Prince of the Wild

[Shin]

He sat now, on a throne of vines and twigs, logs and broken antlers, all of which were formed and held together by a twisting green vine. It was not his idea, in fact, the title and throne he thought were preposterous, if not because he wasn’t royalty but because he was a Ranger and to take such a thing with him would have been beyond foolish.

The sprites and spirits that sometimes followed him disagreed, moving about unseen and unheard even by one as highly trained as William. He knew he was a mystery to the small fey creatures, he surely was no man, but nor was he like any fey that had ever encountered before. He possessed the grace and fluidity of the fey people, he had the powers, and could hold their weapons, yet he was not wholly fey. The elders often referred to him as the boy that should of never been, Prince of the Nymphs.

William Hawk sat in that throne now only because he had grown weary of trying to avoid it and in truth the sprites and spirits antics had put him in a light mood, why not indulge them? He was quick to keep his bow, currently a seedling, attached to his left wrist on that left hand secure to the pommel of the sword on his hip. They’d take anything they could get their small hands on to.

“Alright, I’ve sat in this throne. Are you happy now?” He asked, his musical, yet strong and manly voice, carrying out with the rolling wind. The only response he got back was the laughter and chitterling of the small fey creatures all about him. William could only guess at how silly he looked, especially after he felt what he knew to be a crown of roses placed on his head.

“Touching. Truly touching.” He added, putting his chin into the palm of his right hand as he looked about to see what else the small creatures would do. Even after spending half of his life in these woods he could never predict what was on these little feys minds, only that they had never hurt him beyond minor scrapes and bruises.

[Igraine]

"They mean well." The soft feminine voice was one he'd recognize. There was a power behind it, something verging on deep magic. Nimue was what most referred to as a witch, a sorceress, or in most literal terms -- a Naiad. She was a water nymph, one that frequented the human world. She had been in a little trouble for seducing mortal men, but she couldn't really help it. Nimue had so much fun when she was in the mortal world.

In fact, she smelled like she had just returned from the human world. It did smell different, one returned smelling faintly of wood smoke. No one understood why, and it wasn't an unpleasant smell, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

"Nice crown." Nimue covered her lips with her fingers, trying to hide her smile. William didn't always seem as amused by the sprites and the spirits of the Fey realm as his full fey counterparts. Nimue was on the outer fringes of the Fey world, not quite falling in with the rules of the world she had been born into -- not quite falling out of it either. Nimue enjoyed spending her time in the human world, swimming in their lakes and their rivers and oceans. It thrilled her so much more to lure young men to her. She had been mistaken for a Siren once, and chased by a village's worth of women to save their men. That had been amusing. That was also one of the reasons she was watched and in trouble.

Nimue walked around to face William and curtseyed low, holding the skirt of her white dress in her fingertips so it spread like a fan. She tilted her head up to look at William and winked roguishly, her dark red hair falling loose around her shoulders and down her back. She looked as if she had been for a swim before returning, so her hair was still slightly damp, a ring of dew-like moisture on her head like a tiara.

"Your majesty..." Nimue dipped her head to hide her smile as she broke the curtsey and settled on the ground in front of William, hooking her ankles together and looking up at him. "How have things been since I've been gone?"

"You really must see this Kingdom I just returned from. Ulster. It's that Angel's kingdom. You know, the one close to our dearly beloved Queen." Nimue clutched her chest and batted her thick black lashes in jest, her piercing blue eyes striking against her creamy pale skin. "I think her name is Kahlan. She lives in this realm now, you know, forsaking all that heavenly stuff she knows. I would too. This place has to be so much prettier than that Heaven place. How incredibly boring would it be to live in the clouds. Blue and white. No other color!" Nimue babbled, wrapping her arms around her knees and rocking back and forth out of boredom.

"I hear the new Queen, this Kahlan's daughter, is a sight for sore eyes. I've never seen her, personally, but you know how mortal men dwell on such things. I think she's half fey and half angel. Isn't that just the perfect recipe for beauty? I've been wanting to see what this child of a legend looks like. What do you think, William?"

Nimue looked up at him again, wondering how much he actually heard of what she'd said. He usually tuned her out as she prattled along.

