Dark Winged Grip

[Calyx]

The Duke of Erinton, capital of Aristia has lost all of his children- his heirs- to one accident or another. Coincidental or not, he has been left without a proper next-in-line.

However, he knows the cause of his grief. The one person ambitious and power-hungry enough to massacre the youth lined up to the throne. His own brother.

Calling upon the goddess of Vengeance, the dark winged Goddess, Ani, a solution was unearthed in exchange for his very soul.

An illegitimate child. A daughter. Hardly older than the age of twelve. But strong. Healthy- for a street urchin at least- and capable of transforming into the perfect heir. And the perfect weapon against the Duke's enemy. Until the enemy can be eliminated and Ani receives her toll.


Beneath the Duke's mansion lays the servant quarters, where a young boy, also twelve, makes do best he can, seeking a different path from his wench mother, who, even at this point, wallowed in the same rank mud as his home village's hogs. He worked as a waiting man, coming to the Duke's beck and call- "Gilly, my medicine. Gilly, my robe. Gilly, you will be the one to answer the door now."

There were other servants, sure. But for some reason, the old man had taken a liking to him, and seemed to enjoy forcing the boy to scurry from room to room.

Still. It was work. More than his brothers and sister could hope for. Good, honest work, with no uncivil, or scandalous behavior.





"Gilly!" the old man called, his withered voice somehow booming through the room. Almost immediately, the small blonde boy peered around the door frame, stepping into the room fully once the Duke nodded him in.
Gilly shifted his grip on the platter of spirits, pouring a stream of velvety blood red wine into the ornate goblet. Beside the base of the cup was a small vial of opaque white liquid.

Without glancing up at the Duke, Gilly tapped in two drops.

"Your medicine, sir," he said, taking a small sip and forcing down the grimace, before handing the wine to the man.

He took it from the boy without so much as a nod. He seemed vacant, gazing out the enormous window close to the ceiling.

"I have been pondering, Gilly my boy."

"Oh yes sir. Pondering is always a brilliant passtime!"

"I have been pondering my other son."

"Son, sir? Pardon my forwardness, but-"

"My daughter, really. But my son nonetheless. Or, she will be."

Gilly said nothing, eyes wide.

"Yes... Ani says she will be the heir."

"Ani, sir? The Dark Goddess? You have been conversing with her?" The incredulity in the boy's voice was barely masked. Superstition was common, and Gilbert was no exception. "Surely you cant be.. Ani will steal your heart if you open your mind to her!"

The old man laughed, a wheezing sound, and sat up taller.
"No, boy. Not my heart, but my soul. Once vengeance has been dealt. Now. It is time to find my child."

And before Gilly's eyes, the Duke seemed to grow younger, his hair darkening to the dark black sleek ponytail, the wrinkles in his face fading into smooth, young skin.

Ani's work Gilly thought shakily, averting his sapphire eyes from the sight, lest the Dark One seize the opportunity to grip his own soul.

This daughter... No. This son. Would he truly be the one to end this?


Ooc:// XD Lemme know what you think dear. I was just enjoying messing with it.

[Pockythief]

A skinny girl raced down the flithy streets, her breath comming in heavy wheezing gasps.

"Wait!" The servant called running after her with a guard not far behind, Annabelle pulled off a tattered shoe and chucked it at her persuer's head.

"Can't catch me." Anabelle stuck out her tongue and ran off and the chase continued.
Fear propelled her to run faster though cluttered allyways ducking over and under random objects blocking the way, this forced the adults to slow their pursuit.

Annabelle squeezed through a narrow opening and paused to look behind her, the servant and the guard were caught in the clutter. Anabelle beamed mischieviously and turned to waltz away, brushing a strand of her long dark hair out of her face, she let out an "ooof" as she bumped into another guard that had come up right behind her. The Guard scooped her up before she regained her breath.

