Blackened Heart

Zander rides after her, catching up. "I never got to ask you... what happened to Lasche?"

She looks down as she says to him in a low tone. "Well...lets just say, he said some things, then left...Things that he knew that hurt me...but at the same time, I felt like I was getting some furstraition I had inside of me out as well...But I wish that I could have not left him like that...His words just cut me like knife." She shakes her head. "It's ok, some how I think that thats not going to be the last time I see him." They ride off as into the destroyed town as Melina closes her eyes not wanting to see what had happened. They had then sooner or later made it past the town to the palace gates as their were guards surrounding the area, they stopped the two. "Who goes there?" Says one of the guards. " Greetings, we have come to drop off a gift to her majesty, Lady Ivy, This pull breed paint.

" They had then raised their lances at the two of the. "Lady Ivy is acused at attempt at murder to the king. We are order to kill any allies that she has. " Melina gasped, sure Lady Ivy was spoiled, but she didn't even look like she even knew how to hold a butter knife without hurting herself, none the less try to kill her own father, who she brags about very often. Something wasn't right...and Melina had to find out what was going on, but for right now, they had to get away from these soldiers. Her and Zander and rode off as they followed them, but as them being just foot soldiers, that speed was not so good.


They have made it a mile away from the castle into another section of different woods as they stop. "I wonder whats going on...?"
They heard shuffling in the bushes as Minzy started to spook a bit, Melina tries to calm her down, and it turned out it was Lady Ivy and Marcus that came out.
"Z-Zander help me they think I tried to kill my father you have to help me! I can't even get into the castle without them trying to kill me!"

Melina looks at Ivy. "Mi`lady please calm down, at least your safe now...and I brought you a present."

Lady Ivy had tilted her head as she looked at Melina. "What would it be?"

Melina had handed the reins to Minzy over to Lady Ivy. "A paint? Why would I want a cow horse when I have full breded one colored horses at home..." Then she remembered. "Thats right...They won't even let me into the castle...Ohhhhhh I HATE this!" She takes th reins.

Melina sighs, although Ivy wasn't her favorite person to be with, she couldn't let any harm come to her. "Her name is Minzy, shes kind but shes also young, so she kinda spooks a bit easily, but I think you two well get along alright."


Lady Ivy looked at the horse as the horse came to Ivy and nudged her snout on Lady Ivy's cheek, Melina chuckles.
"Hehe see, she already likes you."

Lady Ivy had smiled with pride accepting Minzy. "Well of course what Animal wouldn't...?"

Marucus nodded to Zander. "They knew the fury of Marucus Alriusaad. I must have killed two score of those bastards. Not a grimy armored hand of the enemy have even grazed the garb of beautiful Lady Ivy." He smiled, knowing that Lady Ivy could back him up on his claims. Zander nodded, walking over to Lady Ivy, checking to see if she was unahrmed.

Marucus blinked. Who was this lady fair that rode to him on a stallion? He stepped towards Melina. "My lady, I do not believe I have ever met someone so beautiful as yourself. Might I have your name, fair maiden?" He gently took her hand, softly kissing it.

Ivy looks at Marucus as she tilts her head and chuckles. "Oh, she is the serving wench I was talking about."

Melina's eye twitched in annoyance as she looked at Ivy. "NO! I am not a serving wench, my name is Melina Garcia...I'm nothing special like a noble or anything, just a name as plain as day I guess. " She chuckles lightly as she then blushes a bit as he kissed her hand.

"Melina Garcia..." He said it, almost as if commiting it to memory. "Such a beautiful ring to it, and it suits you so well." He kissed her hand once more. "Marucus Alriusaad, at your service, my lady."

Lady Ivy rolls her eyes as she then gets on Minzy and strokes it's fur, as Melina smiles nervously as he had kisses her hand again and she looks down at him as she had looked up and just remembered. "M-My mothers dress...I have to go back and get it... I'm sorry Lord Marucus..." She gently sides her hand away from his hand. " I think their is a trail here somewhere that leads back to the valley, I have to go get it!" She rides off onto a gravel trail on cobalt as they start to galup back."