[Shin]

“Yes, they do mean well.” William agreed, turning in the chair so that his hauntingly beautiful blue eyes could watch Nimue as she approached. William was all but immune to the supernatural charm that the water nymph had, an ability that could snare any man, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate her physical beauty. She was, after all, nature’s incarnation of perfection.

“But that is how it always starts. Eventually it will escalate to…well… let’s just say I do not want to be responsible for waking any of the elder fey, again.” He said with a laugh, William referred to his time as a boy playing with the sprites and spirits, he had accidently woken an ancient tree that didn’t wish to be woken up. He played a penance for that mistake, his bottom hurt still when he thought about that.

“Ahh yes, I am the Prince of Roses.” He said as he stood to his full six foot height, bending low mockingly. As he bowed he caught the strange yet familiar scent on the water nymph and he raised a brow questioningly at her, the left side of his lip curving into a half smile. “And do tell Nimue, what were you up to this day?” He said teasingly and stepped down from the thrown to sit next to her, crossing his legs as he sat.

“Things are as they have always been.” William answered.

“Ulster, I have frequented its forests before and have heard of this queen you speak of, Kahlans daughter. She is as beautiful as they say then? Even with that combination I have met no creature, not even angels, that can compete with the beauty I seem to constantly find myself around.” He spoke truthfully, yet he was definitely teasing Nimue, to hear the nymph refer to another women’s beauty was certainly rare and it was enough to intrigue the Ranger.

“I have seen Kahlan once, at a distance mind you; I’ve heard her name whispered among the trees. She is a legend, powerful as she is wise I have heard.” William pulled the cowl of his cloak back, letting his raven black hair spill down his shoulders and against his own sun kissed skin. William possessed the high-cheek bones that most fey had, yet his jaw was stronger and his eyes more pronounced. It was as if the best features of a nymph and human had been specifically fitted to the young man, he was exotic and beautiful, yet his frame suggested lean and powerful muscles.

“I think that my curiosity is peaked. Perhaps I will go see her, however, I doubt even I could make my way unannounced to a queen without being struck down. Mortals are very picky about such things.” He said with a laugh, his fingers picking at the petals on the crown of roses he removed from his head, he was obviously in thought now. “But then again… Ulster is not so difficult a place to navigate…”

[Igraine]

Nimue smirked as William spoke and she pushed his shoulder teasingly. Her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You rogue, you know that I would help you see this woman. Your curiosity is refreshing. At least I'll have a fall partner this time." She winked and pulled her hair over one shoulder and ran her fingers through it, weeding out tangles and pulling out the rogue leaf or two. Her hair was close to the color of the red petals that William was toying with.

"I saw Kahlan once when I was being chastised by Queen Mab for my...indiscretions. She is quite magical in a way that is strange to me. It must be her Angel blood. They have a strange piercing beauty that is uncommon even here. I can only imagine what a half Fae and half Angel would look like. Kahlan was kind to me, you know, after Mab was done yelling at me. She walked me outside and told me that it was okay that I was curious. She said that I should be careful not to let the wrong creature ensnare me." Nimue toyed with a leaf in her hands, serious for once in her life, before cracking a smile and looking up at William in an alluring manner. It was what mortal men saw in that look that caused them to fall for her. She was wild, untamed, free in ways that mortals never could be.

If Nimue wanted to dance, she would dance. If she wanted to run she would run carelessly through the trees and never think twice. If Nimue wanted to love...she did. It was a simple, yet glorious life that she had now. She didn't fear any man capturing her -- for no mortal man had a clue as to how to keep her.

"I am as curious as you are about this Queen. Ulster will welcome us, it is the closest to our world than any other place. Most likely because of Kahlan." Nimue said logically as she looked at William with a smile. It was about time he showed some interest in women outside of friendship.

[Shin]

“Fall partner?” William laughed heartedly at that, giving Nimue a sly look as he stood back to his feet and walked back to the foliage created throne. “You forget that I am only part fey. Any mistakes I make over there, as long as they don’t compromise the Fey, are forgivable because of my human heritage. Of course I’ll have to deal with mortal law, but that hardly matters to me.” He gave another devilish grin, one that had often won him the hearts of women, common and noble alike.

