Post by nae on Jun 10, 2009 10:36:47 GMT -5
Name: Byrta
Gender: Female
Age: Seventeen turns
Sexuality:Straight
Location: Dalibor Wyer
Rank: Dragon Candidate
Personality:
Byrta is, at very first glance, already confusing. She constantly twists and contorts her body, more comfortable with the odd positions rather than staying still. She has a terrible case of attention deficit hyperactive disorder, but controls it by constantly moving. Byrta is an incredibly bright girl and rarely has to be taught something twice. She can learn most things merely by watching it being done once, but cannot learn from reading something from a book. Looking at abstract letters or numbers means nothing to her and the concept flitters out of her head faster than it took to turn the page. Anything physical or challenging though and she's all over it, analyzing it until she can perform the task perfectly. She's incredibly determined and stubborn and will never give up on something that she's started. Her work ethic is impeccable and her desire for a challenge makes her thrive in a competitive environment.
Despite all of the hardship and lack of kindness shown to her in her life, she fully believes in people and refuses to give up on someone. Byrta is also a very kind and fun-loving person herself. Incredibly personable she always seems to outshine her brother who has learned to glare at the world under foreboding lashes. Also unlike her brother, Byrta is always seen with a smile on her face and her bright green eyes flashing at the world. Byrta loves the theatrics, loves music, and life. Byrta loves to feel alive. To play tricks and wrestle with the boys. She refuses to sulk, learns from her mistakes, and always gets back on the proverbial horse.
Byrta and her twin brother, Bard, have an extremely close and complicated relationship. They both feel as though they must protect the other, and have grown extremely attached to one another. Byrta, although confident and strong, has a hard time truly opening up to someone. She doesn't like to show sadness or anger, not wanting to ruin anyone else's mood along with her own. She's too afraid that they won't like her if she isn't smiling. That the world will frown back at her. Her mother had always said that frowning solves nothing, frowning only begets more frowns. Byrta took this to heart and always tried to be a bright spot on everyone's day. If she smiles at them, maybe they'll smile back. This is part of the reason that she is so dependant on Bard. She knows that no matter what mood she's in, and no matter how bad things get Bard will never get tired of her frown or sick of her depression. She could just be herself in front of him. With Bard she could get angry. She could show him every evil inside of her and he'd still love her, just as he knew that she'd still love him.
Appearance:
Contrary to her sunshine and energetic personality her looks seem much more stern and calm if you can get her to stand still long enough to really look at her. Pretty in a strong and almost foreign way she has hazel eyes that flutter between hints of colors although always settling on shades of green. Eyes that could gouge into your soul and hid hers. Eyes that closed you off and yet drew you in. Beautiful eyes that are set into a darkly tanned face. Hair as wild as the twists and turns that she threw her own body into. Untamable, and typically frizzy, dusty brown curls framing a face set with a square and stubborn jawline.
Her body is lithe and flexible but is made of pure corded muscle. Muscle that you saw ripple with every movement she makes. Muscle like cord that shows how strong and athletic she is. Standing at a tall five feet and seven inches, it helps to create a nearly imposing figure. The only part of her appearance that makes her seem attainable is that friendly sunshine smile that she flashes at nearly everyone that sees her. She has a smile that can brighten up the worst of days even if there is a bit of mischief hidden in the corners of those supple pink lips.
Family:
Bard (her brother), and possibly their father.
Pets:
n/a
History:
Byrta was born one and a half minutes after her twin brother Bard, and he never let her forget it. They were born in Nabol Hold to a farmer and his sweet-hearted wife. Their mother was all daises and honey. The kind of woman that touched everyone's heart, and yet she was also a strict woman who would raise her children to be respectful and productive young adults. She would not see her children act like vagabonds, not that they ever would. They both idolized their mother, barely seeing their father. They were generally a very happy little nuclear family and loved each other dearly. Neither child had really known tragedy until the winter that they were eight, when rather than getting a baby brother or sister they lost their mother. The whole hold seemed to weep for her just as the sky did, the whether surprisingly warm enough to rain rather than snow.
Byrta took this harshly, but not nearly as badly as Bard. Her brother was heart-broken and latched onto Byrta more than ever. Byrta tried to be the one to make things better, to take mom's place. Bard had always told her how much she was like mom although she had never understood the comparison. She was not nearly so pretty as her mother, and definitely didn't act like her. Byrta saw her mother as an angel and could only view herself as an incompetent and unworthy replacement. Bard said that her smile was like her mothers. That it became infectious, and people couldn't help but smile back. Byrta, however hard she tried to emulate her mothers smile, always saw the same wickedness in the corners of her lips. The kind that her mother never could have bore. Her mother. The woman that she would never be able to live up to, and yet always strove to make proud of her.
