Seeking [PRIVATE] Counsel [Closed]

[ivchameleon]

For the Queen.



It was quite a trekk from the Torquehelm world that Haret had come to know so well to the Court of Spades, but the trip was well worth it. For the first time in person, she was going to meet her Queen. She had seen her a few times prior to this visit, but never up close. Still in her animal form, almost an embarrassment to herself, Haret loped toward her destination. Her head bobbed in unison with each pawstep she made, though barely noticeable now and it just looked like she walked with her head down toward the ground. Almost like she was sniffing the ground constantly.

She wished for nothing more than to die for her ashamed position in life. She had become somewhat of a hunchback over the years, and had asked someone to write a letter to her Queen to ask for a private sitting. Haret had a favor to ask of her Queen, though she was not sure yet of how she was going to word it. Perhaps the Queen had words of advice for her in the future. It mattered not, for even if she left with nothing she would not have lost anything at all. Time, maybe. But that was all she had.

Her impairments had left her without the ability to have a job. There was nothing she could do that she had found an aptitude for, and she was here to seek counsel from her Queen to find out if there was anything she could do that the Queen knew of. Yes, Haret was looking for help in the Courts.

Perhaps she thought, if her life had meaning, she would not wish to die so much. Perhaps if there was a distraction involved, like smoke and mirrors, she would not feel so ashamed and unwanted all the time. Here she was, the only Torquehelm she knew that wished to be extinguished of her life due to her bindings.

Unhelpful and clumsy paws tied to her body through her long tendrils of hair. She was large and not agile in the least, and so far the only thing she could think of doing that would be of any help at all would be sled-dogging. But there was no need for that when you had carriages and horses to help with those things. Besides, who wanted a crippled employee anyway? Even if Haret was in her potential employer's position, she would not hire herself.

Taking pity on herself as she climbed the stairs up to the halls, she sighed and tucked her tail down so she would not be seen as insubordinate.

Now, where was she supposed to go again?

[Nathalia]

Lysaras hurried away from the courtiers. She felt much better now that that meeting was over with...to think one of her own Kings had wanted to wage war on...it just didn't bear thinking about. A least the idea had been crushed. She sighed and changed quickly to her Bipedal form behind a pillar. She wanted to go out to the front halls...perhaps she had visitors? She would have to find Candice and-

She stopped, hands twisting about themselves in her lilac opera gloves. What had that noise been? An odd thumping, as though someone was stumbling along the hall... The Queen of Spades slipped to one side of the hall, pressed against the wall and edging along quietly, glad for her lack of footwear, and watched. One of the oddest things she'd seen in a while hobbled by. A Tourquehelm...like herself...unmistakable, but good god, her bindings were outrageous! She watched the poor thing hobble a few feet, then attempt to look about, confused.

Lysaras couldn't just watch anymore. Stepping out from the shadows, she moved toward the girl, her skirts trailing on the floor.

"Hello, my dear. What are you doing out here? Do you seek counsel with myself or a member of my court?"

[ivchameleon]

Confused and lost, embarassed at herself for not knowing her way around, Haret now sat in the middle of the hall and glanced around for any sign that said, "Queen This Way" or, "Lost? Turn Right!" Unfortunately for the girl, there were no such signs in her favor. With a sigh, she lifted her paw to scratch her ear that was hidden beneath her dark violet tresses, but could not quite reach the itch that was pestering her so. A little disgruntled, she thumped her tail on the ground and frowned. Where was she supposed to go?

She had no idea how others who were unfamiliar with this place got to where they needed to be. No one even stopped to help, not that there were many others around and about today. Feeling a little abandoned and ready to turn around and go back, she sort of panicked and just as she decided to turn around, she heard a voice behind her.

Due to her ears being pinned down to her head, her hearing abilities were a little muffled so she turned the wrong way the first time to see where the voice had come from. Seeing no one, she directed herself the other way and then laid eyes upon a biped that appeared to be from Torquehelm just as she. A better look led her to see that not only was this woman important, but she was a Queen. The Queen.

