Shattered crown part 1

## Page 1

Chapter One - The Spark

Asbel Sutherlin – Rebel Mercenary – Goldedge train station, Braile

Goldedge, Braile, situated in almost the exact center of the kingdom, housed the largest and busiest train station in the whole of Falcon’s Reach, with tracks swerving outward to and from every province. One could take a train anywhere in the kingdom from there; the possibilities were endless and adventure was one overpriced ticket away. Asbel Sutherlin, however, was interested in one train in particular on that fine morning: the Fair Maid. In less than an hour, it would leave the station, carrying a fair number of nobles and other notable people, mostly from Fairhaven, to Lynne, no doubt to meet with other such nobles and important people to discuss politics. When it came to dealing with the ever-increasing rebel outbursts and underground activity throughout the kingdom, Lynne wasn’t exactly pulling its own weight.

Then again, that might have something to do with the fact that a fair number of the nobles in Lynne had turned against the King. Such meetings often yielded useful information to those resourceful and patient enough to listen, and luckily for Asbel, that was a precious resource to the rebels. As he sat quietly on a bench near the platform, a scarf shielding the lower half of his face from both the cold and the prying eyes of passers-by, he leaned back in his seat and waited patiently for the Fair Maid to arrive.

Erick Bailee – King’s Bodyguard – King Walkelin’s Castle, Fairhaven

In the Great Hall of the castle, the King of Falcon's Reach sat alone, lost in thought. That is, if one can call the company of three guards at the room's doors, a servant, and a bodyguard “alone.” Another assassin had been nabbed by the latter party the previous night as the King slept, the latest in a rash of attempts that was lasting for months. This assassin, a year younger than Erick, would be executed publicly later that day as a warning to any others planning to follow in his footsteps, deprived of a dignified death and instead forced to meet his fate surrounded by a shouting, staring crowd.

This was turning out to be a bit of a grim morning. Though Erick found himself scheming a number of different ways to weasel out of his duties at some point and track Ryouki down, he doubted that would be possible while everyone was so on edge – His Majesty especially.

The sleep-deprived monarch suddenly breathed a resigned sigh, jarring Erick from his reverie, and briefly set his head in his hands before rising from his chair and turning to leave the room. He subtly motioned for the servant to stay, but Erick needed no prompt to follow. Besides, as splendid as it would have been to stand idly by while the King moped about in silence for the rest of the day, a little fresh air couldn’t hurt either.

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki, alone in Erick's home, peered over the applications he recently filled and checked for any errors, anything that could land him in possible rejection. He tended to save most of this for when Erick was out during the work day, and even five years in, he still tried not to appear too stressed around Erik.

Numerous tries to get back into drag were shot down. Apparently, handicaps aren't exactly considered capable of a decent performance-not that Ryouki hadn't tried, his act just wasn't as well recieved as it used to be.

Smoke trailed from the lit cigarette in his mouth-another habit that he had been trying to break, but the stress of desperate job hunting seemed to bring the nicotine addiction back from the dead. Ryouki thanked his lucky stars that none of the others had resurfaced as well.

Alina Andreyevich

Dressing for the morning went by quickly. After being away from home for so long, she was adjusted to the simplicity of her current wardrobe, but couldn't help but think that something nicer would have been nice. An Ambassador's job was all about appearances, right? Tula managed to style her cropped hair into something passable and she made her way down the halls to find the throne room for that morning's meeting.

It;s only been two days...but I think I should know where the throne room is. Shouldn't it be obvious?

Graves - Secret Agent to the Crown - Fairhaven

His dark eyes peered over the busy streets of Fairhaven. The dark circles that were so comfortably fitting under his eyes were evident that he hadn't had sleep in a number of days. Graves pushed a strand of hair from his face and continued on his way. With no particular desination, although he had a particular mission, he turned down the Market street. Merchants and other sellers were persuading passerbys that their product was the best in the kingdom. He smirked and watched as a certain merchant sold a lady a fine silver necklace. Just from glancing at it Graves could tell it wasn't real silver. The necklace would most likely break within a few days. Picking an apple from one of the stands, and paying the merchant, he briskly turned his heel to head the other way. But he was surprised to see a face directly in his. About to scream at the man he stopped at the familiarity of his face.

"Lucas Oswald, is it?" He asked with a thin smile, sizing the blonde man up. Lucas looked slightly stunned as the man knew his name. But he quickly recovered and smiled politely at Graves.

"Yes it is." Lucas nodded. "Sorry for startling you." He smiled and began to pick some fruit from the stand, inspecting it for any bruises and the such. But feeling Graves's stare still boring into him, he attempted to make more conversation. "So how do you know me? You don't look like your from around here."

Graves chuckled and met Lucas's eyes with an observant gaze. "The stories of your journies have spread farther than you think."

"It's been five years, I didn't think people would still remember who I was. With everything that's happening lately, I even don't have time to think about the past." Lucas filled the cloth sack with his desirable fruit and payed the merchant kindly.

"Well," Graves began slowly. "I can assure you I haven't forgotten about you," he paused, "or Alice. I always loved how you swooped Alice from her feet. Although I imagine the King was furious with her for marrying a common folk." Graves bit into his apple slowly, letting the juice drip down his chin. He stared at Lucas with a sort of studying manner. Lucas could sense the hostility in the man's voice.

"I really must be going. It was nice meeting you-?" Lucas invited the pale man to introduce himself. Graves watched hesitantly as Lucas extended his arm.

"Bert. Bert's the name." Graves nodded and gave Lucas a thin smile. In return Lucas bowed his head and walked away. But he could tell the man was lying about his name. He had other things to think of though, like Alice...and the baby.

