The Three Terabithians

[Stardio]

(Discalimer: So Jordan, Kenny and I are bored in chat, and we decided to do a little RP.. Something pretty meh. Could be non-canon, meh whatever.. From the archives. Here goes.)

The Three Terabithians

Stardio flinched as dark energy drew towards towards his face. He grimaced, "Innnnnnnnnngggghhhh!!!!" Memories of fear forced their way throughout his mind. Having experienced this evil torment several times before, Stardio knew what to expect. He fell to the ground exhausted, declaring his surrender.

Stardio's face was scrunched up from the agonizing pain he just experienced. He was out for a little while, and was blatantly awoken by a high pitched screech of a Hairy Vulture. Upon looking up from the ground, Stardio heard the grim laugh of The Dark Master and saw the outline of his dark figure disappear within a black cloud of smoke.

"Terabithia!" He exclaimed.

Stardio promptly leaped into the air with such force, that he left a gushing trail of leaves behind him. Up into the treetops, he made off into the depths of the forest, he was headed for the Kingdom township.

With swift movements, Stardio made his way towards the Kingdom's biggest township. As he neared the place, the faint smell of burning smoke filled his nasal passage, then he stiffened to a frightening stop as an evil laugh pierced the Kingdom's night sky. Stardio knew something was wrong, so he started again, wasting no time, he hasted towards the city. Rising up higher and higher, above the treetops, he reached the city.

But he was too late.

The sight he saw was horrific. Every building, house, shack, stall and even the fountain was burnt to ash. The bell tower that had once boasted two guards was burnt to a crisp, the only thing left was its support beams which were now blackened and looked like a skeletal hand uprooting from the ground. The bell itself lay on its side, halfway into the ground and the other half crushing the fountain. The remains of Terabithian Sentinels could be seen under the crushed fountain. Trees surrounding the area were fully ablaze, bathing the area with light, making it very easy to see. The unforgiving flames conjured an endless smoke stack that disappeared into the night sky. High winds were conjuring, and Stardio knew the forest was in a state of panic.

He felt responsible for the whole ordeal, as he contemplated about what happened, thoughts raced through his mind, concerning his ability to act upon danger. "I could have stopped it, I could have warned the Terabithians, I could have sabotaged the plans, I could have saved them!" Thinking of all the possible ways he could have prevented this ultimate disaster, Stardio had a sickening feeling of disgust and hatred towards his own procrastination. It was the same feeling he had when his Captain disappeared, he blamed himself. Two questions clouded his spinning mind, "Could I have saved them?" and "How would I save them?". Powerless to do anything, all he could do was watch. He thought longer and harder about the depressing matter and soon found himself weeping heavily at the site of his beloved Kingdom burning to dust.

"Happy Birthday" he said silently.

He saw that one building was still not yet ablaze, a dinner hall. Stardio leaped off the tree-top, down towards the ground with a great thud. His legs ached but it didn't register with him. Wiping his swollen eyes he entered the building. Inside was the faint smell of Busa, an old Terabithian dinner dish. His eyes filled with tears as he gazed around the empty kitchen seeing no sign of life. His mouth twitched into a frown the more he stared at the place where life had once thrived.

A noise echoed from outside, but Stardio didn't care, he thought it was The Dark Master coming to finish the job. The person entered and Stardio heard the piercing slide of a sword being drawn. This was not a The Dark Master, he realized. The unfamiliar voice spoke.

[Kenny]

"Who goes there?!" she demanded, gripping the handle of her blade. The sharp edge was pointed at the assailant. There was a quiver in Aurora's voice. She didn't expect to see this much destruction. How could anyone do this? she thought, fighting back tears.

Earlier in the night a messenger hawk had flown into Fort Arcadius delivering news of a siege on the Kingdom's Township. Lachdanan, Commander of the Arcadian forces, immediately assembled a team to help the cause. Aurora, his adopted daughter and head of the Arcadian Cavalry, was chosen to lead 11 of the Fort's best on this frantic quest. Her younger brother Gaia, a skilled archer, was amongst those chosen.

As they rode toward the township, pillars of dense smoke could be seen piercing the night sky. No stars would twinkle above this forsaken place tonight.

The gates had been pried open and walls of flames enveloped the entire settlement. The surrounding forest was also in dire jeopardy - burning brightly on a moonless night. Aurora tugged on the reigns, but the battle stallion wouldn't budge any further. She backtracked a little - away from any potential harm - and wrapped the horse's reigns around a sturdy Oakus tree.