Zander called after her. "Melina, wait!" He jumped back onto his horse, taking off after her. "Hya!"

Marucus lets his hand drop. Had he come on too strong...? No... perhaps she simply had no interest. The feeling of such rejection he had not felt in a long time. He sighed. It was fine, he would get over it.

He walked back over to Ivy. He still had to protect this one.

Ivy looks at Marucus and then at Melina's distant image in the woods. "Well that was rude of her leaving like that, don't worry about her, shes a bit strange, she likes to over work herself, so I've heard. I think all this excitement is getting to her head."

Melina had rode back to the house as she had that the house was on fire. "No!!" She had gotten off the horse and stormed into the burning home, luckily the burning looked like it was just recent, and has not gone up stairs yet, she storms up stairs as she goes into her room, she searches threw her drawers as she starting packing all the things she could, as she found the silk dress. she had then went back out of her room, but the fire spreads wide and deep as it had already taken down the stair case, she was trapped, and the fire was caused by dark magic, she coughed violently as she couldn't breath, but she new she had to get out somehow.

Just as the house was about to collapse, a figure appeared out of the smoke, shielding thier eyes. They cried out, muffled. "Melina!! Where the hell are you?!" He looked around, a scarf over his mouth. She would only see the outline of him, the smoke was so thick.

Her vision was starting to get blurry as she was soon almost gonna pass out as she weakly calls out. "Z-Zan-der!!..."
She drops to her knees coughing as she still has a hold of her bag of things she needed.

He ran to her, picking her up under her arm. He pulled he to the door, kicking the door with all his strength. It crashed open, sending flames and smoke out away from the doorway. He dragged her out of the burning house, dropping her gently on the grass, bedning over, coughing. "Dammit... the hell were you doing in there?"

She gasped for air as she had the bag still in her hand as she coughs. "I-I had...to get my mothers dress...I-It's the only thing...I have left...thats...hers...*cough cough*"

"That is a stupid thing to do!" He coughed, shaking his head, standing, looking up. "What is the point of getting some stupid dress if you die in the process?" He ran his finger's through his debre covered hair. "I highly doubt your mother would want that."

She gets up as she takes her bag and slings it up on the horse. "Well you might think it's stupid, but when it comes to someone I love and it was something dear to me, I will go hell and back to get it. I guess you don't understand that." She then rides back off to the trail, as the house starts collapse fully. 10 mins later, she had then made it back to Marucus and Lady Ivy, she gets off the horse. "I'm sure Zander will be back...I just had to clear my head..." She sighs and looks down.

Lasche unravelled the scarf from his mouth. "Damn... didn't even thank me for saving her life..." He shook the rubble from his hair, the platinum once again showing through the black soot. He sighs. "So much for that..."
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Zander made it back to the clearing after her. "Melina?" He walked to her. "What happened?"

"What do you mean? You saved me, and yet you say saving this dress was stupid!This is special to me, how could you say that?"

He blinked, scratching his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I went to save you, but the front door collapsed. I was trying to stop the fire when I saw you riding away from the house as fast as you could, so I followed." He was utterly confused.

She tilts her head as she looks at him. "Wait...If you didn't save me...then...who did?"

Zander tilted his head. "You didn't know who it was? Didn't you see them?"

She shakes her head "He was scarfed so, I just thought it was you so that you could breath."

He shakes his head. "Looks like you have a guardian angel about."

"You think so...? " Well...I don't know rather to thank that angel or slap him in the face for what he said..." She shrugs "I'm glad I took my mothers dress before everything got burned down...Well now what?"

"Well... the current situation means we can't go to the palace any time soon." He looked at Ivy. "That also means we need to avoid towns. We'll have to rough it."

Melina nodded. "Yes, but were do we go? I haven't been outside of town before..." Melina looks at Marucus. "Excuse me, do you have a map Lord Marucus?" I just want to get familiar with the areas around, so I know where and where not to go..."

Marucus shook his head. "I apologize, my lady. I do not have any in the way of posessions other than the armor I wear, and the weapon on my back."