Graves watched as Lucas walked away. He wondered if he could be with them...finishing the last bite of his apple he threw it on the ground and began walking towards the castle.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Train Station, Goldedge, Braile

Silas Reid stood exactly on the white line a foot away from the tracks, impatiently tapping his foot against the tiled floor and unable to stop glancing at the watch on his wrist. He paid no attention to the massiveness and grandeur of the station around him, a public testament of Braile's might. And why should he? This was no field trip or well-earned vacation. He may have only been here once before, but he didn't enjoy having to stand in places like these, forced to endure the chattering and shouting and whistle-blowing and steam clogging up the air. When the morning rays of the sun landed squarely on his face, he squinted up at the windows hung high above the other side of the tracks, almost scowling, and brought his arm up to shield his eyes from the brightness. Without a doubt, he hated it.

But there was no choice. There was a parcel he had to pick up, and the seller stubbornly refused to leave his home to deliver it. Silas didn't have one of those new motorcars or someone willing to drop him off to another province. It was laughable to even consider walking. So the train was his only option. And since he better things to spend his money on, standard class, it was.

Just a little longer, Reid, he thought to himself. Soon, it will all be over.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division -  Goldedge train station, Braile

"Comrades! Don't stop running! I expect that all of your canteens to still be full of water once we reach the border!" Mosin yelled out at the half-dead candidates hoping to join the 13th Guards Division during a trial run.

"But comrade Polkovnik, we haven't rested for two days straight! It's impossible!" One of the exhausted recruits replied to Mosin.

"Your brothers and I once had to run from the border and back to Rojya for six days straight without stopping just because one of them accidentally left the water running. If I hear one more excuse from any of you, you will all be rejected from the Division! Understood comrades?!"

"Da, ser!" they shouted.

After two more days of continuous running, they reached the border's outpost by night and were welcomed by the soldiers stationed there with vodka, accompanied by deer steak on a large circular table. While all of the candidates were making jokes about each other and getting drunk, Mosin sat at his chair, looking out to the terrain they just crossed. As his emotions dulled into nothingness, he wondered why he survived and his family didn't.

"Where's my rifle? I should adjust its scope to suit the environment," Mosin said to himself. He reached for his side but found the supplies on his belt gone. When he looked back up again, the candidates were gone as well. A feeling of dread crept up his spine until a unexpected thought came to his mind:

A dream?

\* \* \* \* \*

Mosin's eyes flew open with a start and he narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was morning, obviously not in Rojya or the Wastes. He shook his head, straining to dredge up the memory of where he went, and remembered he was in Falcon's Reach now, on leave from the 13th Division. He was supposed to visit a friend, a foreign soldier that once came to Rojya. After getting himself lost and confused, Mosin discovered that his friend was in Lynne, not Braile, and now he was trying to catch the train.

Dimitry Popov, Former commandant of 21st Scout Vanguard, Near Grail-El embassy, Fairhaven.

He was probably one of the most conspicuous person on the streets at this point, his coat flapping in the breeze, gas mask hanging on its strap near his hip, pistol on the other, and the anti-material rifle across his back. He attracted a good deal of stares as he leaned against the wall of a bar. His habit to pick his teeth with his dagger probably didn't help.

The person he was meeting walked next to him, despite the fact it was still day time she was dressed all in black, at least she wasn't armed as much as she normally was. Dimitry nodded to her, knowing she wouldn't speak. Cima handed him a envelope and walked away.

He opened it and read it to himself. "Additional intelligence suggests that rebel forces may be planning a large scale strike in the next few days, all security staff be on high alert. All negotiators be prepared to give condolences, and nothing else."

The rest of it was a report about food stocks in Agnorak, which he wasn't particularly interested in. He headed in the direction of the Rojya embassy, he hadn't seen Tula for a while.

Leif Regnar, Body guard of lady Kristen. Goldedge train station, Braile.

He hated trains, but they were the fastest way around, other than those huge air ships that some times buzzed over head, he had asked Kristen about them, and she told him they were incredibly expensive to get a ticket on and they were exclusively operated by those strange people from the Wastes, Grail they called themselves, strange buggers. He was as usual loaded with all sorts of luggage, his luggage, Kristen's, which was always so much heavier because of all the books, and his war hammer.

"Why are we leaving? We just got here?" He asked, his deep voice booming across the crowded station.

The tiny woman next to him had to shout to be heard. "They didn't have what I was looking for!"

"Alright."

Tabaraamon, Leader of the Seven Riders, Temple of Mezark, the Wastes.

He paced in thought, reading the slab of metal. By all appearances it was a poem, a strange one, but a poem none the less. Except for where it had been found, deep in the crypt beneath the citadel, he turned the piece of steel over in his hands, the markings were the only blemishes on its surface. "Give me you secrets." He hissed at the metal, but it did not comply to his demands, it was an inanimate object what did he expect it to do?

One of the other Shadowed Ones ran into the room. "I'm getting a report from our scouts, they say that something is happening in Falcon's Reach, something big."

The scouts were his enslaved banshees, and only reported truly important events. "We ride!" Tabaraamon shouted and began to run toward the exit, where his horse was waiting. With in a minute the other six where there with him, and soon they were galloping across the sands. It would be six days of travel through the most dangerous part of the Wastes, but that would make it exciting.

Jayzen Sonador Novinha-Mercanary-Lionhead Inn, Fairhaven:

Jayzen sighed as he opened the back door of the inn and stumbled towards the kitchen. He had just gotten back from a job at the request of some man, who wanted to "eliminate some competition." It hadn't been hard to find the man and give him one quick stab in the heart.

"Again?"

Jayzen turned to Blazen, the head cook, who was waiting at the entryway, his arms crossed and his huge frame blocking the way into the kitchen.

"Cooking isn't the best way to make a living, B." Jayzen replied, shrugging off his jacket, which had a couple of 'dark spots' on the sleeves. The cook sighed as he watched Jayzen slip on his apron. "Your sister is worried about you, y'know?" Jazen glared at the head cook and replied:

"She should know I can take care of myself."

