Fable - Ask The daughter of Soleiman..

[Halul]

“Gerra appreciates my versatility,” Uvogin snorted and set the tray of food aside. Bread, cheese, dried meat; it was far from luxurious but he didn’t care. The captain watched as she pulled the silken sheets close and scan the room, her gaze eventually falling to him. “There will be light scarring.”

He heard a light scraping that was followed by a brief silence.

“Save your thanks for the Emperor.”

As she worked at the food, Uvogin rose from his seat and strode across the room to her bed before sitting on the edge of the plush mattress.

“What did you expect? Did you have no regard for your own life or safety, so long as you killed Gerra?”

 

[Nym]

Nym's lips curved slightly at his comment about versatility, though she didn't comment. The half smirk fell to render her expressionless as he mentioned scarring and she nodded gently "Yes I expect so. But at least I have my fingers intact." she commented dryly, her eyes lingering on him for another short moment before they fell to her food and she busied herself with eating.

She gave a sharp, nasal huff as she chewed a mouthful and her gaze lifted briefly as the man got up to approach. She swallowed as he sat, feeling herself tense but she forced herself to ease, she was far too weak to fight and she knew he wasn't here to hurt her. Just irritate her.

"Would you not fight for your freedom, Captain?" she shredded another piece of dried meat and ate. "A large and beautiful cage is still a cage. My life is his now, passed down from one ruler to another. I will not continue my life as a slave." she looked at him, studying his face with a gentle frown. "We both failed to do our jobs, lets not rub salt in the wounds." her jaw clenched and she returned her attention to the tray to pick at the bread.

 

[Halul]

"Oh, a slave," he mockingly echoed, "And what would you know of slavery, being born a Princess of Salitra?" The captain's armor, black like a cloudy night sky, was neatly placed where he was just sitting and now wore only the clothes that would have been under it.

"You would not be - are not a slave here. And this beautiful cage does not have to be that." Uvogin's lips pressed into a thin line, and he faced forward, away from the princess. It was uncharacteristic for him to prate on to anyone about anything.

"It is whatever you decide it to be."

It was true and frustrating, her comment about failing their jobs. Uvogin, despite his best efforts, was far from perfect. Again and again, he was reminded of his shortcomings, though they never resulted in the harm of his Emperor until now. His dear friend. That angered him, but he did not let it show.

 

[Nym]

"Clearly more than you'd expect." Nym had a sneer in her voice that extended to her eyes. It was fair, of course, that she was always well kept, she wanted for nothing, but she was a slave in her own way. She had watched her family be a family, she was only a tool to be sharpened whenever her father needed a job doing and didn't trust anyone else to do it. She was hidden away whilst her brothers enjoyed their limelight, the secret daughter of Soleiman, watching their life from the shadows so that her father's enemies wouldn't know her face.

"Then what? If not a slave then a prisoner at least. He keeps us here through fear of us taking back what was ours. He can have it." she frowned gently "I just want my freedom." her head shook, and she pushed the tray away from her, her appetite diminished.

Nym shifted to settle her back against the pillows, pain jarring a grimace as she dared to move. "Whatever I decide.." she repeated softly "I don't believe I'll be making any decisions for some time.."

 

[Halul]

Uvogin stared at the wall as she spoke and idly wrung his hands.

"No," he softly agreed, "you won't. You will remain here." The captain's voice, typically strong and monotone, contained a hint of uncharacteristic gentleness.

"Cerak At'Thul - are you familiar with this place?" Whether she was or not, he paused for a brief moment. He could not see it in the dark but pressed on the small ink brand on his right wrist. "I was born there—born a slave. Passed from one slaver to another as a child, I never knew if I would live to see the next day. I was unable to sleep from hunger or illness, or of the pains that seemed to bite at my bones."

Not even Gerra knew of the captain's past.

"I was able to escape slavery, but even then, the freedom I thought I found was a farce. I was a mercenary for years, serving others to stay alive until I met Gerra. He saw value in me that others before did not, and he offered his hand to me. Even after all of my failures, his faith in me is unwavering." Uvogin deeply sighed and turned to the Princess. Dim candlelight flickered over his features. The captain, his reputation of ruthlessness overt, appeared vulnerable even if only for a moment.

