Alistair found himself outside more often than not. The Compound had become increasingly busy as the weather continued on with people wishing to get out of the cold. He didn't mind it - appreciated the familiarity, in fact - and this day was no different.
It had been just Duncan and he for a good stretch of time, and the sound of a voice was enough to draw his attention to the source. It took no more than a glance to realize something was amiss, if the words weren't enough of a tip already. It was a fact that Duncan surely noticed as well, with how he whimpered quietly and looked up toward Alistair as if questioning what he was to do.
Motioning for the hound to stay where he was - he knew the animal's size sometimes startled others - he approached slowly. "Hello? Miss? Is something the matter?"
The hairs on her arms are standing on end. She cannot tell if it is from cold or from fright, but she takes a step towards the creature as blinding white as the snow. It is a strange thing out of place at home, but this is not her island. This is not the world she knows.
Heart pounding in her chest, she turns at the sound of a voice half-stumbling backwards and nearly falling into the cold whiteness again.
It is a man. The third she has seen since she can truly remember. He is different from Ferdinand and Caliban, nothing like the half-faded memories of her father. Fear is plain on her face, for she wonders which sort he might be. Will he be good as she wishes him to be?
"Sir, I beg thee, do tell me what madness and magic this place be. I do not know it."
As he approached closer, he followed her gaze toward the horse she'd been staring at. He had seen the strange animal only once before, briefly. She was distressed enough, however, that his attention on it didn't last long.
"Are you new here? I mean - wait, that probably makes little sense to you," he said, chiding himself. He was likely only making her confusion worse. "Were you in different surroundings a moment ago?"
The creature paws the ground, letting out a whiney before turning and running back into the woods. The loss of it makes Miranda's heart hurt slightly and she doesn't know why. Perhaps it had been the strangeness of it, as if it could tell her which spirits dwelled in these strange trees.
Fingers playing with the ties on the front of her bodice, moving out of nerves she looks up at the man. Chewing on her lower lip, she nods slowly eyes flitting back to the cave. Perhaps if she returns to it this magic will be undone.
"I was on my mother's island, in her cell when I did hear beasts and men crying out. I ran to her and out of the cave, into this strangeness. Sir, do tell me why is it so cold?"
"I cannot say what happened where you're from, nor do I understand this place entirely myself," he prefaced, which was a bit sad, considering he'd been stuck on the island for the year now. "But I suspect this place is far from your home - and mine, as well. It seems to have the ability to pull anyone it wishes onto it. How, I do not know, but I came here in much the same way - one moment I was elsewhere, and then I was here."
He frowned thoughtfully before tugging off the coat he wore, offering it to her. He still had layers underneath to keep him warm. "It's not all bad. Here, please, take this and put it around you. There is shelter not far from - perhaps it would be better if I explained there. I promise no harm will come to you."
Confusion is still plain on her face. What sort of place takes people from their homes with no boats or horses to drag them there? Has she been spirited away without the feel of cool hands upon her? It had been so sudden that she does not remember the pull of magic, but that does not mean that it had not been there.
Taking his coat, she smiles weakly at him as she slides it on. This is a kind man, just as good as she had hoped he'd be. Her mother had told her that men were capable of wickedness, but this makes yet another who is proves that goodness does exist. "I thank you sir, for the coat and the promise. This is stranger magic than any I have known. There was no sign that I was being stolen away. How cruel such a place is, to take without a warning storm."
"I don't know if it's magic," he admitted. It was nothing he'd seen either, truth be told. Which was a very good thing, because he had a feeling Morrigan would have sent him here a long time before he'd appeared here himself. "I mean, not in the wiggling fingers to make fire sort of way. From what I heard, using magic is impossible here. But come, we can walk while you ask questions."
He motioned for her to follow as he began walking the way he came. Duncan got to his feet - he'd been sitting where Alistair had left him - as they approached, cocking his head curiously as he looked at the stranger.
"He's with me," he explained, in case she was worried.
