Richard Frey

A Knight of Cardoniel

[princessmelodyaden-deactivated2]

Sweet Serenades // Richard & Melody

[richard-frey]

The world moved in slow motion today. The sky was a bright blue, and the sand of the beach shimmered with stray sea shells and rocks. It was not every day that Richard had the opportunity to leave Cardoniel for an extended period of time, though he did not intend to stay for too many days. Far from home yet again, Richard had traveled all the way to the shores of Silvervale to meet Princess Melody.

Richard came up over the horizon to see Melody sitting down on the sand in a simple gown. He smiled at her arrival, knowing that it had been quite a while since he’d seen the siren. Disappointed by the fact that they did not speak at the Party of Lights, Richard was at least grateful to see Melody today.

“It’s been too long, princess!” he said to her once he came into earshot. Richard took his scabbard off his waist and rest it beside himself as he sat next to Melody. “You should try to be a little more evasive next time you invite me somewhere. I think the other party guests were a touch confused seeing a human in their midst.” Richard said this with a wink and a playful tone, since he knew the circumstances had simply been unlucky.

[princessmelodyaden-deactivated2]

Richard’s familiar voice brought the princess out of the daydream she was having. The forest and its now slightly familiar grounds were so close, and it was easy for Melody to let her thoughts wander off to one very dashing prince. She wondered what he was doing at the moment, most likely doing something important as was expected of her as well. “It has truly been too long, Sir Richard,” Melody addressed the man as he took a seat next to her on the sand. She gave him a genuine, bright smile as he did. She hadn’t seen much of him at the Lights Party, but she hoped that he’d had a good time nonetheless. It had only later occurred to her that she’d been a terrible host to him — she had invited him after all, and she’d spent her evening with Gale and not with Richard, leaving him to all the royalties he did not know. 

“I apologize for leaving you behind like that,” Melody started, slightly pursing her lips together. “I should’ve been a better hostess, inviting you to the party myself. I hope none of the royals treated you with disrespect?” Although it was not very likely, there was the off chance that they’d eyed him with less than the respect that he clearly deserved. “I was rather caught up in all the guests, I’m afraid. And the wine.” Melody couldn’t help but let a sly smile appear on her lips at the recollection of the wine. It had been absolutely divine. “So, tell me, Sir Richard. Met anyone interesting at the party?”

[richard-frey]

"I was perfectly fine, princess," he said as he waved his hand briefly. "I know you had better things to attend to. It was rather... enlightening, I guess you could say.  I did run into a particular... king." Richard thought back to the elvin king who'd struck up a conversation with him. He was stoic and reserved, a little bit difficult to speak to. Richard had a feeling that the king was less than pleased to see a human mingling with inhabitants of Ao Qevir. Richard could only hope that he had made a good impression. It was always within the knight's interests to make a good impression upon the nobility. "King Theon Sorcha, that was the one. He--" Richard was about to voice Theon's apparent distaste of sirens, but stopped himself. He wanted to keep the conversation as light as possible. "--was an interesting sort."

He tried to change the subject quickly, though he wasn't sure how well he'd accomplished this. "What about yourself? What sort of royal duties kept you from my company?"

[mira-agorn-blog]

My Curiosity Will Be The Death Of Me || Richard & Mira

[mira-agorn-blog]

“And you, Mira of Fendil, are being very distracting.”

The smile on her lips only grew wider at the guard’s statement. It was not the first time Mira was told she was a distracting little elf and it certainly wouldn’t be the last if she could help it. Rolling her eyes with a short shake of her head, Mira huffed at the guards abrasiveness and attempts to continue on his business of manning the border. It peeved her how much the human reminded her of the guards in Fendil. Duty before all, they would say with a mask of impassiveness on their faces; their eyes glazed staring straight at her, but not really. 

Trailing behind the guard, Mira quickly fell into step by Richard’s side. Unbothered his condescending tone of voice, she laced her fingers together behind her back and countered, ”You humans, you let your fear cloud your judgement. You look at our forest from behind that border of yours and assume it is filled with blood thirsty monster and creatures of the wild.” Staring up at the human beside her with an eyebrow raised in question, she asked, “You don’t seriously look at me and think I crave for human flesh, now do you?”

“I do however, agree that the world is quite a mysterious place but Ao Qevir is not so much a strange, strange place to me than it is home.” Sneaking a peek at the human lands beyond the border, Mira reminded herself of the reason for her pesterings in the first place. ”You say Ao Qevir is dangerous place for humans, but I could say the same about your lands for elves.” Her gaze trained at the ground beneath her feet, the young elf began, ”In Ao Qevir, we elves, sirens and fae live in peace amongst one another. But you humans; you are of the same kind and kin and yet you murder and ravage one another. How does that make you and your kind any less a danger to us than we are to you?”

[richard-frey]

"Oh no, I would never think you crave human flesh. A siren, however..." Richard had a sly smirk upon his lips, though he tried hard to suppress it. His attempts at ignoring the girl had failed at the moment. He could never resist the temptation of referencing the first time he learned that sirens consumed humans, however necessarily. To this day Richard could not believe he had befriended a siren, or anyone from the Dark Lands for that matter. The girl continued to follow along, and this only made Richard walk faster.

