In the Heart of Anvard (My Kingdom For a Horse): Free RP

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Inkling

Inkling

Hopeful Romantic
Knight of the Noble Order
This majestic city, capital of Archenland, lies due north of the Winding Arrow river. Anvard is comprised of a stretch of flat parkland, wit a few straggling trees not sufficient to constitute a forest, per se. Dominating the skyline, of course, are the walls surrounding King Lune's castle, the seat of government. The stone has obviously been brought from the mountains nearby, and it blends in seamlessly. A small marketplace seems to have grown up just outside the palace precincts, and at most times of the day, the hubbub of passersby rises to a crescendo of sound.

There is a permanence about Anvard, from the well-maintained cottages to the signs directing travelers to one of several small inns. The castle itself overlooks the land, and two sentries stand their posts at the gate to ensure that those seeking audience with the king are questioned prior to being allowed inside.
 
The most northerly of the inns received three unusual visitors in its courtyard at mid-morning. Two were women, one early-middle-aged and the other older, wearing tattered dresses of working-class Narnian style. What made the party unusual was its third member: the noble Gryphon who had brought the women over the mountains in laborious hop-flights and had now landed in the courtyard with no need to open the gate. Fortunately, Gryphons were universally known to be virtuous creatures; thus, even in these days when evil had fallen on the neighbor kingdom, no one panicked at the sight of Retaw.

A maid employed at the inn was the first Archenlander to ask the trio their business. Despite having done all the work (except the hanging-on-for-dear-life part) in the mountain crossing, Retaw had more strength left than his passengers, so he spoke for them:

"Good maiden, it cannot be unknown to you that your fellow Children of Adam and Eve are being forced to flee from the persecution of Jadis, may her name perish. With me are two of the latest refugees, widows named Goewyn and Pindra. They seek their children, four in all counting an orphan girl whom they are prepared to care for; these were evacuated out ahead of us by a Winged Horse. We must try to learn where the Winged Horse took them. But first, my friends are starving. I can hunt my own food in the nearest wild land, but they cannot. Please tell the owner of this place that if there is any form of work I can do for him, I will do it in return for these poor women receiving food and lodging for a time."
 
OOC: Really has Flower been forgotten that easily? "trio" eh? What is Flower, a half?:rolleyes::p

IC: Flower hopped off the gryphon's back. She had braved the trip reletivly well she decided. She had not screamed or fallen off, or drawn blood by hanging on tightly, which by her standerds is pretty good. She stands by her friends, though is dwarfed in size by Retaw, she may be mistaken for a ball of fluff.

/This/ is Archenland? Where are the forests and talking animals?' she wonders.

"I dunno if I'll like it here, Retaw." she whispers to the gryphon. At the mention of food though she perks up.
"I'm hungry too!" she adds, signifying she is not just a ball of fluff.
 
~ ~ I apologize, Mozart. Somehow I was remembering Flower as having been with Longtail's party on the mountain trail, the group convoying injured tigers.


The innkeeper's wife, having been introduced to Retaw, said to her husband, "Maybe people would be willing to pay money to fly on the Gryphon's back, and the money he made for us would pay for feeding his friends."

"I am willing to do this," Retaw told the couple, "if there are people interested in flying. But we also need to make inquiries about Narnian human children who may have been flown into Archenland a day or two earlier by a Winged Horse."
 
"I can look for them." says Flower, "That is if they can be described well enough. Though I'm sure few children have flown on a flying horse before, so I can ask that as a key question." Flower and her brother are known by their friends for always being first to volunter for a task they know they can do.... And Flower is good at keeping her reputation.
 
"Two of the children were my own," said Goewyn: "my ten-year-old daughter Linova, who has light brown hair, and my infant son Tarlek."

"My baby daughter Shimria was with them," added Pindra, "and an orphan girl from a different village, about Linova's age with darker hair, named Harmony."
 
"Two girls and two little kits." mutters Flower, "I can also hunt for my food, I'll be off to look for the four children now, if nothing else is too pressing?"
 
"I know of no better use for your time," said Goewyn.

The innkeeper, meanwhile, gave the maidservant instructions to see to the needs of Goewyn and Pindra. He was not so mercenary as to refuse food for the immediate hunger of desolate refugees. And he had an idea by which he could gain further profit without injury to anyone.

"Honored Gryphon, there comes to me a better idea than giving rides for amusement. What if you were to carry a sack of letters? There are merchants and artisans among my guests right now; it would be an advantage worth paying for if they could send letters on matters of their business to far corners of the country, at a speed faster than the swiftest post-horse. They would pay me for making your help available, and I would reckon this as paying for all the care your human friends require--WITH their children, once these are found."

Retaw nodded. "So long as I could be given good enough directions so that I would not fail to deliver what was entrusted to me, that sounds like an excellent plan."
 
Flower shrugged and scampered off on her way. She finds that many non-talking animals that could be potential prey to her live around on the streets. After catching something to eat she wanders, looking for the four children. She trys ask some of the many humans, but most take her as a non-talking cat.

As Flower's search begins to bore her she sits down to think some.

