let's do the time warp again

[notyetlegend]

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 (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.

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 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 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) WINTER IN 2,701/2,702 (Dec, Jan, Feb) DECEMBER - rematch with Saber DECEMBER - meeting Diarmuid in fox form DECEMBER - celebrating first year anniversary with Lancer (NSFW) JANUARY - the Barrel FEBRUARY - the Barrel 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

( codes by whambam )

Comments

SPRING IN 2,701 →

[notyetlegend]

MARCH →

[notyetlegend]

Early March:
>> matters of the heart
>> I'm not dead
>> I'll never tell

Colddddd

[red_branch]

[With a huff, Lancer stomped around the fortress, putting up runes of fire all over the place, trying to heat things up for the dogs. The puppies were shivering everywhere they ran and it didn't quite make sense. He smelled the spring come--he knew it should have been around, but there was still cold and snow everywhere.

Merida would find him weaving between the trees on the grounds, writing his runes nearly everywhere.]

[notyetlegend]

[It wasn't unusual for the last dredges of snow to linger in the Highlands just before spring really came, but it was more bitter than she was used to. Wrapped in a warm, fur lined cloak, Merida reached up to pull it tighter around her than the cloak clasp Diarmuid had given her allowed, a shiver rolling down her spine when she came out of the fortress.]

Lugh it's cold.

[At least that's the murmur under her breath before she spots him, making her way over.]

[red_branch]

Uuuuuuuuuuuuughhh! Whose bright idea was cursin' everybody with extended winter!?

[It was rare he lost his temper over little things, but Lancer was just plain irritated about having to defrost the trees he planted just when spring started. He was feeling foolish for getting ahead of things.]

[notyetlegend]

If it's Jack I swear I'm goin' to hoist him by his britches...

[There's a pause before she cups her gloved hands together, forming a flame between them with a small sigh, feeling it warm her through. She'd put on her warmest clothes, but even then that wasn't enough. One or two of the puppies came over to her, still shivering as they crawled under her large cloak to find warmth in the fur. Though she doubted it was Jack since there was probably more winter inclined beings that they didn't know about here in the Drabwurld, he was still the only one she knew of.]

It doesn't even get this cold in th' Highlands.

for Diarmuid

[notyetlegend]

[It was a good thing that she had become better at controlling her fire magic, Merida decided to herself as she concentrated, letting the slow burn of flame work over the unfortunate soul that had gotten himself frozen just outside of the fortress. With a warm blanket now around his shoulders, she instructed him to go inside and warm himself up, sending him in with one of the knights. With a small sigh, she let the flame disappear, lowering her hands and tugging her gloves around her wrists, moving back into the fortress proper.

There would no doubt be other people out there, and her thoughts wandered, pondering over leaving the castle for a bit in order to help those in the nearby villages. There was a nagging feeling in her mind that not everyone would take her court switch well, especially the nearby natives who had come to know her as Unseelie. Pondering this, Merida subconsciously made a flame between her hands, looking to practice some before she made her decision.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Something that might help encourage her to leave the castle? A little while after she stops do to her pondering, a familiar voice will drift out over the air...and it sounds like he is very frustrated about something.]

No, no! That is not where I wanted it to go. Now stop it! Stop!

[There is a hissing sound, then. Almost like someone...dumping snow over a fire? Just what is going on out there?]

[notyetlegend]

[She pauses when she hears the voice, glancing around for the source of it. Not spotting him anywhere within the main courtyard, Merida dropped her hands and the flame between them disappeared as she stepped outside of the fortress, placing her hand on the outer wall and ignoring the cold that managed to seep through the warming rune on her gloves. Following the wall, she came to stop when she spotted him, blinking a bit.]

Diarmuid...?

[oathshackledbird]

Ah?

[When he hears his name, Diarmuid turns to face the sound. He relaxes a little when he sees who it is, but at the same time, an embarrassed look crosses his face.]

I am trying to help my foolish bird...

[Diarmuid motions to his goshawk who is half frozen in the snow. He apparently was trying to get away as so many birds were doing at the moment, but because his wings were still healing he could only walk. Walking, though, got him nowhere fast. Especially with the storms.]

...but my fire is not cooperating...

[As shown by the scorch marks and melted snow everywhere around Diarmuid but by the bird.]

near the White Citadel (stay frosty!)

[babbylon]

["Help out your fellow man," huh? Gilgamesh had been grousing over the very thought of it, but ultimately that desire to win just a bit more favor by any means necessary prevails. So to the frozen wilds he'd taken, shooting off bolts of magic here and there to shatter the ice and sweeping up any unfortunate travelers as he went along.

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.]

[notyetlegend]

[There's a stream of Gaelic curses coming from her that are colourful to those who knows what they mean. Loud curses at that, muffled only slightly by the howling wind. The cold winds had kicked up and surprised her in her travels out to see if she could find anyone in need of defrosting. She really should have stayed in the fortress, but she had thought, perhaps, that her cloak would keep her warm enough with the heating rune.

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?]