William grabbed the belt holding his magnificently crafted fey sword off of where it was hanging on the chair, he pulled the weapon half-way from its scabbard, it’s green opaque blade reflecting the light brilliantly, he sheathed the weapon and grabbed what looked like nothing more than a twisted piece of wood from the chair as well. He whispered and the piece of wood grew, sprouting green vines and blue flowers as it curved backwards. A single spider quickly spun a single, but thick, strand of web from end of the stick to the other. In a seconds time William held a fascinating looking long-bow, one that was alive and thriving with a life, a gift from his mother.

“I am ready to go whenever you are.”

[Igraine]

Nimue got to her feet and dusted the leaves off her backside. She danced lightly around William before resting her hands on his with a impish grin.

"You might be only half Fey my dear sweet William, but you are held accountable for both realms laws. I find that a dreadful way to live. At least you spend most of your time in the Fey and you're a good boy, really." Nimue was older than William, being that he was born to a human mother and she was a full blooded Nymph. She didn't act it though, and she felt a certain kinship with this man that no other Fey, half or full, ever made her feel. He was like the brother she never had. Perhaps that was because all of the other Nymphs were female.

"Come along then, we should be careful. I heard rumors of the Unseelie Court stretching their influence over the world of man when I was there last. It wouldnt' do to let you get taken by our dark brothers before you ever meet this beautiful queen, now would it?"

Nimue plucked a fluid looking silver cloak off of a branch as she headed for the thicker woods. Upon closer inspection, as she threw it over her shoulders and drew up the hood, the cloak was made of millions of tiny fish scales. The inside was lined with some soft white fabric, possibly fur.

They didn't need a special door like non fae did. They could simply just begin walking and say a few words and step through the opening created between the two worlds. The opening would snap shut and it would be as if they never really changed worlds. Except the human world was greyer and the sun didn't shine as brightly. It was a wonder that Nimue ever really wanted to leave the Fae realm. Then again, when you had grown your entire life in one place -- it didn't seem strange to want to break free of the chains that bound you to it.

"Well, shall we then? I believe the castle is by the sea. I can feel the rivers split around it, one to the sea and one further into Ulster." Her eyes got distant for a moment before she looked up at William with a smile. "Perhaps you will see your beautiful Queen soon. It isn't far beyond the tree line. About a half hour's walk I believe."

[Shin]

William returned Nimue’s smile in kind, most men, any mortal man, that happened to gaze upon the beauty before him would fall hopelessly in love. William felt a love for this women, but it was not one shallow and fleeting, nor was it one that rested in his loins. She might have been older, how old he truly didn’t know, but he thought of her as a mix between a sister and best friend. Nimue had been one of few fey that didn’t judge him by his blood.

“Bah, unless we show up in the middle of the night I think we will be ok.” William dismissed the idea of running into any from the Unseelie Court. The twisted and dark kin were hardly in the forefront of his mind when he fell in step behind Nimue. “I wonder how beautiful she really is…” He said absent mindedly, still clutching his wondrous in his left hand.

“Do you think it would be faster to travel by water then?” He asked as the forest grew thick around them. “I may not be able to feel the waters as keen as you, but the spirits talk to me, and I believe they know of a path that leads much closer to the castle, if not directly into it. Unless of course you would like to transfix every mortal we come across.” He laughed, thinking of all the foolish drooling men in a line behind them.

“Perhaps I will see her, though, this will be a good opportunity to check the rest of the forest and land. I plan to speak to as many of the spirits as I can, I am sure they have much to say, they always do. I once heard that even a city can possess a life of it’s own, a spirit if you will. I wonder if this one does?” William mused, speaking a few words quietly as he walked.

As he walked the world shifted ever so slightly around him, the greens became more subdued, the light wasn’t as bright, the scents on the air changed. It was all subtle, yet to William, and anyone else with an eye for detail it would be a world shifting difference. He was in the mortal realm, like a ghost walking appearing out of thin air, he stood in a thick forest, a smiled stretching from ear to ear. He was no longer in the safety of his home, and he enjoyed it.

[Igraine]

"I'm sure she's as pretty as a peach, my little King of Roses." Nimue laughed and took William by the hand. She guided him to the nearest river, not very far from where they came though the veil. She glanced up the river and down as far as it allowed before bending .

