LYRAS

"Oh boy... another day in this place." The hawk man sighed. The streets were far from quiet today in Balhmsher, the local bazaar keeping things busy as always. The people rushing around this way and that selling wares, picking pockets, yelling for guards... it was always this way this time of year. A gang of thugs could be seen wandering aimlessly, or seeming like it, around the bazaar, looking for a particular man. He had liberated them of some coins, and they weren't about to let him get away with that. The leader of their group was clad in chain mail whilst the others in simple leather clothes roughed up some of the merchants, asking for information.

There were four people, including the leader, and he was the one standing back with a trained eye on the people. Two that were shaking down a nearby cloth salesman were holding blades, and the last that was bothering an arms merchant was wielding a club. As for the leader himself, he was toting around what seemed to be a piece of metal shrapnel, though from what was anyone's guess. The first of two thieves, a black haired intense looking man, grabbed the collar of the merchant and growled angrily. His colleague at the arms merchant, being brown haired and somewhat sly looking, decided to be a little more persuasive than intimidating.

"Would you happen to know where the 'Bird Prince' is?" The arms dealer looked the man back in the eye and shook his head. He explained that he hadn't seen anyone fitting the description come past his stall, though he had noted that there were quite a few people wearing cloaks today.

"SO HELP ME IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHERE THAT DAMNED BIRD IS!" The cloth merchant whimpered and screamed as he was dragged closer to the strong thief. A nearby guard cleared his throat and although reluctantly, the thief dropped the merchant to the ground harmlessly.

"P-P-Please... I don't know who you're talking about!" The merchant breathed, scared witless as the second thief decided to strike while the iron was hot. He had orange hair and his eyes could tell just about anyone how much of a glib conversationalist he really was.

"Now, now... surely you know something... you see, my friend here... he hates when people... forget things..." The black haired thief cracked his knuckles menacingly as their leader walked up behind the two. His bald pate shining openly in the sun, a wicked smile playing on his heavily scarred face, his green eyes glinting like daggers. He looked down at his two underlings and placed two large, heavy hands on their shoulders. The two looked back and up at him and seemed to wither, backing away to let the boss at the cloth merchant.

"... You two really don't know when to stop, do you boys?" His voice showed a false concern for the seller and sounded as if he was talking to little children. He was about to say more when he caught a glimpse of a man walking nearby, a feather falling from under his cloak. His eyes went wide and his face contorted into an uncontrollable rage.

"THERE HE IS! AFTER HIM!" The three thieves immediately sprung into action, bolting down the road towards the cloaked figure and grabbing his arms tightly. The hawk man underneath was stunned from the sudden attacks and his hood was pulled back, revealing his beaked face. His blue eyes blinked a couple of times as he got used to the multitude of light slamming into his eyes from the sudden disrobing, and the leader of the thieves looked at his target with the same smile playing on his face as when he had been talking to the merchant moments before.

"Lyras, Lyras, Lyras... did you really think you could get past me and my men? ... Where is the money you stole from us, bird?" Lyras sighed aloud as he was asked and with a glib smile he remarked.

"Interesting how quickly the homeless can scrape all that stuff up when you accidentally drop it..." He laughed inwardly at his own cryptic suggestion, but he wasn't fooling the leader in the least.

"Dropped it huh? I'm so sure you did. In fact..." He balled up his fist and threw a punch straight at the bird man's face, connecting with a loud cracking noise as Lyras screamed from the hit. The leader punched again and again, each hit throwing Lyras further into pain and closer to blacking out. With the last of his strength he laughed, and loudly, at the four thieves. The three behind the boss were sure that he had knocked something loose, and they watched on as the boss continued punching him. What he had been laughing about, however was the hopelessness of his situation. But he knew that whenever the situation was dire, something somewhere happened that help him out in the end.

