.” Freya was looking at his nose, trying to figure out how she wanted to do this. Freya wasn’t going to let him die. She was going to be the diplomatic one. Not the overly emotional and angry one. She sighed, looking at his nose one again. “This is gonna hurt but you’ll be able to breathe… rather you breathe then not be in pain. Because the pain… is temporary. Your death is permanent.” There was a message within that but he didn’t have time to really think because she set his nose, which hurt worse than the wolf tooth. Though, once it was set, he could breathe better. She then took a cloth and cleaned it gently, knowing that’s wall she could do. “My brother has his wife to keep hi company. I’d rather keep you company right now… less likely to piss me off with all things considering…” She smiled, though he could tell she was being honest.

7:33 PM

@Owen

A loud pop noise could be heard when his nose was readjusted into place. He groaned silently, before muttering in pain. ''Fuck...thank you'' He then took a deep breath through his nose. It relieved him even if for a little bit. He kept quiet as she wiped the blood off his nose, and treated his early bruises and injuries. Yet he knew she was honest. What had happened out there? Freya didn't seem so pleased, even when she was brought home for some reason. He had a hunch it was Amirah's doing. With the war still going on, it was Amirah's wish to rid herself of Lorax, for he knew a lot of secrets about her. ''You're in a bad mood, why's that? Let me guess, Amirah acted all lovey-dovey to your brother, and he as usual did her bidding, right?'' ''I am not surprised. She will most likely rush your brother to speed up my execution. I have some dark secrets about her, that if I loosen my mouth even a little bit, she'll be outed for.'' Indeed he knew a few of her darkest secrets, such as her deliberately letting men inside her backdoor, yet still keeping her ''virginity'' in the process. She did it to get what she wanted. From common men to nobles, she told him that herself. She would whore herself to establish some sort of favoritism system, that allowed her to control the men, even if the favor was a blowjob or a handy, or in her case a visit to her backdoor every once in a while. Yet she kept the facade in front of Amund that no man had touched her, well, that was a complete lie. If Amund found out his noble wife was a common and complete whore, he would exile her back to the now-dying lands of the Sunriders, where famine and plague still tortures the region. (edited)

10:21 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at him, laughing a bit. She didn’t know, spending time with Lorax is making her see how much of a bitch Amirah really is. Freya looked at him, “I might be biased because I’ve been stuck with Amund my entire life… but I don’t know how someone chooses him over you.” She finished wiping the blood off of his nose and face, placing the rag to the side. She shrugged her shoulders, “Little they can do if they have a child. If they have a child, my brother is stuck with her forever. I knew she wasn’t proper… she talks too much about it with me, like I’ll relate to her in someway.” Freya and Amirah may have the same hair and light colors eyes but they were total opposites. Freya was everything Amirah pretended to be. Freya was kind and intelligent, a bit stubborn and a pain in the ass but that was just to add a little spice herself. “I don’t understand… why you would let men do that to you. It’s one thing if you enjoy it but it’s another to use your body. Less dignifying… I am of the belief, that sex and touching like that is between husband and wife. Which is why I’d never let a man touch me in that way. Proper… raised by the elders that way.” She didn’t have a mother, so she was raised by the elders, the female ones. So she had a female role model. She looked over at his face, making sure nothing else was broken. She didn’t want to have missed anything, leaving him in pain or anything. She sighed, shaking her head. Amund has made a mess and she was having to clean up the mess apparently. “You won’t die… I promise. Maybe get beat up again but I’ll make my father see reason. My father is not under Amirah’s spell like Amund. She can’t bewitch my father. He remains loyal to my mother. Which is a blessing and a curse. Though, your face is as good as new. Your nose will hurt until it’s properly healed and well… just don’t smash it into anything.”

11:04 AM

@Owen

''I don't think you'll have the time for that, Freya. For all you know, they might sneak me out and kill me somewhere where nobody would find my body. if I know one thing, Amirah upon seeing me here will rush my death. I can assure you of that. However, I don't want you to get involved, my death is assured.'' He smiled slightly, the first time ever in front of Freya. Her giving him that compliment meant a lot to him. ''You flatter me, alas, I am not a better man than your brother is. I was also manipulated by Amirah, by doing her bidding, but in my case, she swore that she was never touched, until one day when we got drunk and she began ranting about it. At the time I didn't believe it.'' ''However, when she left me to be with your brother I then knew, she was not as faithful as she claimed.'' He cleared his throat and got comfortable, laying down as best as he could. His stomach growled but he didn't dare speak to Freya about it. When she was about to leave he told her the following. ''In case I do die, I want to personally apologize for kidnapping you and putting you through hell in those past days. You are a wonderful woman with a kind heart, and I hope whoever ends up marrying you, realizes it early. '' ''Good night, Freya'' He said curling in the cell and trying to sleep. (edited)

11:22 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

“My brother can’t kill you without my father’s approval. Which he does not have… Amund knows better than to undermine my father’s authority. He may be bewitched but not that much,” She smiled, trying to bring some light. Though, she knew he was hopeless. She took a deep breath, trying to not let it bother her. She nodded her head, “I forgive you… Goodnight Lorax…” She stood up and gently walked over, grabbing a blanket and laying it on top of him. She then left, her fox following after her as she left the cell. She put two guards outside that were loyal to her. They answered to her and if her brother and his wife came down, to not let them in. Lorax was Freya’s prisoner officially, since his crime was with her. She sighed, making her way back to her home. She didn’t feel right leaving him in there. She didn’t know, everything was confusing. Why did she just become so invested in him? Maybe because she could understand his pain on some level? She didn’t know, she just knew she didn’t want Amirah to win or get what she wanted. She always did seem a bit off to Freya but she never said anything. She wished she stopped this marriage before. She sighed, shaking her head. She just wanted to go and lay down.

