~A New Journey for A New Kingdom~

[Canos]

It was about time that the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor was paid a visit by the great Canos and his queen Ravyn. Canos had already sent people into Gondor to attain the new king’s trust, the heir of Aragorn and Arwen; this Eldarion. Canos knew that this man would not sit long on the thrown of Gondor. Canos planned to make it so that Arnor was cut off from the rest of the world and that Rohan would not be able to aid Gondor. Canos dreamed of one day walking into the throne room of Gondor, into the citadel housing the dead ancient kings of the past and throwing down their tombs and monuments. He dreamed of Minas Tirith falling to ruin and belonging to the one true king of the world. Minas Tirith would become like its sister city Minas Morgul; a dark and hideous place, barren of any good act or deed, seducing of anything wishing to accomplish a decent goal. Canos had planned this; Canos would see it come to pass. In due time the world would fall to the heir of Morgoth and the great one of the first age would be avenged and Canos would wage war on the Valar themselves.

Once Canos ruled the world, he would have more power than he could dream and he would be able to challenge the maiar and the Valar and be the only human to step foot on Valinor and live to tell of it. Canos was ambitious and optimistic of what could happen in the future. He understood that his future was a while away, but he had many years to live it. He wondered if Aragorn would be alive to see his kingdom fade into ruin. Perhaps Canos would keep the heroes of old alive just long enough so they could see that there would be no hope, no resurrection of their country or of their world. They would see what Morgoth had intended and they would finally feel the heavy burden of guilt that so readily followed defeat. Canos had fooled them all and still fooled them. None could see through Canos’s well-woven disguise and his tapestries of lies. He was a god among liars and deceivers, a true magician by any sense of the word. What person could see him for anything less that one to be loyal?

In respect, Canos felt that he should visit the people of the world, the new kingdom and its subjects and further his deceitfulness and the web of lies he had began in the East. He would simply take his views to the West now. He had convinced the elves of his goodness and soon it would all the people of middle earth. Then he would strike them, for they would not expect it from their new savior of the East. Canos knew that the people of Rhun and Harad were still frowned upon because of their history but not Nurn. No, Nurn was new, a people that were once slaves, pitied and remarked upon as the unfortunate ones. Canos would use this sense of nothingness to his advantage. Every card could be played and Canos held a full hand.

In regard to everything that Canos thought about, he along with his queen sent himself or herself on a mission into Middle Earth. They could leave the fortress in the capable hands of only several people. But who would attack him or come to him now? Canos and a convoy of three hundred knights, bearing the black and white flag of Nurn rode through the Gap of Rohan and into Eregion, as welcomed guests of the people. Canos was welcomed in almost every town because he did not give reason to distrust him. In all certainty he simply made sure that they believed him to be a man of integrity and trust. Canos was beginning his way to the capitol city of Arnor. It would be a long trip and he would not be surprised if it took time to arrive. However, he had the time that he needed and he could waste as much as he deemed necessary.

It was the eighteenth day of the journey and they were about to pass the Glanduin River where Canos decided to make camp. It was about midday, but Canos knew that he should wait until morning before he tried to cross the river. His people carried many things of value and he didn’t want to waste anything by trying to hurry over a river. Canos turned to one of his commanders and ordered him to make the preparations for camp. Canos was thankful that he didn’t have to make any preparations for war or defenses. He was glad that no one thought of him as the enemy that he was. He turned to Ravyn and smiled, looking over at his queen with a great deal of pride in his eyes. “It amuses me, the welcome that I am given in these places, in these towns and people’s homes.” Canos smirked, leaning back on his horse, holding his reigns lightly. “They think that I am there best friend. It is so fun to make them feel so secure around me. It makes it all the more sweet when I am the one to place a sword in their back.” Canos laughed a bit at this. “I will not that this country has a great many women of interest, some of which I should keep around for a while, or at least until I have concluded my interactions with them.” He smirked. He knew she would be jealous, but he would let her have them and that would relieve her of any jealousy.

