Secrets Revealed and Truths Untold

[Varro]

------Chaos. Everything was in utter chaos. With the disappearance of the King's ward, the kingdom of Camelot was being turned upside in attempt to find her. It made those who practiced magic far more victimized, if that was even possible under such a tyrannical rule. Varro took this the other way around though, using the situation to his advantage. In that, it would slowly bring forth those of magic, those who have been angered by Uther, those who would be willing to fight for their right to practice magic without being punished for it. Yes. Varro could use this for his own cause, on behalf of all those who still believed in the old ways; a way of life that had existed long before the Pendragon blood line.

------But one thing at a time. He could not get ahead of himself for it would only lead to careless mistakes. Right now, he was roaming through the woods of Camelot. After having just left the city, after a rather brief stay, he was now in the forests. While he was not looking specifically for other people, it never hurt to see what he could find. Finding himself in no rush, he remained on foot, his horse left in the care of others like him; others fighting for the same rights he was. In a location that would remain unnamed to those who were not privileged with this information. So far, Varro had found no one worthy. While not discouraged nor impatient, he was still hoping that this particular journey would not prove to be fruitless.

------Irony had its way of catching up to him. For just as these thoughts entered his mind, no sooner did he see a young woman in the distance. He did not make his presence known immediately. No no. He had to assess the situation first, so he sought the concealment of a tree trunk, hiding behind it. He remained completely still. Peeking out only enough to just see what was about to happen. She was out here alone for a reason, and Varro intended to discover what that very reason was. Perhaps it would be of no consequence, but his curiosity at the moment was great enough to make him pause, and gaze upon the scene that was about to unfold itself.

Tag: Caitrin de Archer

[Caitrin de Archer]

It was Caitrin’s first ride out alone since the dragon had attacked. Her foot was now well healed enough for a gentle ride and she had been itching to get outside on her own. She should be grateful, Arthur’s servants had done well by her, and she had been treated much better in Camelot than she would have done at home; well her Uncle’s home. He had collected her from Camelot yesterday as she was now able to walk and ride, and therefore could take herself home. Caitrin had been sad in a way to leave Camelot, she was going to miss the hustle and bustle as she returned to the solitary life her Uncle led but it was his choice, and she was his ward.

Having convinced Rouland to release her for the afternoon to her own devices Caitrin was in no hurry to return to him. After all, there was little to do apart from relay the story over and over again to her aunt who scolded her for putting herself in that position in the first place. Caitrin had already tired of it and had now come to sit by herself in solitude.

She was wearing a deep purple dress with a black cloak to keep her shoulders warm. She had kept it up around her head to keep her ears warm as well. She didn’t have her bow and arrow today, instead she had a small dagger which she kept at her waist band. The objective today wasn’t sword play, it was her magic.

Being in the castle, it had been impossible to practise her gifts at all. It had frustrated her, as it did in the winter months when she was told to stay indoors for her health and had to either practise her magic in the dead of night or not at all. She knew how dangerous it was in Camelot to even think about practising magic, but sometimes it was the only way she could keep her thoughts straight; it had nearly driven her insane with her being in the castle. Of course now all Camelot was concerned with was the disappearance of the Lady Morgana. It was a terrible business and one Caitrin hoped would be resolved soon. She knew the burden it set her friend Arthur with, and didn’t want to see him laden with those sorts of responsibilities, he wasn’t King yet.

She now blocked those thoughts from her head and crooked her neck forwards towards the forest floor and whispered, “Ignius.” Fire crackled up straight away. She had only cast the spell lightly so there was only a handful of flames before she broke the enchantment and brushed away the ashes, pleased with herself.

She had the sensation someone was watching her, and looked about her as a branch snapped somewhere in the distance. Her lips twitched but she was sure she was just being over cautious. After all, it was probably just a wild animal or something. She was just jumpy because she hadn’t been on her own for a while, and with that she returned to her incantations.

[Varro]

------Varro did not have to watch for very long. Soon enough the word was spoken, and the cackle of fire suddenly sprung up. Magic. Wasn't this interesting then. A typical civilian may very well gape in horror or run away so that they were not witness to such a crime. But Varro? He found this utterly fascinating. More so that she was a noblewoman practicing magic. Everything about her said noble. The way she looked, her clothing, even how she carried herself, sat, the smoothness of her voice. Yes. Definitely a lady. But of where? Camelot? Another kingdom?