"We can follow the bank of this fork of the river without any issue." Nimue tilted her head as if listening to the river. "I'll have you know that I will miss plenty of opportunities to make men fall head over heels in love with me." Nimue pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to faint against him, she opened one eye and looked up at him with a wicked little twinkle in her eye.

"It seems as if the river has risen recently..." She said looking concerned for a moment, looking between the trees, sky, and river. "It is excited as only a river can be after a rising. The rain has been light this month, there is no reason for such a disturbance." Nimue frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "Ah well, I'm sure we'll find out when we reach your bonnie lass."

Nimue let go of William and began skipping down the sandy shore toward the Castle of Emain Macha, her footing sure, as if she were incapable of slipping and falling into the river.

[Shin]

The way Nimue kept granting William titles made him laugh, in truth, William was a man that didn’t possess any titles. Nothing that stuck with him, unless his profession as a Ranger could be considered such. Even then, it wasn’t so much a profession as it was a way of life. He shook his head and pulled the cowl of the green cloak he wore low over his eyes, to better shield his fey features.

He let go of Nimue’s hand and bent lower to inspect the river, it had indeed risen, and significantly only mere moments ago it seemed. He shifted his sights to the sky and then back to where the river lead, there was no storm, this was something else, magic perhaps. William took his time while thinking, he was a patient man, after several minutes he rose and began to follow the fork that Nimue had indicated.

“The spirits say it is magic, but a natural kind. Nothing, other than the water, was disturbed by the way the water rose. It sounds like Druid work to me.” He spoke to Nimue, knocking an arrow in his bow as he walked, there was no reason to not take certain precautions. “I believe we have wandered in on something Nimue, perhaps you will get your chance to seduce a man or two yet.” He threw here a wink.

[Igraine]

As they neared the opening created by the branching river, Nimue took hold of William's forearm. She still had a skip to her step and a light heart, but something was weighing on her. A soft frown marred her features as she tilted her head, listening again to the River.

"A mage versed in water magics? Fascinating." Nimue breathed, curiosity lighting her eyes. She stepped in the shallows of the river, feeling the chill of the water rushing through her body. She was immune to things such as frost bite and other various ailments that came with water. She could not drown, though she could easily drown another if she desired it.

"I wonder what such a mage looks like? Do you think he looks like me?" Nimue asked William. The river spoke of a man with great power making the river rise. It wasn't the water that spoke, though it had a language all of it's own, but the sprites that darted like silver fish or a flash of sunlight on the surface of the water. They spoke of the man with great power over water to make the rivers rise and flood all around the castle.

Nimue glanced up as they cleared the trees, she let go of William to dance in the shallows of the river. There was no one around to question her, though she looked so joyful they might have simply watched her.

In the distance gathered the people that had been under the Siren's sway, bedraggled and soaked. Some were moaning, some were shivering, some were quite mad from the whole experience. Nimue looked up suddenly, sharply, and splashed quickly out of the shallows as if she were afraid. She clutched William's arm and looked up at him with big blue eyes, the color of the depths of a lake lined with limestone.

"A Siren..." She breathed. A nasty Unseelie that neither of them would be lured to, though William might feel a mild tug toward her with his human half. His Seelie half would be enough to soak up the Siren's Call. Nimue was worried because the Siren was a powerful being, not unlike herself, but so immensely evil that it shook Nimue to the core. The...absolute disregard for life was something that Nimue couldn't understand. Sure, she was a roguish Nymph but she loved life. To share an element like water with a Siren...to even be seen as one herself was usually laughable. Siren's were a dying breed and she, well she was a Nymph! They were nothing at all alike!

"William, I don't like this. Why would a Siren be at the doors of this fair Queen's castle? Why would she cause such havoc?" Nimue's eyes went wide for a moment, truely childlike for just a single moment.

"Do you think this Queen is so beautiful that the Siren is jealous?!" Nimue was downright incredulous as she asked William this question, truely curious now to behold the creature that would draw a Siren out of hiding.

[Shin]

William didn’t know the answers to Nimue’s questions, he guess that the mage could of looked like anything or anyone. It could very well be human, fey, or some other type of creature entirely. The only question roving through his mind was, did this thing pose a threat to us?

