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

Status
Not open for further replies.
"The witch got rid of my family too." Flower said softly, somehow saying 'got rid of' sounded nicer than 'killed'.
"One thing I don't understand though," she said trying to change the subject to a nicer topic, "How would the... merfolk get a ship?"
 
"It was a sunken ship," Gareth explained. "The Merpeople got some friendly whale or sea-monster to help them pull it free from the bottom, and to hold it on the surface while they did a preliminary patching job on the holes in the hull. Then they shoved it ashore someplace out of the way, outside Narnia, I think on one of the Lone Islands, allowing some humans who were sworn to secrecy to repair it further. When it was capable of staying afloat, Mermen towed it to a point near northeast Narnia. Captain Woefulgut brought out sails to be fitted to the rigging; then he started secretly rounding up human fugitives, to get them onto his ship for a voyage--here."
 
"You mean they got a ship from under the water?" squeaked Flower staring at the ship, "I guess that'd explain how you got a ship to sail people out though." her voice sounded awed though, that a sunken ship could be brought up from the bottom of the ocean. Her brothers and sister had tried to swim down to the bottom of the Great River before but never could. But to get a ship from the bottom of the ocean!
 
Gareth

"The Merfolk have many accomplishments which we seldom get to learn about, since we live in different environments. But they worship Aslan as we do, and are glad to perform a service for Him."
 
*Flower Power*

"Mhmm." Flower yawned, she didn't know what time it was, but she was sure it was sometime in the evening. Instinctivly she had laid down, tucking her little paws under her she maintained a listening pose.
 
"You may sleep on board if you wish," said Gareth quietly; "perhaps your presence will discourage rodents from boarding in the first place. But I have no food to offer you at present which is suitable for cats."


* * This action had to be late in the day due to the chronology of Retaw and Flower; but Woefulgut still is stuck in the middle of the day with the bureaucrat Arlis.
 
Flower yawned, "If there are mice on board then after I've had some rest I won't need any food." then she climbed aboard and curled up on some of the extra sail canvas. Soon she was fast asleep... well all except her ears that constantly twitched.
 
Retaw

In view of probably losing Flower's assistance in handling the mail, the Gryphon had a conference with the owner of the Northaway Inn, who had initiated the flying-messenger service in the first place. He urged the businessman to make arrangements for citizens in the larger towns and seaports to set up some kind of permanent stations or offices, where the local public would know to bring outgoing letters and claim incoming ones. This would spare the Gryphon, and any others like him who took up this work, from having to search up and down in the various communities for individual recipients.

The innkeeper loved the idea.
 
Talking Mice having not yet been created at this time in the history of the Narnian world, the first mouse Flower found was fair game.
 
#.@. Siawn .@.# (etc.)

OOC: Just so you're aware, I work until 8 tonight...thus, unless there's some unusual circumstance, I won't be posting again until after that.

Siawn's handsome face contorts into a brief scowl as he overhears the potential delay. This is so swiftly gone that it would be nearly impossible to detect, unless one were to look at him at precisely that second.

Fools, the lot of them. Well, they'll learn soon enough. Patience--you don't control the wind and the rain.

Of course, he gives voice to none of these thoughts. Instead, he says, "I am in no place to be fussy, seeing as it's by the captain's good graces that we sail with the lot of you. Still, how are you provisioned? Is there anything else you need? My father was a merchant, before he passed away, and I still have some of his connections." His tone is laced with sincerity and good humor.

He keeps a watchful gaze on Locrian, the first flicker of genuine emotion reaching his eyes. "He's a clever lad, my brother," he says to one of the sailors. "Locrian! We'll be on our way soon enough. Why don't you see what you can discover about this ship in the meantime." He smiles, but it is a thin, cold smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Arlis visibly bristles at the marsh wiggle captain's rather pompous assumptions, chin quivering with indignation.

"You'll not make friends that way, my dear sir. Not a bit of it. I'll have none of your fear mongering here. You wiggles are known to assume the worst, and, while--I trust--that your intentions are correct, I am a man of caution. As for that family you took up my time with, their story is tragic, it's true, but just the sort of yarn I would myself spin were I looking for a handout. No, sir, the wheels turn slowly here, as you'll learn, and the diplomatic situation with the new--ahem--ruler, is rather touchy at present. No, I won't have allegations levied without cause that could set us back moths."

He writes some instructions on a piece of parchment he pulls from his pocket and gives them to a servant. "There. See that they have food and clothing and lodging for the night, and then send them on their way. I did not rise by shirking a bit of hard work, and neither did they. Let that never be said."

His attention fixes on the captain once more, and he fingers his chain of office, affecting a pose. "As for you, my good sir, there are others who ought to hear this story of yours. Come with me." With this, he waddles off towards the castle.
 