Approaching slowly now was her Queen, and a bit frightened at first, Haret took a few steps away. But to no avail, Queen Lysaras kept toward her with an unspeakable grace about her. Thinking she better well speak while she had the chance, Haret opened her mouth and her own tongue betrayed her. First her motor skills due to the damned hair, then her ability to find her way out of a paper sack, and now she had lost all modes of communication. What came out of her mouth could have just stayed there.

"I uh... Well, I... Y'see... Well..."

"COME ON, GET IT TOGETHER!" she screamed at herself inside her own mind. Her teeth clenched together and she made a squinty face, and regathering herself she tried again.

"Yes, ma'am... I mean, Your Majesty... I just... Well... I wrote you a letter. Well, I didn't. But I had someone write a letter to you."

It could have been just her luck that the person whom she gave the letter to, knew who it was from and for, and played a nasty joke on her by just discarding the letter instead of delivering it. Haret's confidence crumbled in every way as she sat there stumbling over herself. Surely the Queen would think she belonged to a family of Aces, for she did not show her true self through her rank. She was a Five, not an Ace. But to Haret, she herself was not much better than those lowly creatures.

"My name is Ma'aharet, Your Majesty."

Finally. It was about time she said something without a stupor attached to it. With her final words and what she thought may have been the last she'd ever manage to speak, she bowed her head respectfully(as if it wasn't close enough to the ground already) and tucked her tail.

[Nathalia]

Lysaras watched with pity as the poor girl tried to explain herself, her words tripping her as badly as her misconstrued bindings. No one should have to suffer through this.

She extended a lilac gloved hand and gently laid it on the girl's head.

"Ma'aharet, is it? What is it that I can do for you, my dear? Whatever it is that you wish I'm certain that someone in my court can at the very least help you on your way." She patted the girl's head again reassuringly, she knew how it felt to have someone loom over you without the reassuring touch...Canines were such a blessing.

She watched the other Torquehelm, finally catching a glimpse of her eyes through the tangled mane. The eyes were beautiful...but so hopeless, she had seen eyes like that before...usually before the Torquehelm in question took their own life... She wondered how far along this poor creature was...this Ma'aharet. Lysaras wanted to help her, no matter what it was she wanted...she would do her best to assist her.

[ivchameleon]

Upon feeling the gloved hand on her head, her soft hair crunching beneath the touch. Leaning into the gentle palm for a moment and relishing in it, she forgot what she had originally come for. Haret had never been touched in this loving way before, only outcasted and shunned. What was this feeling she had in this moment? Was it... Understanding...?

Taking a large swallow and looking up with the best of intentions, her heart seeming to burst out through them, she finally squeaked out a bit of speech. She lifted up one of her paws and displayed her torment for her Queen to see. "I have these bindings... And while I understand that every Torquehelm has bindings, mine are..." She whimpered a little. "My nose drags the ground," she said softly, ashamed. It was almost true, when she walked her nose was pointed down toward the earth and if she wasn't paying attention she would drag it right down into the dirt.

If there was any that was more pathetic, Haret would have liked to have been pointed toward that creature. She only wished to fit in more, to find her place. To find a life worth living. Because from where she was now, death was more welcoming than continuing a life so bedraggled as this.

"I just wish I could walk on two legs and have hands. Hands with fingers, not clumsy paws. I cannot even take my own life with these ridiculous appendages."

That confession to the deepest, darkest secrets she held within left a sickening pit in her stomach. It was finally known by someone other than her that she wished she was gone, never existed. It made her feel terrible to blabber that out into the open, but she knew the only place to start was from the very rock bottom. Because only from there, there was no possibility of sliding further down. Only up.

With a glimmer of hope, she gazed back up at her Queen and a cry welled up in her throat, but she swallowed it back down before it emerged from her vocal chords. Would her Queen be able to save her?

[Nathalia]

Lysaras knelt down to the poor girl, running her fingers gently through her mane of hair. She gazed at the spirals of thickly knotted hair, observing the way that her paws here hobbled...she though of how insane it must be for this poor girl to try to get a job. Frowning slightly, eyes filled with pity, she stood.

