Under the Mist and Stars (Yassia)

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was unnaturally cautious. He didn’t intend to stay in these woods for very long, mainly because there were more unfriendly faces here than he had encountered in his years of travelling. These weren’t the kind of men who would take your coin purse and then leave you with a few bruises. No, these were the brutal sort, who would drag you by your manhood through the forests to the nearest Lord if they thought it would bring them any worthy income. So far Gwaine had evaded all of the men, and he wasn’t proud of himself, but he wasn’t dead yet, so that was something. At the moment he was just stuck up a tree, his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and his hood drawn up. There was an eerie mist around the forest this morning, which was quite atmospheric. It meant he was hidden the further up he was up the tree, so he was safe for now. However, he was getting thirsty, so he would have to move eventually, and at any rate, he didn’t want to be in this forest forever, so he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible and back into civilisation.

Casually, his hand tightened and relaxed against the hilt of his sword. He was sure he would be able to take any man who came at him, but this wasn’t the kind of fighting that he was used to, these men didn’t care, it was like they had no fear. Gwaine would be stupid if he ever said that he wasn’t afraid, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t say he had faced worse, but if he survived this then he would probably face worse. If he got out of this bloody forest the first thing he would be after would be an ale and a woman, preferably petite and brunette; yes, that would do nicely. No one would believe this tale, he bet. He felt a bit stupid, what with him being stuck up a tree, but he felt safe here, and that was a rare feeling in this setting.

Eventually, Gwaine heard footsteps coming in his direction, but he didn’t even flinch. Moving would mean he could be spotted, even by an untrained eye, so he just held his breath, and looked down at the figure through the mist and fog. He could see a cloaked figure, no doubt one of the savages that lived in this woods was out to get him, he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been tracked. Gwaine had just climbed up this tree late last night, thinking it would give him some sort of protection. He prayed the figure would just go, but it seemed like whoever it was was just lingering there, and Gwaine breathed out slowly, and carefully. He was going to have to get rid of whoever it was, and quickly. Gwaine still hoped to get out of this wood alive.

Silently, he climbed down the tree, feeling a little weird as his feet finally hit the ground again. He didn’t make a sound, he’d got rather good at that when his life was threatened. He drew up to the person, who had his back to him. Typical really, they never saw it coming. Gwaine raised his sword to the persons back and poked it to them, “Don’t scream, just tell me, what is your business in this wood?” If he shouted or screamed then Gwaine knew what to do. He wouldn’t kill him, he’d just knock him out; even Gwaine wasn’t that heartless.

Tags: Yassia
Timeline: Series 2
Location: A forest in the Southern lands

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

This was why she hated this place, Yassia told herself, suppressing a very unladylike curse as she dragged herself through this horrible woodland. The day was only starting, but she had had enough. Everything was cold and damp, her feet hurt and her muscles protested with every step. She was only slowly getting used to travelling on foot, and sometimes it looked like she never would. She hadn’t been born for this after all! In Ailantha, the morning air would be crisp, but clear, and there would not be any fog weighing down on your shoulders like a blanket, covering everything in moist and muffling every sound, so that you constantly had the hunch that something or someone was following you. It didn’t help either that the people of the last village had seriously warned her of this forest. It was said to be crawling with bandits and cutthroats, and even though Yassia knew how to defend herself to some extent, she knew she had no chance against more than two – and these people always hunted in packs, like the wolves they were.

So she had tried to make it work by setting out at first light, hoping that the bandits would still be asleep while she passed through. The most dangerous time was said to be early evening anyway, right? That was when they came crawling out of their hiding, and not early morning. So this was why she had to put up with a cold and damp morning and a rumbling stomach to boot. All for her safety’s sake. The stars prevent she would be laden with even more misfortune than she already was! That would be the bottom of the line, surely, her being ambushed and mistreated by a band of rogues… way to go Princess Yassia!
She really didn’t feel much like a princess now, as she was trying not to lose her path in the mist that just didn’t seem to want to lift and give way to at least a few rays of sun. Not that there was much sun in this country anyway. Seriously, how did people survive here without becoming all doom and gloom? It was certainly starting to have an effect on Yassia! She trudged on, wrapping her threadbare cloak tightly around her slender frame and keeping her head covered with its hood

Lost in such not very happy thoughts, she only kept an eye on what was immediately before her, and also her general caution might be seriously lacking, trusting too much on the firm belief that early morning wasn’t the time for an attack. How wrong she was, Yassia realized with a sudden lurch of fear, as she felt something sharp through the fabric of her cloak against her back. Immediately after, a voice spoke, and what it said made Yassia’s heart falter and nearly stop.
“Don’t scream, just tell me, what is your business in this wood?”
What, no call for money, not one of the usual phrases? What was this man after? Yassia didn’t even dare to move her head to check if he was alone or not, and she didn’t allow herself to be relieved that no call for money was yet forthcoming – as she didn’t have much to speak of. The way he spoke made her fear there was something else he was after, why else would he ask about her business? What could she tell him?! Was he maybe… her stomach gave a fearful lurch at that though – was he maybe after HER in person? Had she somehow left too easy a track to follow for her uncle’s men? Had they now caught up with her?

