Mischief Managed (Caitrin, Oliver)

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Caitrin’s wish to help her out more deeply moved Yassia and she had to bite her lips for a second to regain her composure. She had been hoping and praying for help for so long, and seeing it handed to her now so readily was a deep relief. She must have done something right then, according to the stars’ goodwill. It was no certain support yet, since the Mercian council could still decide against it, but these were all more options than what she had had when first starting on her journey. She truly had gained wonderful friends, and even their moral support was more than she could have hoped for. It might make things easier, if Caitrin could support her with men, but it would also make things more difficult. Yassia didn’t know what would await her in Ailantha, if a mere show of power would be enough or if there would be a real fight ensueing for the throne.”Don’t be silly, Cait”, she chided her friend warmly, smiling. “I’m almost glad you won’t be sending your own men with me. It would make my heart heavy to know someone you knew so well might be injured in a fight or on the long journey. Like this I can venture on, knowing that my dear friend will have no fear in her heart for those she offered me to help.” It would be the same for any man she would take with her of course, but somehow there was a difference for Yassia between a ‘normal’ army and specially ‘donated’ soldiers from a friend.

Yassia nodded thoughtfully as she heard Caitrin’s verdict. She had almost guessed as much. A little bit of detached envy reared its head at these thoughts, but she pushed it back with ease. It was not a pleasant situation for Caitrin to be in, so Yassia shouldn’t envy her her freedom of choice. What would she rather have? Still having her father alive or the freedom of choice on who to marry? Well, in a way that question was moot for Yassia. If her father was alive still, then she would HAVE the freedom of choice, since then he might still be able to conceive an heir to the throne with his second wife, Queen Dowager Amaranta de Fremente. But this was life, there was no times for ‘what ifs’. “True. The main thing should be that YOU like him, and I don’t doubt that fact”, she commented with an amused smirk. Now that was truly an obvious fact. “Be glad you don’t have state issues to consider when marrying. It’s a big bonus.”

Caitrin’s comment made Yassia laugh, but she quickly stiffled the sound with her hand, her shoulders still shaking with the suppressed show of high amusement. There probably hadn’t been any word spoken more true than Caitrin not being able to be quiet around men. It was simply not in her nature, both in her strong spirit and her flirty ways. Still, Yassia would rather like to be cautious, as she didn’t aspire to become fair game to a band of huntsmen. She forced down the laugh, and cocked her head as the sound of voices were floating towards them through the thick forest. Male voices… there was no mistaking it. She should advice Cait to turn around now and leave, before they were spotted, but suddenly she felt herself being taken over by an unusual streak of adventuresomeness. “I hear it. There are men up ahead!” she whispered back, smiling. “Huntsmen you think? How about we sneak a little closer? Do you think we should dismount or something?” After all, Caitrin knew these woods probably ten times better than Yassia ever would.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Still, Caitrin wished she could do more for her friend. Caitrin would be on absolute pins waiting to hear of news from her friend when she did eventually march off to reclaim her crown. It sent a shudder down the young woman’s side, because though she was of gentle birth, she knew the ugly side of war. Her brothers and family had always been lucky, and had survived every skirmish, but she had seen whole families wiped out by campaigns, and men crippled by war physically and economically. Caitrin was not one of these women who saw war as a romantic thing, and a test of a mans bravery. She was completely glad that Griff was not a knight, because she would not be able to stand sending him off to war. She knew men often didn’t come back from war, and she needed him by her side, without him, she was nothing. Caitrin just managed a smile at Yassia, she didn’t want her to think that she was as worried as she actually was. That would just add to her friends burdens which was the opposite of what Caitrin wanted to do. “You must send me word the moment anything happens to you when you to go to war.” She smiled at her friend, “Promise me.” She knew communication was difficult, but there were ways to get messages across kingdoms, and she wouldn’t ask with such force if it wasn’t incredibly important.

Though Payton had not made an appearance yet, Caitrin was sure he wouldn’t let her leave the Kingdom without at least making himself heard. It wasn’t his style. Caitrin pressed her lip together, considering how she would react to her father. He’d not appeared in her thoughts much since leaving Mercia, excepting her rants. She often had nightmares about him, about what he’d done to her as a child, and that did hurt her sometimes. But she was a grown woman, so surely he still wouldn’t be able to have that effect on her? Caitrin looked across at her friend as she mentioned matters of state. She supposed she had that little mercy. Only her Uncle had to approve her marriage, and that was it. No one else would be affected by the marriage, but Royal marriages were a completely different matter. “True, would you have to get your marriage approved by the Royal council?” She puzzled gently, she had no idea about marrying Royals, but that sounded like the right thing to say anyway.

She had been right, there were voices up ahead. She was now just hoping that they were the friendly sort of hunters, and not the type she had often described to Yassia. Caitrin didn’t have Lily, her mare, with her. This was just some horse the stable hand had given her, so she had no idea how quick it would be. “We’ll dismount, but pull the horse along with us.” That sounded safer, they could always command the horses to stay put if they needed to weave through the trees. It was all doable, but it made more sense to dismount in Caitrin’s eyes. She got off the mare she was riding, and took it’s reigns in her hands tugging her forwards to the voices through the trees. Caitrin could just about make out the Royal sign of the Mercian Royals, “Yassia, I think this is the Royal hunt!”

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Friendship was not an easy thing sometimes, it was a grave responsibility as well, but it was at the same time more worth than gold. Of course Yassia would try to keep Caitrin updated on how things were succeeding in Ailantha, she would simply have to find an easy way to. A normal messenger would take far too long for the letters to be anything near up to date and as such of any use, but there had to be some possibility to trasport a letter faster then by horse. Oh well, it would come to her eventually, of that she was sure. For now she could only give her friend a promise, and that should be enough, yes? Who knew after all what the future would bring. Maybe there would be a fight, maybe there wouldn’t, but she would better be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. “Of course, I will make it happen!” she nodded and returned the smile. “You’ll get word from me as soon as I know what to face. Even though dangers could be awaiting us even before we are half way through our journey.” She swallowed and shuddered a little, remembering a very decisive unpleasant scene. “It is never easy crossing the channel that divides Albion from the continent isn’t as harmless as it seems. There can be vicious storms brewing up inside a few minutes and catch you unawares… I should know, it took us by surprise the first time.”