'Wonder where Middy is? I hope he's safe and that /she/ hasn't got him....' a small tear slides down her furry little face, and she suddenly feels very small and helpless.
'What if I'm all alone now? What if something happened to Mid... Oh I wish I was home!' Flower shakes her head to clear it just in time to hear someone say,
"Yes saw some children four, to babes and two young girls, staying nearby here..." the noise drains out the rest of the conversation, but that is all Flower needs to hear.
"If I can't help Mid, then he'll be glad if I can help somebody else!" then she takes off looking ever more intently for the children.
 
* * Since the girl who played the Winged Horse had all the opportunity in the world to have decided for herself where the children were taken, and she never did, let's oblige someone who IS playing consistently....


On a working-class street which reeked of leather, a man's voice was audible from within a tanner's shop. It did not seem like the voice of a harsh or cruel man, but the man was speaking a solemn warning:

"Wait, Harmony! You must NEVER handle the containers of acid without first putting on your protective gear. If the acid gets on your skin, it will burn you!"
 
Flower jerked back and stopped herself. So many noises, unlike her forest home, yet she is able to disern one word.

'Harmony, wasn't that the name of one of the girls I'm supposed to try to find? Yea, her another girl and two kits. Yes! Mid when I see you again I'll tell you about this one for sure!' Flower turned and walked into the building she had heard someone shout the name from.

"Hello? I'm looking for the girl Harmony and three others." she says.
 
Two persons turned in reaction to the Cat's entry: a girl who apparently was Harmony, and a sturdy working man who looked exactly the way his voice had sounded--serious and businesslike but not cruel. "Did Harmony's friend the Tigress send you? I'm Vandrick the Tanner; the children are with me, but of course they're free to leave if there's someone to take care of them."
 
Flower shrugged, "On distant terms I do know the tigeress, Ninecatcher. I got here by way of gryphon with two refugee women, who are mothers to some of the children here, and I've been looking all over this crowded town and almost been stepped on numerous times for them. I can escort the children to where my friends are.... if you like. And my name is Flower, by the way."
 
Vandrick bowed courteously. "Greetings, then, honorable Flower. The others are with my wife Hilsa. Let me make sure these acid containers are secure, and we shall ready them to go meet their mothers."

"Neither Goewyn nor Pindra is MY mother," interjected Harmony. "My mother and father are in Aslan's Country. Those women are kind souls, but I would be a burden to them. I would rather stay with Vandrick and Hilsa. Vandrick wasn't forcing me to work, I _asked_ him to show me how leather-tanning is done. Since I'm an orphan, I think it wise to learn a trade so I can earn my own living."

Vandrick patted the girl's shoulder. "I urge you to go with the other children for now, if only so you can carry one of the babies with you. After you have met with the other Narnians, you can still return to us if it seems best."
 
Flower shrugged.

"As long as you're safe I think it'd be a load off the other's minds if they knew you had someone to look after you, Harmony." she said, "Choose what you wish, I was only supposed to find you kits, er, children and bring you back safely."
 
Hilsa, a motherly-looking woman, was just emerging from the living quarters to find out who was visiting. When she saw Flower and heard about Goewyn and Pindra, she made haste to ready the other children to go. Harmony hugged the tanner, saying, "Goewyn deserves to see me at least; but I want to come back to you after that, and learn to work for myself as men do."

Soon the four children, the older girls carrying the two babies, were following Flower to the inn where the Gryphon had so recently landed. Vandrick's twelve-year-old son Barglin went with them on his father's behalf, unaware that his parents already had in mind him and Harmony getting married when they were old enough. Vandrick and Hilsa had taken an instant liking to the orphan girl.
 
Flower trotted ahead of the small party, directing them back to the inn.
The little cat stopped in front of the inn.

"They're in there I'd expect." she said to the children, and followed them inside the building.
 
A moment later, Goewyn was squeezing her daughter Linova with one arm, while cradling her baby Tarlek in the other. Pindra had both arms holding her baby Shimria.

Harmony stroked Flower's fur. "There's the answer." Turning to Borglin, she said, "Let's go back."

Retaw came up to Harmony. "Please don't be offended by them."

"I'm not," the orphan assured him; "it's natural for them to care about their flesh and blood."

Handing Tarlek temporarily to Pindra, Goewyn hastened to detain Harmony. "Wait! Forgive us, we weren't thinking! I'm so sorry; of course you deserve to have someone glad to see you, too." And she flung her arms around Harmony, trying to make up for ignoring her in the first excitement.

Harmony hugged her back, and kissed her to show that there were no hard feelings. "It's all right, Goewyn. You were kind to me in a harsh time; I have no complaints now. A local family has a place for me, which promises to work out well. I'll stay with them, but you and I are bound to see each other again, so this isn't goodbye forever."
 
Flower watched the mothers and their children embracing and she thought of her own brother Midnight, the only family she had left.

'When will I see him again?' she wonders, trying to hold back her tears.

Swallowing her sadness, she nodds to Harmony, "It was good to meet you, Harmony. Maybe I'll be able to introduce you to my brother someday." she says quietly.
 
"I would like that, and thank you for your help," said Harmony to Flower, before departing with Borglin to return to the combined residence and workplace of Borglin's parents.

"Have you eaten yet since we arrived?" Retaw then asked Flower.
 
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