Richard frowned as Mira claimed blood lust upon his homeland. Though he considered himself much more educated on Ao Qevir than he used to be, there was still a part of him that held mistrust for the dark lands beyond the border. Unpredictable, untamed, a dangerous place for humans. Richard felt that a peace treaty never fully recognized underlining prejudices that may exist among different races.

After a pause, Richard took a deep breath. "Both sides have their problems. I don't know about other cities, but in Cardoniel humans and elves keep their distance whenever necessary. A human would never provoke an elf without reason." --whether this statement was true or not, Richard would never know-- "And as for your peace? It could never last. You immortals have plenty of time to see another war break out; it's inevitable."

[princessmelodyaden-deactivated2]

Sweet Serenades // Richard & Melody

With a gasp, Melody sat up straight in bed, her dark curly hair moving along as frantic as she did. Her eyes wide and out of breath, Melody placed her hand firmly on her chest only to feel her heart beat erratically underneath her palm. It had been days since she’d had a good, normal night’s rest without any problems as of late. She hadn’t bothered her father or even her brother with the fact that she couldn’t sleep, because they wouldn’t be able to help her either. She would’ve helped herself to a better night’s rest if she was able to figure out what her strange, out of context dreams meant. She was happy, things were going right and every day brought a new surprise to the siren princess - there was no reason behind the rather violent nightmares she had of people - faceless people - being slaughtered right in front of her eyes without being able to do a thing. 

She had seen her brother and father every once in a while, not exchanging more than  a few words with them. Her brother was always busy doing Gods knew what and with who and her father - well, he was always a busy man. Melody chose not to interrupt him in anything he was doing, and preferred to le thim come to her. He always would, eventually, come find her and they would catch up on whatever it was they’d been missing out on. But with something as rare as nightmares - as Melody truly hadn’t had a nightmare in years - that wasn’t something she would bother her father with. And so, with a deep sigh and the hope that nightmares would stay away this time, Melody gently placed her head back on the pillow she’d been resting on before, dozing off a little while later.

The next morning, she awoke with a newfound feeling of enthusiasm for the day, and it wasn’t even because she would be meeting Gale. The meetups between the two of them at the end of the day, sometimes during the night were always the highlight of her day, but now she had something extra. She was going to meet someone on the beach, someone she considered a loyal and kind friend. Richard. Sir Richard, in fact. A knight she’d met on one of her many visits to the surface of the beach. In his attempt to gain more information about sirens and the other magical folk, the two had become good friends. Such good friends in fact, that Melody had been the one to extend an invitation for the Lights Party. Though she had seen him there, her rendezvous with Gale in the woods had halted any plans of conversing with Richard as she’d intended to. 

Surfacing on the beach, Melody quickly glamoured into her usual, human looking self and she took a seat on the sand, which was slightly warm due to the sun above. Perhaps Richard would be able to provide some solace, some knowledge on how to rid herself of these nightmares. Most of all, however, she was just grateful she’d be seeing her friend again. 

[richard-frey]

The world moved in slow motion today. The sky was a bright blue, and the sand of the beach shimmered with stray sea shells and rocks. It was not every day that Richard had the opportunity to leave Cardoniel for an extended period of time, though he did not intend to stay for too many days. Far from home yet again, Richard had traveled all the way to the shores of Silvervale to meet Princess Melody.

Richard came up over the horizon to see Melody sitting down on the sand in a simple gown. He smiled at her arrival, knowing that it had been quite a while since he'd seen the siren. Disappointed by the fact that they did not speak at the Party of Lights, Richard was at least grateful to see Melody today.

"It's been too long, princess!" he said to her once he came into earshot. Richard took his scabbard off his waist and rest it beside himself as he sat next to Melody. "You should try to be a little more evasive next time you invite me somewhere. I think the other party guests were a touch confused seeing a human in their midst." Richard said this with a wink and a playful tone, since he knew the circumstances had simply been unlucky.

[mira-agorn-blog]

My Curiosity Will Be The Death Of Me || Richard & Mira

[mira-agorn-blog]

Clear blue orbs darkened with frustration at the term, little one. Her blonde brows furrowed as she glared daggers at the guard’s retreating back. Forcing her feet into action, she closed the distance between the human and herself with a few long strides before coming to a stop right in front of him; effectively blocking his path. In the eyes of the elves, Mira was a mere child. But the man before her was a human and she knew for a fact that they were mortal beings who were lucky to live as long as they did. 

What Mira failed to notice until she was right before the man however, was how tall he was; towering over her small form with ease. But she refused to be intimidated by his size, for what was a human with only his strength and his sword to an elf, trained in battle since she was old enough to walk? So with a scowl on her lips, Mira began to poke at his armored chest repeatedly. “Little one? Little one! I’ll have you know that I am a hundred and ninety-four and I am certain by human standards I am a far cry from little.” 

She drew in a breath; picking a fight with the only human in sight would only serve to drive him away and Mira knew if she wanted answers she would have to be cordial. So letting out a sigh, she stepped away from the human with an apologetic look on her face. “My name is Mira. Mira of Fendil and I do not appreciate being called little one.” Her head tilted, she gazed up at the man with a smile on her face. “I have no business in Cardoniel, not yet at least. But it would be a lie if I said I was not curious as to the inhabitants that populate it.”

