MERIDA
COURT Seelie, neutral
INFLUENCE ★ ★ ★
TITLE Friend of the Dead, Hartslayer, Brave Heart, Lady Lioness of DunDealgan
OCCUPATION Lady of DunDealgan. archer, huntress, swordswoman
AGE 20
ABLE TO FAST-TRAVEL
- wings given to Angus via a boon in December 2,700
- as of September 2,701 will have a ring that can teleport her to places she's been before in Seelie territory
COMMUNICATION METHODS
- compass, given by Korra (
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) sangilak) and made by Hermione (brainiest) that will give network access and point to 'home' (place/person/etc)
- capable of sending correspondence via bird, mainly ravens
RESIDENCE IN 2,701 DunDealgan, south of Daonna
RESIDENCE IN 2,702 DunDealgan, south of Daonna
MAJOR EVENTS
BEAST MASTER
Due to being the only one able to get close to Cu Chulainn and calm him down while in werewolf form, locals around the area of DunDealgan start to regard Merida as a beast master of sorts. Considering how she feels about his warp spasms, she doesn't exactly like this apparent appointment but if it's to protect him from any sort of torches-and-pitchforks scenario, she'll take it on. [ ✖ ]
TRUST IN BLOOD
A search through Treun for the escaped convicts of Leathann turns into a dangerous situation. In a moment of desperation, Merida accidentally kills a convict who has the intent of doing something unsavory to her. Traumatized, it's Gilgamesh of all people who pulls her through and reassures her that she did nothing wrong. The golden king, unwittingly, earns himself her trust and loyalty.
[ ✖ ]
LADY LIONESS
The year had seen to a great deal of change in Merida. Not just in something deciding that her fate lay within the other court, but in herself and the actions that she took, in the thoughts that she processed. Some part of her became...less idealistic, as it were, more open to the idea that this was war. It had taken her just near a year in the Drabwurld to accept that as fact, that she'd only be seeing home in her dreams, and half a year later to find it in herself to move on. This land of the fae was her reality now. These were her people. And that was why she needed to protect them. [ ✖ ]
MAJOR CHANGES
SORCERESS
Merida has started to take her magical studies more seriously than before. By the end of the time skip, she should be appropriately trained in all the magics she has taken on, both fire and runic magic.
WARRIOR
Likewise, Merida has been honing her combat skills throughout the year. With a new sword from Diarmuid as of August and a new bow from Wan as of Yule, she'll feel as though she'll be better prepared for any of the future battles. Having killed her first human (accidentally), Merida starts accepting the idea that it's okay to kill people sometimes.
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PLANS
- co-parenting wolfhound pups with Lancer
- fire magic training
- shard training
- become known as some kind of beast master by the locals
- visit the new Barrel once a month
- bandit stomping along a trade route with Korra
- swan shooting competition with Gilgamesh in April
- Treun tourney
- Samhain
- White Hart Hunt II: the Hart's Revenge
SUMMARY OF KNOWN DETAILS
For the most of it, Merida will be working on training in both her fire magic and her shard, along with learning some runes from Lancer, when she's not taking part in any of the events happening. Gaining influence in the surrounding area. Strengthening and being able to control her magic will be one of her primary focuses. She'll also be helping out around DunDealgan since she'll feel partially responsible for everyone there, considering she's courting its Lord. Many of her efforts will be going towards building up better personal relations between DunDealgan and the natives surrounding the area.
