01-04-2017, 03:46 PM
He manifested from the shadows of the dark forest. At first he'd been content to merely watch all the newcomers in silence. Arrya's agitation was what tore him from his place and forced him into the open.
Always, he was meant to remain in the background. Silent. Watchful. A protector. Though with the death of his family, most especially his elder brother the prince, he had no purpose now. No longer his bodyguard. Instead, he'd filled his days with searching for a mare and child clearly long gone, or patrolling the borders. Or visiting with the closest thing to a friend he'd ever had.
He came to her side, prickly Arrya, and stood so that he was a step ahead of her. He would take whatever blows may be thrown at her.
His face was a hard mask, trained into him from childhood. With a glance, he dismissed the grullo mare as harmless. Newcomers waltzing into the midst of things were irritating when they should halt at the borders and wait to be escorted within, but she clearly was not a threat.
The woman taking Marlyn's place was also dismissed in this threat-detection. She was larger, but as sweet and kind as their gentle Marlyn had been. For a brief time, he'd been a bodyguard of a sort for Marlyn, but it seemed it hadn't been a close enough relationship to confide in him her plans to step down. More newcomers.
And then the man in the back. Tall, slender. Good-looking. Toned but certainly not a fighter. Not even close. He was also dismissed as harmless, and his attention returned to the new leader. All in a matter of a quick glance, a trained eye.
I am Akkadian-Shakkad. Deep within him, his heart winced at the use of his full name, but he forced it out anyway. It was proper to give it in a time like this, though the meaning of it would be lost on them. They'd have no idea..
We have no appointed diplomats or army. The majority of the residents stand before you now. Myself, and Arrya's family. He was without a doubt the closest thing they had to protection. Though he was reluctant to accept that responsibility again after the disastrous massacre of his family. He'd failed them. He'd rather not fail again. For now, his protection was only voluntary to whom he chose. So he held his silence, and did not offer himself for any services.