As Nimue broke out into dance in the shallows of the river William bent down to inspect the waters again, he carefully mentally marked the grooves in the dirt that showed the history of the water rising and falling. He moved to a slightly higher spot, nothing. His light blue eyes danced over to the castle and then back to Nimue as she continued to twirl and then past her too the many people in the distance that looked liked they had just woken from a dream, his keen eyes couldn’t pick out facial details at this distance but he could tell that they had been caught in the flood.

Nimue clutching his arm broke him from his thoughts and what she spoke next caused Williams heart to skip a beat. “Are you sure, here?” He knew that such creatures existed but had never seen one, what did it look like? He silently cursed himself he knew he shouldn’t be wondering what it looked like and instead wonder why the creature was out here.

“This is no good Nimue. If a Siren is out here than we certainly walked into someone else’s business. I’m afraid I don’t know a terribly amount of Siren other than the lore, them being able to use their voice to draw people to them, and that they are a wicked creature. What more can you tell me?”

He looked into her wide eyes, his own calm and still as a pond on a windless day. “I doubt that. I would guess her reasons are more sinister and less petty. What powers do they possess, what should we be on the look out for, how do I find it?”

[Igraine]

"The Siren is a rare creature. There are not very many left in existence and they are always women. The few men in history that have ever been unlucky to be born Siren have always died young. The power and madness eats them alive." Nimue shivered, a full body shiver that seemed to radiate from her core. She was deadly serious, something that the beautiful nymph rarely was.

"Her voice is a beacon to anyone. The broken hearted and some rare amulets are known to break her spell, but it is through the vibrations of her song that most are caught in it's web." Nimue's eyes were wide, darting nervously between the shadows of the trees and around the perimeter of the castle. She could feel the Siren like a sick blemish on the earth. It made her sick inside the pit of her stomach that this creature, this...abomination shared her element.

Surely known from lore, Siren's were a water creature. They were known to lure sailors with their beautiful voices onto reefs near their watery caves. Once the ship floundered on the rocks they were quite unlucky to be ensnared in her web. "A Siren doesn't necessarily live on the flesh of her victims, so much as their essence." Nimue stressed the difference, looking up at William. She still held onto his arm tightly, the color draining from her rosy cheeks.

"These poor people. They're in grave danger. They have no idea what this sea hag is capable of doing to them. This Queen surely doesn't understand the creature that she's up against." Nimue stopped her babbling for a moment, her eyes unfocused for just a few seconds before she frowned.

"Do you feel that William? It feels old, ancient, and powerful." Nimue frowned again and shook her head. "It feels good though, like a warmth in my chest." She felt her chest as if it was something that had just manifested there. "This power feels familiar. Can you tell who it is? I still feel sick from the Siren's presence."

Nimue pressed a hand to her stomach, willing the contents to stay where they were, focusing on the warmth in her chest. It was as if that warmth was meant to keep all of the nasty mean things in life away from her. She had no idea that she was feeling Kahlan's power, a brighter source than anyone in the Faerie had ever felt, though the signature would be the same.

[Shin]

“The same was true for Nymph half-breeds.” William replied back to Nimue, William was one of a kind, born from a Nymph and a male on top of that. The unique union, while some believe is tainted, was something that the elders had never seen before and none knew exactly what William would be capable of. Even William didn’t completely understand it, his powers were as erratic and unpredictable as nature itself sometimes, he was afraid to use them because of it.

“These men and women.” He gestured with his hand. “They don’t seem to be under any sort of spell. They are wet though, I wonder if the flood had something to do with the Siren.” It had to William told himself, he couldn’t connect the dots, there were missing pieces of information. “You can lead me to her then? I..I would rather not try it myself.”

“If this Queen is who she is supposed to be I would imagine that she is fully capable of dealing with a lone Siren. I mean, if she is somehow responsible for this flood, or has a powerful mage under her control then wouldn’t he be able to detect and find this creature?” It was all very confusing to William, he knew of the stories and wives tales but he had never personally seen a Siren or had to battle one.

