forum "I Will Never Bow Before You" (Fantasy O/O Closed)

Started May 31, 2022 by @ShadeStar

tune

The two kingdoms had been at war for as long as anyone could remember. No one is quite sure why it started, or who even started it. Though the war is now in the past. 5 years ago, Kingdom A finally conquered the Kingdom of Demons. However, this wasn't the end as Kingdom A's army was determined to eradicate any hope of rebellion. Military posts litter what used to be the Kingdom of Demons and spies are listening from every corner. Any subjects from the Kingdom of Demons that have even suggested change have been forced into slavery. Of course, that doesn't stop all rebellion.

On the final day of the charge, the crown princess of the Kingdom of Demons, Princess Cicada, managed to escape the castle walls. She fled to the streets and began the first, and so far strongest, movement of rebellion. For five years they managed to stay underground with little attention drawn to them, but it couldn't last forever. Rumors of her presence and what the precious princess of the Kingdom of Demons had become, a monster of sorts, floated around the guards of Kingdom A. All the way up until the princess was captured by Kingdom A and being taken to their palace where she is to be held while they force any information out of her. While being held she is graced by the presence of the crown prince(ss) of Kingdom A, your character, now in charge of either convincing Princess Cicada to marry him/her or getting the information needed to destroy the remaining rebellion. Though getting her to do either will be a challenge.

It's fantasy so pick whatever species you want and magic is allowed, just nothing overpowered. Also, I would like this to end up being romantic.

~RULES~
-This will be a more mature rp, so anything PG-13+ (that isn't gore or violence) will be taking to the PM
-Please submit character within a day or two, otherwise, I will open the spot up. This is so I can start the rp in a timely manner, so ya know, it doesn't die.
-Gore is perfectly fine, and there will probably be quite a bit in this rp.
-I’m not asking for paragraphs, but a solid two sentences each post would be nice.
-I have the right to say no to you.
-andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)'s rules apply, duh.

~CHARACTER SHEET~
Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Species:
Gender:
Pronouns:
Sexuality:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Personality:
Power:
Preferred Weapon:
Family:
Other:

I'll post my character once someone joins.

Name: Cicada Flare
Nickname: Cada, Cade
Age: 21
Species: Demon
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Pansexual
Appearance: Short dark red hair cut so that she appears more boyish than female, black curled horns that turn gold at the tips, black-framed wings with red webbing that also fades to gold, brown eyes that have a fiery aura to them, slightly pointed ears, tan skin, freckles across the nose, cheeks, and shoulders; overall a very thin and wiry frame, wrappings around her chest to make her seem more flat-chested than she is, and scars that litter her body everywhere.
Clothing: A loose plain beige tunic, loose brown pants, a solid brown hat, and cloak. The only significant possession she wears is her golden crown circlet with a ruby in the center and golden chains around the horns. She covers them with the hat of course.
Personality: The best way to summarize Cicada is a hothead. Her emotions drive most of her actions, but as of late she's become tight-lipped and a little more think first then do. Her uprising gave her a well-versed education so she's quite intelligent and able to make plans on the fly. Though most of those plans go out of the window once her emotions get the better of her.
Power: Pyrokinesis is her main power and the one she uses most openly. She also has telepathy, but because she had a difficult time keeping it under control. Her circlet is not only a representation of her royal standing but also imbued with power to help her control her powers.
Preferred Weapon: Daggers and swords, but anything with a blade will do.
Family?: None, they're all dead.