It might be foolish to follow this man or any man for that matter. His kind words and gentlemanly actions could be a farce, an act used to lure her in and lead her to her doom. But Miranda follows anyways, trusting her instincts and what she feels must be true. The large beast beside him causes her to stop after only one step, awed and impressed in one go.
“Is that a wolf?” she asks, her other questions temporarily forgotten. She’s seen mangy and wild beasts on the island, natural and otherwise. It does not resemble the wolves she’s seen or the small wild dogs either. For one thing, it seems strangely loyal. Then a moment later she quickens her pace so that she comes up ahead of the creature even though she has no idea where they are going. “I know magic. I know storms and fire and spirits. I did not hear any words or see any movements. But sir, I do not understand, how can there be such a place with no magic in it?”
"He's a mabari hound - a war dog from my kingdom," he explained. He rushed his steps a bit so he could walk beside her, Duncan trailing right behind them. The rest of her questions were less easy to answer. "I cannot explain the existence of this place - none can, if I understand correctly. But there was a woman I knew here - she was a mage of considerable power, and could not even do simple magic. Which probably was a good thing for me, as I am sure she would have turned it on me eventually, but the point stands."
"Oh such a wonder. He does strike me as glorious," she says as some of her worry slips away. This place is strange and unknown, colder than anything she has ever known but it holds such wonders in it that she cannot imagine what else it out there.
The idea of there being no magic does not seem to make much sense. How can this place be, how could it take her from her home without it? "Then she must have held vengeance in her heart." Miranda looks up at the man for confirmation, pulling the coat tighter around her shoulders. "My mother did use magic much the same. Twas not always bad, I should not suggest that it was." Looking down at her feet, she purses her lips as she looks at the cool whiteness. "I think I have see such a strange ground before. Nearly a lifetime ago, I remember this coolness but I cannot think of the word to name it."
Duncan barked happily. He seemed to show his intelligence far more when he was being complimented than when he was being scolded.
"I have my doubts she even had a heart sometimes," he said, dryly. "But yes, vengeance, among other things. She wasn't a pleasant person to be around."
He followed her gaze toward the ground after he spoke. It seemed many didn't come from places where snow was common. He was certainly not one of those people. "It's called snow. There was a lot where I am from."
He decided it best he not mention the snow would likely be gone soon.
"Oh. It does strike a chord in my memory. I did see it as a little girl, but I had not thought of it in a great long time." Her voice gives away her wonder. This place is cool and frightening and she does not understand how she could have come to be here, but the newness of it is fascinating. All her life Miranda has longed to be somewhere else, to see the world outside the island and know the people in it.
This is not the manner that she had been expecting to come to it, but she shall take it anyways. Carefully considering her steps she looks up and around where they are. "Sir, is it far where we are going?"
"Not too far," he spoke, glancing over at her. She certainly wasn't dressed for the weather, so he was trying to take the shortest way. "It's the central area of this island - I must warn you, though, that there's likely things in there you've never seen before. It shocked me as well."
"Island?" Miranda echoes, feeling her heart fall. Her hopes had been that she was now in a far distant country. That she would up stumbling into a world like the one she had been born into, full of people and strange things. Another island seems both wretched and delightful. It is different and yet so much the same.
"It should not be hard for I have read a great deal but seen very little. There is much that could make me wonder, but I beg you tell me this: are there ships that leave here? That see the world?"
"Something prevents them from leaving, or so I'm told. I've never been on any of the vessels, but it's been attempted," he explained, almost sounding apologetic in the wake of what seemed like a shift in her mood. "But there are many here, so at least we're not alone."
"Oh." It strikes her as odd that she feels disappointed at losing something she's never known. She misses the chance. Yet another place where one cannot leave, but without the magic, without the things that she knew.
Miranda bites her lips, tugging the coat tighter around her form. A new worry, this one full of wonderment as well creeps into her heart. She has always wanted to know people, to know their lives and stories, but the idea of so many of them is terrifying. "A whole island full of strange people who arrived by magic. Sir, that does seem to be most strange and glorious. Are they kind?"
