Caught in the Rain

[Luciana le Valois]

The Princess of Armorica had risen with the sun this morning with every intention of going for an early morning ride with her steed, Cavalier. She wasn’t one of those women who slept in until noon. What a wastes of a day? No, Luciana needed to feel the wind blow through her hair and the powerful stride of her horse under her seat. There was truly not a more magnificent feeling.

Dressed in one of her hunting garments, a black cotton dress with long sleeves that ended in a point and a blood red hooded overdress with belled sleeves, Luciana practically hopped out of her room as she pulled her onyx gray boots over her black riding breeches. Anyone who saw her would have know she was more than impatient to get out the door. As soon as her boots were on her feet, Luciana broke into a run, hastening through the hall like the Questing Beast was chasing her.

When Luciana entered the royal stable, her horse, Cavalier, saw his rider and started pawing in his stall door. He clearly wanted to go for a ride as well. “Shh… Cavie, be quiet. You’ll wake the whole castle,” whisper Luciana, approaching her horse’s stall. The black Andalusian stallion stopped his pawing but tossed his head in impatience. The Princess of Armorica took her horse out of his stall and started grooming him. When Leer was groomed, Luciana tacked him up in his black leather bridle and saddle with a white fitted saddle pad underneath the saddle to prevent her beloved steed from getting rubs. The tack wasn’t fancy, but it was made of good quality leather.

As she was finishing, the Princess of Armorica saw that a few stable hands were awake. The hands bowed to Luciana and inquired if they could be of any assistance. Pulling the stirrups down on her saddle, the princess asked for a leg-up. One stable boy held Cavalier’s reins while they other helped Luciana mount up. Once she was mounted, Luciana thanked the stable hands and bid them a good day. With that the princess nudged her steed into a trot and left the safety of the city of Camelot.

When Cavalier was warmed up, Luciana spurred her stallion into a canter. The equine transitioned into the waltz-like gait smoothly and gracefully. Luciana’s hips rocked with her horse’s strides, moving as one with him. With her posture straight and her shoulders back, the princess sat poised in her saddle. No one could say she was not an excellent rider. As she passed through the fields, Luciana’s hair bounced around her shoulders with every movement while the skirt of her dress gathered around her thighs, billowing behind her. An elated smile lit up her noble face as she drew closer to the forest that surrounded Camelot City.

As morning sun beat down on the kingdom of Camelot, warming the sweet spring air. The dark green, leafy trees of the Darkling Woods reached for the warm light, blocking it from the forest floor. Only minute, rivulets of light pierced through the treetops, illuminating the wooded areas. A soft breeze blew through the branches, swaying the limbs back and forth. The dark forest floor was hidden underneath dry, scattered leaves. Small animals and critters skittered over and under the dead foliage as traversed through the woodland.

As she steered her dark Andalusian through the trees, Luciana was reminded of the fact that she did not know the Darkling Woods as well as she would have liked. It didn’t help that everything practically looked the same! Normally she only entered the woods with Arthur, who knew his way around, on one of their weekly hunting trips. However, he was preoccupied with the search for Morgana, so the Princess of Armorica had to brave the woods by herself. ‘If I stick to the paths, I should be alright,’ thought Luciana, confident she could do this by herself.

Cavalier’s resilient, obsidian hooves disturbed the dirt path, raising clouds of dust, as he carried is mistress swiftly through the dim forest. His strong muscles fluidly propelled him forward, his nostrils flaring with every step he took. The dark Andalusian stallion was a credit to his noble breed in every way.

Luciana knew no greater freedom than escaping court life and going for a bit of a joy ride. She couldn’t bear the prim and proper life every single day of her life. She’d go mad! A soft laugh escaped Luciana’s pale rose lips as she and her steed rounded a bend in the trail. Her dark, loosely curled hair flew behind her in the manifested wind as Cavalier galloped on. As the two were drawing closer and closer to the middle of the woods, Luciana said to herself, “And you were worried something bad was going to happen. See, you didn’t need Arthur after all.”

