Crimson - open -

[allison]

Just east of the Saxon's encampment, a lone horse rider galloped down the twilight rough hewn road. The time had long sense strayed past midnight, the crimson fingers of dawn just waving from the horizon, where it wasn't blotted it by sinister purple storm clouds. A few stars could be glimpsed to the west, the moon outlined by a silver ring, glowing pathetically through clouds. A light rain was currently drizzling over Eastern Britain, cold but gentle to the walker, but supremely irritating to the fast horse rider. Aly, hunched over the horses neck to encourage it faster still, had her back and head completely drenched by the rain, the water soaking through the thin, tan breeches and jacket, embossed with Arthur's insignia and a olive branch wrapped around her wrist, signifying a peaceful visit. Regardless of her apparent intentions, the Saxon's likely wouldn't take it in the same manner, consider it a ploy to get inside of the encampment. Which, although none but Arthur's intelligence core knew about, was the general idea. They often joked it was healthy to keep the King in the dark, he might not sleep so well at night.

She was forced to come as a diplomat, seeing as her penetrating blue eyes and blond hair were at odds with the dark haired Saxon's. It would be child's play to defer her nationality. Apart from Arthur's insignia embossed where the breast pocket of the jacket should be and the insignia on one side of the horses bridal, there wasn't much to show her supposed allegiance. Tan riding breeches, light blue jacket and white blouse. Behind her was a waterproof small bag, containing a couple changes of clothes, two more elegant then the rest, food and a couple of sealed scrolls suggesting a treaty between the two societies. All completely innocent, although the three knives she currently kept on her person were a tad more sinister.

And so Aly darted along the road on her steed. A small, shaggy, barrel of a horse; built for speed and stamina, out running larger, more dangerous foes on it's study legs. Despite the temptation to close her eyes against the rain, she didn't dare to narrow them. It was not because she was a stranger in an enemies land, but because she had road the majority of the night and past day. Falling off of a horse because she had drifted off into sleep would not be dignified. Still, the rhythm of the horses hooves steadily beating on the ground was slowly lulling her mind into unconsciousness. So much so that she hadn't noticed the sound of hooves drawing closer.

To late she saw the black blur of a horse heading diagonally in her direction - traveling fast. Three seconds passed as Aly debated what to do. Try to outrun him/her, straight to the encampment? That would be suicide though. They would see the Brit and the rider chasing her, jump to conclusions and off with her head before she had a chance to say 'oops.' Aly pulled up on her reins, causing the horse to slide to a stop, rearing briefly at the suddenness of it. She stayed on, knees and calf squeezing tightly, fore what the animal lacked in size it made up for in sheer power. Once the animal had settled, she stood up in the saddle, brushing rain slicked blond hair out of her eyes to see better, panting lightly, peering through the early morning gloom to the other horseman.

[Alowyn]

The sky was dark, and rain slowly drizzled over the horse and rider; Alibi and Kendall. This part of Britannia was cold and gloomy, rain or snow covered the lands everyday. Kendall pulled her navy blue shawl closer to her bare shoulders, her mind going over what Caetrin and Adelmar had said to her. They wanted to overthrow Cynric, divide the land between the three of them, and declare all out war on Arthur. Her heart was filled with hatred towards Arthur for killing her father, but it was also torn between two evils; Help Caetrin & Adelmar, or tell Cynric.

Patting Alibi’s black neck, Kendall hunkered over, allowing the rain droplets to repel off her back. Out of the side of her eye, Kendall noticed another rider, riding his or her steed hard and fast. Sliding her hands through the reigns, Kendall squeezed the black horse’s side’s, urging him into a faster pace. Coming upon the rider, who had came to stop, she pulled back sharply, sending mud everywhere. Kendall looked innocent enough, wrapped up in a shawl that covered a dress that Cynric had stolen from a Roman Caravan. Her hand slid back, touching the hilt of her knife, and looked at the rider. ”Halt, state your name and doings.”

She said peering threw the rain; the rider was a woman. Kendall brushed her long, wavy, dark brown locks out of her face, gazing at the woman. Looking at the insignia, Kendall recognized it as Arthur’s, biting her lip in frustration. Kendall spoke with the Saxon accent, yet she was taught many different languages when she was bed ridden. By now, many Saxon spearmen were riding up to Kendall, incase their Princess needed help.

Ooc; sorry its short, lost all my muse.

[allison]

Her horse stamped his hooves nervously, prancing backwards until Aly reigned him in sharply as other horses road up behind the first. Her eyes narrowed through the rain at the other rider, trying to see who it was. The Roman shawl was a little bit misleading, but the women's accent was doubtlessly Saxon. Prepping herself for acting like the nervous diplomat, Aly raised her arms upwards in a peaceful guesture, fingers sprayed and palms facing forward, showing she came empty handed. Licking her lips, she called out, "Allison Jacques. I'm a diplomat for Arthur," Her accent was crisp and clear, obviously English. Nervousness could be detected under a confident bravo.

