The Forest's Edge - Coastline Wanderings

Greylyn flinched as Kal touched her. He was briefly reminded of the giant seahorses in the Mercolonies who had been abused by a merman too quick with his spear or trident. They reacted the same when he tried to pet them, however gently. Instinctively Kal removed his hand, with almost a quiet nod.

"No Mister Kal, I'm fine," She insisted, stepping back from him. Kal bit his lip in subtle annoyance, like the abused seahorses, she refused help for fear of getting hurt. In this case, her pride. Kal ruffled his hair with a sigh. There was nothing that disappointed him more than pride getting in the way of good intentions.

She coughed forcefully again. Kal blew heavy out his nose and raised his eyebrow as if to say "You're not fooling anyone."

Greylyn slowly sank to the ground. Kal relaxed a bit, glad she took his advice. He lowered himself to the ground with her, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. He was formulating a response to break through her "abused seahorse" facade when she interuppted him with a question.

"What's in the satchel," Her finger weakly pointed towards it as she gazed from under thin, black eyelashed lids. Kal glanced at it automatically, momentarily distracted.

"Ah, um. Things. Things to be read. I think they might help me be able to get back home. But, well I can't read yet," He said, loosening the satchel from his waist and extending it to Greylyn to reveal the two heavy books and bundles of paper bound in leather within.

Kal started as Greylyn snatched the satchel from his hand, and he had to contain the sudden urge that possessed his limbs to snatch it back. He winced as his most prized posessions fell into the lap of the disregardent elf. She ran her fingers softly across the printed words in the book. The encyclopedia. However, as Kal noticed the reverence she too treated the books, his knotted shoulder muscles began to relax. It was clear that she too possesed at least a small fraction of Kal’s blind enrapturment with the written word and his beautiful vision of what it might entail to his future.

“Well, I can’t read, either, Mister Kal.” She said. Her voice was halted and spoken through stiff lips, but he could tell that she meant it in a consoling, connecting way, rather than a jibe at her own self esteem. Suddenly her upper body retched, as if to contain an explosive cough that grated on her throat. Greylyn made to disguise the motion and noise with a flurry of activity as her arms lunged forward, presenting him with his satchel and the uncovered books. Kal took them gently from her, placing each back in the satchel with a delicacy that seemed almost impossible in such large, clumsy hands.

“Good luck with them,” She said, with an edge to her voice that was almost sarcastic. Kal made a mental block to prevent one heard tone from offending him.

“I don’t need luck,” He said quietly, looking at her fixatedly. “I don’t want it. I will work to figure it out, and when I leave Neverland, it’ll have all been worth it,”

There was an awkward pause as Kal realized he had spoken about leaving Neverland. Then Kal shook his moment of intensity off, literaly shaking his bangs, the momentary seriousness that had encased his tan features gone.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. It was rude. It’s just…I dunno, my purpose right now. Sorry, must sound silly to you, but it isn’t really. To me. I dunno,” Kal ruffled his hair again, more than a little disoriented. When he returned his blue eyes to Greylyn he realized with horror that she appeared to be literally shaking with surpressed coughs.

“I’m sorry. Jeez, when I go off like that you just need to tell me. Greylyn,” He said attatching his satchel with a purpose, his eyes never leaving her. “Listen, I hate to be blunt but you look aweful. Seriously, is there a place nearby where you can see someone?”

"I'm alone out here, okay? And it doesn't matter because I'm perfectly fine," she coughed. The heat of the afternoon started rolling off, and Kal could feel the sweat on his body turn cool in a new breeze that set up whistling through the blue sky that had turned a deeper shade, reflecting the ocean back down on them. Kal's blue eyes blinked softly, accented by the sky forcing its way through the trees. He turned his lengthy torso toward Antonella, his gaze meeting hers. He suddenly remebered their discussion before Greylyn had burst in with her strange sarcastic mannerisms and rapidly worsing sickness and stupid false pride.

"Antonella, er Princess," He said, fumbling over the words. Kal stood up, looking her in the eye. "Your castle or, town, city...whatever. It must be nearby right?" Kal couldn't imagine royalty being far from their station in the kingdom, seeing the merprincess was confined to the deep city. He tilted his head to the side, gesturing at the sullen Greylyn upon the ground. Kal looked down at her, preparing for any protests.

"Stop arguing about it. Do you think I'm stupid? It wouldn't hurt you to get checked out by a doctor." His voice was uncharicaristically sharp. He was worn by the elf's sarcastic rebuttal, having gone a good few hours without a substantial meal, and his growing concern over her. He rubbed his temples and glanced pleadingly between Antonella and Greylyn.

Kal listened quietly to Antonella's words, nodding as she spoke. His mind already raced ahead as his heart raced in his chest. Here he was...under much different circumstances than he had expected, but here none the less, about to enter a land based civilization. Someplace where people could read. This was the beginning of his journey.

Kal then flushed and grinned sheepishly at her mention of better clothing. "Yes, well, I'm from the race of clamshells and seaweed." He laughed. "Fix me up in whatever looks normal."