[Ravyn]

Beside the dark king rode his queen, mounted in splendor upon her white stallion. Ravyn was glad to get out of Minas Morgul for once. Usually she stayed behind, tending to the various tasks Canos deemed below him. He was the conquering male type, so he went out to wage wars and talk with other kings. However, this time Ravyn had insisted upon coming. She had been kept a secret too long; she doubted that anyone knew Canos had a queen alongside him. His women certainly didn't. She made sure that he had no women when she was around. He had a wife; what use did he have for others? She was smart, strong, and every bit as evil as he was. It helped that she was beautiful as well. Her dark hair spilled down the back of the red dress she wore, a dark waterfall of glossy thickness. She was the only woman on this journey; Canos' little assassin was off seducing some hapless prince, no doubt.

Ravyn bared her teeth at him as he mentioned other women. Canos was a dense man, at times. He thought that just because she killed his little playthings she would no longer be jealous. Canos had a lot to learn. Ravyn didn't want him with other women at all: no exceptions. He was hers and hers alone. Ravyn didn't like to share. "Yes, my king, I am sure you will find your way around, no matter how much I protest. No matter; I have heard that the men around this area know more than riding horses and handling swords," she purred happily. Canos was just as jealous as she was; he wanted no other men laying with his queen.

Sharan came out of some bushes as they stopped to make camp. He enjoyed traveling; lots of furry little creatures to snack on. Even Sharan got bored of being fed and eating chained up prisoners. Live, bloody, fighting animals made for better sport. His black coat rippled in the bright light as he sat next to Ravyn's horse. The evil queen dismounted and patted his head as he leaned against her legs happily. "Yes, my pet, you shall have your share of fun as well," she crooned. Ravyn gave Sharan extra attention when Canos was around; her husband hated her prized pet. She also stroked the nose of her stallion. He snorted, then began to graze. Overall Ravyn's animals were happy and healthy; she cared for them much more than she did people. "Don't worry about me messing up your carefully laid plan," she assured Canos, "I know how to be charm itself around these people."

[Canos]

Canos knew that Ravyn objected to him having other women at his disposal, even if she was allowed to kill them afterwards. She was jealous and she would not have him with any woman if she could help it. Canos was jealous as well and when she brought up being with other men, Canos just stared away with a blank expression on his face. He was thinking of all the things he could do to any man that came too close to his wife. There was beheading, there was torture, starving. There were so many good things he could do to anyone that crossed him wrongly. Canos couldn’t help but find him amused by these things; these thoughts that would sicken another man, a man of higher morals. Canos had no morals; he needed to morals. Canos was a man guided by himself and none other. Canos smirked when she mentioned that she would not blow his cover. That was not guaranteed. She did not put off the sweet and innocent look very well. She could be seductive and therefore blind men to her true purpose, but woman could see through her perhaps. Women could not see through Canos because he was too good at what he did with them and men were too stupid.

Canos was enjoying himself until he saw Sharan come out of the bushes as they started to make camp. Canos rolled his eyes and snarled. He looked over at Ravyn and shook his head. “Must that wretched creature come with us everywhere?” He asked with a snarl, looking back at the creature, fingering one of his throwing daggers. If he could just kill the creature. It wouldn’t take him long. All he had to do was lift his hand and stretch it out and he would send the dagger into the creature’s neck. Then there would be no more Sharan, no more annoyance. He would be satisfied. Canos looked over at Ravyn. “Well we will have a little camp here for the night and tomorrow we will go to some other village. Its funny how many of them there are and how weak the forces here appear to be. Canos dismounted and walked towards Ravyn, “They are already preparing our tent. Come my dear. We shall go and see when they have prepared for us to eat. It’s a wonderful thing really, having people do everything for you.” Canos smirked. He loved being the ruler, being the one to dictate terms. It was something he was good at, something he considered himself born to do.