Unfortunately, the Princess of Armorica spoke too soon. Out of nowhere, lightening crashed out of the sky and rain began to pour down from the heavens. It wasn’t anywhere near Luciana or her horse, but Cavalier still got scared and spooked. He neighed in fright and fully reared up, which would have been a majestic sight if it hadn’t been for one slight detail. Cavalier’s abrupt fright caught the princess off guard, and she slipped out of her saddle and landed behind her horse. Without a rider, the Andalusian bolted off in the opposite direction, heading towards Camelot, all the while Luciana sat still on the forest floor for a moment in disbelief and watched her horse run away.

‘That did not just happen…’ thought Luciana, processing the event as she stood up and dusted herself off. When she accepted the fact that her horse dumped her in the wood and ran away on her was when the princess began to panic. ‘Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!’ panicked Luciana in her mind as an expression of alarm and dread spread across her pretty face. As she went on a spastic mental rant about how she was stuck in the woods and how she was going to be eaten by a wild beast while pacing back and forth, the rain poured through the treetop soaking the forest floor. It water droplets began to soak through Luciana’s clothes and hair. When she registered the damp chill of the water permeating through her clothes, Luciana ceased her panicked mental rants and calmed down a bit.

“Just breathe, Lu.” She murmured to herself. “You can get yourself out of this… You just have to walk back the way you came.”

Pulling her hood over her head, Luciana turned around and started down the path that she had previously followed. At least she hoped it was the right path. It had the most hoof prints, but the Princess of Armorica never had the greatest sense of direction. Maybe her day would get better? Hopefully.

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Tags:[/color] Anybody!
Words:[/color] 1153
Outfit:[/color] Dress, Breeches, and Boots
Setting:[/color] Darkling Woods
Time of Day:[/color] Morning
Timeline:[/color] The Year Gap
Notes:[/color] Picture of Cavalier

[Catalina Regalis]

Rising with the sun was something that Catalina had gotten quite used to in all her years of traveling all over Albion with her people. She loved it, rising before everyone, even her Uncle Aldriv and that was a feat to be proud of. It couldn’t be helped really; her restlessness seemed to reach her even in the midst of her sleep and would rouse her as the fiery orb rose high in the sky. It was always a sight to enjoy. Especially when it was rising over Camelot, it seemed to set fire to the towers and give the beautiful city a sort of alluring quality to it. She no longer wondered what the city was like because she had been inside before though she didn’t allow herself the joy of going often because it was a risk to herself and her people.

The Darkling Woods was a place that Catalina loved to explore despite the fact that it was considered dangerous to some. Anything could be dangerous really. The city of Camelot held more dangers within than any forest in Albion as far as Catalina was concerned. At least the forests had their laws that one could abide with, it didn’t have a tyrant who would change and bend the rules to suit themselves. The forest may be cruel but it was fair, Uther could hardly say the same thing for himself. There it was again… Catalina sighed as she led her horse from its place with the others, running her fingers lightly through the stallion’s ebony mane. Catalina was not a hateful young woman, quite the opposite really but it seemed that as of late, she was allowing herself to become more and more judgmental and even angry when it came to Camelot and it’s ruler. It was not her right to judge neither others nor their actions but she found herself doing it often and she couldn’t stop herself. She had found this out the hard way when she had come face to face with none other than Prince Arthur himself.

He had chosen to intervene on her behalf when a bunch of thugs had sought to take her away and her repayment for his kindness had been to mock him. Such was not Catalina’s way of doing things and so the revelation of hidden anger surprised herself. She didn’t like to believe that she was capable of such feelings but whether she had magic or not, that didn’t make her any less human than someone without magic. She was prone to as many emotions and flaws as anyone else and the few days earlier when she had encountered Prince Arthur, she had caught a glimpse of a part of herself that she hadn’t liked in the least. It was because of that meeting that she was striving to be less judgmental of others but sometimes that was easier said than done. Despite having learned her lesson in how to be civil to others whether she felt they deserved it or not, she couldn’t help but giggle to herself when she thought about the look on his face when he realized that he had pink hair. Such was a memory that she would hopefully always have for it always made her laugh. She had fixed her blunder for that was all it had been but still, Arthur with pink hair made for an amusing sight.