Well, there was only one thing she could do: pretend to be a man for as long as she could, and try to work out an escape route. “I’m just a harmless wanderer, good man, and with little money to boot”, she said with the deepest and most ‘manly’ voice she could possibly manage. “So I suggest you let me go.” The muscles in her legs tightened as she readied herself. As soon as he lowered the blade, she would try and run.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine didn’t like these woods at the best of times, and this was really no exception in the slightest. He didn’t like coming across anyone in here, because no ones intentions seemed to be honourable, and he was starting to lose sight of the outside world. Jesu, Gwaine felt like he was losing it in here, he needed to get back to the outside world. He was isolated here, and for a man who was used to the company of many others in the taverns and villages that he went through, it was safe to say that he wasn’t enjoying this sensation at all. He wished he had never come here, he wasn’t afraid to admit he didn’t enjoy being in control of his surroundings, and he would certainly never be instructing men to follow in his footsteps. He would be finding his way out of here as soon as possible, that had been the only thing on his mind really for days. He had thought this would be a short cut around the kingdoms that bordered Camelot, but instead it was the worst decision he had ever made. Gwaine sighed to himself before the man below him took his attentions. He was starting to get hungry as well. If the mist cleared a little then he might be able to spot a hare, or a rabbit or something of the sort. He just needed something more than the water he had been drinking off the leaves. Even his hip-flask was now bone dry.

Gwaine wanted to laugh at the mans words. What sort of harmless anyone went around wandering these woods? Well, Gwaine was one such example, but he hadn’t come here by choice really, and he would never say he was a wanderer. Had this man completely lost his senses? Then again, in these woods it was probably easily done, “The word harmless isn’t really appropriate here, do you know where you are?” He asked seriously, this was no time for jokes, or jests. If the man was a danger to Gwaine, then he would have no choice on what to do. It was safer if the man wasn’t facing him, because he wouldn’t be able to see his face that way. If Gwaine needed to get away quickly it would also make things easier in that sense too. A bead of sweat ran down Gwaine’s cheek. All he had learnt in the art of combat had been picked up from his childhood, or learnt in bar brawls. They had given him an excellent perspective on how to handle these sorts of situations. Jesu, he sounded too much like a bloody knight, or even worse, a noble. Now he really did need a drink.

Just because the man had little money didn’t mean that Gwaine had any reason to let him go, and it just confirmed his view that this man was just stupid. “Money? I don’t want your money.” What would Gwaine do with money? There was nothing here to spend it on anyway, and even when he was out of this godforsaken forest, he would be able to charm food, ale and a good night from a pretty young barmaid. “You’re more dim than you sound if you think that words would persuade anyone here to let you go.” It was a hard truth, and Gwaine was only telling him something he had to know. Most in these forests would have already cut the man down. Gwaine had no interest in that though, he was only interested in his own safety, and whether this man was going to compromise that.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Yassia’s heart was beating hard and painful against her ribcage, obviously seeking to burst through its restricting hold anytime soon, and she had to force herself to take slower breaths so she wouldn’t start to hyperventilate. A thousand times this scene had been replaying in her mind, during her worst nightmares and fearful daydreams, when she imagined what she would do should her uncle’s men find her at all. Over the last few weeks, she had tried to appease herself with the thought that maybe he wouldn’t let her be followed at all, that he would be content in letting her go and proclaiming that her flight was equal to an abdication. It would pain her, but at least that would give her enough time to reach Camelot unscathed and return with the help she needed. But now… had she been to trustworthy to soon? Was this the price she would now have to pay?
But then, she still didn’t know what this man was after, and if he was acting on his own. Her uncle, if anything, would hardly have sent a singular person after her, and if she was spotted by them, would they remain so cryptical about their intentions like he did? Then again… they couldn’t be sure who she was either, not yet anyway, so maybe he was just being cautious in fear of making a fool of himself.

Well, at least her charade of posing as a man seemed to hold for now, since the man wasn’t calling her out on her fake voice. How wonderfully expectations worked to your advantage sometimes, Yassia thought grimly. Female wanderers, especially alone, were far and few between, and so when you approached a lone figure somewhere as inhospitable as these surroundings, you would expect it to be a man. Well, she would keep up pretenses as long as she was able, but some time in the future, he would demand her to turn around and show her face. Why wouldn’t he after all? You always were safer, if you could see someone’s face, estimate your opponent by more than just his backside and also be able to read at least a few of his intentions in his eyes. But when she turned around, all was lost. Even her hood could not mask her feminine features. Before that could happen, she intended to run, though, but not as long as the tip of his blade was posed at her back, palpable through her cloak. Too bad he didn’t seem inclined to lower it any time soon.


“The word harmless isn’t really appropriate here, do you know where you are?” “Money? I don’t want your money.” “You’re more dim than you sound if you think that words would persuade anyone here to let you go.”
His slightly aloof words angered Yassia and she balled both her fists under her cloak while her whole body was tensing with the effort of keeping her temper at bay. No one could speak to her like that! No one ever would dare to, if he knew who she was! Dim?! Had he really just called her half-witted?!
”I’d watch my tongue if I were you!” she hissed out between gritted teeth. “If it isn’t money you’re after, then pray tell what DO you want? Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t exactly have all day!” It might not be the most prudent way to act, but slowly Yassia was fed up with this. The uncertainty killed her! She’d rather have him show his true colors now so she at least had something to DEAL with!