Embla Lune Novinha-Florist-Flora Bella, Fairhaven:

Embla sighed as she arranged some flowers by the window. Fairhaven was more stressful than ever with all those shadowy groups around, and the fact that the king was being ridiculed. She stepped back to admire her work. Whites with yellows and pastel greens. Delicate colors in the midst of a chaotic world. Embla turned and walked behind the counter. She stood there quietly. These days, the store was mostly empty.

People are too busy to make time for kindness.

Micah Cantel - Rebel Leader of the Syndicate - Flora Bella, Fairhaven

"One might say it's a crime for a pretty girl like you to be sad in a place like this," came a voice from the other side of the store.

Micah had quietly slipped in the room, a habit he'd grown to take with him outside of work, and had been examining the bouquets when he noticed the clerk's expression. It was the sigh that had gotten his attention, one that sounded melancholic to his ears. Without stopping to think, his mouth opened to speak, his hand reached for one of the bundles of flowers, and his legs carried him to the counter. It was this kind of impulsiveness that sometimes lead him into trouble.

A pleasant smile on his face, Micah placed the bouquet on the surface and begun to fish out his wallet. "Too cliched, you think?" he said with a laugh. He thumbed through the bills. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you down?"

## Page 2

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Goldedge Train Station, Braile

Asbel spotted a few interesting characters at the train station but didn't dare start a conversation with any of them; he couldn't afford to make an impression in anyone's memory if he could help it. Most notably, there was a man standing right at the edge of the platform, wearing an expression that suggested he would rather be anywhere else, a young man who had apparently fallen asleep nearby while waiting for a train, and two other people he couldn't see very well from his position without visibly turning his head to look: a well-dressed young woman and a very tall man who carried luggage for the both of them. What was their story, he wondered?

As the Fair Maid pulled into the station, Asbel experienced the same creeping unease at the back of his mind that he did every time he boarded a train, though he had learned to push past this sensation over the past few years as he'd had to travel more and more often. "All aboard!" Asbel heard this queue to leave and rose from his seat, more than a little nervous to be out and about without his guns, and waited patiently for the people in front of him to board first. It would be nice to return to Lynne, he thought, his gaze constantly in motion over the crowd so as not to unsettle any nearby civilians by staring. Braile was a quiet, clean place, but Asbel still thought of Lynne as home - pollution, cold, and persistent fishy smell aside.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - King's Castle, Fairhaven

As Erick's eyes traced the familiar edges and corners of the castle, as he followed the King through the near-vacant halls, when he noticed the King's attention become caught by something down the hall. Though his first instinct was to reach for his sword, he barely stopped himself from doing so when he saw that the cause was the Czarina's younger sister, the Grand Ambassador to Falcon's Reach, across the hall from them.

The King instantly snapped out of his daze and greeted the young woman with a smile, only too happy to speak with someone on friendly terms. "Good morning, Your Excellency." Erick stayed silent and bowed respectfully, as much as he wanted to ask her about the assassination attempt last night. After an episode like that - after an attempt had come so close to succeeding - he wasn't sure Falcon's Reach was safe for her anymore. "I trust the brief commotion last night didn't disturb your sleep." He added, piquing Erick's interest and causing him to briefly make eye contact with the Ambassador.

Evelyn Luciole - Member of the Secret Police - Hydris, Fairhaven

Evelyn knocked lightly against the wooden front door, holding a sealed letter with no name or address written on the outside. She had no idea what kind of news she was carrying, but the fact that she had been chosen to deliver it was enough to suggest it probably wasn't pleasant. When the door opened, Evelyn was met with two faces: one a tall blond woman in a distinctly familiar uniform and the other a baby cradled against her shoulder, sleeping soundly despite the noise of Evelyn's knocking.

The former smiled at Evelyn with a trace of concern, having picked up on the uneasiness in the woman's expression, and she hesitantly returned the gesture as she handed her the letter. "I believe this matter requires your urgent attention, Captain." Evelyn found herself mumbling the words as she tried not to wake the baby, getting a small chuckle out of Alice.

Alice took the letter and nodded, her smile fading as she glanced down at it. "Thank you."

"Is Mr. Oswald here as well?" She asked, glancing over Alice's shoulder.

She shook her head. "No, but he should be here shortly." Her eyes met Evelyn's and her brow furrowed slightly. "It's as urgent as that?"

"I would assume so."

"Something to do with the rebels, then." Alice said tentatively, analyzing the woman's reaction.

Evelyn should her head, a solemn expression on her face. "No. Had that been the case, I would already know of it." With that, she bowed her head to Alice and turned to leave without another word, her own curiosity officially piqued. What kind of bizarre, grave news would be kept secret from even the secret police?

Boraci- Human Form -Library, Braile

I shivered as I blew into the grand library, nodding politely at the front desk attendant. As usual, I had underdressed. Even after almost five years, I couldn't quite gauge what weather called for certain pieces of clothing. As a result, I had set off to the library wearing thin trousers, a scratchy button-up shirt, canvas shoes and a scarf that was as thin as insect wings.

I had gotten up early, as I always did. Or maybe I should say I never went to sleep. It was a rough night for scavenging and I had had to fly beyond Braile. The attempted assassination had piqued my interest, and I only caught a squirrel.

Poppy had been busy, so I decided to do some more digging around. There were several libraries in the Province, but this one was the best. I settled down in a dark corner with the morning's newspaper, reading of rebels and ambassadors. I picked up an archived file that I had reserved earlier that week. It had a list of graduate projects from 29 years ago. Of course, I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for.

I leaned forward, and the long, stringy hair that accompanied this body fell into my eyes. "Damn this hair," I muttered. As I looked over the top of the file, I saw a girl who had been frequenting this library as long I had. She had been but a child then. Her red hair was very distracting, and whenever I saw someone with such a hue I couldn't help but stare for a moment. So much different from the bland colors I was used to.

