On My Own

[MASTER]

"Lord Aldebaran, Sire, your son requests your presence in the Southern Hunting fields of the Fire Forest. He is awaiting your arrival to begin his venture." The guard shifted his weight, and then added, "Your mount stands ready for you in the courtyard, along with your ribbon hounds. Would you like an escort?"

He did not add that the young heir had been waiting to ride out with his father for a while, and that the hunt was actually supposed to start at dawn. No guard ever placed blame on Aldebaran, nor made it seem as if anyone was inconvenienced by his actions.

[Ramose Sa'id Aldebaran]

Lord Aldebaran cocked his head infinitesimally into a look of exasperation and annoyance and straitened up slightly. "Ah yes. I was just finishing up some last minute business. " Aldebaran snorted in annoyance. Leah had caused alot of trouble for him. It already took many weeks of advanced planning for Ramose to spend a liesurelu day with his son and her excursion shattered that careful planning. Running an empire was challenging, but running his empire was nearly impossible to do with even an hours rest from his own duties. Aldebaran straitened a cuff around his wrist and without even a sideways glance at the prisoners, he brushed empirically past the guard and back up the prison hallway.

"I will not be needing escorts. Expect a late arrival this evening." He said when he was already halfway down the long hallway. Aldebaran did not even look back to speak, he had a meeting with his son.

[MASTER]

The guard saluted, and then marched off in Lord Aldebaran's footsteps. He was no longer needed here, and left to go report to his superior. He had no doubt in his mind that he would be put to work elsewhere.

[Narayan Elor]

Aldebaran had left in quite a hurry, obviously frustrated that he was late to his meeting with his son. The guard followed him, like a loyal dog trailing his master. Rayan admired the snappy attention of the Warlord's soldiers. He clearly was handling his military well.

Silence fell over the cell as the two men outside bars left, and Rayan turned his attention to the girl.

"Looks like you got off the hook for now," He said casually, hoping to strike up a conversation. She still looked shaken, and Rayan hoped she might ease up. Nerves never made situations better. It was much more effective to have a clear head and a firm handle on everything. But clearly he had forgotten that himself. He had let himself be caught up in his sorrow, and had allowed alcohol to turn him into an angry lunatic.

And now here he was, in a Zaheran prison cell, arrested by the Warlord himself for a crime he never would have committed had he been sober. He was hundreds of miles from home, and had left ashamed with himself. He had to change.

[Leah Ziplah]

Leah drew in a sharp breath as Aldebaran left and turned her face way from the prison bars. I need to get out of here! she thought to herself, but it was to new avail. Just so that you can be captured again? a voice inside her head reminded her dangerously. Your life has never been free Leah. Before this, you were forced to be a priestess and the very night that you were about to run away, you were captured by the blackhand and forced into slavery. If you try to escape now, what will be left for you? Death? You know he would not let you out that easily. You would live in pain until the end of your days, Leah. Are you strong enough to handle that? Is that what you want?

Leah felt her knees buckle under her and she swayed a little. If that man in her cell had not spoken to her in that moment, Leah may have collapsed on the floor. She turned to face him a little shaken. "I doubt that being off the hook now, is going to do any good for me later. I am still in trouble, and Lord Aldebaran will not forget it." Leah clenched her fists tight and the slumped to the ground. She pulled her knees into herself and rested her head on top of them. " Although, I have to say, if it weren't for your drunken display, Lord Aldebaran may have not forgotten his anger with me so quickly. I am thankful for that and maybe my punishment will be less than what was intended. " She smiled slightly , "And if it weren't for you, I would not be in such nice quarters! This cell here is better than what I normally live with. So thank you again."

For some odd peculiar reason, Leah was beginning to feel less worried and more optimistic about her situation. Almost happy . This man with his strange accent and mannerisms made her feel better and she could not figure out why. "What is your name sir?" She asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

[Narayan Elor]

Rayan smiled sheepishly, both embarrassed and glad that his actions at the bar had helped this girl out. His head was clearing quickly; it seemed nothing was quite as good at sobering a man as being hauled of to a jail cell by a warlord. He could foresee a wicked headache in his near future though, and he was not thrilled at the prospect.

"Lady," He said standing to his feet, "I am Narayan Elor, of Corra, at the mercy of your bidding," He crossed the clenched fist of his right hand over his chest and bowed his head in the traditional manner of the Corran military. It was only after this that he realized this gesture may be unnecessary due to her status in Zaheran, but he felt confident that he had committed the right action. She was after all, a woman, even if the Lord Aldebaran did not recognize her rights. He was not Zaheran, he was not governed by there laws. It was the duty of any Corran man, especially those in the military, to offer their aid to those weaker than themselves. And despite the fact that he had taken his leave of the navy, he was still recognized as a man of the military, as was expected to act as one.

"And you?" He asked as he sat back down. "To what name may I address my new roommate?"