Yassia really liked to take things step by step when it came to her difficult heritage, and so she had banned the matter of marriage far from her mind for the moment. First she needed to win back her kingdom from Guifré and stake her claim once and for all. Then she would try to convince the Crown Council to let her rule without a man, if need be, as she had shown herself to be mature and able by getting rid of Guifré by a scheme on her own. It would not be easy, she knew that. Ailanthans were basically traditionalists, and changing of rules wasn’t very popular with them. But maybe seeing a young and energetic princess returning from a long journey, definitely more world-wise than she had been before and ready to show the support of another kingdom for her claim would convince them that times were changing. It would have been ideal of course, if the stars had provided her with a willing husband along the way, someone she could trust to be king at her side, but apparently they had thought differently. “First I’d like to convince them I am able to rule alone”, she confessed with a crooked smile. “But if that fails, yes, the possible candidate would have to make a very good impression indeed. We’ll see.”

What Caitrin suggested sounded reasonable, and so Yassia followed her advice and quickly dismounted, following in Caitrin’s footsteps and focussing on making as little a sound as she possibly could. The ground was scattered with dry leaves and twigs, which didn’t make this task any easier, but for now the voices seemed louder than any sound the two women and horses made. Listening closely, Yassia tried to make out something familiar about the voices, and that was just when Caitrin told her these was the royal hunt. Sweet Stars! That could only mean…
”You mean… Edmund? Or Oliver??!!” Was there a hint of panic in Yassia’s voice? She couldn’t tell herself, even though the general feeling would surely match. Most likely it would be Oliver, fully exploiting that she had given him the go ahead on using his bows. If he was to find them here… well, then, so what? She wouldn’t really believe now they would launch a hunting attack on them right? Oh dear, been there, done that, and have a scar to tell, she thought oddly amused.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was happier now that Yassia had assured her that she would send word as soon as she could. Caitrin knew she would still worry until she received any sort of word from her friend, but what sort of friend would she be if she weren’t worried? She was sure Griff would help ease her worries though in his own way, he would certainly prove to be a welcomed distraction. “How long do you think it will take, until you get your crown back?” She asked curiously, she had no idea how long it would take Yassia to get home, let alone regain her crown. That was if she could get the crown back at all. The thought sat uneasily in Caitrin’s mind, she knew the horrors of war. Though she was naive in the sense she had never seen a battle, her brothers had told her about battles they had fought in under the Mercian banner. War didn’t sound like a romantic song and dance that some courtiers made it out to be, she knew most never came back.

Caitrin was incredibly glad she was only a noblewoman, and that she didn’t have to get involved in what was best for the state when she had chosen a husband. No, she had only had to think about her own comfort, and Griff’s of course. It was strange, but by marrying her he was securing his own inheritance, rather than the other way round. Through her they would inherit her Uncle’s estate. Griff had no land, and hardly any money. She didn’t care though, her Uncle’s lands would serve them well enough, and the land would be there for her children in the future. It would all be fine from now on. “Well I hope you marry who you want, rather than who you should.” She winked at her friend, she knew the royals were expected to use marriage alliances, but she wanted her friend to be happy.

Keeping her mare in check, Caitrin tried to get a better view of the men up ahead. She was sure this was the royal hunting party. Or more, she hoped it was, because they had no reason to worry if it was. The signal of the House of Mercia could be seen on the side of some of the shields, and Caitrin was sure she was right. This could be interesting. “Yes, look, I can see Oliver and Jeffrey right there.” She whispered to Yassia. They were well concealed enough here to not draw attention to themselves, so they were undetected for now.

...

The hunt wasn’t going incredibly well so far, the stag they had been tracking had disappeared. They had a new tracker, and he wasn’t being incredibly helpful. Jeffrey dismounted his horse, and decided to have a look round himself. He didn’t want to let the stag get away, they’d been tracking him all morning, and he didn’t want all that effort to be for nothing. He couldn’t see any marks in the grounds; great. “It can’t have got far.” Jeffrey reasoned and turned to his friend, Oliver. This wasn’t exactly going to plan, it wouldn’t look impressive if they went back empty handed. It would hardly impress the ladies would it? “I doubt a few hares will have the ladies swooning tonight.” He chuckled at Oliver and walked back over to him, “What now?”[/blockquote]

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

Mounted high up on Arrow, his horse, Oliver tried to see as far as his eyes could to where the stag had rushed off to. It had galloped away as soon as it heard the sound of hooves, leaving hardly a trace. They should have just left the horses in the clearing like they usually do, Oliver thought, but somehow the forest animals were rather skittish and quick today that it was getting to be quite an effort to follow them on foot. They had spotted the stag once, but it had evaded them not soon after. Since then, they were having trouble tracking it down again. Their regular tracker had bailed out at the last minute on a family emergency, and Oliver wouldn't want to keep him away from it. Sadly, the new tracker he recommended was not as good as he was. And Oliver mirrored his friend's disappointment in their unfortunate predicament right now.

“I doubt a few hares will have the ladies swooning tonight.”

Oliver chuckled at Jeffrey, and found himself grinning a tad bit meaningfully when a thought came to him, of one very special woman who was rather impressed with him catching hares and cooking them for a small feast in the jungle. That was a fond memory, and every time Oliver would come to the forest, he would always remember that one beautiful day when he and Yassia had the time of their lives just having fun eating hares and berries and learning archery, not caring about anything or anyone. Then he looked back at his friend and just shook his head in amusement. Jeffrey and his women, some things never change. He wondered if they ever will for him. A couple of years ago, before he met Yassia in the Forest of Balor, he would probably be thinking the same thing as his best friend. Aiming to take home the most extraordinary catch, not for anything, but mainly for impressing the ladies of the court as well as the maidens of the village. It sure adds extra bonus points to one's courting or flirting. Now, he wondered if Yassia would be impressed if he brought home a stag.