"Come with me to the throne room. I'll make a summons for a potion to quicken your growth to your Bipedal form once we're there." She murmured, moving slowly down the hall in order to keep pace with her bound guest.

"Though he will not attend us directly, I am certain that one of my Kings' will have the answer to your problem, I'll have him assist us at once." She watched the poor girl again, memories of her own past rising in her mind like bile. She shoved them away roughly, there was no reason to think about that right now. No reason to share the information. No one needed to know about her issues with Torquehelm.

[ivchameleon]

Standing with her Queen obediently, she wagged her tail weakly. Following with newfound hopes filling her heart, her mind raced. What would she look like as a Biped? Would her hair still bind her painfully, would it still limit her? Deep inside she was afraid of this new change about to take place, but she wanted it more than anything else. In fact, she had wanted this for so long that she could not think of anything else she had ever wanted. Other than to die, as an alternative to her growth.

"Thank you," she whispered over and over again as they walked, feeling as if she just could not express her gratitude to her Queen enough. She would be forever indebted, and certainly would want to be in service to her Queen as soon as possible so she could make it up to her for this favor. It was more than she would have ever asked of the Queen of Spades, and vowed silently never to ask for anything ever again after this. Only to be grateful and make damn sure that she made everyone aware of it.

[Nathalia]

Lysaras moved slowly down the hall with the other in tow. She was making her way to the center courtroom...one of her Kings was bound to be there. Upon arriving she smiled, making out the tall, harried form of her third King, Nathaniel. He was a scrawny Cocker Spaniel of the Forest of Kahmden, kind and caring, but too uptight for most of Lysaras' needs. She moved up to him gracefully.

"Nathaniel? I was wondering if you might be able to assist my friend, Haret." She gestured behind her to the sorrowful looking mound of hair. The Biped gazed down with concern at the pile of black and purple.

"Good Heavens... Is that a Torquehelm?" He asked, looking somewhat aghast. "You'll be needing a Bipedal form to get rid of that then, my dear..." He murmured, kneeling down and taking Haret's chin in his hands to see her eyes. "And perhaps some magic as well... My Queen? Might I ask that you use one of your...specialties? If that is combined with my ability to change another's form, we may have this lady well on her way." He smiled at Haret and winked, his brown eyes calm and cheerful...he would help.

[ivchameleon]

Finding herself being led further and further away from the entrance (and exit) of the Court of Spades, Haret followed her Queen like a little lost puppy while she walked into the center courtroom. Not daring to look around as she was scared of what might happen if she was caught with wandering eyes, she kept them focused either on the ground in front of her or on her Queen.

As they apparently made it to their destination, Haret's purple eyes looked up in curiosity to the new voice in the room. Nathaniel was this King's name...? She listened in absolute silence, wondering what he meant about magic... She had /some/ magical abilities already, but nothing that had come in handy yet. Her eyes met his for only a moment, then she quickly averted them politely.

Simply waiting now for what her destiny was to become, she sat down on her haunches with her head hung low for maximum comfort.

[Nathalia]

Nathaniel remained knelt in front of Haret, her chin cupped in his hands, eyes closed in concentration, a soft smile playing on his features. "Fear not, my dear. My Queen and I will soon have you up on two legs and far more comfortable."

Lysaras stood over them, her hands placed delicately on Haret's head, fingers twined gently in the constricting mane. Nathaniel murmured something softly, as the floor beneath himself and Haret began to glow, very slightly. The Queen twisted her fingers lightly and felt the hair begin to loosen slightly...as she weaved her spell she realized that she could not free the girl entirely, but she could grant her a great deal more mobility than she had before, her Bipedal form would help with that factor as well.

Nathaniel slowly stood, rising as Haret's from began to stretch an change. He smiled, the corners of his muzzle turning up slightly as he continued to pull her upward.

Soon the Spaniel stood before a tall, graceful looking Haret. Her hair still bound her arms, but nowhere nearly as badly as before, twining down her forearms and looking rather beautiful.

"Well there you are, miss Haret. I must say, you do look lovely." He kissed her hand gently, smiling up at her, though it was still difficult for him to see her eyes, he knew how happy she must be.