The Runaway And The Hippie [Celyn]

[Catalina Regalis]

"I cannot believe you did that Cat." Laughter filled the air as the golden-haired druidess explained to her elder sister just what had happened when Catalina had met up with Prince Arthur himself. Soft pale cheeks turned bright red, her blue eyes down on the ground rather than looking at her sister who held her little son on her lap. Her older sister was every bit a druidess as Catalina happened to be but it seemed that once she married and had a child, her interest in learning more about her magic just seemed to die. Of course she still used magic but nowhere near as much as Catalina did. That may also explain why her sister didn’t get in near the amount of trouble that Cat did. “It was an accident!” Cat squeaked somewhat indignantly, though a smile touched her lips. Samara was still laughing. “Pink?” Yeah… Catalina had accidentally turned Prince Arthur’s hair pink but to be fair, she had been woozy from an injury and it could have been worse…

“I did not tell you just so you could mock me.” Cat grumbled slightly, not liking that she was being made fun of. It was a sisterly thing to do really, mock her younger sister for being foolish when it came to her magic. “Then why did you tell me?” Samara arched a brow curiously, clearly not put out by her sister’s grumbling. “Because…” Hm.. that was a good question actually. “I do not know why.” Seemed like a good idea at the time. “You are too careless with your magic Catalina.” Oh goddess, here was the speech again.

“I know I know.” Cat said as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, acting more like a child then anything. “No you don’t know or you wouldn’t keep doing it.” Whoa, the conversation had gone from light-hearted and amusing to serious way too quickly for Cat’s tastes. She knew she had messed up, she had gotten a lecture from their Uncle already. “I do not need a speech from you as well Samara, you’re not my mother.” Her tone came out sharper then she had expected but at least it stopped her sister from saying anything else.

Normally Catalina was very calm and didn’t get angry very easily but she did not like being told how she could have cost the druids more in her fumbling with magic. She was young and still trying to learn how to use her magic, trial and error. Surely Samara had done her fair share of errors when it came to magic. Not on the Prince of Camelot of course but still, surely she had messed up before. So why did she have to be so hard on Cat?

Storming off from the camp, Catalina decided that she needed to get away from the situation and cool down, then perhaps she would speak with her sister again. One would think that Cat would learn not to go off on her own, considering she had only just escaped being taken by a slaver and that was only because Arthur had chosen to intervene. There was talk amongst the older druids that even though Arthur had said he wouldn’t tell his father about where the druid camp was; they should pack up camp and leave. They were nomads and so it was natural for them to wander around and they didn’t wish to see their people in danger from the magic hating tyrant that Uther happened to be. Aldriv, who was the elder of their small band of druids, had yet to give his decision on the matter. He had warned his niece not to wander off as well but as he watched her storm off, he knew that she would never listen to reason. So he let her go off on her own for the time being. There was always a chance that he would regret giving his headstrong young niece so much freedom but he knew what it was like to need freedom to be who you were. Catalina had yet to find herself, she needed time.

Kicking at the leaves beneath her feet, Cat sighed as she leaned up against one of the trees. Careless with her magic. Endangering others. Was all that true? She didn’t want to believe that she was endangering her people but really, it was true enough it seemed. It wasn’t fair. Magic was a gift that should be nurtured and practised, not hidden away in shame. How ironic that the city that Catalina found the most beautiful and fascinating was also the most dangerous to her and those like her.

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Tags; Celyn
Word Count; 776
Lyrics; "We Are” Ana Johnnson
Time-frame; Late Afternoon -- During the year gap between s2 and s3[/size]

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

It was one of the few occasions that Celyn did not find himself followed by Ifan and his father’s guards, so he was taking the opportunity to have a quiet walk and try to gather his thoughts. There was something troubling him, something that he could try and talk to Ifan about, but he doubted his companion would understand. Celyn didn’t understand it himself so there was little likelihood anyone else would. He wandered through the forest, taking his time in order to prolong his separation from the others. He still hated the fact that his father didn’t trust him to look after himself. He was a grown man – he didn’t need guards following him around all the time. But he was alone now, that was the important thing.