Oliver dismounted from Arrow and reached a hand out to rest on his best friend's shoulder. "Worry not, my friend. We will find that stag, and you will have multitudes of women throwing themselves at your feet as you march back home with that lovely animal's amazing antlers," he reassured him, trying to look as serious as he could, but eventually ended up laughing. After all, male deers do use their antlers to fight off others to attract mates. "I'm sorry. Let's go." He gave the reins of his horse to his servant Lot, then took his bow and a quiver full of arrows before walking towards the last spot they had seen the stag. He squatted down, took the glove off of his right hand, and touched the ground. Soft, undisturbed, he thought quizzically. He looked around for any prints of the stag's hooves, but found nothing. This was weird. That stag didn't just fly, did it? Then his eyes spotted a trail of rocks not far ahead, and realization hit Oliver. "Rocks. Wise stag," he muttered. Then he turned to Jeffrey. "Let's follow this trail of rocks and see where it leads. I have a feeling our dear stag is trying to shake us off its tail by avoiding the soft ground."

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

Thinking about the practical things about her journey back to Ailantha was far easier than thinking about the possible risks, and Yassia was glad she could distract her mind with reasonable calculating. There were many things to be taken into account, so she would only be able to give a rough guess.”Well, since I was on foot and constantly losing my way when journeying to Camelot I have no idea how quickly you can get to the southern shore of Albion on horseback. But once you cross the channel you can travel in a straight line south, more or less, until you reach the mountains: So…” Yassia furrowed her brows in thinking, then gave a light shrug. “My best guess would be a little more than a month for the whole journey and then… I have no idea, if the mere threat of me coming back with support will be enough to convince my uncle to be nice. I hope it all will be done in two months time though, that would be wonderful.” It might be wishful thinking to get everything going so smoothly, but then, hadn’t she been through enough obstacles in her life? Maybe the stars would finally see some sense?

Caitrin’s easy take on the marriage issue helped Yassia to brush it off herself, She would think about that when she had the time to deal with it. Love would probably not matter much, and she doubted she would find someone again that made her feel like Oliver had in that one wonderful night before everything had gone wrong. That had to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but then, there was a huge range between loving and despising someone. Maybe the stars would grant her someone she could become friends with. Someone she could laugh with would be nice, someone who could make her smile. Then she would be content. She HAD to be content with anything that was not her cousin. “Believe me, I hope so too. I don’t ask for much”, she said in a joking tone, “just that he shouldn’t have only one eye or a too hideous face. A girl can have her standards, right?” The sad fact of her life would probably be still that she would end up comparing every possible suitor with Oliver… and that was never a good thing.

Yassia felt her heart fluttering like an encaged butterfly in her throat as she peeked through the low branches and underbrush in the direction of the hunting men. Now that she could take a closer look at them, there was of course no mistaking Oliver. There was also his servant Lot, whom she knew from the Forest of Balor. The other man, a handsome fellow with oddly striking eyes, must be Caitrin’s brother Jeffrey then. Yassia examined him with interest and indeed could see some familiar traces in his features.
Now she focused on their speech, Yassia could also hear that they must have lost track of a stag they had been hunting, and she bit back a smirk. “Oh, our poor huntsmen”, she whispered at Caitrin. “Outwitted by a stag. What shall we do? Any ideas?”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin decided just to nod at her friend, estimations meant nothing because everything and nothing could go wrong. Plus, Caitrin had no idea how far away Ailantha was. Though she had often told Yassia she would visit she wondered how practical that would be in the future. After all, she would soon be married, and if the spirits and God’s were willing, she would have a child within her before long. She did want a family, she had been protecting herself so far with her intimacies with Griff but as soon as she stopped that then she could be with child whenever she chose to be. It sounded old fashioned, especially for Caitrin, but she wanted to give Griff a son, and a family. She would have daughters that looked and took after her, and strong sons which had the looks of their father, and the strength of both of them. “Well I shall keep watch for news everyday regardless of the time.” Caitrin assured her friend with a smile. Caitrin would loyally look out for news from her friend, even from the first day.

She snorted at Yassia’s idea of a reasonable match. Caitrin had always defied a match for money and gain, but she had almost been married off regardless. Natural circumstance had torn her away from that state, and she was now happily engaged to a man of her choice. Despite what Griff had put her through she would always love him, so there was only one logical thing to do really, and she was counting down the days until she could call herself Lady Aubert. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad, once you’re Queen you’ll be free to persuade them one way or the other.” She pointed out, what was the point in being Queen if you couldn’t have some privileges?

Caitrin was watching the scene with delighted amusement. Well, it turned out that they would have some source of entertainment in their ride today. She was trying to make out what they were saying, clearly the hunt wasn’t going as well as it should be. “We shall have some fun.” Caitrin declared boldly. If it was anyone else then she would tell Yassia that they were leaving, but seeing as it was Oliver and her brother Jeffrey, she decided to have a bit of fun with them. If they were tracking a stag they could try to just put them off, “Watch this.” She picked up a heavy stone and hurled it in the opposite direction to where Oliver and Jeffey were looking in. The stone did its work, and began to rustle the leaves and bushes that it landed in. Now they just had to sit back and watch the fun unfold.

...

Jeffrey de Archer still wasn’t impressed with their haul, and he couldn’t join in with Oliver’s enthusiasm that much. Even his sister was going to laugh at their efforts so far, and that was saying something. He was still getting used to having Caitrin in Mercia again, he’d almost forgotten about his little sister somewhat, but it was easily done, she was hardly mentioned really. He’d always hoped that she was happy though, he hadn’t always wanted to just stand by while their father administered his sort of justice. She seemed happy enough though with this man of hers anyway, and he seemed alright, he wasn’t a fighter, but still.

“We’d better!” He pulled his face at Oliver’s latter words, “Oi! I don’t need antlers to herd women to my bed.” He replied with an air of arrogance which befitted his family name. Jeffrey nodded along with Oliver, his words made sense and he was about to verbally agree but he heard a sharp rustle from behind him, “Did you hear that?” He asked his friend, drawing up his bow. Maybe the stag had double crossed them, but why would it be sneaking up on them? It wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do. “Maybe its the stag come back?”[/blockquote][/color]

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

“Oi! I don’t need antlers to herd women to my bed.”

Oliver couldn't help the boisterous laugh that issued from him at his friend's remark. Trust Jeffrey not to take that joke sitting down, and Oliver was just thoroughly amused. Of course, Jeffrey could give Edmund a run for his money in that department. Well, back in their younger days, Jeffrey and Oliver were each other's wingman, and they were always having the time of their life making Edmund's a living hell, especially in the ladies' department.