------Pulling the hood off his head, he tucked it in his pocket, before stepping into the clearing. Now, she could see him and he could get a better look at her. A smile crept its way onto his lips as he continued to step forward, towards her. "In case you have not heard, the king outlawed magic here years ago," he began to say. His tone was mocking, teasing almost. Playing with the idea that she could be killed for this. Death was a gruesome subject, but to Varro no topic was too morbid to be spoken about. Or even joked about.

------Besides he knew she knew that magic was banned. Everyone knew that, especially those who would be executed for it. There was a reason she was out here, alone, in the middle of the woods, in the dead of night. A rather reckless risk to take. But one that could prove to perhaps, work in his favor. "You would be killed for what you just did." For what he just saw. His voice held an amusement to it. What would she do with his own revelation that he had seen her. Deny what his eyes told him was true? Run in the hopes of avoiding him? Justify her actions? Varro continued to step forward, an almost menacing gleam in his eyes. Another practitioner of magic. And yet, the first question that entered his mind was what else can she do.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Something howled in the distance and Caitrin, unnerved, pulled her cloak around her shoulders and breathed out slowly. She had never been out this late. She wasn’t that far into the woods, but far enough to become concealed and practise what she must. Helgund had always taught her to never be ashamed of her magic, but it was a hard thing to do when you were in the middle of Camelot.

Even though she had only cast one spell her thoughts were beginning to swim into focus. It had been a way, throughout her life, for her to keep her temper and keep her cool. She had become incredibly sharp during her time in the castle and now it felt good to be alone enjoying her own company. Plus, being able to conjure fire now had the added advantage of keeping her warm. It wasn’t exactly warm in the forest and she rested her head on her knees.

"In case you have not heard, the king outlawed magic here years ago," Caitrin jumped up with a small scream and her hand went to her dagger, pointing it at the man; her heart thudding through her ears. She looked over him quickly, her eyes were well adjusted to the dark so she could make out his features. The first thing she noted was that he wasn’t a knight of Camelot, in fact, she couldn’t remember ever seeing him before. Her eyes widened and for a moment she was speechless with fear. "You would be killed for what you just did." She shook her head, still holding her dagger towards him,

“You are mistaken, I did nothing.” She said hotly, her heart beat increased and she had to watch her breathing because it was speeding up and making her feel dizzy. She still stayed strong and huddled her cloak around her body. “Who are you?” She asked quickly, stepping back from him. She would flee, that would be the only thing for it. She should have done that in the first place. The man was quite a bit taller than she was and had a worrying presence which unnerved her.

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[Varro]

------Denial. So that would be the route she took. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. When she held out the dagger his smile did not diminish. He did not even flinch in the slightest. He put his arms out, holding his hands up a bit. As if to show that he was not about to pull out a weapon. One could also take it as a sign of surrender. But Varro was far from surrendering. He just continued to step closer to her in this position. "Come now. There is no need to lie to me," he said, not about to believe that he had just been seeing things. Images could be deceiving, but he knew what he saw. And her defensive reaction, and the tone of voice she took when denying it, told him that she had indeed used magic.

------Despite her effort to step back, he only stepped forward. Until he was directly in front of her, peering down at her, clearly having no concept of personal space. "You ask the wrong questions. Who I am is of no consequence." Even though it may technically be otherwise. Especially when someone now knew of something she had assumingly been keeping a secret. "The question is, who are you." His smile grew a bit and he just shook his head, as if to say 'tsk tsk'. He began to walk around her, circling her like a predator circled its prey before attacking.

