A new Day Dawns

((Want to join this duel for succession roleplay? PM Rokku or Layne))

Evergreen pines towered over their sleeping brothers, deep green against the pure white of the winter snow. They swayed with the wind, their branches releasing clumps of snow, adding to the steady drifts already falling to earth. It was around noon, a little after, but the sun was hidden by a dense layer of clouds, and one could tell it was day, but little else. It was here that a lone man trudged through the ankle-deep layer of snow, a sword strapped at his waist, a quiver and bow on his back. He stood tall, nearly six full feet, with a build lithe and athletic but strong. He wore a white cloak that enveloped him, hiding anything he wore underneath, as well as his face, as he held the hood tightly around his mouth.

He moved simply, efficiently, and gracefully. He was barely noticeable, but a light ‘chink’ of hidden armor could be heard when the wind dropped its speed, but the man quickly adjusted. He lifted back the hood of his cloak, content that there was no one worth worrying over this deep in the mountains. In truth, though, he wanted to be found, by a group of very specific people. Whether they would find him or not, however, was anyone’s guess.

The man wandered through the seemingly endless and barren landscape, eyes scanning the small creek and the shade trees that marked the dirt road. Eventually, it would give out, ending seemingly out of nowhere, becoming part of the stream without a single flawed edge. Of course, in the spring there would be a boat of two that would ride with the river toward the small village he was looking for, though most of his sources were little more than rumor. However, his scouts had all reported the same thing, that there was evidence of agriculture and movement, hunting and spring fishing. Which clearly meant that there was a significant population of people living somewhere nearby. And the sudden sound of a voice confirmed his suspicions.

Of course, a normal man's ears would never have heard the sound, it was at least a half mile away, and not much above a whisper. Either way, though, it was enough for this man to follow it. He quickly scaled the nearest tree, and began to leap from branch to branch toward the direction of the voice. It wasn't long before a girl, maybe eighteen at oldest, came into view. The expensive clothing and complete lack of survival experience meant nothing, but the red hair and green eyes? Now THAT interested him.

The man removed his cloak, and turned it inside out in a few seconds, mentally cursing the influx of cold air. He pulled it down his back easily enough, and the snowy cloak was now a coal black more suitable for a common traveler, and that was what he wanted, at least at first. He quickly slid down a slanted tree, and made his way to the road, going in the same direction, just behind the girl. "Oi! Miss! I be lost! Which way to Duraia?" Lon said, in his best peasant-Tarvannan. The accent would fool only the most skilled of linguists, but unless they had studied the nuances of the language for the past hundred years, they would sense nothing at all.

Lon looked the girl over, though she'd never notice it. She had the markings of the Haragiri, the red hair and green eyes, and she certainly looked like she came from royalty, though how exiled royals could posses such clothing was beyond him. "It might not be on a map, miss. It be a tiny village..." He lied, knowing full well that Duraria was the largest city in the area, at least it became so in the last two hundred years, a time long after the Haragiri had fled the country to this remote, semi-claimed land. "It be approaching nightfall, and there be a storm tonight...Do ye know where a rest post is along this road?" He asked absently.

Well, then the girl wasn't completely clueless, at least. True, there was a town a few hours away, but it wasn't very...friendly at the moment. Something about being part of an occupational army tended to make the locals angry. "Oi, ye best be steerin clear of Jaagia, there be a sickness taking there something fierce." He said, hoping that the girl would have no knowledge to the contrary. He wanted the chance to talk to the girl, yes, but preferably in a place where he didn't run the risk of being murdered for looking too much like an Agasarian.

Lon inwardly sighed with relief, he wouldn't have to explain to the girl why the townspeople wanted to stick pitchforks into him. That made his job easier, if only slightly. He followed the girl, close enough to be known to be there, but not close enough to make her uncomfortable. Being part of the Lunar Corp was all about finding just the right position, something drilled into him by his commander and that he in turn drilled into his men. The chinking of his armor was silenced, and though his face was easily visible, if the girl tried, it was too cold and getting too dark to try and force a stranger to take off their hood. "As long as ye know the way, miss. I have food and wood to share."

