A rude awakening [Open]

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady smiled at the patient seated across from him, listening intently to the drug addicts words in order to pick out little signs and signals that he was leaving anything out. It didn't sound like anything was being left out. This patient had always been pretty forthcoming about the drawbacks of her life and how she'd lead it. How she'd learned that drugs were bad when she got her daughter taken away from her. Brady had used that daughter as a tool in her recovery. Drug addicts needed something more powerful then the cravings to be able to want to leave the drugs.

Brady knew. He'd been there himself. Drugs made him feel at ease in his dark lonely world. His patient began to speak about how she loved painting when suddenly the whole thing changed. Instead of his cool, quiet office room with the only voice being the woman's and the only sounds, besides the world outside his office window, were the airconditioning unit and the soft whizz of his computer. His fingers, once poised over the computer, hit damp wood. The boom of voices and merriment made it sound like he was in a bar somewhere.

But that was impossible since this would be his fourth year sober and he had not touched a sip since. Brady got suddenly slapped on the shoulder which sent him nearly into the table, his chin banging against a steel object.
"Brandon! Drink up, my friend. He have a lot of training ahead."
Brady shook his head slightly and rubbed at his chin, frowning deeply. What was going on? His hand examined the steel object before him and realized it was a mug of ale. He could smell it. The scent made his stomach turn.

Brady then got to his feet and headed for God knew where, knocking straight into someone.
"This has to be a bad dream..."
He said loudly then quickly snapped his hands over his ears to try and still the loud noise. The person he'd bumped into, smelled of nature, hay or grass or something....

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

Malic had come on her Majesty's orders to fetch the new knight. According to what the men at arms knew, he'd been training with them for two years, and was just about ready to take his place in the elite Queen's guard. They generally didn't get outworlders into the ranks of the guard, but every now and again it did happen. When it did, they tried to get those people in as soon as possible to help explain the situation. Otherwise, they tended to ask questions and do silly things. Although she and the King did not like to fraternize with the outworlders, sometimes, it was necessary to do so.

He counted it as his good fortune when Brandon ran into him. Obviously, the boy hadn't gotten far when he abandoned his training mates and gone to leave the tavern. Malic shook his head, how was this ...this...boy supposed to protect the queen? Still, the queen did not wish for a big scene, so he simply took the boy by his arm and tugged a hand from his ear.

"Come with me, the Queen would like to meet with you."

Brandon wasn't really given much choice as he was hauled off his feet and carried out of the dingy tavern. His drinking mates hooted and hollared after him, calling out suggestions for what he could do tonight if his guard dog let him off the leash. Malic ignored all of it and carried the boy to the main courtyard of the castle, setting him gently down and telling him to wait there.

Nalaac had been aware that an outworlder was coming. There was something in the air right before one appeared. She brushed back the long strands of blonde hair, and wrapped the deep blue cloak around her tiny figure as she stepped from the shadows of the castle into the courtyard. She nodded to Malic, then waited for Brandon to acknowledge her presence.

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady’s arm was taken and he nearly jerked away in fear of a power transference but instead heard the whisper and stilled. A Queen? Where was he for a Queen to be there? He must have been dreaming but the problem was that it didn’t feel like much of a dream to him. It felt real. Brandon was about to object when he was picked off his feet and taken away. For a second he called to his powers but then decided he’d best not turn psycho dog right just yet... or Better yet... Psycho pig. Yes, his darling seeing eye dog did have a ton of animal forms that he’d been able to steal of her with a certain amount of ease. But this dream...

Brady frowned when he heard the men call over to him to be having fun when he was free again. Was he really not dreaming?
”I can walk. You’d do right to put me down. ”
Brady didn’t get put down till they were outside. The sweet smell of Jasmine and Dame de Noche came to him. The curved cobble stones told him he was in a tiny courtyard. Now was the right time to run really.

Just shift and run but Brady couldn’t bring himself to go stumbling away into the darkness. Instead, he reached out his hand and felt the perfectly cut hedge. Slowly he backed away, keeping his head tilted to try and listen for any sounds that he might be able to hear to tell him someone was there. He felt unease the moment he heard nothing because the elven female’s footsteps were so light he could hardly hear them at all. He gave a shiver at the thought of someone being there and him not being able to sense them.

At that thought he backed away some more narrowing his useless eyes, his jaw tightening. He pulled on his power ready to shift at the slightest touch. He was much better a fighter as a dog then he was as a human anyway, though he was swift as a human and he could cut off a person’s air supply by hitting the right point. He wasn’t as defenceless as people thought he was.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

Something wasn't right about her new guardsman. Although she was clearly standing in front of him, he didn't acknowledge her at all. In fact, he backed away, narrowing his eyes and seeming to clench his teeth. Was he afraid of her? What could he know? He'd only just arrived! Generally they spent the first few hours screaming that this wasn't right and that this had to be a dream. She didn't understand his reaction until Malic whispered into her ear.

"Please, good sir, be at ease. I am Queen Nalaac of Austreos. You have landed here and are undoubtedly very confused. Every now and again, we have... visitors. Please, will you share with me your name?"

