"Escape!" (IC Story/IG Plotline)

[Estel]

Surprise

While they still had their arms around each other, a gesture that Estel had come to like very much, JT spoke softly in her ear: “I have a surprise for you!” The tone of his voice was so excited that Estel leaned back to look at his face. “Surprise? You spoil me! You surprise me already with nice hug from your arms.”
“This is an even better surprise!”
“Better? I can no imagine better surprise then you.”JT blushed and softly kissed her cheek. Curious the elf started to search for his pocket. “Where is it then? In pocket?”
He shook his head. “Nope!”
A puzzled look crossed her face. Where would he keep a surprise if not in his pocket? What would it be? Maybe he had gone to  Carlotta and asked her to make some more soup? Or maybe he plucked apples from the tree in the Garden and left them somewhere, coming to pick her up so they could eat them together?
“You remember the Elven Quarter where we met the healer?” She nodded. “The surprise is there. My friend Gwen gave us a gift; do you want to see it?”
“Is it apple pie?” she asked hopeful. She heard this friend of his was a somewhat good cook.

Footsteps approached. A team of guards returned from wherever they had gone too. Excited about the surprise now, Estel waved at Hoagie who was amongst them and called out: “JT has a surprise!!! And it’s not in his pocket!” Hoagie nearly choked and immediately gave JT an odd look, while JT besides her blushed really red with wide eyes.
Estel did not notice the exchange of looks between the men and watched the guards curious. Still blushing JT nodded towards one of them. “That’s Eve… She’s an officer. Like Hoagie.” Surprised Estel stared at the woman and then again to Hoagie. Earlier she had been looking for an officer to whom she could give the bandages that she had made and JT had explained to her that… “But she does not look grumpy and Hoagie always smiles?”
Again JT’s face became redder then usual.
“Oh! They wear hats, is that what makes em diff’rent?”
“No, I have a cap too. I just don’t wear it.”

At that moment Hoagie approached them and JT told him that he had paid Estel for the bandages she had made and that he was about to show her a surprise.
“Ooh! I know wha’ it is…! Lemme guess.” Hoagie said with a grin.
Estel frowned. “I do not know what it is. What is it then?”
“It’s…” Hoagie suddenly kept his gaze on JT. “Where ye left yer cap?”
Quickly JT searched for it and put it on his head, Estel helping him with putting it straight on his head.
With a pleased look in his eyes, Hoagie nodded, and somewhat grumpily JT turned to a smiling Estel. “Now you look like officer…”

“Maybe others want see surprise too or is it only surprise for me?”
JT leaned in and whispers softly. “Just for you and me, melamin”
She nodded and turned to Hoagie. “Hoagie, you cannot come. Is only surprise for me.” The elf beamed happily. Somewhat uncomfortable JT shuffled shiftily besides her under the faintly grinning look of Hoagie. For some reason she seemed to have said things in a way that apparently was not entirely proper. She’d have to ask Lloyd about it… maybe he knew what.

Later the couple arrived in the Elven Quarter where JT led her to one of the trees. Overwhelmed by the kindness of JT’s friend she set foot inside it. They were gifted a home to stay in…

[Estel]

“Flashback”

Someone called out her name. There was a clear tone of panic in the voice. It was male. JT. Slowly Estel opened her eyes looking into JT’s worried face that hovered above her. Why was she laying on the ground? She tried lifting her hand to reach for the back of her head, but stopped moving it, staring at the scratch on her lower arm. Her glance moved onwards and she noticed Hoagie looking down at her as well. He said something and she felt how JT lifted her from the ground holding her close to him and taking her back to the nearby tavern. Somewhat dazed she leaned her head against him, remembering swiftly what had happened just before…

She had found a wandering man earlier asking her how to get to Trinsic. Apparently it was of great importance to him to get there, because after she had told him she did not exactly know how to get there he insisted she would find him someone who did know. The two of them ended up in the Tavern of Cove and while JT was talking to the man an Orc had suddenly appeared. The stranger and Estel had both hidden themselves quickly behind a table and she didn’t hear what the Orc and the others were talking about. Whatever it was, it resulted in all of them drawing their weapons and trying to chase the Orc away.

Just when she thought she was safe the Orc had come back to the tavern and attacked her merciless.  Of course she tried to escape it, but she just wasn’t skilled or willed enough to escape him. Worse even… she had tripped and fallen, hitting her head against something and waking up just now. Stoopid ork.

Once back in the Tavern JT immediately attended to the wound on her arm and Hoagie prepared an icepack for her head. What if the Ork had come again to get her back? What would happen if an ork would hurt any of the Covians who had been so kind to her in an effort to retrieve her? How badly did her Master want her back? It stung. The realization that she could be the cause of having brought problems to Cove with her presence. Maybe she should return to them to keep the Covians safe from harm.

JT did not want to hear anything of that idea. She was a Covian now and there was no way they would let her return or let her be taken back. Then the one called Takamadda offered healing of a different nature. Neither JT or Estel refused it, especially after what they had experienced with the Elven Healer Ruadnit Troi. He chanted like her. A different language though. One she did not know. As she felt his magic flow into her, it felt like her her brains nearly exploded inside of her.

