Storyboards: Frelda

The Cherek Wench | Talents | A dilemma | Contemplation | Singing in the moonlight | Bumps and bruises | Fighting | Moping

The Cherek Wench
It doesn’t matter where she came from, but for the record, Frelda came from Trellheim. She was a ward of lord Barak and lady Merel. She was raised as one of their own, and given many privileges. She could read and write and do basic math. But she was restless. She watched the Cherek lads train, and had many scandalous thoughts. How could she get them to show her how to fight? She discovered her well-developed body was as dangerous a weapon as any sword. It didn’t take long for her to become a friend to the young warriors. And she found she enjoyed her nights as much as she enjoyed her days of training.
Swords held a spell over her, she'd find after a strenuous swordfight she'd often drop her sword and clothing and attack her sparring partner in a more enjoyable way. Lady Merel did not approve of her long absences and her dishevelled yet satisfied look as she strolled into the manor, often late at night. Her kill with the sword became as legendary as her other skills. And one day she saw a leaflet tacked to a tree... General Erepitus was looking for warriors to defend the west from the Hoards of Angarak?
She bade her family goodbye and travelled to the keep of the so called Guardians. Walking into the courtyard, she saw groups of warriors gathered together, either talking or practicing their sword skills. Along one wall stood a tall Rivan talking loudly with a sly looking Drasnian. She asked a nearby person where she could find the General. The man pointed right at the Rivan. She walked boldly up to the two men who were having a heated discussion.
Erepitus laughed loudly "And then I told the wench 'I demand satisfaction!' And lo and behold she flashed me. That was a classic night, I wish you could have been there Moriar!"
Frelda chuckled softly. "No need to demand anything from me, I'd show you mine gladly."
The two men looked at her suddenly. Moriar's face a mixture of shock and amusement. Erepitus looked at her and smiled, "Oh really? Then do show!"
Frelda dropped her carisack and lifted up the front of her tunic to reveal her assets. "So think I have a place with the Guardians? Besides these, I also have nice sharp daggers at your service." Erepitus looked at her body with admiration, "If anything I’m sure I can find a nice warm bed for you, but I should at least ask your name" She giggled, "I am Frelda of Trellheim. A decent warrior and an even better wench."

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Talents
The practice dummy was pitted and splintered in places from frequent use. The trainer stood there looking stern. Frelda wiped a piece of hair from her face where it had escaped the braid she wore. Her brow furrowed as she raised her sword and tried to parry like the trainer had shown her.
Several of the other recruits had gathered to watch her. The sun poured down on them and the heat was oppressive. Everyone was covered in sweat, the healers came out frequently with buckets of water to cool the recruits off. Most trained in just a pair of breeches, but Frelda wore a thin sleeveless shirt, for propriety's sake. Normally she appreciated the attention but she just wanted to focus.
After the first night, when she slept in the General's quarters, the others snickered under their breath and generally ignored her unless she was somehow half clothed or such. It didn’t bother her, but she wanted to actually learn, so it was distracting when they catcalled and leered as she practiced.
As she tried the move again, she smiled as she successfully slashed the dummy's throat. She waved goodbye to the trainer and walked towards the main keep. Mopping the sweat from her brow, she strode past the other recruits. Her head held high she walked right into the door. Graldin welcomed her warmly. She stood in the room, lost in her thoughts. Did she want to stay here? She knew it wasn’t going to last, so she took all her things and returned back to the room she was assigned. A small tear ran down her cheek. Her memories were good, but she knew she had to stand on her talents.
She was a good warrior, she knew that. She was skilled with her dagger and could sneak soundlessly wherever she wanted. there wasnt a lock she couldn't pick. Frelda wanted to be known for her talents not in the bedroom, so with a sigh and no regrets, she slid a key under the General's door.

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A dilemma
Erepitus had left. He put away his weapons to live a simple life with his new love. Morale was at a low point. Frelda went back home for a visit, she had heard Merel missed her dearly. In fact, Frelda was a little homesick.
She sat in the study with Lady Merel, her adopted mother, tears streaming down her face. 'Merel, how can I gain their respect? I train as hard as they do, often harder. I am as good a warrior as any of them.’
Merel looked at her critically 'Have you stopped screwing around with them? They will not respect any warrior who has slept her way to success.'
Frelda gasped, she thought Merel didn’t know of how she had learned to fight. 'But.. But'
Merel shot her a cool glance 'Frelda I’m smarter then you think, so who was it? Did you sleep with your instructors?"
Frelda was speechless, and nodded mutely, the hard truth crashing upon her. As the week closed, Merel sat and talked to Frelda, giving her advice on how to better herself, and how life should be. Frelda came back to the barracks, her attitude fresh, her confidence regained. Her fellow warriors took two days to realize she wasn’t going to be their play toy anymore. Some ignored her, some reassured her, and she made some good friends.