11:56 AM

@Owen

In the dead of night, Amirah was sitting up in her bedroom, with Amund asleep next to her, her top half was exposed, as she had to reward her husband with sex that night, for the capture of Lorax. She quickly dressed herself and headed out, heading towards the cell. In front of the prison sat guards loyal to Freya, when she approached they warned. ''Halt, by order of Freya Halfmoon, her prisoner is not to be disturbed. If you wish to speak to the prisoner, give that unarmed you wouldn't be able to harm him, we're required to search you'' Amirah allowed them to search her, she only carried a bowl with a few apples and bread. She innocently spoke. ''I'm only here to deliver food for the prisoner, for he hasn't been fed, please?'' After they searched her and found no weapons they allowed her in, only to warn her the following. ''You have 5 minutes to deliver your food to the prisoner, then you must get out. Understood, and no funny tricks, we'll check on you after 5 minutes are gone.'' Amirah playfully smirked and thanked the guards. ''Thank you very much~'' Then headed downstairs into the holding cells, and kicked the cell, waking up Lorax in a rude manner. He grumbled and turned around, only to see his ex standing there, with a plate. ''Wake up, worm.'' When he did, he sat up and smirked at her. ''Oh, lady Halfmoon, how can I, your servant help you?'' He mocked her obviously. Angrily, she warned him. ''Listen here worm, what we had is over, I am married now. I never loved you the way I love Amund. You better keep quiet about what I told you while I was drunk that night. Be a good boy and your death will be quick. I worked my ass off to achieve what I have today, and when I finally get pregnant with his child, I will be secured for life.'' She then threw the plate against him, inside the plate were two rotten apples and a moldy bread. ''And if I don't, then what, Lady Halfmoon?'' He smirked. ''I will make your remaining days miserable, scum'' --

12:37 PM

Lorax laughed it off, before asking her ''My death is certain, but your fate is worse. What will happen to you, when your husband finds out you're a full-blown whore tomorrow, at my trial, huh? What do you think he will do? He will kick you out and you'll have to go to your rotten village, where you'll sell yourself for a piece of bread.'' He laughed and watched her squirm in anger. ''Go ahead, tell him. I always have my way, Lorax Snowstorm, always. I will make up a lie about you, one that will certainly seal your fate.'' She kicked the cell once more and left right after. With a smirk on his face Lorax went back to sleep for the night, only to be woke up hours later for his trial of kidnapping. In the chieftain's hall, he sat, along with all the elders and high ranking villagers of the Halfmoon clan, they were there to judge Lorax and conclude a verdict. (edited)

12:37 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Amund sat on the chieftain’s chair in the center of the hall, in the absence of his father. He watched as the guards brought Lorax in front of him. Amund shook his head, finding this man quite disgusting. When he woke up, Amirah told him how she was just trying to be nice and bring him food, yet he threatened her. Freya walked into the hall, glaring at Amund. She was not pleased, this trial was being rushed and only the chieftain can sentence someone to death in this village. She also wasn’t woken up for this trial. She walked up to Amund, glaring at him. “Why wasn’t I awoken? You tend to put my prisoner on trial without me?” Amund looked up at his sister, “I am acting as chief in father’s absence and you had just come back from a long trip, against your will-“ “I care little! You hold no power over me. My prisoner, I get to know about what happens AND keep your wife away from hum.” “Freya-“ “Do not. I do not care. Amirah stays away from him and she stays out of this trial. You can let her ruin your life, she will not ruin this village.” Freya glared. Her words irritated Amund, but he couldn’t do anything to his sister. He let her stand beside him. He gave Amirah a look, speaking softly to her, “Just stay quiet, please?” He then stood up, looking at Lorax, “You stand accused of kidnapping Princess Freya Halfmoon. Alongside murdering some of our people. How do you plead, Lorax Snowstorm?”

12:53 PM

@Owen

''Guilty'' He spoke in a tired, defeated tone. The elders of the village whispered among one another, and then a man in his 60s spoke from the crowd. ''Amund, may I take the stage?'' Amund nodded and allowed the old man to stand up and walk to the center of the trial. He spoke in a negative manner. ''I was awake when Lorax Snowstorm snuck inside the village. I saw him with my own eyes. He killed the sentinels, along with my son.'' He pointed dramatically towards Lorax and blatantly lied. ''He ordered his men to rape my daughter! I tried to fight them but they tied me up, then 3 of his lowly scums ripped my daughter's clothes and defiled her!'' The crowd gasped, and whispers continued. Amund gazed at Lorax and asked him. ''Lorax Snowstorm, do you plead guilty to the charges? Did you allow 3 of your men to mercilessly defile Elder Amarak's daughter?'' Lorax calmly replied. ''I did not. I ordered my men to stay on guard while we abducted Freya herself. I know my men well, they would never disobey my command. As for what your elder is saying, it's complete nonsense.'' ''We are enemies, Amund, but I would never allow my men to falsely wrong a woman.'' The court erupted into shouting and accusations. The elder shouted in anger as he gazed at Lorax. ''You're lying! You allowed them to defile her!'' Amund slammed his staff against the wooden floor. ''Sileeeeeeeeeence'' When everything went quiet, he resumed. ''Bring forth your daughter, Elder Amarak.'' He brought forward the 18-year-old girl, who seemed very anxious and shy. Amund asked her. ''What is your name, dear?'' She spoke softly, with anxiety in her voice. ''I am...I am Ymira Amarak, daughter of Elder Amarak.'' ''Tell us, were you defiled by 3 of the men Lorax Snowstorm commanded?'' She stood quietly, shaking in her boots. She was put on stress, for she didn't wanna lie, yet her father's gaze said otherwise. (edited)

1:08 PM

She nodded and said ''Yes, 3 of his men did indeed defile me''

Again the crowd erupted into anger and shouted at Lorax. ''Rapist, murderer, kidnapper!!!'' Amund once again silenced everyone, he knew he Freya had something to say.

1:08 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya did not know if these claims were true but she was alone with these men for much longer than those men were alone with the elder’s daughter. None of them were inappropriate to her, the only one who was, was the one she tried to flirt with and even then he didn’t do anything. She was a beautiful, young girl, in only a nightgown and none of them hurt her… Which she said as much. She spoke her truth but before anyone could say anything. Their father, Eirikr, the chief of Halfmoon came into the hall. Everyone looked shocked, that he got here so quick. Eirikr looked at Freya and Amund. Eirikr looked down at Lorax as well. “What is the meaning of this?” “Father…” Freya spoke softly. She was so glad he had came. She could see Amirah’s face falter. Though, she did not care. Eirikr looked at his son, “I SAID, what is the meaning of this!? You host a trial… a death trial, in my hall, without me?” He walked over, taking the staff from Amund. Freya took a deep breath, “They wanted to kill him-“ “Why?” Her father looked confused. Freya was shocked, “You… you do not know? Amund did not tell you?… Lorax and his men came into the village to take me to Snowstorm. Our men moved to protect me, his men killed our’s but only on the order to kill if attacked. But they were killed… but I do not want Lorax sentenced to death! This war will never end if he is.” Eirikr shook his head, “If he had orders to kill our men. He has to pay for his crimes, Freya… you have your mother’s gentle soul and her stubbornness. We cannot-“ “I love him!” Freya spoke out. Causing everyone to gasp. She looked at Lorax, telling him to play along. She then turned back. “I love him… and he loves me. We have been in love for a year. We had plans to run away. Though, then his father introduced Amirah to him… to appease his father, he… he went along with his father’s plan. So we could save up… but before we could run away. Amirah ran off with Amund. He used this as an opportunity to act heartbroken, like he cared about her. In reality he was biding time… and when he used the war to get both of you gone. He came to take me away, so we could marry… and live our life in Snowstorm… yet we had to come back. We got separated after a wolf attack…”