[Ravyn]

Ravyn was a better actor than Canos thought. True, it was more difficult to keep her true nature from other women, but Canos only saw her irate side with her own gender anyways. The only interaction she really had with other women was when she was dealing with Canos' little flings. She was definitely not at her kindest at that point. She figured that, though he would never admit, Canos got so good at torturing from watching her. A female mind was infinitely full of twists and turns, of evil ideas and things no man would consider. Causing pain was inbred into women; any man who had been in a relationship could tell you the same. She stroked Sharan's head, scratching his silky fur with her fingernails as she did so. Canos hated Sharan with a passion; one of them would die by the hand of the other eventually. Unfortunately for her pet, he would probably be the one killed, so Ravyn kept him with her at all times. A thrown blade was faster than even a jaguar's claws.

"Canos, must you act like such a child? He will not harm you unless I order him; you cannot deny that he has proved useful in my protection and exploits," she commented. Sharan was an excellent assassin; few people knew he was there before he killed them. He was also a good tool when it came to torturing people. Crouching down, she wrapped her arms around the jaguar's neck, hugging him fondly. Ravyn had seen her husband's glance towards Sharan's neck and how he fingered his knives. Sharan purred happily, licking her hand with his rough tongue. Ravyn may be evil, but that did not mean she could not care for her creatures. "Yes, they suspect little, the fools. With the Eye destroyed, they suppose themselves safe. How wrong they are. Foolish humans and their suppositions of good always winning." She smiled cruelly, standing to look around. Yes, it was nice to have others do the manual labor; setting up camp was a bothersome and tiring task. Ravyn needed all her energy for concentrating on wooing the townspeople. Canos sometimes scared the commoners rather than attracting them.

[Canos]

Canos rolled his eyes as Ravyn went over to her pet and gave it a hug. Canos sighed and shook his head. He didn’t have a pet because he didn’t nee the aid of one. Ravyn needed her pet every now and then to help her accomplish a task or save her life. Canos figured that Sharan was one of her few weaknesses and he more than fully planned to exploit it if he had to. Ravyn didn’t have an awful lot of weaknesses to speak of and when Canos found one he made sure to note it in case he ever had to use it. He doubted that he would. Ravyn and he were too well matched and too well in sink for them to turn on each other. It didn’t matter that they shared a throne because they were both using that throne for the same objective. It would be interesting once they had taken over the world to see just how dedicated they were to one another. Canos for sure would be the first person to turn on Ravyn if he saw an opportunity to advance himself. Canos watched her with Sharan, letting his hand slip off his knife and crossing his arms across his chest. He would let the creature live for now. He didn’t need to kill him just yet. He was good protection for the time being.

After a moment Canos walked past them, still rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He walked towards the large tent towards the center of the camp. That was his tent. Well, it was shared between him and Ravyn, but he could claim it for his own while Ravyn was having lovey dovy time with her pet. All the men that he passed stood erect and to attention as he walked towards his tent. They would not risk looking sloppy around their king. Canos had been known to cleanse the rank of tardiness. Canos walked into the tent and closed the flaps behind him. The cloth rolled in front of the entrance and Canos began to remove his armor. He didn’t sleep with it on. He was not that paranoid. He removed his chain mail armor and his leather vambraces and leggings. He would have the elves create him a nicer suite of armor one of these days; he just had to sway them into that. Canos took his time. He was in no rush and he was going to get some rest after this. He had been riding hard for the past couple of days and he needed a chance to recline and rest.