A small group of trainees were walking down the hall, Frelda among them. In a cluster the teachers were standing, congratulating a tall, dark-haired man she'd never seen before. Frelda whispered to Harltek, 'Who is that?'
Tek looked around and whispered 'That's the new Overlord, Naraj' Then Naraj looked around and noticed the group of trainees watching them. Walking over he shook hands and introduced himself to each. As he approached Frelda, his eyes caught hers. She knew then she was going to be in trouble.

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Contemplation
The dining hall was packed. Frelda sat there, her mind racing as she ate. She kept glancing at the head table where Naraj was seated. Harltek and Zhuntah sot each other worried looks. They both knew how hard she'd been working on her training. But they also knew her and her reckless heart.
She knew it was just in her head, she was just imagining the attraction between them, the subtle pull to be together. It was just something physical he was a handsome man, lithe and powerful. She sighed deeply, trying to shake that one electric moment, when their eyes met, from her mind.
Harltek excused himself, and Zhuntah sat there, concern on his face...

This RP continues here on the RP channel.

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Singing in the moonlight
Dinner was delicious, but then the hall actually had an excellent cooking staff. She'd eaten way too much, but then she was in a good mood. She'd spent the afternoon sparring with her new partner, Eijiken. They'd found themselves to be relative equals and enjoyed practicing swordsmanship with each other. It had been difficult for her to find a new sparring partner after she'd knifed her last one in the tush. But Eijiken was agreeable and friendly. He hadnt tried to flirt and was generally a nice person to talk to. But then a glare or two from Naraj was enough to quell any romantic thoughts he may have had.
Frelda chuckled as she walked in the hall. Naraj and her had very little time to spend together, things were beginning to get tense. There were reports of activity in Cthol Murgos. A brief moment here and there were all they had so far, but those were dear and precious to her. They weren’t a very ostentatious couple, but there was a genaral understanding with the troops. Frelda was Naraj’s lady and she deserved to be treated as such. Sometimes that was a hindrance to her. The teachers were more demanding of her, but then she accepted that. She was determined to excel, she didn’t want to disappoint Naraj.
A lethargy began to overcome her, she was satiated and happy. So she decided to take a walk around the hall to wake herself up. She strolled around the hall, humming softly to herself. She stopped at times to talk with her fellow soldiers, and generally enjoyed her walk. Her thoughts lingered on Naraj, she missed him. He wasn’t at dinner, things must be heating up. She'd been to the infirmary a lot, supervising the bandaging of his wounds after his battles. He'd returned victorious, but still battered.
She returned to her room, and began to settle in for the night. She was lucky enough to be assigned a room with a balcony. The balcony overlooked the practice fields, and was linked to another room, but that room was vacant. She sighed deeply, that's how she had met Zhuntah, and now.. He was gone. She stood at the doorway to the balcony, leaving the warm breeze to flow into her room. It was a beautiful night, the wind was warm as it blew through her loosened hair.
She walked to the edge of the balcony and stood there, humming a soft song. She wished, on a beautiful night like this Naraj was there with her. She stood there and began to sing. It was quiet, until she heard a soft voice behind her. It was him.

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Bumps and Bruises
There was a storm in Rheon. It was brewing for a few days, despite the sunny weather outside the hall. Frelda stormed towards her room. She was, to say the least, grumpy. She had been advancing in her training and was recently sent to train with a new teacher. The new instructor was difficult to her, to put it lightly. For the last week she's gone back to her room, bruised, battered and generally disheartened.
And today, she had decided to demand an explanation as to why he pushed her so much harder then the other pupils. His answer was unexpected, "Lord Naraj asked me to make sure your training was vigorous." Frelda was furious, was Naraj purposely trying to make her life miserable? And if so, why? He had no right in interfering with her training, they had agreed she'd get no preferential treatment. But to make sure her life was miserable, but to make sure it was the opposite?
She slammed the door shut and threw her gear on the nearest chair. Her new clan room was far from luxurious, but the biggest advantage was it was private and had it's own bathing room. She'd passed all her tests with flying colors and had gotten high reviews from her instructors. And the advantage to that was on days like this, she could relax in her own bathtub and soak all her aches and pains away.
Her mind raced as she undressed and stepped into her warm bath. The hall's servants were quite quick in filling her request for a hot bath. She undid her braid her hair and leaned back, letting her hair fan around her. She tried to make sense of things. "Why would he try and sabotage my training? Did he want me to fail?" She massaged her temples in frustration.
She was so focused on her thoughts she failed to hear the soft click of her door being unlocked. Walking on silent feet, a dark figure looked around. He heard the soft splashes coming from her bathing room and headed towards the sounds. There he saw Frelda stretched out in her bath, the scent of her favorite bath oils drifting through the air. A smile crossed his face as thought about how beautiful and dangerous she was. Leaning against the doorway he crossed his arms and spoke softly, "Rough day?"
With a start, Frelda turned to the voice in her doorway. Seeing Naraj there she narrowed her eyes "Why yes, it was. But then you would know all about it wouldn’t you?" Naraj looked at her, she was definitely going to yell at him for something. Their first fight, "This could be fun!" he thought.