"Tie up your mounts and we'll continue by foot!" Even here she had to shout over the roaring flames and crackling of burning wood.

5 stallions and 7 sabretooths stood patiently together in anticipation for the return of their riders. The dozen nobles entered the gates with great caution. Aurora lead, her hand resting on the sheathed blade. 2 warriors stood on either side and 7 archers followed closely, arrows drawn.

Even now, the remains of houses were crumbling around them - the supports twisting and disintegrating, leaving piles of darkened rubble.

The wind picked up - coming in from the east - fueling the fiery demise of a once grand center.

"Be on the lookout for any sign of life - for any movement!" she ordered.

Aurora tried to be optimistic; to have some hope, but she knew the chances of finding any survivors here was grim. The smell of smoke was sickening and wretched at her lungs. Using a dagger, she tore a piece of cloth from her shirt and shielded her airways.

Moving further inward, one building stood out above the others - it was still standing and had somehow escaped significant damage. This could be a refuge for survivors, Aurora convinced herself. Her paced picked up and the others followed in her rhythm.

Nearing the entrance, Aurora's eyes caught movement. She blinked, making sure her mind wasn't playing tricks. There was definitely someone inside. She stopped - signaling the archers to be on stand-by and that the other 4 warriors stay close.

Moving even closer now, she noticed the figure to be a man and drew her blade from its sheath, causing the distinct screech of metal on metal contact.

"Who goes there?!" She aimed the blade.

No immediate answer. She gripped the handle even tighter.

"I will not ask you again!"

[jing0000]

Jing started as the Warhorse gave out a sharp "neigh". He had been resting in a makeshift camp he built. If it were any other horse, he would not have thought anything of it, but this one was the last of its kind - a Battlehorse he was able to salvage from the keep. The training and breeding that these horses had recieved was beyond that of even the most accomplished trainers. A part of the horse training was to remain silent - even in battle - so the fact that something had made it nervous now was enough to put Jing on guard.

Jumping up, Jing walked to the horse. Looking to where the horse was, he saw in the distance what looked like smoke rising. "Well, my friend, shall we go!" Mounting the horse, Jing started to make a wide circle so that he would come to the gates from a forest side. He dismounted, tying the horse a short distance from the city, and started to walk. A few paces forward and he stopped. Ahead of him, also walking to the gates, was a group of what appeared to be 12 soldiers. In the dim light of the road he could not make out whether they were raiders or soldiers. Quickly deciding it'd best to follow the group, he strayed far enough behind to hide himself and followed them into the town. The group went to the only un-disturbed building and he heard someone speak, but could not make out the words. Thinking it safe to get closer, Jing started to approach quietly - only to be stopped short - looking up to find an archer aiming an arrow at him.

[Stardio]

"Who goes there?!" the voice demanded. A woman's voice, it seemed strong and willful, but there was a much too familiar quiver in her voice. The word's she spoke instantly pulsated through his mind, these words, plus the noise of a sword being draw, coupled with the smell of death around him put Stardio into a trance. It echoed again and again, and memories began to flood his head.

Stardio's mind drifted back to his younger days, back to the night when he was wondering the woods clearing his head. The surrounding bush and trees was very thick and hard to see through. It made good cover if he ever needed to find a place to hide. He'd kick at the dead bark, watching the dust rise up into the air and swirl in the wind. He heard the faint snapping noise of a twig echo from behind him and honed his hearing, the footsteps were light. He thought it was an enemy trying to sneak up on him. Stardio planted his feet into the ground and shot off up into the high tree-tops.

He waited silently for his enemy to walk right into his trap. An ambush "Yeah boyyee, you gonna get ambushed hard, plaaayah." he whispered to himself. The figure came walking through, and as Stardio's eyes fixated on the person, it was a young girl, about the same age as he was. He nearly fell out of the tree at the sight of her, the tiny ruffle he made was enough to set off the girls hearing. She paused and looked around, "Who goes there?!" she shouted. Stardio couldn't help but stare at the girl, he was about to reveal himself when he heard a grunt come from behind the thick bushes surrounding the area. 3 Squogres came lurking out cornering the girl between them. The look of blood lust in their eyes made Stardio shiver.