1:26 PM

@Owen

Amirah was shocked at this revelation. Amund's gaze quickly fell down, he looked at his feet in shame. How could his lovely sister, Her pure soul, and body, how could she fall in love with such a brute as Lorax? He didn't believe it. He gazed at his father and spoke. ''Father, I do not think Freya is in love with this man, she is merely trying to save his skin.'' ''When she did even meet him? Huh? Freya, are you lying to save yourself the shame of kidnapping? When did you two even meet? You never once left the village the entire year. Not to mention, The Snowstorm bastard in front of me never set foot in our lands before.'' ''Tell the truth, Freya, are you doing this out of pure shame? Did he threaten you in any way on your way back to Halfmoon village?'' Lorax calmly played along. ''I have always loved your sister, Amund. You may not know this, but I and your sister frequently shared letters with one another.'' He made it sound believable. ''The way she spoke in her letters convinced me she was the one for me, however, when my father concluded his alliance with the Sunriders, I had a duty to uphold and marry the chosen woman he selected. Alas, our marriage was delayed by the constant plagues and lack of resources from the Sunriders.'' ''Her father had issues providing his part of the deal, which was valuable medicine. We waited as provisions slowly trickled in, until one day, Amirah betrayed me, and she ran away with Amund, the rest is pretty much history, they rushed their marriage, and consummated it.'' ''I had no choice but to seek my true love, Freya. I love her with all my heart. Why do you think I came back for my trial, Chieftain Halfmoon?'' He spoke directly to her father, man to man. ''I was ready to die for her. I took on 5 wolves for her, I stood against everything my clan despised me for. Now look at me, Chieftain Halfmoon. I am a broken man, with no wife on my side. What would you have done in my position?'' He asked with a serious gaze.

1:42 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Eirikr looked at his daughter and walked over, standing in front of her. His hands were placed on both of her shoulders. His voice was down in a low town, “Freya… is this the truth?… is this really the life you want? If you go down this path… if you do this, your reputation…” Freya took a deep breath, she had to stand firm. “Lorax is not the man Amirah claims he is, father… he is kind and respectful. He never touched me, he understands I wish to wait for marriage. Why does Amund get to pick who he wants but I can’t?… my love to Lorax can save us, keep us safe, put us to peace. Amund’s marriage drains us of our supplies and our men to keep her village safe…” Eirikr took a deep breath, not wanting to have an argument with his daughter. “Freya- he killed our men.” “A command I gave… they have permission to kill our men if OUR men attacked first. His men did it in self defense…” “Freya…” Eirikr looked betrayed yet. He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. “You cannot marry him, but we will send him back. He will be a guest… until his father sends men to escort him back home.” Freya took a deep breath and nodded her head, keeping her head held high. She acted sad but she acted as she knew better. “Of course… yes, father… I’m sorry, father… I just wish I could’ve done something for me. Why do I get to be the lonely one, the unhappy one?…” Eirikr hands moved to hold his daughter’s face. “I will find you… an honorable and respectable match. A man to love and protect you. Not put you into danger…” He then looked at his people, then his son. “This trial is over… Lorax will be allowed to go home. I already have a war over the drama of my son. I don’t need it to be worst over the drama of my daughter. I will write to the Chief of Snowstorm. You will go home, Lorax…”

2:18 PM

@Owen

Lorax took a breath, but...for some reason, he wasn't happy with the outcome. He knew that with the heavy winter still roaring, he would be confined as a guest of Clan Halfmoon. Which meant he had max 3 months of stay. Amund spoke, and they released him off his chains. ''That means you're stuck here for 3 months, Lorax. Very well, we will settle you somewhere temporarily. I will prepare a raven for your father to let him know that you will be staying here until the snows and heavy storms in the mountains die down.'' What a day it was. Finally free from his shackles he got situated in his temporary place. Where he relaxed and took a much-needed bath. Refreshed and with new clothing, a soft bed, and finally some proper food, he felt refreshed, no longer as stressed. Meanwhile, Amirah was furious, she slammed stuff off the table in her house. She feared Lorax would speak, now that he was there for 3 months, it would mean she had to be on her toes constantly. For he could snitch on her any day. She walked up to Amund and told him. ''Amund, why did your father agree to spare him, are we really gonna let this pig of a man in our village? What if he tries to harm me next?'' She tried to gaslight him into murdering him. ''You clearly don't love me...if you're willing to let him live.'' Amund foolishly tried to plead with her. ''What can I do huh? I am not chieftain yet, Amirah. We're gonna have to settle with it for now. And you, don't go messing around with him. If he should die by your hand, Freya will surely frame you for his death'' Amund said, laying down on his bed, shaking his head in disbelief. (edited)

2:32 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked over and watched as they took off the shackles and such from Lorax. She walked over and showed him to a temporary hut for himself. Even had some clothes and such brought to him. She didn’t say much right now. Knowing he could rather be alone, to bathe and relax. Once she knew he was settled, she went back to her hut. She shared one with her father. She had to plead for forgiveness, which he quickly gave. He then wrote a letter to Lorax’s father. Freya made a basket of good for Lorax, being polite but she didn’t want to bother him just yet. She wanted to give him some space. A few hours later, Freya walked back to the place where Lorax was. She had a lovely basket full of fruit and such. Just somethings for the week. She waited, patiently. She wasn’t going to walk into his home. She waited for him to open the door and once he did, Freya smiled. She held up the basket. “Food? As an apology but also a welcome basket…”

2:46 PM

@Owen

He walked to the door and opened it, outside sat Freya, she came with food. He let out a slight smile and allowed her inside. He jokingly said ''Welcome to my humble abode, Freya.'' They sat in the living room and Lorax threw a log in the fireplace. ''You brought me food. How nice of you. Not long ago you wanted to run away from me.'' He jokingly said once more. ''So what did you bring me?'' He asked with curiosity, peeking at the basket that was covered with a cloth. Lorax was indeed a little hungry, and could use the company.

2:56 PM

''I hope it's something good at least.''

2:57 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya laughed a bit and walked inside. She shrugged as she came in, putting the basket on the table. She looked over at him, “Apparently we are also lovers- so… things change. Though, you did like my rabbit. So I wanted to show you what I could do with proper food and spices and not just random stuff.” She began to unpack the basket. It all looked good and such. She was a good cook. She was quite proud. “Rosemary bread and some pork. Winter fruits pie… some ale. If you’d like. I worked quite hard so I hope you like it.“ She looked around the guest hut, it was cute, quaint. Also she was warm and in proper clothes. She showed him his dinner and probably breakfast for tomorrow. “It is an apology for putting you on the spot but… at least you are alive! You get to go home… and MY guards will keep you safe. Don’t worry about my brother and his wife.” She pushed some of her hair out of the way, “Do you want to eat dinner together? Or do you want me to leave?”

