forum Revenge of The Forgotten// Private OxO with @FanfictionFanatic

Started July 04, 2021 by @StarkSpangledMayflower_Mad_Elder

tune

(Sorry, wasn't in the best headspace and I'm still adjusting 😊)

Rhysand saw the look on Emmeline's face and gave her a half smile. "Think of it this way, we will be travelling to different kingdoms and we will see how they celebrate the midsummer's festival in their own ways." He said as he jumped onto his horse, Ali. "It will be a wonderful adventure. And we will reach the next kingdom by early morning two days from now if we move at a steady pace, earlier if we move faster." He calculated.

(Oh, I hope everything is ok. If you want to talk about it, you can pm me if it's personal…)

Emmeline raised a brow at his suggestion as she mounted her own horse, Jewel, before glancing around them. “I suppose so. But, if you are implying something, I would prefer if you just say it. I simply said that the festival is quite a sight. Not that we should attend. I don't have much to celebrate these days anyway.” she explained, casting an illusion of a mule to “carry” the wagon when no one else was paying attention. “But I do like that plan.” she added with a smile at the thought of their adventure.

(No, thank you though!)

"You told me previously that you hadn't been here for long so I simply assumed you didn't get to partake in the festivities often. My apologies for the blatant assumption." Rhysand raised his eyebrows at the appearance of the mule but didn't say anything. These things were to be expected from the daughter of the enchantress and since they would be together for quite some time, it was better to get used to it sooner rather than later.

"To the adventure that awaits us, mi amigo." He smiled as he clicked his tongue and they started moving.

(anytime)

She nodded a little at his assumption, fortunately not offended by it since it did make sense for most people to think that way. “For now, it is by choice that I don't attend. I have been to several of these events years ago but…” she shrugged. “As I said, I don't have much to celebrate since my Maman disappeared.”

Emmeline chuckled softly at his spirited send-off as she clucked her horse into motion, the mule and wagon following soon after. “Lead the way, mon ami.” she replied, even though she was still a bit hesitant to consider them actual friends. Perhaps allies would be a better term for now.

(Yep! I'll do it to the morning after when they're cleaning up camp)

It was as thought the gods were on their side, the night was calm and the creatures of the dark stayed away. Perhaps it was something emmeline did after they set up camp but Rhysand was too busy looking at his maps to pay any attention to her. Presently they were packing up their camp and cleaning the area they used before heading on out once again.

Last night Rhysand was plotting their route on the map when he spotted a small village. It was smaller than the size of his castle so it may not have been a village and more like a person's home away from the busy life in the towns. He was curious to say the least but there would be time for that after he got his revenge.

With his horse ready to go, Rhysand turned his attention to the campsite, his tent and sleeping bag were still standing and the little fire pit they made was still burning from the breakfast he quickly threw together. First things first, he broke down his sleeping arrangements and put them away before grabbing the mug he stole from the Inn and walking to the river nearby to get sand. Once the cup was full, he threw it in the fire and allowed it to completely fizzle out before letting his mind wander again.

Emmeline had done a few little things to make their night more comfortable and setting up the camp simpler, but even she couldn't take credit for the calm nature had blessed them with as they slept. Unlike her Maman's magic, hers had limits and couldn't always last as long. She was lucky that her spells and enchantments could last overnight. They often needed a fair amount of concentration or a way to anchor to a lasting object. It was complicated to explain and she was glad that Rhysand hadn't asked for specifics about her magic.

She had glanced at the map a couple of times when he had been looking at it, just to keep her own bearings as they traveled. Considering they didn't know each other very well yet, the young blonde was reluctant to trust him so fully. … She was reluctant to trust anyone fully, especially since she was on her own. It wasn't personal by any means but since he was also a Royal…

"You know, if you cover the firepit with dirt, it smothers the fire without causing so much smoke." she informed him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. It was likely that he just wasn't used to camping on his own and she wouldn't be surprised if his knights put out the fires like that either. She looked at the remains of their campsite as she cast a minor spell to clean up her supplies and repack them into her bags. Fortunately, that spell was much more simple and less embarrassing than the tongue twister spell she used the first time. "Need any help?" she asked before loading up the wagon.

"That may be so, but I was told to put them out this way, the smoke and smell will linger to allow us to retrace our steps in the off chance we get lost. Granted, its not the safest way to travel if you are trying to stay hidden, but useful nonetheless." He paused a moment to stretch before rolling the map and setting it in his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and let it cross over his chest. Rhysand walked back over to the river and splashed some water on his face to cool down a bit then refilled his water bag. He came back to Emmeline with his hair sparkling in the pale sunlight as the sun rose to welcome the afternoon.

"It is at least a half day journey to the kingdom, we travelled faster than I thought we would, but the path ahead cuts through a short mountain range and it will slow us down. The other option is to go through a small merchants town which will slow us down as well because it will be busy. The festival is only a short while away and the merchants come from far off lands. While this route is safer, it will be nightfall by the time we reach the kingdom." Rhysand explained as he reached the horses. "You are welcome to take a look at the map and find an alternate route but I wasn't able to see one."