He turned away from the princess's tall and healthy frame to the elf, who was now hugging her knee's and hiding her face. Kal's heart panged. Couldn't she just accept help? He blew out of his mouth slowly and crouched down again as Antonella spoke of her kingdom's doctors. Greylyn peeked over her knees and Kal was again startled by the raw hatred she progected out of her cold green eyes. It seemed to be intended to freeze and burn Antonella at the same time. Kal's eyebrow's contorted as he frowned. Sighing, he closed his eyes, rearranged his facial features into a blank mask, and looked straight into Greylyn's eyes. Greylyn coughed forcefully, her bodies reflux completely obliterating intended speech.

"Greylyn. Look, I just met you. I don't want to fight you. Really. Princess Antonella is offering you her help. And listen," His voice lowered as he leaned in whispering. "There is nothing wrong with accepting help. Come on, you are probably centuries older than me, am I right? You should know that already." He rubbed his hair again, now dry and golden in the jungle air.

"If you're not going to do it for yourself, at least do it for me. Humor me." He smiled. "Please? Do a guy a favor."

Kal stuck out his hand again, an offer to help her up. His eyes evoking honesty. He wanted her to trust him.

"To humor you, Mister Kal," Greylyn mumbled with all the airs of it being a great suffer for her to accept his request. Kal couldn't help smiling, his held breath rushing out of him as he helped her to her feet. She was so light, Kal could barely feel her weight as she flew up and stood lightly on her feet before swaying like a loose leaf in the breeze. She stumbled back and braced herself against the tree. Kal held himself in place, forcing himself not to encroach on her like was so natural to one used to lending a hand.

Kal could see little goosebumps raise on her arms, she rubbed them as if to warm herself, though the air was now a pleasently warm temperature, the blue sky deepening into a light indigo, the heat of the day resting lightly through the woods.

For a second he had the weird urge to carry her delicate form. Her skin was blanched white against her ebony hair and she looked woozy and sore from the near constant retching coughing. But Kal knew better to ask, at least right now when she still had the strength and audacity to protest. He didn't want to violate her protective bubble of solitude, no matter how painful it looked to be unknowingly trapped inside it.

Instead, Kal calmly held out his arm, indicating that she should lean on him as they made progress through the jungle. He turned to Antonella, and felt a slight turn of surprise to see a barely concealed bout of nervousness struck to her pretty features. He opened his mouth to ask, but instead decided that at this moment, Greylyn's needs were greater than Antonella's or his need to satisfy his own curiosity of the princess.

"You lead the way," He said with a nod.

Kal frowned as Greylyn muttered and refused his arm, but didn't protest. Instead he walked only slightly behind her, almost alongside, but just slightly to the back, just in case she fell, something Kal knew was a real possibility though one she would never admit it. He bit his lip as she stumbled and swayed, every second wishing to just extend his arm as he had done to his people back at the Mercolonies if they injured themselves and would sink instead of swim. To Kal, Greylyn was sinking right now, and he wanted more than anything to keep her fragile consious afloat.

To distract himself, he stared ahead at Princess Antonella, her ebony and ivory hide shimmying through the trees. He took in the complete and utter wonder of her halflingness, and wondered what it would be like to be in her place. Not one creature or the other, but both, so alienating different from any other race, which clearly belonged to its definable, exclusive traits. Then again, Kal thought, it's not so much different than himself, a human who is a merman. It's just he didn't show. Appearance was such a strange and dividing thing.

And a princess...Kal shook his head. It was all so strange. Before he cared to block his curiosity, Kal spoke into the quiet woods that they moved through. "Princess Antonella, what is it like? Being halfling? Are all mostly similar in there features? Do some identify more with their beasts charictaristics than their human?" He paused, his voice unusually loud in the still of the forest. The sun was now sinking on the horizen, the beach they had just left, a orange orb changing the indigo of the heavens to a purple streaked with light that they headed away from into the deeper woods. They had been walking for nearly an hour now.

Kal peered up ahead, was that a break in the trees?

Before Antonella could answer, Kal bumbed into the back of Greylyn, realizing she had come to an abrupt halt and was swaying dangerously. Immediatly he was on alert, and put his hands against her shoulderblades instinctively as he watcher her face fade to unknowingness. Suddenly her sharp cough ruptured the silence that had briefly fallen back in. Her eyes snapped open, their frosty depths filled with shock and sudden awarness. Her hand flew to her throat as she struggled to breathe. Kal still held her shoulders blades, turning in front of her to see her face.

"Greylyn, can you breathe?" He asked, watching her intently, his body taunt with all the power of an emergency reaction.

"Greylyn? Greylyn?" Kal spoke, his voice getting progressively higher, no matter how hard he tried to hold back his panic. He tried to focus on his own breathing. Suddenly Greylyn was retching, coughing as bits of phelm that had clogged her throat sprayed him. She choked the rest down and her lungs expanded weakly. Kal didn't move, still watching her without pause to blink or even breathe. He noticed her eyes, before so sharp, seemed to glaze over. She didn't seem to see him or Antonella, instead swaying back and forth, her face pale and expression distorted with nausea and fear.