Name: Rowena Sokolov
Nickname: none. She will resist any attempts to be given one
Age: 24
Species: bird shifter; Eurasian sparrowhawk
Gender: female
Pronouns: she/her
Sexuality: doesn’t really care for labels, but somewhere on the asexual spectrum
Appearance: With her height of 6 feet and strong, curvy body, Rowena can carry a powerful presence when she wants to. She has thick lips with a sharp Cupid’s bow, and thick eyebrows. Sharp, yellow eyes and dark, glossy hair that’s usually pulled up and perfectly curled. Her skin is pale with some olive undertones. In bird form, she is about 16 inches in length and has a wingspan of 31 inches. Her upperparts are dark grey, while her underparts are barred lighter gray. Her beak is small and sharp, and she appears to have white “eyebrows” above her eyes.
Clothing: you’ll find a lot of leather corsets, sheer linens, and expensive silks in her wardrobe. Has a love of big sleeves, ruffles, and adorning all of her outfits with feathers. Rarely wears dresses though, if at all.
Personality: as queen, Rowena has learned to be very guarded and cold on the outside, and careful when interacting with others. She’s incredibly intelligent and enjoys the pursuit of knowledge, reading and studying what she can. She’s quiet though, and can seem rather aloof at times. Though, growing up with her brothers has allowed her to become adept at conversing with people and “pushing them in the right direction” as she calls it. She’s not afraid to be blunt when she wants too, however, and will speak her mind when she sees fit.
Power: she can transform into a Eurasian sparrowhawk, as well as manipulate her body between states (eg have the wings while the rest of her stays human, growing feathers on her body, etc)
Preferred Weapon: likes long ranged weapons. Longbows come most naturally to her
Family: two younger brothers, Prince David and Prince Edward. Her mother, the Night Queen Eris, and her father, the former Day King Gideon.
Other: she is not the crown princess anymore, she became the Day Queen a few years ago when her father abdicated.

Cicada hadn't been down in the dungeon for long, she knew that much for sure. Maybe two to three days, but it felt like an eternity. The first thing they had done was strip her of most possessions leaving her with close to nothing except for the clothes on her back (barely), the circlet on her head, and the chains around her horns. Her hands and legs had been chained to the floor and pegs driven through her wings also forcing them to the floor. As much as it was painful, at least these monsters hadn't cut them off yet as she had seen with some of the other demons they made their slaves. Between her arrival and now she had been visited a few times each one worst than the last leaving her bruised, battered, and bleeding. Despite all of this she had refused to break underneath them. Today was different. Whispers of gossip flowed throughout the dungeon and while Cicada couldn't make them out from her place chained to the floor, she still bristled in preparation for whatever was to come to her

Rowena never liked the dungeons. Of course, no one usually did, except for some of the burrowing birds that had been hired as prison guards. They were underground, between the roots of the great tree the palace, the Nidum, was built around. Tree roots hugged and curled around stone brick walls, or ran along the ceiling or floor. It was always damp and humid down there, making one’s skin crawl.
But today she would have to put aside her distaste. Three days ago her forces had captured the Demon Princess, and with no success having been made, Rowena was curious to see for herself.
The guard, a burrowing owl, escorted her down the earthy corridors with his spear in hand. Above them, the sound of flapping wings and rattling of the hanging bird cages sent chills through her. They were set up for violent criminals, forcing them to stay in their bird forms for the entirety of their sentence, until they were released, executed, or died here.
But Rowena was not meeting up with that kind of prisoner today. She turned back to the stone brick cells on either side of them, mostly filled with those who committed lesser crimes, political prisoners, and rebels.
The guard stopped, and turned to face the queen. His large, amber eyes seemed to bore into her, but Rowena was mostly used to it. “Here we are,” he said, inclining his head to the cell he stood beside. Her gaze flickered to it, peering between the metal bars to get a glimpse of the individual inside.

Cicada glanced up to see the very Day Queen she had spent so long fighting against. That's what all the guards must have been talking about earlier that day. Her face morphed into a scowl before she quickly trained it back to a neutral stance. She needed to be as neutral as possible while dealing with her most hated enemy. Though, she let her brown eyes bore into the queen brimming with the hatred she was currently feeling for the queen. For the death of her parents. For the treatment of her people. For everything else, this woman represented to Cicada.

Rowena’s yellow eyes stared back, seeming to glow faintly in the dimness. There was no hatred for the Demon Princess, only cold detachment, and faint curiosity. She studied her like a test subject, a thing to be analyzed. She was quiet for a moment.
“Princess Cicada,” she greeted, voice smooth and rich. “Can you tell me who gave you these injuries? They look painful.”
Folding her hands in front of her, she held her gaze.

"Who do you think?* Cicada spat back at her, never letting their eyes lose contact. She let her head tip towards the guard standing near giving the queen the benefit of the doubt that she had some intelligence in that empty bird brain. Cicada felt her hatred further into her heart with the cold look she was given.

