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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 20, 2006 18:16:52 GMT -5
With a sigh, Aranjee the Orange Queen sat down at her wooden desk (carved from the trunk of orange trees), picked up her quill, and began writing. It took her quite some time until her letter was perfect. Holding the parchment up, Aranjee blew on it to dry the orange colored ink. This is what was written on the orange-scented parchment.
Dear Slurpie Queen Pirogoeth,
I am writing to because I am concerned about you, my dear friend. There are several things that worry me. Firstly, I have not been getting many letters from you. Usually you write to me quite often. Secondly, neither Luna or Mashnipfaeri have been receiving mail from you as frequently as in past times. For a while I thought you might not want to be my friend anymore. That's a ridiculous, I know!
Finally, you missed the International Produce Meeting last month in the Phamakian Kingdom. I know that there really are no produce goods, or any plants for that matter in Macalania, but I thought you would be there.
I'm sorry if you are really busy and I am bothering you, but friends are supposed to be concerned. I really hope to hear from you soon. Also, I am sending this letter with Tweedle. He will probably be very tired and hungry when he gets there, so would you let him stay with you for a few days to rest up? Thanks!
Sincerely, Aranjee the Orange Queen
P.S. I'm sure even with whatever you have been up to recently you've heard about those three fighters running around Macalania. I'm not sure what they're doing, I just heard about them from one of my advisers. Have you met them? I know if there were people running around my kingdom causing a ruckus I would want to meet them and know what they are up to.
"Tweedle!" Aranjee called to her pet orange bird, as she stood up from her orange wood seat. At hearing his name, Tweedle aroused out of his slumber. But it was until Aranjee gave two long, high whistles that he flew over to her and landed on her shoulder.
Tweedle was almost completely orange, except for his green, leaf-like wings and tail. He was a smart, well-trained bird and could understand when Aranjee spoke to him. Also, he was very physically fit and could fly long distances without breaks, and carry large envelopes, up to twice his size.
"Okay, Tweedle," Aranjee began to explain to the little bird what his job was. "I want you to take this to Pirogoeth in the ice castle at the center of Macalania." Making sure that Tweedle understood his assignment, Aranjee tied the envelope to his right foot.
The envelope was as large as Tweedle himself and as he flew out of Aranjee's room, he struggled a bit in midair. But before he flew out of sight of the Orange Palace he balanced himself and was flying in a straight line north.
"I hope Piro gets this letter," Aranjee murmured to herself.
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 20, 2006 18:40:01 GMT -5
A figure paced back and forth in the hall, her flowing garments rustling as her steps swayed. Her head lay bowed in thought, her hands pressed against the bridge of her nose as her eyes studied the intricate designs upon the carpet. Halting, she sighed. Her body felt so tired, so weary, and she was too young. Rumors had been whispered in the dark alleys of war, of blood, of death; secrets had been kept of a storm, that would consume the world in despair; tall men dressed in black robes hissed strange tales of the future, predicting what was to come. And what was to come, was war. That is why this figure, Mashnipfaeri the Blossom Queen, paced back and forth. Then she decided that she would write a letter. Entering her bedroom chamber, she plopped herself at her desk, and dipping a quail feather pen into black ink, paused. Her mind went as blank as the parchement, clueless, helpless, not knowing what to put upon the paper. Not knowing what to ask her. She was ashamed. Ashamed for the way she could not rule her country the way she knew she should, ashamed of her age and inexperience. It was pure, hard shame, and it shot through her heart like a cold, icey dagger. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she heaved a sigh as she placed the tip of her pen upon the parchement.
Dear Aranjee the Orange Queen, How are you? I'm very, very sorry for not writing for such a long time, but I hope you will forgive me. How is the Unai Kingdom? Is everything going well? Well, I know I have to make this quick, and I'm incredibly sorry, but I desperately need advice. Rumors of war have spread over Phamakian, and I feel rather anxious and afraid. I am one of the youngest queens to rule over this land, and I have little experience. If you could offer any tips, that would be appreciated. Sincerely, Mashnipfaeri the Blossom Queen
P.S. I haven't been receiving any letters from Slurpie Queen Pirogoeth, is she all right?
