An Unusual Task (Elyan)

[Deleted]

Nimueh didn’t like to be dependant on other people, but it was a sad fact that even a High Priestess could not do everything on her own, especially not when it came to weapons that were not purely of magical origin, but should have magical abilities. You never knew when such thing could come in handy, but Nimueh was no blacksmith and could not conjure weapons out of the blue. If magic should be combined with a weapon, it had to be done during the forging itself. Back in the good times of magic, when the Isle of the Blessed had still been a center of worship and power, they of course had had their own blacksmiths to do this work that required special skill. Today, everything was different. Nimueh almost had to act like a petitioner, if she wanted something like that done, and it couldn’t have spited her more. And of course, looking for some blacksmith in Camelot was a moot undertaking, since Uther had had enough time to spread fear and loathing of magic throughout the land. Even those who still held magic in higher regards than the majority would be too afraid to lift a finger in aid, for fear of being executed as collaborators.

She had let Uther have his way far too long, but then good plans needed their time of preparation, if they should not be overhasty. Too many of her kind had already lost their lived, because they had been rubbish at planning everything through. In the beginning, Nimueh hadn’t even dared to think Uther could go through with this for much longer, but the subjects itself had shocked her, how willingly most of them let go of what was their source of prosperity and happiness – magic – only because of the tantrum a crazy king had thrown. But not for much longer… Nimueh’s planning was almost at an end, and she had quite a few of them in various states of completion. This was only one of them, a backup, should some of her other plans fail unexpectedly. A sword forged with magic, that held unique power. It might not be as powerful as one of those forged in a dragon’s breath, but what was the chance of anyone laying his hands on one of those anyway? No… this sword would be a masterpiece and enable it’s bearer to perform magically enhanced duels without he himself having learned any basics of magic.

For this, she had set her eyes on a particular smithy that was rumored in all of Escetia to good and not averse to a bit… questionable business as long as good money was paid for it. Nimueh would have to see the result first and then decide if she would reward the smith handsomely or just let him get away with his life as a sufficient reward. It would all depend on the circumstances. Normally, she also didn’t like to be seen in such… low surroundings, in a village full of muck and grimy dirt and equally dirty people, but for the right goal, sacrifices had to be made. At least for now she was not bothered with staring eyes from men who hadn’t seen a beautiful woman in all their life, as she had hid her face and figure in a grey and blue velvet cloak. Approaching the smithy, she was not greeted with the familiar clinging of steel on steel, but with agitated voices instead. Intrigued against her will, Nimueh crept closer to the forge to find out what was the substance of the argument that seemed to be going on there.

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Tag: Elyan
Timeframe: pre- season 1
Time of Day: afternoon
Note: Hope that's okay

[cherryblossom131]

Elyan had been on his own for four months and he'd been loving it. He missed his younger sister dearly, but the thrill of being free stopped him from returning to Camelot. He hadn't ventured too far...yet. He'd decided to get his bearings first before embarking on the adventure of a lifetime to travel across the five kingdoms. Elyan had opened a relatively small smithy on the outskirts of Escetia about a month after venturing out of Camelot. At first it had been difficult to become truly established but soon many people came to him to commission weapons such as swords and daggers. They commented on his skill and he'd always thanked them. He'd been taught by the best, he'd always say. In his opinion and probably many others, his father was the best blacksmith in all the lands. Better than any royal blacksmith, that was for certain.

He was working on a sword and sighed when he thought of his father. The last time they'd spoken they had been arguing. It's what had prompted Elyan to finally leave after he'd been thinking about it for so long. They'd both been harsh, but his father was stubborn and by the gods so was he. He'd probably go to Camelot again to visit, but first he wanted to make a name for himself, achieve something to show his father he wasn't just a reckless boy, he was a man. He didn't hate his father, quite the opposite, he loved him, but he hated being caged up in Camelot. Tom just hadn't understood that. But at the end of the day it had been his father who had taught him how to truly be a great blacksmith. That he shouldn't force the metal into shape, but gently mould it artfully into whatever it needed to be, whether that was a sword or a horse shoe.

The doors to his forge slammed open and he had to fight to not visibly roll his eyes. It was the same man that had been paying him regular visits, Sir Edward. He was dressed in armour and a cape with the crest of Escetia stitched into it. He also wore rather expensive boots and had a sword with a silver hilt in his belt. Elyan always silently thought the knight never actually had need to don such clothes but only did so to flaunt how much better off he was than everyone else; how much better off he was than Elyan. "What is it now Edward?" Elyan covered his mouth as he mockingly yawned. Edward's face contorted into an ugly snarl. "How many times do I have to say that's Sir Edwards to you, commoner." He smirked at Elyan as if he'd deeply wounded him. Elyan just shrugged off the comment. "It seems one more time Edward," he retorted with a smirk of his own. "You need to learn some manners, boy." Elyan had had enough of this. The knight was probably only a few years older than Elyan and newly knighted. "Didn't your mother ever teach you?" The knight sneered. Elyan narrowed his eyes glarling and his jaw visibly tensed. Edward noticed and continued spurred on by the unexpected reaction. "What, is she dead or did she abandon you?" He jeered. "Shut up." He was going too far. "Probably for the best, any mother of yours must have been a harlot anyway."