As dark blue eyes surveyed Nymeasha, the corners of his mouth dragged down into a small frown. This young woman made him speak far too much, and it troubled him.

"Eat. If you want freedom, then the path to it must start with mindfulness over your health."

He turned away and, after several seconds, returned to his seat at the far wall.

 

[Nym]

She noted how he'd wrung his hands and her gaze narrowed slightly in thought, not of his words, but of how much the action betrayed the emotions he was clearly capable of feeling, and how he'd allow such an action to betray him at all. His guard was dropping, and she hadn't expected it, not from the man who only hours prior had been trying to unnerve her and who'd snipped her finger off without hesitation. Men like that didn't usually have much emotion.

Her expression softened as she listened to him speak of his past, silently wondering why he was telling her, he seemed so vulnerable and her cynical mind could see no reason other than trickery for a short moment, until he seemed almost annoyed at himself for sharing. She kept her silence, her eyes following him as he returned to sit, the dim flickering light seeking out her emerald hues to reflect themselves on as she stared, trying and failing not to hold a look of pity and guilt.

Her father had done that to people and she knew it. She'd been starved of a childhood and affection and nurture but never had she felt the pain of hunger. She regretted using the word slave, and decided then she wouldn't use it again. She reached to slide the tray of food back to her, and tore off another piece of bread, accepting his words and deciding against unnecessary defiance for once.. "Perhaps I didn't give him much of a chance either." she muttered quietly.. "I simply didn't want to be a prisoner, I know what most rulers would do to families like mine."

She kept her attention downcast as she picked at her food.. "You don't speak much, do you?.." she pointed out quietly, though she didn't mean speaking in general, more speaking in a deeper sense of the word. She didn't either, and she saw how he'd fought it. She was glad he'd lost the fight though, despite her pain it was the first she'd been able to feel calm since the night her father was killed.

 

[Halul]

His seat in the corner of the room, if you could call it that, was a small pile of pillows. The captain sat and listened as Nymeasha spoke. If it were any other conqueror aside from Gerra, her family would have been lucky for a swift death.

Again, Uvogin’s lips pressed into a thin line. It was never expected or required of him to speak much. He just had to do his job, and do it well. Perhaps he only spoke because looking at her was made him reminisce about his younger self.

The captain tried to speak, but choked up for a moment. He cleared his throat.

“Eat,” he said, his tone soft, “you need rest.”

 

[Nym]

Nym tried to suppress a smile, but she failed and ate a little more.. "And what of your rest? Will you sit there and silently watch my restless sleep all night?" she smirked and looked up at him with a light shake of her head. "If Gerra is afraid that I might throw myself from the window then he needn't be, it's not on my agenda.." she huffed, not yet anyway.

She was silent as she finished off the tray of food and set the tray aside again, gingerly pulling her legs toward her to drape her arms across her knees and watching him for a moment. He wasn't exactly unpleasant to look at, he'd even let a little of his humility spill out, she wasn't really in any huge rush for him to leave, his tone was soothing. Perhaps, if she pushed back a little..

"My father kept my mother hidden away whilst I grew in her belly.. He wanted me to be a secret even from then, like I was never born." she frowned gently. "I can't remember a day that didn't start with a blade being pushed into my hand. He instructed his best few men to train me as ruthlessly as they could, and I started killing for him when I was six...even then I wasn't 'sloppy'.." she muttered, resting her chin on her arms. "My brothers were well celebrated as they came along, well loved by my mother. My father's men raised me, not her. I was just a blade that my father polished up and used every now and then. One he could trust not to tarnish." she smiled with a hint of pride, but it fell quickly. "He was betrayed anyway..But I suppose that was only a matter of time." she frowned gently. She'd seen the things that her father did, he made more enemies than he did friends..

"I would like to know who betrayed me though.." she added quietly, with a tone more of hurt than of anger. She had learned a hard lesson on trust as her father had it seemed.

 

[Halul]

Uvogin let silence fill the space between them for several seconds. Like himself, she was given no choice but to become a killer.