“You will come back to me.” It was the voice of the Orc mage speaking to her in her mind. “You will be my slave untill I die.” It was as if she could feel his hand touching her cheek, but while that happened images appeared. The hand touching her cheek in her thoughts was not orcish, but white skinned, delicate. She looked on and looked straight into the face of a man, an elven man. Long blond hair like her own lay around his face, covering nearly all of his ears except for the pointed tips of them. His eyes… it felt like looking into her own eyes. She must have known this man, because looking at him gave her a feeling of great joy.

“Estel, you must run…” He spoke softly to her and a wave of sadness engulfed her. She reached out to him in her thoughts and surprised she realized it were definitely her own hands, but much smaller then they were now. She was remembering something from her youth! Her tiny hands tried to lift the man’s head. “Atar, Atar!” Another wave of sadness. He closed his eyes and she instinctively knew it was for the last time he ever would. When she pulled back her hands they were covered with blood, his blood.

“Melamin?” JT’s voice brought her back to the now.  Dazed she looked up to him. “I remember something… What means Atar?”
“Atar?” Their eyes met. “That means father in elvish…”

[Jon Trent]

Estel was sleeping soundly when JT got home. He walked wearily back outside to stand under the waterfall hoping the cool water that rained down on him would wash away the feeling in his gut after the night's slaughter.

The emptiness he felt wasn't out of remorse for the orcs he had slain, they were a curse upon the lands, but was caused by the fury with which he had fought and the ruthlessness with which he had killed.

He started to remove his armour, dropping it at his feet in the pool and began to wash away the grime of the night's battle. Estel's former master must have been amongst the pile of orc dead left in their underground fortress... He had to be. Not a single orc shaman was left alive as the band of Covians had sacked their sanctuary.

As he rubbed his aching muscles and ran his fingers through his wet hair he hoped the orc's hold over Estel would be broken, surely it must? He looked down to his feet, his armour stained with gore and gristle had turned the pool more pink than blue. He sighed and set about scrubbing it.

He had just finished cleaning the last piece when he heard Este's light footfalls behind him. He turned swiftly around to see her beaming at him.

"You're back!"
"I am!" He smiled softly.
"How do you feel little one? Did you have any more memories return to you?"
"Numa."

His hopes of her former master being among the orc dead that night seemed dashed. The young guardsman sagged, his eyes hollow and skin pale.

"More memories?" He asked.
"No, no more. Why?" She shook her head.

Disappointed he took her in his arms, burying his face so she would not see the tears in his eyes. The shaman still lived.

"Amin mela lle tithen pen."
"Amin mela lle vithel JT."

[Jon Trent]

Return.

JT moved swiftly through the forest, weaving in and out of the rows of trees and undergrowth. He was trying to keep his excitement at returning home and seeing Estel under control but he felt like he would burst as he now set out on a headlong sprint towards the Elven Quarter.

Entering their home he found Estel wasn't there. She'd probably be off with Gwen or Draxy he thought as he slumped onto their couch now feeling drained and fatigued from his long journey home.

He didn't know if he was dreaming or awake as he saw Estel's pretty face before him. He had dreamt so much of her while he'd been away and in many of those dreams the presence of Estel had seemed so real, almost like her appearance was more than a dream.

"You're back!" She beamed.
"I am!" He replied now shaking himself from his semi-slumber.
"I missed you so much JT"
"And I you melamin."

They sat and talked of their time apart. JT could share little of his mission to far off lands but Estel had much to tell of the time spent with her new friends in the Elven Quarter. She had been working hard with her bow and learning the ways of elves and men.

JT produced a delicate paper crafted bird from his pack and Estel's face lit up at seeing the gift and it promptly took pride of place in their home. Their reunion however would be cut short for now as duty called in Cove so they both made their way to the Covian barracks.

After the long battle with the harpies in Ilshenar JT and Estel returned home. JT had one more gift from his travels given to him by his mother when he had stopped in Skara on his homeward journey. He held out his upturned fist, slowly unclenching it to reveal an old inexpensive ring. Estel's face lit up once again with surprise and delight.

She slipped the ring on the finger it fitted best and they embraced and kissed before rising slowly and taking him by the hand, Estel led JT inside from the balcony.

[Estel]

Of dreams and a ring

It was early in the morning when Estel woke up besides JT. He was still sleeping, laying on his side, one arm around her. She couldn’t help but smile while studying face. This was the face of the first person she saw after escaping from the orcs, the face of the man she had come to cherish more then the other faces she had met. Being parted from him had been not as difficult as she had imagined it to be. Vivid dreams at night of his sleeping form, just like how he was sleeping now, had reassured her somehow that he had been well and would return to her. Once she had reached out to him in her dream when he had an awefully sad and lonely look in his eyes. The dream him had reached out to her as well and when their fingers had touched it felt so real that even now she still wondered if it really had been a dream. It must have been. He hadn’t mentioned anything so peculiar when he spoke to her about his time away.

With gentle movements she let herself glide out of their bed without waking him and went downstairs to write a letter to Jt’s mother to thank her for the ring she had gifted her. She had not taken it off since JT had presented it to her. She didn’t want to take it off ever, she had decided. His mother must be a really kind lady to give her son such a beautifull token to give to her. Estel had actually felt somewhat sad when he mentioned his parents were old people now. She didn’t hope to find her own parents as after having had a memory about her father she was certain that her own parents were not alive anymore, but feeling so close to JT she felt a love for his parents as well even tho she had never met them. Writing down her name underneath her words of appreciation, she could sense movement above her in the master bedroom of their home. Jt was waking up ! Bubbling with happiness she rushed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast just like their elven friend had taught her…