Frozen Sunset

Nicholas paused as they began passing through the silent streets, the cloven hooves of both horses making unusually loud crunching noises on the dried out straw that lay across every inch of cobble.
"I suppose I could arrange for us to have a room each...but it might be better to simply share one between us...if that's the case we'll offer you the bed, we're fine with the ground, it's where we've been sleeping since the house was destroyed" Christian rolled his eyes, used to the hard ground he was, but happy to offer up a bed, he wasn't.
"How about we order two rooms and drag the bed from one into the other?"
"If we do that then we may as well order three, it's just easier if we share so we don’t get separated, you know we can’t get separated"
"Yeah yeah, if one of us disappears we'll be in trouble, just like last time, I havent forgotten..."
"Exactly" The two became silent but it wasn’t long before they approached a building that was faintly lit in some of the rooms. An inn.

She looked at the two brothers, reading their faces. Nicholas was much calmer than Christian but she had noticed that he was the more composed of the two.
" Why don't we order a double room with two beds? I can sleep on the floor but you have to keep it quiet because otherwise it's goodbye to big fluffy bear." Raya threw her suggestion in, breaking the silence. She smiled, gently, her eyes shifting from ice blue to flame red.
She slowly opened the door to the inn and skipped towards the counter.

Outside Christian slid from his mount and took the reigns of both horses, he led them into the structure next to the Inn, the stable where some of the occupiers left their horses to rest. Christian felt smug, the other horses were mere donkeys compared to Kaelem and Arianwen, none of them were built for the extreme cold and although the stables were overflowing with warmth, they were still quiet and cold. Nicholas had followed Raya inside, he carried the funds for accommodation and had made it his duty to order a room, people had always been telling him how difficult it was to place his face, he was more discreet and carried an air of secrecy, it was perfect. An old withered man sat behind the counter, sleeping under layers of thick wool, with a polite cough Nicholas managed to rouse him.
"Gracious!" He squeaked. "Have you just come in out of that blasted cold?"
"I'm afraid we have" Nicholas replied, smiling slightly. "Me my brother and sister were looking for a room, if that's possible?"
"Of course!" The old man cried, he hadn't expected visitors, and for strangers to appear out of the wretched cold without bits missing, he was overjoyed.
"I've a rather pleasant one...top floor, nice and big...three big beds and breakfast if you beat the crowd!" Nicholas nodded and reached into one of the folds in his cloak, he pulled out a small bag of jangling coins and placed them on the counter, in return her received a brass key for the room, and the old man peered into the bag with his jaw agape, it was more than he'd ever seen at once. Nicholas took Raya's hand and gestured to the stairs, the door flew open and Christian entered with a chattery grin.
"Bloody cold!" He cried, catching up to his brother. "You got the room?" Nicholas nodded and handed his brother the key. As the brothers led Raya up to the room, a stout looking man came to the counter.
"Pa?...did you just give away our best room to out of towners?" The old man clutched the bag of gold tightly, scratching his beard.
"I may have..."
"...You don't run the place Pa, I hope they paid well..."

"Are you sure we should use this room?" She had her body twisted, in a fairly painful way, to get a good view of the situation. She turned herself around and looked both males in the eyes. "How did he know that we were outsoders?" She whispered to the males, allowing them to walk her up to the room. She squeaked, loudly, as she stubbed her toe against the straight of a stair.
"Ow!" She cried, curling up on the floor and clutching her foot. "What the hell?!"

Christian grinned, sliding an arm underneath her as he pulled her into his arms.
"Don't worry about it, this place is tiny, a very close knit community...people live here and never leave, their families are all woven together...they're pale with the cold that never leaves...you could tell just by the colour of our skin that we aren't from around here, as for you...well, you're just a new face" He chuckled and lowered her down so that she could keep holding her foot while he held her up. Nicholas unlocked the numbered door when they reached the top floor, feeling the cool of a room whose fire had not been lit for some nights, the faint smell of the local growing midnight flowers swept onto his face and already he felt the inviting urge to step inside.
"Not to mention that we don't hide...our faces are the only proof that we ever came by, and the only people who may come looking for us-"
"...are the very people we're trying to find" Christian finished for his brother, knowing that if ever someone was to come and find them then it could only mean that they were close, painfully close to their goal.
"Let's get inside, I'll light the fire" Christian didn't hesitate, the thought of warmth upon his frozen cheeks delighted him and he took it upon himself to light the fire instead of Nicholas who locked the door again as soon as Raya was inside.