Turning away from the guard, Mira continued, “You said you were busy? With what?” From where they stood, the forest that lead to Fendil was silent save for the rustle of trees moving with the wind from time to time. “How do you manage to stay on guard all day when the forest is just there, waiting to be explored? Aren’t you curious?”

[richard-frey]

Richard stopped short when Mira jumped in front of him. He didn't know whether to be amused or slightly annoyed. He looked down at the finger pointed to his chest and couldn't help but be reminded of a small dog nipping at one's ankles. The girl definitely had the bite for such an analogy.

"Well, Mira of Fendil," Richard started as he tried to step around the girl. He had to make sure he was always keeping watch, and getting distracted by looking downwards instead of up was a disaster waiting to happen. "Sorry for the misunderstanding." He couldn't keep the small, amused smile off his face. "I'm busy patrolling the forest. The Dark Lands can be dangerous for humans. And you, Mira of Fendil, are being very distracting."

He was having a difficult time keeping the patronizing tone out of his voice. Richard had no time for games. "And believe me, I've had my share of curiosity, miss. The world can be quite mysterious, indeed. Sirens, elves, fae.... Ao Qevir is a strange, strange place."

[mira-agorn-blog]

My Curiosity Will Be The Death Of Me || Richard & Mira

Much was not known to elves about the humans. And it isn’t as though the humans weren’t an interesting enough species to observe, nor was it that the elves thought themselves superior. It was just that the humans changed too much, too quickly, for the elves to ever understand them. At least that’s what Mira thinks.

She did try feeding her curiosity about humans once. Scouring though the dust filled volumes of the vast Agorn Library for books about the mortal species but have always found that she could not keep her attentions from roaming away from the pages of said books. There was always something else to do, something more to see. Plus, knowledge obtained from books could only get one so far in life and Mira had always thought herself more of a hands-on learner. So why settle for sentences and paragraphs in a book when she could see one for herself?

Peaking a glance from her place, half hidden under the shadow of trees, Mira spied at the border that separated their two worlds. It was then her eyes fell on a lone knight. Tall, broad and blond, the man stood ever vigilant and wore his gleaming armor with pride. Mira found herself frowning at that; his stance reminding her of the guards and soldiers around the Fendil grounds. “Maybe humans and elves were not very different after all,” she thought.

With that in her head, Mira abandoned her spot beneath the trees and strolled towards the knight with an innocent smile on her face. Her hands, that were before clasped together behind her back, unlaced themselves when she was right behind him. Raising a slim hand to rasp at his armor, a curious glint in her eyes, she asked, “You’re human, aren’t you?”

[richard-frey]

Richard Frey stood at attention outside of Cardoniel's wall, perfect posture as always, and moving back and forth as assigned to his station. It was not his time to survey the inside of the forest, but make sure that no one entered Cardoniel without the proper documentation. After having spent a couple of days in Ao Qevir from the Party of Lights, he was relieved to be home and back in his natural habitat. Impressing Dark Land nobles proved a tiring endeavor.

Now, Richard prided himself on his abilities. His eyesight was impeccable, and though he was human his ability to sense movement in the forest had increased dramatically from years of scouring the forest. But he had not been quite prepared when he heard little footsteps right next to him, and then felt a tapping on his armor immediately after.

Looking down quickly to see a little girl with long blonde hair with a hand on his armor proved to be one of the most intriguing moments of his career. The hand holding his sword relaxed slightly, not seeing the girl as an immediate threat, though he was always weary of spirits of the forest, and the little tricksters that had lured him into traps in the past.

Judging by he question, Richard was certain she herself was not human. Seeing her pointed ears only proved his theory. "Yes, I am human," he answered after turning away from the girl. "You should run off, little one. I am busy, and if you have business in Cardoniel I cannot allow you to enter without paperwork." 

[theonofhodia]

Know Thyself // Theon & Richard

[theonofhodia]

Theon felt his lip twitch with a sudden influx anger, but he managed to keep whatever angry words threatened to bubble out to himself with some effort. The Party of Lights had put him on edge, but he managed to keep his stony exterior while his mind went back to the years of the Great War. The knight’s question echoed inside his mind, and slowly he began to remember the answer, hard as he tried to keep his mind off of it. He wasn’t sure if killing each other in slews was regarded by men as business, but he and the elven people had once done plenty of that with the sirens during. He wondered in passing how much Richard knew about the Party of Lights, but didn’t ask. Even if he knew the meaning of it, he could never understand it’s significance.

“I believe your people have a saying about curiosity.” He began, directing his gaze from his wine glass to the man beside him. He stood proudly among the inhuman creatures that surrounded him on all sides, and Theon wasn’t sure whether to think him brave or arrogant for it. “It has been awhile since I heard it, however, as it has been some time since I had dealings with men such as yourself.” He nodded stiffly, then continued. “I believe it goes something like ‘curiosity killed the cat’ or so.” He sipped from his glass. “I’m not sure whether you would call that a proverb or a piece of advice, though in this case, I suppose you could call it both.” He raised his eyebrows. He had likely caught on, so he didn’t elaborate. Men may have been many things, but they were not dull.