As always, she felt no confidence or nervousness, simply a very good act. Peering through the rain, she tried to identify the face. Perhaps if it hadn't been raining and she had slept last night Aly would have been able to identify her from the rough sketches of the Saxon royalty. Judging by the horseman with the carrying spears, she was someone important who needed to be taken care of. But she still couldn't identify the other women. Aly cautiously reached behind her, unfastening the rolled up message from Arthur and waving it briefly before tucking it back into the saddle bag so it wouldn't get soaked by the rain.

"I came alone," She added, still looking nervously at spearman before attempting to meet gaze of the other women. Dice, the small horse she was currently riding, was quite tense. But, despite his devious demeanor, he was a well trained horse and didn't spook or race away.

OOC: No problem!

[Alowyn]

Kendall watched as the woman rose her hands up in a peaceful gesture, and narrowed her brow. Didn't those Briton's know better than to wonder onto Saxon land? The Saxon's didn't want peace, they revenge for their leaders death. "Allison Jacques. I'm a diplomat for Arthur,"

[/i] The woman said, and showed her the rolled up scroll. Kendall glanced at the other spear men, reigning Alibi into a tight circle as he tried to move even closer to the woman. The spear men nodded to Kendall, and she said. "Come."

Squeezing Alibi's legs with her sides, Kendall rode underneath a gray boulder, shielding her from the rain; the spear men followed closely. "Kendall, the youngest of the Saxon royalty" She said, looking at Allison. "Read your scroll, Allison." Kendall said, emphasizing on 'Allison', and pointed to Allison's saddle bag. Many of the Saxon's were peering at the newcomer from behind the camp's wall, eager to see what she wanted, well more what Arthur wanted.

Alibi snorted, looking at the other horse eagerly, stomping a hoof. Kendall gave some slack on the reigns, allowing the steed to graze quietly, before glancing at the spear men that surrounded her. The spear men lowered there spears, awaiting to here what Arthur had sent to the Saxon Encampment. Cynric was out raiding caravans, gathering weapons, while Caetrin and Adelmar was most likely plotting. [/blockquote][/size]

[allison]

Aly clicked her tongue at her horse, causing Dice's ears to twitch and him step forwards cautiously after Kendall and underneath the boulder. Blue eyes flickered around as she halted her horse, seeming to be nervous. Perfectly understandable, seeing as she was currently surrounded by a large amount of dangerous, spear wielding Saxon's. Even Aly might have felt actually nervousness had she not been preparing for the exchange for the past couple of weeks. It was relief to be out from the rain. The long ride had changed the light, tepid drizzle to sheets of icy daggers piercing her eyes and skin as she cantered across the country.

Aly rang the water out of her jacket and fixed her hair in order to be more presentable as Kendall spoke. So the women was Saxon royalty. The youngest as well. The older siblings tended to ignore their younger counterpart, over look them when they were discussing politics. She would probably be the easiest to coerce when it came to gaining the needed information. She found it a little strange that Kendall demanded her to read the scroll. The other siblings had not been informed of her arrival, perhaps suggesting weak bonds or tensions between them. This could be a major advantage to the young spy.

"I'm not only messenger, Princess Kendall." Aly said in a neutral tone, resisting the urge to emphasize Kendrall as the Princess had emphasized Allison. She wasn't going risk her life and Britain's because she couldn't control her tongue. "I, King Arthur, propose that a treaty be arranged between the Saxon's and British. In order to assure an arrangement, I have sent my diplomat Allison Jacques as my voice. Signed King Arthur with a red seal in the left lower corner and a loop over the r." Her voice had become overly professional by the end, suggesting she had lost a little of her nervousness to humor. Aly looked up from the scroll, face quite serious despite the ending tone of her voice, blue eyes still a nervous, perhaps frightened. "I hope this discussed civilly," She added in a polite voice.

[Alowyn]

It was Kendall and Cynric who paid more attention to politics, mainly news of Arthur. Cerdic made sure that Kendall was never over looked when she was young, and that hadn’t changed, with the exception of Caetrin’s jealousy. She watched cautiously as Allison made herself more presentable, and said, “I, King Arthur, propose that a treaty be arranged between the Saxon's and British. In order to assure an arrangement, I have sent my diplomat Allison Jacques as my voice. Signed King Arthur with a red seal in the left lower corner and a loop over the r."

