Hidden in the depths of the forest... (Veryan)

[Nimiane Aragon]

Nimiane kicked her heels around the fire of the druid camp. Her sterdy wooden sandels caressed the terrain lying underfoot; a dusty sand picked up and swept by the wind, the grass was worn away by weeks of being trampled on by druid feet. The fire was crackling and simmering happily being fed by the numerous peices of dry wood that sat at its base providing the came with much needed warmth as they day slowly drew to a close. The moon was beginning to emerge, slowly making its way up to the centre of the sky and blessing the people below with its calming moonrays blanketing the earth. That particular day had been a insanely hot one and Nimiane was thankful that now she could recover from the overwhelming heat. With a swift movement she flicked her steadily falling fringe from her face and tucked it elegantly behind her ears.

"Bored." She stated simply, her eyes drifting to the few druids still remaining at the camp fire that hadn't gone to bed already. One look at her sorry state of moaning and boredom began to stand up and fleeted towards their small but homely tents, eager not to get drawn into the depressing swirling vortex that was Nimiane's boredom. She smiled half-heartedly, wishing a good night to the druids who she regarded as family and gave a silent goodnight hug to one of the elders of whom she had grown increasingly loving and loyal too.

Nimiane gracefully skipped over one of the large, long log benches that were strategically placed around the fire and sat down. Raising one hand and placing her elbow on her knee, she buried her head woefully into them. She could hear complete silence now, after all talk and chatter seased to exist. Everyone had retired for the night now and she was completely alone. All throughout her many years of life, she could still not get used to the feeling of loneness and preffered to be showered in the company of friends and family. The only times she ever wanted to be alone was when she got upset, angry or ill; she was none of those things.

Her alert and nimble eyes fleeted over the atmosphere, telling her that she wasn't at all tired. Not wanting to be faced with hours in bed and enduring another sleepless nights sleep, she shot in and out of her tent. After scouting around for several long minutes trying to locate her cloak amongst the mess that she had made she uncovered it embedded in one of her drawers. Once again breaking out into the cool nights air, she swung it over her shoulders and tightly fastened the clasp around her neck. She let the emerald cloak fall to her feet and drag across the floor already picking up half the contents of the terrain of the druid camp.

"Hello?" She called out, after having heard the slightest sound calling from several metres away. Her incredible sensitive hearing was immediatly alerted and she was put on guard to a potential invader. Her hightened senses listened out for some sign that they were about to be discovered and she began to use her inpenetrable night vision to pick out who it was. Even though it was not pitch black yet, out of the light of the fire and the camp's lanterns it became increasingly hard to pick out unwanted guests which was usually the reason she was often left for night duties. A chilling wind snaked through the camp sending a shiver up her spine, crows began belting out their monotonous calls and wild wolves howled from the distance taking advantage of the momentary drought of silence. Nimiane casually waited for the perpetrator to reveal themselves...

[Veryan Lithônion]

After residing at Camelot for a long while to come into terms with the land and become aware of the kind of persons found there and the places he should not come in knowledge of but being friends with the poor, hermits and most druids for a sort of common ground he felt there was no need to be cautious about wandering on his horse or afoot about these dark woods. Of course it had taken him a long time to gain the people’s trust and for him to be allowed freely in these woods where most resided.

He was out hunting therefore had his sword, Harbinger, hanging on his belt as well as a quiver of arrows on his back despite wearing his cloak for warmth and camouflage. He walked swiftly with his bow in hand. His light blue eyes scanned the woods as he moved like a shadow in the midst. Sometimes meat was too expensive for his household to afford it and ever since he was born he had been encouraged to hunt though very limitedly and eventually old animals with few possibilities left.

That also forced discipline on a hunter for him not to hunt for sport but bear necessity and in order to help the life cycle that the fertility gods placed upon them. Veryan was loyal to his customs and traditions and was therefore quite selective of what he ventured to hunt for. And so he moved swiftly, and this sudden new found ability to be so connected to nature allowed him to quickly find his preys and at the same time moved in balance with nature so that even the grasshoppers could not tell exactly how he moved or where he moved to.

His hands touched a tree from time to time in order to connect with the earth, the woods, to know where the animals moved to and exactly who was nearby and his eyes glittered with a gentle grin on his face and he found what he was looking for. As he slowly approached and placed an arrow on the string of the bow he suddenly felt something. His arrow fell suddenly to the floor and he pressed his hand against the tree as he felt a sudden connection.