“You thought it was funny, didn’t you boy.” She said with a smile as she brushed her hand over Cobalt’s dark neck, pulling a leaf from his mane. The horse whinnied in response and Catalina grinned. “I thought so.” Finding a stump nearby, she swung her leg up over Cobalt’s back and steadied herself before looking back at the sleeping camp. One would think that Catalina would learn her lesson in remaining with her people, being the secretive druidess that she had been born to be but that wasn’t her. She hated hiding herself away from the world, couldn’t stand feeling like she should be ashamed of what she was and what she could do. She was a druid and proud of it and no one, crown or not, could take that away from her. She’d sooner die…

Given that the druidess didn’t have much of a wardrobe to speak of, she wore her usual pale blue dress beneath a bright red cloak, the hood pulled up over her golden hair. Freedom. How she loved it. If her Uncle had been awake, he would have given her a scolding look that would have immediately brought her down from atop her noble steed, magic not needed. He would have had her remain within the safety of the camp and study more magic and such. After the mess she had brought upon herself in regards to Prince Arthur, it was obvious that she needed to get a better handle on her magic so that something like that didn’t happen again. She agreed of course but she simply wished for a ride, she could study afterwards. Cat knew she just couldn’t sit still, not for a moment. She had to feel as though she was flying.

With one last look back at the camp, Catalina urged Cobalt into a canter and took off. Gods, there was nothing like the feel of the wind whipping at her hair, throwing back the hood she had up. Cantering around trees was not always the easiest feat but her horse was as used to these woods as Catalina and so he maneuvered himself very well. Avoiding the dirt paths was her best chance of keeping away from anyone who might have entertained the same thought as Catalina in terms of a ride through the forest. Even more than that, avoiding those that may be hunting for the druids. Ever since the Lady Morgana had vanished, Uther seemed desperate in finding her and they had already thought that the druids had kidnapped her once. They didn’t need that again. Simply being what they were was enough cause for Uther to want them dead.

The smell of a storm approaching caught Catalina’s attention and she halted Cobalt, looking to the sky. She so loved storms but she knew that Cobalt did not. Dismounting her horse, she took hold of the reins and turned to head back to her encampment. It seemed that her decision had been made in just the right time because the storm began without warning. Rain never bothered Catalina, she actually enjoyed it but the sight of lightening and the roaring sound of thunder caused Cobalt to fight her hold on the reins. “Easy boy.” She whispered, doing what she could to calm her horse. It took a few attempts but the horse finally calmed and she was able to start heading back.

Catalina stopped when she heard the sound of another horse. Tightening her hold on the reins, she stilled herself until she saw the horse in question. It had been spooked, that much was obvious due to the panicked way it ran and it seemed to be heading towards Camelot. It wore a saddle but was riderless. Did that mean that it’s rider was still in the woods? Was she in danger?

It would have been easier just to head back to her encampment and forget that she had seen anything but she couldn’t do that. She was curious. What if whoever had been riding the horse had been hurt. Could she live with herself if she left someone to die simply because she was too afraid to help? No, she couldn’t. The rain continued to fall and a wind blew as the storm lashed out. “Come on Colbalt.” She said firmly and tugged him in the direction that the horse had come from. She wasn’t too far off and if she found nothing that it would mean that whoever the rider had been was alright. Not like she could really hide herself with the big galoot at her side but one might think of her as a traveler and not a druid.

Peering from behind a tree, Catalina watched the Princess start down a path that would surely lead her further into the forest. Was that her destination or was she wishing to go to Camelot? Was she from there or simply passing through? So many questions in Cat’s mind and there was only one way she could get answers. By asking. “Are you lost?” She called out, remaining against the tree as it was comfortable to lean against and it provided from relief from the torrent of rain.

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Tags; Lucianna
Word Count; 1462
Lyrics; "You're The Voice" John Farhman
Time-frame; Morning - One Year Gap

[Luciana le Valois]

Why did it have to be raining? It wasn’t long before the storm began that the water saturated the ground, making the path a muddy mess. It did not take long for the hem of her dress was six inches deep in mud. Not only that, her boots were sinking into the soft ground, making if difficult the princess to walk. The downpour had thoroughly soaked her hood and began to seep through to her dark locks. She was cold, wet, maybe slightly lost, and stuck in the mud. Yes, Luciana was pretty sure her day could not get any worse.

“Are you lost?”