Alina Andreyevich

Alina quickly curtsied in her white shift dress and nodded. Her eyebrows knit together. "What commotion? I was sound asleep." Her face flushed slightly in embarassment. "You could say I'm still a bit um..." It took her a moment to find the word. "Lagged? Lagged from the journey here."

Tula Nikos

The Grecian girl nearly sprinted down the hallway to catch up to Alina. "Printsessa!" The smaller girl turned slightly and once at her level, Tula put a small clip in her hair. "Your bangs were in your face when you left."

"I could have gone back to retrieve it myself. Thank you, Miss Nikos."

Tula's blue eyes darted to the other side and she promptly stood at attention-feet together, an open hand over her heart in the Rojyan salute. "Your Highness."

It always felt odd to address royalty in the common tongue, "soverenyi" always seemed to roll off the tongue and sounded somewhat musical with the soft roll of the "r" and wide syllables. Using titles in the common language was always so plain.

Alina continued. "One of my other guards informed me of an attempt on your life...was that really last night?"

Jim Thorne - Rebellious Teenager - Streets, Lynne

Another day of wandering the streets had gotten bland. With nothing to do and no news about the rebellion, Jim had nothing to stick his nose into. Where was the excitement? Well you wouldn't find it there, that's for sure. But he heard whisperings of a Braile train coming in later. Before he could think more on it, a child bumped his knees in the attempt to get away from a very angry shopkeeper. He stepped aside and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Continuing down the street, he kept his eyes alert. He didn't want to go back to the Inn. His mother had yelled at him again, but he could hardly remember her words. Something about how he was intelligent and how he was throwing his life away. What did she know? He had plans for his future and they didn't involve her or Lynne.

Graves - Secret Agent for the King - King's Castle, Fairhaven

His footsteps echoed down the long corridor. A few nicely dressed servants whispered in his direction. He met their gaze with a devilish glare. The servants immediately averted their gaze and continued about their business. Graves chuckled to himself. He loved the look on people's face whenever he entered a room. Sweeping his long black cloak behind him and straightening his hair as much as possible, he pushed open the door to another hallway.

Lucas - Hero of Falcon's Reach - Home, Fairhaven

"Well hello Evelyn, surprise seeing you here." Lucas gave the woman a polite smile. He was startled when he opened the door to see her just about to leave. The cloth sack that he carried was strung across his back. After setting it down on the table he kissed Alice on the cheek and brushed the baby's head with his hand gently.

"So what brings you here Evelyn?" He asked curiously, studying her face. Lucas's eyes wandered to something in Alice's hand. "What's this?"

Jim Thorne - Rebellious Teenager - Streets, Lynne

Another day of wandering the streets had gotten bland. With nothing to do and no news about the rebellion, Jim had nothing to stick his nose into. Where was the excitement? Well you wouldn't find it there, that's for sure. But he heard whisperings of a Braile train coming in later. Before he could think more on it, a child bumped his knees in the attempt to get away from a very angry shopkeeper. He stepped aside and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Continuing down the street, he kept his eyes alert. He didn't want to go back to the Inn. His mother had yelled at him again, but he could hardly remember her words. Something about how he was intelligent and how he was throwing his life away. What did she know? He had plans for his future and they didn't involve her or Lynne.

Graves - Secret Agent for the King - King's Castle, Fairhaven

His footsteps echoed down the long corridor. A few nicely dressed servants whispered in his direction. He met their gaze with a devilish glare. The servants immediately averted their gaze and continued about their business. Graves chuckled to himself. He loved the look on people's face whenever he entered a room. Sweeping his long black cloak behind him and straightening his hair as much as possible, he pushed open the door to another hallway.

Lucas - Hero of Falcon's Reach - Home, Fairhaven

"Well hello Evelyn, surprise seeing you here." Lucas gave the woman a polite smile. He was startled when he opened the door to see her just about to leave. The cloth sack that he carried was strung across his back. After setting it down on the table he kissed Alice on the cheek and brushed the baby's head with his hand gently.

"So what brings you here Evelyn?" He asked curiously, studying her face. Lucas's eyes wandered to something in Alice's hand. "What's this?"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary for hire - Hydris, Fairhaven.

He was not in a good mood, the guard at the gates of the Rojya embassy had turned him away, which wasn't surprising since he didn't have a appointment, but irritating anyway. He was waiting for something to happen, the reports Cima had been sneaking him said that something big was on the horizon, but no one had succeeded in infiltrating the rebels. He sighed, he had that job to do, easy enough thing, just a knife in the jugular of some corrupt guardsmen. Some member of the secret police had approached him on it, why they didn't do it them selves was beyond him, but they were paying, maybe he would get to see Erik, not exactly his most favorite person from the team, but still a familiar face. He would wait a little longer.

Jessica Stuart - Chief Grail-El ambassador to Falcon's Reach - Grail-El embassy, Fairhaven.

She rested her head on her palms after reading the message. It was from the King, asking her to come negotiate on the possibility of trading technology. It was always an unpleasant experience, first asking for the technology required to make automatic rifles, in exchange for steam power, they didn't need steam power, that was old news. At least he had demanded them to turn over a sand ship again. The boarder demonstration probably helped remind him he was the weaker party in this relationship.

A supplementary security force was on its way by airship, a squad of assault jumpers actually, which would be nice. It also might mean that "The Black Wolves" would be coming in, if they weren't already here, there had been several murders Cima deemed odd enough to tell her about.

###

## Page 3

Embla Lune Novinha-Florist-About to leave to the train station, Fairhaven:

Embla looked down at her watch and then slipped out of her 'florist apron'. The shop was closing and she didn't want to be late to the station. She quickly threw on her coat and popped her head through her scarf. Embla rummaged through the coat to pick out a pin, which she used to tie up her incredibly long hair, into a bun. No use tripping over my self on the way to the station...She closed the shop door behind her, locked it tight, and began walking at a brisk pace to where her brother was.

