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<blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 708667" data-attributes="member: 2062">Kennic came into the room where Dru was sitting, and shut the door behind himself.&nbsp; He turned to look at her, eyes narrowed.&nbsp; &quot;Your father and I bring you out here for your protection, because it's the only safe place left for you.&nbsp; And where do I find you, but rolling around in the leaves with the farmer's son.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru glared up at him, still embarrassed at how Kennic had come upon her and Nyil.&nbsp; &quot;Gods, Kennic,&quot; she sighed.&nbsp; &quot;You'd think, by the way that you were carrying on, that I'd held a knife to his throat.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic snorted in what might be laughter, and sat down in a chair facing her.&nbsp; &quot;Drusilia...your father has not expressly forbidden this sort of thing, but you aren't doing Nyil or Terel any favors by carrying on with him that way.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;But-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic shook his head.&nbsp; &quot;You know that your marriage will be an arranged one.&nbsp; What if your father already has someone in mind for you?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru's brows knit together in a fierce scowl.&nbsp; &quot;Then he can tell me about it!&nbsp; He can't expect me to know what he has planned for me if he never shares it with me.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Kennic sighed.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know what to tell you, child.&quot;&quot;Does Papa already have someone in mind for me?&quot;Kennic shrugged.&nbsp; &quot;That, I am not entirely certain about,&quot; he said.&quot;Then I shall carry on as I please until he either comes up with someone suitable, or until he decides to share what he knows with me.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Oh, Drusilia,&quot; said Kennic sadly.&nbsp; &quot;Everything he does, he does for your benefit.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Maybe so,&quot; said Dru,&nbsp; &quot;But that doesn't mean that he can't be wrong.&quot;&nbsp; She stood to her feet.&nbsp; &quot;I'm going to go outside.&nbsp; I promised Nyil that I would help him feed the chickens.&quot;&nbsp; And with that, she left the room without a backward glance.&nbsp; &nbsp; Nyil was already throwing the seed onto the ground when she got outside.&nbsp; &quot;I'm sorry that I'm late,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;I was talking with Kennic.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Nyil looked up at her, and gave her a faint smile.&nbsp; &quot;That's alright.&nbsp; Feeding the chickens is easy enough.&quot;&nbsp; He tossed more on the ground, and then started walking back to the barn.&nbsp; Dru fell in stride alongside him.&nbsp; &nbsp; He glanced at her, and said heavily, &quot;I've been doing some thinking.&nbsp; I don't think that we should continue to see each other.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru blinked, staring at him.&nbsp; &quot;I'm staying here, though!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; He chuckled, with no real humor, and said, &quot;Well, I suppose that we'll see each other every day.&nbsp; But we shouldn't...you know.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru studied him, a suspicion lurking in her mind.&nbsp; &quot;Did Kennic put you up to this?&quot;He stared at her in careful surprise.&nbsp; &quot;Kennic?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; I just think that it would be for the best, that's all.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru narrowed her eyes, and stopped in her tracks.&nbsp; She grabbed him by the tunic, and held him in place as well.&nbsp; &quot;Your father had a talk with you, then?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; His downcast eyes said it all.&nbsp; He bit his lower lip, not speaking.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru nodded, and released him.&nbsp; &quot;I thought as much.&quot;&nbsp; When Nyil looked up at her, sadly, Dru gave him a smile.&nbsp; &quot;I don't blame you, Nyil.&nbsp; Thank you for showing me around the farm.&nbsp; You made what might have been a dull two weeks a very interesting one.&quot;&nbsp; And then she turned and walked away from him, so that he couldn't see the tears in her eyes.&nbsp; He has to ruin everything for me.&nbsp; I was denied a normal childhood, and now I'm to be denied a normal young adulthood as well.&nbsp; He's probably going to marry me to some cold nobleman, if he can get one, or to someone in the organization.&nbsp; Maybe even Alust,&nbsp; she thought with a sudden rise of fear.&nbsp; He wouldn't marry me to Alust...would he?&nbsp; &nbsp; She turned, and in all of her rage, started hurling daggers at a lone tree.&nbsp; Each time a blade thunked into the wood of the tree, she smiled in satisfaction.&nbsp; Periodically, she'd go collect the blades, and then return, only to throw them again.&nbsp; Her rage had diminished significantly, along with what light was left in the day,&nbsp; when a cloaked figure stepped out from behind the tree.&nbsp; It paused, tugging one of her daggers out of the trunk.&nbsp; &quot;You have gotten better at thrown weapons,&quot; said Papa's familiar voice.&nbsp; &nbsp; Her heart sped up, and despite her anger at him, she was filled with relief.&nbsp; &quot;Papa,&quot; she breathed, stepping towards him.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He met her halfway, and somberly handed her knife back to her, hilt first.&nbsp; He tugged back the hood of his cloak, and studied her.