Notebook.ai

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 04, 2023

(I swear I'm gonna be on more. I've just got three jobs right now and I'm a little burnt out)

Lyanna had no idea what she had just gotten herself into and why she was doing this. Maybe it was her sense of adventure that he was calling to and that's why she did this no questions asked. Because it certainly wasn't because of a prince she didn't know or trust.

She felt herself land jn bis arms and waited until he set her down. She could have landed just fine kn her feet but again, she's a supposed to be a lady and not as coordinated. At least not on some little adventure like this.

She took a step back from and looked around the area they were in. "If we can't leave the way we just came, don't tell me I jumped out of a window just for there to be stairs that leave out of this place."

@Null-Gravity August 04, 2023

(It's fine, I'm juggling all my projects as well- I do find it difficult to come up with stuff at times, so no worries.)

Payne laughs, pointing at the faintly visible wall.

About a half foot up from the ground, the stone pattern changes, in roughly the shape of a door. He pushes on it, and it opens to reveal a short corridor leading to the proper wall around the castle.

"We can get out through here," he says.

The door closes.

"Now, let's get going," he grins, gesturing at a crudely hewn corridor directly opposite the hidden door. He starts walking.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 04, 2023

Lyanna blinked at the wall. "So you're telling me that we could've just taken that way in the first place?"

She shook her head with a slight roll of her eyes. But the smile on her face told a different story. Her skin was still slightly flushed from the thrill of getting there. She quite liked going in that way.

She had to take longer steps to catch up to him and looped her arm in his when she did. "So what exactly is down here? Or are you going to make me wait until we arrive?"

She had a feeling it was going to be the latter. This was why she didn't like surprises.

@Null-Gravity August 07, 2023

"Technically, yes. If we wanted to raw attention to ourselves, that is. After all, where would the prince be sneaking off to with a woman, and one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting at that?" Payne asks simply. "Besides, the place we're going is made that much better when you've worked up a slight sweat."

"You'll see, of course," he laughs, nudging Lillian playfully. He was glad for the darkness, actually, as he had flushed at the unexpected contact.

Their footsteps echo in the confines of the rough tunnel.

The sound of water dripping starts to echo up from further in the tunnel after about a quarter of a mile of walking, and then a few minutes after that, they enter a large cavern.

What lay inside was nothing short of astounding.

A giant, clear pool of water, as far as the eye could see. The rock turns to sand, and gives slightly under Payne's feet.

"Welcome to the Mirror," he says softly.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 08, 2023

Lyanna supposed he was right on my she was excellent at sneaking around without getting caught. Though she supposed with his sheer size that just about anyone would notice him. It likely made it hard for him to sneak around looking like that.

"If you wanted to work up a slight sweat, all you had to do was ask. I could get you sweating in no time." She winked at him, clearly teasing. Apparently, she hadn't left behind her vulgar sense of humor.

She quieted as she heard the sound of dripping water. Her walk hastened, excited ti see where he was taking her. Unless he was bringing her down here to kill her. Which woukd be the perfect time to. No one knew where they were or that they were even together. No one would even suspect the prince.

Only she was a lot harder to kill than that. And she would be the one to walk away from that fight.

She stopped short as the tunnel turned into a large cavern. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it certainly hadn't been this. It was a beautiful. She didn't have words. She only stared with her lips slightly parted and her eyes filled with awe.

@Null-Gravity August 09, 2023

(Lyanna, you'll find that this man is much quicker than he looks. . . and much less stupid, as well.)

Payne snickers at the vulgarity.

"You'll find I have quite a bit of stamina, dear. It takes a lot to get me sweaty," he replies without thinking.

He glances over at Lillian's astounded expression and laughs softly.

"Close your mouth. You're drooling," he teases.

He looks across the water once more.

"I found this place years ago, trying to escape from my guards who were being very. . . persistent. Stubborn old codgers, the lot of them, but they were the best at what they did. The water is. . ." he says, before trailing off. He shakes his head and smiles softly.