----- MEANWHILE -----

Trell had been making his way to the city gates, Morgana straggling along behind him. He didn't know why but she had continued to follow him every since he turned Marticano down. He also couldn't pinpoint it, but something seemed wrong with the city today. It was as if something disruptive were happening, even if there were no outward signs of it. It was then that Morgana caught up with him, her eyes sharp and her look serious. She raised one dark skinned hand towards the center of the bazaar where they saw the thieves beating up a strange looking individual.

"What are you four doing?" He yelled out as he rushed to the man's aid. Morgana knew that he would rush in headlong and had opted instead to skulk along, keeping herself hidden. The leader of the thieves looked at the pitiful puny warlock with little interest as he was about to throw another punch. Trell immediately reacted without thought, white fire consuming his hands as his eyes glowed green. His hair flew wildly about him as the fire coursed into the leader's body and the man dropped the hawk. His body was rigid and his eyes screaming with pain as suddenly gouts of green flame flew from his face, licking at his shoulders and hands.

The man finally got a scream to escape his mouth and the three underlings rallied, heading for Trell with a look of rage in their eyes. This was before they were absolutely doused in darkness, Trell and the hawk man just outside the dome. Morgana's eyes were glowing black, even darker than the dome around the thieves when suddenly they flashed red. Squeaking could be heard throughout the dome and the thieves screams were oddly muffled, dying away slowly before the dome disappeared. The thieves were nowhere to be seen.

The battle wasn't truly over yet, but the leader was all on his own. He shook the fire from his body and mind and grabbed his trusty 'mace' from his side. With a hungry look in his eyes he brought it up over his head for the ultimate attack on the warlock. He wanted to see this little wimp dead on the street, he wanted to see blood... and he got his wish. With less than a second to react, Lyras jumped into action, stabbing the leader in the back with his dagger as a sudden switch overtook the battlefield. It had seemed that the warlock was the target of the attack, but now standing where he was was Lyras himself.

The mace fell with the leader and slammed into Lyras' shoulder, buckling his legs from the sheer force. He grunted as he clutched his shoulder, red seeping into his brown cloak and his eyes cinched shut. He bent to a knee and groaned as another wave of pain coursed through him but he fought through the pain to address his saviors.

"Thank you... for your help... I am called Lyras... Lyras Fellfeather. I'm a Kytharan, from the castle in the sky." He introduced himself as yet another bout of pain flew through his shoulder. Trell looked concerned as he walked over to the hawk man's left side to support him and lift him to his feet.

"We'd better get that checked out... I'm Trell Copas, by the way..." He muttered as he helped the man make his way to the church where he had previously been healed. A cleric just outside the doors dressed very simplistic robes rushed forward. He had seen them coming for a little while before he decided to rush to their aid, and he groaned as he reached them.

"Honestly, can nobody keep themselves safe in this city?" The cleric mused morosely as he concentrated his energies into healing wounds. Slowly the pain in Lyras' arm died away and he waved it up and down to test it. He smiled back at the elf that had helped him when it suddenly struck him. 'He's really... an amazing man... and looks amazing too...' He thought to himself as a familiar voice screamed in response. 'You're a prince! This is hardly becoming of you to think about!' It was here that his mind began to bicker with itself, and a blush played underneath his deep brown plumage.

'What does it matter? I'm not a prince anymore... I'm an exile. I should be able to do what I wish!' His argument with himself came to a close as he continued staring into the elf's eyes.

"I-Is there something... wrong?" Trell asked as Lyras' blush increased, thankfully covered by his feathers and he quickly dismissed the situation. He pulled his cloak away to reveal the ornate looking red and blue velvety outfit underneath. The gold trim around the button holes was faded with age and the dust flowing around the town at a constant rate had reduced the once flawless clothing to rather decrepit looking garments. Trell raised an eyebrow and Morgana simply scowled as they saw what Lyras was wearing underneath, and Morgana knew beyond a doubt that they were dealing with royalty. She didn't say anything of course, best not to make a scene in the middle of all these people.