She looked skeptically between the pair. They certainly had the skill and intelligence to be a threat but were they really team players? She shook the thought from her head, walking with a slight limp to the fire. Raya could feel the heat on her body and shivered, a smile on her face.
"Would the two of you mind turning around or removing yourself from the room at all?" She asked, desperate to be a bear once more. So desperate so that she did not wait for an answer and simply pushed each towards the door, opened the door and shoved them into the corridor. "I'll knock once to signal when you can come back in," she said as she winked at them and slid back behind the door, closing it hastily.
Transforming quickly into a bear, she knocked as gently as she could, signalling to the males that they could enter the room once more. While she waited, she curled up into a ball and layed in front of the fireplace. Ah, warmth and a soft floor.

The two exchanged glances, Christian shrugged and pushed open the door.
"Maybe you shouldn't have locked the door..." He said, pointing to the bolt which lay several feet away from the door.
"She broke it right off" Nicholas nodded and cast his eyes toward the mound of white fur, he could feel Christian tense slightly beside him, but relaxed the instant he remembered who it was inside that thick pelt.
"Let's get some sleep, it'll be colder in the morning so we might as well enjoy some warmth" While Christian shed his cloak and arms Nicholas managed to reattach the lock so that it bolted semi-efficiently. By the time he managed to wander over to the bed Christian was already hiding under the sheets, though he wasn't quite asleep yet, for the bed had yet to warm up.
"Night Nick" He murmured, receiving a nod from Nicholas who had draped his cloak over a chair and crawled into bed, sinking in the softness he had missed but not craved.
"Goodnight Raya" He sighed, rolling over as the heat from the fire enveloped the room.

Lifting her head from the ground, she grunted in reply to him. Pawing gently at the carpet, she tested it for warmth and how soft it was. Shifting slightly, she began to paw at other areas of the floor. Deciding that none of it was worthy, she clambered onto the third bed.
She sighed heavily and lay her large form to rest. Closing her eyes she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.





(Ugh, sorry Rach for such a bad reply :/ My brain is diseased by Sex Ed ¬¬)

(XD Hope you had fuuuuuun!!)

Christian woke long into the late hours of the morning, Nicholas was sat by the window, surveying the early activities of the locals, absorbing the cool air as it seeped in through the minutely open window. He yawned, letting his brother know that he was finally awake though he didn't reply.
"Guess we missed breakfast?"
"You did, I brought back some food, it's on the table" Christian spotted the tray that Nicholas had brought him and reminded himself to eat before they left.
"So, any visitors or anything?"
"No..."
"But there was something, right?"
"Five soldiers...apparently they were looking for 'bandits'"
"...us?"
"I believe so...I spoke to the old man downstairs, he said we paid for both the room, and his silence..." For a moment neither of them spoke but it was clear to Christian that Nicholas was not merely gazing down at tired locals, but keeping watch, just in case.

Raya woke, her eyes slightly blurred from sleep. After blinking a few times she took a second to recall the previous day, reminding herself of how she got here. Opening her mouth, she displayed her strong teeth as she yawned.
Clambering from the bed, she walked carefully across the floor, picking up her clothing with her teeth, and returning. She struggled to pull the small duvet over her massive form but she did enough so that she could hide her naked self as she transformed back into a human. Sliding her clothes over her skin beneath the duvet, she looked over at the brothers. "Did anyone come in here last night?" Her voice was calm, yet curious.

Nicholas looked over to her and shook his head.
"The door was locked and I'm a very light sleeper, I doubt anyone could have gotten in without being discovered...besides, no one's come to shoot you yet" Christian walked over to her, smiling with early morning sleepiness.
"He got us breakfast, knowing him we'll be leaving fairly soon, so make sure you eat"
"Don't worry...you both eat..." Nicholas said, he'd been looking out of the window when an idea had struck him, and struck him hard. He grabbed his cloak and was gone from sight, descending the stairs.
"...What got into him this time?" Christian muttered, rolling his eyes.