The Armorican princess was pulling herself out of the saturated ground when a feminine voice reached her ears. As the soft ground released the sole of her boot, Luciana’s head turned to look upon the owner of the voice: a young girl cloaked in red that was standing beneath a tree. The princess sent up a silent prayer thanking whatever god was smiling on her at the moment.

“Yes… Yes, I am. You didn’t happen to come across a large black stallion running through the wood?” replied Luciana, worried about her dear equine.

A few million more questions should have probably come before inquiring this girl about her runaway horse… Such as who are you, are you going to steal my money (which Luciana did not have at the moment), and other things along those lines. One never knew who would be traveling through these woods. However this girl did not seem like a bandit. She looked too innocent, and Luciana was not in the situation to be picky about her saviors.

“Oh, and could you tell me which way it is to Camelot?” Luciana remarked, hoping to get back to the castle as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, as she took a step forward, it seemed that the fates did not like her that much and wanted to make her life even worse. So as she too a step forward, her boot sunk into the muck, causing the Princess of Armorica to plummet to the ground. ‘This is just not my day,’ thought the princess as she drew closer and closer to the ground. During her fall, she managed to spin herself around and land on her back. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right ankle as she pull her feet out of the ground.

“Oh for the love of all that’s holy!” cried Luciana in immense pain, cradling her leg as she sat in the mud.

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Tags:[/color] Cat + Open
Words:[/color] 422
Outfit:[/color] Dress, Breeches, and Boots
Notes:[/color] apologies for the really crappy ending.

[Catalina Regalis]

Imagine how shocked Catalina would be when she learned that Luciana was a princess. What sort of King would allow his daughter to go around without an escort of any kind? No guards from what Catalina could see unless she had simply gotten separated from them in which case Cat would possibly be in danger. As it was, Catalina did suspect that this girl was from a well-off family, her clothing and the way she held herself was a dead give away. Catalina couldn’t help but watch Luciana from behind the tree though she did well to keep herself hidden. She was always so curious about such people, she knew that the life of a noble-born girl was so different from the life of a druid and that was how things were supposed to be but Cat couldn’t help but wonder what it was like on the other side. Being able to remain in one place rather than constantly traveling, not that Catalina minded traveling but there was times she wished for some stability as well. Also the fact that she had to worry for her life when near Camelot because of what she was. It was known that King Uther paid a handsome reward to anyone who brought someone to him who used magic so they could be executed; evading such a thing was stressful at times.

Approaching Luciana might not have been the best idea since Catalina was unaware whether she had guards or not, not that Cat was much of a threat but she was still cautious nonetheless. Still, the poor girl seemed rather miserable in the rain and mud, not looking as though she was used to it. The rain didn’t bother Catalina all that much, it felt good actually. There was some semblance of hesitation in the druid’s body language as she moved from around the tree, she couldn’t help but be nervous but her want to help overrode that fear for now. “Yes I did, a few moments earlier.” Cat peered over her shoulder in the direction the stallion had run and tugged her own horse behind her. “It was what caught my attention and led me to find you.”

A moment of awkward silence seemed to fall between the two girls before Luciana inquired about Camelot. So she was from there or at least was staying there. Catalina didn’t pretend to know much about the nobles that dwelt in the grand city. “Of course I c—“ She was cut off by Luciana falling in the mud and hurting herself. Nobles were such softies… Frowning, Catalina looked at Cobalt before leading him forward to where Luciana was sitting in the mud. Poor girl, Cat really felt bad for her. Alone in the rain in the forest, at least it was in the morning so she wouldn’t be here when night fell. “I’d ask you if you were alright but that seems a moot point now.” She said with a comforting smile as she knelt next to Luciana. “Mind if I take a look?” Cat asked as she gestured at Lu’s ankle. While not as skilled a healer as her Uncle, she still was rather adept and therefore could tell that it wasn’t broken. Assuming Lu didn’t push Catalina away, the druidess slipped her hood back from her head and leaned down to inspect her ankle, lightly touching it. “It’s not too bad though I’m sure it doesn’t feel that way. Can you walk?”