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Piro
Korra Krew
Chipmunk Queen
Nom nom nom
Posts: 14,261
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Post by Piro on Jul 20, 2006 19:43:12 GMT -5
Piro rubbed her eyes and looked up to see Tweedle sitting on her windowsill. She smiled slightly and rose from her bed, wincing slightly. She took the letter from the bird and ruffled his feathers gently. Sitting down on her bed, she read the letter from Aranjee, and sighed quietly to herself. Lately, the evil mongooses had been eating the icecubes that kept her kingdom cold, and she had been very busy. Taking up a pen, she carefully wrote on a peice of parchment:
Dearest Aranjee,
I'm sorry to have worried you, but much has happened. The rabid mongooses have been eating our ice supply, so many times I've had to set the moose upon them. The mongoose's fear our moose friends, so they flee from them. But lately, they've been coming even more, so my people are forced to fight them. I haven't been getting much sleep, for I fear the mongoose's will try to take over my kingdom. I shan't give up, though. Even when many have died because of them. I hope this battle shall end soon, for I fear for my kingdom... I hope to see you soon, when this battle is over.
With all my queenly love, Piro
Piro looked up at Tweedle, then smiled at him and handed him the letter. "Make sure this gets to Aranjee." She said, and stroked his feathers one last time before letting him go.
[Ahem, Yeah. I'm not all that great at RPing....]
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 20, 2006 20:12:33 GMT -5
Drops of rain fell from the sky, splashing upon the ground as it landed. The patter of it created a gentle, mesmerizing rhythm; quick, soft, like tiny drums being beaten upon. Lightning split the dark steel sky, lighting the heavens as thunder roared in the distance, and the downpour of rain quickened in its pace. "Mashy!" The young queen turned around to the direction of the voice, which came from a young girl. "It's scary outside, and mum is ill in bed." A girl, barely three, gazed up at her, green eyes glistening with anxiety as she tugged nervously at dark curls. "I don't like the thunder." Mashnipfaeri knelt down beside the girl, Lucinda, was her name, and embraced her softly. "Don't worry, it'll pass." The queen's godchild nodded, but her brows still formed a worried expression. "Go play, now." Lucinda nodded once more, then ran along. Tapping her desk anxiously, Mash bit the tip of her pen. "The letter may not make it today." --- You're good at RP, Pirogoeth! ;D
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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 20, 2006 21:04:23 GMT -5
Aranjee stood on a large semi-circular balcony off of her sitting room. It was early in the morning, and the air was thick and humid. The bright, blinding sunshine shone through the scattered, low, cumulus clouds.
From the balcony, high in the Orange Castle, Aranjee could see all of the Topaz City, the capital of the Unai Kingdom. Below the city was starting to wake up, and there were people and wagons visible on the roads of downtown. Everyone was going about their daily business.
Aranjee smiled. Her kingdom was a very peaceful place. But it hadn't always been that way. About a decade ago, when Aranjee was a young girl there was a civil war. It was fought between the orange skinned and the non-orange skinned citizens. Most people in Unai did not have orange skin and those who did were blamed by the presidents of the largest orange companies for a bad crop one year. You see, the orange-skinned people of Unai have the power to make orange trees grow or wilt.
Aranjee's mother, the queen then was an orange skinned person and was targeted by the non-orange skinned extremists. Her father died in battle during the war. The Unai Civil War was the worst war ever in Unai.
There was a slight breeze now, that ruffled Aranjee's long, thick, light red hair. On top of her head, the queen wore a headband with ten white orange blossoms sewn into it. It matched well with her white dress with solid hints of topaz, that went past her ankles and her topaz colored sandals. Most people wore white and topaz colored clothes in the Topaz City. Also, the buildings in the capital city were made of topaz stone. They shone brilliantly in the midday sun and during sunset.
In spite of the glare of the sun, Aranjee could see a small orange figure approaching from the north. It was Tweedle!
In a matter of minutes, Tweedle swooped down into Aranjee's sitting room and landed on a big, soft armchair and immediately fell asleep.
"Tweedle!" Aranjee exclaimed. "You brought a letter from Piro!" Aranjee was bursting with excitement, as she picked up the sleeping bird and detached the letter from around his foot.
With wide, alert eyes Aranjee read the letter. "Piro is fine!" she yelled to no one in particular. "Hmm. . . I wonder why she didn't mention those three fighters," Aranjee whispered to herself. She's probably to busy with the mongoose problem to care about it, now, thought Aranjee.
Just as Aranjee was finished reading the letter, she heard the loud flapping of large wings. She ran back out onto the balcony and saw a large bird preparing to land on the balcony railing.
It was a huge ornate bird, at least five times the size of Tweedle. The feathers that covered it were absolutely beautiful. They were a wide variety of colors; red, orange, yellow, blue, and green.