The waver of power, so ancient and mysterious cause William to swallow his next words before he spoke them. It was battling away the sickness that was the Siren rising in the back of Williams throat. “That…that can deal with the Siren.” He said barely above a whisper.

“Lead me to the Siren Nimue, you both share the same element, right? So she should be near the water somewhere, isn’t that where she is the strongest? If she can feel this power she will want to hide. We need to find her so I can put an arrow through her heart. Imagine that, show up to the Queen as the one that slayed the Siren? We’ll be heroes.”

William tightened his grip on the large tree like bow in his left hand and pulled a barbed arrow from the quiver, knocking it but not yet pulling the bow taunt. On command the cloak covering William shifted to match his surroundings and he settled low to the ground. “Can she feel you here as well? Will she be lead to you or will she flee you?” He asked, getting as much cover as he could in the tall grasses.

[Igraine]

Nimue shook her head as William spoke. Her eyes still searching the shadows in a somewhat frantic manner. Her voice was quiet as she spoke to him, she was steeling herself, willing herself not to run.

"She is surrounded by water." Nimue motioned to the forked river and the ocean beyond the town and castle. It looked as if the castle itself backed up against a cliff with the ocean beyond. "She is in her element. I can feel her but I can't pinpoint where she is. She's cloaked herself in enchantments. If I dig deeper I could probably ferret her out." Nimue balanced herself with a hand on William's shoulder as she concentrated on the taint she was feeling.

A Siren wouldn't account for a Water Nymph being anywhere nearby. They were similar and extremely different at the same time. They were both like water, tempestuous, changing like quicksilver, and capable of great beauty. The Siren, though, was tainted, dirty, like water that had been sitting for too long -- fetid and disgusting to the core. She wanted only to corrupt and she thrilled at the chance to enthrall a man or woman, then she feasted on those poor innocent souls.

A Nymph, especially a water nymph, was like a breath of fresh air. The smell of rain, the brilliant sparkle of sunlight on the surface of water. A water nymph was capable of enthralling men, but it was usually all in good fun. The man would only vaguely remember her as if he had been drunk in her presence. Truely, he would have been drunk on her presence. A nymph never fed on the men she enthralled, though she was entirely capable of encouraging them to pleasurable heights and one or two might recall those times and pine away their lives for that nymph. It had only happened once to Nimue and she regretted being so forward with the human. It wasn't that they made fantastic lovers, humans, but they were unpredictable and that held an air of thrill.

"This Queen must have friends in high places for such a show of power. I would hope that the Siren would be enthralled by it and not notice our approach." Nimue concentrated harder on the taint, the sickness she felt deep in the pit of her stomach. She waivered slightly and tightened her grip on William. She sifted through the innocents, they had a taint of their own making through living, but it wasn't deep rooted. She searched through all of those souls until she came to the one that was the Siren's. It was dark and black and malevolent. It was cloaked but even that wasn't enough to hide her taint.

"She's at the gates." Nimue gasped as she inhaled sharply, coming out of the deep trance. She clutched at William's shoulder to balance herself. She looked up at all of the people milling in the distance at the gates of the city of Emain Macha. "She's in the crowd at the gates..."

[Shin]

Concern flashed across Wiliams face as he continued to study and watch Nimue, she wasn’t holding up well. He could see the fear in her body and read it painted on her face clearly. He briefly wondered if he was going up against something that he should be more fearful of?

The thought was fleeting, there weren’t many things William did fear. At least not for any magical or supernatural means, now that he thought about it, there were very few times in his life that William had felt fear. General concern and being worried definitely, but never fear or terror. “Stay here, or go back to the Fae. She may be drawn to you like a moth to a flame if we get any closer. I can handle myself.” He said with a smile and a wink.

As confident as one could be William broke off into a sprint, staying low to the ground and staying a good twenty feet away from the river, making his way to the front gate where all the people were gathered. As he ran he replaced the arrow in its quiver and magically willed the bow back to nothing more than a piece of wood, which he tucked in a spot on his back.

William ran with a supernatural speed, his long legs covering ground quickly. He wasn’t exactly sure what he would do once he got to the group of people. Perhaps question the spirits again? He even wondered if he would have to try and locate the creature through his ability to communicate with nature, which was not something he was comfortable with.