Only Luck I Have Is Bad [Caitrin]

[Catalina Regalis]

How was it that Catalina could have spent so much time in the forests outside of Camelot and yet still find herself lost? She was a druidess, one with nature and was used to being outside so it was extra embarrassing when she found herself separated from her camp where her Uncle and sister were. She wasn’t afraid, not yet anyway, there was no given reason to be afraid just yet but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be. Catalina wasn’t the sort to be paranoid but given how much trouble she had come across in the short amount of time she had been near Camelot, it was to be expected. She had come across bandits and slavers within a few weeks of one another and she had to wonder what else lay in wait for the young druidess. There was always a danger being in these woods anyway simply because of how close they were to the great city of Camelot where King Uther Pendragon continued his war on magic and those that used it. So between bandits, slavers, and Camelot patrol, Catalina had a fair share of things to be afraid of.

Brushing a strand of gold hair behind her ear, Catalina drew in a deep breath and look around, trying to get her bearings. Cat had been feelings restless all day, since the moment she had woken up. She had been having the dream again and she couldn’t bring herself to speak to her Uncle Aldriv about it. He would listen of course and try to sooth her fears but she knew what it did to him when she spoke of fearing her death by burning. It reminded her Uncle of his sister and her husband’s deaths during the Great Purge. Cat’s mother and father had been burned because of their magic and it was because of Aldriv that Samara and Catalina did not share similar fates at such a young age. Would there ever be a day when magic was not hated and feared? Where the druids could live in peace? Catalina hoped and prayed for such a day to come but as the years passed, her hope was starting to wane.

Things didn’t help all that much when the skies turned grey and rain began to fall. Just her luck. Pulling the hood of her red cloak up over her head, Cat looked around for some shelter. The rain wasn’t falling too hard just yet but who knew if a storm was coming their way. She really didn’t want to be out in the open for that and she had no idea which way to go in order to find the druid encampment. Why hadn’t she been paying attention to where she was going? She had a nasty habit of doing that. Losing herself in thought and not paying attention to where she was going. Might explain why she seemed to attract trouble as she did. If she was less reckless than maybe she wouldn’t get into as much trouble as she did.

Oh great, now her inner voice was starting to sound a lot like her Uncle Aldriv.

The snap of a twig off in the distance caught Catalina’s attention, causing her to jump slightly. There was a chance that it could be nothing more than an animal and yet Catalina was convinced it wasn’t that. Heavy footsteps tromping through the now muddy forest alluded to something else which meant Catalina really didn’t want to be there by herself. It could simply be a traveller but Cat didn’t wish to take a chance. Moving quickly, Cat began to run in the opposite direction. She could of course be overreacting but considering her luck, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Given the muddy ground and the fact that Catalina believed she was running from a potential threat, whether it be a bandit or a soldier from Camelot, it was no surprise when she caught her foot on something and went down hard, twisting her foot as she did. Gods it hurt so much and what was worse was how silly she felt as she landed. It wasn’t broken, she knew that much but it was sprained and was already beginning to turn purple. Now she was all wet, lost, and injured not to mention muddy as well from falling.

It took her some time before she was able to limp over to a large tree that provided some shelter from the rain. The rain had picked up since then and Catalina figured she would have to wait it out before she could travel more. Thankfully she had some healing poultices with her that would hopefully help her injured ankle. Small branches and twigs were gathered from around her before she sat on the ground in front of the little wood pile. “æled.” Her eyes flashed gold and a fire sparked amongst the wood.

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Tags; Caitrin
Word Count; 819
Lyrics; "We Are” Ana Johnnson
Time-frame; Early Evening -- During the year gap between s2 and s3[/size]

[Caitrin de Archer]

There were many things that Caitrin de Archer would never admit to, and one of these was that she was wrong. She had been adamant that she wasn't going to get lost this time, and that she didn't need an escort from her Uncle's men. She knew she would be fine by herself, and they would just get in her way. Brushing some hair behind her ears, Caitrin looked up at the sky. The clouds looked as if they were turning a dirty shade of grey, which wasn't going to improve Caitrin's mood at all. That was all she needed, to turn up at her Uncle's at God knows what time later that evening, and completely drenched. She was pretty sure she knew sort of where she was, she just needed to find a road or something and everything would be fine. And perhaps if she kept telling herself that fact then it would become true eventually; who knew.