[Leah Ziplah]

Leah was quite astonished by the amount of bravado that Rayan used when he addressed her as lady. In her whole entire life, Leah Had never been called Lady before. Not as a child for obvious reasons, not as a priestess and definitely not as a slave. She was quite flattered but at the same time, the undeserved title made her feel ashamed and slightly uncomfortable. She shook the feeling off and rose to her feet. "My name is Leah Ziplah. " She stated simply. She didn't add anything onto the title. There was nothing much more to say that Rayan didn't already know. Leah didn't know if she should shake his hand or not, but she decided against it. In here world, she had always been taught that this was a rude gesture to do as a slave and an unnecessary gesture to do as a priestess.

Instead, her mind shifted to what Rayan had said. He is from Corra? . A bubble of excitement caught up in Leah. She had never been anywhere outside of Alcos her whole enitre life except for her days as an infant when she resided in the Lashiran tribes. " You come form Corra? The cities in the sky?" Leah should have assumed as much judging by Rayan's build, but still the mere thought of meeting someone who lived outside of Zaheran struck her.

[Narayan Elor]

The thought of home brought to the surface all the feelings of pain and guilt that Rayan had been trying to drown with alcohol. The night was still fresh in his mind, he could still picture the joyous look on all their faces as he led them to battle; to their deaths. Running from Corra had not eased things at all. He still felt terrible.

Rayan did not want to think of such things. He forced the emotion down, burying it deep in the back of his mind, and turned his attention to Leah. He wondered where she was from, originally. She had a Zaheran accent, and looked very Zaheran, but there was something else too, something he couldn't quite name.

She hadn't offered up any information about it though, and he thought it best not to pry.

"Yes, but I never spent much time in the floating cities. I have really only been to Colphaet a few times. I was a naval captain, and grew up in the Chain, so I didn't ever have much reason to go. They are a sight to see though. I take it you have never been?" He asked, curious to know more about Leah.

[Leah Ziplah]

Leah watched the play of emotion that ran across Rayan's face and wondered what had happened to him before that caused him to become so washed up, but Leah shook it off and smiled sadly. "No. I have never even been outside this city except for when I was an infant. I was born in Lashira, but my family moved here shortly after I was born, so I have no memory of it. The only knowledge I have of the world outside comes from the books I used to read before I was a slave. " She sighed softly , " I haven't picked up a book in five years. Slaves aren't really allowed to read and many don't know how or have forgotten."

Not being able to read was one of the biggest blows to Leah when she became a slave. All her life she had done something she did not want to do and books offered her a release. They told her of the world that resided outside her city, full of interesting machines and creatures. She always dreamed of leaving Alcos, but the night that she had planned to run away from the temples, she was miserably caught by the black hand and turned to slavery. Now she was too afraid to leave. Ramose would catch her, she was sure of it, and without provisions and any real knowledge of the land, how could she get anywhere anyways?

Leah drew in a sharp breath, "So what are you doing so far from your country?" She asked. Leah was very careful at how she said her question. She had a feeling that his reason being in Zaherran had to do with something that happened in Corra.

[Narayan Elor]

OOC: Sorry it took me so long to respond X(

Rayan never really considered himself a reader, and the only reading and writing he ever did was captain's logs and mission reports. But he had an appreciation for the written word, and he recognized in Leah a love for it that was vastly deeper than his own. He respected that, and it truly was a pity that her passion could not be fulfilled.

Rayan stiffened at the question, but not in hostility or discomfort. He wasn't caught of guard by the question, but wasn't quite sure how to answer it. He was not in the habit of lying, but he didn't like telling people this story.

He looked at Leah, his face stony. Only his gray eyes betrayed the buried grief he felt so deeply.

"On most occasions I'd say it's a long story and dismiss it at that, but seeing as we have long time, I'll tell you if you want to hear. It doesn't paint me in a very noble light though, regretfully," He said, and sighed.

"But first, you have to tell me something," He paused a second, and then smiled, "If someone offered you a book right now, would you take it? Even if it's forbidden for you to read?" It was a random question he knew, but he was curious. He wanted to know just how tight a grip Aldebaran had on his slaves. Would they deny themselves their passion just because their master said so? Even if there was no one around to see? Call it morbid curiosity, but he found himself perplexed by the warlord. He had heard terrible tales of this man, but so far he had not seen the cruel man he was made out to be, but merely a King, who like any other king, had to establish some sort of system to keep his country running.

[Leah Ziplah]

OOC: Hehe.. Its fine.. so yeah.. Leah still needs to evolve into a stronger person. Right now she is scared outta her wits. She was never raised around violence or anything..

Reading wasn't necessarily Leah's passion. It was her release. Reading was her only way to escape the life she had lived up until this point because she had always been stuck doing something she didn't necessarily want to do. Leah didn't have a passion. She had never ever come in contact with something that she could absolutely love and she wasn't sure she ever would. By the looks of things, she would be stuck in Alcos for the rest of her close-to-non-existent life.