Right away, Aranjee knew that the bird had to belong to her good friend, Mashnipfaeri the Blossom Queen. And there was a letter tied around it's leg!
Aranjee read the letter from her other queen friend. Then she decided to respond with a letter of her own.
Dear Mashnipfaeri the Blossom Queen,
I'm wonderful, and so is Tweedle! It's okay that you haven't written in a long time, I'm sure you have been very busy. The Unai Kingdom is doing quite well. As you probably know, the orange harvest is in two weeks. I am hoping that Pirogoeth, Luna, and you will all come for the big feast at the end of the harvest.
I do not have any advice for you right now, but I'm thinking that maybe I will come visit you in the Phamakian Kingdom, and then visit Pirogoeth in the Macamilian Kingdom, who is okay, by the way. Except for a mongoose problem. It will have to be a short trip though, as I must come back to Unai to oversee the orange harvest.
Sincerely, Aranjee the Orange Queen
"I think I'll let Tweedle take a longer break," Aranjee told Mashy's bird, gesturing to Tweedle, back in the room. "Here," she handed the bird her letter. "Take this to Mashnipfaeri," Aranjee said. And with that the bird flew off into the distance.
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Post by lunachaos on Jul 21, 2006 0:18:00 GMT -5
Luna sighed as she sat at her window. The night was a steely ebony, just like most of the 24 hours of the day. Small twinkling dots of silver peppered the sky, accenting it beautifully. She loved the darkness. Often she was accused of being a member of the Dark Lords that had been terrorizing the four kingdoms, but many times she'd proven golden.
She cared deeply for her Kingdom, Hountai, and only hoped they could with hold the troubles they'd been facing lately. Out of all four kingdoms, hers had been attacked most abundantly and fiercely. She knew why; they figured that since the days were cloaked in darkness for such a long period, that maybe they'd be the easiest to give in. But, in fact, she had the strongest kingdom. Her powers were the dangers and most threatening, but her greatest weakness was the daylight. Then she was powerless.
She idly wondered what her three friends were up to. She went over to her desk and began writing to Piro.
Dear Slurpie Queen Piro,
I haven't heard from you much. I hope that everything is well. It is nighttime here, as you may have guessed, but I enjoy watching the moon. I often get lost in my thoughts...
Anyways...has there been any recent attacks in your Kingdom? I know you've been hit the least, but I still worry. It's been quiet around here for a week now, the longest in a while.
I really need to harness my powers so I can defeat anyone who trespasses here anymore.
I hoep you are doing well.
Sincerely,
LunaChaos the Moon Queen.
She sighed, and summoned her black owl. It's sleek feathers sprinkled with white reminded her of her land on a winter night. It was beautiful...
She fastened the letter to Arden, her owl, and sent her off to Piro's land. Then she went over to the mirro and studied her bored face. Her long, brown hair cascaded along her shoulders, with her dark, metallic crown rested on her head. Beautiful sapphires were embedded in the front, improving it's radiance. Her long gown of blue and black was flowing and beautful. The greatness of it signified her importance.
She was young, but old enough to rule a kingdom. Her 15th birthday was soon, and anytime scoffed at her age she showed them what she thought of that.
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EDIT: That was really bad. I can do A LOT better...I'm tired.
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 21, 2006 6:50:36 GMT -5
No, you're fine! ;D ---
Sea blue eyes scanned the parchement, studying the curves of black letters and words as her lips moved slightly, murmuring what was written. Sitting at her desk, she took her quail pen out once more and began to write. Dear Aranjee the Orange Queen, Thank you very much for replying. Also, I'm glad to hear that you and Tweedle are doing well. It's all right if you don't have any advice; I really don't mind. But thank you so much for planning on a visit to see me; I really need it. It's too stressing here, and I feel weighed down, but your visit will be nice. Sincerely, Mashnnipfaeri the Blossom Queen
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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 21, 2006 7:27:32 GMT -5
When Aranjee woke up the next morning, she felt something- a beak maybe- tapping at her leg. It was persistent in trying to wake up the teenage queen.
"Tweedle!" Aranjee shouted, throwing a pillow at the bird sitting on her bed. But, when Aranjee actually looking at what was pecking her, it wasn't Tweedle, it was Queen Mashnipfaeri's bird again.