[babbylon]

[Not today, it would seem. He could simply leave her there, to freeze and to die—he could watch the last of her breath fade, the last of the color leave her cheeks, and make a great sport of it, inviting wolves over to tear her body to shreds.

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.]

[notyetlegend]

[At least she would be brought back if she died, that she has to be thankful for, but Merida isn't too keen on the idea of dying, especially in weather that's familiar to her. Highland winters had prepared her for this, she could last. Or so she thought. Weakly she drew a heating rune close to her dress, feeling it warm her through and breathed a small sigh, feeling some colour come back to her face. That would last her, hopefully...

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.]

[notyetlegend]

March started out with a tumble of emotions and uncertainty eating at Merida from inside out, and waking up in Caer Glaem certainly didn't help matters. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her bed in DunDealgan, bundled up in furs and blankets to escape the remains of a long, cold winter. The decor and the appearance of faeries only confirmed her suspicions of where she was, and she contacted Lancer, not trusting anyone else to be able to get her out of there fast enough. After calming him down and reassuring him that she was okay, the two of them left.

A few calls were placed. First, she spoke to Saber, who she'd been giving space but had believed her dead, betrayed by the one Merida loved. After a bit of anguish, Merida correctly guessed Saber's true identity as Arthur Pendragon, coming to know her as Arturia, but still referring to her as Saber per her request. Next was Mako, checking on him to make sure everything was okay and learning that he had his bending back, in exchange for the information on her court switch.

As the first week of the month passed, it started to get colder. Not quite unusual for the beginning of Spring - where Merida came from, the last dredges of winter could be felt even into the third week - but Merida found herself venturing out of the fortress every so often to look along the road for people who had become frozen in the foul weather. Using a combination of her fire magic and the fire rune, she defrosted many, leading them into the fortress that had been set up with fire runes before Lancer left on a quest. Hearing Diarmuid's voice, she helped him gain control over his fire ring, a problem he'd been having for a while.

Venturing out into the wilderness looking for people on foot, Merida soon became frozen herself when the weather took a turn for the worst. Had it not been for Gilgamesh finding her and offering her shelter in the White Citadel, the worst might have come of her. She traded stories of the fae in return for his hospitality, choosing to act civilly rather than continue their spat from over the network. When the weather seemed to be getting better, she ventured out again, coming across Aslan, and taking down a few bandits with Korra, her friend unintentionally finding out about her switch.

Finally, later on down the month, was Ben, who she decided needed to be informed since the Black Shuck had assigned him to be her protector. Late March saw rumor of the Barrel reopening in Aghmor, which Merida investigated herself, leading to a nice chat with Lord El-Melloi II and Rin.

APRIL → [closed to those in DunDealgan]

[notyetlegend]

[It's not easy to decipher if there's anything wrong with Merida, not at first, considering she's not one to hide her feelings or what she thinks. As the days wear on, it becomes obvious, what with her occasional angry muttering and then the next day can be found with the puppies crawling all over her where she sits as they lick at tears.

It's one particular day though when she gets fed up with everything. After getting into an argument with one of the soldiers (over something simple and petty no less), loud cursing in Gaelic can be heard through the fortress. Both of her hands go to her hair before she throws them up into the air, storming off after setting his pants on fire.]

Fields around Dun Dealgan

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne's out in the countryside, talking a long walk on her way elsewhere, when loud cursing catches her hear.

Out of curiosity, she pauses and turns toward the sound, seeking the source. When she finds it, she's surprised to see that it's a familiar figure.]

Merida? What's the matter? Did you quarrel with Cu Chulainn?

[Why else would a young lady be using such language?]

[notyetlegend]

[Grainne will find her muttering angrily before she turns to face the other woman. Merida crosses her arms, scowling with a huff. Her voice comes out in a growl, one of the puppies with her making whining noises in the back of his throat and pawing mum's leg. He knows she's mad.]

No, but I've got a bone to pick with him later. [She grumbles.] I got into an argument with one of th' soldiers.

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne glances down to focus on the puppy while speaking.]

How strange... why are you quarreling with the soldiers?

[notyetlegend]

Because he was bein' a pig-headed ass! Why else would I argue with one?

[Generally Merida got along well with the soldiers in DunDealgan, many of them liked her. Fighting with one was almost unheard of now that she was Seelie. She makes a frustrated noise, throwing her hands up into her hair and tugging at it out of annoyance.]

Ugh, he said I looked prettier with shorter hair an' I argued that it was better when it was longer!

[red_branch]

[In the morning, Lancer watched Merida tear a metaphorical hole in one of the young soldiers who occasionally visited the castle. They had no real forces to speak of, but on occasion, they would pass by and ask Lancer for enchantments(and outside of Meria's hearing, advice on speaking to women). The soldier who had trekked all the way down to Dun Dealgan on excuse of seeing a girlfriend, turned on his heel and fled when it was clear Merida had a keen disinterest in his good fortune.