"Nevermind. The point is, this place is beautiful. I come down here when the world gets a little noisy or chaotic and I just need some peace," he chuckles.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 09, 2023

(She's thinks she's better than everyone ;)

Lyanna gave him a sly smile, looking him up and down. "We'll put that to the test one of these days, wife."

But looking at the pool, the water, wiped all traces of playfulness. She was mesmerized by it. She barely registered what he said, her mouth shutting. But she didn't look at him. She looked at the water.

"It's beautiful," she barely managed to say. She walked into the cavern, noticing the shift as the ground turned to sand.

She walked to the water's edge and knelt, dipping her fingers into the water. "I'm surprised you're showing me this. I'd hate to ruin a pace that is entirely yours." She shook her head.

"Where does the water come from?" She couldn't determine how it had gotten here, beneath the palace.

@Null-Gravity August 10, 2023

(We'll get that sorted out soon enough, trust me.)

Payne chuckles and sighs.

"It is, yes. You'll never find anywhere quite like this. It is unique," he agrees.

He watches Lillian as she walks across the sand, her stride unbothered by the change in terrain.

"If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have showed this place to you," he says simply.

Payne shrugs. The water barely shudders when Lillian touches it. It was warm, but not overy warm. Like a lake in the late afternoon, just as the sky turns a little orange.

"I've searched the entire lake. I couldn't find any way for it to get here."

As he speaks, he picks up a shard of black rock and tosses it at Lillian.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 16, 2023

(So sorry this took so long. I've had a bunch of stuff going on at home and I really haven't had the time to respond.)

Lyanna supposed that was true. He didn't have to show her this place. They had known each other for what? Maybe twenty, thirty minutes? But he trusted her enough to bring her here.

This might very well be the perfect place to train and just get away from the palace when she needed to.

Strange though, that there wasn't a known place that the water was coming from. Perhaps it might be magic, except that wasn't possible. Not since magic had disappeared all those years ago. It shouldn't be possible.

As she turned her head to him, she caught a flash of black in her vision and knew that soemthung was being hurdled at her. She moved out if the way on instinct, just barely missing being hit.

"What the fuck?"

@Null-Gravity August 21, 2023

(It's alright. I've just started proper school and haven't had any time for anything.)

Payne chuckles.

"A rock. Didn't you see? Or you at least have good instincts," he replies teasingly.

He tilts his head consideringly at Lillian.

"I want to ask you something. You have a dagger, hidden of course. Know how to use it?" he asks casually.

The gleam in his eyes was. . . disturbingly sharp. Almost as if he were challenging Lillian.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 22, 2023

(Me too! Just started today. Responses will be a little off for a bit while I figure out my new schedule.)

Lyanna looked at him incredulously. "I can see that it's a rock. I want to know why." Why had he thrown ut at her. She had almost reached out to grab it, though looking at it now, it likely would have cut up her hand. Good thing she didn't.

She looked at him cautiously, suddenly very nervous to be in the prince's presence. She was very sure of her own skills but she had heard the stories of Prince Payne. And she wondered how much of that was true. And how well she woukd fare against him.

She inhaled sharply at his next words. "I don't know what you're talking about." But she did have a dagger hidden on her. "Hypothetically, if I did, then the answer is yes."

@Null-Gravity August 22, 2023

(Same here, kinda. So no worries.)

Payne laughs.

"I don't know. A whim?" he shrugs casually.

He tilts his head. He watched Lillian's moves carefully, but seemingly without fear or worry. Such an unconcerned expression on his face, when he'd provided the best place and time to kill him.

"Let's see it then," he shrugs.

Maybe it was because he knew she couldn't really hurt him. Maybe it was because of something else. Who knows?

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 24, 2023

Lyanna watched him distrustfully. She didn't knownwhere this was going and she didn't like that. She didn't like not knowing. She always knew everything. Or at least the vitals things. Here, she was completely in the dark.

With a watchful eye on Payne, she gripped hee skirts and raised them until a dagger sheathed on her thigh was revealed. The blade was a good eight inches long, starting high on her thigh and ending just above her knee.

