#toafkevent

‘God’ Idelisa began her prayer the moment she stepped in the crowded ballroom, shifting the heavy cloak from her shoulders ‘please, watch over us tonight and keep us safe from whatever harm may come our way. Please, I know this goes against your plan for us - for him - but we all really need you right now to guide us through whatever may be’. Gently, she folded the cloak into the basket they had brought along as part of their ploy - making absolutely certain that the mask was still hidden beneath a few loaves of bread. Just days ago she and Osmund had met once more and she had taken it as the sign she had been praying for. The poor man hadn’t even known his brother still lived. Of course, they had to hatch a plan. “Are you ready?” she questioned, glancing to the man who was pretending to escort her with a hopeful grin on her face. 

Guinevere was glad to see people were having fun. When she first came to Arthur with the idea of having a ball, she wasn’t sure how he would react. How people would react, too. In a way, she was afraid it was too soon after the disastrous events, but she felt it could help lift the spirits of their people. The joy in the attendees’ faces confirmed she was right and it was filling her heart with joy.

She was busy throughout the evening. She danced with her husband, she danced with many of his knights as well. She even danced with one particular knight; for a moment she considered refusing his offer, but realised it would look strange and so Guinevere accepted Lancelot’s hand and they danced for what felt like forever and she didn’t want it to end but was scared to death someone might actually notice the looks the two were giving each other. The butterflies in her stomach threatened to spring out and scream her feelings to the world.

Now she was just enjoying a quiet time by the refreshments table, a goblet of wine in her hand as she watched the dancing crowd with a fond smile. She was so invested in the ball she didn’t notice a dark figure approaching her from the left with a blade glistening in their sleeve.

The sudden echoes of thunder, like the deep, angry growling of some primordial beast, made Líadan pause in the street. She had only ever heard such a sound once and hearing it again made her soul tremble in fright. That was the sound of wrath of a god.

Shadows seemed to fall from nowhere. She looked up to see the sky already black as clouds covered everything, and with the instinct of one who knows their survival is in question starting running as fast as she could back towards the bakery, dropping everything she carried. As she ran she felt the first cold drops of rain and then suddenly it was everywhere - an almighty tempest that wanted to swallow everything whole, the heavy drumming of rain and hail mixed with screams and shouts as people started to realise what was happening.

Oh, gods. Líadan could feel herself beginning to change as the water crashed down, and had to practically throw herself the last few feet into the bakery. She hit the floor hard, pain blossoming in her shoulder, and immediately scrabbled on to feet that were wanting to stick together and only prevented so from doing so by her boots to reach and close the door with hands beginning to web.

She was about to ram in shut when she saw the shapes of two women running past, lost, with hail battering down all around them. She hesitated, knowing that if she let them in they would see her skin glittering with scales and gills opening beneath her ears ... but if she didn’t, then they might die.

“In here!” she screamed over the howling of the wind, “Quickly!”

@dinadanhirhyfelwr @shesmagicaldeer

This would teach her never to go out without her personal guard again. The storm caught her by surprise and before she managed to return to the castle, it was so hard to see and Cyra eventually found herself lost in the city of Camelot. She was almost sure she was heading in the right direction but soon realised she had no idea where she was. “Excuse me,” she called out to a person walking, more like rushing, in the opposite direction. “I need to get to the castle! Can you help me?” So much water falling from the sky made her feel like she could drown and that was bringing back some heavy memories.

@eadwigtrodai @caderynmacaodha

The lightning stroke the tree on her left and Ceri let out a startled shriek. Had she believed in gods, now would be the perfect time to pray to them. But she never did and therefore there was no one else to rely upon than herself. She was just in the middle of hunting a deer when the first lightning stroke and the rain started; it was all so sudden, no signs of it when she was leaving her house. Now she was too far away from the city and running back to her house wasn’t safe; with the frequency the trees were being hit, it was only a matter of time before the lightning would struck her.

She had a rough idea of the whereabouts of a camp, just outside the forest. She had always been avoiding that place, just in case, because while she wasn’t entirely sure it belonged to the Saxons, her senses were telling her that it wasn’t safe to wander around. Now this place that was usually raising all the red flags in her brain seemed like her best chance for survival. With the thunder rumbling behind her back, the huntress sprinted out of the woods, trying to keep as low as she could until she reached the borders of the camp and hid behind one of the tents to avoid being caught by those moving about.