Trell looked to Lyras with a grin. He couldn't quite place it, but he had the feeling that this hawk man was more than what he had let on. He spoke quite well, acted a little humble, especially for a rogue, and it seemed like he kept looking Trell over, as if summing his talents. He seemed like the perfect person to have tag along, and it seemed like he would want to leave this town soon enough. The elf formed the words in his mind before finally opening his mouth to speak, but Lyras interrupted him.

"Would you be willing... to... let me go with you two?" His sentence lost steam as he said it, like he had been gathering the courage and found barely enough to finish. Trell was lost for words, having been preempted in such a way, but Morgana scoffed in response to the question. She walked up to the hawk man and gave him a critical look before shrugging and letting out a long drawn sigh.

"Do whatever you wish. We won't deny you to join, but you'd better be useful." She explained. What had ever happened to Morgana of the Black Star, the woman that struck fear into the hearts of many? She used to foretell of the deaths of many people, noble or ignoble, and she was notorious through the world... about 20 years ago. After that things just seemed to stop. People were no longer fearful of the signs and portents of the stars in the sky, but Morgana still used their fearful and yet awesome powers. Still... it seemed that the old Morgana had definitely died away, softened by something she couldn't figure out.

The three adventurers were standing just at the gates at the end of the day. The red sun dropping slowly in front of them casting an eerie glow around the different stalls and sections of the bazaar. The town was slowly going to sleep, but this didn't stop Trell, Morgana, and Lyras as they set off through the gates. The two sets of iron grates flew down behind them, sealing the town off from them as they trudged down the dirt paths. Only the sound of the wind in the night accompanied them, and the bitter chill in the air almost seemed like a warning as they found themselves stuck at a crossroads. A dilapidated old sign stood in the midst of the three roads branching away from them, but the lettering was illegible.

Suddenly it seemed as if the sounds around them died away instantly. The wind wasn't whistling around them, but the chill persisted. They were being followed against their knowledge, and it was with such precise stealth that no one could have possibly seen the group of assassins winding their way to the group. Their orders were simple; kill the red robed elf, but they had never bargained for a drow and whatever that noble was following him around. No matter, they would still finish their job even if they didn't survive it.

The first assassin slowly reached down to the dagger slung at his hip and grabbed it, quickly flicking his wrist and sending it flying towards Trell's uncovered head. It seemed like a flawless victory until Lyras heard the whipping of the dagger and simply guessed who the target was.

"DOWN!" Lyras tackled Trell to the ground, forgetting his bashfulness until just after the act and quickly jumping back to his feet after the dagger whistled harmlessly past where the center of Trell's head would have been. He turned to the inky blackness of the night and spotted the movement with his attuned eyesight. It seemed like more elves like Trell, and he saw a second reaching towards his dagger with a look of triumph. Quickly Lyras grabbed the sling at his side and loaded a small lead ball into it. With a flick of the wrist and a turn of the arm the ball seemed to spin faster than ever possible and it slammed into the assassin's head.

The assassin reeled backwards as he fell to the ground unconscious and finally Trell had gotten back to his feet. What had just happened... and did he see a blush coming from Lyras? Finally getting close had revealed the hawk man's feelings for Trell, but he couldn't think of that now, he had assassins to dispatch. He threw his hands back and forth and two orbs of energy shot towards the darkness, blindly striking the ground and lighting the darkness around them in a pale green glow. He had missed both times, but the light had given away their positions, and soon this would be over.

Morgana had caught the figures in the blackness of the night and smiled viciously. Two more orbs of purple light flew into the night sky, and a grunt escaped the assassin on the left as his black cloaked corpse struck the ground. Sparks were arcing from his body as if he had been electrocuted and they slowly died away as the final assassin jumped into a nearby tree. He threw a dagger into the ground, a piece of paper attached to it and continued to jump into the joining forests around them. Trell brushed off his robes before walking up and grabbing Lyras by the collar and dragging him away.