She unsheathed it from the strap and let her skirts fall back to her ankles. The blade itself was simple. It was obsidian black, blade and all. It was a simple design but sturdy and had saved her more than a few times. It was her favorite dagger.

She held it out for him to take, offering the handle while she gripped the blade.

@Null-Gravity August 24, 2023

Payne lets out a low whistle as he takes the blade.

"Nice craftsmanship. Definitely not a blade made in Araniel, though," he chuckles. "Your father must have trusted this craftsman a lot to give you one of his blades. After all, he's been one of the biggest dissenters the past few years in old Venia. Though I hear lately he's calmed down a bit, since the birth of his daughter. . ."

He tests the edge with a nail and chuckles.

"Perfectly sharpened. You know your stuff with upkeep, at least," he smiles.

"Come at me. Let's see your talent or skill," he states, suddenly back to business as he holds out the dagger for Lillian to take back.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 24, 2023

(Duuuuuude tell me why I forgot she's wearing pants. Ignore that whole thing and pretend she pulled it out if somewhere cleaver XD)

Lyanna watched him carefully as he inspected her blade. She didn't like other people touching her things, especially her weapons. She didn't say anything as he spike, didn't give him any indication. She couldn't, wouldn't.

There was a slight issue. Big issue, actually. She was not his daughter. She wasn't even related to the lord she was posing as his daughter. She needed to reamin indifferent. Especially if he was suggesting her "father" was a likely traitor.

"I know more than just it's upkeep." She took the blade back as soon as he held it out ti her, relaxing only when she felt its usual weight in her hand.

She looked him up and down, then at herself. "Are you sure that's what you would like to do, wife? I'd hate to ruin that pretty face of yours."

@Null-Gravity August 24, 2023

(I completely get it. I'm running off a single cup of chammomile tea and a coffe that I emptied 4 packets of Nestle dark roast [roaster's choice] into after the fact with so much sugar stirred in I should've been killed immediately. Yet I live. Maybe It's because God lives in fear of what I might do if I end up in His domain. . .)
(Anyways enough Tumblr satire.)

Payne grins.

"We'll see about that, won't we my dear?" he replies casually, to both her statements.

Without any warning, Payne pulls out a dagger of his own.

Custom made to Payne's size, it was a shortsword in anyone else's hands - but with Payne it was a perfect dagger. Acid etched blade to look like damasc and brushed with a slight gold tinge. The handle was simple walnut, however.

He moves fluidly, like a wildfire - though with considerably more weight than such - but with the swiftness of wind.

The blade buzzes like a demented hornet directly towards the armpit, targeting the axillery artery. It was clear that he was counting on Lillian's ability to defend herself well.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 27, 2023

Lyanna hadn't known what she had expected when he had dragged her down here but it certainly hadn't been this. She was on the very edge of blowing her own cover if she wasn't careful. She would need to downplay her skills whistle still holding her own against him. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of defeating her completely now could she? There was only so much her ego could take.

As the dagger was thrown at her, she parried. She side-swept and raised her own dagger to knock away the blade. Then she fell into a defensive stance. Stories were not enough to go by. She didn't know how he attacked. She wanted to observe him first before making her own offensive attack against him.

"Is that all you have? I must say, I'm a little disappointed."

She liked playing with fire. It may get her killed one day but until then, she would dance in the flames she grew.

@Null-Gravity August 27, 2023

Payne chuckles.

He lunges for the knife and grabs it in an ice pick grip, darting back and grinning, settling into a low, comfortable stance, clearly not Araniel's dagger style.

"Oh, no darling. . . I'm simply having fun," he smirks, his voice glowing with suppressed pleasure that maybe he'd have someone who could keep up. After all, he'd thrown his dagger, straight and true, and she'd knocked it out of the air fluidly, without thinking.

Payne watches Lillian carefully, noting the openings that people commonly had - but they weren't there. Instead, the openings were. . . unusual. She'd definitely been trained by one of the Venia swordspeople, but he didn't take much note of that, seeing as how it seemed to be a slightly bastardized version.