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was acting in a self preservation sort of way, no matter what the man in front of him thought of him. Gwaine didn’t really care for the mans opinion anyway, but recently he hadn’t been feeling himself anyway. This place was enough to change anyone, which was why it really was so dangerous. It was like mercenary rule here, and only idiots stayed too long, and then they too just became savages practically. Gwaine took a deep breath in, he didn’t have a reason to kill the man yet, so no blood would be spilt by his hands. Some would call Gwaine a fool, and that he should just cut down any man who posed a threat to him, but nothing was ever that clear cut for Gwaine. After all, he had no reason to hurt the man, unless he did something stupid like shout or something like that of course. However, there was nothing like that, and the dagger just remained pressed into the smaller mans back. The fog and mist was still swimming around them, and Gwaine just began to breath in and out slowly, to calm his nerves. He was never nervous, and he never flinched with things like this, but he would be an idiot not to be scared in these woods. He had no idea where he was really, and he was only concerned with getting out of here alive, nothing else mattered.

There was no way that Gwaine was going to let his guard down anytime soon. He’d lived too long on his own in his nomadic lifestyle to think that it was alright to trust people in this world. The people of Avalon were untrustworthy at the best of times, and they usually didn’t like folk they didn’t know and weren’t used to. Travellers like Gwaine were always the problem, because many like him were just drunks, thieves and much more besides. Of course Gwaine was a drunk, but he hardly ever stole. He never stole off those who needed the money, no he would never lower himself to that. He stole off the nobility, and ladies who had too many jewels for their person. It made him sick to see them riding past him in such grandeur while those around his feet starved. He was only man, and he couldn’t make that much of a difference, but that didn’t stop him trying.

Looking back to the matter in hand, Gwaine was trying incredibly hard just to keep calm and civil. “I just need you to be quiet, do you have any idea where you are?” He hissed back at the man, he might be ignorant to his whereabouts and the danger he was in but Gwaine most certainly was, “If you scream and attract attention I will have no choice but to harm you. I just need to know how to get out of this forest, while I’m still breathing.”

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

The fog and the overall gloominess of their surroundings didn’t serve in making this encounter any more real. If she hadn’t distinctively felt that sharp blade in her back, Yassia might have even discarded it as a nightmare, but sadly that couldn’t be true. She was here and she needed to deal with this, in whatever way. But why on earth couldn’t she convince this man to simply let her go?! What was on his mind?! Right now, HE was the one posing a threat to HER, not the other way around! They had reached a stand-off, a very annoying one, and however schooled Yassia might be in diplomacy otherwise, she had never been in such a situation before and had nigh to no idea how to deal with it. If he didn’t believe her that she had no intention on harming him in any way, how on earth should she convince him to lower his weapon?! They couldn’t stay like this all day after all, he might have all the time in the world but she surely had NOT! She had a kingdom to safe! What on earth was he thinking?!

More annoyed than actually angry now, Yassia’s hope grew that she had actually just stumbled upon a random paranoid stranger who wanted absolutely nothing of her. Surely some snatchers her uncle would have proudly revealed themselves by now, certain their target would not be able to escape. Instead, she was holding a rather short but already pretty pointless conversation with someone who hadn’t even fully revealed his intentions. Someone forgive Yassia to slowly losing her patience! But if this man was not after her, who was he then? A random traveller like she posed as? Or some thief and robber? He should have realized by now that she had really nothing to give, and she had said so after all… and he had also said he didn’t want her money… sweet stars, would she now start the morning with a headache?!

Yassia scoffed and shook her head under her hood. Quiet??!! Now that was the best joke she had heard from him so far! “I haven’t made a noise until YOU desided to ambush me!” she pointed out in a low, hissing voice. “I would have quietly continued on my way and would have been glad to be out of that fog and wood as soon as I can – but NO, you have to complicate things! And there would be even less reason to scream for me, if you just lowered your weapon from my back. How’s about that?”
Her voice had been still low and hopefully androgyne, but then she had made many words. More words than a man would make? She could only hope he would not think it odd, having her true gender revealed now would only complicate things.

[thegwaine]

You could never be too careful in places like these. For all Gwaine had known this person could have been one of those who had been after his the day before. He knew he had become paranoid in his surroundings, but any man who said he wasn’t scared in woods like these was an idiot plain and simple. Gwaine couldn’t help but be nervous and jumpy. He knew he had the skills to outfight any man but these place weren’t exactly conventional fighting arenas. Gwaine just had to do what he could to survive until he could get out of here. He wouldn’t be coming back, and that was for sure. He breathed out slowly, not really sure how to deal with this situation now he had created it. He had just thought this person would be after him, and that he would just have to get rid of them and that would be it. Gwaine wouldn’t have killed them unless he’d absolutely had to. He’d rather knock them out and run off than kill in cold blood. He couldn’t kill the person now, unless they were about to turn a knife on him that was. He bit his bottom lip nervously, he really wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t just let them go could he?

By speaking, at what he probably assumed was a hushed tone, the man was disapproving his own logic. Gwaine just rolled his eyes, why could nothing ever just be simple. He hadn’t expected this, he’d been expecting a fight with swords or something physical, not a fight of words, and he wasn’t prepared for it in the slightest. He breathed out slowly again, trying to keep control of the situation, “Keep your bloody voice down, you might not mean any harm but there are men in this wood who would have your throat sliced before you even blinked.” He was not trying to scare the man, or at least that wasn’t his main aim He was just trying to get him to be quiet.