When Theon remembered that the knight had been nothing but polite to him, had even extended an invitation to his homeland, he thought it rude to brush off his questions about his dealings with the sirens. If nothing else, Richard had been gracious enough to ask rather than make ignorant assumptions of his own, and that in itself should have been rewarded, so that’s what the elven king did. “But if what you say is true and you are truly interested in learning more about Ao Qevir, I will tell you.” He answered, part of him hoping he hadn’t offended the knight with his first answer. “Hodia has had few dealings with the sirens of Glaeria since the war ended. The treaty entails that we stay out of each other’s hair, and so we have.” His eyebrows drew together, as he was now curious to know more about the knight. “What other questions do you have?”

[richard-frey]

Richard raised his eyebrows and nodded, taking the hint well enough. "Understood, Your Highness," he said after Theon had at least granted a small explanation. He felt that he had no reason to apologize for his curiosity, as he considered it one of his stronger points. He was sure that he could ask Melody more about the relation between elves and sirens at a later date. Truth be told, Richard was quite off put by the king's snide remark. The man was a king, though, so he could really say whatever he wanted. The knight would have preferred something a little more forward than backhanded.

What other questions did he have for King Theon? Far too many to cover in one night. But what could he possibly ask him that would not offend the king? Was he the sensitive type, one who wished only to discuss the positive parts of his kingdom, or his personal successes? Richard was particularly interested in aspects of war, but seeing as how this was now off the table....

"You are very kind, Your Highness, to humor me like this. Actually, something about Ao Qevir that I often wonder about is the current state of safety towards humans. You see, part of my job is in keeping humans out of the forest. It is incredibly dangerous for ordinary civilians, and this is particularly troubling to me. Why do you think that it is so dangerous? Are there enough safe havens for humans looking to travel into Ao Qevir?"

[richard-frey]

Meeting Royalty :: Isolde & Richard

[isoldeagorn-deactivated20130411]

The human seemed quite intriguing to Isolde. First it was his that she found interesting, but that quickly blossomed into an interest on the new information that the man was in fact a knight of Cardoniel. As the tipsy man came over, Isolde couldn’t help but let out a slight giggle at the drunkenness the spiritus was undergoing. At the same time, however, she saw Felix, her guard, stiffen at the sight. Giving him a barely noticeable hand gesture to assure him that she was indeed in no danger whatsoever, Isolde sighed and turned her attention back to Richard. “Thank you,” she said with a slight blush as the man handed her a flower, one quite similar to the one she had discovered earlier in the night. After getting caught up in dancing with Theon, Isolde had all but forgotten about the flower. She had been meaning to ask the species so that she could have it planted in her private gardens. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Richard,” she said with a smile. Once he inquired her name, the smile fell. It seemed as if the fun of someone not who she was, was over. Back to the never ending bowing and hand kissing she dealt with for hours on end. With a sigh, she turned her eyes up at the man, giving him a contemplating look before coming up with a way to introduce herself without Richard knowing exactly who she was. “My name, Sir Richard, is Isolde. Isolde Agorn.”

“It has been quite some time since I last met a man from Cardoniel.” Isolde twirled the purple flower in her hands, looking at it for a few seconds before directing her attention back at the knight. “It seems that we do not get many visitors from the Human Realms here in Ao Qevir. It is quite a relief to see that not all humans are terrified of what lies past the borders that separate our realms from each other.”

[richard-frey]

Isolde Agorn.... The name certainly rang a bell. Richard was more than sure that he had heard it somewhere before, but at the moment he was having a hard time trying to pinpoint the matter. He had no more time to think about it, however, because Isolde had moved the conversation somewhere else.

"And it has been a long time since I've been around so many magical beings. This is my first official time in Ao Qevir, myself. I won't pretend, it is a little..." Richard almost said intimidating, but he was never one to admit to any sort of fear "... intriguing. But it has been quite nice, being able to see Ao Qevir in a different light." 

[theonofhodia]

Know Thyself // Theon & Richard

[theonofhodia]

“The sirens.” Theon repeated, his surprise and disbelief on his face and in his voice. On one hand, he was surprised that the human knight was so closely acquainted with a royalty of Ao Qevir. On the other hand, he was unpleasantly surprised that the royalty he was close to was a siren of all people. Surely there was no man, including Richard, who was old enough to remember the time of war between the elves and sirens, but the man beside him must have known something about the war. After all, it was why the Party of Lights had been put together and all the species assembled in one place. But maybe he didn’t, and Theon would have to try to forgive that he had brought up the sirens to a former general for the Hodian army.

“I’m not familiar with Princess Melody.” He said, desperately trying to get his thoughts away from the horrible memories that the thought of the Great War had brought back to him. “My familiarity is more with her father, King Sebastian.” He forced a polite and small smile, then took a glass of wine from a nymph who was milling about the floor with platters of food and drink. He didn’t mention that the right way to earn his trust was not to associate with the sirens, but the thought had crossed his mind. He looked down at his glass where he twisted his restlessly in his hand. “I’m almost afraid to ask how you met her.” He said softly, then shook his head.

Realizing shortly after the words had left his mouth that the knight would likely take offense to his comment if he heard it, he tried to change the subject before they could dwell too much on their evidently different opinions of the sirens. “I must admit that I am not all too familiar with the land of men, either.” He said, looking back at him. “Is this your first visit to Ao Qevir, Sir Richard?”

