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| Boulevard of Broken Dreams | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 8 2008, 12:20 AM (94 Views) | |
| Rain Gabriel | Jul 8 2008, 12:20 AM Post #1 |
 
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Gabe was moving with the rhythm of the falling snow. Snow was not his thing - not nearly his thing; but he had a mind to accept nature for what it was. He really like nature; it's peacefulness, it's tranquility (even if it was freezing ass cold), and it's simply serentiy. Though the things brewing in his mind and chest were hardly serene. He took in a deep breath letting the icy air slice into his lungs. "Alright - this is madness...we can walk away now. Dig it?" He said to her with a little smile and a silly nod of his head. She didn't have time to respond as the huge heavy doors were thrown open and two massive guards marched out. "Well alright then." He said with his eyes fixed on the guards. They motioned them forward and Gabe glanced sideways at Gwen. "Dig it?" He asked her again. But the guards were already ushering them into the huge throne room. As they moved into the room Gabe thought he might freeze all the way to the bone. Beneath them his foot slipped slightly and he had to paused to look down, everyone looked down when they slipped - he was no exception. He was suddenly sorry he had. His eyes were glued to the floor beneath him. The throne room sat atop a frozen lake. He could see fish swimming about below the layers of thick ice. A prod to his back had him moving forward again. "Alright there big guy." He said as he noted the harpoon like spear that the man carried. It was then that he noticed the queen. She was a majestic ageless creature that sat atop an ornate icy throne. "So," he whispered through the side of his mouth to Gwen, "sorry you didn't listen to me now? We should have run." He straighted quickly at the prodding he got again in his backside. This was like some horrible nightmare he just knew he'd wake from...any second now...any second... |
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| Gwen Logan | Jul 8 2008, 12:54 AM Post #2 |
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Gwen let out a soft sigh, giving a slight shiver as she rubbed at the goose bumps along her arms. Wherever they were, she would've appreciated something a little less freezing. With sun, maybe--a little heat, even a smattering, would've been absolutely great in comparison to the harsh cold around them. She jumped slightly in her spot as the doors were slammed open, the massive guards approaching them. "Maybe." Gwen answered meekly, eyes trailing over towards the guards as they led them forward. She had seen Gabe slight, her own eyes trailing down to the ground below them and watching in a mixture of confusion and awe at the solid ice beneath their feet. Around them, she noted, the walls were made of solid blocks of ice, resembling an oversize, grand igloo. Gwen's eyes were glued to the beautiful woman the moment she looked up. She wasn't entirely sure what captured her, what drew her into the sheer magnificence the woman exuded out into the frosty room but it wrapped her up tightly and made the goose bumps on her warm disappear slowly and her back straighten up. "Oh no..no..I'm glad I didn't" She mumbled back, eyes tearing away from the woman as she glanced towards Gabe. "I think we would've been stupid to run--look too. You've got your water." She told him, the smallest amount of taunt in her voice underneath the sarcasm and seriousness. Gwen's eyes were bright, filled with excitement she couldn't entirely explain. She sought after a life of grandeur, of the biggest and best...a part of Gwen could feel the promise that lingered around them. "Hello..." She said slowly, eyes trailing back towards the queen as she stepped gingerly forward, afraid of falling against the slippery ice. "I'm Gwen and he's Gabe...hi." She ended lamely, swallowing hard as the excitement was replaced with an uncharacteristic nervous feeling. |
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| Ice Queen | Jul 8 2008, 01:27 AM Post #3 |
 