He had had enough of this never ending tension. He had to make a move rather than going round in circles because whoever he was holding captive was not keeping very quiet and he needed to fix that. He wasn’t going to do anything violent, he just needed to see if they were armed or not. Breathing out slowly, Gwaine took his knife out of the persons back, and placed a hand on their shoulder instead so that they couldn’t move. With that in mind he circled them so he could stand in front of the figure, one hand on their shoulder, the other on their knife. He couldn’t see whether the person was armed or not. “Show me you aren’t armed and I’ll let you go.” Gwaine wasn’t an idiot, he knew that a blow could be struck when a man’s back was turned, so only when he was satisfied that this person would cause him no harm would he actually release them. He wasn’t taking any chance, and he was well justified to be cautious.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

In Yassia’s opinion she had been fairly silent and couldn’t quite understand why the man kept reprimanding her to keep silent. He was simply annoying! Rolling her eyes, she bit back the first impulsive remark and inwardly counted to three. He might not pose any danger to her yet, but provoking a man with a weapon as about as prudent as provoking a wild bear. Yassia might be cursed with a temper and already started to simmer inside, but she knew as well that she was not in any position to act on it freely. Anyone had to forgive a princess a temper fit, but no one would forgive it a nameless stranger, a fugitive with a secret identity nonetheless. Right now, her charade of being a man was still holding, but that might also waver as soon as she really raised her voice. And in one thing he sadly WAS right: she had no desire to call anymore attention to herself. When walking into these woods she had had no idea it was rumored to be so dangerous, else she might have tried to find a way around it.
“Those men would have to hear a pin drop, if they were able to hear that”, she retorted snarkily, though trying to get her voice even lower. “And if that is the case, they’ve heard YOU in anyway, so don’t put this on me!”

Even though she had wished for a move to be finally made, when it happened Yassia felt her stomach drop and every muscle tense. The knife seemed to vanish, but instead she now had his hand on her shoulder which she liked even less. Body contact with a complete stranger, however many layers of cloth there might still be between them, wasn’t high on Yassia’s lists of likings. That all brough too many nasty memories she didn’t want to live through again, and she still had no idea what he wanted to do. First she thought he was going to turn her around, but then he stepped around her himself and came to face her. He looked younger than she would have expected him to be… and had that kind of ruggedly handsome look you heard people talking about in taverns – not that she had become an expert on that topic yet, the few times she had actually managed to stay in a tavern over night, but she still couldn’t help but listen in on some conversations.

“Show me you aren’t armed and I’ll let you go.”
When he came to face her, Yassia had buried her head deeper inside her hood, hoping against all hope he would miss her female features, and she had also tried to keep her cloak together before her body, so he would not see the riding dress. This however, she realized, made it impossible. If she wanted to be rid of him, she would have to open the cloak, but there was no way he would miss the female cut of the dress, unless he was a complete idiot. She’d like that, but she feared she'd have to give him at least a bit more credit than that. Slowly, hesitantly, she parted the cloak at the front to show him she had no sword hidden anywhere near her, there was only a small knife at her hip, which she used for eating and cutting herbs. “It’s only an eating knife. One-edged.” She didn’t plan to inform him of the various throwing knives on her, though. One was tugged inside the shaft of her right boot, another secured around her left arm, hidden under the sleeve.

[thegwaine]

Irritatingly, the person he was practically holding at knife point did have a point with what they were saying. But he couldn’t have taken any chances and just let the person go without seeing if they really were a threat. After all, they could have been part of the group that was trying to flush him out, and you could never be too careful in these parts. Gwaine bit his lip, knowing this person was right, but this could be a trick as well. Perhaps Gwaine just had to take a leap of faith with this, and start to trust this person a little. They were clearly as nervous, or as nervy as he was because otherwise they would have tried something, rather than just batting about words blindly. However, if the person thought that they had been being quiet when they had been skulking around the woods then they were really wrong. Gwaine had heard them coming from some way off, and it had given him time to prepare and plan. Perhaps that should have told him that this person wasn’t going to be a problem, but still he felt like he had been right to be cautious. “You were loud enough walking through the woods anyway.” He pointed out reasonably, but did not raise his voice as this person was doing. It was not easy to provoke Gwaine, and he certainly wasn’t going to allow someone in the middle of a forest to irk him.

Gwaine felt like he was giving the person in front of him too much of a chance to attack him, but he couldn’t think what else to do without them going round in circles. He kept alert, and his eyes followed the persons hands as they moved. However, as they began to part their cloak, though Gwaine had been panicked, thinking that a sword or dagger would be concealed beneath, something else took his attentions. Perhaps that would have been their intent, to distract him, if the person hadn’t then shown him a perfectly harmless little knife. Well, it could cause some harm, it paled in significance to his knife. He found himself replaying the image, and he was becoming increasingly certain in his deductions. It had been the cut of the dress that had done it, and the fact it did look like a dress, and not a tunic.