Woefulgut told Tarnod to get word to Gareth and others about his getting the chance to speak to persons in authority. Arlis had no idea how close he had come to being strangled to death by the human refugee he had treated with such patronizing contempt. Woefulgut was less malicious; he ONLY hoped to see Arlis flung out of office once the true situation was understood more universally.

Tarnod covered the narrative time-gap by first passing the news to his fellow passengers who were all over Anvard, and encouraging them to find local people who seemed to have brains, and give these a calm and factual account of events in Narnia. Whatever is next seen happening with Woefulgut will have been happening WHILE Tarnod and his family were thus occupied.

At the moored ship, just before Tarnod arrived there, and after Flower had made herself at home, Gareth was telling Siawn and Locrian:

"It's by the providence of the Emperor-Over-Sea that Woefulgut was as prepared as he was for the emergency. The natural pessimism of Marshwiggles had long since induced him to store up money and useful items he had acquired in his years of hard work on the coast; he even had the foresight to instruct his grown sons and daughters to pretend publicly to dislike him, so that in a crisis they would not be targets for enemies of his. Thus, when everything suddenly fell to pieces, Woefulgut had the means to take action. But he had to move in a hurry, to get as many humans out of Narnia as he could. It took all his resources and all his cunning, with the aid of his Merfolk friends, to get us this far. He was hoping to find the Archenlandish authorities ready to pick up the slack from here."
 
#.@. Siawn .@.# (etc.)

OOC: Um...have you TRIED to get something accomplished around one of those career bureaucrats? Be prepared for lots of red tape.

Arlis, used to being obeyed, snaps his fingers and summons a few of his lackeys (oh. Pardon me. career civil servants) who make absolutely sure that Woefulgut does accompany Arlis back to the castle.

At this point, the poor captain is forced to wait in a dimly lit hallway with an uncomfortable chair. Arlis does, of course, hand him a piece of parchment to pass the time, with instructions to state exactly what his request for governmental assistance is clearly, legibly, and, of course, in triplicate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Siawn's eyes narrow thoughtfully. The way he looks around the vessel, it is clear he's got a practiced eye for boats. He says dryly, "Well, thank goodness there seems to be /something/ useful in always seeing the worst."
 
OOC: Twenty years in the Navy, plus medical-coverage issues with both wives. But now for something to help fill in the time gap between Woefulgut and Gareth/Siawn.


After Woefulgut had sat idle for nearly a full hour, he sighted an armored soldier walking through the intersection of his corridor with another. Springing to his webbed feet, he flapped after the man and hailed him. "Excuse me, worthy man-at-arms! I'm a Narnian sea captain who has just arrived in Anvard by river from the ocean, bringing some of your fellow humans who have escaped from the usurper's clutches. I'm being kept waiting by this Arlis fellow; but will you please tell _someone_ that I need to report my rescue operations?"


Meanwhile--or more accurately speaking, a couple of hours after the above scene--Tarnod came to the waterfront and told Gareth about the Captain's admission to the palace.
 
Last edited:
While Flower wandered around, partly hunting, partly giving herself a self-tour of the ship, she began to notice other humans around... ones that she assumed by their hanging around and some things they said that she would be stuck with through the voyage back to her homeland. Since she was also trying very hard /not/ to think about her friends she was leaving in Anvard, she made herself comfortable listening to the humans talking.
 
Woefulgut's passengers

It soon became evident that most of these people would NOT be returning to the land they had just escaped from with their lives. They were only hanging around exchanging news of how they were doing at seeking shelter and employment. Thanks to Woefulgut's lifelong thrift and short-term generosity, none of them were entirely without money; but apart from a few who had gotten a fortunate break and were heading to work on a large farm south of the capital, none had yet secured a job in these few hours. Now they were waiting for posts to be written about Woefulgut and Arlis in the castle, so that the Marshwiggle could be here again and tell his own progress.
 
Flower soon became bored with the talk and wandered around the docks.

'Mid where are you now? You'd better be safe, rascle!' she thought, and if Flower knew he brother's current situation she would be outraged for a number of reasons. And one would be that she was not there with him.

Lost in her thoughts she wanders aimlessly about.
 
NPC Archenlander

The soldier approached by Woefulgut, not having been ordered by any Mod to be fond of Master Arlis, had in fact an intense dislike for him. So, although he could not change the waiting period Woefulgut had to endure, he did memorize the most pertinent facts the Marshwiggle had to tell, and went immediately to his sergeant with the information. The sergeant in turn sincerely promised that he would tell his next superior, and would check out the refugee ship--as soon as the squad had finished its training drills for dealing with invincible flying werewolves.
 
Flower found herself looking upwards alot, as if she was waiting for Retaw to come and get her. But she knew he wouldn't come, or know where she was for that matter.

'I'll miss my friends here....' she thinks, 'But I miss Middy more. I guess when we both come back here then I'll introduce Mid... I hope none of my friends will be mad at me for leaving.' she sighs and starts to head back to the ship.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top