Nalaac wanted to explain more, but without his name and out here in such a public place, it was not advisable. After all, officially, they disavowed knowledge of such visitors. Normally, she wouldn't have met with such a creature, but because he was in her guard, she needed to know what type of man he was. She was going to have to trust him with her life. That was something that didn't come easy to the elven woman. She was working hard to establish herself as the ruler behind the ruler, and was doing well. She did not want some visitor ruining what she was working for.

"Come inside with me, I promise that you will be safe. We will be sure to explain the entire situation, and make sure you eat and have enough. Please, come and share the table."

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady's body tensed a little despite the fact that the woman's voice was like that of a beautiful songbird's. Her words were upper class and she sounded very much like a Queen would sound. That didn't help for his confusion. He frowned deeply shaking his head in denial.
"A... A Queen?"
Then Austreos is where he was. How could this be? Was he dreaming? Was this some weird delusion? Maybe the effects of the weed he'd taken during his youth maybe?

"Visitors?"
He was a visitor? Maybe he should just ride this dream out to the end and he'd wake up at some point and be all at ease, back in his bed with the alarm clock screaming at him to wake up and get ready for a full day of councilling appointments. Slowly Brady lowered himself in a bow in the direction the voice had come from.
"My Queen. My name is Brandon Emmerson. "
Brady straightened himself up and moved carefully over the cobble stones that were along the path.

Without his walking stick or his dog, he was useless, unless attacked. He could shift into a few creatures by now with the help Mckenzie had awarded him with her powers. His prefered was a Bull. From what he'd heard, he was quite big, brawny and dangerous. He liked being a bull as well. It made him feel powerful instead of just a dog. Brady stumbled a bit but regained his footing as he walked toward where he thought the queen was.

"I need a walking stick."
Brady carefully explained as he righted himself.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

His questions would be addressed at a later time. When it was safe to do so. For now, she wouldn't acknowledge those questions at all. Malic came up to lay a light hand on Brandon's elbow and whisper directions to him, while Nalaac turned and swept inside. She led them to a small parlor that was for her exclusive use, and waved off the guards outside the doors. Malic was all the protection she would need in this instance. She did whisper to the footman that appeared their need for a walking stick for a blind man. They had a few blind people in the castle village, and someone was likely to have an old stick or know where to get one.

Once they were all settled into comfortable seats and the tea service laid out, the Queen poured a cup for the both of them, leaving Malic to tend to the details of what was present and edible. She had other things to tend to.

"Welcome to Austreos, Brandon. The man with you is my closest and most trusted guard, Sir Malic. Until we can get you properly situated, he will be with you at all times. Now, as I said before, you are a visitor here. Every few months, people will....cycle through our kingdom. Officially, we disavow any knowledge of them, but when they can be of use to us, we make sure we speak with them. Normally, we wouldn't have bothered with you, but since you are to be one of my personal guards, that option was not available to us."

Malic picked up the story. "Since you are to be her Majesty's personal guard, we will have to get you caught up and fast. You will train with me until I feel that you can be trained with the others again. Please try to understand that the people I pulled you away from think they've been training with you for months, and they know that I represent the personal guard. So they will know why you are missing, and you need to keep your mouth shut about this conversation. One word of it and you will be....taken care of."

"Is that clear? Do you have any questions?"

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady twitched when he felt the hand rest against his elbow and lowered his eyes for a moment allowing himself to be lead. Even the man's voice was heavenly. He smelled fresh and smooth and controlled. Brady listened to the crystal clear voice telling him where to go and what to do and followed every order completely. The Queen's words and as he took in each and every word. Brady took a seat and listened intently as he was also muttered instructions to by the male beside him. He took a sip of his tea and listened almost intently to the queen.

Then she mentioned her disdain for having to speak to him and he blinked a couple of times, his face a picture of surprise. He took broke off a piece of bread then picked up some cheese, instantly dropping it on his plate when she mentioned that she would have to deal with him because he was her personal guard. His mouth opened an closed in surprise before Malic started explaining how he'd be trained for such a task. His face turned to the sound of the Elf's voice and he knew he was wide eyed with pure horror for what was being said.

"I don't fight. I ... I...I'm not a fighter. "
Malic kept talking and Brady fell silent at the last words from Malic. Slowly the blonde man pushed away the tea and the food. Brady faked his smile, his eyes downward cast as he was asked if he had any questions.
"This, Sir Malic? Is he always going to be threatening my life before I eat? Just so I can be prepared next time, your highness. "

Brady tilted his head to her waiting for her answer to his question. So he was basically their puppet to do with as they wanted and be damned if he dared speak to anyone else about it. He would be dead rather rapidly wouldn't he?

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

She could understand his shock and surprise. It was the feeling most often displayed by visitors to their territory. If Brandon could see, he would be far more surprised since the castle and even the Queen herself, looked like something out of a fairy tale story book. Lavish dresses, beautiful stonework, everything was done by hand here, with the help of a bit of magic here and there, and most of the visitors were lost in wonder. Brandon had the advantage in that he couldn't see and be distracted by it all. Lucky him.