He wondered what they were going to do, but soon found out as one of the Squogres lunged forward at the girl pushing her to the ground. She tried to shield herself, but the Squogre was relentless, it knelt down in front of the girl and grabbed her by the hair, pulled her head up and slapped her in the face. "Pcchhh" The thwack its hand/paw made when connecting with her cheek was loud. "What do you want from me?" the girl whimpered. Again the Squogre slapped her, this time on the other side of her face. He sniffed her hair before releasing his tight grip on it, letting her head slump to the ground. It stood over her and slowly lifted its foot high into the air. The other Squogres seemed amused by this and cheered him on. His foot came down on the girl with great speed as he stomped her into the ground.

He stood back and gave the Squogre behind him a malevolent grin. To this, the next Squogre drew his battle sword and walked over to the helpless girl. The Squogre ran his sword over the girls leg, up the side of her hip, past her stomach, over her chest and stopped at her neck. She was trembling in fear. The Squogre pulled his arm back, keeping it pointed at the girl. "Please! I don't want- AHHH!" Stardio launched himself off the tree speeding towards the Squogre. His descent was simultaneously fast and slow. He seemed to be falling forever. The forest around him began to spin and he couldn't focus on where he was going to land. Stardio tried to aim for the Squogre, but his eyes blurred, the girl had vanished and the Squogres disappeared. Trees turned into uniformed pillars, the thick bush formed into a long wooden table and the forest hearth had become a hard varnished floor. "Who goes there?!"

His body impacted with the floor with a harsh thud. Stardio grabbed at the air around him. Though he now had impaired vision, he could see a dark figure standing over him. Stardio tried to say something to the stranger: "Da- Kim- Ast- Aaah-" then his world turned black.


(oh noes! what a lame. anyways, take the story wherever.)

[Kenny]

Aurora took a single step back, bracing herself, as the he looked up at her. A strange feeling of familiarity swept over her as their eyes met for a second. Just as she started to speak out again, the masked man interrupted with slur of word, "Da- Kim- Ast- Aaah-". She watched surprised as his eyes glazed over and his body became limp, and before she could react, he fell forward - his veiled face thudding and bouncing off the hard wood floor.

Aurora approached his unconscious body cautiously, but her grip eased up on her blade.
Who is he? ... What just happened? ... I feel like I've seen him before.. Thoughts raced through her head as she stepped closer. By this time, another two warriors and three archers had entered the massive food-court to access the situation. He definitely appeared to be out cold. Aurora leaned down to examine his armour and saw the grand crest.

"A 'iii'.." she mouthed to herself. She'd never seen or heard of any people with this symbol before.

"Captain!" a voice called out from the entrance. Aurora turned to see it was Legaias, a high elven archer. "Captain, Gaia caught a man following us and requires your presence!"

She stood up and gave the others instructions, "Keep an eye on him, and tie him up if you see necessary," before pacing toward the doorway.

Legaias lead the way, his great bow swinging by his side. White clouds streamed from their mouths as their heavy breathes contacted with the crisp, cool air. The banging of their plate armour and thunder of their steps warned of their imminent approach.

"Aurora!" Gaia's voice echoed through the burning settlement.

Closer, she could see what was happening now. The rest of the Arcadians concentrated around a blackened sculpture. The crimson glow of flames reflected brightly on the body of their swords and arrow-heads. Her younger brother stood at the center of the activity - his arms visibly trembling from the immense tension of his drawn-bow. The point was aimed at the head of an unsuspecting man.

"Gaia.. lower you bow.." she said gently, making sure not to startle her sibling. He did as he was told, slowly releasing the tension of the string and separating the arrow - placing it back into the quiver.

The man didn't appear to have a weapon in hand, and Aurora walked up to him - joining her brother's side. In the background, the archers, including Legaias still targeted the unidentified man.

She glanced at him up and down again. It was hard to tell who he was.
"I am Aurora, warrior of Arcadius. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

[jing0000]

"I am Aurora, warrior of Arcadius. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Jing looked over the warrior and saw the troops behind her. "Nope," he thought. "No way out".. He then drew a short sword that had laid hidden in his cloak. But instead of entering an offensive or defensive battle stance, he let the blade fall to the ground. ""Well then Aurora, as you said your name was. I must say that I do not recognize the name Arcadius."

Getting up and taking a few staps back. "I was alarmed when I saw the fire coming from this village. It was a peaceful place, that often traded with some of the keeps and castles nearby. But when I came to see what had happened, I saw your troops. Seeing as I was alone, I decided to follow you. But then I got caught by your troop's."