No matter how hard she tried to keep the family together their father was grief stricken, and in the six months after their mothers death they had seen more of their father than ever before, although he wasn't their father any more. Grief is a strange thing, and Byrta will forever have a construed view of grief in her mind. Her mother had never seemed sad in all of her life, and always tried to make everyone happy. Her brother, who was once as much of a ball of sunshine as Byrta was, became brooding and sneaky. Began to shut himself off from the world. But her father is what really affected her thoughts on this emotion. Her father, who became lazy and angry. He would go out into the fields less, and instead sit in their house drinking for hours. Finally he began to resent both of his children. Byrta, who was much more like her mother than she could ever give herself credit for, reminded him of his wife and therefore earned his scorn. He hated her outright and openly for being able to keep a piece of the woman he loved while he was left with nothing. Nothing left but the two children that he had never really known, and certainly didn't care for now. Bard, although expressing grief, didn't express enough in their father's opinion, and soon he pretended that Bard didn't exist all together. Bard, after a few weeks, seemed to return the favor, while Byrta continued trying. Mother would have wanted the family to stay together, to stay close. She would have wanted them to be good to their father. Byrta tried so hard to impress him. To show him that she loved him and wouldn't leave him. That he could have Mother as well if he would just love her. She acted as if the scorn brushed off of her shoulders and continued smiling. Reciting in her mind the lessons that her mom had taught her. The one standing out the most...
"Byrta, darling, don't frown." The pout remained on the young child's face.
"Why not?" With a small sigh that angel bent down to Byrta's eye level and lifted her chin speaking kindly but firmly, in a voice so soft that it seemed like she was telling Byrta a secret piece of wisdom.
"Frowning solves nothing. Frowning only begets more frowns." Byrta relented and gave her mother a half smile, which made the woman beam. "There you go sweetheart. Smile. You have wonderful smile. Learn to use it." She winked at Byrta before turning back to the chores she was attending.
... The scene repeated before her eyes every time she wanted to break down in front of her father's harsh words. She would stand tall. Frowning solves nothing. Frowning only begets more frowns, and she did not want her father to frown any longer. She wanted to see him smile... but he never did. He never smiled for the bright little girl who was losing all hope. Instead he wallowed in his depression ignoring the damage that he was doing to a pair of amazing young twins.
No matter how much farther she was falling into depression no one ever saw it. She'd smile all day, being cheery and try to make her smile as infectious as her mothers. It wasn't until late at night, when she thought Bard was asleep that she curled up into a ball and cried. Absolutely sobbed. Sometimes she would wake Bard, and he would never say a word, but instead crawl into bed with her and wrap her in his comforting arms. This created an attachment to Bard that she felt she could never have with anyone else. He could see her upset. He could see her frown and she knew that he would think no less of her in the morning.
While their father had stopped working or caring for his children Bard and Byrta were learning to fend for themselves. All that spring and summer they took care of as much of the crops as they could and ate those, but two youngsters could barely do a full grown man's work. Still, they managed to feed themselves until winter, when the ground froze over and they were left with nothing. It was nearly a year after mom's death and their father only seemed to be worsening towards his children and the rest of the world. It was like he was trying to kill himself with all of the booze he was drinking. Somehow Bard was managing to turn up with food though. He continuously said that it was merely stored away, but Byrta knew when her twin was lieing to her. He also always seemed tired and she would often find him napping in the middle of the day.
Finally, one night she pretended to fall asleep, merely laying in bed until she heard her brother get up and start tip-toeing out of the room. Byrta silently followed him until he opened the front door. At which time she made her presence known.
"Bard. Where are you going? And don't lie to me." Bard turned around looking guilty, but it was quickly covered with worry as he motioned for her to go back to bed.
"I have something important to do. Go back to bed." Byrta jutted out her stubborn jaw and gave him a stern look. "Look, Byrta I don't want you mixed up with this. Promise me you won't follow." When Byrta said nothing he frantically urged, "Promise!"
"Fine. I won't go after you but if you don't come back safe I'll never forgive myself." With that Bard nodded and left. After only a split seconds deliberation Byrta decided to follow him anyway. Hiding herself in the cover of the darkness surrounding her she found her brother stealing the food that was keeping them alive and immediately felt immense guilt for letting him take this burden alone. She walked over to him and began filling her arms as he was even as he shot a glare at her. He wouldn't dare yell at her here, but she knew she would hear it when she got home.