&nbsp; &quot;I understand that you had some trouble in the city,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;With Meris,&quot; she said, flatly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Come, let's walk,&quot; Papa said heavily, offering his arm to her.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru linked her arm with his, and the two began to follow the path that she and Nyil had ridden on horseback just this morning.&nbsp; &quot;I want to apologize for leaving you in the care of someone that was such a...poor... bodyguard.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru shrugged.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I knew that you did not like her.&nbsp; I suppose that your dislike of her was more your intuition than your stubbornness, which I thought it was at first.&quot;&nbsp; He turned to glance at her, giving her a wry smile.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru felt herself returning the smile, and sighed.&nbsp; &quot;It all turned out, I suppose,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;I finally worked the ropes free, and was able to escape.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Jalin told me about all of your wounds.&nbsp; Show me.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru stopped, and, a little embarrassed, turned her back to him.&nbsp; She lifted the back of her tunic, showing him the white lines that were left from the whip's lash.&nbsp; &nbsp; He drew in his breath, and then said, &quot;Alright,&quot; in a tone of voice that made her think that he was purposefully not showing her his emotions.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dropping her tunic back into place, she started walking with him again.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Her body was finally found,&quot; he said, &quot;In the harbor.&nbsp; Your mysterious half elf did a thorough job on her.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru nodded, and sighed.&nbsp; &quot;I wish that I knew who he was.&nbsp; I want to thank him for helping me.&nbsp; She would have caught me, without his help.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;I will have people look for him, and if we find him, he will properly thanked.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Where are we going, out of curiosity?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Down to the waterfront,&quot; said Papa.&nbsp; &quot;I am going to take you further away from Freeport than even this.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru's eyes widened.&nbsp; &quot;We're leaving the island?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Yes, though not far.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They cut through fields of sugar cane, and walked for several more miles, before they got to a small, poorly tended dock.&nbsp; There was a large boat waiting already.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Are you coming with me?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Yes,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;The war that I'm in is over, but I do not want to be there for the fall-out.&quot;&nbsp; At Dru's questioning look, he said, &quot;Everyone in the organization is lying low.&nbsp; Most especially you and I.&quot;&quot;Papa,&quot; she said, wanting to put at least one fear to rest.&nbsp; &quot;You're not going to make me marry Alust, are you?&quot;He stared at her in completely unfeigned surprise.&nbsp; &quot;Alust?&nbsp; Why would I have you marry Alust?&quot;Dru shrugged.&nbsp; &quot;I was afraid that you might, for some reason.&quot;He snorted.&nbsp; &quot;I do not plan on having you marry Alust.&nbsp; Now, give me your arm again.&quot;&nbsp; When she did so,&nbsp; he helped her up onto the boat, and two humans, with studiously incurious expressions on their faces, began to steer to boat out away from the island.&nbsp; As they drifted out further, Papa pointed to the glowing lights further along the shore.&nbsp; &quot;Freeport,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dru stood at the boat's railing, and watched the only city that she'd ever been in recede away from her.&nbsp; Papa put a hand on her shoulder, gently.&nbsp; &quot;Once we get where we're going, we'll have more time to talk, but for now, let's not.&quot;&nbsp; Dru nodded, understanding the need for silence, and rested her head on his shoulder.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Drusilia Nailo, post: 708667, member: 2062"] Kennic came into the room where Dru was sitting, and shut the door behind himself. He turned to look at her, eyes narrowed. "Your father and I bring you out here for your protection, because it's the only safe place left for you. And where do I find you, but rolling around in the leaves with the farmer's son." Dru glared up at him, still embarrassed at how Kennic had come upon her and Nyil. "Gods, Kennic," she sighed. "You'd think, by the way that you were carrying on, that I'd held a knife to his throat." Kennic snorted in what might be laughter, and sat down in a chair facing her. "Drusilia...your father has not expressly forbidden this sort of thing, but you aren't doing Nyil or Terel any favors by carrying on with him that way." "But-" Kennic shook his head. "You know that your marriage will be an arranged one. What if your father already has someone in mind for you?" Dru's brows knit together in a fierce scowl. "Then he can tell me about it! He can't expect me to know what he has planned for me if he never shares it with me." Kennic sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, child." "Does Papa already have someone in mind for me?" Kennic shrugged. "That, I am not entirely certain about," he said. "Then I shall carry on as I please until he either comes up with someone suitable, or until he decides to share what he knows with me." "Oh, Drusilia," said Kennic sadly. "Everything he does, he does for your