He looked at the person in front of him, not wanting to accuse them too early and provoke the wrong reaction. Gwaine took a small step back and breathed out slowly, thinking how to approach this. If this was indeed a woman then he couldn’t just leave them to wander around, Gwaine’s heart and mood might have been hardened by his current experiences but he wouldn’t leave a woman to her own devices. These were dangerous woods, and even worse for a woman. “Take down your hood.” He said calmly and not unkindly. He wasn’t threatening anymore, he was asking.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Were they really going to start an argument in the middle of the forest now?! Yassia could hardly believe her ears, and yet they had been hurling accusations at each other back and forth for quite a while now, and they didn’t seem to grow tired of this sport. To Yassia’s great chagrin, she had to admit this man might have a point, but then HOW could anyone expect from her to sneak through the forest like a skilled hunter or a scout?! She was neither, and she never expected to one day having to rely on stealth in her life. She was a princess for crying out loud, and even though he – hopefully – didn’t know that, the point still stood as firm as a rock! She might have attracted the attention of other people, but in fact she had NOT and that was all that counted. He probably had been nearby to spot her like this, and was horribly exaggerating anyway, to prove whatever point he wanted to prove. Maybe he just liked to have the last word in everything, it wouldn’t surprise her. Well, so he should, it was no skin off her back! Sweet stars, she really had better things to do as to engulf into a battle on principles right now, time was wasting! Being on foot and without any money to speak of, she had lost so much time already, she’d never make it up. Not that she had any set date in her arrival of course, since no one was expecting her in Camelot, but she feared that every day she was not reaching Camelot was another day anything could happen to poor Ailantha. Had Guifré already proclaimed himself king in all but name? What would he do? Would he maybe start a war with Vortigern and send her beloved kingdom into chaos?

Not really wanting to GIVE him the last say in this, she gave a snort and rolled her eyes, even though he most likely wouldn’t see that, and muttered: “yeah… if you say so, Mr. Know-it-all.” He WAS really a smart-aleck, wasn’t he, and probably convinced he alone knew how the world worked. Well, he might know more about it than SHE did anyway, but that was beside the point, right? It still didn’t give him the right to be so bloodily annoying! If it wasn’t for him, she’d be a few miles further to her destination and sooner out of these stars-forsaken woods with the eerie fog around them.

There was something in his eyes Yassia did not like as he looked at her. It was like a little spark of some kind of recognition or realization had flickered through them for just a second, making her fear the worst. Had he seen the cut of the dress and drawn the right conclusions? And if yes… what would he do then? The answer came far too quickly for her liking, and Yassia had to bite back a gasp as he asked her to uncover her head. Oh no… oh please no! What did he know? Had he just waited for the right moment to reveal his true intentions after all, and would call her out on who she was as soon as she showed her face? What should she do? Refuse and risk him forcing her? Or try to run and risk being caught by him… or even someone else?! No… that might be more stupid than actually sensible. It seemed like there was no way around it.
Slowly, to not provoke any overhasty reaction from him – he still had a knife after all! – and also because she dreaded the outcome of what she was going to do, she raised her hands and pushed back the hood from her face and her long hair, marking her a woman without a doubt. Then, for a brief moment, she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable reaction.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was quickly deciding that he didn’t like the southern lands. For one they were filled with southerners, and for another, things seemed oh so less civilised down here. There were so many woods here that outlaws sprung up like daisy’s and they were almost dominated by a sort of gang culture here. Gwaine was on the run from men who didn’t even know him because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, that was the story of his life really, only the men in the north played fair, and he always felt like he was in control. There weren’t even any taverns here, what on earth was he doing here? One thing was for sure, he wasn’t bloody well coming back. The Mercians and their disgusting winters were preferable to this. He’d rather be freezing with an ale in his hand than here, having been chased up trees for the past few days. What he really needed was a cold ale and a big slab of meat. At present he didn’t even care what sort of meat it was. Gwaine needed to focus, this was his problem really, his mind wandered too easily, and that led him into more problems. Really he just wanted out of this bloody forest, anything past that he didn’t really care about at the moment. The man in front of him was just a distraction, once he was disengaged one way or another Gwaine just wanted out.

He didn’t really have time for the mans words, mainly because he thought he knew it all, and that he would have been fine if it weren’t for Gwaine. Really, anyone who walked these woods alone ran the same risk, so they should have been glad it was him with a sword against their back, rather than someone who wouldn’t hesitate to use it. Of course the person wouldn’t see it like that, so Gwaine didn’t voice this opinion, he just rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to rise to it, because you always made mistakes when you were angry, so Gwaine had no intention of getting riled by this man, because then he would be handing him everything on a plate.

Gwaine had been being serious when he had asked the man to take down his hood. He would know if it was one of the men that had been chasing him, but also the flash of material had made Gwaine think that all was not as it seemed in this situation. He breathed out slowly, sword still in hand wondering if the man was going to comply. He was quick enough to react if they turned nasty on him. Gwaine was watching them carefully as they drew back their hood, and not for the first time, Gwaine lost his concentration. A woman? This forest was dangerous enough for a man but a woman? What on earth was she doing here alone? Gwaine didn’t move his sword, because his head wasn’t working, but when he did he lowered his sword. “Well, I must apologise, you’re the first woman I’ve poked in the back with a real sword.” A grin was twitching at the side of his lips, the woman looked slightly foreign, he could have followed up his words with more sexual gags, but really it was too quick and serious for that just yet. “I don’t mean you any harm, sorry, I thought you were part of the men who have been tracking me.” He looked around them, “These woods aren’t safe, why are you out here alone?”