Almost without thinking, his face goes blank, erasing every emotion, his golden eyes burning with a fighting light. And yet. . . that smirk never wavered. Not a single inch. He lets out a low growl that rumbles through the air, the same sound a modern bass speaker would make if the bass was being pumped up full blast. It was a sound meant to disrupt, to confuse.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen August 29, 2023

Lyanna gave him a wicked grin. Fun. This was fun to her, even if she didn't quite understand what was happening. She was still suspicious of him. She didn't even know how he knew that she had a dagger hidden on her person. But he was a soldier and was likely trained to spot weapons on another person. Well so was she.

She had been trained past her breaking point. She had been broken and molded into the perfect assassin. And it absolutely killed her to have to downplay her skills.

She fought hard and dirty and would do whatever it took to win. She didn't care about the consequences. She couldn't. Not with her line of work. She did what she needed to do then she got out.

There was a grumbling noise and she looked at Payne in shock as she felt that wave of magic wash over her. That shouldn't be possible. Magic disappeared ten years ago. He shouldn't be able to use it. And yet here he was, using magic, whether he knew it was that or not. This was suddenly much more dangerous than she had originally thought. Just being near him could get her killed if the king ever found out.

@Null-Gravity August 30, 2023

Payne smirks at the shock in Lillian's eyes, using her temporary distraction to lunge forward, his dagger cutting up in a severe crossways slash, towards the young noble lady's eyes.

He wasn't too fond of this tactic, but against a smaller, lighter foe like Lillian it was a good choice.

As a matter of fact, daggers and knives weren't his favorite weapons, but they were easier to conceal than a full-on sword or mace.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen September 05, 2023

(nbajjshfkwerhui I'm horrible. I swear, I get on, I look at everything, and I go blank (and its been a bad weekend))

Lyanna barely let out more than a small cry of surprise as he lunged towards her. She raised her dagger, blocking him, and not a second too late. Had she waited any longer, she'd be without an eye. He wasn't pulling his punches so neither would she. It was good that he wasn't. She wouldn't respect him otherwise. Just because she was a woman didn't mean she couldn't fight.

She parried to the left as she feinted an attack to his chest, changing directions at the last moment and attacking his legs.

While she was still extremely confused about what was happening, she never backed down from a fight. This was no different.

@Null-Gravity September 05, 2023

(It's alright, no worries. Seriously, don't feel pressured to put this very high in your priorities.)

Payne flips the grip of his dagger, holding it in a sabre grip, as his blade is battered away from Lillian's face.

She's a hell of a lot stronger than she looks. She might be holding back. Let's turn up the heat, shall we? Can't do too much, though. . . can't actually have her dying. If my blade looks like it's going to make contact, I'll stop short. Or try and divert the blade's arc.

But he had to admire just how well Lillian was holding her own against him. He was a warrior by choice, and chose to train his body past its breaking points. He was molded for war and battle. Even as he was fighting Lillian, all of his senses were not only keeping track of her but on their surroundings: how close the walls were, how the sand was shifting, how many blows it would take to force Lillian into the water or vice-versa.

He uses the force of the block to turn away at the last possible second of Lillian's swing, then lunges back forward, trying to slip up past the girl's guard.

@Null-Gravity September 07, 2023

(Polite bump)

@ElderGod-yellowqueen September 08, 2023

Lyanna had to remind herself that this was not some mindless soldier or a lord she had taken out. This was a trained warrior. He was highly skilled and highly intelligent, even if he tried to hide it. He couldn't from her, she saw everything.

In the split moment that she had after her blow had been block, she slipped out another dagger she had been hiding behind her back. This one was smaller in size and weight. Small enough to throw but the accuracy on it was as good as her throwing blades. She hadn't drawn it to serve her in long distance. She was going to use both the blades in this fight.

Even if she to lose, which irritated her beyond words, she would still put up one hell of a fight.

They fell into an easy dance, one step back, one step forward. She had to admire his resilience. She had tried using her size to her advantage, flitting around him and moving quickly. He kept up with her rather well. Another irritating thing. She had hoped to at least have one thing on him. Well, she supposed she did have one, if she wanted him dead he would be by now. She wouldn't have wasted her time on these theatrics. She would have gone for the kill and be done by now.