Another thing that I have planned is for her to open up a combat school for women of either court and/or natives only, offering it as a place of refuge during times of battle, and once she's lost her idealism and become a little more war hardened, offer her students out as mercenaries. This will all take time, possibly over the course of two time skips, but ideally I'd like to start planning things out now.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
| SPRING IN 2,701 (Mar, Apr, May) |
- EARLY MARCH - waking up in Caer Glaem
- EARLY MARCH - chat with Saber
- EARLY MARCH - chat with Mako
- MARCH - making the fortress warm and toasty
- MARCH - helping Diarmuid control his fire
- MARCH - being defrosted by Gilgamesh, telling stories of the fae in exchange
- MARCH - holy Lugh it's a lion
- MARCH - bandit stomping with Korra
- LATE MARCH - chat with Ben
- LATE MARCH - the Barrel
- MARCH - monthly summary
- APRIL - things get frisky thanks to the harp (NSFW)
- APRIL - Diarmuid's birthday at the Barrel
- APRIL - breaking the harp
- MAY - swan hunting competition with Gilgamesh. interruption by bandersnatch
- MAY - running into Ben
- MAY - monthly summary
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| SUMMER IN 2,701 (Jun, Jul, Aug) |
- TREUN - spectating post tournament
- TREUN - exploring the markets and drinking
- TREUN - shopping and talking with Saber
- TREUN - chat with Hiro
- TREUN - dancing with Alyosha
- JUNE - monthly summary
- JULY - talking with Gilgamesh during beachdraidh
- JULY - bar fight
- JULY - helping Diarmuid with CSI: Daonna
- JULY - reassuring Lancer and going home
- AUGUST - training and talk with Diarmuid
- AUGUST - to the Sunsoak Markets. Diarmuid asks an important question
- AUGUST - monthly summary
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| FALL IN 2,701 (Sept, Oct, Nov) |
- SEPTEMBER - visiting Alice
- SAMHAIN - relaxing with the bae
- SAMHAIN - talking with the Shuck
- SAMHAIN - dancing and talks with Diarmuid
- SAMHAIN - relaxing and talking with Sam
- SAMHAIN - adventures in Scima with Gilgamesh
- SAMHAIN - what happens in Samhain stays at Samhain
- NOVEMBER - team up with Wan in Daonna
- NOVEMBER - archery lessons with Wan
- NOVEMBER - trouble in Treun (cw: sensitive topics)
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| WINTER IN 2,701/2,702 (Dec, Jan, Feb) |
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| SPRING IN 2,702 (Mar, Apr, May) |
- MARCH - QUEST: skeleton zombies
- MARCH - post quest wind down. serious talks with Sam (cw: sensitive topics)
- APRIL - Station date with Hiro
- LATE APRIL - lone fox
- LATE APRIL - furry time at the Barrel
- MAY - stopping Alice from doing something stupid ಠ_ಠ
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near the White Citadel (stay frosty!)
They didn't necessarily not end up ditched in a snow bank somewhere else once the danger passed, but at least he was obeying the spirit of the missive. That still counted in his book—the only book that mattered, anyway.
But today Gilgamesh had planned to relax, stepping outside the Citadel to fetch a message only to stop upon hearing... something. Someone. A call, in the distance, and curious he sprints after it, hops swiftly from icy branch to branch until he sees a familiar head of red. And more immediately, a nasty patch of ice creeping up her leg, freezing her to the spot.]
That girl...?
[The winds are howling fiercely, so he likely won't be heard over them. But he's looking at her, blinking, still recovering from his surprise.]
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Merida had seen people frozen, heck had even melted the ice off a few of them herself and taken them to shelter. She tried yanking her leg from it, covering the top of it with both her hands and pulling. Despite all her bravado in thawing those claimed by the ice in this freak weather, she wasn't keen on putting her own flame near her foot. She couldn't concentrate anyway, not with the slow panic starting to crawl over her like the ice going up her leg.]
Oh for th' love of...
[Another curse. She considered calling Jack on the compass, knowing he could probably get here without freezing over himself, but what would he be able to do? He caused winter to fall; she very highly doubted that he could make it stop freezing her over since it wasn't his magic doing this.
Merida drew the hood of her cloak over her head, wrapping her arms around herself, teeth chattering as she ducked deeper into her cloak. Was this really how things were going to go?]