He was about to continue teasing his friend when his ears caught the rustle of bushes from behind them. Instantly, Oliver turned towards the source of the sound, and darted towards it. "Didn't really sound like a stag," Oliver remarked as he parted the bushes to inspect the area surrounding it. There were no tracks, but then of course, the other way had no prints on the ground as well.

Oliver would have wanted to stop and consider their options for a while, but knew that time was running out on them. The more they stay there and do nothing, the more the stag would start gaining ground away from them. "All right, let's check this trail out," he finally said, taking out an arrow from his quiver as he stepped between the bushes hopefully to try and follow their stag.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

It wasn’t quite as easy for Yassia to work against the Crown Council, those traditional old men, like Caitrin depicted it, but the princess chose to let the matter drop for now. She would concern herself with thoughts of marriage when they became imminent, and not a second before. Without her kingdom, there was no use pondering over un-crossed bridges anyway. Maybe, when she was firmly settled, or at least had driven her uncle away so there was no other claimant for the throne, she could ask them to reconsider, and if they wouldn’t she would keep her eyes open for a suitable match, someone that took her fancy. Surely, there had be some of Mircea’s friends, Contes and knights, who weren’t bad looking at all, and maybe they had matured a little in the two years she would have been gone by then. You never knew.

Yassia cocked her head in interest when Caitrin declared she wanted to have fun. Now, what was going on in that mischievous head of hers again, she thought with great amusement. Trust Caitrin to make the most out of such a situation, and even though Yassia usually wasn’t that kind of troubleshooter, she knew she would enjoy this, whatever it would turn out to be. She even had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stiffle a chuckle, as she realized what Caitrin was about to do. While she watched the stone fly somewhere into the bushes and cause the desired rustling that alarmed the hunters, her own hand felt on the ground for another thing to throw. Her hand closed around a pebble, and just as she was about to mimick Caitrin’s move, just throwing it into a different direction to confuse Oliver and Jeffrey more, when she spied something just above Oliver’s head in the branches of a tree. It was a comparably huge nest, and it seemed deserted, since it already had come unstable at one point.

Measuring the distance, she then tugged at Caitrin’s sleeve and pointed there, a mischievous glinting in her eyes. Her aim might have been a little untested lately, but she still thought she could make it. Closing one eye, she took aim and threw the stone, but as soon as it left her hand, she knew she would miss and she let go an annoyed grunt before she could stop herself.

"Maleeixo... that won't work!"

[Caitrin de Archer]

This was probably one of the best situations Caitrin had been in, excluding her nights with Griff, since coming to Mercia. She was observing the scene carefully, and wondering what plan of action to take next. She wondered if it was too risky to use her magic in this situation to cause a bit of mischief. It hadn’t been the first thought, but she wanted to cause a bit of mayhem, and magic wasn’t outlawed here as it was in Camelot. She’d been hidden away for too long, and now the temptation was there it was rather hard to resist. She bit her bottom lip and wondered whether this was the right thing to do or not. It was just a bit of harmless fun, and she probably wouldn’t be cause anyway. Where was the harm in trying? If Yassia caught her then she wouldn’t do anything, or at least she hoped not. Was magic outlawed in Ailantha? Caitrin couldn’t remember, but she’d never heard her friend speak outwardly against sorcery, so she still had that hope really.

Caitrin felt the tug on her sleeve, and realised what Yassia was going to do almost a moment before she did it. Seeing the stone was going off in the wrong direction, Caitrin whispered and guided it in a different direction softly, and smoothly. It wasn’t too overt and Yassia would have no reason to suspect anything was amiss. She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself laughing, as Oliver and Jeffrey still looked totally bewildered and unsure of what was happening. This was probably one of the best ideas she had had in a long time, and she wasted no time in picking up another rock and throwing it in a completely different direction. She figured that they should think of something else to do sooner rather than later. “What else do you think we should do?” She whispered to Yassia, still trying to stop herself from laughing. She didn’t want to give the game away too quickly, and now she felt a bit more comfortable, she would probably use her sorcery to help her achieve her aims.

...

Now this was really, really starting to get ridiculous. Jeffrey was looking around them and still couldn’t see anything of the stag. No doubt they had lost the stag and they were tracking wild pigs, or something equally as unimpressive He looked across at Oliver, “Well what was it then?” He asked. True, it didn’t sound like a stag, but it would be helpful if his friend could at least offer some other explanation from where the noises were coming from their surroundings. He just hoped that it wasn’t something worse, like birds or something like that.

As soon as Oliver suggested tracking the trail out as well, another noise, similar to the first was heard behind them. Jeffrey’s head struck up straight away, and his bow was already risen in case there was actually anything to shoot at, but alas, there was nothing. He bit his lip in confusion more than anything else. What was going on here? “Perhaps there is more than one?” He offered slightly feebly at Oliver. There was no way that Jeffrey was going back empty handed, how embarrassing would that be? Especially in front of his sister.[/blockquote][/color]

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

Just when Oliver was about to step between the bushes where they had first heard the rustle of the leaves, another sound came from above them. And before he could react to see what might have caused the noise, another one issued from the other side, completely opposite the one where they were standing in. That's bizarre, Oliver thought even as he backed off from his spot and ran towards the source of the new sound, bow and arrow still at the ready in his hand albeit lowered to avoid any untoward accidents.

If Oliver hadn't been a seasoned hunter, he wouldn't have suspected a thing. But then, the young prince knew the Mercian forest like the back of his hand, and the consecutive noises that was distracting them from their hunt was too well-coordinated to be random spurts of animal movements. This part of the jungle didn't have a lot of small animals that would make such noise and immediately disappear out of sight just like that. Still, Oliver didn't know what it might be. If it was another hunting party playing with them, they would have known about it or have at least heard the raucous. But no, there were no other hunters in the forest today except them.

“Perhaps there is more than one?”

