Private Tales The Loved and Lost Club

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Cullen cast a glance toward Nadya as her elbow dug into his ribs, sharp enough to be a warning, gentle enough to be familiar. A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he held his tongue, even as Orissa spoke with that calm, unbothered grace that made his teeth clench. He snorted at her mention of his "abruptness," but whatever sharp retort had been poised on his tongue, he swallowed it for Nadya’s sake.

His arms crossed, brow furrowing deeper with every word. He watched Orissa carefully, noting the way she moved, the way she paused before mocking Ilir's so-called “succession.” Alright, she earned a few points there. Anyone who could laugh at that smug bastard had a grain of sense.

He was already frowning as the the reason for their 'recommendation' was revealed, but his expression darkened further when Nadya looked at him. He saw the shift in her, felt the weight of her fear as clearly as if it had taken form and coiled around his ribs.

Cullen let out a long breath and dragged a hand down his face, scrubbing at the stubble on his jaw. Of course. Of fucking course.

“Fine,” he muttered, dry as bone. For Nadya's sake, he'd agree to help. “Then I can assume my punishment for abandoning my post has been expunged? Excellent.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Just started off toward the royal tent.

“Let’s go, then, shall we?" he called back abruptly...
 
  • Cthuulove
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Nadya knew she didn't have to explain Cullen if Orissa had already made his acquaintance. Instead, she waited for the Princess to follow Cullen. Cadoc walked past as he always was the closest to the princess. Then the rest of the Wings began to follow, but a familiar face lagged behind and gesture for Fedyr and Nadya to go first.

Malennis. A cousin way down the line from inheriting the title, but was one of the rare members to bond to a Moon Dragon. Nadya remembered Sirene, how she was always so quick and quiet with her efficiency. One had to be in order to impress enough and get appointed as one of the six Gilded Wings.

The group filtered into the Royal Tent, remnants of the Princes' presence strewn across the large table in the center, all filled with pages and books and maps. Orissa turned around the table, not looking at the maps.

"We have reason to believe two men have stolen an egg from the Royal Collection. Not only is it a crime to steal or harm dragon eggs, to steal from the Royal Collection is an offense that results in death. I do not speak as a royal on that matter, I speak for the tradition, the contribution from every house bonded to a dragon. I overheard your..." Orissa's face softened as she watched Nadya. "You have done your family well to have brought back another Storm Dragon, and an even more immense effort to return home with a clutch of eggs safely."

Nadya had not told Cullen, nor anyone else, her declaration made upon arriving to the Hatchery. There were four eggs handed over, and Nadya insisted one go to the Royal collection. She didn't know why, but the handlers were being difficult that day. All she had wanted was to do her part, to be part of the traditions the higher house Calaerys were part of in gifting the royal family an egg from their dragon's bloodline.

All she had wanted was to do her part.

She frowned. "I should go alone." Retrieving an egg didn't need a large response. Unless... "Why do I need to put a team together?"

Cadoc, the Captain, cleared his throat. "This is the work of four men. They split off, one set carrying a decoy. We founds plans in a home of one of the suspected riders. Four dragons in total." From his pocket, he retrieved a letter. Slid it across the table for Nadya to catch. "The King has granted kill orders." The Princess clicked her tongue at that.
 
  • Frog Sus
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Cullen listened in silence at first, his arms folded across his chest, but his attention never strayed far from Nadya. His brow furrowed deeper as the Princess spoke to her directly, softening in a way that wasn’t entirely expected. Cullen’s gaze flicked between them, confusion flickering in the lines of his expression. What had he missed exactly?

His eyes settled on Nadya, a question settling there as she avoided his glance. His mouth opened, maybe to ask, maybe to argue, before Nadya suggested that she should go alone.

He let out a sharp huff. “Should you now?” Cullen interjected, his frown cutting sideways at her. “That some new Wing Leader initiative? Heroic self sacrifice before breakfast?”

Before he could press further, Cadoc spoke, and Cullen went still. Four dragons. Four riders. A decoy. His gaze drifted to the letter passed across the table. The King has granted kill orders..

Cullen let out a breathy laugh, but there was no humour in it. His jaw shifted as he scratched at the rough stubble along it, eyes narrowing slightly.

“He’s good at granting those,” Cullen muttered under his breath, but not so quiet it couldn’t be heard.

His gaze returned to Nadya, and the storm was there behind it. A slow building pressure. "Well then. Shall we go do the King's dirty work?"
 
  • Dwarf
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Nadya raised a brow at Cullen before turning to the Princess.

"You would prefer we not kill them, I take it?" She asked, ignoring Cullen's comments. That would be a discussion another day.

Orissa smiled weakly. "No, I do not. Never sits right with me..." There was a shifting with some of her guard, as if they knew this nature of their charge. "I hate to say it, Wing Leader, but perhaps you could leave that up to yourself? You pass the judgement. It is your Storm Dragon's mate that provided those eggs."

Nadya felt a sobering she didn't realise hadn't been there before.

"Fine. I will assemble a team." Clearly her plan of going alone wouldn't be feasible.

"What about your dragons?" Fedyr crossed his arms, looking down at Nadya. "Does the female Storm Dragons able to scent eggs?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, the Calaerys' didn't keep many texts on them. The libraries have some information but not a lot."