"That brat better be there...!"

Jayzen Sonador Novinha-Cook/Mercenary for hire-Lionshead, Fairhaven:

Jayzen gave the woman her order with a polite smile and then walked back into the kitchen.

"Break!" Blazen yelled.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Jayzen grinned and then threw his apron onto a hook by the back door. He adjusted his shirt and picked up his jackets from another hook and slung them over his back. "My leave?" He shouted.

"Yeah! Go right on ahead, Jay!" Brazen called back. Jayzen nodded and waved a little before he stepped out the door. He stretched and stared up at the sky. Time to get back home...He yawned. Jayzen turned just in time to see Embla walking towards him.

"There you are. Come on. The train will be passing by soon." She said in a hurried tone, "we'll miss it if we don't start walking. You know how auntie is about these things..."

Jayzen rolled his eyes and stalked off in the direction of the station muttering under his breath, followed by Embla.

Tula Nikos

Tula quirked a single eyebrow and grinned back at Erik for a split second. As Alina went on to be polite and apologise for the King's misfortune and she hoped that there may not be another one.

"Has he or she been identified?" Alina's intent and serious expression nearly made Tula laugh aloud. Alina was practically serious since she was born-at least, that was the impression when they met. She always imagined Alina with a stern frown on her face when she was born, no crying but in fact a stern expression ready to conduct business at any moment. Alina had never really known how to relax, something Tula thoroughly encouraged.

A subtle glance out the window of the castle made her heart skip. In front of the Rojya Embassy housing, not far from the castle, stood a face she would have killed to see again-especially considering her lack of a chance to respond to his previous letters due to "ambassador business." Struggling to hide her glee beneath the stance of a soldier, her fingers dug slightly into the fabric of her jacket to prevent moving from her position.

 Lucas - Hero of Falcon's Reach - Home, Fairhaven

Lucas tried to give a smile in Evelyn's direction but failed. As Alice whispered the two words to him, he was speechless. He stared at Alice and skimmed the letter once more. What did this all mean? Elijah was supposed to be dead.

"I'm sorry Evelyn, it's just a letter from an old friend. Everything is fine. Thank you for delivering this to us." He said in an excusing manner and set the letter on the table, knowing everything wasn't fine at all. If it involved Elijah, a man who was supposed to be dead, then it wasn't good.

Graves - Secret Agent for the King - King's Castle, Fairhaven

Not wanting to interrupt the King's business, Graves leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation from afar. He noticed Erick look at him with distaste. Smirking, Graves wiggled his eyebrows in his direction and twinkled his fingers, waving mockingly.

Micah Cantel - Rebel Leader of the Syndicate - Flora Bella, Fairhaven

Micah gave a sigh of his own when the clerk left the store in a rush. Completely ignored. "Figures," he said dejectedly, a smile still present in his expression. He placed the bills down on the counter and turned to leave with the bouquet but paused at the door, unsure if he should stay and wait for someone to collect. He glanced back at the money once and shrugged. "She'll see it when she comes back."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Train Station, Goldedge, Braile » The Fair Maid, Central Line

Silas hurried to get inside the coach, despite the fact that it had just arrived and he was a mere distance away from the doors. As soon as he stepped off the platform, his eyes honed in on the nearest window seat as they always did, and he practically sprinted to take the spot before the morning rush of people came along. His back fell heavily against the cushion, reassuring him that he well and truly had it. Soon, a part of him had begun to relax. Perhaps this trip would go smoother than he thought.

After tugging his cap over his head and shoving his hands in his coat pockets, Silas leaned his cheek against the cold glass plane. His gaze shifted to the side, as if to stare at the happenings on the other side of the window, but he wasn't really seeing them. His mind had already focused itself to another place. He begun to wonder if this really would be the end of his project. Once he received the parcel, his life mission, the only thing that drove him on, would be over. If that ingredient was everything the seller said.

"Is this what they call cold feet?" Silas said aloud. Funny that he should have second doubts at the moment. Why did he even have them anyway? It didn't matter what he felt. If not the life mission, his own life would be over. He wasn't fond of dying, like any other sane person, so there was no turning back. He'll just have to find a new drive if it worked. I still have my plants, he thought drily, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

Kirsten Mernoth - Noble woman - Goldedge train station, Braile.

Leif was grumbling about something, the smell she gathered. "Would you stop complaining! It's faster than any other method! This trip would take days normally."

The massive Vallak sat down, the seat creaking under his weight. "It's not a natural smell, that's what gets to me, sea air, rotting fish, sea sick land lubbers, all those smell bad, but they are natural smells, not this, this is bloody awful." He leaned his war hammer against then side of their personal compartment, it hadn't been their personal compartment, but a good look and Leif the other occupants decided to retreat, she didn't blame them, the big man snored like a bull.

"Pass me my notebook." She asked.

Leif rummaged through the bags and handed a small, leather bound book to her. From her pocket she withdrew a strange pen she had bought from a Grail merchant a few weeks ago, the woman had called it quite "ball point" what ever that ment, but it was cleaner than most of her other pens, and smoother to write with. She started writing notes from her recent visit to some of the Braile archives.

Cima - assassin - Hydris slums, Fairhaven.

She moved silently across the cramped roof tops of the poorest part of Hydris, the part that guards rarely patrolled. But today was a patrol, and she had to enforce the point that guards weren't supposed to be here. While she was supposedly only under Jessica's authority, as her bodyguard/assassin, someone of her ability was not wasted on such trivial matters. She didn't know what the goal in the long run was, but she needed to make the guards stop coming here, or come in force, either outcome was fine, at least that was what her orders had said.