[/b] A treaty? The Saxon’s did not need a treaty, they needed Arthur dead, and Britain to be ran by the Saxon royalty. Kendall bit her lip, casting a glance at one of her guards, nodding towards the familiar faces that were peering threw the camp walls. ”Go, and tell the others it is nothing of worry.” She said in Saxon, so that Allison could not understand her.

The guard nodded respectfully and walked into the huge encampment, gazing at the people. Kendall’s other spearmen urged closer to Allison, anxiously awaiting their Princess’s remark. ”Back,” She said, pointing to the spear men so they would give her some space. Biting her lip, she drew the blood, and gazed at Allison with an unreadable expression. ”What might this treaty say?” She asked smoothly, adjusting the shawl so that it covered her shoulders once more. ”I wish to see your scroll.” Kendall said, pointing to the scroll, nodding to a guard. The guard stepped up, as he waited for Allison to hand him the scroll.

Alibi snorted, glancing up at Allison, then lowered his head to graze once more. Cynric would not like this, he would be upset to think that Briton’s were on the land, and even worse, they wanted a treaty. The others wouldn’t mind as much, but would still stand by him, if not they, he could possibly deny them the throne one day. Cynric was planning and preparing for war, an all out way that would decide the fate, not only of the Briton’s, but of all the kingdoms, including the Saxons. [/blockquote][/size]

[allison]

Technically speaking, the British weren't looking for a treaty either. Sure, they would take one quite willingly if it meant stopping the repeated invasions from the Saxon's, but it was hardly their real goal with sending Aly. Her assignment was to seek out any information which could be crucial to the survival of the current British throne. And, perhaps, to poison a few important officials before she left as well. It was key that Aly not arouse any suspicion in case she had to return to finish Cynric and the other Saxon royalty. This trip was strictly informational as far as the Saxon leaders went, although Arthur certainly wouldn't mind if she incapacitated a few military officials.

It was a tricky arrangement. Judging by how Kendall was biting her lip at the mention of treaty, the Saxon's didn't want one. This could easily mean that Aly would be sent on her way within a matter of hours, or, as Queen Guinevere had warned, her head sent back on her horse as a sign of war. She had to keep the talking, keep the interested long enough for her to find out what they wanted, what they were planning. As the princess spoke to the guards in Saxon, doubtlessly because she didn't want Aly to understand, the young spy had hide a smirk. Nico had taught her several languages, including Latin, Greek and Italian as well as several germanic languages. Saxon among them. Sure, she couldn't speak it flawlessly and idiom perfectly, but she easily understood what Kendall said. However, Aly gave no sign of recognition. It was better Kendall thought she couldn't understand.

"King Arthur wishes that an agreement can be arranged. He wants to know what it is you seek from the British, if it would be possible a peaceful arrangement can be formed." Aly answered. Hesitating a moment, Aly held the rolled up scroll in one hand, eying the guard cautiously before giving it to him. Dice whickered as the soldier approached, ears laying flat against his skull before the young spy tapped him disapprovingly on the side of his neck. The horse dropped his head, nibbling on the grass contentedly. The change in moods was frankly remarkable. Aly watched Kendall with an unreadable expression, waiting blue eyes waiting for what she was about to do, how she would handle the situation.

OOC: Finito

[Alowyn]

Kendall listened intently as Allison spoke about an arrangement and what the Saxon’s sought from the British. They sought revenge for their leader’s death, and they wouldn’t stop until they had their revenge, and more. She watched as the girl reluctantly gave the scroll to her guard, hiding a smirk. The guard stepped over to Kendall, and handed the scroll to her, and took his normal position. Unrolling the scroll with ease, Kendall read through the letter, and looked at the signature. Her heart was filled with hatred at the point, and she wanted nothing more than to send her on her merry little way.

Rolling the scroll back up, she thrust it into the guard’s chest; he handed it to Allison cautiously. ”The only thing we want is revenge, and we will not stop until we get it. We want your King dead, since he killed our beloved King, and my father.” She said, emphasizing on father, he was the one who had taken care of her when she was little, once her mother had passed away. Some of her guards gazed at the horse, hungrily; the Saxon’s hadn’t had horse for a while. They knew better than to go around the royalty and chieftain’s horse, their punishment would be horrid for killing a horse that belonged to someone of higher ranking.

The guard closet to Kendall leaned up, and whispering in her ear, in the Saxon language. ”Should we take her captive?” Kendall glanced up at Allison, then back to her guard. ”Possibly, let’s see how well this goes, and then I’ll decide.” She said, looking down at her guard, her voice was heavily accented as she spoke. Kendall pulled a strand of dark, brunette hair out of face, gazing at Allison, her expression still un-readable as she awaited an answer.