"Had enough yet, wife? You're starting to look tired." Her teasing voice echoed through he chamber and she grinned at him wildly. She always had liked to play with her food before she ate it.

@Null-Gravity September 08, 2023

The more Lillian and Payne fought, the more he began to lose the sense of reason he had before.

It was almost as if he was being replaced by a new person, bit by bit: a rage simmering in his eyes - had they always been that bright a shade of gold? - and his form seeming to blur and shift with the speed at which he was starting to move.

Magic.

Whether Payne knew it or not, the talents that were inside him, lain dormant since his birth, had started to react and awaken in Lillian's presence.

He takes the new blade in stride, not faltering nor stumbling. No hesitance or betrayal of his form was allowed, not now. He kept up with blithe, practiced ease with Lillian's fast, slender form, even going so far as to slip in past her guard, though she always darted back.

One step forward, one step back. A macabre dance of blades, singing through the air.

Despite the rage in his eyes, his smile was fierce and only grew fiercer when Lillian started to try and taunt him.

"Not by far. Though we may need to wrap up soon, so I shall do just that," he replies.

He tosses his dagger with laser accuracy towards Lillian's eyes, and before she has time to react after blocking he has her pinned in the sand.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen September 08, 2023

Lyanna still had no idea why they were fighting, not that she had the time to think about it. All of her current thoughts were on the man in front of her she was currently battling. She might have already decided to let him win but that didn't mean she wasn't going to work for it.

Time passed on and that twinge in the air appeared once more. The presence of magic. He was using it, whether he realized it or not. But she knew it. She saw it. And she couldn't believe it.

She had thought earlier had been a fluke but here he was, using magic again. It shouldn't be possible. All magic disappeared about ten years ago. She knew first hand what that was like. How much the absence of it hurt, even in her young age. And yet here he was, performing magic with no issue at all. She didn't understand how he was doing it. And she craved it. She craved to feel that flame in her chest. She wanted to to feel it roaring. And now she knew it was possible.

He took advantage of her distraction. Which of course he would. She would have done the same. Only this was a distraction she hadn't meant to have. One second a dagger was being thrown at her head and the next her back was hitting the sand and there was a large man over her pinning her to the ground. She was too stunned for a moment to realize what had happened.

She made a face, pushing against him. She was trying to find a way to flip them over and take advantage, possibly to interrogate him on how he was using magic, but to no avail. She was stuck.

@Null-Gravity September 08, 2023

(My gut is telling me I should describe how he's currently on top of her, but my mind is saying you and the audience can figure it out-)

@ElderGod-yellowqueen September 08, 2023

(Hehe)

@Null-Gravity September 08, 2023

Payne watches, bemused, as Lillian struggles to escape.

He grabs her wrists, pinning them together and forcing them on the sandy ground above her, keeping her from getting any grip at all now.

"So, sweetheart. Now that you're down there and I'm up here, wouldn't you say it's time we called this a win for your beautiful and charming wife?" he asks casually. His eyes lock onto Lillian's, no longer the unnaturally bright yellow they were earlier, instead just their usual pale yellow.

@ElderGod-yellowqueen September 08, 2023

Lyanna did not find this funny. She would much rather be let go of. Being restrained brought back unpleasant memories. Nothing she couldn't handle and nothing that would get in the way and inhibit her ability to control herself, but a nuance all the same.

Eventually did she stop struggling as she found it was pointless. At least for now. Either he woukd let her go or he would weaken his hold on her and she would strike and get out of his hold.

"This time," she emphasized. "You have won this time." And she could have won if she wanted to, she told herself, even as she was coming to the realization that it might not have been possible. Not with magic thrown into the mix. The reminisce still lingered in his eyes. They were unnaturally bright and certainly not his original color. She only prayed it subsided soon or she would have to find another way to keep him here until it did. He would be caught in an instance if he left looking like that.

The Flame in the Dark (OxO Closed)