Emmeline hummed in acknowledgement and nodded at his reasoning. She had never considered using the camp as a way to navigate. “Then… wouldn't it make sense for the smoke to have a unique or specific scent, like if you were to throw sage on the embers before you put them out, so you don't accidentally walk into a forest fire?” she asked more out of curiosity than anything else. As far as she knew forest fires were rare and the chances of coming across one were minimal.

“I saw the map last night, but I don't believe I saw any other paths.” she admitted thoughtfully as she glanced at the horses and the wagon. The wheels might have a bit of trouble getting through the rocky mountain terrain even with her magic. Of course, she could simply transform it into something that could be carried over and change it back when they reached the end of that range. But she wasn't fond of the idea of so many merchants vying for their business either. With two magnificent horses and the wagon, they would be obvious targets for the trading vultures. “I… don't believe I have a preference.” she said finally. “The town would be easier terrain but as you said, it will be very busy this time of year. Though I'm not sure how well these Arabian horses would be able to handle the mountains either. How large of a town did you say it was again?” she asked, looking back over at him.

"The town is home to just a few handful of people but there are always shops and homes where people are selling things. There are roughly 50 permanent residents and about 50-75 that come and go a lot as they travelled so much. On top of that there will be many people looking to buy the goods. I have no idea how many that will be." Rhysand sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wiping his now wet hand on the side of his shirt.

"It seems that the mountain range is the faster route but not really either."

“I see… Then I would have to agree that the mountains would be… less crowded though we should still be cautious.” she said with a brief chuckle as she made sure her saddle was secure but not too tight on Jewel. She knew how important it was to respect animals, especially when you needed them or their help. Though, like people, not all animals were trustworthy.

“Are you ready?” she asked over her shoulder. “No rush, of course, but if we want to get through those mountains before dark…” she shrugged nonchalantly since they did make very good time yesterday.

"Yes, we can make way."

They started moving along the path in silence, simply listening to the songs of the birds and the sounds of the river. It wasn't long after when Rhysand broke the silence.

"We will be together for a while, might as well get to know each other no?" He glanced at his companion before turning back to look at the road.

“You make a fair point.” she hummed softly in somewhat reluctant agreement. As much as she had been enjoying the ambiance, the silence between the two had felt a little awkward. Maybe it was just because she now had someone to talk to but wasn't used to starting conversations. “Is there something you would like to ask me or that you wanted to share?” she asked, unsure what kind of personal question she was supposed to ask.

"Well.." Rhysand trailed off. It was a bit difficult to think of questions to ask her without seeming pushy, rude, or making her defensive, or maybe that was just him. "Firstly, how old are you? You seem to be my age but im uncertain because of how mature you seem. Is it just you and your mother? Which kingdom do you originally come from? And lastly, what are your favourites?" He spoke all of a sudden.

Emmeline blinked at the short but abrupt barrage of questions before letting out a surprised laugh. “One at a time, s'il vous plaît.” she couldn't help but smile. “Now, let's see. I am sixteen so we may be close in age, but Maman has said that that I learn things quickly so that may be why I seem mature. And she taught me how to behave like a lady, even though we don't have any Royal ties.” she explained with a brief shrug. She sighed a little at the next question and nodded. “Oui. For as long as I can remember, it has only ever been me and Maman. If I have a father, she never spoke of him and I never asked. I didn't want to or need to. If he had been important to our life he would have been there with us.” she added simply. “As to where I'm from, personally, I don't remember Maman mentioning a kingdom by name, but I know I was born in France.” she answered, raising a brow slightly at his last question. “What kind of favorites do you mean? Color, season, spell… quelle?” she asked.

"I can tell you're from France but the rest is new information. As for favourites, anything really, colour, season, food, spell, subject, even writing utensil." Rhysand let out a short chuckle.

“Well, excusez-moi for being proud of my homeland.” she chuckled, teasing him. “But I actually do know more languages than just French and English.” Emmeline assured before humming at his explanation. “My favorites… Well, I don't have much of a preference for the seasons though I have to admit winter is my least favorite… And I don't really write much to have a favorite tool for it. But I do enjoy reading, especially Maman’s spellbook that she left me.” she nodded thoughtfully. “I can't seem to narrow down my favorite color from between a deep dark green or a rich velvet red but my favorite spell would have to be Transformation, though I'm still learning certain aspects of it.” she added since she couldn't cast it the same way her mother could. At least not yet. “What about you? What are some of your favorites? You don't have to tell me where you're from but I'm not sure about your age really.” she said, turning some of his questions back on him.

(I would like to use a different character, as much as I love Rhysand, I want to use a character with a similar backstory but different personality. Kinda bored of playing the same personality and I'm trying to work on having different voices in my writing)

(I'm good with rebooting on here!)