------He was also ensuring that he could keep her close. Close enough to grab if she decided to run off. This may be the only source of interest he would find all night. Why let it get away so quickly? "For you, My Lady, are in quite a lot of trouble," he said, continuing to tease, implying that he could be inclined to tell someone of this. When in actuality, Varro's interests lay elsewhere. But one could never trust a stranger. Especially with one of their grandest secrets.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, probably a reaction of some sort but her dagger didn’t faze the man at all. She faltered and lowered it, replacing it at her hip. It was close enough to get if he made a sudden movement, but it allowed her the freedom to run quickly if she got the chance without worry of dropping it. Her eyes swept up to him as he closed the distance between her, her fingers went straight to her blade, drumming against the handle. Caitrin wasn’t so scared she was shaking, that wouldn’t help anything, but she was scared. “I’m not lying.” She said defensively. She was hardly going to admit that she was a sorcerer in front of a total stranger, for all she knew that could be signing her death warrant. That was if she hadn’t done that already.

Although he swept her question away she felt it was incredibly important she knew who he was. If he was part of the guard of Camelot, or worked for the King then she was a dead woman, if not, then things could become interesting. Their proximity was uncomfortable , but she didn’t move, but continued to stare up at him as she spoke, acting as if she were unfazed by his presence. She shuddered as he circled her; her eyes following his movements about her persons. Although she knew she was not, she felt incredibly weak and vulnerable but still remained a composed stance. He had scared her with his initial presence, and she was still scared, but it wasn’t in Caitrin’s nature to show it. “I would be very foolish indeed to divulge my name to you sir.” She said confidently, though her words shook occasionally on their delivery, “As you believe me of committing magic.” She didn’t smile or grin, but watched him, keeping her hands on her knife and looking over her shoulder to where she had tied up her mare earlier in the evening.

She knew she was in trouble if she was even suspected of committing acts of sorcery. Her heart was still beating through her ears and she went to step back again, knowing that the longer she stayed here the more in danger she was. She was far enough from her Uncle’s lands to be associated with him. She looked back at her mare again through the night air and went to quickly turn away from the man, going to make a break for her horse to get away from this place and this man.

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[Varro]

------Impressive. Varro had to give the woman some credit for not moving. Such as he did not flinch upon sighting her blade, she did not flinch when he progressed closer. Nor when he circled her. She was not feeling intimidated enough to step away from him, or make a run for it. Even though she was still denying the truth. She was either extremely brave or extremely foolish. Or, a bit of both. She was certainly not like most typical noblewoman. Averting their gaze at the sight of a strange man. Expressing fear. Begging for an assurance of safety or that ever so famous line of 'please, don't hurt me'.

------No. She was definitely set apart from the average. And that only intrigued him further which, perhaps wasn't the best thing for her. But only added to his own interest. He ignored her protest, finding it a waste of time to argue about something when they both knew who was right. She could try, but to no avail. He stopped walking when he heard her refuse to give her name. She was right, it would be foolish of her but her lack of an answer was rather unsatisfactory. Having paused, he was now standing behind her. Right behind her. And it seemed to be in good timing too, for she seemed to have been about to turn away from him.

------He suddenly grabbed her wrist, to keep her in place and to have a hold on her. He then leaned his head down a bit, so that his words would be spoken directly in her ear, holding a strongly sinister tone. He did not need to speak loudly due to his lips being in close proximity to her ear, so he just looked forward as he spoke. "I could drag you to the castle and ask the king himself." A threat. Of course, this was only assuming she was a noble woman of Camelot. It was a huge assumption, which was why he added on the next words, just in case he was mistaken in that the king would not know who she is. "Not that he would care for your name once he knows the truth about you." The truth about the magic she used.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Having been brought up in a warrior’s family, Caitrin had been almost trained since a very young age to not panic in the face of an enemy. Her brothers had taught her how to defend herself, which had come in handy over the years, but even so the reality of her situation was terrifying her enough that she was certain no amount of training could have prepared her for it. She kept very still, she wasn’t going to turn into a weak, babbling woman because that wasn’t her, and she would not display qualities that she felt ashamed of.

It had been a weak lie, and Caitrin was certain that he had already made his mind up that she had been practising magic and that put her in a vulnerable position. She sensed he wasn’t just about to let her go so easily, if at all. She had to squint to keep an eye on him, the moonlight only allowed so much visibility in the woods, and the man wore dark garments anyway and seemed to eerily blend in with the forest night. As he continued to circle her, her hand kept on her blade, ready to strike if he made a move at her. She wasn’t grasped by fear so much she was petrified, she was just becoming cautious and nervous at the mans movements.