Anabelle let out a shriek and kicked at the guard, "NOOOOOO!" she clawed at her captor, "LET ME GOOOOO!" she bit down ard on the guard's hand. "Oh thanks the gods you caught her!" The servant freed himself from the ally and rushed over breatlessly, he took out an old what must have once been white handkercheif and wiped the sweat off of hs forehead. The guard nodded solemly and grimaced as the 12 year old gnawed vilolently on his hand and arm.

"Let me go you slimy toad face!" Anabelle kicked out at the servant "Your father wears women's clothes and you have boogers for brains!"

She clawed at the guard who squeezed her, "Stop that you little street rat!" Anabelle pulled her two front teeth over her lower lip and crossed her eyes making a smacking chirring noise much like that of a rat.

The servant fronwed and shook his head in a dissaproving manner,the guards said nothing at all.

Anabelle struggled as the men took her away, panic shot through the girl's veins like ice as her three captors approached a horse drawn carriage. The first thing that flit through Anabelle's mind was prison. "NOOOO!" Anabelle wailed, "No don't take me to jail! I'll be good I promise!" Tears flowed down her dirty face, "Please! Please!" She cried " Mamma! Mamma help! her screamed and kicked, "Mamma don't let them take me away!"

But her mother wasn't there, Anabelle wailed as she was placed in the carraige. The servant sat next to her, he saluted back to the guards that stood outside as the carriage rolled away. Anabelle crossed her arms and sniffed, the servant offereed her a handkerchief but the girl slapped it away.

Her crying slowed then stopped alltogether as the ride went on and on, Anabelle played with her hair, the weight of her waist length hair almost comforting in this strange environment.

After what surely must have been hours of tense silence in the carriage, it halted suddenly and the door opened.

A woman reach in and snatched Anabelle out of the carriage, Anabelle let out a cry of protest looking back at the male servant who was too busy wiping his head with his handkerchief again to see her shoot him a desperrate look.

The woman scolwed angrily at the gril's dirty and tear stained face, she pulled a rag out of her pocket to roughly wipe the girl's face, Anabelle atempted to squirm away but the lady had a tight grip around her scrawny arm.

Anabelle was brought to a large closed door, but she wasn't given a moment to admire the beautiful metal work that snaked up and around the heavy oak door. "Ypu don't speak unless spoken to, stand up straight, don't stand pigeon toed, you will adress to Duke of Erinton as 'your Garce'. Understood?" The woman then shooved Anabelle roughly into the room and slammed the door shut.

Anabell looked around the room till her blue eyes fell upon the blonde boy stading calmly by with a wine glass in hand and a youthfull looking man with sparkling eyes and long black hair. "Hey!" Anabelle pointed at the man, "I thought the Duke was some old geezer, you can't be him!"

[Calyx]

The entire court gaped at her in shock, the same thought passing through every ones minds:
"Did that little brat just call the earl...!"

Gilly somehow managed to stop his draw from dropping, but he stared at the small girl in awe. How daring. No wait. How dare she?? The earl was her father! er- his father. She needed to show some respect!

Somehow, the Earl managed to laugh- and he made it sound so genuine.
"Perhaps I am old. But I have aged well, dont you think?" he said lightly, winking at the girl.

He turned sharply to look at Gilly, snapping his fingers.
"Come on, boy. Make our guest comfortable! A glass of wine perhaps?"

Gilly blinked once, snapping out of his haze, and nodded, tossing one last look over his shoulder at the strange, wild looking girl in the room. What was mlord thinking?? This girl could never pass off as aristocracy! She was too feral looking! The way she held herself, the way she spoke. Nothing about her said "royal."

The Earl peered at the girl in silence for a moment, his chin resting on his hands, sizing her up. Yes, she looked very much like the feral children he'd seen in the Sleets. And yet he could see the results of his blood. The sharper point of her chin, the angle of her eyes. The curve of her nose. they were all his own. There was no denying that she had aristocratic blood. Now it was just a matter of bringing it out.

"What is your name, child?" he finally asked, raising one dark eyebrow. Not that it mattered. Her name would no longer be hers fairly soon.