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Gilgamesh could do a great many things, to be certain, but today he has decided to be a hero. Even if his hand was forced, a hero is what he's always been, no matter what this world has taken from him.
There is a flash of gold before Merida, and a bow emerges from a hovering pool, perilously close with an arrow nocked at the ready. It draws itself, as if to aim at her head... yet at the last second, it fires at her chilled leg instead, with expert precision. Just strong enough to shatter the ice that's caked like glass with a shower of magic, without piercing her flesh in the process.
In a few clean leaps, Gilgamesh closes the distance between himself and Merida, and his attire is strange, indeed. Mainly in that he's not wearing much in such bitter weather, and doesn't look the slightest bit cold.
Merida, meanwhile...]
Need a hand?
[Gilgamesh grins, offers his own, which is warm as warm could be.]
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The flash of gold has curious eyes trained upon it, watching the bow emerge. The archer in her thinks it's beautiful, for one mind numbing second before she finds herself being aimed at. Merida's arms come up over her head and face, before she hears the shattering of ice, like the cracking of a frozen lake and she looks down, wriggling her foot. Good, it hadn't been claimed by frostbite.
His attire's probably not the strangest she's seen (c'mon, Lancer lounges around the castle practically in the nude), but it does make her blink a bit. Oh, it's him. That guy she argued with over the lockets over something petty. About to say no, she could handle herself, the wind howled past them again, blowing her cloak and dress forward and the hood further over her head.
Merida grits her teeth, then reaches for his hand,
Just this once.]
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Just this once, Gilgamesh takes her by the hand, then sweeps her into his arms, and weightless she may as well be for the ease of it. Against his bare chest she goes, and he sets them off at a speedy trot. More smooth glides, really, that out him as a Servant or at least something along such effortlessly graceful lines.
He looks down at her and whistles, though not for anything untoward. His hands remain shockingly polite.]
Ah, you're pretty cold, though. How long have you been out here for?
[He's surprised she isn't dead already. Stubborn little creature.]
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Oh, he asked a question. Merida pauses, breath coming out in a small fog of air as she sighs.]
Look, it wasn't like this when I left.
[If her cheeks weren't tinged pink from the cold they would be by her own embarrassment at herself for thinking she could withstand it instead of heading back to the fortress. But she had already been too far out to go back at a decent hour on foot.]
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[Because Gilgamesh doesn't sound entirely convinced. But nor does he seem to mind lugging her around, taking to a patch of ice and skating across on the heel of his golden boot. A slower pace, to give her time to catch that chilled breath, and to assess her better.
She'd obviously gone out against good judgment. Her cloak is far too thin for this sort of weather, which admittedly would bite through most anything. Humans are so weak it astounds him at times.
He circles around the base of a tree, casually firing off arrows from the bow that's floated alongside them to melt it back to normal as well when he passes.]
This world... it's odd. It isn't like the one I know. And not yours either, apparently.
[Magic: so enigmatic a force, even a 5,000 year old King can't fully understand it.]
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Merida snorts a little at the obvious showing off, but she'll humor him for now, unable to deny that she's grateful for the slower pace. She shifts herself a little bit into a less cramped form, still keeping herself curled close for warmth.]
It's close enough to my world that some things are familiar, but even I know this weather is unnatural.
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But it's odd how casually the conversation comes, between two near strangers with one in the other's arms. She is a small thing, but even huddled against him, that fire still blazes in her pouts and huffs. The bratty upstart you can't help but like anyway... is that the kind of person she was?]
So it would seem you've been here longer, seen this realm's wily ways. I imagine it must be another trick of those fickle fairy folk.
[Then again, could they pull something like this off? Maybe someone, something else was to blame.]
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[The response comes automatically, at the statement that she's been here longer. It doesn't feel that long sometimes. Sometimes it feels like longer, or shorter, depending. It must be the cold, she thinks to herself, making her this calm in the arms of someone who's pretty much a stranger, not wanting to exert the extra energy. She's small enough without giving up the last of her warmth and having to resort herself to curling closer.
