you are the reason.

  • Kol.

    Kol. (100)

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    If I could turn back the clock
    I'd make sure the light defeated the dark
    I'd spend every hour, of every day
    Keeping you safe

    Image
    Harriet Baker && Jon Percival
    Image


    closed.
    Harriet played by katahdin
    Jon played by Kol.
    June 2nd, 2019 at 04:45am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ Kol.

    With the impending war, the king had decided to put aside the rule allowing only those of noble blood to become knights, as without more trained soldiers the kingdom's odds of winning were quite low. So, the king's knights had been sent out throughout the kingdom to recruit the common people to training, hosting competitions in villages where the villagers would compete to determine which of them would be recruited to the training camp. When they had come to Harriet's village, she had taken the opportunity to prove herself, disguising herself as a man and easily beating the other members of her village, and the knight who had been sent to her village had informed told her where the training camp was, and when to report for the start of the training.

    That was almost a week ago, and today was the day that Harriet, or Harry, as she had decided to go by, was to show up for training. She had cut her hair short like a man's, and dressed herself in her brother's old clothes, going so far as to bind her small breasts so as not to appear like a woman. She'd walked most of the way to the camp, and was exhausted, as her village was at the edge of the kingdom, and the training camp was easily a three day's ride. Once she arrived she nervously approached the table where the knights were checking in the recruits and giving them their instructions, clearing her throat a little, needing to make her voice a bit deeper when she spoke as to not give herself away.

    "Excuse me.. I'm Harry Baker, from Barewell.. I was told to come here for the knight training.." She explained softly, looking between the knights nervously, hoping that none of them would figure out her secret.
    June 2nd, 2019 at 05:21pm
  • Kol.

    Kol. (100)

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    Jon had been asked by the king himself to oversee the training of new recruitment of knights in a smaller village on the outskirts of Barewell, and who was he to disobey the king? He didn't mind it though, because he knew that this was necessary if they even wanted to stand a chance winning the war and considering it got closer every day there was no time to waste. Honestly, he was slightly shocked that there were even so many people interested in becoming knights and fighting in this war. Of course, he understood what it meant to be a knight, he knew what it meant to put your life on the line every single day to protect the kingdom and even more importantly the king. However, this was something that his entire family before him had done, being a knight was literally passed down generations through his family. He couldn't even count how many kings his family had served so closely. But these people were different. They were simply commoners who were being asked to be trained to become knights to help fight a war. And while he did feel it was any male citizens job to fight for their kingdom he was just shocked that so many men were so willing to help. He'd almost felt like it would be a struggle to find men. But today he was proven wrong, and he just hoped that the men who were there for training were, in fact, ready to be tested in ways he was sure they had never been before.

    He looked up from the rather long list he'd been checking when he heard a voice. "Let's see here," he said going down the list with his finger. "Okay, I've got you here on the list. So you will be in cabin four to the left here," he said pointing towards the tent that Harry would be staying in. "And you're welcome to go ahead and make yourself comfortable there for the day. There won't be any training today due to of course not everyone being here quite yet, and the fact that we need you all at least semi-rested before we start things and we understand that it's a bit of travel from Barewell. However, be ready at the crack of dawn to get started on the training," he told him nodding slightly before he pulled out a small box filled with the things that Harry would need while they were there for training.

    "In here you have all the essentials that you'll need while you're here. Don't lose it because you won't get another one, and you're going to need everything in that box," he said before he marked the name Harry Baker off his list of people letting him know who was there and who had yet to arrive, which thankfully the list was, in fact, getting shorter.

    [ I really hope this was okay! Arms ]
    June 7th, 2019 at 12:22am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ Kol.

    Harriet nodded as Jon located the name on the list and explained where she would be staying, a bit nervous about the living situation, although she was sure she'd figure something out. She was also relieved that she'd get to rest for the remainder of the day, her muscles aching from the long walk, although she was sure she'd experience much worse over the next few months of training.