She hadn’t kept a close enough watch on his movements and even as she went to leave the place she found herself facing him. Although she tried to rush forwards he had already taken her wrist and gripped down on it hard. She physically winced but stopped her exit and watched him carefully. As he leaned down to whisper in her ear she shuddered, though how much of it was from fear or from the cold night Caitrin could not say. She wasn’t sure if he was being serious about dragging her to Camelot; he could be a guard for all she knew. If he was, and if she was taken to Uther it would hardly matter if this man knew her name; she was well known in Camelot. “Caitrin. My names Caitrin” She answered sharply and quickly, staring him square in the face whilst trying to gain her wrist back from his grasp; pulling against his grip. She hoped that would be enough, maybe he would even let her go. She could have come up with a false name but if his threat was genuine then what would be the use in it?

[Varro]

------When she tried to struggle free form hold, he only tightened his grasp on her wrist. He did not care if it hurt her. His actions weren't meant to be gentle, nor timid. At least she was smart enough to give her name, though he still wondered to which kingdom her nobility originated from. "Caitrin of what," he further demanded. He wanted to know her family name, which kingdom she belonged to. For nobles, a first name wasn't enough, he wanted to hear the entire title.

While he was a patient man, he wanted her to answer his question as straightly as he had asked it. To the point. Without any more of this, dancing around the subject. Varro was fairly used to giving out a command, and it being complied. It was after all, the objective for any leader: to speak and be followed. Although, he supposed he had to expect defiance from those who were not loyal to him. There was no trust between strangers and loyalty was earned. Still. He wanted a straight answer, and decided to make this even clearler to her.

As if it were even possible, he further leaned forward, closer to her. His body almost pressed against his to constrict her movement. His gloved hand, tightening further around her thin and fair wrist, hoping to cause her more discomfort so that she knew to take him seriously. "Don't make me ask again," he said in a deadly serious tone, enunciating every letter to his words.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin whimpered as the mans grip on her wrist tightened. She usually had a high pain threshold but the combination of his tight grip and the whole situation meant that every move either made her heart beat faster or wince. She had wanted that to be the end of it, but obviously that was one hope too far. She fell silent, she didn’t want to give away her family name, that would put the rest of her family under suspicion. Caitrin’s gaze didn’t drop, she was sure whatever happened with this man she either wasn’t going to get out or was going to come off worse and she wasn’t going to show him how scared she actually was.

The awkward silence between his words and the reply he expected her to give him was painful. She breathed out slowly and pulled against his grip again. She wanted to leave, she knew she was in danger with him because whatever his intentions she could bet her Uncle’s fortune that they weren’t honourable. It scared her that she was so weak in comparison with the man, even with all her brothers tuition and her own interests in archery and other pursuits such as that, she still suffered with female weaknesses and that gritted against her.

As he moved closer to her she rooted her feet to the spot and looked up at him as he leaned down to address her again. She didn’t waver her gaze from his out of mere determination. Pressure engaged her wrist again and she flinched, physically, trying to pull her wrist from his grasp and yelping. “De Archer,” She gasped, “Caitrin de Archer.” That still probably wouldn’t be enough, it was an obvious Mercian name for those who knew Mercia but she guessed this man probably did not.

[Varro]

------Varro had to admit, this woman was very brave. He did not see compliance as a weakness. He was used to being answered to. No. It was the way she kept her gaze on him. The way she did not beg for her life or anything of the sort. These were all signs that demonstrated she was not quite as submissive as he had initially thought. It was clear she had strength in character, if not physically. Still. he was obviously not going to praise her for this. That was not the intention of this encounter. And it would only lessen the severity of his, 'threats'.

------Archer. He could only guess which kingdom she was from, but he would remember that name. It was often difficult for him to forget something, no matter how hard he tried. "There, now was that so hard," he questioned rhetorically. With one final hard squeeze he released her hand, throwing it down so that it was back by her side.