Looking around, Caitrin was sure that she heard something, or someone else in the clearing. Biting her lip she continued to walk on through the forest. She had a small dagger at the hilt of her belt, and of course she had her magic if anything went drastically wrong. She took a deep breath; everything was going to be fine, she was going to be fine. She groaned inwardly, the amount of times this had happened now was wearing thin with Caitrin, and she certainly didn't want to be caught out here in the middle of a storm. There was a feast in Camelot in a few days time which she intended to attend, but she wouldn't be able to do that if she was ill with a cold or suchlike.

The heavens began to open, and Caitrin gave an irritated sigh as the first drops of rain began to slowly drench her red hair. She pulled up her hood, hitched her skirts and began to run through the thicket of the forest. She just needed to find shelter to wait out this storm in, then she could figure out what she was going to do after that. The rain didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon and she didn't want to get soaked. Looking around, she ran towards a tree which looked as if it could provide some shelter. It was only as she approached slowly that she saw a young woman under the tree branch. She stopped suddenly as a sharp spec of light began to burn in front of the woman, and Caitrin's heart thudded in her ears. The woman had practiced sorcery.

Caitrin hadn't come across any other sorceresses, but there was good reason for that as everyone knew what happened to them in Camelot. She bit her lip, really she should be moving on, she shouldn't be with another sorceress, but then again it was raining heavily and she needed shelter. Caitrin stepped under the branch, gaining the woman's attention and looked rather concerned for a few moments and bit her lip, "I hope you know what you're doing." She pointed out, though her words weren't harsh, they were more concerned than anything. Caitrin brushed her hand through her hair and looked awkwardly at the fire and back to the woman and lowered her hood. She wasn't a threat to the woman, and for now they were just hiding for the rain together; that was all.

[Catalina Regalis]

While Catalina had been fearful that someone was following her, she was hoping that she had gotten far enough away that using magic wouldn’t endanger her. It was strange having to be afraid to use her magic when all her life she had been taught to harness her magic and learn how to use it. Cat wished she had known a time when magic had been welcome all over the place, Camelot included. It had to be a wonderful time when sorcerers and druids were able to live without the fear of being thrown in prison or burned for what they were. Huddling close to the fire that she had made, the druidess pulled back her hood and relaxed a little. Of course she was still alert to any noises that may indicate someone was close by but what would she do then? She could hardly run in her condition and what if she ran from a bandit into the arms of a Camelot soldier? What then? It was a lose lose situation all around. She had magic of course but she was a defensive spell-caster, she didn’t like using any spells that could harm others, even to save her own life. She was not violent.

Unlike the heavy footfalls she heard earlier that had made her run, Caitrin’s footsteps were soft and thus hard to hear until the girl was right there and speaking to Catalina. The druidess jumped slightly when she heard Caitrin’s voice and turned quickly to see who was talking to her. She didn’t recognize the girl who didn’t seem all that much older than Cat. Know what she was doing? “Yes I believe I do. I am warming myself by the fire.” She hadn’t come to realize that Caitrin had seen her use magic or she would have realized what Cait had meant by her seemingly odd question.

Catalina wasn’t the only one who had gotten lost and caught in the rain it seemed which meant Catalina would have some company unless Cait decided to leave. Brushing a damp strand of hair away from her face, Cat tried to figure out why there seemed to be concern in her voice. Cait didn’t seem to be a threat to Catalina but there was no telling, threats came in all forms after all. Studying her somewhat carefully, Catalina offered a warm smile and gestured to the fire. “Please, have a seat and warm yourself up. The rain won’t pass for a while now.”

Biting her lip to keep from yelping in pain, Catalina moved her injured foot so that she could get more comfortable on the ground in front of the fire. Stupid clumsiness! Had she been alone she would have allowed herself to pout but she chose instead to try and engage her current companion in conversation which was easier said than done considering she didn’t know anything about the red-haired girl. “I’m sorry the fire isn’t bigger, I couldn’t find many dry kindling considering the weather.”