"I first killed when I was seven... eight?" His voice trailed. The age was inconsequential, really. "Strangled another boy my age for a scrap of food. A scrap so small, it fit in my palm. When I was ten, they threw a hundred of us into a pit. Some of the boys were older, some younger."

In an almost introverted manner, Uvogin absently looked at the floor.

"They did it sometimes - to cull the weak. To find a slave with the potential for fighting. A hundred went into the pit, and only I left. After that, I spent several years aboard a ship, cleaning, pillaging coastal villages, killing. I was good at it. Killing that is. Escaped one day. Had nothing but my tattered clothes and a sword. Now here I am."


"What would you do when you found out who betrayed you?"

 

[Nym]

Nym's eyes narrowed slightly with a hint of a smile as he continued to talk, not because she found what he had to say particularly pleasant, but because he'd ignored her hint that he too should rest and she curled up to watch him as he spoke.. How desperate a child he must have been to choke the life out of another for a meagre scrap, the image she conjured of his story in her mind caused her eyes to close for a brief moment, as though it might rid her of such a vision..it didn't.

Her teeth latched onto her lower lip to absently chew as she thought of the pit he spoke of, imagining a sea of dead children.. a cull as he called it. "A hundred?" her eyes flared slightly.. It was needless slaughter, surely. She may have been void of emotion when she carried out her own killing, but she'd never experienced anything like that, nor had she ever taken the life of a child. Honestly, she wasn't sure she could, but her father had never asked it of her and for that she was glad.

She ran her fingers through her hair lazily as she considered his question with a soft sigh.. "I... don't know. My father would have their tongue removed before letting the rats bury themselves into their chests, he'd make it slow and painful. But.." she paused, her expression softening in realisation, that she really was free of her father's command and could perhaps think for herself for once. It'd take some practice.. "I suppose I'd want to know why. And decide from there. I could be half way to Elbion by now... I can't think of an excuse good enough for such a betrayal, the only ones who knew about me either were family, or might as well have been. I've never had to kill anyone I cared about before." she frowned.

 

[Halul]

“Neither have I,” Not that there were ever many people that Uvogin cared about in his life. He could count them on one hand.

Would she see his sincere smile in the darkness? With only that smile, he proved to her that he understood her hardships. Although of a different sort, they had been tools of killing for another. And just like Uvogin many years ago, she would soon have freedom; with that freedom, the choice to do what she wanted and go where she pleased.

“I envy you,” he admitted, “Though far from being ideal, you had a family. I hope it was not they who betrayed you.”

 

[Nym]

She saw it, the dim candlelight cast a flickering warm glow, illuminating the contours of his face, and the smile transformed him, only making him even more attractive if that were even possible, an unexpected warmth. Nym returned one of her own, and it lingered until her mind considered what he'd said and she continued to run her fingers through her hair, twisting at it thoughtfully. Surely her own mother wouldn't.. Her brothers, perhaps without thinking, but they barely knew her really, she doubted they'd worry about her in a time of panic.. she doubted any of them would have.

She sighed deeply and shook her head "If you're going to envy anyone's family, don't envy mine.. I didn't belong to them in the way that I should have." she frowned gently, having quietly convinced herself to withdraw from them, to make the possibility of their betrayal just a little easier to deal with if it were true. It'd break her, and a broken blade was useless.

Nym let her arms fall back to her sides and huffed before turning herself around with a quiet groan of pain so that she could no longer see him, but her hand patted on the cold side of the bed "Come, rest. I won't bite. Besides you can't sit over there creeping at me all night whilst I sleep." she sighed sleepily.

 

[Halul]

“It is not unheard of for unwanted children in Cerak to be sold off for a few coppers,” Uvogin mused aloud. It didn’t need to be said that he was an unwanted child. Sold for a few coppers, enough for a mug of beer. That is what he was worth to his so-called family.

Having no place among their “family”; another commonality between the Princess and Immortal.

He raised a brow at her back as she turned away and offered a spot at her bed.

“I am not creeping,” he stifled a chuckle, “and, what, are you not concerned I will take more than a fingertip?”