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Fighting
Frelda narrowed her eyes. She knew he was amusing himself with his thoughts, she had the smallest hint of a smile and a twinkle in his eye. This made her all the more angry. The bad thing was he was at an advantage over her being as she was naked and bathing. Knowing she had to get on level turf so she could be more of effective debater she slowly reached for her towel.
He just stood there looking smug at her as she stepped out of the tub. Her eyes felt as if flames were shooting out from them, she was soo angry. He looked at her appreciatively, admiring her figure. "You are certainly beautiful when you are angry, Frelda" She spun around quickly, wrapping the towel about her body. "How dare you treat me like nothing but your personal harlot! You have interfered with my training for the last time! Do you want me to fail so I’ll get discouraged and fawn over you breed little stupid Asturian brats? Because if that is what you want you can just leave now and forget you’ve ever known me!"
Naraj stepped back, shocked at the savagery that she displayed. "Ok, she must really be mad about something. Umm what do I do now?" He thinks. With a bewildered look in his eye he says "Frelda I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were this mad, I was just trying to make you laugh. What have I done to upset you?"
She coolly stared at him, "What have you done? Well how about asking my new swordsmaster to push me past my limits, and have him embarrass me by demanding perfection from me? He is no where near as strict with the other students as he is with me. I asked him why he was so strict and he said it was by your orders."
Naraj reached out to hold Frelda’s arm. He brought her close to him, despite her protests. She looked into his eyes, and saw concern. "Frelda you silly woman, you think I’m punishing you? In fact it's quite the opposite. I know what it's like out there, the Angaraks will kill you and not feel any remorse. And if they find out you are my lady, they will hunt you. Those Mercenaries will do the same as well. So, I want you to become unparalleled in the use of your dagger, so when you leave my arms I will not worry for your safety. Because You can be a good warrior, and I will do anything within my power to ensure that you can defend yourself from our enemies. I have many who want to hurt me and you are a tempting target for them."
She stood there, speechless. "You’re doing this because you love me and want me safe?" Naraj nodded, "If I were to lose you Id never forgive myself for not being there to protect you." Frelda embraced Naraj, a tear running down her cheek. "I am soo sorry, I was soo mean to you." Naraj stood there, Frelda cradled in his arms, with a smile he held her tightly. All was good.

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Moping
The wound looked worse then it was, but there had been poison on the edge of the Nyissian's dagger. The healer had to open the wound wider to leech out the poison. Frelda clutched on the blanket she lay on, trying to steel herself against the pain. She lay on the bed, her leg lay aside at an awkward angle, for the wound was on the inner side of her thigh, just above the knee.
Harltek had said the Nyissian's name was Ssolvarain, and he had allied himself with the Angaraks. Frelda felt lucky to have walked away from that fight. He was a fierce opponent, but she learned many things. Her main lesson was to be wary on his second dagger, it was dipped in poison and often found its mark.
As the healer finished stitching the wound, Frelda's thoughts drifted to Naraj. She had been thinking alot about him lately. Moping around the halls whenever he was away. She would wait after the crowds of his advisors would leave when he was home, to steal a few moments with him. She knew due to the nature of battle, there was little chance for them to be together. So, she trained dilligently, so that one day she would be skilled enough to join him in battle.
She smiled, gaining comfort in that thought. But then another thought flashed through her mind. What if he didn’t want to be with her forever? She pushed those doubts from her mind. The healer placed a large piece of gauze over the wound and sent her on her way. Frelda limped slowly to the courtyard. People were training in various spots. She found an unoccupied area of the yard, which happened to be in a corner, and sat down to watch the practicing recruits.
She knew she was moping, she couldn’t help it. She wanted to be comforted now, for she was sore and tired. Naraj was away somewhere and wasn’t here. She wasn’t prone to selfishness, but she wished, just for once he was here and she had him all to herself. She tried to shake those thoughts from her mind but she continued moping.

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