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Post by Swifty on Jun 29, 2010 15:09:28 GMT -6
Knight strolled casually back into the palace. He quickly picked up something and began to carry it around the palace, his light blue eyes scanning the rooms to see how many guards were in the palace at the moment. The sun still hadn't set yet and the guards usually didn't come back from the village until it was dark so Knight had plenty of time. He headed into the kitchen and requested the prisoners meals. The cook growled before throwing some slop into a dish. Knight picked it up and headed out of the kitchen and down the stairs towards the dungeon. When he finally reached the cell that Aspen was in, he glanced over his shoulder and saw that there was no guard on duty at the moment. He set the bowl on the ground and pushed it under the bars to Aspen as if he was going about his normal business. "Aspen. . ." He whispered into the dimly lit cell. Knight wasn't sure if she had been able to regain her strength in time to travel but they had no choice. If they didn't leave tonight she would be dead tomorrow. Knight glanced over his shoulder as he looked for Zane, where was he? They couldn't stay here long or someone would discover them.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 1, 2010 16:10:04 GMT -6
At the sound of her name, Aspen lifted her head and peered into the darkness. It was the servant who was to rescue her. It must be time. She took a deep breath, mustering all the strength and courage she could manage, and heaved herself to her feet. She limped as quickly as she could to the gate, which wasn't very fast at all. She silently cursed her weaknesses as she stood waiting for the servant's orders. She chuckled inwardly. A princess waiting for a servan't orders. The irony of war was endless. She pricked her ears worriedly as the sound of claw clicks could be heard by the entrance, but the soon faded. Whoever it was had passed by. She turned back to the servant. "Do you have the keys?" She questioned, looking around. Where was the guard, Zane, the one who had been so kind to her. If memory served, he was the one bringing the keys to the servant. "What if Zane can't get away from the other guards?" she questioned, worriedly.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 1, 2010 18:44:22 GMT -6
Knight bowed his head respectfully to the princess. He winced a little as he saw how weak she still was but he put his worried emotions aside and began to look around once more for Zane. When he didn't appear, Knight growled to himself before stalking back up the way he had come. His light ocean blue eyes began to search the corridor that led up out of the dungeon and he finally caught sight of the small glimmer of the cell keys. The fading sunlight illuminated them as if to point them out to him. He smiled and quickly pulled them off of the nail they were hanging on and then sprinted back to Aspen's cell. As quickly as he could, Knight unlocked her cell door and swung it open, careful not to let it squeak when it opened. He instantly rushed to her side and offered his shoulder for her to lean against but not forcing his help on her. He knew that she was strong, she must be strong if she had gone through all she had and still wasn't giving up. She, like himself, may not want to admit that she needed help sometimes. He could be stubborn in that way. He tilted his head up so he could look into her eyes, his own light blue eyes shining with determination and warmth. "Come one princess, we've got to get you out of here." He whispered to her, a caring smile on his face.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 1, 2010 20:05:56 GMT -6
Aspen waited impatiently for the servant to return. She watched the stairs with nervous anticipation. It wasn't that she was ungrateful. She was very grateful to her rescuer, but she just wanted to hurry. She didn't know how long she would be able to travel and she really preferred not to die. She breathed a sigh of relief when he rushed down the stairs. He quickly unlocked the door and swung it open silently. "Come on princess, we've got to get you out of here." he said, gently. Aspen limped out of the cell. She noticed that the servant was offering his shoulder for her to lean on. She pretended not to notice. She was strong enough to walk on her own. "Lead the way," she whispered.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 1, 2010 23:24:29 GMT -6
Knight couldn't help but smile to himself as he saw her ignore his help and instead rushed further down the walkway that ran between the cells. There was a large grate at the end of the corridor that the water ran out of. Knight had made sure the grate was loose and they would be able to escape through it. When they finally reached the end of the hall, he glanced behind them to be sure no one was following or looking and then pushed his shoulder against the grate. It was a lot heavier than Knight had intended but he wasn't going to give up already. This way was the best way for them to escape from. He pushed once again with all of his might and winced as a sharp piece of the metal sliced him in the shoulder. He felt the blood begin to well up in his fur right away but ignored it. He glanced over at Aspen, hoping she hadn't noticed. Lucky for him his coat was black so the blood wouldn't stand out and she hopefully wouldn't notice it until they were safe at their first shelter. When the grate finally slid out of the way enough for them to each fit through, Knight backed up and let Aspen go first. "After you your highness." He said softly, a smile on his face once more as he waited for her to wade through the shallow water and then out of the grate.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 2, 2010 9:34:11 GMT -6
Aspen glanced around the dungeon, keeping watch in case any guards should show up. The servant was pushing on a grate that was on the wall. Aspen noticed him wince but didn't think much of it. She wished she was strong enough to offer some help. Finally the grate moved and the servant stepped aside. "After you your highness." he said softly. Aspen nodded gratefully and squeezed through the opening. She padded forward a little ways, water sloshing around her paws, then paused to wait for the servant. It was dark inside here and smelled horrid. She shook out her coat as she waited.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 2, 2010 11:39:01 GMT -6
Knight quickly squeezed through the grate behind her and then began to lead the way again. They had to walk through a large pipe that ran all the way through the thick cement walls of the palace. The smell was awful and Knight tried to hurry and get through it but the water made his pawsteps slower than he wanted them to be. When fresh air finally hit them, he jumped out of the pipe and landed in a small pool of water underneath it. The impact of his landing made the gash in his shoulder bleed some more and he gritted his teeth against the pain before turning back to face the pipe again. Knight moved out of the way to let Aspen jump down to before he climbed out of the pool and headed off along the wall of the palace, the beach in sight. That was where they needed to get. Once they got to the beach, the cave wasn't far off and they would be safe for the night.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 2, 2010 12:04:24 GMT -6
Aspen followed the servant through the pipe. Struggling to keep up. She didn't dare say anything, though, for she knew they had to move quickly whether she felt like it or not. She jumped as a rat scurried under her paws, cringing at the thought of rats in her palace.