Breaking eye contact, Rowena looked at the guard. A hand went up to her mouth, as if she were suppressing a laugh. “Oh, I see. Thank goodness it was none of the interrogators themselves. You operate under Her Nocturnal Majesty, yes?”
The guard nodded. He appeared not to have blinked the entire time Rowena had been in his presence.
“Then I will have to speak to her about it this evening. For now, understand that my soldiers are the ones who captured her, therefore it is I who decides how she should be treated. And I will not tolerate torture being used on her, even if she is a demon.”
This was the first time the guard blinked, a confused expression crossing his face as he did so. Rowena turned back to the Demon Princess.
“Now then. How about a change of scenery?”

Cicada's frown turned to a scowl. Of course, it wasn't just the guards, it was the people who were trying to pry answers out of her as well. However, she did not expect the queen to so openly decree that torture wasn't to be used on her. Though her reasoning behind it didn't make sense to her. It was the Day Queen's people who caught her, so what. Cicada was still an open threat to their kingdom and knew many secrets from her own fallen kingdom and the current rebellion trying to put her back in her rightful place. And then the queen offered to remove her from her current cell? Cicada kept her face harsh, "What do you want in return?"

Rowena smiled. It was practiced and stiff, not warm or genuine at all. “Nothing. Just answers.”
With the queen’s orders, Cicada’s cell was opened. More guards arrived, about two more, and they methodically released her from her bonds, only to tie her to new ones. First were her wings, which had the pegs holding them down removed, and then were bound tightly to her back with a stiff weave of leather and thick leaves. Next were her arms, which were also tied behind her back with the same weave, and covered with a brace made of bone and more leather, after removing the chains. And then, the chains on her legs were removed so she could stand. The guards then forced Cicada to stand up, and whenever they used too much violence, the queen would scold them and order them to stop.
Soon, more guards came, some in human form, and some in avian form. They were carrying what looked like a large birdcage, big enough to hold a person, and dropped it in front of the cell. With Rowena’s orders, the other guards forced the Demon Princess inside. Once the door was shut fast and locked, Rowena clapped her hands together, clearly pleased.
“Wonderful. Off to somewhere more private, yes?” She gestured for the guards to resume carrying the cage again, and started walking down the damp, earthy corridor.

Cicada didn't fight the guards as they changed her bonds. Instead, she almost relished in the freedom of her unpegged wings before they were bonded to her back. She kept a scowl on her face but did whatever free stretching she could do between the change in bonds. Her wings went out ever so slightly, her arms moved in such a way that a few of her joints popped, and she tried to shake her legs out before she was so rudely pushed into the birdcage. She growled in a more animalistic way than human as she was pushed in. and did not dignify the queen with a response as she was moved. Cicada felt like an animal at the moment, and she wasn't literal bird people here.

After some time, Rowena turned a corner, and it would become clear that they had left the dungeons entirely. The hallway opened up into one with stone flooring, and wooden beams supporting the high ceiling. Small, square or circular holes decorated the walls. It was big enough to where Rowena could shift and fly with little issue. They kept flying down the hallway for a little more, until she veered her wings to what looked like an open doorway, except it was nowhere near the ground for a regular, flightless person to have access to. The sparrowhawk queen flew up to it, then shifted back into a human once she went inside. The guards brought up the birdcage into the doorway, then several of them shifted into humans as well and pushed the cage further in. Rowena moved inside too, out of the way.
The room inside was small, but bigger than the cell Cicada had previously been confined to. It was similar to the hallway, with a stone floor and wooden beams on the ceiling. The only notable things inside were a reed mat on one side of the room, and a lantern hanging from the ceiling with fireflies inside. Rowena sat on the mat, and Cicada’s cage was pushed to face across from her. The guards then shifted again and moved to leave, and Rowena assigned one guard to stay and keep watch from outside. Then the door was slid shut, and the Day Queen and the Demon Princess were alone.

Cicada sat on the bottom of the birdcage as she was moved. She focused on every turn they made making a mental map of the palace, even though escape didn't seem possible without her wings being at least partially healed so she could fly. When they entered the small room, Cicada paid attention to every detail. The whole palace was different compared to what used to be her home made of brimstone and used fire for lights rather than fire flies. The only benefit Cicada could see about the difference of the palaces is that the one she was being held captive in was it was highly flammable. Then she was left only with the Day Queen. And her only reaction to the change was to stay right where she was, silent.