Suddenly her eyes snapped back into focus, and her slight hand reached shakily to Kal's and grabbed his. She squeezed it, Kal holding on back, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Mister Kal..." she whispered, her voice so quiet and hoarse that Kal had to lean in close to hear. "I don't feel well, Mister Kal,"

Kal swallowed, closing his eyes for a breif second. It was this simple statement that scared him more than anything. The extent of her illness was so great it had broken through what was no doubt a many aged, slowly perfected facade of disinterest and aversion to human contact and relation. Kal opened his blue eyes.

"It's okay Greylyn, I'm going to get you some help. Don't worry," He said, as calm as he could, though his voice was slightly shaky. "I'm going to carry you, and we'll get to the palace as quick as we can, okay?" his voice sped up near the end, and he wrapped one strong bare arm behind her back and the other beneath her knees, holding her light form close his chest, he turned his bright eyes on Antonella.

"It's this way right?" He said, and waiting only seconds for conformation, started running in the direction they had been heading, his eyes seeking out light ahead, then glancing down in a frightened plea that his large feet would not trip and send him and his precious cargo tumbling to the ground. Leaves whipped past him, and he stumbled clumsily once or twice with a few choice Mermish curses, but never did he stop in his push forward. Stray thoughts ceased to cross his mind, all Kal knew was that somehow, three days from his birthplace, he had met two strange and wonderful people, and now one of their lives was in his hands.

He continued running.

Kal broke through the last of the brush, twigs and bushes slapping his face and arms as his feets stumbled to a halt on a long smooth green. Across the feild was a tall, steep stone wall, the mortar filling in the lines of grey limestone brick perfectly. The wall was easy twice as tall as him, with green shapely hedges rising above from the patterned top from the other side of the garden wall. Pink flowers gripping to thin swirling bands of green stalk spilled over the pale grey stone. Kal's eyes traveled up, inbetween the tree's he thought he could catch glimpses of large stone ramparts.

The sky was purpling dramatically, the sun breathing it's last gasp on a horizon that was now blocked by a furry of undergrowth. Kal's legs muscles shook, unused to the sensation of running for such a long time, and his feet smarted from various cuts and bruises as they had dashed bare through the gnarled ground, full of branches, thorns and hidden roots. But all these ills were but a distant distraction. Not only in comparision to some of the exhaustion and injury he had sustained in activities such as shark brawling, but also in the light of a crisis greater than his own. Kal glanced down at Greylyn, whose features had been hidden in the darkening forest.

She was fading in and out of consiousness. Kal looked around, taking in deep breaths of fresh, flower perfumed air that was drifting from across the wall, he began to follow it, jogging around the wall, searching for a gate. He looked back at the forest.

"Antonella?" He shouted. His eyes darting everywhere, from the gate, to Greylyn, back to the forest where the beautiful halfling would emerge to offer the small elf deliverance.

But as Kal kept moving, unable to keep still, Antonella did not emerge from the trees.
"Antonella!" He bellowed, turning to the trees. His eyes traveled from the trees to the deep purple sky that was fading to black, to the light that creeped through the other side of the wall. He angled his shoulder towards the wall and rammed it.

"Oi!" He yelled, his shoulder now bruised and smarting. "Is anyone there?" His voice carried over the wall, a loud and desperate cry that fell upon a silent garden.

Kal glanced down in shock for a second as Greylyn grasped his hand, her eyelids half closed as she struggled against the illness pervading her own body. Then, it loosened, her hand becoming limp and lifeless. Kal clenched his teeth. She couldn't just
give up, he thought angrily, beginning to run along the edges of the wall again. It was just his luck isn't it? That on the beginning of a very personal and ambitious quest he should run into a princess and an elf who gets suddenly ill. Now her life was suddenly thrust into his hands and he was running around a palace (someplace he never wanted to be).

Kal glanced down at her, his heart rate quickening. What was he going to do? "Come on," he whispered to himself. Then, miraculously, out of the long line of gray stone, a wrought iron gate appeared, Kal stumbled to a stop, pressing his forehead against the cold black metal that extended twenty feet into the air. He could see into the garden, where a plethora of strange and exotic plants flourished in artisitic rows and mazes, the color diminished in the soft darkness that had set. Kal's eyes widened, up ahead light shone from large clear windows in a palace of gray marble and fine mahogany woods. It sprawled out in an first floor with an enormous ceiling, subsequent levels raising the castle up into the heavens where its orb topped towers brushed the first dashing of stars to appear in the clear sky.

Kal kicked the gate. "Hey!" He yelled again at the top of his lungs. "Someone help!" He kept up his yelling, till suddenly it caught in his throat. A wide, door had opened up ahead, spilling the light from the windows into a bright puddle on the cool green grass and vibrant plants. A dark figure, flanked by two bearing spears, made its way down the thin path that led to the gate.

ooc; This plot shall continue in the Everblossom Palace.