    "Right.. Is there anywhere to get a meal?" She asked as she took a moment to look through the contents of the box, wanting to memorize what was there so she wouldn't forget or lose anything. But she hadn't eaten since leaving Barewell, and was quite ready for a meal and a good night's sleep, although she couldn't let her guard down too much, in case someone figured out her secret. She took a moment or two to look around the camp curiously, hoping to become familiar with the layout so that she'd be able to sneak out to bathe and change clothes when no one would notice. Just thinking of a warm bath made her muscles ache more, but she figured that she'd end up just going to a stream in the nearby woods to wash up every now and then, that way she wouldn't have to worry as much about anyone finding out she wasn't a man.
    June 7th, 2019 at 04:31am
  • Kol.

    Kol. (100)

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    Jon nodded his head at Harry. "Yes of course. So breakfast, lunch, and dinner will all be served in this tent right here next to me every day. There will be an hour for each and someone will let you know when it's time for lunch every day. We will eat at the crack of dawn and if you sleep through it that is your own loss. Though you will be expected to be at all the training on time every day unless you've been otherwise excused," he said racking his brain to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything else because he did want to make sure all the men had all the information they needed. After all, they were about to go through a grueling knights training that he was in charge of, so he wanted to make sure that it all went well.

    "Also there is a spring about a mile down the path here where bathing and whatnot will take place. And if you can find them we've been led to believe that there are hot springs somewhere nearby. Though if you do happen to find those and wouldn't mind at least passing that information along to myself or Sir Gwaine here that would be much appreciated as we all know how nice it would be to relax our muscles after a long day in a hot spring," he said wishing that he'd had enough time himself to go exploring for them because after the long travel he and Gwaine had gone through simply to get there and set up it would be nice to relax in a hot spring. However, that simply wasn't the case.
    June 9th, 2019 at 01:12am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ Kol.

    Harriet listened carefully as he told her where the mess tent was, when the meals were being held, and where the spring where they would be able to bathe, nodding a little as he mentioned the supposed hot springs nearby, making a mental note to try to find them soon, so that hopefully she'd be able to get a few warm baths in before one of the other knights or recruits eventually discovered them themselves. "Alright... Thank you, Sir.." She murmured, grabbing the small bag that she'd brought with her and the box he had given her before heading off to the tent that she would be staying in, picking out a bunk for herself near the door, tucking her belongings safely underneath the bed, taking a small notebook and charcoal pencil with her before heading out into the forest, hoping to make a small map of the area so that she could pick out hiding spots and other useful areas to know, in case her real identity was discovered and she needed to get away quickly.

    She started by walking around perimeter of camp, mapping it out in relation to the road she'd traveled on before heading out further into the woods to continue her map. She returned to camp a few hours later when the sun was starting to set, having not managed to find the hot springs, but she had an idea of where they might be given the signs she'd seen in her search, and she hoped that by the end of the week she would be able to take a nice warm bath. She put her notebook back with her things before heading to the mess tent and getting something to eat for dinner, scarfing it down hungrily as she sat at a table alone, avoiding the other trainees so as to not risk anyone figuring out she was a woman. She knew it would be risky to avoid people and stay a loner, as people would likely guess that she was hiding something, but it was just as risky to stick herself in the middle of the group and get too close, as she'd be more likely to slip up that way.
    June 9th, 2019 at 02:05am
  • Kol.

    Kol. (100)

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    Jon nodded to the man in front of him before he returned to his duties. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about Harry Baker that was throwing him off a little, but there was something he was sure of it. He, of course, had no idea what it could be and also had no proof of anything other than a weird feeling so he wasn't going to act on anything. He might keep an extra close eye on him, but that was it. And maybe it was nothing to worry about at all, maybe he was just having an off day today or something. Jon didn't know, but he did know that the day had been long and tiring so once he and Gwaine had finally checked everyone in and given everyone there the assigned rooms and things they would need he found himself in the mess tent ready to fill his belly with some warm food before he retired to his own tent for some rest.

    God knew that he'd need rest for the coming days. This wasn't going to be easy at all, he and Sir Gwaine were about to venture into training hundreds of men to become knights for the king's army. Once they'd been trained properly they were going to be marching towards the kingdom unless they got other instructions from the king himself. And becoming a knight was hard. He knew not all the men here would make it, some of them would likely decide to leave a few days into the training, some of them would even be cut from the program simply due to lack of talent, but they couldn't have knights who had no idea what they were doing and would clearly never get the hang of it. These men were going to be fighting for the kingdom after all, and even if they wanted to Jon couldn't go on with a clear conscious letting any man he knew wouldn't make it become knights.
    June 10th, 2019 at 02:26am
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ Kol.