3:15 PM

@Owen

How could he miss the opportunity to eat together, he told her without hesitation in his mind. ''Let's eat together. Eating alone is no fun, and I see you could also use the company.'' He grinned at her, then sat down with her but not before putting a few plates on the table. ''Let's see, I wanna try the pork.'' He stabbed some pork on his fork, then told her. ''Alright, open wide and say Ahh. No, I don't wanna hear it. If we're eating together might as well share the first bite.'' He waited with his fork still in the air. Hoping she would accept the bite from his fork. It was a way of showing his gratitude. ''In my culture, if someone shares their first bite of food with you, it means they enjoy being around you. Now, do you enjoy being around me, Freya?'' He asked with curiosity. Still stubbornly holding the fork in his hand, extended forward for Freya to take the first bite.

3:22 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

She smiled brightly and nodded her head, watching him put some plates on the table for the both of them. She sat down, moving the pork over to him. She saw him take a piece but she didn’t expect him to hold it out for her. “Well… in my culture, the man of the house is supposed to have the first bite but since you are offering. It’s rude to not accept,” She smiled and took a bite of the piece of pork. She loved her cooking, well, it’s the only cooking she eats so she had no choice. After she finished swallowing, she spoke, “I do enjoy being around you. It’s better than most… Amirah looks at me with disgust, Amund shame. My father disappointment and the villagers don’t know what to do think of me but… it was the right thing, keeping you alive and well, it’ll save us bloodshed and so on.” She smiled and used her own fork to got a piece of pork, holding it out for him. She was copying what he was doing, “If you get to feed me. I get to feed you. Plus- we survived wolves together.” She truly didn’t have anyone right now but she didn’t mind. She felt like that for her entire life. It was good to feel alone with someone, it was weird. She didn’t actually feel alone right now. “You should eat the pork. It’s really good.”

3:31 PM

@Owen

He commented ''We share a lot in common then. My father is not my real father technically. I am the youngest of 7 siblings. Yet all of the responsibilities are thrown at me. When my father asked who wanted to marry Amirah, none of my brothers wanted anything to do with her, throwing the responsibility on me. Not to mention when she escaped, he shamed me for it.'' ''I dread returning home, to tell you the truth, Freya.'' He said, sinking his fork into the pork and taking a chunky bite. It was delicious. Once he tasted it he complimented Freya on her cooking skills. ''Wow, I don't think I've tasted a more delicious pork. What did you put in it?'' He asked with curiosity on his face. When she replied he complimented her further. ''Does your father also believe he'll find you a favorable suitor? And, allow me to thank you properly for getting me out of a sad, painful execution. I had given up on life, to be fair to you, but...ever since I've had the luck of interacting with you, I'm kind of happy to be here now.'' He said, taking a bite of his pork once again. ''This is ironic because this whole ordeal was to get revenge, a concept that even if my plan had succeeded, it would've ended in a brutal war, in which you would've been miserable.''

4:06 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya smiled faltered, “I am the youngest as well. So I get it… everything Amund doesn’t want to go, falls on my lap. It sucks… thinking as he’s the next chief, he should have to do everything…” She took a piece of the bread, eating it. She then poured some ale for them and just, it was a nice dinner between the two. She listened to him, “Honey and smoke it. So it’s rustic. It’s good.. I always do it. Never get complaints.” She took a sip of the ale, she was just enjoying her cooking. Happy to find another person that enjoyed her cooking. She was thinking… did she really trust her father to find her a match to make her happy? No… sadly no. She then laughed and looked at him, “What? Does my cooking really entice you that much, you want to marry me?” She was teasing, she didn’t really think that’s what he meant. Freya knew they had to give him back. That and they barely know one another. She shook her head, “Though, he believes he would… will it be one that makes me happy? No… just be one to help this village. Unlike Amund’s…”

4:24 PM

@Owen

He jokingly said ''Heh, marrying you doesn't sound so bad. Once someone gets to know you, they just realize you're a little spicy, which gives you charm.'' He smiled, before commenting. ''Our fathers like to control our fates, huh, throwing the entire weight of responsibility on our shoulders. My father has 3 wives, none of them my mother, obviously.'' He cleared his throat. ''Yet all of them are mothers to my half brothers and sisters.'' He then kept on eating. He enjoyed her company and asked her. ''Maybe you could convince your father to get rid of Amirah, I have a lot of tea about her. I mean it.'' ''Before becoming my fiance, she was going to be wed to yet another man, from a clan way west. Someone from the famous Darkspear tribe. I'm sure you've heard of them, they go to war for the tiniest of reasons, you could sneeze in their directions and that would be enough for the to declare war.'' He nodded. ''The only reason why the Darkspear nobility didn't wanna marry her, well, my father defeated them in 3 battles during our war with them in Sunrider's lands. I personally killed his daughter in combat. The Darkspear chieftain wanted my head but, I cannot be blamed for killing a fellow warrior on the battle field, besides, she did challenge me'' ''Sorry, I was getting sidetracked. Amirah is not a good woman, and she will, if not now, eventually cheat on your brother with another man, only to gain some favors.'' (edited)

11:10 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya laughed, her eyes lighting up. She liked how they could joke around and such now. A lot had happened and Lorax had popped the bubble Freya was living in. Now she was seeing things for how they really were and she was enjoying someone new. She leaned back into a chair, looking at the food. “Oh I know about the Darkspear clan because my father wanted me to marry someone from there as well and I said no. Absolutely not-“ She finally looked at Lorax, taking a deep breath, “Well, in this moment. Fuck them all! All of them… they only truly care about themselves… and you know what. If my brother gets cheated on.. in this moment, I don’t care. He- STOLE someone’s fiancée! She willing ran with him! Why is he so special, she won’t do it again? Like- stupid! Just stupid…“ She took a sip of ale, now she was just ranting. “Then! There is me- how can someone, so bitchy and evil, get guy after guy after guy! And I’m nice- and I’m beautiful and yet! No one- absolutely no one- I’m lonely… I’m absolutely lonely and she gets everyone and she’s a cunt and I can be a cunt but not all the time!” She crossed her arms, pouting now, “She must be a witch- or something- she’s just- ughhhh! Annoying. She’s very annoying.”