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

This was all cumulating at this one point, the point where she had to reveal her true identity, and everything else didn’t seem to matter for now. It was one of the tensest moments Yassia had ever been through ever since the beginning of her journey, since she just didn’t know what to expect. What would follow once he knew she was a woman? Could she really trust her luck to have stumbled upon a gentleman in these parts who wouldn’t exploit that fact? Since when had she EVER been able to trust her luck with anything recently?! And what if he knew her after all? This thought was turning and turning in her head, and whenever it came to the forefront of her mind, she could feel the ice cold stab of fear in her guts, without being able to fight it down, and the eerie surroundings wouldn’t really help. This could be the ending point of her flight, for so many reasons at once, and she was by no means prepared for it. She should have taken another way, she should not have risked it… but then she hadn’t even known much of these surroundings, she hadn’t expected to be facing difficulties yet again so soon. She hadn’t expected to have to make this journey alone either, even though she had been prepared for it in the beginning. But Mircea had insisted on accompanying her, and she had started to rely on him, had even called herself stupid for every considering daring to do this journey alone. And now he was gone. Just like that, by a cruel twist of the stars.

But before she could lose herself in a fit of self-pity Yassia rather focussed on the imminent problems, and that was first and foremost staying alive and healthy. Take it step by step… she told herself once again, like she had so often these last days when her feet had started to hurt from the unusual amount of walking. The next step was reacting rightly to his behavior, which was about to become evident any second. At least, he instantly lowered his sword, that was something at least. No matter why he did it, it was a great relief to not be directly threatened by it anymore. A sword surely seemed twice as deadly when it was pointed straight at you. She didn’t have that much experience with weapons and she didn’t desire too, he was too close for using any of her throwing knives against him anyway.
It felt like a huge load off her shoulder when his words betrayed – at least she hoped so – that he truly had no idea who he was talking to. Any subject of her uncle’s would have dropped his act by now, when the final confirmation had been reached. She was so relieved actually, she didn’t pay much heed for her words and simply spoke her mind.


“Well, and may I be the last, hopefully…” she exclaimed with a sigh and shook her head. “Of course, I didn’t plan on being detected as a woman… so, technically, I should be glad I could hold up the charade for so long.”
He was talking about danger now, and even though he might be right, Yassia didn’t quite like it. He might not even intend to, but the way he said it sounded extremely patronizing. She had come quite a way for being ‘just’ a woman, and while she had had her fair share of dangerous encounters, that didn’t mean she wasn’t still alive and kicking! He couldn’t just say that and play the big hero, just because he was a man!
“I didn’t choose to”, she replied a little bit testily. “But my… companion and I got … seperated while crossing the channel to Albion. So now, I HAVE to walk alone, whether I like it or not.” Separated… yes, that was really putting it nicely, but a euphemism was all Yassia would be able to deal with right now, else she started to delve in too deep and lose her composure. NOT in front of a stranger, no, that was unthinkable! “And anyway… if it is so dangerous alone, why are YOU walking alone?” Hmm… maybe she should tone her aggressive mood down a bit. It was all just the relief talking, her father was the same, but how would a stranger know that?

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was still hoping to escape this with his life. It wasn’t an impossible hope, but it was one that Gwaine could cling onto. This time next week he could be laughing it up in a tavern and enjoying the local women and ale. That was probably the most comforting thought that Gwaine was going to get anytime soon. He could tell that this place was wretched because there were no taverns; he should have taken that hint in the first place really but no, he’d ignored it. Maybe it was his arrogance that had carried him this far into the woods. Well, his ego was getting a rain check after this, and he was defiantly going to be heading as far away from here as possible as soon as he got the chance. Gwaine ran his hand through his hair as he looked on at the woman in front of him. That was the next problem of course, what to do now. It wasn’t unfathomable that this woman might be dangerous as there were female outlaws as well as male ones. Perhaps they weren’t as well known but they were just as dangerous; more so some of the time because they usually had the element of surprise.

If this woman was dangerous then she was doing a poor job of showing it. He would have expected a fight by now at the very least. Perhaps that was a sign this woman didn’t mean him any harm. Perhaps she was just like him and had ended up here by accident. He wasn’t completely sure he trusted her yet, but he was a little more settled than he had been. Gwaine still had his sword drawn though, mainly as he wasn’t completely ready to place all his trust with her. Maybe he needed to take a leap of faith with this, and just go with it. Surely she just wanted to get out of the woods as much as he did as well. This might end up turning in both their favours, but Gwaine was getting too ahead of himself. For now he just needed to calm himself and get the situation sorted in his mind. That was the priority right now.

It made sense that she had wanted to remain keeping her charade as a man. Both disguises had their strengths and weaknesses, but you could take so much more physically from a woman than a man. Gwaine had never done such a thing, but he’d often heard men in taverns bragging about women they’d forced on the side of roads and suchlike. It made Gwaine feel ill. He nodded at her, he had no intention of giving her up or harming her anytime soon. Gwaine wondered what had happened to her companions, but her tone suggested that he was best to keep his curiosity to himself in this instance. “So you’re from beyond the sea?” He asked gently before focussing on her next words. He didn’t want to get annoyed with her, no matter how testing her tone was becoming. “This is the lifestyle I chose, but I ended up here by accident. It isn’t a place I would recommend.” He finally lowered his sword, “Now, we can stay here arguing, or we could get out of this place; together.”