She laughed at his question, waving off Malic and leaving the two of them alone for the time being. "Malic has left, just in case you didn't hear the door shut. He just wanted to make your position clear. As head of my personal guard, that's his job. As for fighting, you will be trained to do so. Make no mistake, Brandon, it will be long, grueling and difficult, but I picked you so that you wouldn't be killed when the King finds out you are blind. You see, my husband is a rather unimaginative sort of man, and he would not understand a blind knight."

Nalaac broke off to sip her tea and nibble at the small sandwich she'd chosen. "You will be given lodgings and your armor and horse will be taken care of by Malic. Your salary will at first go to paying us back, with a small stipend for you to get any additional needs that you might have. Once that is complete, you will receive your full salary of forty marks a month."

She stopped again, wondering how much she should tell him, and then took a deep breath. "You will only be with us for a few months, Brandon, then you will cycle through the other places in this world. I would suggest that you hoard what money you can, as I've heard the other places are not as .... pleasant as life here is."

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady listened to Malic get to his feet and leave. It was somewhat of a relief. The man had after all threatened his life. When the queen explained that the danger to his life had significantly dimished Bradon almost sagged with relief. He wasn't there anymore and that was a good thing. He sipped at his tea a little more, feeling too incredibly nauseated to even attempt to nibble at the food before him although it smelled really good and he felt more comfortable now. His emotioned were riding high and he didn't think he'd be able to bear eating anything.

He would be trained in the ways of combat? This was an unbelievably strange dream. He'd never been the type to enjoy fantasy and yet, he was being told he would become a blind knight? How was that even possible? Then he was told that he would be killed if anyone ever found out that he was blind. It was rather obvious he was blind. It could be seen easily if people looked into his eyes. Her words, although they scared him, were said in a tone that brought him some comfort. He could imagine this woman to be beautiful.

He already liked her, the smooth way she spoke with a diplomatic air to her words. They even used strange currencies. Marks? and only forty of those. He imagined that personal guards were highly paid and forty was a high salary. How strange then that fourty didn't seem that much to him. Brady continued to listen to her and tilted his head when she mentioned other places in this world. He shook his head slowly.

"That's it then? I'm just supposed to do as I am told? I'm expected to follow orders? What happens if I refuse all this? Will I be put to death?"
Brady didn't mean to sound rude but this was all a bit much. What if this was no dream? What if this was some strange thing that had happened to him. How was he going to cope. He was a blind man after all.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

She could tell that he was relieved that Malic had left. Although she didn't have her empathic talents just yet, Brandon was easy to read, and Nalaac really didn't have any trouble seeing it. She could understand it, after all, Malic had been rather brutal. Of course, that man did tend to be rather brutal when it came to her, he was just as protective as her husband, and she generally learned how to get around them. It all just depended on what she thought they would allow, and what she could convince them to allow.

"I will do my best to ensure that you are not put to death, however, I am only a woman and my influence only goes so far. It is generally supposed easier to live this life rather than among the peasants. At least you are provided for. If you wish, we can certainly send you outside the gates to experience life among our less privileged citizens. Is that what you wish, Sir?" She paused a moment, then continued. "It is a lot of training, but believe me when I tell you that it is far better than being outside the gates. Please do consider the offer. I think you'd do well."

Nalaac was exercising her charms the best way she knew how, through the spoken word. She had to convince him to stay here and take her up on the offer. If he did not, then things were going to go badly for him out in the main village. They would not take well to a blind man that spouted tales of another world. The knights that he was supposed to be training with would be forced to kill him. She did not want that to happen.

"Please, do consider it, Sir, we can teach you to do everything you need to do."

[Brandon Emmerson]

Brady frowned. Her voice was almost pleading with him and he swallowed hard. If he did this...then other travellers... he could protect them? What if a mutant came here looking for help? He'd be out on the streets and unable to help them. but if he did stay here... Brandon's jaw worked as he considered his options. At that precise moment a gust of wind brought her scent to him and his blind eyes fell shut, taking a deep breath of her.

"You realize I'm very capable despite my disability, my... lady."
His Lady. He gave a soft smile and his blind eyes opened again before he took a deep breath.
"Alright? I shall be your knight. I shall stay here if that is your wish."
He felt like he could trust her. So far he'd not caught any glitch in her words that would tell him she was lying. He was good at picking up glitches. He could tell them appart. Brady held out his hand wondering if she'd place hers in his.

Wondering if her might kiss her hand. Wondering if a touch from her would convince him even more that he was making the right decision right now because he was completely out of sorts.

[Queen Nalaac Bravenrest]

A brilliant smile broke over her face when he agreed to the conditions she'd laid forth. It really wasn't as if he had much choice, but she didn't want them to feel pressure. It was an easier life, but it was still a difficult one, and if they wanted to tough it out outside the gates, then she would be loath to stop them. She wanted as much peace and tranquility as she could find here.

His hand came out and she looked at it uncertainly, then slowly placed her palm against his. She was unused to holding hands with someone and she frowned and pulled away after a moment.

"Thank you, Sir Brandon for accepting this position. Malic will be training you, and when he feels that you are ready, you will be given a place in my guard. Do not feel the need to do anything overly heroic, I have plenty of other guards. Keep yourself safe until your transfer."