The sound of the rain seemed to get louder as it got heavier but the canopy of leaves above them seemed to hold nicely, little drops falling every so often of course but it was better than being outside where she would undoubtedly get sick. “I’m Catalina. You are?” Introductions would be good, she would have done it sooner but she had been busy tending her wounded ankle. Was she a peasant from Camelot or someone higher up? She wore nicer clothing which seemed to deduce higher status. One never knew, could be a princess for all Catalina knew since there had been a time when she had met a Princess in these woods though the roles had been reversed if she remembered correctly.

Shivering, Cat pulled her cloak around her closer. Stupid weather, why did it have to be so terrible? She wanted to be with her family rather than out here as it got darker. She didn’t like to think of being out at night on her own. It just didn’t sit well with her. Still, at least she wasn’t completely alone, that was a relief.

Had the footsteps she had heard earlier been this girl? It was possible of course but not probable. She hadn’t heard Caitrin until she had spoken which meant she didn’t have heavy footsteps and plus that had been in the other direction. A part of her hoped that it had been Cait so that she didn’t have to worry so much. “So are you lost as well?”

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Tags; Caitrin
Word Count; 756
Lyrics; "We Are” Ana Johnnson
Time-frame; Early Evening -- During the year gap between s2 and s3[/size]

[Caitrin de Archer]

Although Caitrin, in her proper state of mind, was unsure whether she should take up shelter with someone she had seen to use sorcery, she was too desperate to get out of the rain to care. She of course did not discriminate against those with sorcery as she too was a sorceress, even if she did keep that aspect of her life incredibly quiet. She enjoyed her life too much in Camelot to let her past life in Mercia catch up with her, and one of the sacrifices she had been forced to make when she had come to Camelot was that she could no longer use her sorcery. She wasn’t happy about being forced to hide such an important aspect of her life, but Uther was unwavering in his attitude towards magic, and Caitrin knew an exception would not be made if she was ever caught.

As the woman replied that she was merely warming herself by the fire, Caitrin gave her a knowing look. She knew sorcery when she saw it, and the woman had hardly been being private about it. Caitrin, for her part, would never be quite so foolish, and hoped that the woman didn’t do it in front of more unfriendly company. It didn’t matter to Caitrin, but she knew so many in Camelot who would have this woman burned for such a harmless piece of sorcery. As Caitrin’s eyes dropped to the fire, she rubbed her hands on her arms trying to warm them up. She noticed the woman was sat tending to her ankle and she looked on, concerned, “What happened to your ankle?” She wondered if the woman had been running from someone, or if she was just the victim of an overgrown branch. As Caitrin knew the basics of healing, she could help to an extent if the woman was badly hurt.

Caitrin did however take the woman up on her offer of a seat, as she did have a point. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and there was no point in getting wet and lost in the woods. She might as well wait here until the rain let up, and then figure out what she was going to do next. “Thanks.” She said softly, and aimlessly poked the fire with a stick that was lying beside her. It wasn’t a large fire, but it was enough to keep them warm during the fire. Caitrin brushed away the woman’s concerns about the fire being too small, “It’s big enough for the two of us.” She looked back to the woman with gratitude, after all, she had conjured the fire and it was because of her the pair of them would be waiting out this storm in relative comfort.

As she introduced herself, Caitrin bobbed her head to the young woman out of courtesy and replied gently, “Nice to meet you. My name is Caitrin.” She wasn’t going to give her second name, this woman was a sorceress and she’d rather not be associated with others with magic. If they were in a different kingdom things would be so different. They wouldn’t have to be looking over their shoulders every two minutes for fear of Uther’s men. It was ridiculous that her kind had been driven into hiding. At Catalina’s question Caitrin felt a small smile form on her lips, “I don’t think so.” She looked around her, in truth she had no idea where she was, but she wasn’t about to admit that so readily, “I have a vague idea where I am.” She grinned at the woman, it was a blatant lie but she didn’t care, “Are you lost?”