"Perhaps," Oliver replied halfheartedly, his mind still churning the possibilities and probabilities of what was really going on. "Keep your eyes and ears open. I don't think we're alone," he told Jeffrey and Lot as he started surveying the area around them. Starting from the source of the last noise, Oliver reached out and parted the bushes, inspecting the area for any signs of disturbance. No, the thought of catching the stag wasn't taking a back seat. Oliver was still hopeful they could find and snag the elusive animal. It's just that something else was nagging at the back of his mind, something that got his instincts kicking in high gear. Interestingly enough, it wasn't the bad kind of alert. It was actually making Oliver feel rather excited and curious. The feeling he usually gets when he's about to snag himself a nice and big catch. "Check the entire area out!" he called out to his Jeffrey and Lot before disappearing behind a clump of bushes.



ooc: so sorry this took forever.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

There was something just not right. Yassia had KNOWN the stone would miss, and yet it hit the bird’s nest full square, causing it to topple from the branch and fall with audible cracking and swishing noises into the underbrush. The princess started and watched, perplexed, until her eyes fell on Caitrin who she saw covering her hand with her mouth. It might be to stiffle a laugh, but somehow Yassia could have sworn she had heard some odd whisper coming from Caitrin’s rough direction. A whisper… and the stone had shifted its direction… there was only one explanation to this all, but Yassia couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. In a split second, she asked herself if Caitrin had really been able to hide her talent from everyone – but she must have, else she would not be able to live in Camelot. Mercia, she had heard, was a little laxer on laws against magic, it was not openly practiced, but at least not completely condemned… but Caitrin had moved to Camelot. Into the lion’s den.

And how should Yassia herself react now? She didn’t have anything against magic, she had not been brought up to hate and prosecute it, but should she even acknowledge it, or just carry on as if nothing had happened. Somehow, though, Yassia wanted Caitrin to know she thought she had found out her secret, and that she was fine with it. Else, Yassia knew she would always have the feeling of something standing between them, and she didn’t want that. So, after brief consideration, she let a smile appear on her lips, leaned closer to Caitrin and whispered: “Thank you! A little assistance was much needed here. Don’t worry… your secret’s safe with me.”
But her elation and good mood was short lived, since now the two men were closely scanning their surroundings to find out the source of what might be mocking them. They weren’t even sure yet if they were mocked, but already they were coming dangerously close to where Caitrin and Yassia were hiding. A moment before Yassia had been full of plans on how to proceed from here, maybe throwing a few more lasting pranks at the two men, and especially now she knew what Caitrin might be capable of, there might just be so many more opportunities… but then she saw Oliver coming towards her, and her flight instincts kicked in.

In a split second, all the things she had heard about ‘hunting customs’ in Mercia came rushing back into her head, and she couldn’t bear the thought of what might be happening when she was found here by Oliver or Jeremy. No matter what it really came down to, it would be a most awkward situation, and she had had enough of awkward situations with Oliver. The stars really seemed to love pushing them into the most tight spots and watching them trying to unentangle the mess that had been created. But she wasn’t going to stand for it, not anymore. She would NOT give them the satisfaction.
So, without even so much as a conscious and reasonable thought, Yassia scrambled to her feet and whispered a desperate “I’m sorry… I can’t”, in Caitrin’s direction, then dashed through the underbrush towards where they had left the horses.

[Caitrin de Archer]

The little scene that was unfolding really was starting to amuse Caitrin. Her sorcery had never been used in such a playful manner, and while she knew she couldn’t get used to it, she could at least enjoy it for the moment. The stone had gone exactly where she had intended it to be aimed at, and she grinned at her own talent. This for once was going in her favour, and she was enjoying every moment. She watched her brother, and the prince in their confusion, and had to stifle her laughter at the whole scenario. Neither would probably take too kindly to their pride being wounded by a couple of women, that was if they ever found out. Caitrin just watched it all unfolding, wondering what they could do next to irritate her brother and Oliver. She looked back to Yassia with a smile, but noticed her friend was watching her curiously. Caitrin frowned at her friend, but decided that now was not the time to ask her what was wrong. Perhaps she thought she had already gone too far. She and Yassia often differed in opinions to what was right and what wasn’t. It was a good difference though. It kept Caitrin grounded from time to time.

Caitrin was still looking at her brother through the trees when Yassia stepped towards her, and whispered in her ear. For a moment she wanted to laugh in agreement, that assistance had been needed, but then it hit her. Caitrin’s face was just one of panic, and she breathed out slowly; her heart thudding in her ears. “My-talents?” She repeated, though it was clear what Yassia was getting at. Caitrin had thought that she had been a little more secretive than that. This was not the time to panic. “Please, don’t say anything.” She wasn’t really used to begging, and she had almost forgotten that they weren’t in Camelot for the time being. Everything was rushing through her mind, even though her friend had said her secret was safe with her. Caitrin’s mind had missed that piece of information, though she knew Yassia would not mean her ill; no matter what. “I’ll explain later.” Caitrin said rather hurriedly. It was clear she owed her friend an explanation, no matter what that explanation detailed. She had calmed for the moment though, and almost felt relieved in a sense. This showed she hadn’t given herself away in Camelot.

Her attention had been with Oliver and Jeffrey as Yassia had once again whispered in her ear. She was just about registering that the men were now going to be searching the area before Yassia had fled. Caitrin watched her go for a moment before her brain kicked into gear, and she hitched up her skirts and followed her friend through the trees; mounting her mare with ease. “Come on, we’ll give them a chase they’ll never forget.”

...

Jeffrey de Archer was a man unfazed by a lot of things, but this little encounter was starting to concern him in a sense. He wasn’t unnerved, or scared of course, he’d lived in Mercia all his life so it took a lot more than rustling branches to get the better of him. However, if they were going to be attacked, or set upon, he would rather face the cowards now than them cower behind trees and bushes. Did they have no honour? Jeffrey nodded at his friend, “I thought as much.” He confirmed as Oliver had pointed out that they might not be alone. Jeffrey scanned around them, but he could not see anyone aside from their own party. Perhaps it was just a deer after all, however, he wasn’t about to let his guard down so easily.

He had been hunting with Oliver before, and yet they had never come across anything like this. They had been set upon before of course, but the attack had always been swift, and not drawn out like this. Jeffrey looked across at Oliver as he commanded a search of the area. Somehow Jeffrey felt like his chances of bringing back an animal carcass to impress the ladies at court were wearing thin. It was alright for Oliver, he was the Prince and had a trail of women constantly trailing after him. It was a little more difficult for Jeffrey though. He had to rely on his charm, and make sure none of his brothers had beaten him to the woman in question. Guy, Bryce and Aelfread seldom bothered with other women though, they were all married. It was only Jeffrey and Caitrin who weren’t married out of their little clan, and even she was now engaged and soon to be happily married.