A huge fight ensued between the twins, but after a few days of following him and absolutely no sleep Bard gave up and agreed to let her help so long as they were smart about it. Ever the pencil and paper of the two. Their constant planner, even when their mother was alive and all that they planned was pranks, he now began forming new tactics to his thievery. He played on both of their strengths and now that their was two of them they only had to go half as often. Soon they were able to steal things in broad daylight. Grabbing an apple here, and a loaf of bread there. It was safer to steal during the day if you planned on stealing regularly. The inventory mix up would be taken as a mistake rather than them noticing that things were consistently going missing by night. The only trouble was that it is easier to get caught in daylight. They had to apply both wit and skill to an act that they both despised, but if Byrta was going to do it (and she had to) she was going to do it right.
Everything continued like this until the spring of their ninth turn. Dad changed from harsh to nearly maniacal. One day when Byrta walked into the house with a loaf of bread and a few cheeses their father actually got up and walked over to her. Byrta's heart seemed to be caught in her throat as the onslaught of words broke her heart and hope.
"Where'd you get that? You stole it didn't you! What would your mother think of you now?! No more smiles for you! You've tarnished her name with this foolishness!" Bard walked in but he went unnoticed by both the unrelenting father and the terrified Byrta. He had never come this close to her before. His face now only a few inches from hers as he continued screaming. "You're unworthy to call her your mother! You should have died! Not her! But she loved you children didn't she?" The last sentence was harshly spoken rather than yelled, and he griped Byrta's arm so tightly that she was sure it would be bruised in the morning. "And then one of you took her life. She deserved so much better than you ungrateful brats." His grip tightened and Byrta began whimpering.
"Dad! Dad! Please let me go! You're going to break my arm!" A twisted and hungry smile formed on his face as he squeezed harder. "Ow!"
"Let go of her you monster!" Bard was coming to her rescue.
"She's my daughter and I'll do what I want with her! If your mother knew that you two were stealing she would hate you as well. You know that?" Byrta finally gathered the strength to look him in the eye, because that wasn't true. If she knew anything, she knew that her mother would have understood. They only stole what they needed, and she wasn't proud of what she did.
"No! She would have loved us anyhow! And she never would have neglected us like you have! We never would have had to steal if it wasn't for you! If she's going to be disappointed in anyone it would be YOU!" Byrta simply bursted, all of the anger tearing out of her screaming voice. The only thing that stopped her from continuing was a strong and broad hand slapping her so hard across the face that she went reeling across the floor. Byrta was knocked out cold and didn't wake up until Bard had already carried her far away from her home.
"I couldn't let him hit you, Byrta. I just couldn't." That was the first thing he said, as if trying to explain himself, but he didn't have to. Byrta knew that Bard would have died trying to protect her and could only imagine what happened. She didn't press it however, just wrapping her arms around him.
"Where are we headed Captain?" He gave a small smile and Byrta couldn't help but beam at him. Be happy Bard.
Byrta didn't learn what had happened until days later when curled around a fire Bard finally just told her. Byrta knew better than to press it with her brother.
"Byrta. I didn't actually kill him... but I tried. He was too strong, too big. But I got you out of there. I got you to safety." His eyes, usually closed off, seemed to want her approval, wanted her to tell him that he did an excellent job.
"Thank you, Bard. I never would have had the courage to leave myself." Bard just nodded before probing the fire again. For the next few months they traveled. Picking a general direction and heading that way by day, and camping by night. They didn't have supplies but learned plenty in those few months until they found High Reaches Hold where they were fostered.
Their foster mother was a nice enough woman, if extremely stern and grave. She fed and clothed the twins, but was usually too busy with her own children to monitor the pair too much. It didn't help that they both naturally bonded with each other rather than integrating with the other children. So usually the pair was left to their own devices. Merely hanging around and having little adventures. In this time they did a lot of exploring and play fighting. Bard was always trying to get Byrta to wrestle around. She loved doing it but Bard's constant insistence towards it made her worry a bit. What was he planning now?
It turned out that he was trying to teach her to protect herself, and ended up doing a very good job at it. Byrta was a natural athlete, and loved doing physical things. She was always challenging herself, and a spar with her brother was always fun because the boy was built even better than she was, and would usually win. It gave her something to strive for. She didn't really find her niche, however, until the mid-winter festival at High Reaches Hold.