"He's like this often?" She asked, climbing from beneath the duvet. She wandered over to the little table where she smelt the food. Raya seperated the food into quarters, giving Christian three quarters and keeping one for herself. "I figured you like your food," she smiled.
Still waiting for an answer to her first question she sat and picked at her food, taking it in in small amounts.




(My replies seem to be getting shorter and well, worse :/)

Christian nodded, taking some bread for himself, his appetite on hold.
"Sometimes he doesn't say anything at all for days then suddenly runs off expecting me to know what he's up to..." He chewed on the bread thoughtfully, eating only half of what he supposed was his, pushing the rest toward her.
"Thanks, but you need to eat too...and I'm actually not that hungry, says me..." He smiled but walked over to the window to stare down at the street, he was surprised when he saw the scene that was so obviously missed by local passers by but easy to see from the height of their room. Nicholas held a soldier's arms behind his back, a silver blade to his throat, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak though Christian could tell that he was speaking, asking questions, gaining information from the now defenceless soldier who must have stayed behind in case the 'bandits' happened to pass through. Christian simply stared, his brother was not violent or cruel, so it was unlikely that he would use that deadly blade but there was still tension building inside Christian's mind, would he or wouldn't he? He stared for a long while before Nicholas rendered the soldier unconscious, it was quick and Christian had never worked out how it was done, and when he looked for Nicholas, he was nowhere to be seen.

Depite the little time she had known Christian, she widened her eyes in surprise. "Never expected that from you," she muttered, still taking her food a little at a time.
She wasn't sure if it was just her, but Raya could've sworn she saw Christian's eyes widen with surprise. "Is everything okay?" She asked, almost choking on her food from attempting to swallow it too quickly.
Leaving the food on the table, she peered down from the window but saw nothing of interest. She bit her lip and shrugged in confusion and returned to the table.

"I think Nick just lost his mind..." Christian muttered, drawing the curtain quickly. He turned just in time to see Nicholas run in, papers in his hand.
"What got into you?"
"A new queen, just crowned"
"What happened to the king?"
"Died unexpectedly last night, his betrothed has taken the throne since there was no heir or blood relation...Queen Helena" Christian's face went white with shock, it took all he had to remain standing. Nicholas nodded gravely.
"But then..."
"She's ordered for us to be killed" He read out the names on the paper he had stolen from the soldier.
"Christian Manth Enghal and Nicholas Creth Enghal to be beheaded by the ruling of Queen Helena, effective immediatly...thankfully...they've no faces to go by..."
"So we're safe?"
"No...she now controls each kingdom, it was the last action of the king...his army has destroyed the other royal families and claimed their kingdoms..."
"Civil war...it's inevitable" Christian shook his head, imagining the six kingdoms at war, not only with themselves, but by the Queen they had never wanted.
"Not only that, but we're not safe from the rulings of the new parliament...what we are..." He looked to Raya and frowned.
"We're all illegal..." He turned the papers over to reveal a long list of illegal actions, the law of the land was now that all magical or estranged beings were to be executed, on the grounds that they were threats to the new queen.
"This is...this is mad!" Christian gasped.
"My thoughts exactly...She was never so cruel...never so foolish. Something's wrong, and it's roots lie within that palace"

Raya blinked, her face expressing her confusion. It was all too fast for her to process.
"Wait, what?" She shook her confusion from her head. "Right so, I've got this much; there is a new queen of which kingdom? Oh, and you know her?" She numbered them off on her fingers before snatching the paper from Nicholas' hand.
She walked to the bed and sat, reading the article, nibbling at her lip. "Don't even know the woman and I already hate her." She shook her head in disgust.



(Oooo, it's all starting to become clear now :L)

Nicholas sat down and thought for a moment, piecing it together so that it made more sense even to him.
"The old king of the southern kingdom, King Theodore, recently became paranoid that the other royal families were plotting against him because he had no heir, from what we know he sent assassins to infiltrate these families and kill them...they succeeded and he's slowly expanded his kingdom, he owned them all...and he took someone, secretly and aimlessly, to be his queen. Now, at the peak of his rule...he mysteriously dies? Before wedding arrangements can be made" He pointed to the papers. "He was murdered, and whoever killed him has a reason for wanting us out of the way"
"Then we're going there?"
"Yes, and this time we'll make it...now that we know something's wrong we can't be put off by soldiers anymore...even if we don't find our sister"
"Sister..." Christian closed his eyes, the word was so strange to him now. "It's her isn't it...?"
"...yes" Nicholas nodded. "Lord knows why she wants us dead"



(OH yess)

Listening as she read she picked up on the keyword. "Sister?" She muttered, while she continued to read the list of beings that were to be eradicated.
"I honestly can't see why people dislike what I am. It's fairly frustrating and I'm sure you two can agree, we're not all bad." The girl was clearly angry and she stood, having finished reading.
"Is it dangerous to stay with the two of you, or would it be better since we're all illegal?" Raya muttered to herself as she paced the room. She stopped abruptly and looked at the siblings, her eyes shifting between them.