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Now that the imminent danger seemed banned, Yassia’s mind found time to settle on other things, and suddenly she was almost over-aware of her surroundings, the misty woods and the sounds within, sometimes startling, sometimes eerie. And she wondered why she hadn’t noticed them before, at least not in this kind of intensity. Maybe before she had first been too caught up in her thoughts and then too caught up with the threat she thought had been posed, the looming threat of being found out for Princess Yassia, fugitive from her own kingdom and a future that had been cut out for her by unfeeling hands. She had made it this far, and yet she still woke with the fear every morning that her luck might run out as it always did sooner or later. She had weathered another of these situations, but it only made her afraid and aware of all the other dangers that might be waiting for her. How naïve she had been until now! It felt like all the possibilities of what could have been happening weighing down on her like a debris avalanche in the mountains. Had it really only needed one man being forward enough to point all this out to make her see how ridiculous she was being?! Or was she even?! Wasn’t she being too oversensitive maybe?

Clearly, Yassia was at her wits end, she started to question everything and anything now, and would have never imagined a simple, slightly unsettling encounter to have such a massive effect on her. He didn’t seem like a bad man, that wasn’t it, but maybe it was also this change from possibly bas to possibly good that had caught her off guard. She just felt lost, without guidance and without the knowledge if what she did was even the right thing. If Mircea had been there, he would have been able to dispel her doubts within two seconds, he just had always known what to do and what to say to make Yassia believe in herself. And how she missed that! How she missed him! Right here, in this unsuitable situation, the princess suddenly had to fight with all her might the urge to just break down and cry. Give up and call the game to be over. They could have her, she would do whatever they wanted, just to be home again, in a safe place. She was a bird having escaped from the prospect of a gilded cage, but now suddenly the cage itself seemed so much more appealing. Because it was safe, because nothing bad that wasn’t calculated could happen there.

And so, this young man’s questions and his changed attitude, almost caring, and if not so, at least interested, was so not helping – and yet on the other hand, in a certain way it also was. There was no better way to sum up Yassia’s deep confusion right now. She had been scared of him, had been annoyed of him, and now… now he offered her his company, if only for the time to get out of the woods?! Could she accept it, or could she dare NOT to accept it? This was all just one big mess, combined with a very strong epiphany which Yassia couldn’t yet place. Well… maybe it would be best to take this step by step. One foot in front of the other… don’t look at the long way, just look at the ground that is directly before your feet, the imminent distance you have to cover.
“From beyond the sea and far south”, she nodded, keeping it vague out of habit. “It’s not a very well known place, but yes, it’s where I hail from.” The sudden fluttering of bird wings nearby made her wince, and brought her back into the surroundings again in all clarity. “Oh really?”, her tone was mocking sarcastic now, due to the immense stress she found herself under. “I wouldn’t even know WHY you’d not recommend this place, isn’t it cozy?” She took a long moment to think, weighing the pros and cons against each other. She wouldn’t have anything against some male company, since it was always better than journeying alone, but then she still didn’t know him nor his true intentions. He might be saying he wasn’t all that… but could she believe him?

In the end though, Yassia was just too tired and worn of the moment to resist the temptation any longer. “That sounds like a plan”, she nodded, careful not to sound too eager.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine couldn’t help but feel like they were too exposed out here. He suspected that this lady really did mean him no harm, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t causing each other harm by standing here speaking like familiar friends. There were still those in the forest who meant them harm, and the main voice in Gwaine’s head was reminding him of that fact. He sighed to himself and looked around them. He couldn’t hear anyone approaching him, but that didn’t mean that no one was there. He wondered if they should find somewhere to hide out, and travel by night rather than day. He had been doing that so far, but it hadn’t really got him anywhere; he felt as if he had been going round in circles for days.

No, they needed to start moving, no matter what the danger was. Perhaps in a group they would have more chance of defence and getting out of here alive. He just had to consider their options, it had to be said, he was sick of running and hiding. He just wanted to get out of here, and stumble into the nearest tavern as quickly as possible. He’d head north as soon as he could; even Mercia was preferred to this hellhole. The fact the woman didn’t volunteer the place where she was from was a secrecy that Gwaine respected. If she had wanted to tell him specifically where she was from then she would have said that, rather than a long winded explanation. Gwaine just nodded at her, “I’m from further north than here.” He said with a shrug, he hadn’t even meant to come this far south again. Why did this place even exist? “Are you heading northwards as well?” There was no point in them navigating the woods together if they were heading in different directions was there?