That was it. A small crowd had already gathered at the scene but Elyan didn't care. His fist connected with Edwards face before he finished speaking. If there was anything Elyan would kill over it was someone disrespecting his dear mother. The knight tried to fight back but Elyan easily blocked his blows and continued to punch expertly. The knight already had a black eye forming and a broken nose and several cuts and bruises. As if only just realising it was there the knight fumbled before grabbing his sword from his belt and pointing it squarely at Elyan's chest. "How dare you attack a knight?" Sir Edward bellowed, spitting blood. "I'll let you go, if you apologise," he smirked. Elyan chuckled at the notion. "Over my dead body." The knight smiled wickedly. "So be it."

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Note: Sorry about the length I got a bit carried away

[Deleted]

Nimueh wasn’t by far the only one attracted by what seemed to be a serious argument between two men in the smithy, and so she mingled with the assembling crowd and resumed to listen into their heated conversation. By observing you often could find out far more than through questions, and gave away nothing of yourself, if you observed in the right way: quietly, inobtrusively… almost secretly maybe. By what she saw in only the short time she was here, the argument was heated and serious, and seemed to concern some matters of courtesy and the right manner to deal with those higher than you. Nimueh was very keen on those class differences being observed as well, but in her eyes, respect should also be justly earned, not demanded per say. She didn’t think the way Uther ruled deserved any respect, so when she should ever cross his path again in the near future, she would show him none. This young nobleman here, a knight of Escetia as it seemed, didn’t really earn the respect he demanded either, at least in Nimueh’s eyes and the other young man, who she supposed to be the smith himself or one of his apprentices, seemed to share this view.

And of course the bloated head of knight would not like that, he got personal, which the smith didn’t want to tolerate either. Nimueh couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Insulting the mother… that had been truly stupid, as it almost always worked to make the counterpart really angry. Unless of course this was what the other wanted… and the knight surely felt like he had the upper hand, since he drew his sword and put it on the smith’s chest. Nimueh silently clucked her tongue. Now the time for fun was definitely over. She couldn’t let this arrogant young man get in the way of her plans and injure or even kill the smith she needed for her plans. No one got in the way of Nimueh Ó Liatháin’s plans and didn’t regret it! This was far too important to be ruined by some idiot like him, and she was not the type to back down and let him have his way, not because it would be unjust to kill this young man, but because she had staked an inward claim on him and would not take well to this claim being challenged!

There was no other way now, she had to get involved or something bad would happen, even though she had not initially wanted to reveal herself and her powers infront of a large crowd. Not that she was afraid of what might happen to her, she was far more confident in her abilities than that, but it might be bad to have too many witnesses. News travelled fast with the common folk, and any minor flaw could be fatal for her delicate plans.
Stepping forward, but not yet revealing her face from under the hood, she held up her hand and said: “I would appreciate it, Sir, if you would no longer waste my time”, while she inwardly summoned fire to her command and worked a spell on the iron sword, so it would become impossibly hot to touch. No need to become overly violent just yet.

[cherryblossom131]

Elyan didn't regret punching the sorry excuse for a knight for a second. He'd been defending his mother's honour and there was no way in hell he'd apologise for doing that. If that was the reason he'd have to die, then he'd die with dignity knowing he'd done what was right. With his hands by his side he stared at the knight squarely in the eyes which seemed to unnerve him slightly. But the sword was still pointed painfully at Elyan's chest when something caught his eye and distracted him from his impending doom. A person from the crowd that had inevitably formed was coming toward them. The knight, idiot that he was also looked away sensing Elyan's distraction. Elyan heard her speak, confused by her words. He couldn't quite get a good look at her face because it was covered but he had no time to dwell on that. The night suddenly howled in agony, dropping the sword.

Sir Edward stepped back from them and dared not too reach for his sword. "What treachery is this?" His eyes darted back and forth between Elyan and his hooded saviour. The knight turned away and ran from the smithy, as any coward would, Elyan thought bitterly. The crowd began to disperse when the Sir Edward left, the fight was over. A few stuck around a little longer too see the hooded woman but soon left, probably back to their jobs. When the last of the people were gone Elyan turned back to look at the hooded woman. "How did you do that?" He inquired quietly. Elyan was no idiot. He knew she'd had to have something to do with the reason why the knight dropped his sword so suddenly.