Jeffrey began to search the area, as Oliver had instructed, and he began to move through the trees. He could hear a murmur of voices, and he kept quiet as he approached where the noise was coming from, but it had quickly been replaced by the sound of horses. Whoever they were, they were intent on making a quick get away. Without another word, Jeffrey ran back to Oliver, “We need to get the horses, whoever it was is getting away.” He pointed through the trees where the noise was coming from, and started towards his own horse; they wouldn’t let their prey get away.[/blockquote][/color]

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

Oliver whipped his head as soon as his ears caught the faint murmurs coming not far from where he was. And sure enough, Jeffrey came bounding to him with the news of his own discovery. His friend had heard the voices, too, and more it seemed. Without another word, Oliver quickly followed Jeffrey back into the clearing where their horses were waiting for them. Lot was holding their mounts ready for them. Oliver placed his arrow back into its quiver and slung the bow over his shoulder as fast as he could before practically jumping onto his horse Arrow. There was no way these pranksters were getting away from them.

"They've messed with the wrong hunters," he remarked to Jeffrey and Lot with a manic and determined look on his face. It was the kind of look that wouldn't bode well for whoever it was that they were chasing. They may have failed to catch that stag, but there was no way they were going to fail catching these troublemakers. Jeffrey and Oliver have the advantage of knowing the forest inside and out, having hunted in them since childhood. Add to that the frustration of letting the stag slip through their fingers, it only fueled their resolve to catch these perpetrators and make them pay dearly.

As soon as he was properly mounted, Oliver spurred Arrow onwards, straight through the bushes and towards the sound of the retreating hooves. His mind was already devising all sorts of ways on how to castigate these scalawags. From letting them clean the stables to making them scrub the castle from top to bottom to letting them find the stag themselves--the options are endless. Sure, Oliver have been tricked before in his many hunts by playful gypsies and even Edmund, but there was something about this particular incident that made him desperately want to seize whoever it was that was keeping them from catching that prized stag. And he didn't even have to look at his friend Jeffrey to know that his friend was just as determined to make these pranksters pay.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

All of Yassia’s instincts were set on flight mode now, and so she hardly took notice of Caitrin’s obvious unease about having her secret found out. They probably needed to talk about this issue in all seriousness later, as Yassia could also feel curiosity eating away at herself, since she never had come in close contact with magic and more felt like an innocent child regarding its powers than someone who was wary and afraid. She had no doubts at all that Caitrin would only use this power for good, and had hid it for perfectly good reasons, not out of malice. After all, everyone staying only so much as a week in Camelot knew how Uther Pendragon just lost all senses when it came to magic. A cold shower of fear quickly ran over Yassia’s spine as unbidden pictures of witch burnings sneaked into her head. Caitrin was extremely lucky she hadn’t been found out yet!
“Of course I’ll not say anything”, she hissed, almost taken aback by the thoughts Caitrin would really consider she would. Or maybe that was just an automatic reaction. She only gave a swift nod at them postponing the discussion, since right now she only wanted to get away, away, away!

Branches whipping at her legs and arms, Yassia stumbled through the underbrush until she reached the horses – what had been seconds seemed like years to her troubled mind. With an energetic leap driven by anxiety she mounted the horse, making sure the hood of her cloak was firmly secured over her head, and spurred the horse on with an encouraging yelp and a sharp tugging of the reins that made the slightly volatile mount rear up before it could be controlled and ushered onwards. Caitrin, it seemed, was still having a rather lighthearted outlook on the whole issue, since Yassia heard her saying: “Come on, we’ll give them a chase they’ll never forget.”
A chase they’ll never forget… I’d agree to it, if they just don’t catch us. They can’t catch us… they can’t! They would simply have to be faster than the two men, and then everything would be alright. Maybe in a few hours’ time, Yassia would be able to see it as the funny adventure it undoubtedly was, but right now her view on it was rather serious, if not maybe too serious. She tried a smile for Caitrin however, not wanting her friend to know how much this situation affected her. Caitrin might just draw the wrong conclusions… or the right ones, that was. “You bet…” she called over at her, but tried to keep her voice low as to not give herself away, then she once again spurred the horse to move faster with a demanding “YA!”

Behind them, she could now hear agitated voices and the neighing of other horses. And then Oliver’s voice, loud and clear: "They've messed with the wrong hunters," Sweet stars, how angry he sounded! This just made Yassia fear the confrontation even more and she ducked deep over her horse’s neck, praying silently it would get wings and just fly away. She knew Oliver’s temper after all. Would he insult her again, if he found out who had pranked him? Would she see that hatred in his eyes again, that unforgiving, unconditional disgust and anger? Please… no. Yassia knew she’d not be able to bear it!
Up in the distance, Yassia saw the path they were taking splitting into two separate branches. It was still a while off, but she’d rather make sure now how to go with this. Turning back in the saddle – her fear had made her direct the horse a good length in front of Caitrin’s – she called out: “Left or right?! Or split?!” Sometimes staying together was the key to success, sometimes splitting was. Seperating might at least give one of them the chance to get away unscathed… and for a very selfish and shameful moment, Yassia fervently hoped it would be her.

[Caitrin de Archer]

It was a strange feeling for Caitrin, to know that someone knew about her gifts. In Camelot, no matter how great the temptation she would never have used sorcery in such an open way as this. It was never worth the risk, not with Uther still ruling in Camelot. Arthur had similar views, so Caitrin was not holding up much hope for her ever being able to openly use her gifts in her home. She had long come to accept that, so it never felt like she was losing anything. Yassia wouldn’t know about it at the moment, but she was the first person to know about her gifts in well, years. No one in Camelot knew. How could they? Not even Griff knew about her gifts. Perhaps she should have told him, but as long as she wasn’t openly using magic then there was no problem. Sort of. She owed him the truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. After all, that would drag him into her treason as well. Plus, she didn’t know Glouchedon’s attitude to magic. Lucan was a knight of Camelot, so perhaps the attitudes were the same there as they were in Camelot. Everything was racing through her mind, but she would have to have this conversation with Yassia at a more appropriate moment, as they were quickly being discovered by Oliver and Jeffrey. She just nodded at her friend, wondering what Yassia thought of this. She knew she wouldn’t give her over, or so to speak, so that was something.