She had somehow heard of his past, his sentiments, seen his vulnerability, his smile, and finally his (admittedly poor) sense of humor. All in several minutes.

“Sleep well, Princess.”

Despite an odd desire to, Uvogin did not move to lay at her side.

 

[Nym]

"At least, you were worth a few coppers.." she answered softly, the sadness in her expression bleeding into her tone.. "By now you are clearly worth much more."

Nym smirked to herself and gave a quiet laugh at his attempt at humour "Hm..Sure you aren't..And no, you have more honour than that I believe.."

She mumbled a sleepy "Mhmm.." as he told her to sleep well. She would, for the first time in weeks, her body and mind too worn out to to sleep restlessly.

 

[Halul]

A warm morning breeze passed through the Princess' room. Through the windows, puffy white clouds rolled across the sky. The captain was the first to rise after a night of peaceful sleep. He always slept soundly. Always.

Uvogin moved about the room, stretching his limbs out. As he paced around, he looked down on Nymeasha who was still very much asleep. She looked so at peace, it reminded Uvogin that she was still just a child. The corners of his mouth dragged down in a small frown.

About an hour passed from then. The captain had ordered finely grounded coffee beans to be brought, as well as all the necessary apparatus to brew the coffee. And thus he spent several minutes preparing two cups. First, he poured cool water into the cups before mixing in the grind. Next, he began the process of heating, cooling, and reheating the coffee. It was a slow process of bringing the temperature up on the grind so all the flavorful oils were properly extracted. He would repeat the process of heating and cooling twice, and on the third and final time heating the coffee, it would be ready to serve.

By then the coffee’s fragrance would have filled the room. He placed the cups in saucers and turned to see if the Princess had woken from her peaceful slumber.

 

[Nym]

She had awoken, and she'd been watching him pottering around for several minutes with a small smirk. The breeze brought with it the vibrant aroma of coffee and she smiled and stretched as he looked down at her.."Being trusted with hot drinks now, am I?.." she mused, and cleared her throat of the grittiness of sleep.

"Did you sleep?.." she frowned gently and sat herself up a little, pulling the silk sheets around her with one hand whilst trying to tame her hair with the other. She tested her legs, sliding her feet up toward her with a slight wince but the worst of the pain had subsided thanks to the work the healers had done. She'd be limping for a while, but she could deal with that, she'd known some men to be bedridden for weeks after such injuries, and that she couldn't have dealt with.

"Thank you.." she sighed sleepily and rubbed at her face..

 

[Halul]

Pinching the edges of each saucer in either hand, he walked to the Princess' bedside with only a wry smile as his answer. He did not expect her to throw the hot coffee back into his face, especially with how vulnerable and innocent she looked with the covers pulled up and fingers raking through her hair.

"Of course I slept," he sat on the edge of the bed next to her and was mindful of her legs. He set her cup on the stand next to the bed.

He brought his steaming cup to his lips and blew over the coffee's surface. A small affirmative hm was his response to the Princess' thanks. Uvogin sipped the coffee and was pleased by a fresh, floral aroma. There was a delicate, fruity sweetness to it with a wine-like acidity and rich, syrupy body.

"You have not seen the gardens yet, have you?" The cup met its saucer with a soft clink. "I think it would be a good thing for you to visit it."

 

[Nym]

Nym fought off a smirk as she watched him sip at his coffee, and she reached for her own, breathing it in before she took a sip too, unable to suppress a shuddered breath as it instantly woke her up a little more, and her lips curled in approval.

"Gardens?.. Outside?". A slender brow rose in question. By the smile on her face she felt she must have looked a little like a child who'd been punished and forbidden from leaving her home but had been let off early. She hadn't expected to be able to set foot outside. Gerra had told her she wouldn't be safe anywhere, even inside the palace walls.

"I haven't, but I'd like to..If I can walk well enough." she added and brought her coffee to her lips again, her eyes smiling at him over the rim of her cup.

 

[Halul]

"Yes, outside. Still within the palace, of course."