"Wh-What're you doing?! Let me go!" He was cut off as finally the two had stopped and Trell wheeled around to look Lyras closely in the eye. Lyras felt the blush returning to his face and his eyes were shining with the want to look somewhere else. Trell raised an eyebrow as he brought his face even closer and he saw the blush even through the feathers on Lyras' face.

"You... you're attracted to me?" Trell interrogated as Lyras gasped and shook his head violently, his eyes watering.

"No-No! I-I-I don't... I don't find you..." He was cut off as he felt a pair of lips press to his beak suddenly and shortly. His eyes cinched shut and he whimpered lightly, clearly not expecting a kiss to come from all of this. He had been expecting to be told to go back to the city, or to leave them and never come back. But instead he had been given a kiss, and one that lit his mind on fire. Whatever happened next he didn't care, but he knew that he wanted to continue being around Trell without a shadow of a doubt.

Morgana had watched the two walk away and she had to admit, even she hadn't seen the kiss coming. Once she saw the elf press into the hawk man her eyes had flown open and a blush played on her dark skin. It was unheard of for two men to kiss like that... and she never thought she'd see the day that an elf would be so persuaded. She knew she had witnessed something that she shouldn't have, and with that she quickly turned around and acted as if she had seen nothing of the sort. The two made their way back to her and she turned to look at them.

"Well, what's our next step?" She asked Trell as he walked past her to the dagger thrown into the ground. He untied the paper from the handle and opened it to see an ornate insignia of a willow tree and a crow on the very top. His face went from shocked to scared to angry all in the same motion as he crushed the paper in his fingers. He walked past his two partners without a word and they followed, almost losing him.

"Trell! What's wrong?" Morgana rushed to catch up with him and he looked at her.

"My own family. My own FAMILY tried to KILL me." He threw the paper to the ground in a fury, his skin bristling with Eldritch Energy. The paper unfolded slightly to show the insignia once more and Morgana's eyes widened.

"You're the Copas of the Weeping Crow? If I had ever known... Trell, I foretold your parents death by their hand." Trell's face dropped  and his hair fell in front of his eyes, covering his look of sorrow as tears drew down his face. Lyras couldn't stand seeing anyone sad through his own life, and he could also relate in a small way to what Trell was going through. Having been exiled from his own kingdom, the hawk man walked up to Trell and placed an arm on his shoulder.

"Trell... maybe we should stop traveling for the night. I know what its like for your own family to betray you, and I know that when it happened to me... I didn't even want to breathe." He rubbed Trell's shoulder comfortingly and Trell sighed, close to breaking down.

"You're... you're right." He gave in as they began to set up camp, soon having a humble fire built and their tents set up. Trell sat at the fire, staring at the embers and coals simply thinking of his next move. Morgana had gone into her own tent and refused to do anything else but meditate for the night. This left Lyras sitting right next to Trell, and pondering just what the kiss meant. Trell looked over to Lyras, seeming to think the same thing as they stared into each others eyes. Trell had never once kissed another man, and the thought that he had just done it out of no real thought had bothered him.

Being raised in a time where even the thought of kissing another man was rare to impossible to find, these two were lost and alone. But they couldn't be alone, they had both done it do each other. Still, there was no way anyone would understand, and no one would condone it either. They both felt the cold rush of sad realization and guilt but they still edged closer to each other. Their worlds had turned upside down in and instant, with no clue how to proceed next.

"Trell..." Lyras began uncertainly. "What happened earlier..." He was cut off again by yet another kiss, this time longer. He couldn't stand it, he whimpered yet again, his eyes clamping shut as Trell followed suit, his eyes closing slowly. They pulled away from each other, both blushing hotly as they stared into each others' eyes.

"I don't know why... but it feels so..." Trell started with a whimper. Lyras knew exactly what he was going to say and at the same time they both said it.

"Right." The night closed in on them as they split and went to their own tents, the fire put out perfectly and quickly. Trell dreamed that night of the kiss he had shared with Lyras, and Lyras dreamed of the same, a smile playing on their faces.