11:52 AM

@Owen

On instinct, he gently placed his hand on top of hers. He smiled and told her in a soft tone. ''You are not bitchy, or evil. You just have standards, and any man would be lucky to have you.'' He didn't quite realize what he was doing in the moment. He felt like it was right. ''You are a wonderful woman, I know that much. Yes, I've only known you for a few days, but I can tell you are a highly valued woman who knows what she wants.''' ''Then there's me, I was a fool to trust a woman who didn't even love me. I believe that, if even I was to marry her, she would cheat on me and eventually run off either way. He took a sip of ale and told her once again. ''If I had the chance of marrying you, heck, I'd marry you this very instant.'' Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest in the vicinity of the Halfmoon village, Amirah was bent over, her hands pressed against a tree, her dress was lifted up, and a man who wasn't Amund was pumping her from behind, his hands gripping her tiny ass with vigor, as he panted. Yes, she was cheating during brought daylight. The man in question who she cheated with was a Sunrider scout. He panted, enjoying himself as much as he could, with short and fast pumps inside her. He groaned in pleasure, but Amirah looked bored. She turned her head around as he fucked her and told him. ''Can you hurry up, scout? I have to be back to my husband in 10 minutes, and do not forget, you cannot absolutely under any circumstances finish inside me'' The scout hardly paid attention but told her as he panted. ''Yes, my lady. Yeeeees'' He groaned, as he pulled out of her and released his sperm on the cold, white snow. He had a pleased look on his face as he pulled up his pants. Amirah also pulled up her panties and pulled her dress down, before reminding him. ''The Snowstorm bastard is alive, I want the assassins here in 2 days time, got it? And if you do a good job, I'll even let you do me in the backyard, if you know what I mean'' - (edited)

12:07 PM

The scout nodded and quickly got on his horse, before telling her. ''They will be here in 2 days, but, I do hope you'll keep your promise, princess. Heh...till our next visit'' The Sunrider scout said, before galloping away.

12:07 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at him, she had such a bright and beautiful smile on her face as she looked at him. She liked how he was talking about her… he talked so highly about her. She giggled a bit, “My standards make me bitchy.” She was just joking but she noticed his hand finally and her face flushed up a bit. She felt her heart speed up and she was wondering if it was because she’s a light weight and barely had any or if it’s because this is the first time she’s ever been in this situation. “You… you don’t mean that,” Her smile faltered a bit, looking away. She never really thought anyone would want to marry her. She felt like she would be in an arranged marriage for whatever her father needed her for. She looked back at him, taking a deep breath. She was trying to relax, he was being nice. That’s all… “I don’t think you were being dumb… you were just in love. Puppy love.. you looked over all the bad. Now you know better! Now you know how to protect yourself. Make sure you find someone who truly wants you.”

12:36 PM

@Owen

''I do mean that'' He told her with assurance in his eyes. Why did he say it? Who knows, spur of the moment? Probably, but his heart wouldn't lie to him, would it? Was he naive enough to believe it? He gently rubbed her hand as he held it. Her hand was warm and soft, as expected. He shook his head, before he did something or said he regretted, and let go of her hand. ''Forgive me...it might be the Ale talking. You're the first woman in a while that I've had the chance to talk to, in that sort of setting. I don't know what got over me. But don't tell your father about this, or I might really lose my head this time, haha'' He jokingly said before he finished his ale mug. It was bright at the time, and the afternoon was approaching. He asked her ''Do you have anything to do? I might be of help while I'm here. I might not be able to do much outside of fighting, but I can sure lift things. So, if you need someone to carry heavy stuff for you, I'm your guy.'' He smiled before wondering what else they could talk about. She was so beautiful, so bright. He didn't know why, but there was an attraction to her that he couldn't quite explain. (edited)

12:48 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya felt her heart beat faster and her face flush up, she kept looking into Lorax’s eyes as he spoke. His hand rubbing her’s just add noted to it. She felt herself lean in but was quickly cut off. Her eyes widened and moved away, delaying her throat. She laughed a bit, drinking more ale as she tried to calm herself down. “Ha… it’s okay! It’s okay… I don’t really hangout with anyone! So… it’s better than the alternative of being lonely.” She pushed her hair back as she went back to eating food, kinda listening to what he was saying. She shrugged, thinking to herself. There wasn’t a lot to do, minus work and work and more work. “I mean… you can help with the livestock? The bulls and stuff… but I don’t know. I’d have to ask my father,” She finally looked at her, her face feeling normal now. She felt much better, her body had relaxed and calmed down.

2:11 PM

@Owen

''Hmm, or I could keep you company'' He joked. ''However, back to the topic of Amirah. She will not let this slide. She will most likely try to get rid of me on her own. I know that much. If we have a way of exposing her...somehow. Because in the end, it's my word against hers.'' ''Think you could help me? If you catch her doing something dubious there is no doubt in my mind that your father will exile her from the village. Something that she could not even deny from Amund himself...we need to catch her cheating.'' ''How? Well, we'll follow her in every move.'' He drew up a plan. ''Here's what we'll do. Since you have freedom to move everywhere around the village, I need you to trick her that you are her ally.'' He took a sip of ale before telling her. ''And since she's a dubious whore, if you soften up to her a little, you could find out a lot more than you think.'' ''Here's the lie in question you'll tell her. You'll tell her that you slept with me. I know it sounds insane, but it'll make her believe that you are on her side. Try to make it subtle, ask her questions that only women would ask each other'' It sounded insane, but, Freya knew there was a way to find out if an unmarried woman was a virgin or not. (edited)

3:01 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at him, looking at him like he was crazy. “I don’t- I can’t act like I’ve slept with you. I don’t even know the first thing about sex! I only know that sex makes a child, that is it! And she knows that!” Freya already knew that Amirah knew, she was a virgin. Freya can’t act like she knows about this stuff. “I.. am ALL for helping you but I can’t say something I know nothing about! I will mess this up, I know I will and she knows I’m not happy with her!” Freya put her head on the table, this felt like a mess. She knew this was gonna fail and she didn’t want to mess this up. “You have a good plan- you just don’t have a good teammate…” She moved her head, her eyes looking into his. She just wished Amund wasn’t stupid because if he wasn’t stupid, she wouldn’t be in this position. Getting kidnapped, now having an attraction towards her kidnapper. She was a mess! A big mess. “What? Do you just want me to go find a random dude to fuck so I can get knowledge on this?…” She was being sarcastic, just a bit overwhelm.