She seemed happy at the suggestion. Good. Uvogin saw much of himself in her, but was also surprisingly curious and wanted to learn more, speak more with the Princess. Uvogin's quarters and office overlooked the gardens, though he rarely had the time to walk through them. With the task of keeping a close eye on Nymeasha, however, time suddenly presented itself to him.

Her apparent enthusiasm made it all the better.

"I will get the servants to provide a cane for you," he took a small sip, "if you would allow it."

 

[Nym]

She wouldn’t get far if she tried to run anyway, not that it crossed her mind, she was simply glad of the prospect of being outside.

At the suggestion of a cane she couldn’t help but feel a little pathetic but she nodded anyway, she’d deal with it. “Yes.. Thank you.” She smiled warmly and drew in another sip of coffee with a quiet sigh.

She still found his kindness odd. Part of her still questioned it but she tried to cast those thoughts toward the back of her mind and accept it for what it was. Gerra had told him to keep an eye on her, he didn’t have to talk to her or make her coffee or let her walk in the garden.

Fuck it, she had to ask.. “Why are you being so nice to me?.. After what I did, the last thing I expected in this palace is kindness.” she asked softly with curiosity rather than accusation.

 

[Halul]

“Would you prefer the alternative?” he looked into the dark coffee, a small amount of foam floating at the edges of the cup, “I had no intention of being kind. But, you reminded me of myself. That is it.”

If there was any contemplation necessary, he let her do so in silence as they finished their cups.

“How are your legs?” He asked after a long, drawn-out silence.

 

[Nym]

"Not particularly.." she answered quietly, her little finger aching somewhat as she considered the sort of alternative the man was capable of. His answer caused her brow to crease in a gentle frown and a quiet "Oh.." as she considered, finishing her coffee in silence. She wasn't sure what that said about either of them other than they were both pretty tragic cases, but his stories had given her a sense of sympathy for him so she supposed her own life had prompted something similar.

"Hm." she set the empty cup aside and winced as she pulled herself around to sit on the edge of the bed, her toes barely touching the cool tiled floor. She wrapped the silk sheet around her with a hesitant glance at the captain, securing it in a knot in the middle of her chest. She wasn't wearing much underneath, and she wasn't scandalous. She gingerly pushed herself onto her feet to try and take the weight, which she managed with discomfort, but she buckled slightly as she attempted to walk and gripped hold of the bed with a growl in frustration.

"Not as bad as they could've been." she huffed, and tried again, this time making a few more painful steps before having to hold on to the post of the bed, her cheeks blushing furiously. "I think the cane will help.." she sighed.

 

[Halul]

Uvogin took note of how she covered up in front of him. Not that he could say it brought him any happiness, but it was good that she was able to move on her legs.

“Would you like me to step out so you may get dressed?” It was about as considerate that he was capable of being. Though he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over her exposed skin. His gaze travelled over her collarbones, up her neck, and finally settled on her fine features.

 

[Nym]

Nym stared at him for a long moment, biting gently on her lip as she considered the question whilst taking note of how his eyes wandered. Damn. Her cheeks warmed and she dropped her gaze almost shyly for a moment.. "No.. I don't." she answered boldly and cleared her throat..

She sat on the edge of the bed again, looking toward the armoire that sat against the wall at the other side of the room.. "Could you bring me something?..Anything.." she asked and gestured with a hand toward it. There was nothing to hold on to between the bed and her clothes, getting there would cause problems.

 

[Halul]

The Princess’ body language, her expression, the way her lip twitched as she gently bit down on it. The smallest idiosyncratic changes to her demeanor entertained the captain. Of course, he didn’t let it show. After gazing over her features, Uvogin gave Nymeasha a complete once-over. Despite the sheet covering her, he could vaguely trace the outline of her figure-curves that were only slightly evident, leaving the rest to his imagination.

“Anything?” Uvogin echoed and hummed as he turned to retrieve something suitable for their walk. Everything seemed so... lavish. He returned with an emerald dress. It was simple in design, though possessed subtle gold embroidery and was made of a light material. It was both practical and elegant. It also matched her eyes, a detail he did not overlook. He wanted to see her in it, badly.

He returned with it and held it out to Nymeasha.

“This one.”