She found her perch and slid the crossbow from her back, loading a bolt in it, then she waited, the patrol wasn't due for another hour, but she liked to be ready.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - King's Castle, Fairhaven

The King nodded affirmatively to Alina's question, his smile lessening only slightly. "Indeed, he has. His family came forward this morning and identified him as Henrik Davis: a miner from Lucan, only twenty-three years old." He breathed a rueful sigh. "Such a waste."

This caused every fiber of Erick's being to tense in protest, but, as always, he showed no physical reaction, and simply averted his eyes. When he did, however, he saw Graves waving at him and giving him a smug look. He clasped his hands behind him and lifted his chin slightly as he turned his gaze forward again, an unfazed expression on his face. He wasn't about to get caught up in a petty argument while on the job.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Hydris, Fairhaven

Evelyn didn't believe Lucas' act for one minute, but she played along nonetheless. She nodded and looked to Alice, who forced herself to smile back, and made her way toward the door. "Take care, you two."

"Thank you. You too." Evelyn heard Alice call after her as she left and gently closed the door behind her, placing her out of earshot of what Alice said next. Alice rose to her feet and fixed her eyes on Lucas', her expression dead serious. "If he's come back, Lucas, then there's a reason for it. This could be much worse than a rebellion." Her voice was a hushed, calm tone, but the baby in her arms still became somewhat restless as she spoke, sensing her unease despite her best attempts to hide it.

Evelyn, meanwhile, simply tried to put the incident out of her mind and get back to work - she would be needed at the public execution in a few hours to keep an eye on things and make sure no one caused any trouble, but until then, she could wander as she pleased.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Goldedge Train Station

Asbel hid himself among the crowd of people as they boarded the train, taking the first empty seat that caught his eye next to the impatient young man he'd seen earlier. He smiled at the stranger for a moment or two but said nothing, as he appeared to be thinking of something troubling or important - perhaps both - that was causing him to think aloud. Not wishing to be a bother when he was supposed to be "blending in", he leaned back in his seat and let his head rest on the back of it, staring up at the ceiling. Doing this sober was a mistake.

He overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between the man and woman from before from somewhere behind him and tilted his head back a little further until he could just barely see them, his gangly build causing the action to look somewhat unnatural. What could that be? Some sort of diary, maybe?

## Page 4

Graves - Secret Agent for the King - King's Castle, Fairhaven

As Erick looked away expressionless Graves raised an eyebrow in his direction. He knew the man hated him, but he was used to that. Plenty of people, not only in Falcon's Reach, hated him.

As he watched the princess leave and grab her guard by the arm roughly, he wondered what the matter was. But guessing it wasn't important to him, his attention returned to Erick and the King.

"Your Majesty!" Graves said swiftly, sweeping his cloak behind him and advancing slowly towards the two. He knelt low in front of the King and came up with a smile. His eyes darted to Erick and back to the King.

Lucas - Hero of Falcon's Reach - Home, Fairhaven

Lucas ran his hand gently on the baby's head and studied Alice's eyes. She was right, of course, but what were they going to do about it? They couldn't bring the baby anywhere dangerous. His eyebrows furrowed and he tried to think of what to do.

"Way worse than a rebellion." He agreed, beginning to pace the room. Elijah had proven that he was a very powerful boy. But he thought they had killed him. A flashback of Alice running his sword through Elijah flooded his mind and left as quickly as it came.

"What are we going to do?" He looked to Alice with an expectant glance. After five years of living in peace, he didn't want Elijah to come back. Alice had been his source of comfort for that period of time, so his eyes were that of a child looking to their mother.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Out side of the Rojya embassy, Fairhaven.

Dimitry's face lit up at the sight of Tula, then he saw the woman attached to her, his smile faded, and he dropped his hand which was about to wave. The woman was familiar, yet not, the face was familiar... The Crazina? The hair was wrong, and she looked young, very young. A sister perhaps. Either way he figured this was not the time to approach, for all he knew she had the ability to light him on fire.

He retreated into the crowd, keeping am eye on Tula and the other woman, trying to understand what they were talking about, the mini crazina seemed to be highly irritated with Tula, and Tula was on the defensive. Maybe he would catch her later, or bribe on of the gate guards to get a message to her.

Boraci - Human Form, Braille

I swiftly glanced back down into the report. Human reflexes and senses were so frustratingly slow. I glanced at the watch on my wrist. I'd only been there for a couple of minutes and I was already fed up with the stuffy library. And all of a sudden I was thirsty. Not normal thirst. A thirst for human blood. This alarmed me, naturally, as that had not happened in quite a while. I gently ran my tongue over my teeth; incisors were sharp.

I made an effort to keep my mouth closed as I walked out of the stuffy building. Once outside, I sprinted until I reached the small house in which I lived. A small panic rose, and a look in the mirror confirmed my suspicions. At the same time, a smirk played onto my face. Maybe I could learn to control these things.

I noticed an itch. Not a physical itch, but like an addict in need of a fix. I tore open the newspaper and my eyes went directly to the assassination attempt. Fairhaven would be too close, for now.

I stuffed the report, newspaper, and miscellaneous objects into a rucksack and wrapped myself in a large wool cloak, noticing I looked like a pillar of drapes. This would only accentuate my height, but I didn't want to be freezing all the way to Lynne.

I barreled to the train station, uncharacteristically hyper. I bought a ticket and jumped on. I paused at the top of the steps, then finally moved when a crochety old man kicked me out of the way with his cane. Sitting near the back was Asbel. I hadn't seen anyone from the mission except Poppy and Danny in five years. Next to him sat a familiar face from around town; Silas Reid, a botanist. He hadn't really been helpful in my search. Cautiously, I took a seat a few rows in front and to the side, leaning against the window.