[richard-frey]

Richard cocked his head to the side, finding the king's reaction to be quite curious. Richard only knew as much as the history books had told him about the war, but even then the full extent of the resentment between sirens and elves had escaped him. Much of the emotional and cultural strife had been filtered through his learnings. But the human realms were never too keen on accurate depictions of the Dark Lands.

His comment had not gone unnoticed, though the king was quick to change the subject. Richard recalled his first encounter with a siren, and how paranoid it had made him of their presence. He had always been weary of the beings of Ao Qevir, and this made him wonder if attacks upon Cardoniel were going to be a consistent threat. He went in search of someone to speak with, anyone in Silvervale, with knowledge of sirens. Then he saw Melody swimming in the water. She calmed his conscious about the breach in Cardoniel's defense, made him actively curious about other species of Ao Qevir. Richard still remembered his confusion when Melody told him that sirens had to feed on humans to live.

"Yes Your Highness, but I have only been in the nearby woods of Ao Qevir. Part of my... patrol duty." He almost said that he was charged with keeping hostiles out of Cardoniel, but he thought this too abrasive for the conversation at hand. "This is the farthest I've ventured inland. It's a wonderful place," Richard said as he nodded his head. "Though, I'm not too sure how welcome I'd be on any other occasion. Perhaps you should visit my realm sometime."

But he did not want to let the subject of sirens go, not yet at least. Richard was always the persistent type. "If you don't mind me asking, Your Highness, do you do much business with King Sebastian and the sirens? I admit, I am curious to learn more about Ao Qevir and its inhabitants."

[richard-frey]

Meeting Royalty :: Isolde & Richard

[isoldeagorn-deactivated20130411]

Isolde was a little bored with the classic greetings and royal regards she had been receiving for hours now from the party. Elves and fae alike ha come to greet her, even a few sirens, and she swore she had met every person at the wondrous party the nymphs had thrown. Going over he mental checklist, Isolde made sure that each person she was expected to have a conversation with had been properly greeted. Realizing that her usual duties were completed, Isolde looked around to see if there was anyone she had not met with yet.  

Thats when she saw him. A human, tall muscular, blond hair and blue eyes. A stranger to her. Quickly the queen adjusted the crown atop her head, and made her way towards the man, the slack of her red dress held firmly in her hands. It only took a few seconds to reach him, and when she did he greeted her kindly and obviously unknowingly. At the idea that the man didn’t know who she was, Isolde remained unsurprised. He was human after all. With a mental chuckle, Isolde decided to begin a conversation with him with no intent to tell him exactly who she was untold he asked. 

“Good evening, sir,” she said with a nod. “Are you enjoying the party?”

[richard-frey]

It was much later at night when Richard met the woman, though the night was still going strong. She was quite lovely, with long brunette hair flowing down her back and a figure gracefully accentuated by her dress. She had the pointed ears of an elf, and atop her head sat a crown of simple leaves and twigs that he had not quite taken notice of.

He nodded and smiled at the elven woman. "Indeed, it had been a lovely evening." Truth be told, however, he had been growing rather bored of his stay. There was still no sign of his friend and most of his time had consisted of him standing around people watching. It almost felt like his normal job, to stand around and watch, but without any real threat.

Just then, the sound of a lute came into clear hearing distance. A hyper spiritus fellow with a wide-brimmed hat approached the two, spinning around drunkenly and singing a song of great joy. He played a few cords for the two, but stopped briefly to hand Richard a purple flower before spinning off again in his joyous stupor.

"Might I add that the people are quite interesting as well," Richard laughed at the strange sight. He turned and handed the purple flower to the elf. "I think it suits you better, m'lady. My name is Sir Richard Frey of Cardoniel."

[theonofhodia]

Know Thyself // Theon & Richard

[theonofhodia]

Theon nodded, though the lofty presence he exuded said that he didn’t fully trust the man yet, and even that he thought himself above him. While he was usually adamantly against acting as though he was somehow better than others merely because he had the fortunate of being made king, being around humans made him act… strangely. He might have behaved differently if they had met in Cardoniel, but this was Ao Qevir. He was mildly impressed that Richard had used the correct name instead of calling it the Dark Lands like most other men did, but Theon still felt he did not belong there.

“Your apology is noted, but hardly necessary.” He dismissed, twisting the empty wine glass in his hand as if doing so would cause more delicious drink to magically appear. “You must be a knight in your own land to be able to introduce yourself with such high honors.” He noted, but his observation came off as dry, regardless of how impressed he might have been. His hostility toward humans was hardly a secret, and the idea of knights was closely associated with fighting, so Theon’s thoughts went right back to the violent reputation that men had earned among inhuman beings.

He remained convinced that the race of men could not be trusted. They were fickle and unpredictable, more so than even the most vicious of sirens. The had different politics and policies, different ways of life and ways of thinking. There was a good reason for the border, and if Richard was a knight in Cardoniel, odds were he was quite familiar with the border himself. “Where had you heard my name outside of here? I didn’t think men were aware of the politics here.” He said, looking to him skeptically. “What else do you know about Ao Qevir?” His elvish accent was heavy on his last words, but they also sounded natural off his tongue.

[richard-frey]

Richard's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he kept his face as neutral as possible. Somehow the king's words were continuing to grate on Richard's nerves. Did Theon think himself better than Richard because of his royalty or because he was an elf? Honestly, Richard would have preferred the former. He had to deal with nobles higher in status than him all the time, but an elf who thought he was better than a human was insufferable.