------He made sure to stay close to her though, for he was not oblivious to where her gaze kept falling: towards her horse. At least it was tied up. It would give him some time to stop her if she decided to make a run for it. "Now, the question becomes, what are we going to do about this situation." He knew what he was going to do about it. But the main thing was, that she did not.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was usually a good judge of character, and this man had struck her as someone who would have robbed her or worse upon her first glances. But she was still unharmed and he hadn’t made a break for her mare or asked for her money pouch; she didn’t have one anyway so it was of little consequence. However, he seemed content with either terrifying her or asking her questions about her background. Caitrin was a private woman at the best of times, but it felt worse having to give information under someone elses control.

Her spare hand grabbed the wrist which had been in his control as he threw it away. She outlined where his fingers had been, vainly thinking how would be best to cover them up, that was if she got away from here. She looked back to her horse, it had remained quiet throughout the ordeal and Caitrin was now regretting tying her up as that would delay her planned exit, whenever the time arose.

The man was still close to her, she could feel the warm, husky breath from his lungs as he spoke to her and shuddered again, unsure what he meant to do with her. She focussed on him nervously. Her unbruised hand was fiddling aimlessly with her belt as she thought of how to reply to him. She decided to be bold, after all, it could hardly make the situation worse, “Well I was intending to leave.” The words came out a lot weaker than she had intended them to and she fell silent for a few moments, “For I have done nothing wrong.” She was trying to be brave even though she knew it was a stupid option, but seeing how far she could go with the man was the only way of sizing him up and knowing whether she would make it out of here alive.

[Varro]

------Denial. Still playing that card was she. Was she ever going to just admit it for they both knew what the truth was. Still. It only continued to make him give her some credit for her non willingness to step down and accept the fate he sealed for her. Or perhaps she would not give in son easily to that either. It was after all, still undetermined. "You were intending to leave?" He asked in exaggerated surprise. "And yet you were starting a fire." He wanted her to know exactly what he had seen her do. So that the details of it were not made up. That he knew what he saw, and he would make her aware of it too.

------Varro began to walk towards her horse, who was tied up to the tree, to make sure she would not make a run for it. Unless she went on foot. Which only meant a free horse for him. "See now you keep saying you have done nothing wrong," he began, a sinister playfulness in his tone. "But you and I both know that is not true." Magic was the greatest crime one could commit in this kingdom. "So you best confess your crime and ask me what it will take to earn my silence."

------Varro knew that magic was no crime. He hated that it was a crime in this land. It was after all the objective of his whole task of gathering others to join his cause. He would one day free this realm of its tyranny, for soon enough, those royals who opposed magic would realize that they were vastly outnumbered and overpowered. After all, magic had been around far long before men decided to make it a crime. Varro stood near her horse, stroking its neck as he then turned his gaze to her, awaiting her response to his words.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin felt her arms freeze to her side as the man spoke; he didn’t just suspect her of sorcery, he had seen exactly what she had done. She went to answer him but the words would not come to her, she wanted to say something about how easy it was to make fire without sorcery but she knew now there was no point. Even the suspicion of sorcery resulted in death at Uthers hands, but she didn’t wince and breathed out slowly. No answer was needed because now he knew she knew that he had seen her practising magic the situation between them was made clearer.

Anger flared through her as he began to stroke her horse, her mare was her best friend and one of the only things which had made Camelot bearable throughout the years. She watched him closely, seeing that he was not harming the mare, but stroking her. She wasn’t going to beg for her life, or even her mare’s life, but if he lay a finger in harm against the mare Caitrin would probably do something she’d regret.

He was still standing by the mare so making a run for it was out of the question, and she wasn’t going to leave her here by herself. She instead, knowing her fate was probably sealed anyway, stepped towards the man and said defiantly, “My magic is not a crime, I would never use it to harm anyone. How is that a crime?” Her words weren’t mingled with tears, instead there was raw anger, anger which she had felt when she had first been sent to Camelot, knowing if her secret was ever discovered she would be put to death. And there, she had admitted her use of magic, but she stood firm because whatever he was going to put her through next she was certain she wasn’t going to enjoy it. She bit her bottom lip nervously, scanning over him and copied his words, “How can I earn your silence?” The fact he had used the word earn instead of buy was another worrying part of this conversation, but one she hoped he would make clearer.