Hill (Open)

[Merel]

And there they stood, at the very foothills of Massacre Mountains, before them lay a pine forest. It wasn't bigger than a medium sized forest elsewhere, but it was likely the greatest one of this mountain range. Likely the low, less jagged slopes of the foothills, and maybe some remainder of Spiral Jungle's fertile soil reaching this far, could have a role in the forest's ability to survive here. On clear days, the tallest of the mentioned jungle could be seen if one had a good spot from where one could look. And if the stories were right, in this pine forest rested the fabled weapon, Hill.

The two girls have arrived to their quest's scene. They had met wandering in a forest. After teaming up for their quest, they took up supplies in a nearby village. That is, they stole, not having money to spend on the goods. But after all, they were in need, and on the move, and didn't take so much that the village wouldn't be able to get on without it, and that justifies, right? They figured it did, and now they were here anyway, and ahead of them was a forest, within which awaited their prize.

"If the story says 'in the middle of the forest', do you think it should be meant as literally the exact middle, or just somewhere deeper in there?" Merel asked her companion. "It should be a clearing somewhere, with a lone tree in the open, so we should recognise it I guess."

[Aleena]

The landscape was really grandiose; it would be perfect scene for a beginning of an adventure.
First, Aleena couldn't believe that it was happening to her. Find a fabulous weapon of a great hero - it was more than that she could dream about. Moreover, her mate was very experienced and knew a lot od interesting stories...
But it wasn't easy to get their things. It was the first time she thought about how had great heroes have their stuff; or probably they didn't need any sleeping, eating or rest? They definitely didn't steal, but then how could they get what they needed...? Stealing wasn't new for her, it didn't cause any problem, she just didn't understand.

However, they arrived, and now just had to find the weapon. 'It can't be very difficult, can it be?' She thought, but she soon had to realize that it's not very easy.
"I think we should go right to the middle of the forest, and..." She started, but then thought it over. "Then just go deeper."

[Merel]

There they stood, before the great pine forest of no more than medium size. Merel wouldn't even believe if not seeing it with her own eyes, the other end of the forest visible as it tried to scale the ever steepening slopes, and the impossible cliffs, crags and peaks further beyond, surrounding them along the distant horizon, a stone lace between east and west in a great southward semicircle, though this greater shape would be only perceptible when looked at on a map. But even the seemingly endless band of jagged mountains, what mortal eyes could see of it, was majestic.

She needed a moment to recover from being lost in the scenery's wild beauty. That is, she needed several moments plus one.
"In we go then." She said, and after one last glance at the scenery, they entered the woods.
The fallen pine needles weren't a friendly surface for her bare feet, despite her great experience of going barefoot. She was now glad she held on to the two cloth straps that used to make up Ravana's otherwise useless scabbard. They won't be a real shoe's equals, but will certainly help a bit. When she stopped to wrap them around her feet, the sky darkened for a flash's worth of time. Too fast for a passing cloud, she looked up, but either for the forest canopy above or not, she couldn't see movement. It could easily be a dragon's shadow, and if so, it was far enough by now to be unseen.
"We might have company..." She warned her companion, but moved on regardless.

[Aleena]

"All right" She answered with unconcealed excitement in her voice, and followed Merel entering the pine forest,
The forest was incredibly gigantic. And well, it was a bit scary; the tall trees cresting over her, it was very imposing.
She stopped when the other girl stopped, and while she was paddling about the cloth straps, looked around again. The view was very impressive, she just couldn't lose interest in it.

Aleena saw the shade passing over the forest, and lifted up her head quickly. But she saw nothing, just the blue sky with some clouds.
"What was that?" She asked Merel, even if she wasn't certain that she saw something or just conceived.
"Of course we stay together" Aleena answered and looked at Merel a bit indignantly. How could she suppose that they will part company with each other?

[Merel]

"I believe something has just passed above us." She answered. "And given this impossible scenery is no home of men, it's not unlikely it was a dragon. But if it comes, we are ready, aren't we?" Saying this she brandished Ravana a bit. It was so good a feeling to brandish the lightweight blade as it flowed through the air. Likely her having such impressions would have alarmed responsible and concerned adults,but none was around, at least none that has revealed themselves. Also they would have to be telepaths to know of it.

"No way are we separating, why would we?" She said confused, not remembering to have said such. Maybe she went on too suddenly, and seemed to leave Aleena behind, she figured. But she couldn't ponder too much more as they entered a clearing, in the middle of which stood a lone, ancient oak tree..

[Aleena]

Aleena looked up again, and watched the clouds passing above their head.
"A dragon?" She asked, and wriggled her neck as she could she the creature. "Do you really think it's the home of dragons?""
She glanced Merel's sword, and felt a bit uncomfortable because of having no weapon. It wasn't good to feel that she could rely her life on the other girl's skill.
"Are we?" She wanted to ask, but then she kept silent.

"Just..." She started, but didn't go on. She sighted the oak - it was a bit strange stading between the pine trees.
"Is it that tree?" She asked a low voice, and forgot about the dragons and everything: if the story was right, they stood before the legendary tree.

