Imperialism

Azalea, Nyir and Vallia began to make their way out of the town. It didn't take them long to reach the entrance of the forest, but when they did, Azalea once again reminded them about staying together. She wasn't worried about Nyir; it was Vallia she was more skeptical about.
The three of them ventured into the forest, but when Azalea began to hear noises, she paused.
"That… sounds like an animal," she said slowly. "And a man's voice… If that person is in trouble, we have to go help."

"Be careful," Nyir warned in a low voice, her hand reaching again for her weapon. "It could be that neither the person nor the animal is friendly."

(Order:
@TheLavenderOwl
@Ca1iCa1
@Natasha
@Nerd_Girl2.0 ?)

“I will be,” Azalea promised. “I will not get in your way if they turn around to be dangerous.”
The three of them slowly walked into a clearing and froze completely.
There was a man on the floor, a dog on top of him, licking his face while the man tried to get it off.

(Order:
@TheLavenderOwl
@Ca1iCa1
@Natasha
@Nerd_Girl2.0 ?)

(I guess so.)

(We need more warriors…)

Laughing happily, Orion picked the pup up off his face, and in doing so he noticed the three watching him. Gently, he set the pup into his bag so that it wouldn't run off, and stood up. "What is your business here?" Voice rusty and gruff from misuse, the type of voice that however soft would command attention.

Nyir tried not to smile. She had a soft spot for puppies. She kept her face stern. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Standing straight, he looks at her with piercing blue eyes, intense in nature, and they give the feeling that he is looking through her. Once again he speaks. "I do believe I asked you your business in my forest first." Voice still soft, and without any bite, but with a surprising hardness.

Azalea frowned.
"Your forest?" she repeated sharply. "How, may I ask, is this yours?"

Standing taller he squares his jaw. "I was tasked with protecting this land if the kingdom should fall, and fall it has. What is a fallen princess doing so far from home?"

"I believe you have mistaken me for someone else," Azalea said quietly, remembering when the king had instructed someone to take care of a forest when the castle fell. "I am not a princess."

"I am not stupid, even if I may look at. You walk as her. You talk as her. You carry yourself as her. If you are not her you are an imposter. A crime punishable by death. So I will say again. What is a princess doing so far from home?" He is smarter than he looks.

Nyir stepped protectively in front of her. "Enough. What is your name?"

"Orion Felspan," Azalea said, looking at the man. "You address me as a princess, yet you treat me as a commoner. Ironic, is it not? What authority do you possess to question me?"

"That name carries no weight with me princess. Not anymore. Names can be traced. Names are dangerous. I live as a ghost and you may address me as such." The so called 'Ghost" seems sure of his standing.

Realization suddenly struck Azalea like a bolt of lightening.
"Ghost… Orion Felspan… Of course! Why did I not think of this before?" she scolded herself before turning towards Orion. "You're the ghost of the warriors, are you not? That's why they appointed you here. Because out of all the seven warriors, you were the only one capable of defending it. You're the Fourth. Am I wrong?"

He dips his head, but retains eye contact. "I was, princess. I used to be. I no longer am. The kingdom has fallen, and we fell with it. There is no room for people such as we in this world. I used to be the Fourth. Now I am a Ghost, nothing."

Azalea's face hardened.
"When the warriors were created, they were given one task; to protect the royal family till their last breath. The warriors exist even if the kingdom does not," her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to abandon your duty just because the kingdom fell? What of your mission?"

"The warriors are dead! The spirit in them is dead! I can at least do some sort of good defending these woods. Do not speak to me as if I know nothing." His tone has hardened and turned cold, his eyes doing the same.

"If the warriors are dead, as you say they are, if their spirit is dead," Azalea started in a calm tone. "Then what is Vallia doing here? Is she not a warrior herself? Why not turn me down when I came to her for help? Why not pretend she was not what I thought of her to be? I do not wish to be offensive, Orion Felspan, the Ghost of the Warriors, but it seems to me that you are only hiding from who you are." Azalea then turned towards Nyir and Vallia. "Let us move on. If the Ghost does not wish to continue, then I will not force him to."

Vallia shrugged. "Whatever works for you your majesty." She wasn't sure how she felt about all this. Could she really consider herself a true warrior? She hadn't had any super formal training.

Azalea looked at Orion once more, then at the dog at his feet. A small smile made its way to her lips, and she looked up at Nyir. Was she right in saying what she said? Should she have acted like that?

The Ghost looked at her a moment more, face like stone. Allowing a smile to crack over his face he laughed. "You have much of your mother in you princess, I'll give you that. Where are we off to then? Pup an I will be comin along if you'll have us." In a much better mood, even his dark eyes seem to lighten. A test. This had been a test of her determination and spirit.

Nyir nodded, almost pleased. The princess had shown true courage and wit, and their newest warrior seemed much more formidable than Vallia. "Let's be off, then."

Orion... Another warrior easily taken. She knew all about the ghost of the warriors, but she didn't think he would give up this easy. Are all my people like this?! If so how are we ever going to take back the kingdom? She angrily thought to herself. She didn't see how it was a test of wits and determination. Only a test to see how easily he would fall. A test that anyone could pass. So far, she has proven nothing. Now she wasn't sure if she was the one.

( @Nerd_Girl2.0 I am really confused about what your character is doing, please explain. I thought they weren't int the group yet?)

( @Nerd_Girl2.0 I am really confused about what your character is doing, please explain. I thought they weren't int the group yet?)

(Her character is someone who’s watching them from the shadows.)

Azalea looked a bit taken aback, but soon a smile made its way towards her lips and she looked back at Nyir with a bright smile, a smile that said, “I did it!”
“Our next destination is Umacian,” she replied softly, containing her excitement. “If I remember correctly, there is a Warrior village located in the mountains.”
Azalea was excited. Not only did she manage to prove herself to Orion, but she earned Nyir’s approval. She was acting like a little kid, Azalea knew, but she couldn’t help herself. For the first time in her life, Azalea shouldered a great responsibility. And it seemed that things weren’t so bad. It didn’t mean that she would take it lightly. Who knows, the next warrior might be troublesome.
Her eyes fell on the pup again, wanting to hold him, but looking at Nyir for approval once again. She was never allowed to touch animals before. She was never allowed to do anything without permission from the royal family, and Nyir was officially the only family she had left. Old habits die hard, Azalea thought to herself.

The Ghost, seeing her gaze, picks up the pup. With a small smile he hands it to her, a bunch off puppy kisses bestowed upon her face. Stilling, he turns. "I do not appreciate being watched, princess. Ask your spy to reveal themselves." His eyes have grown cold and hard, voice rough as stone.