There was boredom, fear, and confusion in the air… He leaned his back against the tree and for a moment looked deeply into the woods, was there someone lost? Was it the woods were speaking to him again? The connection with the elements made him realize that perhaps this hunting day would turn into a somewhat different one. He picked his arrow and placed it back at the quiver realizing his prey left alarmed and then he looked to his left, certainly the energy came form that path.

He slowly moved towards what looked like a narrow path and then began to recognize the bitter smell of a campsite bonfire, though it now seemed to be coming to an end. As he did so he suddenly emerged from the thickets of the woods and the boshes and wild flowers when suddenly as he turned he bumped into a lady who was standing but millimeters away from him. He silently gasped in surprise but then quickly held her in order to stop her from falling because of the momentum, “Forgive me, milady, I did not see you.”

[Nimiane Aragon]

Nimiane had stood up from her sitting position on the log now and was eagerly looking around for any signs of the intruder. She was unsure whether her mind was just playing tricks on her or whether it was just a rogue animal straying from its pack. On the other hand though, they could be in persuit of an armed gang hoping to take back the more gifted druids back to Gore for bounty and she was definately sure to avoid that encounter again. Her eyes began searching through the tree's, through the shrubs on the ground for a slightest hint that she was being watched. Her feet began involuntarily moving forward in an attempt to get closer to the noises she had just heard; there was no sign of anything.

The atmosphere had gone deadly quiet now, had she really just imagined everything? Nimiane was about to turn back to reatreat back to the safety of the fire when she felt herself connect with something. She let out a momentary yelp of surprise and then felt herself being caught by someone. She wobbled on her feet from impact but gratefully held on to the arms of however had bumped into her. Her mind was focused on the shock and confusion for several moments before releasing that someone had gotten into their camp. What sort of person was able to find something so mysterious and hidden? Maybe another druid or a friend of this tight nick group. One thing was for sure though, Nimiane wasn't going to take this lightly.

For a moment she failed to notice exactly who this person was and immedialty took a defensive stance incase she was attacked. She was about to make a move when the light from the fire caught on the man's face. It was Veryan. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes for a second, recovering from the shere shock that was the worry of being attacked. She smiled in relief too, sending a cheeky grin to this new arrival.

"Veryan, you scared me! Ugh" She said, breathing steadily in order to soothe her rapidly beating heart before nudging him playfully for this unexpected intrusion.

She realised she was still lazily strewn in Veryan's arms and wriggled free trying not to show her brewing embarrassment. She shook her head to appose the changing colour of her cheeks and looked up at him with a grin. "You were five seconds off meeting your maker, I was about to attack you." She said pausing for a short while, beginning to speak in contemplation. "Ooh, that was have been interesting" She said, trying to imagine the two in a fight, wondering who would win and who would lose. "Of couse, I would win" She said with a playful grin before making her way back over to the log and tucking her dress under her ample frame to sit down. "Come join me if you want, that is if your planning on staying?" She said hopefully, hiding the hope from her words and asking the question with an air of curiosty.

[Veryan Lithônion]

Veryan normally went hunting at such late hours in order to avid meeting up with people though it seemed like some persons did not sleep or preferred being awake during night hours, he ignored how a lady could be awake instead of safe in the confinements of her chambers resting and getting ready for the next day to come, however, he was no one to judge but it was certainly not safe for anyone to simply walk about the land so late and with no one to escort her, though she was at the druid’s camp, perhaps she could not sleep? However he was already deviating too much from the real issue here. Looking at her clothing he recognized a druid, however, he did not understand why she was alone, they seldom left anyone stay awake, not when so many dangerous creatures and persons lurked the land, especially in placed few could see them, that being the woods.

He knew how dangerous life was for them; especially ever since some kingdoms forbade magic, even though Camelot did not stress the matter and seemed rather more flexible, it was a risk not to be taken when magic was involved, Veryan wasn’t justifying the random use of magic, of course, for those things influenced most in life and had to be used responsibly and careful, surely Veryan did not make sure of his powers to achieve the things he could as well do on his own, and so it had to be.

He noticed that the lady seemed rather scared at having found him, shocked would be a more proper word though he had not expected to find her, least of all to scare her that way. Surely even he would be shocked with such a random encounter, however there was something familiar about this Lady, her fragrance, the colour of her hair, her soft hands, yet he could still not place it for it was too dark. However, the moment she stood in defensive position it was then when he recognized her and he smiled. She seemed to recognize him to, or at least he thought so.

"Veryan, you scared me! Ugh"

He could not help himself but to laugh at her words, though it had all happened so fast he did not realize he was still holding her. She nudged him and he smirked, “You know what I told you last time, Nimi, you should always expect me when you can least expect me.” He grinned and then looked back at the camp, “What are you doing up so late? And wandering off are we?” He was worried however he was still glad to have come across her.