Finally they reached the end of the tunnel. The servant lept to the ground and looked up at Aspen. Aspen looked down at the ground a ways below her. Nervousness and worry crept into her chest. The jump really wasn't that far, but she was weak. She glanced at the servant, who was watching her expectantly. She could not show her weakness. She clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and jumped. As she had feared, her legs gave out as she hit the ground and she collapsed into the puddle of dirty water.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 2, 2010 12:14:54 GMT -6
Knight ran to her side and helped her climb back to her feet. He knew she didn't want to seem weak but when she had been locked in a prison cell for as long as she had with very little food or water, she was bound to be weak. Knight felt bad for leaving her to jump on her own and he helped her out of the puddle before taking a step back from her. He didn't want to overstep her boundaries, she was still the rightful queen of Aracadia. He glanced down at his paws before looking back up at her with his light blue eyes. After a moment of letting her rest, he nodded his head towards the beach. The waves could be heard washing up onto the shore. They were so close, they would make it as long as they got to the cave before the sun set. It was dangerously close to the horizon now and as soon as the sun set, the guards would come back to the palace and discover Aspen missing.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 2, 2010 12:24:48 GMT -6
Aspen accepted the servants help. Once she was standing on her own she shook out her fur and held her head high. This was the first time she had smelt fresh air sense her capture. She closed her eyes and breathed it in. She opened her eyes when she caught a wiff of a different, sharp, scent.
She peered at the servant, concern evident on her face. "You're bleeding," she stated, though she wasn't sure why because he obviously would know that already. She could sense his urgency, but should he loose to much blood then he would be useless to both of them. She tried to spot the source of the blood, but it must've been on the side facing away from her.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 2, 2010 12:35:53 GMT -6
Knight shrugged his shoulders to brush it off only to wince. "It's fine, nothing that can't wait until we get to the cave. That is where we will shelter for the night. It is just up the beach." He replied, heading off towards the beach. He glanced over his shoulder to be sure she was following. Knight tried not to appear like he had a limp and had to gritt his teeth once more as he felt his wound tear some more. Blood was now running down his front left leg and making his fur stick to his leg. He sighed somewhat defeated as it began to color the white around his paws red. Knight glanced back at Aspen once more, hoping he could keep her from noticing it until they at least got to the cave. It was just a little ways more. Knight could see the large boulders that formed it.
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Post by Aspen on Jul 2, 2010 12:46:01 GMT -6
Aspen limped after the servant. She panted heavily, growing exceedingly tired with each step. She hoped the were nearing the cave. Soon, someone would realize she was missing and then the entire guard would be after her. She noticed the servant trying to hide a limp. She looked closer and spotted his red-tinted paws. She shook her head. What a sight they must be, limping across the meadow like this. She could now scent the saltiness of the ocean, feel the cool breeze it brought to the island at night. Surely they were close to their destination. "How safe is this cave, exactly," she panted, her exhaustion evident in her wavering voice. ((OOC: My posts look so short compared to yours!!!))
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Post by Swifty on Jul 2, 2010 12:53:39 GMT -6
Knight continued down the beach, the cool sand feeling good on his sore paws. The cave was only a few feet ahead of them now. When they finally reached it, he found the entrance which was only a gap in between two of the rocks. Once you got inside though, it opened up enough for two dogs to lay down comfortably in it. Knight stopped and let Aspen go in first like he always did. "It is one of the safest places on the island. No guards will think to look here because no guards know it is here. We will be safe tonight while we rest and get our strength back. Then we must move on to the next shelter." He replied, entering the cave behind her and sitting down on the short but soft grass that covered the floor. The cave was far enough away from the ocean to keep it from getting flooded. Knight held his paw up off the ground just a little, to keep from putting weight on it and making it bleed more. "Are you alright princess?" He asked, concern for her clear in his ocean blue eyes.
ooc: I know I was just about to say something about that. Ha Ha
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Post by Aspen on Jul 6, 2010 9:33:37 GMT -6
Aspen smiled weakly as Knight stepped aside for her to enter the cave. She squeezed through the small opening and blinked as her eyes adjusted to lighting in the cave. As she lay down on the soft grass, the full weight of her exhaustion hit her. Her stomach grumbled. She hadn't had a chance to eat her dinner before they left. Her limbs were tired and sore. She let her eyes droop closed and her head flop to the ground.
"Are you alright princess?" The servant questioned. Aspen forced her eyes open and lifted her head. "I am fine," she breathed, "This has just been a long journey." She cringed inwardly, knowing that the journey was not over yet. And without food, how was she to regain any of her strength? Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time. She closed her eyes in embarressment and willed it to be silent.
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Post by Swifty on Jul 6, 2010 15:41:31 GMT -6
Knight looked at her with worry still clear in his eyes. He knew that she was a lot weaker than he was and being locked in a cell hadn't helped her regain much of her strength. His tall black ears pricked a little when he heard her stomach growl and he was glad that he had already placed food in their shelters ahead of time. He turned his back to her and began to sniff along the rocky wall until he caught the scent of the chicken he had hidden there the day before. It was still untouched and he lifted it off of the rock shelf it had been hidden on before placing it in front of Aspen. "Here, eat this. It will help you get your strength back." He said softly, sitting down again.
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