[/size]

[allison]

Disgust and disappointment was sour on Aly's tongue as Kendall spoke, though she hid it well. It was easier to teach rabid dogs to sit then talk a group of revenge lusting humans out of revenge. Revenge, Aly had found through bitter experience, was harsh and pointless. More often then not, the target could hit harder then you could. And afterwords, even if one managed to accomplish it, you were goalless and empty, no where to go. Not that she thought the dead cared about revenge. Aly wasn't religious. To her, when you died, you died. Ispo facto.

But it wasn't the illogicalness of revenge that bothered Aly. It was that the single mindedness of that particular goal would be very hard to work with. Chances were they'd plug there ears rather then listen, give Aly the precious time she needed to snoop and gather information. The walls separating her emotion and mind wavered slightly, temper flashing as the urge to retort with a sharp reply was suppressed. Aly's voice was pointedly dispassionate when she next spoke, no hint of threats, "Blood for blood. Your mission is suicidal. It's better to form an agreement before all hell breaks loose and you end up killing half of the British and the British kill you. I'm sorry for your late father, but he is not worth a war ending in destruction. Arthur is to powerful." She swallowed after saying this, the picture of a nervous diplomat who was worried she might have said to much. "Meaning no disrespect, Princess Kendall." She added without sarcasm.

Aly strained her ears as the guard leaned form to whisper in Kendall's ears. Swearing mentally when she couldn't hear through the rain, talking of voices and shifting of armed soldiers, Aly tried to guess through body language. It was about her, no doubt, seeing as kendall glanced at her. Judging by the hungry look in the soldiers eyes as they looked at her horse an the aggressive nature of their stance, it didn't bode well for her. If she was sent away, she would simply slip back the next night, though it might be difficult. If held prisoner... well, she knew how to pick a lock, though the cell might be heavily guarded. Her mind worked busily through the possibilities. If they didn't check her over, then she still had her three knives in their hidden sheaths. If they did find them it would be simple logic to determine that her visit might not be that innocent, which would be even worse.

[Alowyn]

Kendall glanced up at the sky as a cold wind flew by, and snow flakes began to fall. It was the Saxon’s mission, not Kendall’s all together, her heart was being torn in two different directions. Part of her told her to tell Cynric of Caetrin’s and Adelmar’s plot, the other part told her to go to Arthur, and tell him of her brother’s plans. Either way, she would betray somebody, and the Saxon Princess did not need that, she was the one who her people looked up to, her and Cynric. Her other siblings did not have good relationships with their own people. ”What if this is not my mission, but of the Saxon’s as a whole.” She said softly, reigning Alibi into a tight circle.

Biting her lip, she furrowed her brow, and glanced at her guard, and nodded. The guard walked towards the horse, and other followed him, before he said, his voice was heavily accented. "You. Prisoner. Kendall. Off." Kendall gazed at Allison, and reigned her horse towards the guards and Allison. "You are not a prisoner, but a captive. I shall talk with my siblings, then we will decide whether to withhold an agreement. " Kendall moved a piece of hair out of her face, before turning to the Saxon's who were now surrounding the group.

A tall man leaped for Allison, trying to knock her off the horse. Alibi whinied, and Kendall slid off the horse, pulling a sword out of the sheath; it was gift from Cynric. Princess Kendall put the sword to the man's neck, causing him to drop his own sword. "Pick it up." She said, edging the blade closer to his neck. "I said pick it up, you dare not challenge me Eldaro." The man gazed up at his Princess, picked his sword up, and stalked away. "No one is touch the horse, and no man is touch her, if I find you have done so, your punishment will be severe." She said loudly, so that everybody could hear.

[/SIZE]

[allison]

Surprise flickered across Aly's pale, rain slicked face at Kendall's softly voiced reply. The surprise was not faked, though Aly quickly wiped it from her face, though it still registered in her eyes. Was the Saxon princess having doubts about the war and the reasons behind it? Judging by the tone of her voice and choice of words, and Aly was a good at putting two and two together, Kendall was at a cross roads. Perhaps there were decisions that she had to make, a side she would have to take that could potentially cause the downfall of someone. This could work in her favor as soon as she found out what they were. Manipulate the other women, perhaps talk her into betraying the other Saxon's, to join Arthur. Curiosity flickered in the back of her eyes as she in a quiet, softer voice, "Then what is your missi-"

She was interrupted by a tall, burly guard as he ordered her off the horse. Prisoner. Well, at least it allowed her a longer stay, though Aly's eyes narrowed fractionally and her mouth hardened at the harsh tone. Acting again, she allowed the false nervous facade strengthen into fear before it vanished into a more resigned expression. Her eyes flickered up to meet Kendall's gaze, ignoring the guard, waiting for the princess's instructions.Aly's gaze dropped, hesitating, as if unsure of what to do. Instead, she passed her attention briefly across the crowd of surrounding Saxon's, none of whoms expressions boded well. And then the man lunged.