"You were five seconds off meeting your maker, I was about to attack you… Ooh, that was have been interesting"

He smiled though noticed that she son stood on her two feet and blushed lightly, it made him smile even more. “Truly, would you have done such a thing?” He chuckled and began to look inside his pouch as he knew he had been working on something to give it to Nimi however it was taking him time and effort to find it, what the… And then, as he finally found it he slowly reached for her right hand, once again, and slowly placed in it a beautiful small bracelet, he had made with his newly acquired blacksmithing skills, for he was also interested in the making of jewels and such, he simply loved his professions. It had Celtic designs and figures and Gaelic words in them.

"Of course, I would win"

“So sure are we?” He smirked and then said, “I dare you, how is it that you would win?”

"Come join me if you want, that is if your planning on staying?"

He walked over to where she was and say beside her however saying, “I was out for a hunt, sometimes I prefer moving at such late hours rather than find people in the woods, it is easier to concentrate then, and to also enjoy some time of solitude with nature.” She knew what he meant, she was a Druid, nature was their home.

[Nimiane Aragon]

Nimiane elegantly crossed her legs over and lazily hovered her hands over the fire in order to warm herself. A single wisp of chilling breeze hung over the camp for a short while and caused the fire to bend obscurely in an angle before returning to normal after having recovered from the ever changing weather. "I wasn't wondering off... I was just making sure there was no one there" She said innocently before answering the other half of his question "And I can't sleep. Plus someone needs to kep watch so I elected myself to carry out the job. At least when I'm doing it the others don't have to stay up all night and I don't need that much sleep anyway." She said selflessly, being the ever so kind and carry person that she was.

She liked to think of herself as the guardian of the group. She was there to look out for them when they needed it, protecting them from threats and risks that were posed to them by the outisde world. Taking on such a role had forced her to do many things in the past that she wasn't best pleased with but her loyalty and allegiance to the druids was never ending. She would never abandon them. They were her family and had been there for her in her horus of need so she was there to repay her debt and return to the favour. In fact, she couldn't think of any place she would rather be, there was such a sense of belonging and happiness within the group it could overcome any type of upset or suffering she had to endure.

"Truly would you have done such a thing?"

Nimiane cradled her head for a moment, would she really have attacked him? The thought seemed strange as she had been brought on such high values of to be faithful and respective to friends so the thought seemed alien to her. She casually shrugged her shoulders and turned to him. "No, probably not. I couldn't do that to you" She said honestly. All traces of boredom had disappeared completely and she found herself now in a rather upbeat and happy mood. This was unusual for her as nightimes were usually spent kicking her heels around the place trying to find something to do. At least Veryan was here now to keep her company.

As Nimiane laid her hands down next to her, she felt Veryan pick it up and place something in her hand. She could feel the warmth of his smooth hand and when he withdrew it she felt the absence of his warmth. She dropped her eyes to look at what occupied her hand and was pleasantly shocked at what she saw. A beautiful bracelet that shimmered and reflected the moonlight graciously; she struggled to tear her eyes away. For a short moment she sat truly spechless as it wasn't often she recieved such a stunning item.

She was about to express her upmost appreciation for it when Veryan swifty moved the conversation on asking her, if in a fight, how she would win. She smiled, still elated at the fact she had just been given such a nice gift. "Um, I don't know. I'd probably... You know what? I'm going to keep it a secret. Wouldn't want you getting wind of my sensational attacking strategies" She joked, twisting the bracelet around her little finger and marvelling over the intricate design for a second until Veryan started explaining what he was doing in the forest. It seemed he had stumbled into the druids camp by accident, but all the same it was still a nice surprise even if it hadn't been on purpose.

"You can go if you want? I don't want to deprive you of your hunt." She said slightly toneless hoping he wouldn't stand up to be engulfed by the darkness of the forest, she was banking on the fact he would want to stay with her. She tried to but the bracelet on around her wrist but struggled to attach the small latch so held her wrist up to Veryan. "Could you put it on for me?" She asked with a sheepish smile. "Thank you by the way. It's lovely. Probably one of the nicest things anyone's ever given me." She said choosing to thank him now, rather than let him think she was ungrateful. She knew it sounded stupid but she was slightly overcome with emotion, it made her feel important and loved.

"And since when have you been able to make bracelets? Your a many of many skills Veryan" She said trying to take some of the heat off her previous rather sentimental comment, trying not to embarass herself all over again. Something she was having a very hard time in doing since his visit.

