Thread: The Chronicles of the Chosen ||Celeana : Haru||

My lord! a man called to him, giving a smile as he laid a piece of coin upon the table, calling for a mug of his own. He was a lank man, tall and without much weight, gaunt face and a smile that was missing several teeth. Still, he was a well known peddler and to those that fought the emperor's rule, a smuggler, and he knew of Luca all to well. It was chance that had brought them together, but a chance he was willing to take, even in such an open setting. You look in good spirits my lord, I'm glad to see you enjoying yourself... he smiled and then took a long swallow of his cider before setting the mug down upon the scarred and scrubbed table. I ken well that you are likely not in the mood for business at such a pleasurable venture, but I've news of a certain lass deep in the affections of a certain man that might peak your interest, he spoke in hushed tones and then leaned forward to spill what he'd learned in his travels. ----- The words that spilled from the peddler's mouth, was of a place, hidden away near the foothills of Argent Mountains, a day or two's ride from the town of Agathis. A keep, hidden away from the rest of the world, and guarding a treasure most unique. That treasure of course, was the girl of which he spoke. Lady Kaitlin , was a girl who had grown up, only knowing one certain thing. She would marry the Emperor when she came of age. It was such a horrible reality that more than once, she'd tried to escape her prison but always managed to be caught and dragged back, the security becoming more stringent, making her freedom even less likely. Her life before this imprisonment, she couldn't recall. For as long as she could remember, she had lived here, under guard, destined to be an empress to a man she'd met a handful of times through her growing up. She had received an education with strict tutors, and had learned to read and to write, to sew and to compose music and to dance. Empty things, meant only to impress the Emperor. On his visits, she'd been shown off to him, forced to show him what she had learned and he had smiled, with eyes as cold and empty as the steel blade he kept at his hip. Now she was too old for governesses, and had guards, and from what she'd managed to gather, with her eighteenth birthday coming up, she'd soon find herself being removed from this place to marry the man she was most frightened of. She wasn't quite sure what marriage entailed, but she did know that it meant she'd be leaving with him and while the idea of leaving this place was one she welcomed, she guessed that marriage to the Emperor would be a worse sort of prison than the one she resided in now. Walking along the high walls, she glanced back at the keep. A two story stone structure, with high wall shrouded by trees and hills, tucked away and hard to find, especially in the thick surrounding forest. She frowned and looked forward, taking her usual path, twirling a rose in her hand. She was wearing a simple green dress, her long red hair braided and falling over one shoulder, tied with a green ribbon that matched her dress, wishing she knew of a way to escape her fate, but knowing she'd exhausted all attempts at fleeing. Any day now, she'd be forced to marry and that was certainly a frightening thought.