"Yes, I am a knight of the border." Richard tried to keep his words as simple as possible. Somehow he felt that this king had very little tolerance for excess, and the last thing he needed to do was offend a king in the territory of the Dark Lands.

"I try my best to keep up with the world outside of Cardoniel, your Highness. It would not suit my job well, to be ignorant of the ways of others. Cardoniel is filled with elves as well as humans, and on occasion word of the elven lands reaches my ears." Richard would never admit that he was very much in the dark about most cultural matters of the Dark Lands. "I know a bit more, I suppose. My main concern has always been with politics, but I am somewhat acquainted with the world of Sirens, alongside the elves. I was indeed invited by Princess Melody Aden, after all." Richard hoped that announcing his friendship with Melody might help in this conversation. After all, they were both royalty.

[richard-frey]

Clumsy :: Amelia & Richard

[amelia--deveraux-deactivated201]

Amelia stood straight, the pain was gone and her feet were alright. Though she found it really nice that the man is genuinely sorry and concerned about it. He is a true gentleman. She shook her head slightly, “No, it’s fine.” she repeated with a smile. “Thank you though, for showing concern. I’m fine.” she said calmly. She never noticed but she never got nervous while talking to him, rather comfortable. She had always found it difficult to converse with other people, with her experience from Azure, she’s not sure how she’ll be able to get pass that. But she is trying.

Distracting her from her own thoughts as he bowed, she didn’t know how to respond. But she’d seen the other young witches do at times like this. Curtsy. Though being uninterested in any girl stuff in the past, she had never been able to do a proper one, it would always look wrong, somehow. Her eyes widen when he said Cardoniel, causing her to stop mid curtsy. And if he was from there, it must mean he is human. Cardoniel is just next to Azure and may be one of her route to run away. Knowing he was human though made her feel relaxed. 

“I am Amelia Deveraux.” she finally spoke and finished the curtsy. “of Azure.” she continued. “I have been to Cardiniel.” she smiled, “Though not too long, but it is very nice.” The only time was when she was on the run from Azure, but she’d seen enough to think it nice. She nodded and her eyes roam around the area again. “Yes, indeed I am. It’s very fascinating and nice.” Her eyes go back to him, “I hope you are too, sir.”

[richard-frey]

Richard almost gave a sigh of relief when she said she was from Azure. To finally meet another human in this crowd of magic was quite rare. Strange that humans could hardly tell one another apart, yet the magical beings were so easy to pick them out.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Amelia. Feels as if we're the only two humans here," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I can't say I've had the fortune to go to Azure, but it must be a wonderful place." Richard's knowledge of Azure was relatively small, but he had heard many tales of witches hailing from the area, something which Richard was quite skeptical about. To think that humans, those most grounded in reality, were capable of magic, seemed too out there to believe. If there were witches, they were almost certainly fakes.

"Very fascinating, yes," Richard responded. "And rather... ostentatious," he said while eyeing a floating lantern. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you all the way out here? Are you with a friend?"  

[theonofhodia]

Know Thyself // Theon & Richard

[theonofhodia]

Theon wasn’t entirely sure how to answer the man’s question. Was there a problem? His first impulse was to say yes, but that would be both hasty and impolite, so he kept his tongue. It seemed he had picked up on the suspicion in Theon’s voice when he spoke, although that much didn’t surprise him. Even Theon had heard it, and he part of him regretted that he had made a bad first impression on the visiting man, but there was enough dislike in his heart for the race of men that didn’t even attempt an apology. He kept a watchful eye on the handsome and proud looking man beside him, but didn’t speak again until he had collected his thoughts and drained his wine glass.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that, no.” He answered, looking over at his companion, if he could even be called that. “I hope you will forgive me for asking what business you have here, but it is not easy for a man to blend into this crowd.” His eyes flicked down and back up the man’s tall body, more judgmentally than suggestively. He looked the part of a human, and it was hard to ignore. He was muscular, proud, and had a fire in his eyes as resilient as he had heard tale of the men being long ago. It didn’t take more than a look to tell that he was not like the others, and even if it had, Theon had keen senses and could have picked the man out of a crowd of inhuman beings.

Coming back down to reality, he realized that he forgotten the usual pleasantries while he grappled with what to say to the first human he had come across in ages. He looked back at him, eyebrows drawn together and voice slightly inquisitive. “I don’t believe I caught your name.” He said, in lieu of a question. He thought of introducing himself, but he wasn’t sure how. He was still wearing his usual crown, though it was an elven crown constructed mostly of thin branches and leaves, so a human may have mistaken it for simply a headdress of some kind, though no one in the Dark Lands would be so ignorant. “I am Theon, king of Hodia, northern of the elven realms.” He said with a nod. “And you are?”

[richard-frey]

A meeting with a king of elves, and Richard had to act rather snappish. This was not the first time he had been surprised by meeting passing royalty, but somehow this embarrassment burned quite a bit brighter than his last slip up. Richard was a little bitter that the king had not introduced himself as royalty first hand, but the knight was experienced when handling nobles. The man was a king, for gods' sake! Then again, Richard was sure the others were more aware of their royalty than a human.