Caitrin would have been happier racing through these trees on the mare she had back in Camelot. Lily was well used to racing and to Caitrin’s own temperament. The mare she had at the moment wasn’t anywhere near as good, but she would have to make do for now. There was no going back. Nudging her horse into a gallop she followed Yassia through the trees. Perhaps a few years ago Caitrin would have known this forest better, but it had been six years, and she no more knew this wood than she would have known one in Camelot when she had first arrived there. She had a vague recollection and nothing more, which wasn’t incredibly helpful. She kicked her horse to spur it on a little as they whirled past the trees, giving a quick smirk at Yassia.

She could hear her brother and Oliver behind them, but she was still grinning somehow. She could see Yassia was more concerned than anything, but Caitrin was driven by adrenalin more than anything. Caitrin noticed the fork in the road at the same time as her friend did and she bit her lip. “Split, you go left.” She instructed her friend, as she reared her mare to go right. Perhaps that would split the party, or mean that only one of them was followed. She didn’t have time to decide on anything else before Caitrin had reared her horse down the right path; her hood still round her hair and blocking out her true identity to those behind her. She didn’t look back over her shoulder, she just felt like her heart was in her mouth, but she had never felt more alive.

...

Jeffrey was glad that Oliver was up for this new hunt, as he certainly now had a taste for it. They hadn’t got the deer, but there was no way that they were going to let these fools get away with making a mockery of them. “They have indeed.” Jeffrey mused and followed his friend to the horses. He needed to get this out of his system somewhat. Perhaps it might turn out that these were bandits or something similar; that would be perfect. At least then the chase would have an added prestige to it. Jeffrey mounted his horse and followed his friend to the side of his own mount, and spurred his stallion on. Well, at least the horses were going to get some exercise today.

Eventually they had picked up the trail of the pranksters, as they hadn’t really been making an effort to hide themselves. Jeffrey almost rolled his eyes, the pair really had done this all wrong hadn’t they? No matter, this just made them easier to catch. As they came to a fork in the road, Jeffrey slowed his horse and looked at the ground, the tracks went in both directions. He sighed out and ran his hands through his auburn hair, “They must have split up.” Jeffrey announced and nudged his horse on a little, “I’ll take the right path, meet back here when we have these fools in our hands?” He asked Oliver, and then without really waiting for an answer, Jeffrey spurred his horse on to the path on the right to follow the fool who had taken that path.[/blockquote][/color]

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

With Lot staying behind to guard their hunting tools and supplies, it didn't take long for Oliver and Jeffrey to leave that clearing and chase after their troublemakers. He was glad that Jeffrey was just as eager to let the stag-hunting take a backseat for now in favor of catching these pranksters.

They had easily found the trail, thanks to the always cold and wet Mercian weather that made the forest floors soft and hardly resistant to all kinds of prints -- animal or human ones. Judging from the fresh tracks, there were only two horses. How brave of them to sneak up on a prince of Mercia and his friends on a hunt, just the two of them, Oliver thought with a smug. They have indeed picked the wrong hunters to mess with. Oliver could already feel his hands itching to grab them and drag them back to their own camp to answer for their little shenanigans. Oliver wasn't really that angry as Edmund would have been. He just thought it would be best to give them a lesson on manners. He just hoped that these pranksters are not bandits who have also plagued on the villagers. Or else, Oliver would most definitely make sure they suffer, and suffer hard.

"They must have split up."

He nodded at Jeffrey's remark as they inspected the tracks that separated into the two paths before them. "Sure," Oliver replied just as Jeffrey took the path on the right. As his friend disappeared, Oliver turned Arrow towards the other path and felt a bizarre quickening of his pulse. He knew he ought to feel at least apprehensive. If these were indeed bandits, they could have intentionally foiled the hunt so Oliver and Jeffrey would run after them. The pranksters would lead them into a trap, into a group of scalawags far greater in number than both Oliver and Jeffrey could handle. However, it wasn't that kind of "pulse" Oliver was feeling. There was hardly any feel of danger at all, only an absurd sense of excitement and a rush that pulled so hard at him to get on with the chase.

Finally, he spurred Arrow onwards. "Let's fly, Arrow!" With a grin, Oliver egged his prized horse as they sped along the path on the left, determined more than ever to catch his "prey" just as Jeffrey would catch his own. Somehow, Oliver couldn't help the nagging feeling that this hunt was going to be so much better than the previous one with the stag they had lost.

[Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha]

This chase would be so much better on Yassia’s own horse, the one her uncle had given her, the one Caitrin had named. She didn’t know what the stablehands had been thinking when they assigned her such a comparably lame duck of a horse. Had they been under the impression she’d not be able to handle anything better? If this mare didn’t show any sort of hidden energy supply soon that turned her into a speeding machine, she’d be caught in a matter of minutes, no matter how big of a headstart she had. Yassia might not know the value and speed of Jeremy’s horse, but she had seen Oliver’s. Arrow was a classic, a wonderful mount, with speed and sure-footedness alike, perfect for a race or a hunt. She’d really wish anyone else to be the prey right now than her. But maybe Caitrin was right. Maybe splitting up would be their best shot, and they’d give them another bit of a head start, because they’d first have a quarrel of who would follow whom? No, that was ridiculous, but maybe she’d have the luck of Jeremy and a hopefully lesser speedy horse following her?

It was a good thing her and Caitrin knew each other well enough to be quick on decisions. The left it was then! “Good luck, see you at the castle!” Tearing sharply at the reins, Yassia directed her horse down the narrow left path, feeling branches whipping over her and the horses body, she she kicked it repeatedly into the flanks. “Corre, l’agafo!¹” she growled, though she knew the horse would surely not understand her. Already she thought to hear additional hoof beats coming close,r but she refused the urge to turn around and instead focussed on the way ahead and possible obstacles. Of course there would be a fallen log some yards ahead in the distance, and with a barely suppressed sigh, she urged the horse to go even faster, which it didn’t seem to like at all. “Come ON you lazy mutt!” she wailed, exasperated. ”Don’t you see that log ahead? You DO want to jump it, right?” Whether it was the words or the voice, or nothing at all that was of Yassia’s command, the mare quickened her steps and took a leap that was more a leap of faith than anything, for both horse and rider. It was no elegant jump, and somehow, even though it shouldn’t matter right now, Yassia felt her pride being hurt. She was a better rider than that and it was not her fault she had been paired with such an incapable and reluctant mount!