"For us, it may be better to have a companion...they're looking for two brothers travelling alone, and right now, that's not us..." Nicholas thought about the horses, they certainly stood out, and there was only two between them, he was ever more determined to get the girl her own so she might suit them better.
"You're not the first person we've ever travelled with y'know" Christian grinned. "We've seen a couple of strangers from desolate places to nice cozy towns, but that's as far as they go...we'll take good care of you"
"If she comes with us, yes, that's about right...either way, there's safety in numbers"

"Hm." She nodded in agreement, having listened hard to what they had to say. "In that case then, I'll come with you. Oh and for the record, I don't really need protecting."
She thought the situation over, thinking of whether she had ever been close to the Southern Kingdom. There was only one time she could think of and, at that time, she had only just got away.
"You say you aren't worried about soldiers anymore? I think there might be a way that I can take you into the Southern Kingdom, unless of course it's changed since I was there." She scrunched her face up in concentration, remembering the path that she had taken. Raya nodded and turned to the brothers again.
"I can definately take you there," she smiled half-heartedly.

Nicholas stared at he for a moment then looked back to Christian and nodded.
"If you can get us there then the only way to repay you is to keep you safe, there's a bounty on all of our heads, it's no bluff, they probably have ways now that enable them to push threats against us...so protection might not be something for any of us to turn down" Christian snorted and took the paper from Raya, though he was still pale. He read through it once. "They don't know about the horses?" He asked, surprised that they had not been added to their description.
"Perhaps not...but we cant worry about that now" Nicholas walked over to the window and peered out from behind the curtain, the soldier was awake and had gathered a rather large crowd, asking for information that none of them could have given.
"...We'll need to leave soon, no doubt others will be sent for to search the Inn"

Raya gathered up her things and gestured to the door, in obvious agreement with the male.
"You're right, we do need to leave and now is best." Before exiting the door, she took a few coins from the pocket of her jacket. "I was meant to save these but I think the Inn keeper deserves a tip." Raya threw the coins onto the bed and turned her back on the room.

The brothers gathered up their things quickly and followed her out, both wore their cloaks and made their way to the stable, the horses were both still there, they'd had full roam of the hay bales and to no one's surprise there was nothing at all left of them but the scratchy twine that had once held them together. They simultaneously led the equines out of the stalls and were greeted by the old man.
"You'll need to use the west gate, soldiers were sighted coming in through and it's the one clear road out" He winked his lazy eye and strolled back into the Inn.
"That was strange..." Christian murmured, spotting a smile on Nicholas' face.
"You think so? This town has been burnt down so many times..and by soldiers, do you think any of them plan to sell off two passers by to a pack of thugs?"
Christian smiled, he felt humbled by the old man and stepped over to Raya to offer her a place on his mount.

"I'm still not sure about horses," she muttered quietly, accepting Christians offer. She clambered onto the animal, fidgeting in attempt to get comfortable.
"Oh for Gods sake. Stupid animals," she whined. "Can't I walk beside you instead and then when we're clear shift?" She pleaded with the males.

Christian didn't have time to answer. A shrill scream of raw anger rippled through both him and Nicholas. Kaelem had heard and fully understood the comment and had bucked the strange smelling girl from his back in a flurry of angry kicks. He finally settled when Christian stroked his mane and told him to stop.
"Sorry" He cried, looking back at her. "He's...temperamental" He felt his cheeks flush red. Nicholas walked hurriedly to her side.
"We'll all walk...you can shift once we're a fair distance from here..." He was aware of the strange looks they were receiving and frowned.
"We best get moving quickly" His voice was not lost on the young soldier, who glared warningly but refused to strike without his comrades.