Ooc:// sorry its not as long as it coulda been. Just getting around to posting for you dear >.<

[Pockythief]

"Anah-" Anabelle closed her mouth quickly, if she was in trouble there was no way she was going to tell this odd man her name. The girl huffed and crossed her arms opening her mouth again, but then seemed to think better of the snarky comments she had steeing in her mind and clamped her mouth shut.

Instead she pointed her toes together, and pouted slightly, the same way she did when she wanted something from her mother or when the nice man who sold sugar cakes came around.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers mister weird guy...it's the rules ya know."

She shuffled her feet awkwardly and noticably shifted her eyes to a window on her right, she turned her gaze down to her filthy bare feet then back to the window. Anabelle made a spilt second desicion.

"EEK What is that?!" she squealed pointing out the window with the best shock and horror she could muster. The Peoples of the court, turned to look where her grubby finger pointed but the moment she felt their gaze leave her, Anabelle was off like a bat out of hell.

The little girl slammed into the heavy wooden door, which groaned but gave way to her shoving, swinging outward. Anabelle shot off , almost instantly colliding with a solid body in her way.

Anabelle stumbled from the sudden encounter,she saw the ceiling becoming rapidly farther away and knew she was falling. There was a heavy thud and a glass shattering crash followed by an ear-splitting wail.

Anabelle rubbed frantically at her eyes, the liquid that had spolshed into her pale eyes stung and burned, tears spilled down her face as her body tried to rid the abnormal substance from inside her tear ducts.

"OW OW OW!" the girl sobbed pawing at her watery eyes, all the while still sprawled on the ground. Anabelle stood, fingers still working out the tears and burning liquid, groping and stumbling around blindly.

[Calyx]

Gilly fell back hard, his tray tumbling with a crash to the floor.
Eyes wide, he was frozen with shock for a moment as his mind tried to take in the mess before him.
And that girl-

"Ah-" he finally managed to get out, rubbing the top of his head.
"W-what the dickens are you-"

He struggled to his knees, but his hand slipped on the spilled wine, and he fell again, barely managing to catch himself before his nose hit the tiled floor.

"Where are you going?"
More carefully this time, he pulled himself to his feet, firmly but gently catching hold of the small girl's arm. She looked shocked, and Gilly noticed a deep red rise in her cheeks.

Frowning, he pulled her to her feet as well, irritated that he had to drag her resistant frame back to the library.

"I see you've captured our little mouse," the Earl said, beaming. "But Gilly, my boy. You appear... wet and frazzled. Where is my wine?"

Gilly looked down, apologetic. "It spilled sir. I was about to go clean it up."

"Ah, yes. Do that. First, though, kindly escort miss 'Anah' to her room. Don't want her to disappear on us again."

So the Earl wanted to lock her in?
"Yes sir," Gilly said, and tugged the girl after him down the hall, turning only once to bow as he left the room.

[Pockythief]

Anabelle's eyes continued to tear up as the wine was flushed from inside her eyes, the blonde boy still had her tightly by the arm, Anabelle had had about enough of the pushing and prodding around today.

First it was being chased by the guards then being thrown into the carriage, that servant lady who attacked her face freeing it of all the dirt she had carefully collected since her bath last week, then there was that weird man who claimed he was the duke but was waaaaay to young, and ontop of it all the wine being spilled on her. Though the wine mishap was her own fault Anabelle was still feeling quite irritable after the day's events.

Anabelle cleared her throat and tried to speak to the boy leading her down the hall by her amr "Look..." she scowled at the boy,"My momma is gonna be wonderin' where I am...so I gotta get home okay?" Anabelle had had enough adventure for one day, she was tired and on the very edge of cranky.

"See I was supposed to be home a loooong time ago and if I don't get home soon I'll be in big trouble, you know how that is right? I bet you've gotten in trouble with your momma before too so you understand that I gotta get ome right?" Anabelle prattled on to the boy sure that he would understand her request to leave.