[Merel]

"If you ask me, an oak in a pine forest is quite suspicious. I bet it is, but let's see it from up close." Answered Merel, and entered the clearing, excited enough to drag Aleena with her in case the other girl wouldn't come immediately, and either way she almost literally bounced all the way to the tree.

The tree looked ancient. At one part the ground at the base of the tree trunk was oddly elevated, suspiciously resembling a mound. Another clue hinting it's being a grave was four lines of text carved into the trunk, although the runes with which the words were carved were unknown to the girl. She also suspected that it was written in a language just as alien, but to prove it, she would need to know the letters.
Above the writing, in the side of the tree was what they were looking for: Hill, the once sword that now qualified more as a hammer with the stone on the end of the blade. A section of the blade, where it cut into the trunk, was embraced by wood as the tree grew around it over long years.

With the stories telling about a sword with a smaller boulder on it's end, Merel always imagined something robust. To the contrary, it was a beautiful, slim masterpiece. While by proportions it would mostly be a knight's sword, also called a bastard sword by some but that sounded inappropriate for this one, its blade was narrow. Merel judged it couldn't be more at its widest part than two fingers' width. The cross-guard was also a similarly thin, elegant curve of steel. Around a part of the blade closer to the hilt, a branch or vine grew in a spiral, covering a length of blade about as long as the hilt was.
Even the stone on the blade's end was somehow elegant, both in shape and size. It seemed as if the weapon was made to fit a girl rather than strong men like the heroes of tales and legends.

"Should we try to pull it free? Or cut it out of there? What do you think?" Merel asked, then glanced up at the sky. Was that a dragon's shadow again, or did just the tree's leaves shift?

[Aleena]

There was no need for dragging, Aleena was excited enough to follow Merel. She agreeded with the other girl that the tree is possibly the one they were looking for. Her heart started to beat very quickly fot the thought.
Well, the fabulous weapon wasn't exactly look like as the girl imagined it. She thought it bigger... much bigger. And more robust. Contrarily, it looked like a weapon what she could use as well. She believed Merel, when she said that it will be perfect for her, but she heaved a sigh of relieve.

"It's... beautiful" She was circling round the tree, looking for possibilities to pull the weapon out, and admiring Hill. It wasn't a legendary sword of a big hero, rather a weapon of a girl. "Unbelievable" She thought. Who could be the previous owner of this sword...? She became curious more and more.
"Do you know this writing? Do the stories tell anything about it? " She asked Merel, when she saw the strange signes, but then suddenly changed the subject.
"I don't know. Probably we should try to cut it out of the tree... is it possible with your sword?" She glanced at Ravana, as she was thinking of how could they use it.

If the answer is yes, and the sword is harp enough to cut the tree as well, Aleena take Merel's sword, and start trying. It won't be very easy, but it worth, she thought. She didn't pay attention to the passing shadow; she was too excited to notice things like shadows.

[Gratzerilasshis]

(OOC: based on planned edit of the previous post)

The king soared towards the forest, the only forest wothy of this name throughout his vast kingdom of peaks and cliffs. He felt there were unexpected guests there. Whether it was instinct, a sixth sense, a hint from the gods or something else, he could not tell. But it certainly brought him here.
Gliding over the canopy, first he could only see movement. It could belong to any game just as likely as to mortals from above, through the pine trees, so he patrolled the whole forest for more distinctive signs. Finding none, he returned to the area of the first sign, and soon sighted two figures as he flew over a clearing. A clearing most curious. He circled a few times, observing the clearing with the oak in the middle, recalling his knowledge of the odd place.

The resting place of a hero of old, he remembered. The two figures were hidden by the tree now, but they were there, as he would have seen them leave. He circled once more and landed in the clearing.

"Fevar bi khidylt'am… ye walk in my kingdom, uenat… mortals!" He warned the two humans upon touching the ground. He had to recollect his knowledge of a language they know, it was still the language of old that would come to his tongue naturally, and few remembered it now.
"Oim khidten lanem feldat… I am king of these lands… and as I find ye here,… king of ye two as well. Akend narvatt'il… speak your names… who are ye?

He looked upon the two humans. Merely childgirls, yet more, it seemed. One, maybe younger than the other, wore torn rags for clothing, clearly the garment of the poor. Yet what she held in her hand was fit for no beggar. She wielded a sword of smooth obsidian. Even obsidian was an unlikely possession for a beggar, and mortals could only shape it by splintering. This, however, was smoother than the finest polish, as if it was created this way, for the sole purpose of being a sword's blade. He suspected magic.

The other childgirl was only slightly older. She was clad in finer garments, but she couldn't be more than a commoner either. And yet she too held a surprise, a weapon. A weapon he knew. Xirdten tou Grat, as he knew it, Sword of the Stone, but he was sure mortals had a different name for it. Curious. He addressed the child.

"Thou wieldest a mighty weapon, fen… child. I knew of the loh who took it from the stones… the hero… Say, child art thou a descendant of this loh… this hero?"