[Veryan Lithônion]

"I wasn't wondering off... I was just making sure there was no one there… And I can't sleep. Plus someone needs to keep watch so I elected myself to carry out the job. At least when I'm doing it the others don't have to stay up all night and I don't need that much sleep anyway."

He chuckled and said; “You know I worry for you, Mother Duck, even when you are too stubborn to think you can look after your family on your own.” He knew how much she had come to love these persons, they were rightfully hr family and nothing would ever be the same if she ever came to be parted form her loved ones. He deemed it cruel and rather unfair the time she had been abducted, truly… Nimiane was the most loving and caring person in the world, truly innocent, she would not harm a fly, and still thieves and bounty hunters never cared for those matters, all they lived up to was money, there was nothing else that graced those dark hearts of theirs, and only the young and innocent paid the price for such rigid rules.

Maybe that was the reason why he had grown so protective over her, he did not want it to happen again for, and how lucky would she be? Would she manage to escape once again? One could not tempt chance much. At least Veryan knew that for he himself had been running away form an evil he did not know, and his parents were unwilling to tell him for some uncanny reason. His looks was worried however not stern, he could never be angry with her, truly… never.

How could he blame her when all she felt was simply the love and devotion of a member of a big family? Everyone looked after everyone and love and friendship guided their steps, surely sometimes when unable to sleep Nimiane would do this, out of boredom and frustration, it was then when Veryan felt much guilty for not having visited her more often, he did promise to come back, however sometimes things did not turn out the way you planned and Dante’s death had surely been one such reason. But now, being with her again brought energy and happiness to his heart, she was so cheerful and lively; he really needed to see a friend again after such dark and never-ending days. He wondered why had it bee he had waited so long to visit his friends the druids again; after all he was much akin to them.

He wouldn’t be surprised if she felt the very same way she felt towards her family of druids as she did with Veryan, as if she had to look after him. Nevertheless, he felt it was ‘his duty to look after her so that was a tricky situation wasn’t it? He smirked silently at the mere thought of it.

"No, probably not. I couldn't do that to you"

He smiled and said, “Oh well, I know I could…” he then leaned on his left knee and started tickling Nimiane on the stomach and neck since he knew that was exactly where her funny bones were. Surely he had not meant those words and he was being merely playful, but there was always something to Veryan, something in between the joy of a child and the responsibilities of a young adult. He knew how to behave with people, of course, but right now he was with a good old friend and she certainly could use some amusement, just as much as he could. She seemed to be so happy of having him here with her, of not being bored and with nothing to do as she usually did, in fact that was exactly how they had first met and how she had introduced him to all the druids in the area.

"Um, I don't know. I'd probably... You know what? I'm going to keep it a secret. Wouldn't want you getting wind of my sensational attacking strategies"

“Well now…” he said laughing softly, “That could only mean two things, one being that you actually have no way to win against me and so you could come up with no idea… and two, you are being mean and try to make me curious though you wont reveal the secrets you hide, if it is the first one I corroborate I would win, if it is the later… the air is full of my spies.” He winked at her and smirked. He was truly pleased at the result of his gift, she seemed in awe at it and rather pleased, a beautiful smile graced her face and she played with it and examined it as the most valuable of gifts, however he was humble and did not believe his gift could amount to such admiration.

"You can go if you want? I don't want to deprive you of your hunt."

He smiled at her though he leaned his bow on the ground right next to it, “I have been scooping the forest and feeling the energy of the woods within me, yet I did not find what I was looking for, tomorrow will be another day.” He looked up at the stars and then smiled, he was looking at a beautiful shooting star, he quickly pointed at it. He laughed softly.

"Could you put it on for me?"

He smiled tenderly and said, “Of course.” He then kneeled in front of her and slowly and gently held the bracelet and tied it to make sure it was well tied and would stay put, however making sure not to hurt her. Funny how his hands made for the hard work of forging at the blacksmith and hunting, could release such a gentle hold when it came to beautiful things such as this bracelet, or Nimiane’s wrist, or the flowers at the valley in Spring.

"Thank you by the way. It's lovely. Probably one of the nicest things anyone's ever given me."

He smiled at her and said, “There is truly no need to thank me, I should have brought it to you earlier.” He then ran a hand through his golden hair, “I have been sidetracked lately…” He noticed how she suddenly seemed embarrassed and it made him smile though he knew not why she had blushed yet again.

"And since when have you been able to make bracelets? Your a many of many skills Veryan"

He blushed and then leaned his back against the tree right behind him as he said, “I am a curious person, I guess I want to learn everything I can concerning blacksmithing and bracelets sounded like something that would please a druid friend of mine. However my work still has much to improve, you are too generous with your comment.”