If Lu allowed it, Catalina would attempt to help Lu stand, gesturing for her to lean against her horse Cobalt if she needed to. “I can take you close to Camelot if you wish, you can ride Cobalt so not to hurt your ankle.” Catalina was always happy to help someone, she couldn’t just leave the muddy princess there, she was defenseless as far as Cat could see and there was no telling what sort of person would come across her next. She had forgotten to introduce herself, how silly. “I’m Catalina.”

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Tags; Lucianna
Word Count; 672
Lyrics; "You're The Voice" John Farhman
Time-frame; Morning - One Year Gap
Comments; Sorry it took so long and for the length.

[Luciana le Valois]

‘I will not think about how this day could get any worse,’ thought Luciana as she sat in the mud. ‘If you do, it will only get worse.’

As the rain continued to pour down on her, the princess wished she had brought a guard or two along. One to carry her back, and then one to chase after Cavalier. However, she did not think that her steadfast equine would dump her in the middle of the woods and abandoned her. She should have known that anything that could have gone wrong would have gone wrong. Oh well, at least her horse was safe and smart and ran past someone who also happened to have a horse. ‘Now all he has to do is find his way back to Camelot,’ thought the Armorican princess, not wanting to go hunting after her horse on a twisted ankle.

After the druid girl asked to inspect her ankle, Luciana gave her a brief look of skepticism. How much could an adolescent girl know about anatomy, but if she could somehow alleviate the pain in her ankle, then Luciana would welcome it.

“Be my guest,” replied the princess nonchalantly, offering her ankle to Catalina.

As the blonde haired girl examined Luciana, the injured princess thought of at least a hundred other horrible things that she would rather have gone through. ‘I would gladly wear great aunt Freesia’s atifet.’ She mused, thinking about her family’s various less fashionable heirlooms. The atifet was an obnoxious heart shaped bonnet that Luciana believed did not look good on anyone. However, her great aunt’s was particularly horrendous. It was this gaudy thing covered in topaz and pearls. It would have been decent looking if it were not for the antennas of pearls that lined the hat’s edges. However Luciana would take the mortification of wearing the thing over a bum ankle.

Her thoughts kept her mind off of the pain as the druid girl gentle touches caused waves of pain to shoot through her lower limb. Luciana winced and gritted her teeth. She was a pretty high pain tolerate princess, and she simply refused to shed tears or cry out in pain. She would bear the discomfort and limp all the way back to Camelot if she had to.

“It’s not too bad though I’m sure it doesn’t feel that way. Can you walk?”

That made Luciana feel slightly better. The druid girl’s prognosis lifted the princess’s spirit in the unrelenting, miserable weather. With a soft sigh of relief, she remarked, “Well at least there is some good news.”

Holding onto Catalina, Luciana slowly and unsteadily stood up, and quickly grasped for the druidess’s horse in order to balance her horse. The disheveled princess wrapped her arm around the equine’s dark neck afraid is she let go that she would fall right back into the mud.

Now to answer Catalina’s second question: could she walk?

Luciana was curious to figure out the answer to that question as well, and there was only one way to find out. Gently she set the toes of her injured limb on the wet ground, and with a quick hop and a step she hobbled forward. It wasn’t the graceful gait that she usually possessed, but the princess would take it. Then with a triumphant grin and a bit of a giggle, Luciana answered, “Yes, yes, I can.”

“I can take you close to Camelot if you wish, you can ride Cobalt so not to hurt your ankle.”

There was more wonderful news! Luck was on her side again.

“Thank you so much. Words cannot express my gratitude. If there is anything I can do for you, simply ask,” stated Luciana, her voice and expression filled with gratefulness. “I think I shall attempted to walk. That is if your wonderful horse doesn’t mind me leaning against him.” She continued, shifting more of her weight onto the horse, wanting to alleviate Catalina of the burden of lifting her.

“I’m Catalina.”

Now Luciana felt rather rude. Not once had she attempted to introduce herself to the druid girl. She would remedy that immediately.

“I am Luciana le Valois. It is a pleasure and a blessing you meet you, Catalina,” said the Armorican princess, with a polite smile. “Now, please lead the way. I am eager to get out of this rain as soon as possible.”

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Tags:[/color] Cat + Open
Words:[/color] 729
Outfit:[/color] Dress, Breeches, and Boots
Notes:[/color] =D