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"I've been waiting for you two for a long time." She said with an eerie sort of contentment. "Gwen and Gabe...how quaint." She said in passing as she stood. She was tall, even after she descended the throne. She strode proudly, slowly around them - appraising them down the bridge of her nose. There was no expression on her stoic face as she took in everything about them. She paused in front of them and let the silence linger longer while she looked between them. She carried herself with poise and grace that rivaled that of a jungle cat. She finally let a smile flutter across her lips. "Welcome to my palace young ones. You are welcome here. Please come. Make yourselves comfortable while we discuss exactly what you're doing here." They passed a tapestry that bore a story that seemed to be displayed in every room in the castle. The vases, the paintings, the ice carvings, the tapestries - they all showed the same scene. There was a village being terrorized by a dragon, a man on a horse with a lance, a lady and a small man at his side, and in the final pictorial was always the dragon being slain by the man. “Hundreds of years ago a valiant young man named George set out to rid the world of dragons, with his trusty horse, a mysterious princess and a grouchy old dwarf as his only companions. They traveled first to nearly this spot where the Princesses family lay under siege in their castle from one of the meanest dragons ever born. During this time the dwarves were also plagued by dragons. The dragons thrived in the dwarven mines. The dwarves, in a panic were fleeing from their ancient home, they were in search of safe holds to store their precious tools and priceless scrolls. They hid some away in deep recesses of the mines, some of which still haven’t been found again, some were plundered by the dragons, some stayed safe through the attacks. There were several things, however, that they could not risk, some things that could not go lost. The quicksilver which is only found in the underground mines, for example. That’s why they came to George. He and his new wife, the Princess Una, along with their dwarven companion traveled to the 9th Kingdom and rid the dragons from the caves. They succeeded however long after that dragons still roamed the lands, just in fewer numbers. Whenever an out break would ensue the people would come to the reigning ruler of the 8th Kingdom…the descendants of King George and Queen Una would slay the dragons. The last dragon was slain when I was but a child. An ancient red attacked the 6th Kingdom just before a Spell of Sleep befell the 6th Kingdom and its citizens." She told them, as if telling a well rehearsed story as her hand brushed lightly across an icy sculpture depicting the exact story she was retelling. "It is with that in which I have brought you here. I need your help - desperately." She told them with a hint of practiced begging concern. "Please young ones - Gabe...Gwen - will you hear me out?" |
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| Gwen Logan | Jul 8 2008, 03:48 AM Post #4 |
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A dream--that's exactly what this was. One giant fabricated dream that Gwen managed to come up with, inserting fairytale of her past in with the likes of her present. The only thing she knew to be real--besides herself--was Gabe and even he was part of her past, not the present she knew so well. His trip to see her must've been part of the dream too--it was all to bizarre to be really happening. But a part of Gwen wanted it to be real--if only because it was bigger, it was interesting--it captured her attention more than anything else could. And with Gwen, catching her in awe and shock was something of a large, impossible feat. She, however, was completely enthralled with what was this woman was saying, no matter if a majority of it seemed made up and straight from a story book she could've fallen asleep to. It was all still captivating. There was a moment where Gwen was quiet, eyes focused in on the pretty queen before she looked to Gabe, eyebrow raised. "You see what would've missed if we ran? How you can you beat this kind of crazy shit, Gabe? You can't--I'd like to see you top it." She said with excitement in her voice--she didn't care about the perimeters, she didn't care about whatever it was they had gotten themselves into..Gwen was in. She was all in and had no intention of pulling away unless it was absolutely necessary. Things could only get better for her than they already were then. "We will." Gwen said quickly, turning to the Ice Queen. "We'll listen to you--right Gabe? We'll listen." She linked her arm with his, smiling brightly at him before her eyes trailed back to the queen. "Why do you need help--our's of all people?" |
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| Rain Gabriel | Jul 8 2008, 01:00 PM Post #5 |