[Ravyn]

Ravyn knew that for all Canos' threats against her pet, he wouldn't kill the jaguar just yet. For now he was too useful; even through his dislike of the beast Canos could see that. On this trip Ravyn had brought Sharan along not so much for protection so much as the fact that the guards at Minas Morgul would have killed him in short order. They didn't like the big cat either. "Sharan, go and amuse yourself," she murmured to him, rubbing behind his ear one more time. Comprehending, he slunk off, his muscular body quickly disappearing into the surrounding underbrush. The jaguar would stay nearby, but he would not roam about openly. He was a master of hiding. If she called him, he would come immediately. Ravyn watched Canos enter the tent, noting where it was in relation to the tents surrounding it. She liked to know where everyone and everything was, just in case. The guards were at attention, their armor shining in the midday light and everything in working order. None of them would dare slack off with their king and queen present. Each of them were hard on the slackers, but the two together would no doubt be even tougher.

Ravyn stood beside her horse for a bit, memorizing their surroundings, any good hiding places, noting where the tents were set up and how the whole contingent of soldiers was organized. Even in a peaceful part of the world she liked to be prepared for any attack. Some of the bigger villages could get very defensive towards newcomers. However, the group was more than ready for any sort of attack upon them. Ravyn and Canos had made sure of that. In due time, she followed her evil mate. The guards stiffened, standing at the ready as she passed. Her red dress set her apart from the entire group; they were all in browns and silver. Ravyn stepped into the tent briskly, letting the flap fall behind her silently as she did so. Canos' various trappings and protections were in a pile near the side, and he was lying down in recline. "Sleeping so early?" she commented lightly, sinking down to sit beside him.

[Canos]

Canos continued to remove his clothes after he had seated himself on the makeshift bed. It was not like the lavish one he had back at the castle. It was bearskins on top of bearskins on top of a board. There was a feathered mattress between the board and the bearskins but it was just basically a silk sack with feathers in it. It wasn’t the bed that Canos was used to but it was better than sleeping on the ground. Canos looked over at his queen as she walked into the tent. At least she didn’t have that creature with her. Canos knew that Sharan was around the area somewhere. He knew that he took a guard every now and then, but it was the guard’s fault for not being alert enough to see the creature coming. It kept the guards on their toes. Canos sighed and shook his head, running his hands over his shoulders, relaxing a bit. He ran his hands down to the armor on his legs and removed it, placing it with the rest of the pile. “No I am not tired…” he paused, sighing a bit, “I am just fatigued from riding that damned horse for so long after all these days.” He looked up at Ravyn as he spoke. “I don’t really know how you manage to stay in the saddle all day and not complain about it.” He pondered his words for a moment and leaned back at Ravyn, “Maybe it is because you have more cushion than I do.” He said with a smirk, looking over at her backside for a moment and smirked, leaning back up. He ran his hands over his sides and shook his head for a moment before he looked at Ravyn again, “Could I get a massage?” He asked. He had been riding hard all day for the past several days. He needed to have his muscles relax.

[Ravyn]

Sharan was a well behaved jaguar; he never attacked unless he was attacked. Unfortunately for some of the guards, that meant that he would kill them if they tried to kill him. Sharan usually won out of pure ferocity. Stupid men. Poking around in the bushes with spears would only anger the animal. Ravyn cared not; Sharan could take care of himself and the guards needed to learn to be more cautious. Ravyn leaned on her arm in repose, listening to Canos as he lay on their 'bed'. It was better than she would have expected, yes, but still nothing like what she was used to. However, Ravyn was a resilient and hardened traveler; she did not get fussy about such things as how thick and cushioned her traveling bed was. The bearskins were a bit itchy, though. Still, after over two weeks of travel she had learned to ignore it. She smiled cunningly as he mentioned his soreness. "You forget; I ride the white stallion almost every day. My body is accustomed to it, though the first week was a bit trying. Besides," she said, waving a hand as if dismissing the subject, "complaining solves nothing; it only makes travel more unpleasant." Ravyn wasn't a complainer by nature, which was rare for a woman. "Indeed, I will," she agreed at his request. Canos had his weaknesses as well; one was her soothing touch. Digging through one of the traveling packs at the edge of the tent, she pulled out a small vial she had packed. Ravyn had foreseen soreness, so she had mixed up a soothing balm for such moments. Uncorking it, she let the slightly spicy, almost minty smell fill the tent. It was soothing and yet invigorating as well. The scent was meant to sharpen then senses and improve the feeling of relaxed awareness. Perfect for a king on travel to visit numerous cities. "Lay on your stomach," she instructed.

