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Post by Random NPC on Jun 30, 2006 20:44:48 GMT -5
Ribestaus found himself perched on the ledge of the observatory, staring down at the ground. It was a change from his normal pace - and he wasn't sure if he liked this realm. Too noisy. He sighed quietly, wishing for what seemed like the thousandth time that day that Athène had been here with him. Or that he had been allowed to be with her.
Still, the only plus to this was that he found her, or rather a girl with her eyes, here. Of course, she had the misfortune of being the key to breaking his curse on the Eraklyon family. But, that was easily rectified, or so he assumed. He thought that if he could kill her, he could put Athène's soul in her body and he'd be reunited with his wife. But... no... he couldn't do that to the son of Eraklyon.
He glanced over his shoulder and spied the son of Eraklyon. "So, come to confront the man who lay the curse on your line? Do you wish to know why your family has been cursed?"
OOC: tag Sky
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Post by Sky on Jun 30, 2006 21:32:39 GMT -5
Spotting the elf, the one he recognized immediately as the one who had mysteriously appeared at the palace after a dinner from hell with his parents, Sky's blood ran cold. His first instinct was to pull his sword from its sheath and to run it through his black little heart but as the elf's words sank in - the fact that he was offering, or at least pretending, to offer insight as to why this curse was happening - Sky couldn't do it. This could be his only chance to learn how to break the curse . . . no matter what the elf had done, Sky knew that he needed his help. Otherwise, he may very well be destined to a life where the curse was permanent - something he could not accept.
Putting his hand on his sword just in case, Sky narrowed his eyes as he asked with a grim frown, "What is it going to cost me to find out?"
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Post by Random NPC on Jun 30, 2006 21:38:11 GMT -5
"What I want, you can't give," he said quietly. "What I want is Athène back, by my side." He glanced away. "She's the reason, or rather her father, your ancestor. Athène left her place as princess to be by my side, to live as my wife. We loved each other. But her father couldn't accept it. He thought I had her under a spell, but there was no spell. She loved me, pure and simple. Her father killed her - whether by accident or on purpose, I don't know. In anger, I placed the curse on your family."
He sighed softly. "The key to break it lies in the heart. A woman must love you, a pure love, and be willing to die, to join you in death for the curse to break."
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Post by Sky on Jun 30, 2006 21:43:37 GMT -5
"Why me?" Sky asked, doing his best to conceal his inner turmoil; the elf's story of forbidden love so closely reflected his own situation that it disturbed him greatly. "Why am I the only one being affected?"
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Post by Random NPC on Jun 30, 2006 21:51:52 GMT -5
"It could be that out of all the family, you're the closest in blood to Athène," the elf pointed out. "And as such, the closest to the one that triggered the curse." He shook his head slightly. "Or, it could be because your story mirrors mine too closely." His gaze grew distant. "She has her eyes, the girl has Athène's eyes."
OOC: gah, please forgive my simple quoting of "Lily's eyes" from Secret Garden
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Post by Sky on Jun 30, 2006 21:56:20 GMT -5
Sky frowned as he drew closer to Ribestaus, who seemed lost in his own world. Not sure he understood the elf's vague words, he asked gently, "Who? Who has Athène's eyes?"
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Post by Random NPC on Jun 30, 2006 21:59:49 GMT -5
"Your key. She has Athène's blue eyes," he said quietly. "She's been with you since the start. You'll know her when you see her." He cleared his throat. "And by the marks on her neck."
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Post by Sky on Jun 30, 2006 22:08:15 GMT -5
But Sky already knew. Christine. Somehow, Ribestaus or the curse of whatever powers at be believed Christine was the one who would save him. The woman whose love would save him. As this slowly registered in his mind, Sky felt his thoughts swarm. How could this be, though? How was it possible for Ribestaus to be so sure that Christine would be 'the key,' which seemed to imply that she had to be his true love, when he himself wasn't sure. When he himself still had his doubts about what he felt for her. When he still wasn't sure if he even believed in a one true love. And then a thought came to him.
Hesitating for a moment, Sky then asked, "In order for the curse to be broken, does it require only the woman's unconditional love or must I love her back as well?"
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Post by Random NPC on Jun 30, 2006 22:13:42 GMT -5
OOC: ::shakes a fist:: curse you for trying to make me remember the movie XD well, according to the 1962 version, which I based the curse on, both parties were in love with each other, and the prince tried to end things because he didn't want the princess to be attached to a beast (of course, that was before he found out the key to breaking the curse). So, I'm going with that.
"I told you, I was angry. Hell, even I don't know the exact terms. But I'm willing to hedge a yes, it has to be you love her, she love you, she willing to die and professes said desire before large group of people while you're under the affects of the curse," Ribestaus said with an idle shrug. He was just glad that Sky hadn't asked what he meant by the marks on her neck.
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Post by Sky on Jul 3, 2006 14:07:48 GMT -5
"Die?" Sky echoed, his face draining of color. "That . . . that can't be right. It's just can't be." A cold chill running up his spine, Sky felt his heart twist painfully. So was that it? He had to make a decision to ultimately save either himself or Christine? That if he wanted his normal life back she would have to die? It wasn't right . . . no matter how much he hated what was happening to him, he couldn't sacrifice Christine's life for his. He had more honor than that.
So that was it. He had to keep Christine from ever knowing that she could save him because he knew that if she knew that she could help him, she would do it - even if it killed her. Literally. And that was a guilt he would never be able to live with. No, Christine could never find out the key to breaking the curse. And to do that he would have to push her away.
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Post by Random NPC on Jul 3, 2006 16:44:28 GMT -5
"There was a story amongst my people," Ribestaus said, settling down on his perch. "That a prince suffering under a curse similiar to yours tried to hide it from the woman he loved. Naturally, it failed for she found out. He tried to push her away but she refused. However, what both didn't know was that the prince's own cousin had plans to take the throne from the cursed prince. In an attempt to escape the forces of his cousin, the prince and his bride to be fled the castle, only to be caught by a mob, which had been riled up by the prince's cousin. Naturally, the people try to kill the beast, but through the touching words of the bride to be, the prince returns to his human form and is spared death. The cousin, banished from the kingdom, never to be heard from again. And the prince and his bride lived happily ever after. The end."
Ribestaus paused. "Perhaps you can find some advice and some clues of your own in that story."
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Post by Sky on Jul 4, 2006 22:27:13 GMT -5
Finding the whole situation with Ribestaus utterly surreal and eerie, Sky shook his head as he lied, "No. No, I'm afraid I don't really see any parallels between that story and my life."
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Post by Random NPC on Jul 5, 2006 6:56:02 GMT -5
"The two of you, both princes, tried or are trying to keep the only person who can free you as far away as possible. If that isn't a parallel, I don't know what is," Ribestaus said blandly. "I have a feeling, that no matter how much you push her away, she won't let you. She seems determined to help you, no matter what the cost. A perfect match for you in stubbornness."
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