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"Right." Gabe said in disbelief, it was an automatic response to anything that was said - and it was almost off handed. It wasn't entirely clear if it was directed at the Ice Queen herself for her story - or if it was to Gwen's quiet zeal at their 'windfall'. "Uh, I missed the part about us." He scratched the back of his neck in a mix of laziness and fear. Gabe was concerned, he had no idea what was going on. Though that forced him to worry a little the man simply wasn't a worrier by nature. Gabe as a mellow and even tempered man. He was with that that he gave a lazy shrug to Gwen when she mentioned the water, and when she pushed on him how crazy it was, and even when she signed him up for whatever this person wanted. "But...alright, alright - whatever. I'm all ears. Tell us, what's up." He said with another shrug and he held to Gwen's arm, laced through his. He was in with her, he had come to see her. That was the whole point. If it meant whatever they were about to do he owed it to her. He missed her, he glanced over at her - he missed that hair, he missed that smile, he missed her voice...he didn't miss the headlong into so misbegotten adventure they couldn't handle. The only defense he had for Gwen was that they were both still alive; which meant she hadn't entirely gotten them into anything they couldn't handle. He watched the Ice Queen. He hadn't really ever seen anyone of such beauty or grace. It was like she stepped right out of a bedtime story. Though he wasn't much for taking in everything for more than face value Gabe wasn't a stupid man - he picked up on mannerisms and attitude. They were his guiding light. He might laugh and cut up for the hell of it and not do well in stuffy shirt dinners - but he could, if only to entertain, it was his ability to read people and what they were thinking as a result that kept him afloat. It was that he couldn't read the queen in anyway that he felt a little uneasy. |
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| Ice Queen | Jul 8 2008, 01:34 PM Post #6 |
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Her laugh chimed in the icy room around them. "Such zeal and dedication - it's exactly what I need." She told Gwen directly before glancing at Gabe with a little nod. "Well you see long ago there was a powerful alliance between mine and the 9th Kingdom. It has dissolved some, a fate I'm not entirely comfortable with - in fact I'm not comfortable with it at all." She shook her head with a frown lined face. "It pains my heart." She swept back across the room. "However I have discovered a way to repair the damage. Nearly one hundred years ago a orb of great importance was stolen from them and taken to the 6th Kingdom. Soon after a powerful sleeping spell was placed on the entire land - this was one of the many items that was lost that should not have been. I think if it were recovered and returned to the dwarves, the proper owners, a repairing could be reinstated and I could rest easy knowing I'm following in my family's noble heritage." She turned back to them and gave them a stern look of proud conviction. "But you see," her head tipped down in mild sadness, "the sleeping spell that effects them will effect me - and I do detest travel. The spell though, will not effect you. The dwarves long ago granted my family with many powerful mirrors. My nephew can show you to the dwarven mines that lead under the kingdom and entering will not be difficult for you. You will simply have to recover the dwarven orb and bring it across country to the dwarven mines where a member of my court will meet you at Snow White Falls. You won't even have to meet with the dwarves. I will have emissaries present to do that for you. I assure you this task is a mild and easy event for the both of your. Should you succeed I will grant you with land, titles of the kingdom and wealth. If you accept I will go into the details of it. Please, help me repair this long since breeched alliance." |
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| Gwen Logan | Jul 10 2008, 12:19 AM Post #7 |
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Gwen listened diligently to each word the Ice Queen offered them. She was skeptical of all of this too, just as Gabe was, but was slowly coming to realize that maybe it was better...that maybe it was the best thing that could be happening to them. They had been told of the kingdoms and of the real fairy tales that ran rampant in these lands. And that had only made all of this more captivating. When Gabe had come to see her, Gwen hadn't known what to do, what to say--seeing him only brought back on an onslaught of disappointment. She had left for a reason, she had left him behind in the process, and had been disappointed withing almost moments of leaving. With Gwen, it was easy to disappoint as her bar, her standard of excellence, reached a new height seemingly every day. "How do we do that?" Gwen asked, her interest peaking. Dwarves and sleeping spells and dragons and quests...all of that was straight from a fairy tale and it captured the part of Gwen that loved those things--it was a part of Gwen that had drawn her to Gabe in the first place. A carefree side that was slowly being squashed by something completely different to Gwen's personality. "If we get the orb for you, the alliances will be