"My apologies, your Highness, for my ignorance." He gave a stiff bow, one honed from years of knightly decorum. "I have heard of your name, but am quite new to the ways of Ao Qevir." Richard did well in keeping up with outer politics, or at least as well as he could. Sometimes news was skewed upon reaching human lands, filtered through many ears and lips. But Richard found that part of his duty was knowing the political discourse of the world, if he was to keep his hometown safe.

He offered his name, as the king had earlier requested. "My name is Sir Richard Frey, hailing from Cardoniel." Richard was careful to keep eye contact with Theon, so as to not seem weak. If this king could so casually introduce himself, Richard could only hope he was the type of man who preferred an honest greeting in return.

[richard-frey]

Meeting Royalty :: Isolde & Richard

And so the night continued on.

The celebration continued to be a pleasant one for Richard Frey. Sure, things had started off awkward, but he was slowly becoming more used to the environment. Not to mention, he thought he would feel less comfortable without his gear, but the Party of Lights truly was one of peace and unity.

Most of his time was spent standing around, however, since he was not one for dancing. Richard was much more for pleasant conversation, and thus far he had met many interesting people whom he hoped to keep in contact with. Perhaps he could find the time to visit the world, if he was ever to have spare time from his job.

A dark-haired woman soon approached him, an elf judging by her ears. Richard gave her a polite bow as she passed. "Evening, miss."

[theonofhodia]

Know Thyself // Theon & Richard

When Theon and his wife had been invited to the Party of Lights, he wasn’t sure how to feel. Even after a thousand years, peace seemed so fragile. His wife assured him that it was all in his head and that the treaty would hold, but he wasn’t too sure. Better safe than sorry, he thought. He was a naturally cautious person, despite his past as an army general, and the idea of gathering all the species in one place for the first time since the Great War seemed like a bad idea. It might have been foolish or brave, but either way, he thought the nymphs far braver than he to attempt such an undertaking. It was ambitious, but Clearing’s reputation as a peaceful land came as somewhat of a comfort to the fretting king.

But the days of waiting and worrying about the party seemed far behind him, for now he was in Clearing and the party went forth with bliss and merriment. He was relieved when he saw how calm most others looked, but still tense. He had his own concerns, his own doubts, and he wasn’t sure anything could lay those things to rest, not even his own wife’s soothing reassurances or his son’s promises to behave himself as long as they were in the foreign land. These thoughts plagued his mind, and it wasn’t until he had a glass of wine in his hand that he began to settle down. At least try and enjoy yourself, Aurora had said before they came, and he though he assured her that he would, he was sure they both knew him better than that.

He stood and watched the crowd from the sidelines, watched in anxious amazement as different folk from all different realms interacted with no sign of tension of trouble. It didn’t entirely calm the feeling of impending doom and even panic that he felt every time he saw a siren pass by, but it helped. It took him a few moments to realize that he wasn’t alone. Standing next to him, seeming as unaware of the king’s presence as he was on the stranger’s, was a man. Not just any man, but a man, one of the mortal race that dwelled in the Seven Realms outside of the Dark Lands. He was more than a little skeptical of the man, and of his race entirely, but for some reason (for which he blamed the wine entirely) he decided to strike up a conversation with him.

“Pleasant evening.” He greeted, but his voice sounded markedly less emotive than was usual for him, even to his own pointed ears. “What brings you here?” He looked back to the man after taking a sip of his wine. The stranger looked confused, so he clarified, trying his best not to sound rude, but there was still an icy edge to his voice that was usually only heard when he spoke of things he disliked — and men were one of them. “I should think I would recognize a man when I saw one.”

[richard-frey]

For Richard Frey, the evening had been going far easier than expected. Sure, he had his blunders, but overall he'd kept to himself and did his best to not offend the magical beings that dominated. He prided himself on being rather tolerant, in fact, and though some of his past encounters with magical beings had been less than pleasant he was finding the overall atmosphere to be quite accepting of his presence. Richard still had yet to find his siren friend, however, and without a familiar face he was starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

He had been standing in silence for quite a while next to a sullen-looking elf, when the stranger had struck up a conversation. Richard had the most experience with elves, since he was from Cardoniel. But in Cardoniel, elves and humans were always weary of one another. His voice seemed oddly flat, however, which immediately put Richard a little on edge. Richard gave a polite smile and a nod. "Yes, rather pleasant."

Richard raised an eyebrow at the elf's latest words. The hostility certainly did not go unnoticed. And I should think I'd know an elf if I saw one. Unless they were hiding behind their glamour, he thought bitterly. Richard turned and smiled at the elf, eyes flicking to his pointed ears. "I was invited, of course. Wouldn't be here if I hadn't been, would I? Is there a problem?"

[richard-frey]

Clumsy :: Amelia & Richard

[amelia--deveraux-deactivated201]

Amelia Deveraux never had been in a party, and certainly not this enchanting and magical. It was certainly the most peculiar she had gone too. She had never seen anything like it, and she found herself being intrigued and fascinated by it. At least, it provided distraction from herself and her visions of whatever doom that’s to come. She definitely hoped that nothing of the sort would happen tonight. She wanted to enjoy the Party of Lights as much as she can.