3:11 PM

@Owen

He sarcastically replied ''I'm a random dude'' With a grin. ''You're right, however. This might be a tough task, to expose her. You could invite her to drink. But since you're a lightweight, you'll probably get drunk before her.'' ''This is really tricky.'' He was pondering on what to do to expose Amirah for who she was before she got knocked up by Amund, who slept on top of her more than he slept on his own bed. ''Amirah is in a rush to get pregnant considering that she and your brother have been together for months, how come she isn't pregnant yet?'' He questioned it before an idea popped up in his head. ''What if we make her believe that we slept together?'' ''Believe me, I know nothing about sex either. But once she believes that you and I did the deed, she will tell Amund. Then, all you have to do is deny her allegation.'' ''And since you're the princess, her telling such a blatant lie, will have a negative look on her.'' ''She will try her hardest but all you have to do is deny it adamantly and tell your father about her spreading misinformation and slander''

3:23 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

“Ya but like we convince her- how do we convince Amund she’s lying? I can convince my dad but Amund would believe her… because he HATES you,” Freya sat back up. She wanted to expose Amirah but it was just so hard. “He hates you and he’s upset at me for protecting you. Why would he believe us? I just… I’m not trying to squash all of your ideas but I’m just thinking about logistics… my father will believe me, Amund won’t… who knows about the villagers!” She finished off her cup of ale, pouring herself another one. She then sighed, “She’s probably not pregnant yet because she’s barren… hopefully. She won’t destroy my family…” She then looked over at him, “Wait… you’re the one that got away. You “played” her… we could use you! We could act like a couple so Amund knows you aren’t trying to get with Amirah but in secret. You could seduce her… get revenge on the person who really hurt you. Then… we can find a way to make Amund believe she’s trying to get you back and then we set a trap. You tell Amirah to meet you somewhere and then we tell Amund that Amirah asked you to meet up somewhere and when we all show up with her there, probably in a seductive manner. Amund could see her for who she really is…”

3:38 PM

@Owen

''I couldn't seduce her back when she was with me, how am I gonna make her now? I have known her for a while, and the only way I know how to make her talk is through alcohol.'' He pondered. ''But your plan is also valid. How about this, tell your father you want to host a feast in your name.'' ''We'll act lovey-dovey in front of her. I can drink, I know that much, I am a heavyweight. However, your brother also is.'' ''I assume your father too. Damn...all these interesting plans, yet no way to execute them. The only reliable plan I got is for you to follow her every move.'' He shook his head in anger. ''It's like you said, you got a great gameplan, but a terrible teammate''

3:43 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

“Ughhhh fuck! All we can do is hire someone to seduce her, fuck her, get her pregnant but hope and pray the child looks more like the person we hired more then her,” Freya sighed, not being fully serious. She was just frustrated. “I just want to get drunk and forget about the cunt…” Freya shook her head, chugging down her cup before getting another one. She truly just did not want to handle this right now. “I just got you alive… you don’t think we can just pause it… on the plans? Especially with someone who is so untouchable it seems- and yet is touched by every man!” Freya laughed a bit at her own joke.

3:48 PM

@Owen

With a heavy sigh, he also took a chug of his ale. ''Very well. I just know that she'll try and get rid of me'' He commented. He knew how petty she was, oh yeah. She once killed a Sunrider's villager for simply looking at her wrong. That pettiness was her weak point. He looked outside the window and saw Amirah, sitting outside his temporary hut. He nudged to Freya. ''Speaking of the devil. I assume she's here to talk to you.'' Then a knock on the door was heard. Amirah sat outside on the sunny morning, trudging through the snow, before sitting on the porch. Lorax said ''I'll open, see what she wants.'' He opened the door and asked. ''What do you want, woman?'' ''Is Freya in there?'' ''What if I said yes, what would you do?'' ''I wanna speak to her.'' ''Well too bad, she doesn't wanna speak to you'' ''Anything else, woman?'' Amirah was getting pissed and rather fast. ''Listen, I just wanna talk to Freya, if you don't let me see her, I will scream loudly and proclaim you tried to rape me in broad day light'' He smirked, gazing back at Freya, who could hear everything. ''Making up lies, are we?'' He said, with a smirk.

3:57 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya had her head on the table, listening to everything that was going on. She rolled her eyes, she wanted to have one good night. Just one! Was that too much to ask? Was it!? Freya finished her cup of ale and then slowly rose her. Her face was flushed from the ale but she was still there, a bit. She walked over to the door, peaking her head out from behind Lorax’s shoulder. She did hear everything and she put her head on Lorax’s back, mumbling something to him. She didn’t want to deal with her, she made it clear but there was little she could do. She moved around him, standing in front of him. She was leaning against the doorframe, her back pressed to Lorax’s chest so she wasn’t too close to the she-devil, she meant Amirah. She smiled softly, putting on her soft and nice exterior. “Hello Amirah… do you need something?”

4:02 PM

@Owen

"Freya, I wanna...I want us to be friends. I don't know what that brute told you, but none of is true" She looked at Lorax and said "Did he tell you how he forced me to sleep with him before our wedding?" Lorax laughed and said. "Do you even hear yourself? Force to sleep with you? I was too busy slaving in the mines to provide you with gems. We never even kissed woman let alone sleep together. Spare me the headache and go away. I wanna enjoy my day without you bugging me" Amirah tried to manipulate Freya and told her. "Whatever he's telling you, it's not true. He's a monster." She then said. "Amund knows you raped me, Lorax. He's biding his time get you back, you sniveling bastard. You will not get away with this." He turned towards Freya and asked "And she claims to be your sister in law? Hah" "Tell me, Amirah. Why did you escape from me? I gave you everything I had, yet you played with my heart..." His expression changed. He said to Freya. "You should go, Freya. I wish to be left alone for a bit" Then he went inside and into his room, where he locked himself in. (edited)

4:11 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya listened to the back and forth, back and forth. Her eyes going between both of the people. Amirah and Lorax going back and forth about the past. Freya’s head was hurting from so much information, Amirah’s lying and Lorax hitting her back with questions. Eventually, she just tuned them out, her eyes looking down as she waited for them. Once she noticed Amirah snapped, she looked up, watching her storm off. Freya didn’t fully realize what happened. She looked at him, blinking. She thought they were having a good time… but she also knew Amirah riled him up, irritated him. She slowly nodded her head, “Okay… I’m so-“ The door was closed before she could talk. She then took a deep breath, turning and going back to her own home. She noticed her father asleep at his desk and she sighed, she didn’t want to keep taking care of everyone. Freya walked into her room, closing her door and flopping onto the bed. She rolled, looking back up at the ceiling. She huffed, thinking about everything that happened.