She was mildly disappointed when Rayan put off her question. At first, she thought that he wasn't going to tell her, and he shoulders slumped a bit. His story,whether, good or bad would have been a great treat for Leah. Besides that, Leah learned not to judge people. She would not have ostracized Rayan in anyway. There was a reason for every mistake, Leah had to believe that.

Her face lighted up when Rayan hinted he would tell her story and she promptly, almost mindlessly answered his question. "Of course not! It is too much of a risk. I would not take a book if it was given to me. I would have to worry about hiding it, and when even the clothes I wear are those that I do not own, and the bed that I sleep in may be in a different place in quarters every night, there is no way, that I could keep a book safe from the eyes of the overseeers." Or Ramose{/i] she thought bitterly. He never let anything slide past him and that was the reason why she was locked up in this cell.

She played with the hem of her dress, took a hesitant breath and then finally mustered up the courage to speak, "I may not take a book, but sometimes, I am able to sneak into the record room for a few minutes. I have read many stories about the History of Zaherran and Ara Alnair in there."

[Narayan Elor]

Hmm... Rayan mused to himself, So she wouldn't take it then. Not like I had one to offer her anyway.

"Fair enough answer," He replied, satisfied. History was always an interesting subject, and he understood why she would take that risk, even if it was a small one. She was clearly a timid girl, and whether or not she had always been like that, or if it was a result of her slavery he was left only to wonder.

"Our nations do indeed have rich histories. It's no surprise you are drawn to them. I am not much of a scholar, but I grew up to my father telling me stories of the places he had traveled to, and he would often bring back books detailing the countries for my sister and I. But it was my sister who was into them, not me." He smiled fondly, remembering those days when his father came home from sea, and his family would spend cozy evenings by the hearth listening to his tales.

He leaned back against the stone wall, resting his weary shoulders. Leah was curious, and looked like she wanted a story from him. He closed his eyes, and the image of his last battle sprung to his mind like a triggered bear trap, engulfing his mind. His wounded spirit was reluctant to acknowledge it, but reluctant as he was. he knew telling someone about it would help him.

"Where would you like me to start?" He asked.

[Leah Ziplah]

Leah couldn't help but smile a little bit, though the tone of Rayan's voice foretold tragedy. She quickly relinquished her smile and sobered her face. She didn't know if Rayan caught her smile or not and hoped he didn't. If he did, she hoped he wouldn't take it the wrong way. "Start from the beginning. " She said. She didn't know exactly where else he could start. She knew nothing about him.

[Narayan Elor]

Rayan sighed, unsure of how exactly to begin.

"Well, I guess you already know that I grew up in the chain. My father was a Captain and was out at sea a lot, so my mother was the one who raised my my sister and I," He said. "I went into the Navy because of him though. He always had such tales to tell us, and I grew up with nothing else on my mind but becoming a Captain. So I did. I was the youngest soldier to rise to the rank of Captain, and my ship.... she was a beauty." Rayan smiled fondly as he thought of it, and he could almost taste the salt from the spray off her bow. He told her about his ship, and about his crew. He spoke of their loyalty and bravery, and how years in service together had made them all brothers. He had a small crew, but a successful one. They had such a streak of victories, and he told Leah how that had made them overconfident.... how hubris had spread through the ship faster and with more fury than fire.

"So, naturally, when we saw the aftermath of a pirate attack on a merchant ship, we sailed in blindly. I led them in without thinking, and even though we were hopelessly outnumbered, I thought we could do it. But the pirates had been waiting for us. They had lured us into a trap, a simple one that I should have seen.

"I led my men to their deaths." He said heavily. He looked down, and pulled a loose thread out of his coat before he began again.

"Only three of us survived; thrown into the ocean in the heat of the battle. One of them was unconscious, and I was about to follow. If it weren't for Mael, I would not have lived to be here now."

I shouldn't have lived, he thought, I should have died with my brothers.

"Mael kept the both of us afloat until I came back to my senses. It was too late for Sentilli though. He never woke up. We swam over to the wreckage of the merchant ship, where chunks of the hull were still floating in the water. Mael and I floated there in the water a long time, until an Alari Salvager saw the smoke from the wreck and came to investigate. They had a healer on their ship who patched us up, but the healer couldn't..... he didn't...........Mael didn't make it.

"They took me to Colphaet, where I sent in my resignation to the King. I was no longer fit to lead a ship.

"After that, I left. I hoped on the first ship out of Corra, and ended up in this fine city," He gestured widely with his hand, sweeping it across the jail cell. "I haven't been handling it well, as you've noticed," He grinned, weakly, trying feebly to make light of the situation. He hadn't told anyone about this. He had written a brief account of it in his letter to the King, but he had never actually said it aloud. It was as if the burden on back had been lifted ever so slightly by a helping hand. He could still feel its weight, but somehow, he didn't mind it as much.


OOC: Sorry if I rambled, I didn't really read over it hehe