Her horse was faster then the man. Dice skipped backwards as the man leaped, rearing dangerously and giving a single whinnying shriek. Aly twisted her body and his head, causing the small horse to fall back onto all fours and walk into a tight circle until he calmed down. Dice jerked his head the other way, straining to bite the offending human. "Basta," Aly hissed under her breath, just loud enough for her horse to hear. It took three circles for him to relax once more. By this time Kendall had gotten off of the horse and had placed a sword at the man's neck.

Aly tucked her hair safely behind her ears and out of her eyes, gratefully looking at Kendall. Slowly and cautiously, she too slid off her horse, one arm rapped around his neck, apparently as much to comfort him as it was to comfort her. "Where should I wait?" She asked briskly, as if nothing had happened. Still, there was a distinct breeziness to it as if she had not fully recovered from the experience, as if she still was a little afraid.

OOC: Seeing as Adelmar hasn't been on for the past couple of weeks, should we ask someone else to momentarily play Caetrin and Cynric, have one of us do it, just fast forwards and make something up, or wait for someone to join and play them?

[Alowyn]

Kendall gazed at Allison with cold eyes, before looking to her guard, speaking to him in Saxon. ”Chain him up, and let Cynric deal with him.” She said, nodding in the direction where the man had stalked off, after being humiliated by his Princess. Turning around to face the ‘diplomat’ Kendall handed her reigns to one of her guards, and said in a heavily accented voice. ”Follow me.” Kendall slid the cloak off her shoulders, and walked inside of the Saxon encampment, her head held high, ignoring as some of the men made vulgar signs to her.

The Saxon camp was full of swords, shields, axes, and lances; they had all been raided off passing caravans. As the ladies passed, many of the Saxon’s dipped their head respectfully, Kendall nodded to acknowledge them. Coming upon a hole dug into a cliff ledge, Kendall walked in, stopping abruptly to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. ”You may stay here.” Kendall said, stopping by an entrance that was guarded by two guards. ”She is to be protected, no one goes in unless it’s me.” The young lady said in a commanding tone to the guards.

Turning on her heel, she walked briskly down the hallway, glancing backwards occasionally to make sure that Allison was still with her. A young maiden knelt down in front of Kendall, staring down as she said, her voice wavering. ”M’lady, shall I prepare wine for you and your guest.” Kendall nodded and walked on, heading to her chambers, entering them. Unbuckling the sword’s sheath, she laid it on a stone table, and sat down in a chair, nodding for the servant to close the curtain after she poured the wine.

”I do not wish for war like my siblings do, this is not my mission, it is theirs. But I must play diplomat for them, since I am the only one who can read and write. I will speak with my brother tonight, and I will try to persuade him to arrange an treaty, but, do not be disappointed if he says know.” Kendall said softly, so that one other than Allison could hear her, and took a sip of the wine.

ooc; i told arthur, I think he posted something on PS asking for people to play them.

[/size]

[allison]

Allison's expression was decidedly neutral as she followed the retreating back of the guard, Dice whickering softly as another guard took his reigns and started to lead him away. Before the horse could be taken away, she deftly unstrapped the saddle back containing two changes, a half empty bag of dried food, and a couple more scrolls of paper. Loosening the strap so it would be long enough to hang over her shoulder, she started to follow Kendall, trotting at first in order to keep up. Taking up the rear, she did not miss the other men making rude signs at the princess, no doubt angry she had humiliated one of their own.

The urge to look around the camp was powerful, the need to know what was around her, gather as much information as she could. But the spy had to resort to looking out of the corner of her eyes, and even that had to be done with as much caution as possible to avoid suspicion. From what she could see, it was sparse encampment, meant for war rather then comfort. Weapons were propped up against buildings and tucked under tents, some of which carried Arthur's seal or colors. No doubt stolen off of caravans or raided from villages. Apparently, Kendall was well liked, or at least respected among many of the Saxon's.

The site seeing as over as they approached a hole dug into the edge of a cliff, dimly light and defended by two guards. Shouldn't be any trouble, Aly told herself, if there was need to escape. Narrowing her eyes as her pupils dilated to adjust to the light, she swept her eyes from side to side, trying to memorize as much as possible before they exited into another room. Soon enough though, they had entered a private looking room, no doubt Kendall's own chambers. Two glasses of wine were poured on a stone table, and Aly hesitated as the princess took a seat, before taking one for herself, opposite.