2:41 PM

@Owen

After she had left, Lorax simply wanted to rest. He lay on his bed and slept for a long, long time. At least for 10 hours straight. After waking up in the later hours of the night, a knock on the door could be heard. When he opened the door a Halfmoon soldier spoke out. ''Lorax Snowstorm, you're invited tomorrow night to Chieftain Halfmoon's birthday.'' ''Thank you, soldier. I'll be there.'' When the soldier left, he closed the front door and opened the invite, he was among the guests. Could be an opportunity for him to get closer to the Chieftain Halfmoon, and perhaps work against Amirah, who was seeking his death. No matter, he was up for most of the night next, working out, training, and looking for a fitting outfit, in the wardrobe that was given to him. He picked a basic outfit, the typical guest attire, a dark blue vest. With time to kill, and the morning approaching, he thought he would return the favor Freya gave him the other day. He went with hunting by himself, he managed to kill an adult moose male. When he returned, he brought it back to his temporary home, dismembered it, and neatly placed all the useful meat, as well the dried skin of the animal as a gift to her. Finally when he saw gentle smoke rise from Freya's chimney, he walked up to her house and knocked on the door with a smile on his face, and his gifts in hand. Some were for her father, some for her.

11:13 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya woke up later than usual and was surprised to see her father cooking breakfast. She still had her little fox friend, which accidentally scared her father. Though, they shared a nice and quaint breakfast together. She didn’t live alone, Eirikr didn’t want her too. Freya left her father to clean while she went to go get dressed. Even if it was his birthday, he still had to work. Freya would never wait on him unless he was ill or broken. She only had underwear on when there was a knock on the door and she turned to look at her bedroom door. She knew no one was knocking her bedroom door. Though, since her father was busy, she just grabbed a silk robe and put it on. She rushed over, whoever was behind the door could hear her feet rushing over to the door. She opened the front door and was surprised to see Lorax there. She smiled brightly and pushed some of her hair out of the way of her face. “Oh… good morning, Lorax! Sorry… I didn’t know you were coming over. I would’ve gotten dressed…”

4:48 PM

@Owen

He blushed a little before looking away. He commented jokingly. ''You're in front of a young, healthy man. You shouldn't be presenting yourself like that to me, people may start to create rumors.'' Lorax cleared his throat and resumed. ''I brought you a gift, I have some quality moose meat, moose pelt, its horns, which I've got for your father's birthday, and these hooves, which make for great bowls once cleaned.'' Her father walked to the door and gazed at Lorax, before speaking up. ''Mr Snowstorm, what a surprise. Please don't stand there at the door, it's cold. Come on in, I just made breakfast.'' Before Lorax could speak up or protest he was dragged inside, so to say, and sat at the table, he still held his gifts in his hands, prompting Freya's father to speak up again. ''What are you holding in your hands?'' He asked, to which Lorax replied. ''I bring gifts, for you, and for your daughter. I just happened to find a rare moose, with snow-white skin. It was quite tough of a hunt.''

12:10 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

“It is not my fault you came to my cabin in the early hours of the morning. I am getting dressed,” Freya glared playfully, hearing footsteps from behind her. She looked behind her and saw her dad, smiling at him. She moved out of the way, hearing what he said. Freya was surprised her father allowing him go come in. She gently took the gifts Lorax has provided and walked over to the kitchen, placing it all on the counters. “It’s a lovely gift, thank you Lorax…” She turned and smiled at him, her smile was always so beautiful. She then turned back to the moose gift. She looked at it, examining everything Lorax gave. “How did you know Moose was my father’s favorite?” She smirked and turned completely, she thought he might’ve overheard it and was trying to win points with her father. Which she found amusing.

12:51 PM

@Owen

''True, you are right,'' he said, a bit embarrassed hearing her tell him such a vague detail. ''I had no idea moose was your dad's favorite, to be honest, since sir, you were kind enough to spare my life, and let me stay with you until winter passes, I wanted to return the favor by doing something. Not to mention you took it upon yourself to send someone to inform me of your birthday. So, in your honor and pride, I managed to find you a little something.'' Then he began eating breakfast with them, it was exceptionally tasty. He enjoyed every bite of it, and complimented Freya's father for his cooking. 'Mmm, sir. This is delicious. I see where Freya got her cooking skills from.'' He teased a bit before wolfing down his breakfast. After eating he gazed at Freya and told her. ''Say, Freya. We still got some hours before the official birthday party, how about you and me go do some training. I'm sure you could use some sword practice, whaddya say?'' Lorax asked with a smile on his face.

12:05 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya laughed, she was just teasing now. Though, she was surprised her father invited Lorax to his birthday, especially with how Amund and Amirah are acting. She looked at her dad, finding something kinda suspicious with it. Eirikr looked back at Freya, “What? I can be nice- don’t give me that look.” Eirikr huffed and sat down at the table. Eirikr wasn’t an evil man, Freya knew that. She was just a bit overprotective because she didn’t want Lorax to die, she has invested to much to just let him die. They all ate in peace, some mild conversation but nothing too big or anything. Though, when Eirikr and Freya heard him say Freya got her skills from him, the father-daughter duo broke out into laughter. Freya shook her head, “Oh no no no no… NO! Gods no- I taught him to cook. My mother was too impatient to teach him. When my mother died, my GRANDMOTHER cooked for us and then when she got passed. It went to me- I taught him.” “Couldn’t let me have one compliment-“ Eirikr teased, smiling at his daughter. “It was not your compliment to have,” She shot back, giving her father a playful glare. Though they went back to a peaceful breakfast. Freya was done last, eating slower than other two. Though, she heard Lorax address her once again. She blinked, “Uhhhh… I am probably not the one you want to train with. I’m not really a swords gal. I just know how to defend myself…”

12:48 PM

@Owen

''The whole point of training is to make you a fierce opponent, Freya. After all, I won't be around forever to protect you. It's all for your own benefit. Come train with me, I will teach you how to fight too. Men like a strong woman, you know? You already have the qualities, you just need the training.'' He added, with a gentle smile on his face. The thought of having to leave after the winter is gone made him think in his mind '''Do I really feel sad about leaving this place? Has Freya been a positive figure to me? I feel happy around her, I feel comfortable. No, no. Relax Lorax, you'll go back to your own village and you'll find a suitable wife, for you have a duty to your clan'' He pondered it for a moment, before shaking his head. ''I'll be waiting for you on the training grounds, the day cannot get better, this sunny weather will be replaced soon, so we should spend it outside as much as possible, no?'' He didn't waste any time further, he left Freya's home and went into his, before dressing up in a more comfortable attire, it was training gear, perfect for sparring. Then he waited in the training grounds, a couple of warriors were training there, including Amund. When he saw Lorax he was a little surprised, but he knew he shouldn't stir trouble.