It had been just Duncan and he for a good stretch of time, and the sound of a voice was enough to draw his attention to the source. It took no more than a glance to realize something was amiss, if the words weren't enough of a tip already. It was a fact that Duncan surely noticed as well, with how he whimpered quietly and looked up toward Alistair as if questioning what he was to do.
Motioning for the hound to stay where he was - he knew the animal's size sometimes startled others - he approached slowly. "Hello? Miss? Is something the matter?"
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Heart pounding in her chest, she turns at the sound of a voice half-stumbling backwards and nearly falling into the cold whiteness again.
It is a man. The third she has seen since she can truly remember. He is different from Ferdinand and Caliban, nothing like the half-faded memories of her father. Fear is plain on her face, for she wonders which sort he might be. Will he be good as she wishes him to be?
"Sir, I beg thee, do tell me what madness and magic this place be. I do not know it."
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"Are you new here? I mean - wait, that probably makes little sense to you," he said, chiding himself. He was likely only making her confusion worse. "Were you in different surroundings a moment ago?"
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Fingers playing with the ties on the front of her bodice, moving out of nerves she looks up at the man. Chewing on her lower lip, she nods slowly eyes flitting back to the cave. Perhaps if she returns to it this magic will be undone.
"I was on my mother's island, in her cell when I did hear beasts and men crying out. I ran to her and out of the cave, into this strangeness. Sir, do tell me why is it so cold?"
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He frowned thoughtfully before tugging off the coat he wore, offering it to her. He still had layers underneath to keep him warm. "It's not all bad. Here, please, take this and put it around you. There is shelter not far from - perhaps it would be better if I explained there. I promise no harm will come to you."
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Taking his coat, she smiles weakly at him as she slides it on. This is a kind man, just as good as she had hoped he'd be. Her mother had told her that men were capable of wickedness, but this makes yet another who is proves that goodness does exist. "I thank you sir, for the coat and the promise. This is stranger magic than any I have known. There was no sign that I was being stolen away. How cruel such a place is, to take without a warning storm."
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He motioned for her to follow as he began walking the way he came. Duncan got to his feet - he'd been sitting where Alistair had left him - as they approached, cocking his head curiously as he looked at the stranger.
"He's with me," he explained, in case she was worried.
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“Is that a wolf?” she asks, her other questions temporarily forgotten. She’s seen mangy and wild beasts on the island, natural and otherwise. It does not resemble the wolves she’s seen or the small wild dogs either. For one thing, it seems strangely loyal. Then a moment later she quickens her pace so that she comes up ahead of the creature even though she has no idea where they are going. “I know magic. I know storms and fire and spirits. I did not hear any words or see any movements. But sir, I do not understand, how can there be such a place with no magic in it?”
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The idea of there being no magic does not seem to make much sense. How can this place be, how could it take her from her home without it? "Then she must have held vengeance in her heart." Miranda looks up at the man for confirmation, pulling the coat tighter around her shoulders. "My mother did use magic much the same. Twas not always bad, I should not suggest that it was." Looking down at her feet, she purses her lips as she looks at the cool whiteness. "I think I have see such a strange ground before. Nearly a lifetime ago, I remember this coolness but I cannot think of the word to name it."
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"I have my doubts she even had a heart sometimes," he said, dryly. "But yes, vengeance, among other things. She wasn't a pleasant person to be around."
He followed her gaze toward the ground after he spoke. It seemed many didn't come from places where snow was common. He was certainly not one of those people. "It's called snow. There was a lot where I am from."
He decided it best he not mention the snow would likely be gone soon.
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This is not the manner that she had been expecting to come to it, but she shall take it anyways. Carefully considering her steps she looks up and around where they are. "Sir, is it far where we are going?"
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"It should not be hard for I have read a great deal but seen very little. There is much that could make me wonder, but I beg you tell me this: are there ships that leave here? That see the world?"
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Miranda bites her lips, tugging the coat tighter around her form. A new worry, this one full of wonderment as well creeps into her heart. She has always wanted to know people, to know their lives and stories, but the idea of so many of them is terrifying. "A whole island full of strange people who arrived by magic. Sir, that does seem to be most strange and glorious. Are they kind?"
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