She did not touch the wine as she listened to Kendall, hands folded on top of the table, blue eyes unblinking as they looked at the Saxon princess. It was a habit not to drink alcohol, the drink dangerously notorious for loosening the tongue. Her own tolerance was low, it wouldn't take more then four or so glasses for her head to get foggy and her tongue to be foolish. She had made efforts to build a tolerance, but it was something which was continually denied from her. As she listened, Allison was aware she would have to handle the situation carefully. She wanted to see how strong Kendall's relationship was with her siblings, but she wanted to have the time to explore the encampment. If her questions seemed to probing, she might not get the chance. Aly dropped her gaze as she thought for a couple of moments, staring at her hands before blinking and returning her gaze.

"King Arthur want's to avoid a war. Personally, I wouldn't stack my bets on having no war. King Cynric is too-" She hesitated, searching for a word which wouldn't be offensive. "Determined to settle on a treaty. But it might be possible to avoid excessive bloodshed, on both sides. I'm not asking you to betray anything which might endanger your nation, but," She traced random circles on the table top with one finger. "Do you know of anything which might stop him? If not now, then later, before the bloodshed grips the innocent."

[Alowyn]

Kendall walked to her chambers, laying the sword to the side, and pulled a chair out, sitting down. The young lady allowed one of the ladies-in-waiting to brush her hair back as she took a sip of the wine, savoring the flavor. She listened as Allison spoke of Arthur, then of her brother, and is she knew anything to help them. Kendall sighed, sitting her glass down gently, gazing at Allison with a piercing stare. ”Cynric, will go to the ends of the Earth for this. Nothing.. Nothing what so ever will stop him, I have already tried to stop him, but he will not listen.”

Kendall waved a maiden standing near the entrance way, over to her. ”Fetch Adelmar and Caetrin.” She said, handing her cup over to the maiden to fill. The young girl lowered her gaze, filling the glass. ”They are..” Kendall cut her short, glancing at her sharply, taking the cup from her hold. ”I said fetch them.” The maiden stepped back, looking at Kendall, her voice wavering. ”They have both left to Hadrian’s Wall with 500 men.” Kendall sat there listening, her eyes grew wide. ”What? Who gave them permission? Cynric said no one was to leave, what are there plans?” She asked quickly, standing up in her seat.

The maiden backed up to the wall, flinching as Kendall rose from her chair. ”Many of us heard something about an attack. The elders say that Caetrin has gone to talk to Arthur as a diplomat.” Kendall slammed her fist on the table, looking away at the wall. Caetrin was not a diplomat; she could not read or write, Cynric would be mad about this. Send your men to fetch them, She thought to herself, before saying. ”Send Godric, Leofwine and their men to go and fetch them. Tell them that if they don’t comply, Cynric will have their heads.” Kendall bit her lip, drawing the blood as the young woman ran out of her chambers.

[/size]

[allison]

Allison continued to draw circles with on finger, the other hand loosely grasping the bottom of the wine cup, making no attempt to pick it up and drink. Her mind, as always was working busily, though her blue eyes were focused glassily on her finger tip was it curved another invisible circle on the table top. At Kendall's sigh, however, she looked to meet the princess's piercing stare. Her own eyes were nonchalant, subdued, as if she didn't really think there was anything to stop Cynric. Still, her lips pressed tightly together at the other women's words. Her fingers switched from tracing circles to drumming out a silent rhythm. Nico, her father, had told her several times before that the only way to stop a charging bull was to run or kill it. Arthur wouldn't run, which meant that Cynric would have to go.

Allison considered Kendall for a few moments. Would Cynric stop for her? At that thought, she contemplated kidnapping the Saxon princess. While it might work in their favor, it also could cause Cynric to attack even more brutally rather then cease. Not that Aly would dare try and kidnap her. At the moment, at least. Aly looked up when Kendall instructed the maid to gather her brother and sister, watching curiously as the girl avoided the task, almost fearfully. At the girls next words, even the young spy couldn't conceal the look of surprise and horror which flashed across her face before it vanished. The horror stemmed from not only what 500 men meant, but by the choice she would have to make.

Aly's hand balled up into a fist, knuckles white and nails digging into her palm. When she finally noticed, she brought the hand quickly under the table, half standing from her chair. There were two choices the make. Doing a few rough calculations in her head, she knew that if she left now, perhaps taking two horses and racing to Hadrian without stopping to sleep, she could race ahead of the army and arrive with in two days tops. Of course, avoiding the 500 might be more hazardous. Or should she stay? Allison had barely gotten enough information, she needed to gain more. But, if she stayed, the 500 could take Arthur by surprise. Then there might not be anyone to deliver information too. She had to make the choice, and quickly, or else have it made for her. A diplomat. Ha. Ha ha. "A diplomat doesn't need 500 men." Aly commented quietly, the worry in her eyes plainly showing what she thought it meant. An attack rather then a cordial meeting. There was a question to her statement, as if asking whether or not she could or should go or stay.