Her feet cross at the ankle, tucking themselves at the arm under her knees. Something else definitely was to blame for the foul weather, and she shakes her head to confirm as such.]
I doubt either monarchy is capable of somethin' like this. There's nothin' for them to gain from it in any case.
[Winter spirits that weren't Jack were around she was sure.]
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As for himself, he isn't sure how long it's been. It's ironic he's lost track of time, and it's strange that he's been busy enough to let it happen.]
That's right. It feels longer for human beings, doesn't it? I don't really understand that way of thinking any longer, but...
[Hop, hop, hop, from slick branch to branch. The leaps are great and powerful, but there's no bumpiness for the passenger in his arms. The ride's smooth, even if her rescuer's gone a bit distant.]
I don't really understand their way of thinking, either. Gods, and yet not. Warm, yet cold. How could such a thing ever be?
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She's known people who have been here longer, knows that there are natives who are descended from shardbearers. Time is a terrifying thing, sometimes.]
I was told tales of them as a child. Seelie an' Unseelie. Fae folk. They don't always make sense.
[Merida is thankful that the ride is smooth, a sick feeling curling in her stomach. They didn't make sense, but it wasn't like the tales lied.]
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The spires of the great Citadel loom closer and closer, until Gilgamesh reaches the outermost wall, balanced upon it as comfortably as any other perch. Up he glances, to an open balcony of an open room, and grins.]
You're in luck. I recently... acquired quarters here, so you can rest for a while.
[Of course there's a catch. Gilgamesh grins like he's just caught a canary between his teeth.]
With me. In my room.
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Don't get any ideas.
[Her voice has a warning tone, turning her head back to look at him with fierce blue eyes, brow narrowed in a deep scowl.]
I'll break your hands if you start anythin'.
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[Oh... right, she's referring to that sort of resting. Gilgamesh has to laugh, shaking his head down at her and skipping the rest of the way up, from stone to polished stone.]
You're not my type at all, so that's fine. They brought me more food than I could eat on my own, and it's always terrible to let such indulgences go to waste. I'll permit you a share.
[Gilgamesh doesn't seem bothered or intimidated by that sharp scowl at all. If anything, it's a confirmation she's got some fire to her. He prefers that to the alternative, to that cold winter's chill. To the Saber who isn't.
One, two, three more jumps, and he's landed upon the balcony, placing her back on her feet. Front door service! Who said he couldn't act knightly?]
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Instead of collapsing like any other girl might have done, Merida keeps herself standing straight, boots tugged off by the toe as she pulls her hood down, shaking red hair out. As much as it pained her to say it...]
You have my thanks, an' my gratitude.
[For now she'd be civil, especially in another person's territory.]
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Gilgamesh, being neither lord nor lady, therefore sticks out a little. But he relaxes as though it really were his own quarters, really was earned through his own merit and not just a clever moment of bullying.]
You'll dry off soon. I wouldn't venture out again until the weather abates, unless you've a death wish.
[Gilgamesh waves his hand in front of the dying fire and heats it up again, in a golden surge of energy. It roars to life and fills the room with that which Merida craves most—welcoming warmth.]
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[The warmth is certainly welcome to her cold bones. No matter how warm the heating rune made her cloak, there really was nothing like an actual fire. The hand carved cloak clasp is undone and her cloak draped near her boots, showing that she hadn't really thought out her dress.
The room makes her think of the royal rooms as she brushes her hands down her dress, looking at the way he makes the fire come to life again. It's certainly much more lavish than she's used to at the fortress, even with all the furs and blankets she needs there. Her hands retract to wrap around herself, turning around so that she's got her back to the fireplace rather than him.]
I don't fancy meetin' th' Black Shuck under other circumstances.