Still she didn’t dare to take any glance over her shoulder. She didn’t want to see who was following her, and she also didn’t want to see how little time they needed yet to catch up on her. And anyway, any diversion of attention might convince her horse it could do what it wanted – nothing – and slow down into a trot or something similarly stupid. She couldn’t close her ears though… and through the dull beating of her own horse’s hooves she now clearly detected the hooves of anyother horse… catching up at seemingly lightning speed.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin grinned at Yassia and nodded at her. They would be fine, and they’d end up at the castle one way or another. Even if they were caught what could Oliver and Jeffrey do except to reprimand them? She didn’t have time to point this out to Yassia though as the fork in the road was coming up so all she could call out was, “See you there!” Before rearing her mare off to her side, and leaving Yassia to pursue her own path. Caitrin knew how good a rider she was, but this wasn’t a horse she was used to, so no doubt she would be a little slower for that fact. She dug her heels into the mare, willing it to increase in speed, but the mare didn’t really respond to her. She swore under her breath, as she could hear someone coming up behind her. A quick glance told her that Jeffrey was the one following her path. Though that didn’t make her feel much better, it was preferred to Oliver.

He didn’t look best pleased, but neither would she in the same situation. Digging her heels into the mare again, the beast finally sped up its pace and Caitrin lashed at the reigns, putting every last bit of effort into getting away and to the castle. Her brother was gaining on her and she knew that he was going a lot faster than she was. Swearing under her breath again she reared in a different direction, hoping to throw her brother off. She had no idea what he would do when he caught her but she supposed it wasn’t going to be anything pleasant.

She was somewhat smug her plan had worked, but Jeffrey was soon hot on her tail and she had to think quick on her feet to stop him gaining too much ground on her. That wasn’t easily done though, her brother was just as talented as she was on horseback. “Don’t think you can get away!” He was shouting at her, and Caitrin found herself smirking. This was the most excitement she had had in ages. “Reign in your horse or I’ll knock you off it.” Right, well as interesting as this chase was, Caitrin wasn’t really up for being knocked off her horse. If she didn’t know her brother then she might doubt him, but she knew better than that.

Reluctantly at first, Caitrin pulled the reigns of her horse until it began to slow. She could hear Jeffrey slowing behind her and she pulled the hood of her cloak down over her face, so he wouldn’t be able to tell it was her until it was removed. Jeffrey rode up alongside her once they had stopped, and briskly pulled down the hood of the garment. He gasped slightly, and Caitrin met his eye line with a smirk, “Caitrin?”

“The very same, brother.” She inclined her head towards him, but he was just looking on at her, half gobsmacked. What on earth had she been thinking? Caitrin for her part was rearranging her cloak and just grinning at Jeffrey,

“What the hell were you thinking?” He reprimanded her, “I could have knocked you off the horse; killed you or anything!” Caitrin nodded but shrugged all the same. She couldn’t think of what might have happened, “wait, who was the other one?”

“The Princess.” Caitrin answered quickly, “Why, has Oliver gone after her?” Jeffrey nodded, still irritated by his sister, but deciding he could have this conversation with her later,

“He has, come on, we need to find them.”

Notes: If you guys want to do some posting together let me know and I'll jump back in whenever!

[Oliver Strathmore of Mercia]

It didn't take a long while for Oliver to follow the trail of this particular prankster. Like Oliver, Arrow practically knew the forests of Mercia inside out and was navigating the rough roads like he owned it. With lightning speed, both horse and prince expertly dodged low lying branches, leapt over fallen logs, and stomped on muddy puddles as if it was a normal thing for them to do everyday. And soon enough, Oliver spied dark green cloak atop a horse billowing against the wind and running frantically away from them. He didn't have to second-guess himself as to who it might be. It was definitely one of the troublemakers who foiled their hunting plans for the day. With that thought, Oliver dug his heels into Arrow's side and spurred the horse onwards. There was no way the prankster was getting away from him now.

Arrow started gaining speed as he covered more road than the horse ahead of him did. Little by little, the horse, who knew he was definitely on a chase, was just as determined as its rider to overtake the one before them. Arrow seemed to be enjoying it herself. Indeed, it has been awhile since the young prince had taken her on a thrilling chase like this. And this was not to chase a measly rabbit or deer. This was a horse-and-rider chase. The best of its kind. When they reached the rather large fallen log that cut their path, Arrow gracefully leaped over it as if it was the easiest thing to do and continued on with the chase.

The hooded rider ahead was now only an arm's length away, and Oliver readied himself, leaning to the side. Oh, he was going to make this man pay. He had to admit that while the rider seemed to be in control of his mount, the horse was just not as superb in form as Arrow was. Although, he couldn't shake the nagging fact that the horse looked eeriely familiar. A few heartbeats later, Arrow and the other horse was finally neck and neck. Oliver guided Arrow closer to the other horse, and then without much thought, he let go of his own reins and jumped, launching himself at the man on the other horse. The strong impact of the jump brought both of them tumbling off the horse and onto the ground with a crash.

Oliver himself rolled a few ways off towards the nearby bushes, but he immediately scrambled towards the other figure on the ground grabbing on its cloak. "You coward!" he spat out as he pinned the person on the ground, digging his knees on both of his sides, trapping the other underneath him. He pulled at the man's shoulders and scrambled to grab the cloak that was now covering his face, Oliver himself getting ready to punch should he fight back. The man was trying to squirm out, and Oliver tried his best to pin him down. "What do you want? Messing with our hunting!" he spat again, a tad more angrily this time. But all fight suddenly flew out of him and the young prince was in for surprise of his life when he pulled the cloak away and saw a face, just a few inches away from his, that he didn't expect to see.

"Yassia?"



ooc: maybe just a couple more. but you can always post with Jeffrey and Caitrin still trying to find them when Oliver hadn't returned to that fork on the road yet.