[Alowyn]

Kendall watched the look of surprise on Aly’s own face, she would hate to see her own surprise. Her siblings had no right, nor permission to travel to Arthur’s land, much less play diplomat. Kendall was the diplomat; the only child of Cerdic who could read and write, and manipulate the words of men alone. The young lady was one of Cynric’s weapon, while her siblings stood on the sideline and watched; jealousy and hatred filling their hearts. Kendall was just a mere nuisance in Caetrin’s eyes.

She watched as Allison’s knuckles grew white, and her hand balled up into a fist. ”Do you think we are not already aware of that, Allison?” Kendall said harshly, watching as a stream of men came into the room; Lius, Godric, Leofwine, and Elrid. Sighing softly, she shot Allison a apologetic look, then turned to the men, folding her arms as Leofwine made his way up to her, wrapping his arms around her protectively. ”Caetrin and Adelmar have deceived us. They have taken 500, strong men to Arthur; I fear they plan to attack. Your job is to bring them back, and bring them back alive. Cynric will deal with them in a timely manner once he learns of this. Be safe, my dear friends, and remembers that the gods are with you.” All of the men bowed deeply, before walking out, casting side glances at Allison.

Kendall bent over the table, holding her head within her hands, eyes closed. She did not want to ruin the relationship between herself and siblings, but it looked as if it was already ruined. Another maid filled her glass, and Kendall drained it with one sip, turning to lean against the cold, stone wall. ”Forgive me for being harsh. I am under enough stress as is, I do not need to think about stopping a war, or protecting my siblings.’ She murmured softly, lifting her hands and placing them as her temples, massaging them gently.

Ooc; sorry it took so long, and is so short.

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[allison]

Allison gnawed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, although her eyes were observant and now only slightly worried, as if masking the feeling from sight. If Kendall was angry at her siblings for disobeying Cynric and the other three had decided to take matters into their own hands without alerting the youngest princess and their oldest sibling, then the bonds between them were taunt and fraying. This, while it also boded well for Arthur and his people, was also a difficulty. Chances were that the men Kendall were about to send after them wouldn't stop them.

Her eyebrows rose slightly at Kendall's harsh tone, but she couldn't blame her even if she could. Still, after rising momentarily, her eyes hardened ever so slightly. She watched, calculating, as the four men came into the room, eyeing her curiously or hostility. She listened to the Saxon princess's words. Indeed, it seemed that the siblings were splitting apart, their loyalties pulled apart. Part of he =r brain wondered if Adelmar and Caetrin could be manipulated for Arthur's advantage. But she couldn't think long, seeing as more pressing matters weighed down. If the Adelmar had left about a half hour ago with his 500 men, then it should take no more then half an' hour for the other soldiers to reach them. Including negotiations and the ride back, Aly calculated she had five hours tops before she was certain that the 500 were pressing onwards to attack Hadrian's wall.

Five hours was not a lot of time for her to find the necessary information if the 500 pressed on. If they did, Allison would have to alert Arthur to the oncoming men. She didn't say anything as the men departed from the room, watching as Kendall drained another class of wine. How many was that now? Two? Three. More importantly, how many would it take for her to become tipsy and loose of tongue? As she spoke once more, Aly lifted her own wine cup off the table and took a tentative sip. She made a mental face and set it down as casually as possible. She found it a bit peculiar that the Saxon had apologized. Most royalty, Saxon or British or Roman, wouldn't think twice about it. "No worries." She said, not wanting to be rude. "Are Prince Adelmar and Princess Caetrin as - determined as Cynric is to eliminate the British?" She asked, hating herself for not being able to take her time and be careful. She didn't have the time to be cautious, she had to get as much information as possible.

OOC: No problem!

[Alowyn]

Kendall looked at the maidens who stood in the room, and said. ”Bring Godric back in here, now!!” She said harshly, standing up straight as Godric came in and bowed before his sister-in-law. Kendall walked up to him, waving for another maiden to unfold a map, then turned to gaze at it. ”I want you to bring your men through the Northwest passage, there’s a possibility you could block them. Tell Elrid he is to go with you, and that Lius and Leofwine are go straight through. Make haste, this is a life and death situation, and please tell my siblings that Cynric will be alerted.” She could see the confusion on Godric’s face; why was his wife doing this?

Kendall bit her lip, drawing the blood as she thought about her situation. She could ride to Arthur, and let him know of the Saxon’s plans, or she could stay here and keep mum. Both of the choices were crappy; it was hard to choose between the two. The young lady glanced up at Allison as she inquired about Adelmar and Caetrin, her long delicate fingers tracing the roads on the map. ”Alone, no. But together, yes, they are dangerous. Adelmar and Caetrin despise the British. If they knew you were here, they would most likely have your head by now. They didn’t even bring a fourth of the Army, I’m surprised they didn’t bring more.” The Saxon was huge, with over 2400 men and women alike, each sibling had their own ‘small’ army.

