[Art by: Artgerm@Deviantart.com] [RP character by: HappySparky@Gaiaonline.com]
[Aoife Marquard]
"A warrior's heart
knows not when to run; it presses onwards
never faltering, never looking back." -Aoife Marquard
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water splashing on the cold marble floor signaled the end of a long reverie. A pair of brown eyes opened and then closed momentarily as if seeking to
hold on to whatever memory had passed. A soft intake of breath, an even softer release, this was indeed reality. Captain Aoife Marquard is now back from war.
The campaign that the young girl, barely out of girlhood, had endured was painful and difficult. They had camped out on the Samaria's eastern neighbor, a longstanding ally who was in dire need of support against a barbaric invader. Deaths were commonplace, friends were separated, life just trickled by like the sand on an hourglass. But, there were good times. Soldiers thrived in war, reveled in their passion for victory. A strong camaraderie was formed between them. Yes, those were good times. Even so, everything has an end. Samaria and her ally was victorious, the barbarians were driven to the sea, and Captain Marquard was, once again, hailed as a war hero.
Now, this particular war hero was wrapping herself in a thick towel as she stepped out of the bathroom of her private office in the RKG building, a lavish four-story estate complete with formal gardens and various meeting rooms. High-ranking officials had their own offices in the building which were also functional as living quarters. She had just arrived yesterday, but still spent the whole night buried in paperwork. Some war hero, huh?
All the papers needed for her transfer from field duty to field instructor were in place
and a small smile of relief flowered on her face as she ran her fingers over her short
auburn hair. She remembers carelessly hacking at it with her sword when it got too long, a habit she had reluctantly formed when she had graduated from Samaria's military academy. A discreet tap at her door alerted her to the presence of Seymour, a tall, blond man who was her schoolmate at the academy and a very good friend. He trudged right in, a devilish grin on his face as he slammed down a pile of what seemed to be another set of 'official' forms. Aoife's eyes widened in dismay as she pointed at the papers and let out a long sigh of defeat. Seymour's grin got even wider as he whistled irritatingly and brought in another box of what seemed to be the entry forms for the new RKG cadets.
"What the hell?!...Erm, excuse me...What is that supposed to be, Seymour?" Aoife
exclaimed as she picked up a pile of the forms and began scanning them rapidly.
"Hehehe. Don't worry 'bout them. I was also up all night and went over them for you. Figured you might need a rest and all that." he answered and shoved his hands inside his pocket. He was still smirking, a teasing look on his face. Aoife realized that she was still dripping wet and scantily clad in a towel which brought her to
throw a pen at Seymour. "Wipe that silly smile off your face." she threatened
as she walked behind a dressing screen, causing Seymour to burst out in raucous laughter. She hurriedly tried to dress while Seymour began to organize and file the papers, whistling a popular Samarian ballad. She couldn't help but smile and thank the heavens for her fortune in having such a good friend.
As she went through her luggage, searching for a decent pair of uniform, a large bundle clanked from above almost hitting her head in the process. Seymour apologized and explained that it was to be her new 'uniform' during her entire year's stay. "Yep, the armory division asked me to deliver it to you. They said that it was especially commissioned just for you. Aint'cha lucky?" he teased again, as he rifled through another set of papers and plopped them inside a tray. Aoife carefully opened the wrappings and found a beautiful white breastplate that was trimmed with
silver curvatures. The shoulder guards were breathtaking as they seemed to be constructed with interlinking coils of sliver and shiny glass-like crystals. Matching sets of shin guards, arm guards, boots, pants, a neck guard and a beautiful ornamental helmet which only covered the top of her head like a headband was also included in the package. She eagerly tried it only to find that the breastplate barely covered her stomach, stopping just an inch above her belly button. The top was also cut low enough to allow a small amount of her chest to be visible. The pants also seemed to be a little too tight. She grumbled and stomped her way outside the dressing screen and in front of her friend for assesment.
"See? What in the world were they thinking? This breastplate and helmet will literally be hacked open with a single sword blow. I don't think this would be appropriate," she complained with a frown. Seymour just smiled and said, "So, you haven't heard yet, huh?" he smiled even brighter. "Seems like you're going to RKG's new mascot this year. Hehehe...They did that on purpose. I hate to tell you this, but your fame has spread like wildfire and the top dogs are using it to their advantage to recruit new soldiers this year. I heard some men only applied just to get a glimpse of the legendary 'Miss'Marquard." he laughed loudly as he ducked down to avoid a chair being thrown his way.
"Tough luck, dude!" he bellowed as he picked up the chair and placed it back on its legs. He opened the door, bowed low and motioned for Aoife, "Your trainees await you Miss Marquard," he declared, earning him another glare from the fuming Captain. Aoife was stunned but since the 'top dogs' also consisted of her father and a few uncles, she figured that she wouldn't really be able to complain if they decided to use her for the kingdom's 'greater good.'