benefit." "Maybe so," said Dru, "But that doesn't mean that he can't be wrong." She stood to her feet. "I'm going to go outside. I promised Nyil that I would help him feed the chickens." And with that, she left the room without a backward glance. Nyil was already throwing the seed onto the ground when she got outside. "I'm sorry that I'm late," she said. "I was talking with Kennic." Nyil looked up at her, and gave her a faint smile. "That's alright. Feeding the chickens is easy enough." He tossed more on the ground, and then started walking back to the barn. Dru fell in stride alongside him. He glanced at her, and said heavily, "I've been doing some thinking. I don't think that we should continue to see each other." Dru blinked, staring at him. "I'm staying here, though!" He chuckled, with no real humor, and said, "Well, I suppose that we'll see each other every day. But we shouldn't...you know." Dru studied him, a suspicion lurking in her mind. "Did Kennic put you up to this?" He stared at her in careful surprise. "Kennic? No. I just think that it would be for the best, that's all." Dru narrowed her eyes, and stopped in her tracks. She grabbed him by the tunic, and held him in place as well. "Your father had a talk with you, then?" His downcast eyes said it all. He bit his lower lip, not speaking. Dru nodded, and released him. "I thought as much." When Nyil looked up at her, sadly, Dru gave him a smile. "I don't blame you, Nyil. Thank you for showing me around the farm. You made what might have been a dull two weeks a very interesting one." And then she turned and walked away from him, so that he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. [i]He has to ruin everything for me. I was denied a normal childhood, and now I'm to be denied a normal young adulthood as well. He's probably going to marry me to some cold nobleman, if he can get one, or to someone in the organization. Maybe even Alust,[/i] she thought with a sudden rise of fear. [i]He wouldn't marry me to Alust...would he?[/i] She turned, and in all of her rage, started hurling daggers at a lone tree. Each time a blade thunked into the wood of the tree, she smiled in satisfaction. Periodically, she'd go collect the blades, and then return, only to throw them again. Her rage had diminished significantly, along with what light was left in the day, when a cloaked figure stepped out from behind the tree. It paused, tugging one of her daggers out of the trunk. "You have gotten better at thrown weapons," said Papa's familiar voice. Her heart sped up, and despite her anger at him, she was filled with relief. "Papa," she breathed, stepping towards him. He met her halfway, and somberly handed her knife back to her, hilt first. He tugged back the hood of his cloak, and studied her. "I understand that you had some trouble in the city," he said. "With Meris," she said, flatly. "Come, let's walk," Papa said heavily, offering his arm to her. Dru linked her arm with his, and the two began to follow the path that she and Nyil had ridden on horseback just this morning. "I want to apologize for leaving you in the care of someone that was such a...poor... bodyguard." Dru shrugged. "I knew that you did not like her. I suppose that your dislike of her was more your intuition than your stubbornness, which I thought it was at first." He turned to glance at her, giving her a wry smile. Dru felt herself returning the smile, and sighed. "It all turned out, I suppose," she said. "I finally worked the ropes free, and was able to escape." "Jalin told me about all of your wounds. Show me." Dru stopped, and, a little embarrassed, turned her back to him. She lifted the back of her tunic, showing him the white lines that were left from the whip's lash. He drew in his breath, and then said, "Alright," in a tone of voice that made her think that he was purposefully not showing her his emotions. Dropping her tunic back into place, she started walking with him again. "Her body was finally found," he said, "In the harbor. Your mysterious half elf did a thorough job on her." Dru nodded, and sighed. "I wish that I knew who he was. I want to thank him for helping me. She would have caught me, without his help." "I will have people look for him, and if we find him, he will properly thanked." "Where are we going, out of curiosity?" "Down to the waterfront," said Papa. "I am going to take you further away from Freeport than even this." Dru's eyes widened. "We're leaving the island?" "Yes, though not far." They cut through fields of sugar cane, and walked for several more miles, before they got to a small, poorly tended dock. There was a large boat waiting already. "Are you coming with me?" "Yes," he said. "The war that I'm in is over, but I do not want to be there for the fall-out." At Dru's questioning look, he said, "Everyone in the organization is lying low. Most especially you and I." "Papa," she said, wanting to put at least one fear to rest. "You're not going to make me marry Alust, are you?" He stared at her in completely unfeigned surprise. "Alust? Why would I have you marry Alust?" Dru shrugged. "I was afraid that you might, for some reason." He snorted. "I do not plan on having you marry Alust. Now, give me your arm again." When she did so, he helped her up onto the boat, and two humans, with studiously incurious expressions on their faces, began to steer to boat out away from the island. As they drifted out further, Papa pointed to the glowing lights further along the shore. "Freeport," he said. Dru stood at the boat's railing, and watched the only city that she'd ever been in recede away from her. Papa put a hand on her shoulder, gently. "Once we get where we're going, we'll have more time to talk, but for now, let's not." Dru nodded, understanding the need for silence, and rested her head on his shoulder. [/QUOTE]

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