She inhaled deeply, gazing at the bottle of wine, and handed it to one of her maidens to go and rid off it. Kendall needed her sobriety right now; her mind didn’t need to be affected by alcohol, not when she needs it direly. The young lady traced the roads that Godric’s men would follow, and the road that Adelmar and Caetrin had taken; they had to stop them. Kendall folded the map back up, and folded her arms, gazing at Allison. ”Now, tell me why you are truly here. A diplomat would be stuttering and shaking in their skin by now. You, you are just sitting here, thinking about the right times to ask a question, are you not?”

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[allison]

Allison ran a hand through her hair, anxiously chewing the inside of her cheek as the Saxon princess called Godric back in. Her blue eyes were fastened on the table top, although her ears were plenty aware of what Kendall was instructing. Her interested peaked at the mention of Northern Passage, and she looked up, eyeing the map - which she automatically started to memorize all she could. The new instructions were messing up with her time line now. If it came to a fight, then Allison couldn't relay on her five hour plan. No doubt the four would be killed if there was a fight. They might be able to hold off for a while, but five hundred was too strong. That was another peculiarity. Judging by the size of the of the saxon encampment, there were a lot more then five hundred soldiers here. The siblings had only taken a fraction.

She clasped her hands tightly together under the table, momentarily thumbing the underside of her wrist, trying to find comfort in the fact that her knife was still there. Her face was surprisingly calm for the situation - although she allowed some worry to come through. The moment required more thinking rather then acting, making the situation even more risky. She watched Kendall trace the roads on the map, listening intently. What on earth were the two siblings planning? They obviously weren't planning on being diplomat, not with 500 men. 500 men weren't enough to do a full scale attack, although they certainly could do some damage. Of course, there was the Saxon soldiers already encamped near Hadrian's wall, but that wouldn't enlarge their numbers by more then a couple hundred. Still dangerous though. "Despise us as much as Cynric does?" She asked.

Oops. Aly thought at Kendall's next question, mentally cursing herself for carelessness. Never the less, her eyebrows rose in surprise, eyes wide and innocent at first - as if saying, 'I don't know what your talking about'. She wasn't entirely sure if what to say. There wasn't enough time to attempt to convince Kendall that she was a diplomat, but she couldn't be tell the entire truth. Admitting she was an armed spy attempting to find as much information as possible in order to take the Saxon's down would doubtlessly end in her death. She licked her lips, meeting Kendall's eyes. "Insightful." She said dryly. Under the table, she gripped her wrist with one hand, grasping the blade hidden by the cloth. "But I am a diplomat." She lied. "As I mentioned before, I'm merely trying to find a way to end a war before there's needless violence." She lied honestly, with an almost breezy tone, noticeably dodging the question.

[Alowyn]

Did Arthur and those Briton’s really believe they could fool Kendall? Much less the Saxon’s as a whole? Kendall had known every since Allison had began to ask questions on what could possibly stop Cynric from stopping. No body could fool Kendall, much less slink around her back. In her mind, it was treason, and she did not put up with it, it was only a waste of her time. When she had first laid eyes on Allison, Kendall had suspected she was something more than a mere diplomat, and events following the day had proven her right. If her fellow Saxon’s found out about this, there would be a whole uprising, and Allison’s head would most likely be sent back on a plate. As bad as Kendall wanted to tell her fellow Saxons, she made a promise not to; killing a diplomat, spy, whatever she was could make the war even worse.

Kendall looked up as Allison asked about Caetrin and Adelmar, inhaling deeply as she thought of a answer. ”Yes, possibly even more. It was Arthur who killed our father, and they now wish for him to be dead.” She said threw clenched teeth as she spoke about her father; even though he died a few years ago, it hurt deep down in her heart, and those feelings could not be denied. After a few minutes, Kendall watched surprise flicker across Allison’s face; the lady has not been expecting this obviously. She hid a smirk as the young lady licked her lips, looking down at where the lady gripped the table, and most likely a hidden weapon. ”Not entirely insightful, Miss Allison. I had a feeling that you were something more than a mere diplomat whenever I first saw you, it was just your gut feeling.”

She turned around, listening as Allison spoke and slid her sword into the sheath, latching it onto her clothes, then turned back around swiftly. ”You’re very lucky the others have not found out, and that I have not told them. If they found out, it would send my people into a uproar, and surely end in your death.” Kendall said, folding her arms crossly, leaning against the wall. ”But, I am not cruel like my dear sister, so I shall keep mum. Now back to the matter on hand, if I can think of anything to stop this bloodshed, trust me, I will tell you. I do not wish for innocent blood to be shed.” Kendall said softly, almost a mere whisper.

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