[Canos]

Canos was not as accustomed to riding as Ravyn was, although, at this point he really should have been. He was much better on the ground walking instead of riding. He enjoyed walking more than riding because it allowed him more maneuverability and control over his fate. If there was a rockslide he could find somewhere to hide better than he could if he was on a scared horse. He was far more composed than horses when facing danger. Horses tended to scare. Even the most diligent and most highly trained warhorse felt fear every once and while. Canos liked to have his destiny in his own hands. He liked to know that he was the one that had the final decision for his life, not some other beast. Canos heard the popping of the cork and he looked over and saw her taking a vial of some lotion. She was good with herbs and such things. She heard her command and he nodded his head. He wasn’t going to object to anything at the moment. His body was sore and her touch was one of the few things that were actually able to relax him. He sat up and let his pants fall down to his ankles. His whole body hurt and he hoped that she would massage everything. He then laid down on his stomach on the bed and let his hands over his head and just laid his face to the side, watching Ravyn.

[Ravyn]

Ravyn watched her husband undress and lay down. He was helpless now; how easy it would be to kill him. Still, at this point he was more useful alive. It was good, though, that he trusted her like this. Laying on your stomach with your neck exposed was not wise if you were around enemies. It was fortunate for Canos that she was not his enemy. His muscles bulged in the dim light coming through the tent walls. Ravyn had always admired Canos - and men in general - for their physique. Men could build impressive muscle and strength; women had a low limit for that sort of thing. Ravyn was a very strong female, but she couldn't compete with Canos in a contest of strength. Sitting to the side of him, she poured some of the oil on her hands. Her skin tingled pleasantly as her senses heightened from the smell of it. Slowly she ran her hands over his back, smearing the slightly cool oil over his muscular skin. Then Ravyn began to massage his tired body, starting at the neck. Her hands were light and gentle, yet strong enough to work out the many knots in his neck and shoulders. As she worked she began to hum a simple melody with no real direction.

[Canos]

Canos could smell the scented oil as she poured some of it onto his hands. It was refreshing as she ran it over his back and on his neck. Her hands were soothing as well. Canos enjoyed her simple touches more than any other woman. He didn’t know why. He continued to stress to himself that he was not in love but from an outsider’s perspective, at the current moment, it would certainly seem otherwise. Canos understood that he had a certain tie to his queen. For the most part he did have emotional ties to her. He needed her advice, accepted her council and she was one of the only people, if not the only one that could sway his decisions. Canos let out a sigh as she continued to run her hands down his back. It was a wonderful feeling and he fully appreciated it. He was lucky to have someone as evil as she was actually doing something considerate. Canos fought that he often didn’t have to do anything on his own accord for Ravyn because she was one of those independent types. She deemed herself too high and mighty for the help from such small things as this. Canos would take catering whenever he could get it and he would not complain. In any case, he simply enjoyed her touch, “For someone that uses her hands for killing, you know how to use them for other things as well.” He said with a smile, looking up at Ravyn, keeping his head on the side.

[Ravyn]

Ravyn smiled down at her husband. "In order to hurt, you must also know how to heal," she reasoned, continuing to rub his shoulders as she did so. She knew Canos enjoyed this; at least his other women couldn't please him like she could. It was Ravyn's goal that Canos would not need to search for other women when she was here. Her threat about trying out the men in this area was not a light one; she would do it to irk him if he strayed from her. She had been with other men, but it was for strictly diplomatic reasons. Maybe it was time she enjoyed herself as well. But for now she decided to concentrate on Canos. Her hands worked down his back, massaging his sides and his sore back muscles. His body glistened with the oil, filling the room with the spicy and refreshing scent. Gently she began to knead his back with her knuckles, curling her hands into fists to do so. Ravyn began to press harder, working out the knots in his back. His muscles were thick and ropey, but knotted horribly. It would take a while to work all of them out.