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In front of her sits, and true to his word despite how close they are, he keeps his hands to himself and appears to have no interest in changing that anytime soon. He can behave, on rare occasion, even with his reputation.]
Now that I consider it, you did owe me for the rescue...
[He thinks on it, or at least makes a show of looking as if he does, then pipes up:]
Tell me of this Black Shuck! And fae folk! And other stories! And we shall consider ourselves even.
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It's certainly an...odd request for a grown man. Though she does owe him for saving her, even if that had been her own folly.]
Well, if you consider th' monarchs gods, then th' Black Shuck would be one of th' higher gods. He an' his brother th' White Hart are considered death an' life respectively in this world. I have met both. Th' Shuck appears durin' Samhain, to those brave enough to call his names. Old Shadow, Black Shuck, Dog of Death. Th' Hart is hunted every year in th' winter month of Yule, one Seelie an' one Unseelie may slay him, for he is reborn after both kills.
[She tucks some hair behind an ear so it can dry out, reaching back to gather it there, and then lowering her arms again as she continues.]
I met th' Shuck an' slayed th' Hart.
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Black Shuck. White Hart. Old Shadow. Dog of Death. Gilgamesh seals every last title and bit of information away, settling onto his back and staring at the ceiling with arms behind his head.]
It was you, huh? It sounds pretty impressive. [Giving her a nudge with his elbow.] Well? I want that story, too. About the great hunt.
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I'd gone out earlier that month to train, when I heard about th' hunt in a town I was passin' through. My father had taught me how to hunt an' hawk since I was wee, an' I thought there would be no better way to prove my skills. [To herself, but she doesn't say that.] It took me a day or two to track him down from where I had been, weather permittin', an' I rode through th' forest, keepin' my bow ready.
[She hummed a little, sorting through her memories. Though she's discerned the time difference between the Drabwurld and her home, it still feels like it had been two years ago and not just last year.]
Although my first shot was, ah, misplaced, I gained a huntin' companion in th' Unseelie general, Saber. Th' forest went quiet, reverently so, an' we waited, listened. There was th' snap of a branch, an' I saw giant antlers, th' gleam of a white coat. Saber took th' first shot, headed him off. I went to send him off course, frighten him off into another direction where I could shoot him clearly.
He scampered, I shot, strikin' his neck. His head swung an' Angus leaped to miss his antlers, throwin' me off. [Her cheeks burned a light pink.] But I made th' kill.
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Saber.
The fire flares up, unexpectedly, and Gilgamesh must look away for a moment. She hit a weak spot. Unwittingly, perhaps, but undoubtedly. In another world, he would've killed her in an impulsive rage just for the mention; in this one, he glares at the wall and tries to gather his composure again before speaking.
Eventually, curiosity wins out. He cannot help himself. Gilgamesh asks what he should not.]
What do you think of that woman? Of Saber.
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[The sudden flare in the fire makes her wary, and she finds herself inching away from it a bit just to be on the safe side. She's not unaware of the suddenly sour air, not by a long shot, but she doesn't shrink away either. Instead, Merida grows quiet, lifting her hand and cupping it against her neck as she drew her knees up, resting her elbow on them. This could be a touchy subject, she could tell, so she steps around the subject with cautious feet.]
She's terrifyin' sometimes, if I'm honest, but I'm glad to count her among my friends rather than my enemies.
[She rests her cheek on her knees, murmuring to herself.]
Sometimes I wonder if she's disappointed in me...
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[Gilgamesh cuts in sharply, with such authority that it's hard to deny what he's said as truth. Of course it's only a half truth, but he sounds so confident—incensed, even—that his voice crackles louder than the fire.]
I will tell you something about Saber. She is, undoubtedly, the anointed King of the beloved country. But it all fell to ruin, because there was this terrifying piece she saw within her own reflection that she could not overcome. They turned from her, those people.
[He never got the chance to see England burning. Such a pity. If he could throw her and it into the flames right now, he would.]
And she disappointed them.
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