Alonso Fonte -transgenticist-Labs of the Castle, Fairhaven

Alonso brushed off his goggles and snapped them back on, his eyes wide. Ever since the rejoining of civilizations, science had never progressed faster. He was currently working on the growth of water-saving plants, but the lab all around him held cages, pots, and maps.

Erick - King's Bodyguard - King's Castle, Fairhaven

The King raised an eyebrow as Alina and her guard ran off, seemingly distracted by something. Odd, granted, but probably none of his business. He smiled slightly at Graves as he bowed, eager to help, as always. "Have you returned with any news?" He asked, sounding both hopeful and a little nervous.

Erick couldn't help noticing Graves' eyes periodically falling on him, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe he was still trying to get a rise out of him. Lately, it seemed the two of them had been constantly competing for the King's trust, even though that was a contest Erick honestly didn't want any part in. As long as the King trusted him enough to pay him, Erick wouldn't have a problem.

Alice - Captain of the King's Guard - Home, Fairhaven

Alice held eye contact with Lucas, deep in thought, and then looked down to their child. There had to be something they could do. After a few seconds, she came to a painful realization and suddenly held the baby a little closer to her, meeting Lucas' eyes again. "We have to do something. I think we both can agree on that. And rather than bring the baby along on a dangerous journey that could last who-knows-how-long, I think..."

She took a moment to gather her wits and try to keep her voice from trembling. "It might be best to leave him with my father until we return. The last thing I want is to separate the three of us, but he lives on the other side of Fairhaven in a secluded farmhouse where a rebellion would never reach him. It might be the safest option." She tried to read Lucas' reaction, finding herself slightly unsure. "What do you think?"

Danor - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor emerged from the darkness of her basement in a hurry, locking the door behind her as she always did and hurrying upstairs to the shop. She had completely lost track of the time and she now had no idea what time it was, but no doubt she had wasted a great deal of time - well, not wasted, since she was being productive in her research. "Spent" seemed more accurate. Someone was waiting for her at the counter, of course, and she showered the customer in apologies before taking their request. The customer had brought with him a gun nearly smashed to bits - it would be cheaper and easier for Danor to simply provide a new one, but apparently it had "sentimental value."

"Yes, I understand how weapons can grow on you, Sir," she assured him, promising a vague stretch of time by which she promise to have the job done, and then sent him on his way. Once he was out of earshot, she sighed, looking down at the broken thing on the counter before her with a determined glare. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

-Alina Andreyevich-

Alina stood on her toes slightly to get Tula's attention. "What are you smiling at-"
"Dimitry!" Tula beamed and immediately made a break for it, running up to embrace him. Alina turned sharply and rushed to catch up to her, stopping abruptly before Tula wrapped her arms around the foreign man.

Alina smirked. "You sure you don't have a love life?"

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division - Goldedge train station, Braile

Mosin picked up his luggage and checked his uniform if he was mugged during his sleep. Fortunately nothing was stolen from him. Just as he saw the train begin to detach itself from the station, he jumped across the platform, barely hanging on to his luggage, and onto the train's standard class section, whose door was just about to close.

"Chyort! That was too close..." Mosin said to himself while brushing off some dust on his boots. He looked for any available seats in the cramped passenger car and luckily he found one. Sort of. It was more of a space next to two men, one of them with white hair and the other looking as if he was asleep, since his face was covered by a cap. It would be a tight fit but the bench seemed like it could hold. "Is this spot taken, ser?" Mosin asked.

## Page 5

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - The Fair Maid, Central Line

Silas shook himself from his reverie at the sound of a stranger's voice and turned his head to his right, surprised at the sight of another person sitting next to him. Or rather, surprised that he had been so lost in his thoughts that he had become completely unaware of his close surroundings. He glanced at the window again. At least the train started to move. They would be heading to the stations in Fairhaven and then Lynne, or was it the other way around? Either way, it would get him to his destination.

He looked up at the other man and blinked, trying to recall what he'd said. What did he say again? Perhaps he was the ticket inspector? No, that was a silly thought. The man wore the formal dressings of a soldier, or so he believed. It was too foreign of him to be sure and after five years since the discovery of other countries, he was still ignorant of the ways of outsiders. Hell, he was still ignorant about some parts of his own kingdom, considering he didn't get out much. Now that he thought of it, for all he knew, this man could be the inspector after all, wearing some strange, newly-issued uniform.

"Pardon?" Silas said, giving up at last.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division - Goldedge train station, Braile

"Excuse me, ser, but is this spot taken?" Mosin, now irritated, asked the confused man. He rested his free hand on his sword's sheath out of habit. "If not, then I will look for another seat on this train," Mosin said one more time.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Out side the Rojya embassy, Fairhaven.

Dimitry's face split into a wide grin as Tula impacted him. He wrapped his arms around her. "It's good to see you again!" He glanced at Alina and nodded. "Ma'am." He didn't know the Rojya honorifics, and decided not to use any Grail words, since to many people who didn't know that language thought he was cursing.

"Did you get my letters? And if you did get them could you read them? I'm still not very good writing the common alphabet."

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven Riders - The Wastes.

They were making good time, the fact the horses didn't tire helped a good deal. Tabaraamon hated these horses, they freaked him out, the red eyes, the fact he had never seen them eat, sleep, or excrete and the very fact that they were not afraid of him wasn't normal. Normal horses were terrified of him, to the point they would start bucking before he was even on their back. So he had to ride these freaks.

He carried nothing but his sword strapped across his back, the other six carried their swords and metallic recurve bows with enough power to punch through several fully armored knights. Blood would flow soon, and he wanted to be there when it did.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - the Fair Maid

Asbel was surprised to be approached by another passenger just as the train began to lurch forward and out of the station; unsurprisingly, said passenger was having a bit of trouble finding a seat. Asbel and the fellow next to him seemed to leave space enough for one more person, though. He looked up at the man who had requested the seat, studying him for a moment, before smiling up at him and scooting a bit closer to the window.