With the good timing of a seasoned husband, Lancer withdrew from the castle to spend the day fishing by the Loch. It seemed his lady was in distress and unfortunately for her, he was no 'knight of maidens'. He believed that some storms could be weathered and others simply had to be waited out from afar. So, he left for the Loch and fished for the better part of the day before returning in the evening.

When he returned, he had a large bucket of fish and a smile on his face.]

[notyetlegend]

[At the very least the castle's still standing when he comes back. It had probably been a good plan on his part. Merida had spent the better part of the day muttering angrily to herself and doing things to keep herself distracted from the harp noises after talking to Grainne, so by the time he returns in the evening, she's calmed down somewhat.

Still, she huffs when she sees him, mucking out Angus' stall. The end of the pitchfork goes into the ground, placing her other hand on her hip as she leans against it.]

An' just where have you been?

[red_branch]

[Woah, he completely forgot the morning. Lancer, enlivened by a strange presence in the back of his head, simply smiled through Merida's bad mood and set down his bucket without a second thought. Even mucking out stalls, Merida was more than enough to put him in a good mood--or so he thought. Normally, Lancer would have an objection to her poor mood and ask questions, but instead, he simply went with it.

Had that much changed since the morning?

With that little smile still on his face, he sauntered to Merida while taking off his gloves. Sly, he definitely avoided quite a bit of Angus' leavings in front of him.]

Do you know-- [One hand set itself on a beam supporting the stall, while he gave Merida a it of a more seductive look.]

When you prop your hips like that, you look far too good for your own well-being?

[notyetlegend]

Merida had been taught to play the lyre through most of her childhood, a harp like instrument. She'd hated those lessons just like she'd hated most of them, all things considered, and she'd never gone back to the instrument even after reconciling with her mother. It held bad memories, memories that she'd tried to forget within the exchange of learning better. Her lyre lay forgotten in the clutter of her room back home, left behind like many things.

The notes that had been playing in her head for the better part of the month drew her back to those lessons. That's a C, dear. She can almost hear her mother's chiding voice, feeling a swell of annoyance before she pushes it down. There's no sense in getting angry with someone who isn't there, just as there was no sense in getting mad at a soldier just for a comment on her hair.

She's reminded of a tale, like so many things in the Drabwurld make her recall. Binnorie, a tale of an older sister who murdered her younger one out of jealousy, the young girl's body being made into a harp and playing itself, singing a song about the murder. The thought sends chills down her spine, even as she approaches the harp itself in her dream.

"Now what on earth could you possibly get out of causin' people madness?" It's a murmur mostly to herself, not expecting an answer. Merida lifts a hand, running her fingers over the finely carved body of the harp. She tilts her head, looking at it curiously. Almost curious enough to play it...

But she's sick to death of the tunes being played to her. Of losing control of herself and harming those around her. "I've had to apologize to several soldiers now because of you," she grumbles, pulling the sword from the sheath at her hip. It looks too heavy for her to lift, so her sword will have to do. One swing is all it takes, the harp shattering and Merida wonders if she faintly hears the sound of screams.

She's more focused on feeling at peace with the music gone now.

MAY →

[notyetlegend]

When the swans start coming in from the south, Merida thinks nothing more of them than migrating birds returning to their roots after the cold seasons started waning, though it is rather odd that they come from the south rather than the other directions the birds returned from at the end of March. The swans were a marvel to watch...at least for a while.

It had been Tadhg who had discovered a small flock eating what crops there were outside of DunDealgan. Swans were vicious when provoked, and the old knight had accidentally pierced one he'd been fending off with his rapier when he struck gold - literally. The offending swan turned into a golden statue, leaving him a little gobsmacked. When he returned to the scene of the crime with Merida, an idea started forming in her mind.

"Get a couple of others," she said, motioning with her hand as she withdrew her bow from over her bust, loading it with an arrow and taking aim, testing it for herself. Sure enough, one of the remaining swans turned into gold with a squawk, and she grins, turning her head to look at him. "We'll go out an' help some of the farmers nearby."

Though she'd been feeling a bit uneasy about leaving the fortress in the last month, she blamed that on the harp she had found out had been playing tunes in her head and manipulating her emotions. Or at least that was what she told herself. And so off Merida and her little band went, saddled up and plenty of arrows in her quiver. The farmers were reluctant to let them help at first, for one due to the fact that there was a shardbearer or two among them, but once they showed how much more efficient they were in cutting the swans down, they agreed.

It quickly turned into a game, who could cut down the most swans. The knights laughed as their Lady beat them two, three times, though even in that laughter the competition was fair game. Merida eventually giggled and claimed she'd shot her fill, waving them off to the other farms and setting out on her own, eventually finding a settlement. She ran into Ben, making a game out of it again and encouraging the native children to take those swans she shot down, receiving their thanks. In an entirely different encounter, she comes across Gilgamesh, their own competition cut short by a rogue bandersnatch.

Merida camps, and sings, collecting herbs and game along with swans. By the time she returns to DunDealgan, her saddlebags are full, a beam of pride on her face as she trots Angus back into the fortress, laughter in her features.

For the first time in a couple of months, she feels absolutely comfortable in who she is.