"How did you get in here?" Aranjee asked the Phamakian creature. Surprisingly, the bird understood her and motioned its head toward the open window. "Oh, I guess I forgot to close that last night. Sorry about throwing that pillow at you."
Gazing over to the perch next to her bed, Aranjee could see that Tweedle was still sound asleep, in spite of all the ruckus. Finally, after the morning fatigue had washed over, Aranjee relieved the giant, ornate bird of having to carry around Mashy's letter.
Her green eyes, now wide awake read the other queen's letter. It was quite clear that her friend was really stressed and Aranjee planned on visiting Phamakian as soon as possible. In just a matter of seconds, Aranjee has scribbled down this note on a spare piece of parchment in orange ink.
Dear Blossom Queen Mashnipfaeri,
I promise I will visit you as soon as I can. I think I'll be able to leave here in about two days, meaning I should arrive at your palace in around four days.
Your friend, Aranjee the Orange Queen
When Mashy's bird saw that she had finished writing, he landed next to her and held out his leg. "Thanks," Aranjee whispered, as the beautiful messenger flew out her window and east, toward her home.
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 21, 2006 7:57:44 GMT -5
Giant wings flapped as a bird landed upon the windowsill, sending chills up her spine. A chill, icey wind slid through the open window, goosebumps rising as the hair on the back of her neck pricked. The queen's eyes fluttered open, and, eying the bird, she smiled. "Jakian, good boy." She slumped up, yawning as she took the letter from the bird's foot. Reading it, she stretched, and, writing a quick note, handed it to Jakian. This is what it said: Dear Aranjee the Orange Queen, I'll be expecting you, and I'll make sure to give you some of the best hospitality. Sincerely, Mashnipfaeri the Blossom Queen And with that, the giant bird ascended into the sky, large wings flapping as its feathers, assorted with shimmering colors, glistened in the morning sunlight.
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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 21, 2006 9:20:19 GMT -5
Dark, low clouds hung over Topaz City on the day Aranjee's departure. It had been raining on and off for the past day in a majority of the Unai Kingdom. That had caused some flooding in the countryside, where all of the orange groves are.
This worried Aranjee. It was almost the orange harvest and this years crop was doing so well, compared to last year. Aranjee remembered last orange harvest, a terrible and newly discovered citrus disease had quickly spread throughout the entire land. It killed more than half of the oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes that flourished in the Unai Kingdom.
It would indeed be a shame if such a plentiful amount of food for her kingdom was flooded out, just weeks before the harvest. But, Aranjee knew that the farmers had taken extra precautionary measures this year to ensure the safety of their oranges and other citrus.
Aranjee stood in the Main Hallway of the Orange Castle, waiting. She couldn't leave without saying good-bye to Agi. Agi was Aranjee's top adviser and the prime minister of Unai, but she was also her Aranjee's aunt. Her father's sister and the young queen's surrogate mother.
At last, Agi came running down the stairs, carrying a silk bag studded with small pieces of amber topaz. Aunt Agi was a short, plump woman with long, thick brown hair, chocolate eyes, and orange skin. During the civil war she went into hiding and survived, but was devastated when she discovered her brother and sister-in law were killed.
"Oh, Aranjee," Aunt Agi began. "Have a safe trip," she continued, hugging her niece. "And, oh, I got something for you," Agi handed the silk bag to Aranjee.
"Thank you, Aunt Agi!" Aranjee exclaimed, sincerely. Inside was a dark orange rain coat with buttons made of topaz, obviously. There were also light orange colored rubber rain boats. As she put on her rain gear, Aranjee began speaking again. "Thanks also for looking after things around here while I'm gone."
"It's no problem, dear."
"And Tweedle, too. I love him and I know I can't trust just anyone with him. . .and-" Aranjee began to ramble.
"You better be going now," Aunt Agi cut in. You better get going before the rain starts again," advised Aranjee's aunt.
"Okay, bye!" Aranjee said, hugging her aunt once more. A servant opened the large, orange wood front doors of the castle, that reached all the way to the top of the two story ceilings.
Suddenly, with a rumble of thunder, a torrential downpour began. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the dark, dreary sky. As fast as she could, Aranjee ran down the steps of the Orange Castle and hopped into her carriage. Just then, the driver, Keide, closed the doors and got back into his seat. He urged on Aranjee's two copper horses, Elji and Bagedee.
Aranjee felt sorry for Keide, she was inside the warm, dry carriage when he was outside, wet, and cold. She would find a way to make it up to him later.