"No need. There's room enough for the three of us." He said, glancing toward the man in the window seat for a moment with a slightly amused expression before turning his gaze forward again. Though he had possibly invaded Window Seat Man's personal bubble a little in the process of moving, it didn't seem like they would need to be squished together, at least.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - the Fair Maid

Asbel was surprised to be approached by another passenger just as the train began to lurch forward and out of the station; unsurprisingly, said passenger was having a bit of trouble finding a seat. Asbel and the fellow next to him seemed to leave space enough for one more person, though. He looked up at the man who had requested the seat, studying him for a moment, before smiling up at him and scooting a bit closer to the window.

"No need. There's room enough for the three of us." He said, glancing toward the man in the window seat for a moment with a slightly amused expression before turning his gaze forward again. Though he had possibly invaded Window Seat Man's personal bubble a little in the process of moving, it didn't seem like they would need to be squished together, at least.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - The Fair Maid, Central Line

Silas scooted closer to the wall when the man next to him started to move. He was getting a regretful of his choice to not purchase a first class ticket. There was no need to worry about crowds there. As he waited for his new seatmate to settle down, he found his gaze drifting over to scarf boy. Although the lower half of his face was covered, there was something familiar about him that unsettled Silas. He was sure he hadn't met him before. It could have been a mistake, but rarely had he experienced such, and he didn't make it a habit to remember people who weren't close to him or unimportant. A relative of someone he knew? Well, it didn't—

The loud crack of a whip and a thump on the floor had made Silas sharply turn his head, though he couldn't see anything from where he was sitting. He heard the click of the door and had to pause for a minute, unable to entertain the notion that someone might have possibly jumped on a moving train. Not without the guardsmen stopping them first, that is. Impossible, Silas thought, unless that had been one of those assassins I've been hearing about. Someone probably just dropped something.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Out side the Rojya embassy, Fairhaven.

Dimitry nodded. "You've told me some, only the good parts I assume." He attempted a charming smile, but the scars around his mouth spoiled the effect.

"If you only got here yesterday you haven't had a chance to see the city? I can guide you if you would like, I know both the parts that the King wants people to see, and the parts he doesn't, if that interests you. It'll be free of course."

He almost hoped that Alina would refuse, so he could take Tula on a private tour once she was off duty. But maybe this would be the chance to get on the ambassador's good side, since it looked like she didn't approve of her bodyguard's relationship with him.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble woman - The Fair Maid, central line.

The sound of the whip woke Leif up with a start, the big Vallak man stood up and hefted the hammer, holding it half way ups it's handle so he could swing it in the confines of the train. Kristen rolled her eyes. "It's no problem, probably something breaking."

The big man paled. "Thats supposed to make me feel better?"

Kristen laughed. "We are on land, it's no problem if something on one of the cars behind ours breaks, they'll just disconnect it." Leif sat down, but didn't go back to sleep. At least she was safe from the snoring.

## Page 6

-Alina Andreyevich-

She almost appeared too eager. "We were just planning to do that! A guide would be lovely, thank you Mister Dimitry."

Tula's jaw dropped. "I thought you-"

Alina raised a brow. "I said you had some explaining to do, not that you need to drop dead. I need DETAILS."

Tula laughed. "You've always been such a gossip."

"Am not!" Alina frowned and then exhaled dramatically. "Well, I won't interrupt your 'date.' Tula, you're on break for a few hours. I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist." Before she was at the door to enter the Embassy, she grinned for a split second. "Your secret is safe with me!"

-Tula Nikos-

Tula sighed, exasperated, as Alina slipped into the building. "I am SO sorry!"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - The Fair Maid, Central Line

Asbel took pause as he heard the crack of a whip and a faint thud as if someone had... No one would be up and jumping around on a moving train, would they? What in the world could that have been, then? Unnerved and perhaps a little claustrophobic, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and craned his neck in an attempt to see who or what had made the odd sound. "Please tell me the train isn't about to fall apart." He muttered, a hint of nervous laughter sneaking into his voice.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Falcon's Reach.

Dimitry laughed and slid an arm around her waist. "She's not that bad, at least she didn't decide to come with us. I'll show you a couple short cuts around the city so you'll get something she might see as useful from this."

"Now... Where do you want to go?" With his free hand he made a sweeping motion he had to rapidly stop to not hit a passersby in the head. "We've got high class restaurants with snooty, passive aggressive waiters, and unpleasant food. Or we could go to a mercenary bar, the tables have holes cut in the edges so you can sit down with out your weapons getting in the way. Or there are several romantic gardens without food, unless you want to eat flowers when the gardeners aren't looking."

He leaned against her slightly. "It's really good to see you again."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - The Fair Maid, Central Line

"I doubt it," Silas said calmly when he heard scarf boy's comment. He resumed his stare through the window, but didn't end there. "The Fair Maid was put into service a mere six months ago. Officials might have cut costs for their own gain but since the Central line is the most popular track of the railways, making it easy for any problem to be spot, it's unlikely."

Normally, he wouldn't have said anything, but he wasn't quite in that grumpy mood yet and he didn't want to sit next to someone whose nerves were unhinged and could potentially cause trouble. So, if he must, he drudged up some simple facts he read from the papers to assure him. "I bet it's nothing but if there is a problem, the staff will handle it at the next station."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel - The Fair Maid, Central Line

Asbel couldn't help staring at the man as he tried to reassure him, honestly a little surprised to hear him speak. Maybe he was just afraid Asbel was going to have some sort of nervous breakdown, but it was still a nice thought. He gave a slight nod of his head, his scarf hiding a smirk. "I see. I'm sorry if I seem a little paranoid." He eventually replied, crossing his arms and settling into his seat. It appeared he had every reason to feel safe.