restored? The kingdom--your kingdom....the 8th one, right? It'll be fixed?" Gwen asked with excitement in her voice. It had been the last thing she said--the promise of land and wealth was nothing in comparison to a title...something of importance in a society. A duke, a lord, a lady, a marquis even...she didn't care. Whatever it was, she wanted it. She would do anything to be taken out of the shadow of daily life, to be considered special and unique. "We'll help you--we can get the orb back for you and fix your alliance with the 9th kingdom. We can do it." Gwen said before she heard a strangled sort of noise come from Gabe and she turned to look towards him. "Right? Gabe..." Gwen dropped her voice low, eyes set on him. "She needs us--she needs our help. Come on, it'll be fun....a little bit, at least? You love adventure like this--I know you, I know you do. Just imagine it's another hike through the forest and you'll see. We have to do this." |
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| Rain Gabriel | Jul 12 2008, 06:39 PM Post #8 |
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Gabe was listening but only actually half hearing. He didn’t comprehend a thing she said. He was busy looking at the ground beneath him still. It was so cold here that he thought he might die any second of frost bite. He watched a fish swim up to the surface and then back into the inky depths below. “Huh?” He turned his head back over to Gwen. “Oh right, yeah – sure; whatever. You go, I go.” He told her halfheartedly. Gabe was mellow and laid back always, but even more now – right then he his behind that lazy attitude to prevent any of this real concerns through. “But uh, what about the forest and hiking?” He said shaking her from his arm and marching over to the window. He pointed out. “Nope, no forest – only snow.” He turned back to Gwen and the queen. He lopped back over and looked to the queen. She stood a few inched taller than him and he had to straighten his back to not have to look up to her. “Look, your highness, or whatever,” he bowed a little as he said it – feeling stupid while doing it, and it looked just as clumsy as it felt. “I’m don’t mean your awesome tale of valor any disrespect – or you for that matter, but I’m still a little confused as to why us. Why give us the titles and land and money if we succeed?” He peeked back over at Gwen. “How about this – no titles, land and money…how about you take us home if we do this for you. Can you do that?” He pointed at the ground below him. “Unless you wanna hook me up with a nice piece of land that’s got sand and sun I don’t think this frozen-lake-throne-room getup is my deal.” He was home sick already, the only thing that he had going for him was Gwen. She was the only thing that was keeping him from loosing his mind. He’d go for her, but his sole interest in success was if he could get what he wanted – a royal pardon to return to his own homestead and not be a prisoner to the Ice Queen. Gwen might have seen it for the possibilities and ignored that they were prisoners because she thought it was cool; he, however – even in his lazy and laid back attitude, had not let that detail slide in the least. |
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| Ice Queen | Jul 12 2008, 07:04 PM Post #9 |
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“Clever little toy aren’t you.” She said looking at Gabe with a hesitant and almost tight lipped disgust but approving appraisal. She had to go through the girl. The girl would be the key, she was eager and perhaps being a girl she could control the boy. “Yes, helping.” She said immediately turning back to Gwen. “It will be entirely a help. That is what this is.” She swept back over to Gwen and took up her hands. The Queen’s long and narrow fingers were oddly warm even in the chill of the room. She was since in her manners, expression and words as she looked down on the girl. “You will be healing entire kingdoms.” She let a small smile cross her lips. “I will let Owen, my nephew, detail the mission – however we will provide you with all the necessary tools to obtain the orb; including a bag with which to carry it. It will lighten the orb so it won’t be as cumbersome. And this,” She lifted a crimson stoned amulet from her neck and handed it to Gwen. “When you get near the orb it will hum.” She turned to the door. “For now I have a council awaiting my attention. Please consider my offer; I will even do my very best to fulfill you male companion’s desire should you agree. I don’t need an answer now. I’ll leave you to consider it. Owen will seek you out in the morning to see if you’ve come to a decision. Until then consider yourselves my personal guests.” She issued them a graceful curtsey and swept from the room. |
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