Jing then reached into a small pouch and grabbed a whistle, which had an engraving of a horse on its side. "My name is Jing, and I'm nothing more than a poor nomad who hunts in this region of Terabithia" Jing lied. But Jing was a horrible liar, and the nobility and authority is his voice surely most have led Aurora's troops to catching his lie.

[Kenny]

Aurora stood vigilantly - her shoulders back and chin up while she listened.
Jing.. why don't I believe you're just a villager? There's something about you..

He stopped talking and Aurora gazed into his eyes, trying read his emotions. Blank. Hidden. As though a barrier was stopping her. This was a little offsetting for the warrior who found great pride in her abilities to decipher humans. She took a step forward and peered even deeper. Again, there was nothing. Orange and yellow flames flickered in the reflection of his big dark eyes.

Truly intriguing.. A smile flashed on her face.

Breaking the stare, Aurora paced along a semi-circle before the man.
"Jing, I feel as though you're not being completely truthful with us. I can help you if you'd only tell me the truth. Answer me these: where are your living quarters; did you have any relations to the people who were of this settlement; and did you notice mysterious activity?"

Tresare Aurora had been through this process many-a-times before today. Her paces were authoritative and the boots stomped at the dirty soil rhythmically. Every 4th step she'd look at him to make sure he was listening.

"Perhaps the culprits fled past you.. those responsible for this great travesty! We Arcadians are enforcers around these parts. We all want justice to be found and if you, Jing, do no co-operate, I'm afraid we will have to take more drastic measures."

She stopped dead square in front of him, where she had originally stood in the initial questioning.
The normally well-diciplined Gaia was obviously becoming agitated and impatient with the man. It was the young elf that confronted the man known as Jing in the first place. Who knows what may have happened if he didn't do so.
"Sister.." he called expectantly.
Aurora turned her head to see him in the corner of her eye. "Yes, Gaia?"
"I don't trust this man."
She scanned Jing's appearance again.

"Your move. Either answer what I've asked or I will detain you under Arcadian law!"
This statement made her brother happy. The situation had been at a stale-mate for too long.

[jing0000]

Jing stood back, staring at Aurora as she stared at him. She has a strong will, he thought to himself.

"Jing, I feel as though you're not being completely truthful with us. I can help you if you'd only tell me the truth. Answer me these: where are your living quarters; did you have any relations to the people who were of this settlement; and did you notice mysterious activity?"


Jing took a time before responding again. His eyes followed the now pacing Aurora. She was trying to intimidate him - each step was authoritative and every 4th pace she would glare at him. Jing refused to show any emotion and would stare back with the same blank look every time.

"Perhaps the culprits fled past you.. those responsible for this great travesty! We Arcadians are enforcers around these parts. We all want justice to be found and if you, Jing, do no co-operate, I'm afraid we will have to take more drastic measures."

Jing tilted his head slightly as he listened to the female elf, but still did not say anything. Aurora stopped in front of him again.

"Sister.." "Yes, Gaia?" "I don't trust this man."
"Your move. Either answer what I've asked or I will detain you under Arcadian law!"

Jing, allowing some of the darkness to creep inside of him, gave an ultimately dark look to the young elf Gaia, but then quickly pulled it back in and returned to his "normal" self. He stood up tall and took a deliberate step forward using the same authority in his step that Aurora herself had used moments before. Raising his sword to waist length and tucking the whistle between his finger's he looked long and hard at Aurora.

"Warrior of Arcadius, to answer your questions: my living quarters are the land itself. I make my camp in nature. I used to make trade with the people of this settlement, and as for mysterious people, I have been out hunting for the last month"

All of the authority of leadership was in Jing's voice now and he did nothing to hide it. He smirked at Aurora and gave a confident look to the archer Gaia that conveyed a message that he was not to be reckoned with or belittled.

"None of the culprits came past me; they either left long before our are in fact, you." He spoke with conviction.

"Now.." Jing's expression grew softer and his voice lighter - he even gave a small smile.

"If you wish to detain my under Arcadian law, I must warn you that it means nothing to me at this point. Your laws are not mine - I come from somewhere else entirely."

Jing still did not mention that he was the Lord of the keep nor did he admit to the keep being destroyed. He still did not know who did it and played with the idea in his mind that these soldiers may very well be his enemies. It was in his best interests to kept his identity hidden.. for now.