_____
OOC:
uen (plural: uenat) : translated as "mortal" for simplicity, collective name for Humans, Elves and Shifters

[Aleena]

Practically, she didn't have much time to enjoy her new toy. Shadows were growing bigger and bigger, aand when she looked up, she saw a dragon circling over their heads.
She saw a dragon. A real dragon.

"Oh, Gods..." She rather sighed than said it, and backed one step. The dragon was... enormous. Bigger than she has ever thought.
When he asked about their names, Aleena felt that she won't be able to say a single word. It was a dragon - a king, as he said - standing before their eyes. She had butterflies in her stomach, when she finally stepped forward, and her legs were a bit shaking. He adressed himself a king, so Aleena knelt down - just for for safety's sake.

"My... my name is Aleena" Her voice was similar to mouse peep. "I... I don't know my parents" That was better, but still very quiet. "And I neither know the hero... my king" She added uncertainly. After all, she did not really know how to behave and speak, when she stands before a dragon, a king, or a king, who is actually a dragon.

[Merel]

Merel's face was alight with amazed admiration as she saw the dragon land before them. She had never before seen dragons even from a distance, despite she had been living in the city where riders occurred from time to time. She must have been in the wrong inns at those times. With the shifter knight and the young blacksmith she could have seen a dragon, but she doubted they would have let her this close, or even thrice this distance for that matter.

The dragon claimed to be king of this area, and king of them as well. Her brain worked in a frenzy while the dragon spoke to Aleena. Merel was homeless, she didn't deny that, and just by having a sword, of any quality, she wasn't granted food, shelter, or anything really. Now were this dragon-king to accept them to his kingdom, these problem would be solved. Aleena knelt down when speaking to the dragon. Merel followed suit, and spoke once the other girl finished.

"I am Merel Fen, chosen child of Iyzebel and wielder of Her sword, Ravana; my name is well known in every quarter of the city of Morgana." Nobles liked titles, right? She was a bit surprised of how confidently she uttered the words, and after all she didn't say anything that wasn't true. She didn't want Aleena to appear lesser than her, so she added:

"And my fellow adventurer here is Aleena De Lys, the Modest, humble bearer of Hill of the Stone, who brags not with titles or fancy names." Said Merel, expecting a nasty look, which she likely deserved for this intervention. These weren't false statements either, and were she to get that look, it would also confirm her words. She felt pride for the speech and the confidence whith which she spoke. She hoped she helped, rather than making things worse.

[Gratzerilasshis]

"Fen, thou sayeth? Hm… fitting, so to say." If the child's surname was in his language, it would mean "child". But it could be mere coincidence just as well.

By the names and titles the younger one mentioned, they could be heroes or nobles, though their age and apparel hinted otherwise. But although they could be just children playing they were heroes, their toys were indeed remarkable weapons, not something that any child could get their hands on. Having acquired these artifacts they proved themselves worthy to be considered.
The two childgirls were charming, he realized he likely already decided about their fate. He also had to reclaim his people, seeing some human faces alongside him would be less frightening for the common people, and this two may even give him useful advice as well, as they lived in this time while he was a thousand years late.
One more question for them, then he would decide their fate for trespassing in his forest.

"Ye claim to be heroes yourselves I understand, yet ye wear but rags for clothing. Why so?"

[Aleena]

When Merel finished the listing of their titles, Aleena looked at her gratefully with a bit of surprise. She hadn't thought of that she should say something about herself and her "titles", so now, as her companion did it, she felt relieved. After all, she was just a scared girl, with no thinking ability at that moment. But as the other girl figured out these perfect titles instead of her, she was happy with them.

She didn't understand exactly what was the dragon speaking about inconnection with Merel's surname, but when he asked abou their clothes, Aleena answered, as she felt that the king was waiting for the answer from her. Now her voice wasn't so uncertain, probably even a bit more louder than she usually spoke.

"We are wandering, my king..." Aleena said. She raised her head while talking and looked at the dragon admiringly. She has never seen a dragon before, and even she was frightened, she couldn't believe that actually a real one - a king - was standing in front of her. "It would be superfluous to wear better clothes than these..."

[Gratzerilasshis]

The older one answered. Her argument was indeed a good thought, whether it showed experience or good wits, it was satisfying.
He has heard enough and made his decision. His current court was entirely composed of free places, any addition would improve it. Were these two childgirls to prove to be of little use, they could still help with the beginning. And he believed they would prove more useful than that. So let this court expand to three souls.

"Aleena De Lys, rise now as a lady of Rennrahkash, shalt thou ever bear this title. Hysend, Lyen Aleena!" He announced to the older girl, then turned to the younger one.
"Merel Fen, rise now as a lady of Rennrahkash, shalt thou ever bear this title. Hysend, Lyen Merel!"

"Ceilend… come now, lyenat… ladies, we shall take to the sky. It is time we met our subjects."

___
hysend: rise
lyen, liad: lady, lord (also denotes title)