Lon pulled his cloak tighter, partially for show, mostly because the wind was beginning to pick up as the light began to fade away. He glanced around to see a few snowflakes falling here and there, and prayed that there was something where the girl was leading him. If nothing else, he knew how to build a makeshift shelter, and there were plenty of trees, but anything he could produce would likely still be very miserable, especially compared to the inn he had just forfeited in the other town. "Oi lass, the storm be startin. I hope you're taking us to a place with walls." He said, slipping slightly at the last sentence, going into a Tarvannan of a completely different caste.

Lon cursed his tongue, and continued following the girl, acutely aware that she was more than aware of his oddities. Fortunately, she seemed to abandon her suspicions for the moment, and continue on. The swirling wind and the snow was becoming more of a blizzard and less of a flurry, which was both good and bad. It hid them from potential followers, but it would kill them unless they had a proper shelter. Lon scanned the trees, seeing nothing, but always on his guard. He refused to be caught off guard, and the Crimson Talons of Tarvanna were a threat in their own right. "Well lass, the storm be on its way. Will we be makin our way to a shelter?" He asked, seamlessly back into the proper accent.

Lon looked at the girl, and then at the cabin that was beyond inviting at this point, especially due to the fact that there was already a nice, warm fire burning in there. However, the self preservation quickly set in. The horse meant it was only one person, and one person he could take. Depending, of course, on who it was and whether violence would actually be needed or not. "Oi, why not? If we be givin em some food they be lettin us join their fire! Unless ye be thinkin they be dangerous?"

Lon raised a brow at the girls comment, and then watched her move straight toward the cabin, and force the door open. Curiosity peaked, Lon made his way closer so that he could see and hear clearly what was happening. The girl was...odd, to say the least, but very entertaining, and Lon was eager to see what she was going to do to the individual he could only assume was a random stranger.

The situation was amusing, to say the least. Clearly, the girl and the boy were related in some way, and the reddish hair only cemented the case, though it didn't resemble the Haragiri traits he was searching for. What did strike him as odd, however, was the strict demand that these young adults stay near wherever they were from. Anywhere else in the world, they'd be in school or taking part in apprenticeships, but apparently here they were expected to stay, listen, and obey...Lon smiled inwardly, knowing that his job just became a thousand times easier. He nodded his head to the beat-faced teenagers that left, and entered the warmth of the cabin with a raptured sigh. "Hukas koa snu Jhan..." He said quickly, barely audible, in Agasarian. He then quickly moved back into Tarvannan without missing a beat. "So lass, where be this cabin along the road? I no be wantin to run into bandits or the like." He said, sitting down and removing his satchel of food, dividing dried meat, cheese, and hard bread between the two of them.

The food that came out of the girl's bag either meant one of two things: One, she had no idea how to travel, or two: she did not expect to be between towns for very long. Either way, the fresh rations were a nice treat. "Thank ye lass." He said, And took a large bite of the fresh chicken. He kept his cloak on as the girl took hers off, hoping she wouldn't think anything of he. He did, however, remove hid hood to reveal a chiseled and handsome face, if one beginning to receive a touch of age. "I be Lon, by the by." He said absently, then listened to her mention the woods being devoid of anything important. "I hear stories of a hidden village, lass. There must be somthin in these woods."

Keladry clearly knew exactly what he was talking about, and more specifically, exactly where this village was. The question, however, was simple. Did he even need to find it now that he had met this girl? She was exactly what he needed, a Haragiri, more specifically, a Haragiri with the traits considered only belonging to that specific family. "Aye, that be the rumor lass. It be possible, the deep woods have a way o' hidin things. And the Haragiri be needin to keep hidden." He said, waiting for her next reaction.