The forest was quiet, but then it was big enough, there could be hundreds of people wandering around just as he was and he wouldn’t find them. Annoyingly, the forest reminded him of Caitrin. It was where they had first met and contained some of his fondest memories of the young woman. After a few moments he realised there was a small smile forming on his lips. That wouldn’t do. He quickly dispelled all thoughts of her from his mind. This was why he’d wanted a walk in the first place – to clear his head, not to fill it with confusing thoughts.

He sighed and continued walking at a slightly quicker pace. His plan didn’t seem to be going all that well, which was very irritating. He’d come to Camelot to have an adventure, he was just getting confused. As he walked into the forest he saw what looked like a young girl leaning against a tree. Why was the forest always full of young women by themselves? Didn’t they have places to be? He approached slowly, not wanting to stare the girl. Celyn wasn’t entirely sure, but she looked rather annoyed. Hmm. “Excuse me? Are you alright?”

[Catalina Regalis]

Storming off was the childish thing to do, Catalina knew that and she knew that it wasn’t helping her case but she couldn’t remain there. She needed to clear her head and relax before she could go back. That was one thing about Catalina that her sister never understood about her. Her inability to handle confrontation of any kind. She hated it with a right passion. She had seen Samara and her husband argue, not that it happens often of course but still it did happen and she watched as Samara got angrier and angrier and would get to the point of being cruel. It happened of course, she was a married woman and couples fought but Catalina had to get away from the situation and cool down before she was able to face the person she had been angry with. Why was it that they only seemed to see her as nothing more than a child? Yes, she made mistakes but to err was human. Magic didn’t make her any less human; if anything it just gave her more of a chance to mess up.

The serenity the forest had to offer was always something that helped her clear her head and calm down. For once Cat didn’t bother to worry about running into a bandit or anything like that; her thoughts were solely on the angry thoughts that had been brought up by her sister’s words. Samara hadn’t meant to upset her little sister but she really needed to stop acting like a mother-figure to Catalina because as Cat had said, she was not her mother and never would be.

Sighing softly, the blonde rested against the tree and tried not to think about her mother who she hadn’t really even gotten to know. It was moments like this though that she couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different if her mother and father had survived. Would she be better at magic? Both her mother and father had been good with magic from what her Uncle Aldriv told her, he said it was where Catalina got it. Would they have been better teachers than her Uncle? Not the nicest thought for her to have about her Uncle and mentor given all he had done for her but still she had to wonder.

Caught up in her thoughts and ponderings, she hadn’t noticed that someone else approached. Had it been someone that intended harm then she would have been in trouble. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized she wasn’t alone and despite his effort not to scare her, he did just that.

She jumped and turned around quickly, taking a small step back from Celyn. It wasn’t his fault; she had too many bad instances in regards to strangers, especially in the forest near Camelot so her slight paranoia was understandable. It took a few minutes for her to process what he had asked. Since when did handsome young men just walk around the forest? He didn’t seem all that threatening and he had seemed concerned, given his question. Blinking, she realized she still hadn’t answered his question. “Oh… Yes, I am fine.” She kept a small distance between her and the stranger just to be safe.

So far so good, he hadn’t attacked or anything like that so maybe he was what he appeared to be, a concerned traveller. “I apologize, I don’t wish to seem suspicious or anything of the like, one just never knows with these woods.” She offered a smile. “I was simply deep in thought, felt like a bit of a walk to clear my mind.” Catalina was always the honest sort and she was a genuinely friendly young woman, she was just cautious as well.

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Tags; Celyn
Word Count; 626
Lyrics; "We Are” Ana Johnnson
Time-frame; Late Afternoon -- During the year gap between s2 and s3[/size]

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

So his trying not to scare her plan hadn't worked, almost immediately after he spoke she jumped and stepped away from him. Hmm. This was going well. But at least she was fine, which meant he didn't have to attempt to help out. It wouldn't end well if he did. Celyn nodded in response to her words, and then ended up stood there rather awkwardly. She was obviously wary of him, but then he couldn't blame her. He was, after all, a perfect stranger. He took a step backwards in an attempt to try and reassure her that he wasn't going to try anything...untowards.