[Kenny]

Aurora watched and listened intently to Jing as he started to answer. He was truly an enigmatic character. He would go from quiet and reserved - hard to read, and all-of-a-sudden he'd brood with confidence - even flashing a sly smile to Aurora and her brother.
Who is this man?

"None of the culprits came past me; they either left long before our are in fact, you."
He was speaking with pure conviction in his voice. It seemed he truly believed what he was saying. Like he wasn't trusting of the Arcadian scouts at all.

Jing's accusatory tone made the Elven warrior stare him down. Her eyes became cold and angry - fixated onto his dark and now lively eyes.
How dare you, traveler! Aurora frowned and saw Gaia doing the same.

The man continued his answer.
"If you wish to detain my under Arcadian law, I must warn you that it means nothing to me at this point. Your laws are not mine - I come from somewhere else entirely."

Aurora had heard enough. She was raised to be fair and understanding - even to strangers - but this particular Jing struck a nerve with her. The fact that he would so blatantly negating her authority - authority that took her years of hardship to earn - made Aurora think this was a man with no respect; a vigilante-type of a person.

"While you are in this part of the land, Jing, you are under Arcadian jurisdiction and you will be detained. Regardless of where you are from, you will abide by our laws. Now, Jing, tell me exactly where you are from! Aurora's voice grew stronger as she continued.

"You were following a team of Arcadian troops on a scout and rescue mission. Be glad you aren't detained already. Be glad you weren't hurt by one of our archers. Jing," her voice eased up a notch, "understand that we mean you no harm - that we are in allegiance with the old King and Queen of Terabithia. If you are with us in the battle against the forces of Dark Master then you shall have no hesitation in giving us the information we want and need."

Aurora took a solid step forward and detached a leather casing from her belt. Opening it she revealed a metal inscription:

Tresare Aurora Quel'Sera -
High Cavalry Guard of Arcadia -
Pledged to the King and Queen.

She walked up to an arms length away and held out the inscription for him to inspect. Aurora stood a few inches taller than Jing and looked down to meet his dark eyes now. Archers still had their arrows targeted at the man.

"Again," her voice was calm, as if speaking to a disciple, "what is your story?"

[jing0000]

"While you are in this part of the land, Jing, you are under Arcadian jurisdiction and you will be detained. Regardless of where you are from, you will abide by our laws. Now, Jing, tell me exactly where you are from! Aurora's voice grew stronger as she continued.

"You were following a team of Arcadian troops on a scout and rescue mission. Be glad you aren't detained already. Be glad you weren't hurt by one of our archers. Jing," her voice eased up a notch, "understand that we mean you no harm - that we are in allegiance with the old King and Queen of Terabithia. If you are with us in the battle against the forces of Dark Master then you shall have no hesitation in giving us the information we want and need."

Jing listened to Aurora in a stony silence. Apparently she did not know how close they were from the border. Aurora took a step forward and held at arms length a leather casing, inside inscribed in metal was the identity and rank of Aurora.

"Again," her voice was calm, as if speaking to a disciple, "what is your story?"

Instead of speaking directly after, Jing took a step back. Slowly pulling back on his shirt he revealed a light cuirass - on it was an insignia of the keep Sanctuary. A black circle in the center had two animals were fighting - a dragon and a raven, but instead of the much more powerful dragon, It was the raven that was winning this battle.

"Aurora, I respect your authority as a military power, but I must admit to this: my rank is higher. I do not think you realize quite how far you have come. As of now you are on the border to my land."

"I am Jing Linevael, I am a soldier of sorts. In my land I am of high rank, and if you take a few steps towards me now you will be in that land."

Jing looked over at the archer who had pinned him in the first place. "Let me warn your archer, that if he shoots that arrow, I will retaliate."

"Lets get this clear Aurora. You wont find much beyond this area. I'm one of the only ones who travel it as of now. I do not recognize the name Arcadia and my people do not act under the old king and queen of Terabithia. Nor do we work under the Dark Master. I will not give you any further information until I am sure of you, and your people."

Jing's tone was absolute. He gazed directly into the Arcadian troops.

"I can tell you this much. I am a diplomat and I'm sure you want to get to the bottom of this. So do I. So let me ask this of you: take me back to this Arcadia and let me speak with someone high in command. There are things I think that are important to all of us that I would like to discuss.."