Orissa cleared her throat. "I can consult the Royal Archives." Nadya lifted her head and smiled, an appreciative one.

"Gods. Makes you wonder how your dragons will react." Sirine winced from her position by the door. "Good luck on that one, Wing Leader. "

After a few minutes, the Princess and her Gilded Wings vacated the tent. Nadya remained only a moment, lingering towards making her way back to the exit. She turned to Cullen, to Fedyr, frowning. "It doesn't feel right to leave Thanasis right now. I should choose other riders to accompany me. I need eyes on my family. Eyes on... Ilir even. I would bet two Storm scales that Greydon was also recommended from my Wing. I should... I should create a plan."

Sirine Malennis had put her hand up to assist the Wing Leader before the Gilded had left. A Moon Dragon was always going to be an advantage to any team due to the dragons' ability to blend into their surroundings. Nadya looked up, eyeing Fedyr up and down. She hadn't clocked he was wearing rider leathers her first day back to Thanasis, but he had a warriors build that was beyond the requirements of an infantry man.

Then she looked to Cullen. Despite the golden colour of Meala, she and Kalyss had been flying alongside one another for years. They made a team as much as Cullen and herself worked together. "Fedyr. Will you be alright to stay back, keep an eye on my family? For me?"

He sighed, was quiet for a few moments, but nodded in the end. He placed a large hand across her back, hand squeezing her shoulder. "Who the fuck is going to refuse guarding your sisters? One of them is my age, right?" Fedyr grinned.
 
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Sirine had a point. If the storm dragons found the thieves, they wouldn’t have time to beg for mercy whether Nadya decided to execute them or not.

His gaze flicked to the Princess as she and her guard made their exit. For all her poise, she’d looked genuinely uneasy about the prospect of execution. Maybe that meant something. Maybe it didn’t. Cullen gave the smallest of nods as Orissa passed, but his eyes were already back on Nadya before the tent flap even settled.

He could see the storm brewing just beneath her skin, her worry for her family, mistrust of Ilir, and that calculating, strategic mind of hers weighing every risk. He could see that she was already considering leaving him behind, but he wasn't giving her the chance..

“I’m going with you,” Cullen said firmly, voice cutting clean through her train of thought.

As she turned to assign Fedyr the job of staying behind, Cullen tilted his head slightly, and then, without looking away, lifted a finger and pointed squarely at the blonde man beside her.

“Aye,” he warned, “and she’s off limits.” His gaze didn’t waver from Fedyr’s face. “I mean it. You so much as flirt sideways and I’ll feed you to Meala. Slowly.”

Then he looked back to Nadya, shrugging as if he hadn't just made a casual threat. "Are you going to fill me in on what's going on or is that above my rank of wyrm shit?.."
 
  • Melting
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Nadya's choice of words would have been sharper than any blade she wielded, but it was Cullen's quiet assertion that did a better job of wiping away the grin Fedyr wore. The act itself made her smirk, alleviating some of the worry she had building up inside her. This momentary reprieve made her smile widen as Fedyr scowled. "Do not forget that they are my sisters, Fedyr. It isn't just myself and my father you have to get passed in order to begin courting any of them. Even Kalyss is fond of my sisters."

Fedyr snorted. "Gods, you both are no fun." The mountain of a man clapped the Wing Leader on the shoulder and gave Cullen a two-fingered salute before leaving them alone.

It meant Nadya had no choice but to turn to Cullen as he asked her that question. In front of others, she could hide her emotions and thoughts, but Cullen knew her. For years, he head learn to read other things about her to get an idea of what she was thinking. Nadya didn't want him to see her hesitate.

"When I came back to Thanasis, I went straight to the Hatchery. I could smell it in the air still, the damage that had been done here in the city weeks ago. It was important... that I hand over the eggs to the Hatchery." Here in the Royal sectorof the tents, they were alone. It seemed Orissa was the only royal about, and her people had gone with her. Nadya reached for his hand, needing his touch as she dipped her head to continue. "I have never truly been inside to where the eggs are kept and guarded. I was glad to see not much damage had come to it... made me so happy to know that I could trust some others with an honour Kalyss and his mate Eisdyr offered to my family. The chance to finally present the Royal family an egg from my House. I know your feelings on the royal house, and your feelings about the nobility, but Cull..."

Her hand squeezed his, and Nadya herself was fighting off tears. Still, she did not look to him, only their hands.

"I never thought I would find another Storm dragon. I believed for so long I would be the last rider of my House, that all future Caliars would be soft and prim. I now have brought legacy back to my family. I brought back pride and future for my dragon." Her smile was strained. "When I didn't have you and I left here, ashamed... seeing a world beyond Thanasis made me realise there was more to my life. I cared about legacy, not in the way of namesakes or blood."

Finally, she brought her gaze up to meet his. Unshed tears turned her eyes to a brilliant shade of grey, as if the light bouncing off the glistening made them more alluring. Strength, and that ever rolling cloud of storm, still managed to focus her softness in her gaze. She always looked to him like that. That Cullen would be the one to be peace against the chaos that may swirl them.

"I want you at my side, because I know that if anything was to ever happen to me, you would still look after my family. You would look out for me to avoid that even happening." She laughed, taking a step towards him and wrapping her arms around his middle. "I just... need you."
 
  • Melting
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