The ride was bumpy, through the unpaved roads of Topaz City. The rains had caused the dirt roads to turn to mud. Then, every time a person or wagon went down or across the streets, holes were created, resulting in an uneven driving surface.
Keide took an eastern route out of town toward Phamakian, and what few people were out on the streets during the downpour waved to Aranjee. With a smile on her face, Aranjee waved backed.
In about half an hour, Keide and Aranjee were out of Topaz City and it's surrounding suburbs. Now, they were in the countryside, where it wasn't raining as hard as it was in the city. Out in the country, the roads were dotted with citrus fields.
The oranges look fine to me, Aranjee thought. There were other fields that were empty, where Aranjee knew that there should have been cattle, sheep, and horses. Their owners probably brought them in their barns because of this awful rain, Aranjee convinced herself.
After a couple of hours, Aranjee was bored. So she took off her headband, realizing that after walking through the rain, the flowers probably needed fixing. She was right, they were limp and thoroughly wet. Using her left hand, Aranjee levitated the headband and with her right hand, touched each orange blossom. This caused them to perk up and look new again. Aranjee learned how to do this from her aunt.
The ride was quite boring, but Aranjee was excited when they finally crossed the bridge over the Phanai River that separated Phamakian and Unai. But, night was also falling, so Keide pulled over into the forest on the side of the roads in Phamakian. He took the harness off of Elji and Bagedee and let them graze and drink from a nearby creek.
Keide curled up and fell asleep under a tree next to the carriage, and Aranjee just sat in the carriage, not at all tired. She was to excited about seeing Mashnipfaeri. Looking out the window, Aranjee could see the full moon shining proudly, high in the sky. "I hope Luna is well," Aranjee whispered to herself. With that, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When the bright, early morning sunshine woke up Aranjee the next morning, she realized that the carriage was already moving. We must've been traveling for a while this morning, Mash thought. I can see Mash's palace in the distance!
Before Aranjee and Keide arrived at the palace, they passed through the most magnificent gardens in all the world. There was every flower Aranjee could name, and even a few she couldn't. The aromas of the blooming flowers mixed together to create a wonderful, indescribable scent.
In less than an hour, Aranjee's carriage was in the driveway of Queen Mashnipfaeri's palace. The Orange Queen could see her friend standing outside, waiting for her. When Keide halted the horses, Aranjee leaped out of the carriage. She ran to her friend and excitedly shouted, "Mash!"
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 21, 2006 9:28:45 GMT -5
She had spotted the queen at the front gate, dashing up the steps with a large grin upon her face. Immediately, Mash had raced downwards, dodging maids and servants, dukes and noblewomen, and now, she was grasping Aranjee in a tight squeeze. "Aranjee," she said, smiling. "It's so good to see you!" The corners of Aranjee's mouth spread upward, towards her eyes in a huge smile.
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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 21, 2006 9:35:55 GMT -5
"I've missed you so much!" Aranjee exclaimed hugging her friend. "Come on, let's go inside. I'm hungry and I'm in the mood for a nice, big Phamakian meal!"
So, walking together the two friends entered the palace and went into the orante, colorful dining room to eat a big meal and catch up with what's been going on since the International Produce Meeting.
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 21, 2006 9:44:07 GMT -5
"Ah, nothing much." Mash informed her friend, eating a bit of pork. "Ever since that ended, it's been quite dull, except for the rumors I told you about it my letter." The young queen took a sip of her wine. "I hope their just rumors, but I caught one of my advisors slipping a piece of paper to a count. Thankfully, one of my spies intercepted it afterwards. It had a date upon it. I think it was August 2."
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Post by orangeybrisket1993 on Jul 21, 2006 9:53:05 GMT -5
"Hmm. . ." Orangey took a bite of some sort of sweet, green fruit. "Are you concerned about these rumors and that adviser and whatever might happen on the second of August? And what did you do about the adviser? Did you fire him?" Aranjee bombarded her friend with questions.
"I'm sorry for being nosy, but I think this is really something to worry about. I know I'm concerned and it isn't even my kingdom!" Aranjee spoke the last part in a joking tone, taking a sip of red wine.
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Post by Mashnii on Jul 21, 2006 9:59:23 GMT -5
Mash released a nervous chuckle, scoffing slightly as her gaze fled to the ground. "Yeah, I'm worried, but I can't fire him just yet. I need more evidence, and more hints on what might happen, so I need to watch him." A bell rung, a signal for dessert. "Wanna get some dessert?"
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