[Canos]

Canos was truly enjoying her touch now it was not very often he had someone give him a massage and have him or her be as relaxing and talented as Ravyn was. He could have any woman he wanted give him a massage, but none of them were as good as Ravyn was at this. Her touch was unmistakable and he knew that in one way or another he was attached to her. During their little session Canos let out sighs and other exasperations of relaxation. However, a soldier that came into the tent and saluted interrupted it. Canos looked up at him, scolding. The man quivered a bit as he saw his master displeased. “I am sorry to disturb you sir, but you should know that there is a group of men from Dunland coming here sir. We have spotted them on the horizon. We don’t know their affiliation with us as of yet.” Canos raised an eyebrow as the man concluded his spew of information. Canos sighed and beckoned for the man to leave with a motion from his hand. The man bowed his head low and then scurried out of the tent. Canos sighed and sat up, keeping Ravyn’s hands on his body as he saw up in front of her, his body pressing against hers, leaning back on her a bit. “Go tell the men to get ready for a battle; prepare the defenses.” Canos said calmly. He wasn’t too concerned about Dunland but he figured that he should at least give them the benefit of being able to cause a little bit of trouble. Canos stood up in front of Ravyn. “And I was beginning to enjoy myself as well. Don’t you worry.” he paused, putting his hand under her chin, “We will finish this later.” He said resolutely.

[Ravyn]

Kneading his muscles harder, Ravyn smiled to herself at his little noises. She knew she pleased him more than his other women, and she was his perfect soul mate as well. Suddenly a soldier came in, saluting sharply as he did so. Ravyn bared her teeth angrily, glaring evilly at him. Her hands stopped moving over Canos' back as he spoke. Ravyn didn't like being interrupted when she was doing something. The fool of a guard couldn't even call out before entering. It was a good thing for the soldier that he had not interrupted anything else - he wouldn't have gotten away with his life. As it was Ravyn was toying with the idea of offing him right now. However, that was not good for moral. Nor was it good if the approaching party was friendly. It was hard for an evil queen to act good all the time. Sighing, Ravyn allowed him to get up, unfolding her luxourious and tan body. "Very well," she agreed, "I shall hold you to that promise." Exiting the tent, she looked around. Striding over to one of the generals, she stood beside him to watch the approaching party. "What seems to be their nature? Friendly?"

[Canos]

Canos sighed and put on his battle gear. He didn’t really feel like fighting again but if he had to; he would not object. Canos put on his armor and his boots, strapping his sword to his belt and walked out towards his queen. The guard that Ravyn had addressed looked at her and shook his head as she asked her question. “We don’t know yet. They are still a long distance off.” The man said as several soldiers ran towards the front of the camp. Canos walked off behind them. He was moping a bit, his shoulders hunched, his strides were quick and his footsteps heavy. He looked over at Ravyn, rolling his eyes. He then walked out to the front lines of the soldiers. There weren’t a great deal of them. It was Canos that made them look at all of a threat to this army that was coming towards them. Canos could see no flag and no markings of anything. They were just pissed off guys. Why were they attack him? They didn’t even have a recognizable leader. Canos sighed and drew his sword. “Just once I would like to relax.” He sighed and walked out towards the soldiers charging. He beckoned with his right hand for the men on the lines in front of the tents to stay and they did. There was no telling what Canos was going to do. Canos put his sword in front of his face and brought it down as it began to grow red with heat, almost to the point of catching fire. The first opponent that he struck caught fire because the blade was so hot. Immediately the stench of burning flesh was smelled on the battlefield.