    Harriet was incredibly grateful for the warm meal, as it had been days since she'd last eaten, and even though it was nothing compared to her mother's home cooking, it was better than nothing. She knew she had a long road ahead of her, as training would be rough, but even though she knew she ought to go to bed right after dinner to get a good night's sleep, she opted to go into the woods and practice training. Growing up her older brother had taught her how to defend herself, and the both of them would make wooden swords and bows and arrows and practice on the scarecrows scattered throughout the fields in their village. Her brother had been a squire for a knight for a short time, and knew some of the techniques, and had passed his knowledge onto his little sister, who turned out to be much better at fighting than he was. She was smaller and weaker, but that made her quick, and her footwork and timing were incredible, and her brother had once told her that if she ever got proper training, she would likely be unstoppable.

    She reflected on the happy memories with her older brother as she headed into the forest after dinner, not really paying any attention to see if anyone was watching her, as she assumed that most people would either still be eating in the mess tent, or they would be headed off to bed. She found a sturdy stick to act as her weapon, and a small sapling that reminded her of the scarecrows at home and got to work, running through the footwork drills and exercises she and her brother had done growing up. After an hour or so she grew tired, and decided to head to the spring to get a drink of water and bathe quickly before heading to bed for the evening, knowing that she'd need to get to sleep if she was to be up at dawn.
    June 10th, 2019 at 02:49am
  • Kol.

    Kol. (100)

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    Jon made it his business to know what the people of the camp were up to because not only was he the one in charge but there was a lot at stake here. He had to make sure everyone knew what they were getting into, and were prepared to give their life up for the cause if it came to it. He also needed to make sure that he knew how well everyone was when they got there and how well they picked up on the things he taught them, so he could know who was cut out for this and who wasn't. He couldn't take knights who weren't good to the king, after all, then it would be his life on the line along with a handful of others. And if there was one thing Jon planned on doing it was proving that not only was he a good knight but that he could also find and train other good knights as well. He needed to prove these things to himself, his father, his king, and anyone else who had ever doubted him.

    So when he noticed anything that seemed odd going down he investigated, and he found it odd that anyone would not only sit alone on his first night rather than try and get to know some of the other men they'd be training with. He found it odd how quickly the man seemed to eat his food, and how then he left the tent as if he was in a rush to get somewhere. So Jon followed him, not to scare him or because he thought Harry was hiding anything, but because he was curious to learn more about this man. And when he saw Harry outside the mess tent training with what looked like a stick running drills with a sapling he couldn't help but be a little impressed. He was good on his feet from what Jon could tell with the sun setting and of course the distance between them. And it gave Jon a sense of hope that maybe this wouldn't be that bad.
    June 13th, 2019 at 10:05pm
  • katahdin

    katahdin (100)

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    @ Kol.

    Harriet nearly collapsed from exhaustion once she finished her drills, tossing the stick she'd been using as a sword further into the woods before heading toward the springs Jon had mentioned earlier, hoping to get a drink and a quick bath before heading back to camp. She grabbed the little bag with her extra clothes in it and headed off, a little wobbly on her feet from exhaustion. Once at the spring she sat down on the bank and quickly stripped off her dirty shirt and pants and boots, leaving her in her underclothes, which consisted of a small pair of shorts and a long piece of fabric wrapped tightly around her breasts to bind them. She grabbed a rag from her bag and some soap and quickly scrubbed the dirt and grime from her skin, washing her short hair before rinsing herself off, shivering as the cold water touched her exposed skin.

    Once she was finished with her bath she pulled on her clean set of clothes and quickly washed the dirty ones before turning to head back to camp, but as she turned she spotted someone hiding in the forest, the last little bit of sunlight giving away where they were. She froze, starring at the man for a long moment before dropping her things and running in the opposite direction, panicking as she realized she'd been caught and her secret discovered.
    June 13th, 2019 at 10:45pm