12:58 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya blinked, her face showing confusion as she slowly looked over at her dad. Though, he wasn’t gonna save her from this so she was on her own. She sighed and got up, going to her room to get finished dressing. Freya got into her room and finished getting dressed. She looked in her wardrobe and realized… she kinda, only… had dresses. She took a deep breath, just putting on a dress and some of her snow boots. Her hair was put in a simple braid. She didn’t really have anything else to do so she said goodbye to her father and made her way to the training ground. She saw Lorax there and many other warriors. Including her brother and his friends. Seeing Amund was almost enough to make her turn around and go back home. Though, she kept walking moved to Lorax. She crossed her arms, glaring at him a bit, “Why are you making me do this? I am fine on my own… and with what I know. I can defend myself-“

2:22 PM

@Owen

''Because you never know what might happen, war with another clan might spark soon, and since your clan is in an easy-to-reach valley, it's useful to be able to defend yourself. Now pick a weapon, bow, sword, or spear. I'll show you how to use them.'' Lorax smiled, looked around, and saw how fiercely the warriors trained and sparred, especially Amund. He was glaring in Lorax's direction, mad that he was so close to his sister, however, since his wife Amirah was there to cheer him on, he didn't dare say shit. Before she could pick a weapon, he wanted to give her a crash course. ''Before you pick your choice of weapon, know that the 3 have different uses. The bow is great at range, especially for scenarios where raiders are trying to scale your walls. Spears are good at keeping your opponent from attacking you directly, and even the slightest spear poke can injure, and possibly kill if an opponent doesn't respect its stabbing range.'' He then looked at the sword and told her. ''Then the sword, my favorite weapon. Good at close range, good at fighting multiple opponents at once, and deadly at cutting heads off.'' ''There are also shields, but they are a bit of an advanced defensive tool to use, I'll teach you to use that one in another lesson.'' He smiled and allowed her to pick a weapon at her own pace.

1:13 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya huffed, her eyes scanning the weapons rack. She knew what they were, she was completely useless. She crossed her arms, looking across the selection. She did like the bow, keeping her distance, made her feel safe. That and she has used the bow, many, many times. She walked over and gently picked up the bow and turned to look at him. “This one I want to use, this one.” She walked over after giving a quiver of arrows, slinging it over her shoulder. “Though, maybe we should make it more interesting. Why don’t we do target practice on horse back. Be moving while trying to hit a target. I know how to use a bow-“ She was sticking with what she knew she can use and that was the bow. She then looked around, “Ya I kinda forgot you don’t live here and have a horse-“ She was trying to remember if they had any extra horses or if she was gonna have to go ask people if Lorax could use their horse. “…I have to go… ask either Amund or my dad-“

1:22 PM

@Owen

''Horses? Oh, you mean horse archery. Very well, we can do that. I'm no stranger to horse archery, however. We could also make it a little more interesting by making it a contest, what do you say?'' He smiled at Freya, before grabbing a bow, and a quiver. ''I'm gonna warm up a little before that, we could do an archery contest if you'd like for now until we find some horses. What do you say? If you win, you get to make me do whatever you want, with the moderation of course, and if I win, hmm.....if I win, that's tough, the same will go for me, with the moderation of course.'' ''Or we could do it to see who's the better archer.'' He took an arrow from his quiver and aimed at the target dummy. He took a deep breath and focused on the weak point he wanted to release his arrow at. Then after a little more concentration, he released his shot, hitting the target dummy in between the eyes. ''Oh, bullseye baby!'' He exclaimed.

12:28 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya looked at him, seeing him practice and warm up. Meanwhile, she was trying to figure out how to get him a horse. Though, her interest peaked when he said competition. She liked competition, especially with a prize. She smirked, “A competition? How would said archery contest work?” He had her interest completely, she smiled, thinking of how Amy is would fully work. “So it is a point based system or-? I wanna know how I’m going to beat your ass. It has to be somewhat fun like my brother wants to do it all the time.” She was just teasing him, using her shoulder to gently nudge him. “But seriously, what’s in that brain of yours? How is this gonna work?” She was practically bouncing in her spot, just so excited. People rarely challenged her, due to her status and gender. Which she hated and she was glad to have someone actually try and best her at something.

10:49 AM

@Owen

ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

''We shall do an archery contest to see who can score 10 bull eyes. It's a first to 10, so we can have a fair competition.'' He was fired up for this, as he wanted a challenge, and who better than Freya. ''Do you accept my challenge, Freya? It'll be fun.'' It was a sunny morning outside, so it was the perfect time to get the blood rushing a bit with some physical activities. He had the idea of trying a few challenges, but also to test her on how well she adapts to the different weapons. She seemed skilled with the bow, so it was going to be the most balanced first challenge for now. ''What if we do a few more challenges and make this a best out of 3. Whoever loses the first challenge gets to pick the second.'' He smiled at her, she looked extremely beautiful in her silly outfit, it made his heart flutter with excitement.

12:44 PM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

She smirked, liking this more and more. She nodded her head, “Oh I accept your challenge and I can’t wait to see you do the dumbest stuff when you lose! And I get to control what you do!” She was so excited, the biggest smile was on her face. “So first to ten bullseyes is the first challenge.. so you get to pick all of the challenges?” She was a bit cocky, okay- no, she was VERY cocky but she really hasn’t done this in ages and she was so happy. He wouldn’t have to say anything more than a challenge to get her to agree. She was more than willing to have some fun. Especially with the only person who seems to be sane in this village. “Well- you better go get your arrows, lover boy. You need to remember, I’m a princess. I don’t fetch,” She smiled, it was an innocent smile, her nose scrunching a bit. She was just being a brat now, though, when was she truly never. @Owen

''Heh, you're confident, princess. I like that. I can't wait to see how you're gonna perform when you lose. What will your excuse be?'' With a smirk, he grabbed his quiver filled with arrows. ''Before we start, we need a judge, someone neutral tho, I don't want you to win due to favoritism. Hmm...'' He gave it a thought before an elderly man approached and told him. ''I'll referee for you. Whoever scores the most bullseyes wins. We will also measure the distance between the arrows.'' Lorax agreed with that before, looking at Freya and telling her. ''Alright, princess. Let's do this, ladies, first.'' Lorax said, before stepping aside, confident in himself. He was hoping for a good challenge.

1:54 AM

@ʚ 𝐕𝐢𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐞 ɞ

Freya got into her proper stance, bow in hand as she angled herself correctly. Though, as she got on arrow prepare, ready to shoot, a question suddenly flooded her mind. She seemed, a bit confused. Freya let the air loose, allowing it to sore in the air. It hit the target but not directly in the middle, hence not a bullseye, though close. She didn’t seem defeated, she just seemed confused. She looked at Lorax, “Do we… go until the quiver is done or do we take turns? We should’ve fully thought this through.” She then finally looked at the target, seeing it wasn’t a bullseye. She huffed, getting a bit irritated with herself. Why did she let the arrow go when her mind wasn’t focused? She did not know and she was a bit irritated. She turned to Lorax, “That- counts, I know- BUT my question still stands.“

12:33 PM

@Owen