"I was just walking," he began, hopefully an explanation of why he was there in the first place would suit as more reassurance. "And you looked upset...so here we are...but I'm glad you're fine, so that's...well, fine, I suppose." The awkwardness didn't appear to be leaving. "I'm Celyn." He told her, offering her his hand, only it didn't really work due to the gap between them so it quickly dropped to his side. Usually he wasn't this embarrassing when faced with new people. At least the situation probably couldn't get more awkward, although he wouldn't count on it.

[Catalina Regalis]

Why was it that whenever Catalina was off by herself she often came across other people rather than just the gentle animals of the forest? There were days when she saw no one for miles but that was normally when she was with the other druids or with her Uncle at least where there was some form of protection. Not that she was defenceless of course but still, one of these days she would pay for just wandering around. She just had to hope it wasn’t today. So far the handsome stranger seemed friendly enough, though he could definitely tell that she was unsure of his presence and thus seemed to make sure that Catalina didn’t believe that he was dangerous. That did help of course and after a few moments she began to relax. She was the sort that enjoyed the company of another anyway, it was just that men made her a bit wary because other than Arthur and perhaps Lorcan, she had met men that wished her harm. That wasn’t to say that now all men wished to harm her but still, there was always a chance.

This man didn’t look like any bandit she had ever seen nor did he seem like a magic-catcher. She explained what she was doing, seeing no reason why she’d have to hide it. She didn’t bother to mention the druids because she didn’t wish to tell him that she was a druid or that there were other druids nearby. She had no idea how he viewed magic and thus had to tread carefully. This was a rather awkward meeting and it was mostly Cat’s fault given how she had reacted upon meeting him. It couldn’t be helped, the paranoia.

Especially after the chance of Arthur going back on his word and telling his father about the druid encampment. Catalina didn’t think he would since he seemed sincere in his promise and he seemed like the sort that would keep his word but she didn’t really know him all that well. Celyn went on to explain what he was doing, just walking about just as she had been. Not like she had much to say about who walked through these woods, they weren’t her forests.

It was sweet that he had stopped to see if she was alright. She hadn’t realized that she had looked all that upset but apparently she had. “You are very kind to show concern for a stranger.” Others would have just ignored her completely and continued on. He seemed to be a gentleman. He introduced himself as Celyn and offered his hand to shake before realizing the futility of the gesture and letting it fall back to his side. She never saw the reason for shaking another person’s hand, it was a greeting as well as a show of respect in some cultures.

Still, at least he was trying to ease the awkwardness Catalina had caused. Smiling warmly now that she was a bit more relaxed and less upset then she had been before, Cat felt she should return the favour. “My name is Catalina. It is nice to meet you Celyn.” Hmm… What now? Being that she didn’t really go around other people, she wasn’t the best with trying to maintain a conversation. “Seeing as how we were both simply walking about, we could continue walking together perhaps, if you want.” As restless as she was, she wanted to keep moving, especially if Samara was going to come looking for her or worse, her Uncle Aldriv. He was a very protective man after all. “So are you from Camelot?” She asked.

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Tags; Celyn
Word Count; 606
Lyrics; "We Are” Ana Johnnson
Time-frame; Late Afternoon -- During the year gap between s2 and s3[/size]

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

Apologies for the wait.

Celyn smiled at her words, he hadn't meant to scare her, he just wanted to see if she was alright. The fact that she had given him her name probably meant that there was no longer the awkwardness or the feeling that he was being too forward and frightening her. He'd always thought meeting women was awkward, especially under such circumstances. In his experience, they either ran away or shouted at him so this was quite a plesant change.

She seemed like a pleasant enough girl, and although she was probably capable of looking after herself, he wouldn't feel entirely comfortable with simply leaving her by herself which is why he took up her offer of joining her for a walk. Besides, they were still at that stage where they knew absolutely nothing about each other. She could be the most interesting person he'd ever meet. "It would be a pleasure to walk with you." He said, choosing his words rather carefully. He didn't want to sound too enthusiastic about it in case she misinterpreted his meaning.

"Does my accent not give it away?" He asked with a small laugh. Many people noticed straight away that he wasn't from Camelot, it was quite strange to find someone asking him if he was. Perhaps she wasn't either and so didn't notice the difference in the way he spoke to those native of Camelot. "I'm from Sugales in the west." He explained, "And you? Are you from Camelot?"