Easing the slight crease on the dress, she didn’t think that the fae would offer her a dress. She would be able to find one of her own, just not as beautiful as the one given to her. The dress is pretty, it was most likely a summer fae dress, with all the warm colors and maybe too much that it is too good for her in her opinion. 

Her eyes went from every part of the place, it was truly majestic. Not to mention the people. It was strange seeing so much people from different kingdoms. She had grown accustomed being with the faes that she felt it strange seeing other costumes or armor. She felt out of place as she saw nobles, she assumed by looking at their glamorous costumes. She had actually declined coming to the party, but the fae had insisted and it’d be rude to say no.

Finally finding a spot where she could stand and have a great view of the place, she sighs in relief. She could just look at them, she’s not really one to socialize. She stood there, looking over everything her eyes could catch. And her eyes were busy looking about that she didn’t notice someone backing up, resulting for the person to step on her foot. She yelped in shock, and backed away. The pain stayed for seconds and was gone after a while.

She looks up and saw a man with a great physique starting to get into a series of apologies. She shook her head in attempt to calm him down. “Oh no, it’s quite alright really.” she said, giving him a small smile. “It doesn’t hurt that much and it was an accident. Don’t worry about it at all.” she continued. She tried to identify his armor whether he was a fae, or another creature in the party. But to only have stayed in one place didn’t give her much opportunity to know the other kingdoms. After realizing she was examining him rather than just looking, since it deemed rude to ask about it, she just gave him another smile.

[richard-frey]

Richard still felt incredibly guilty. He heavily disliked being seen as a clumsy individual, and even more so in front of a lady. He took pride in keeping up appearances, but whenever he was out of his element (which was quite often lately) he always seemed to have a knack of making a complete fool of himself. It was even worse, since he assumed the lady to not be human. Often Richard was not good at telling the difference between the mystical and the mortal, especially since magical beings were so good at hiding themselves. Then again, what purpose would a magical being have to hide themselves at a celebration of peace?

No matter. Everyone had their reasons.

"Still, I truly am sorry, miss. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, I will gladly oblige." Richard tried to turn back on his usual stoic knighthood, though he was not quite sure if he had succeeded. His eyes darted once to the side because he thought he had spotted Melody, but to no avail. Quite tragic, since now he felt stuck with a stranger whose toe he had stepped upon.

"My name is Richard Frey of Cardoniel," he said as he gave a polite bow. "I hope you are enjoying the festivities, m'lady."

[richard-frey]

Clumsy :: Amelia & Richard

Richard Frey never felt right without his armor and sword this far from Cardoniel, but for the sake of good relations he was willing to oblige. In fact, he was relieved that he would not feel the heavy weight of metal on his shoulders for this one night. His guard would be up if he sensed any hostility, but for now he attempted to leave his worries elsewhere. After all, his good friend Melody Aden had invited him to this celebration, and he quite trusted her judgment.

To be a human smack in the middle of a bunch of magical creatures made Richard feel a little uneasy, however. He would never have come here if it hadn't been for his friendship with Melody. Sure, he had been meeting more and more magical beings as of late, and much of his prejudice had begun to melt away, but that gut fear of magic still resided within. Richard could brawl if necessary, but without his sword he had little else.

No sign of Melody. Richard stood with excellent posture and his hands behind his back, casually examining the enormous flowers and floating lights. Quite gaudy for his tastes, since Cardoniel's celebrations were decorated in far more earthly delights. Banners and flowers, sure, but enchanted fire? Richard shook his head. He was distracted by one of the burning lights, since he felt strange watching the dancers, and ended up walking slowly backwards into someone, stepping on her foot. He turned around and saw that he had run into a young blonde woman.

"I am so sorry, miss. I- I should have been watching where I was going, that was just terribly, terribly rude of me." Richard was flushed with embarrassment at his mistake, stumbling to find the right words for his apology. "Are you alright, miss? A stupid accident, completely my mistake."

[darklandsrp-deactivated20131215]

Richard Frey ❄ Taken

28 years old

Human – Cardoniel

Guard of the Border

FC: Chris Evans 

Richard Frey grew up watching the guards working. Born in the same village as Brigid, he was used to hearing the same legends but did not share the girl’s views of friendship. Instead, he dreamed of becoming a man like those he saw every day on the border, dressed in grand knightly outfits carrying about the king’s symbol. Being a guard was a dangerous job, one that often required them entering the woods to see if everything was ok. Richard liked to think of them as the noble protectors of his people, and wanted nothing more than to take his place by their side someday.

He left the village when he was still a teenager, at the age of sixteen, to train in the capitol and pursue his dream. Starting from the very bottom, the boy worked his way up, and worked every job from a mere assistant, to stable boy and so on until he became an squire. At the age of twenty-two, Richard was allowed to accompany the knights for the first time, joining them for one week in a borderline village much like his own. He knew that there were amazing places behind the border, and curiosity burned him from the inside.

Still, it was against the rules, and Richard wasn’t a knight yet. So, the man worked harder to gain his title. At the age of twenty-six, his dream came true and he became a Knight of the Realm of Cardoniel. From then on, his mission was to protect both the humans and the forest, avoiding that the two worlds collided. He is curious, though, about the amazing creatures that lurk so near him inside the Dark Lands. Sometimes, the man even dares going on expeditions of his own, and goes into the inhuman lands to see it for himself.