She just exhaled deeply, hung her head down, and grudgingly walked out of the room. Seymour led the way as he climbed down two flights of stairs, took several circuitous twists and turns and finally ended at the RKG lobby, a buzzing nest of activity where everyone seems to be running towards something. He took hold of her shoulder and quickly guided her away from some of the admiring eyes of junior and senior fellow officers alike. The main doors opened allowing sunshine to stream down, welcoming Aoife on her first day in Samaria as the bait for various military propaganda. Home sweet home, indeed.
knows not when to run; it presses onwards
never faltering, never looking back." -Aoife Marquard
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water splashing on the cold marble floor signaled the end of a long reverie. A pair of brown eyes opened and then closed momentarily as if seeking to
hold on to whatever memory had passed. A soft intake of breath, an even softer release, this was indeed reality. Captain Aoife Marquard is now back from war.
The campaign that the young girl, barely out of girlhood, had endured was painful and difficult. They had camped out on the Samaria's eastern neighbor, a longstanding ally who was in dire need of support against a barbaric invader. Deaths were commonplace, friends were separated, life just trickled by like the sand on an hourglass. But, there were good times. Soldiers thrived in war, reveled in their passion for victory. A strong camaraderie was formed between them. Yes, those were good times. Even so, everything has an end. Samaria and her ally was victorious, the barbarians were driven to the sea, and Captain Marquard was, once again, hailed as a war hero.
Now, this particular war hero was wrapping herself in a thick towel as she stepped out of the bathroom of her private office in the RKG building, a lavish four-story estate complete with formal gardens and various meeting rooms. High-ranking officials had their own offices in the building which were also functional as living quarters. She had just arrived yesterday, but still spent the whole night buried in paperwork. Some war hero, huh?
All the papers needed for her transfer from field duty to field instructor were in place
and a small smile of relief flowered on her face as she ran her fingers over her short
auburn hair. She remembers carelessly hacking at it with her sword when it got too long, a habit she had reluctantly formed when she had graduated from Samaria's military academy. A discreet tap at her door alerted her to the presence of Seymour, a tall, blond man who was her schoolmate at the academy and a very good friend. He trudged right in, a devilish grin on his face as he slammed down a pile of what seemed to be another set of 'official' forms. Aoife's eyes widened in dismay as she pointed at the papers and let out a long sigh of defeat. Seymour's grin got even wider as he whistled irritatingly and brought in another box of what seemed to be the entry forms for the new RKG cadets.
"What the hell?!...Erm, excuse me...What is that supposed to be, Seymour?" Aoife
exclaimed as she picked up a pile of the forms and began scanning them rapidly.
"Hehehe. Don't worry 'bout them. I was also up all night and went over them for you. Figured you might need a rest and all that." he answered and shoved his hands inside his pocket. He was still smirking, a teasing look on his face. Aoife realized that she was still dripping wet and scantily clad in a towel which brought her to
throw a pen at Seymour. "Wipe that silly smile off your face." she threatened
as she walked behind a dressing screen, causing Seymour to burst out in raucous laughter. She hurriedly tried to dress while Seymour began to organize and file the papers, whistling a popular Samarian ballad. She couldn't help but smile and thank the heavens for her fortune in having such a good friend.
As she went through her luggage, searching for a decent pair of uniform, a large bundle clanked from above almost hitting her head in the process. Seymour apologized and explained that it was to be her new 'uniform' during her entire year's stay. "Yep, the armory division asked me to deliver it to you. They said that it was especially commissioned just for you. Aint'cha lucky?" he teased again, as he rifled through another set of papers and plopped them inside a tray. Aoife carefully opened the wrappings and found a beautiful white breastplate that was trimmed with
silver curvatures. The shoulder guards were breathtaking as they seemed to be constructed with interlinking coils of sliver and shiny glass-like crystals. Matching sets of shin guards, arm guards, boots, pants, a neck guard and a beautiful ornamental helmet which only covered the top of her head like a headband was also included in the package. She eagerly tried it only to find that the breastplate barely covered her stomach, stopping just an inch above her belly button. The top was also cut low enough to allow a small amount of her chest to be visible. The pants also seemed to be a little too tight. She grumbled and stomped her way outside the dressing screen and in front of her friend for assesment.
"See? What in the world were they thinking? This breastplate and helmet will literally be hacked open with a single sword blow. I don't think this would be appropriate," she complained with a frown. Seymour just smiled and said, "So, you haven't heard yet, huh?" he smiled even brighter. "Seems like you're going to RKG's new mascot this year. Hehehe...They did that on purpose. I hate to tell you this, but your fame has spread like wildfire and the top dogs are using it to their advantage to recruit new soldiers this year. I heard some men only applied just to get a glimpse of the legendary 'Miss'Marquard." he laughed loudly as he ducked down to avoid a chair being thrown his way.
"Tough luck, dude!" he bellowed as he picked up the chair and placed it back on its legs. He opened the door, bowed low and motioned for Aoife, "Your trainees await you Miss Marquard," he declared, earning him another glare from the fuming Captain. Aoife was stunned but since the 'top dogs' also consisted of her father and a few uncles, she figured that she wouldn't really be able to complain if they decided to use her for the kingdom's 'greater good.'
She just exhaled deeply, hung her head down, and grudgingly walked out of the room. Seymour led the way as he climbed down two flights of stairs, took several circuitous twists and turns and finally ended at the RKG lobby, a buzzing nest of activity where everyone seems to be running towards something. He took hold of her shoulder and quickly guided her away from some of the admiring eyes of junior and senior fellow officers alike. The main doors opened allowing sunshine to stream down, welcoming Aoife on her first day in Samaria as the bait for various military propaganda. Home sweet home, indeed.