He managed a small chuckle at her words, at least she hadn’t lost her humour from such conditions yet. He hadn’t lost his sense of humour either of course, but he was more jovial about situations like this than most people would be. He had been on his own for too long to let such things depress him completely. “It’s only short of a tavern.” Gwaine commented with another short chuckle as he began to walk forwards away from the woman to have a short look around, “What is your name, my Lady?” He finally thought to ask. A name meant nothing really in such conditions, but he was sick of referring to his new companion as ‘the woman’. He grinned slightly as she agreed to join him to get out of the forest. He put his sword back in its hilt to show that he did trust her, for the time being anyway. Gwaine would still remain cautious, but he was confident now that she did not mean him harm; he had given her plenty of time to strike if she had meant to kill him. “Onwards then?” He said, probably a little too brightly.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Well there was nothing to say against new aquaintances that turned out nice, but she certainly would have rather made it in a tavern or on a market square, something less dangerous to be sure. It might be a plus she was standing here with a man, and not another woman, but the difference might not be so grand as those proud men might think. In the end, outnumbered was outnumbered, no matter who you were, and the bad thing about bandits was that they were too cowardly to attack with less than four people at least. At least that’s what rumors said, Yassia so far had been lucky enough not to get in any closer contact with such a band of rougish men. That luck though, could turn any minute, and she wasn’t exactly ready to trust her luck recently. Maybe they could continue their talk on their way out of this forest, but Yassia was sure he wouldn’t want to stay around for much longer either. Not after how paranoid he had shown himself to be in the early part of the conversation, insisting on her to prove that she was no threat to him and only satisfied when she had shown herself to be unarmed and a woman.

There was probably not ,much harm in telling him where she was bound now. She would swear him to secrecy if she felt it necessary later, but for now she would try to act as inconspicious as possible, since that would maybe be the best tactic to not even make him think there might be something special about her. All she could do was try anyway, and in the end, it was not her deciding over what the stars wanted to happen. She could try to prove her worth of course, so they would be gracious, but there was no escaping them when they saw it fit to punish you. They shouldn’t have punished Mircea though… it hadn’t been his fault, he had only meant well. But the stars really didn’t care about human wishes, they always worked towards a bigger picture, and all you could hope for was that it would make sense for you in the end.
”I am bound for Camelot”, she explained, shrugging, “though not even sure if it’s still the right way. All I know is that it is further up north, people sometimes give you very confusing directions, because they have only heard of it, and have never been there.” If he was northward bound as well, would that mean they would share a part of the journey? Yassia wasn’t quite sure what to think about that yet. He seemed alright, but she could really trust no one.

Only short of a tavern?! Well, didn’t this man like a good joke. Though, from Yassia’s point of view, even a tavern might be a dangerous place, since men weren’t exactly known to think and be gentlemen when they had drunk a few pints of ale or whatever beverage they liked to down. But maybe she shouldn’t point that out now, it might only give him ideas, and that was the last thing she needed, really. For a short moment she contemplated whether or not she should give him her real name, but suddenly she felt positively sick about all the lying and in a moment of bravado decided to challenge the stars. If this moment of honesty would lead to her doom, then so be it! The stars certainly wouldn’t want a hopefully future Queen of Ailantha to lie and cheat!
”I’m Yassia”, she replied therefore with her heartbeat accelerating. “And yes, I think we should get out of here as fast as possible. Northwards, then? And what’s your name?”

[thegwaine]

Gwaine looked around him, hoping that they were quite alone in their surroundings. There were dangerous men in this forest, which was a fact he knew all too well. Gwaine would never be coming this far south again, the people here were savages. He had no idea what kingdom he was in, he wouldn’t really be surprised if this wasn’t a kingdom, and merely on the border; therefore under no mans jurisdiction. That would make the most sense of course, these men were not above the law because there was no laws for them to adhere by. Gwaine shuddered a little at the thought, this was clearly chaos, and he was suddenly glad to have those running round imposing laws upon other; to an extent. He did not believe in injustice, which was what occurred in most kingdoms. Gwaine hated seeing it, he hated others squashed by the nobility of their kingdom; being forced to work until they were worn and old, he had seen mothers who were practically ready for giving birth forced to toil out in the fields alongside their husbands and children, he had seen men taxed until they could not produce a loaf of bread for their children. It was reasons like that which Gwaine was glad to no longer be associated with the nobility of these lands. It wasn’t how he wanted to portray himself; he wasn’t like them and he never would be ever again. He was his own man, and that was that.

The woman in front of him regained his attentions as she spoke. Camelot? Now, he had never been there, though it was surprising of course as it was practically in the middle of the other kingdoms, however, he just always seemed to miss it out. No doubt Gwaine would venture to Camelot eventually, but he supposed he had heard the King was a tyrant, and that his son was just as bad. Gwaine knew Camelot had a ban on magic, so he supposed strangers would hardly be welcomed in that sort of environment. He didn’t have magic of course, he wasn’t that talented, but still, he wasn’t for being accused of something just because he was different, or a stranger. It had happened before of course; the stranger was always the one to be blamed when something happened; though that was usually when someone was robbed or attack, he had never yet been accused of being a sorcerer, and he had no intention of letting anyone try to accuse him. “It is further north than here.” Gwaine confirmed, he knew where Camelot was, or at least he thought he knew. It was to the west of Mercia and he knew that was north east of here, therefore Camelot should be in the north, “When we get out of here I’ll help point you in the right direction.” Gwaine wasn’t ready to go to Camelot, “Do you have business there my lady?” He asked as they began to walk.

Yassia was a pretty name, but not one Gwaine was familiar with, he supposed that went with her accent though. He bowed his head a little to her, “My name is Gwaine.” Nomad’s never bothered heavily with last names, out here family names didn’t matter, it was all about what you could do, and how well you could survive, “Come on, let’s go.” He gestured through the trees and he began to walk forwards, finding himself trusting this woman a bit more now than he had done originally, though he still had his wits about him.