Byrta and Bard were walking around finding amusement in the traders. It wasn't until one particular trader, though, that Byrta stopped dead in her tracks and just watched. The girl was about twice Byrta's age, ten, and danced wonderfully. It was a mixture of dance and acrobatics that fascinated Byrta. The way this beautiful trader with dark hair and full lips had such control of her body. Byrta watched and began mimicking some of the moves, her mind twisting around the ways that it was done. Byrta merely had to watch something a few times to understand it. First was the cartwheel. She watched the woman make the whirling motion, kicking her legs in the air. Next time Byrta noticed the way the woman touched the ground with her arms and propelled her feet up. Finally Byrta tried to figure out how much force to put into in. Then she tried it. First time she fell, but the second time she did it. The third it was nearly a perfect cartwheel. This continued for more of the easier moves. One where she bent herself backwards and then thrust her feet over her head was one of her favorites. Byrta stayed there for a few hours trying to accomplish these feats. Only a few that she tried failing her. When the woman was done performing she came over to Byrta.
"Have you had any training?" Byrta shook her head and flashed a bright smile at the young woman. "Okay. Well, would you like to learn a bit before I leave?"
"Of course!" The girl taught her how to do the few moves she had tried and failed at, along with some of the one's that she hadn't tried, not understanding how to do them. Only when the sun was setting, did the beautiful girl step back from Byrta with a wicked smile and a laugh.
"Practice those to perfection and I'll be back at the next festival. I'll teach you more if you master those." With that she walked away leaving Byrta to practice late into the night. Every waking second Byrta was practicing. Always twisting, turning, and contorting her body. It was a way to avoid having to sit still no matter where she was. Plus, most people were amused by her practicing sessions, they would smile at her or clap. Occasionally some ooo's or aaaah's followed a particularly difficult trick. She master what the girl taught her quickly and soon was trying new things of her own. Some turning out good and others not so great, but either way she was having fun, being productive, and staying out of everyone's hair. Everything was good. Bard would usually come to make sure she didn't kill herself, and would help her develop new tricks, bracing her while she tried them, but he refused to learn with her. Soon enough, though, was the harvest festival, and, as the girl had promised, she was there. Byrta realized that she had a partner and made mental notes of all of the amazing stunts they did together. It was simply wonderful to Byrta.
When her show was over the girl asked Byrta to show her what she's learned. Byrta far exceeded her expectations. Byrta had more than just a few of the moves under her belt, but wasn't afraid to string them together into a routine that looked beautiful. She'd also learned a lot on her own, which is more than most could do. The girl decided to teach Byrta a bunch of her much more difficult tricks. One's that caused quite a few wipe-outs before Byrta perfected them. Soon her body was more comfortable performing these tricks than sitting still. She was a blur. More people recognized her as a blur of tricks and fun rather than by her face. After a lot of probing she finally got Bard to agree to partner her so that she could practice the paired tricks. He was very good at it, and learned about as a quickly as Byrta had. Soon they made a class act together, and a year from their first meeting, when the twins were eleven years old, the girl offered for them to come with her and become acrobats. With some prodding from Byrta, Bard agreed, and they both joined the beautiful girl and many others in a show.
They learned much more about being acrobats, and even exceeded the woman's talents, although the touch of personality and dance that she added to it gave her a separate and lovely show none-the-less. They also learned to swallow swords and became very adept fire-eaters. They had a great time, and became very talented young adults.
This lasted until they were seventeen when, while staying in a hold in their travels, they were searched and sent to be candidates and Dalibor Weyr.
Dragon Preference:
I'm not certain if I have a preference for Byrta except that she can't have a dragon just like herself. A yellow, for example, wouldn't really be fitting. A Gray would probably be best. It would reflect Bard with it's quiet and aloof, as well as probably allowing Byrta to get in touch with her emotions more because of it's own emotional nature.
I'm not picky though if you have a better idea.
Gender: Female
Age: Seventeen turns
Sexuality:Straight
Location: Dalibor Wyer
Rank: Dragon Candidate
Personality:
Byrta is, at very first glance, already confusing. She constantly twists and contorts her body, more comfortable with the odd positions rather than staying still. She has a terrible case of attention deficit hyperactive disorder, but controls it by constantly moving. Byrta is an incredibly bright girl and rarely has to be taught something twice. She can learn most things merely by watching it being done once, but cannot learn from reading something from a book. Looking at abstract letters or numbers means nothing to her and the concept flitters out of her head faster than it took to turn the page. Anything physical or challenging though and she's all over it, analyzing it until she can perform the task perfectly. She's incredibly determined and stubborn and will never give up on something that she's started. Her work ethic is impeccable and her desire for a challenge makes her thrive in a competitive environment.
Despite all of the hardship and lack of kindness shown to her in her life, she fully believes in people and refuses to give up on someone. Byrta is also a very kind and fun-loving person herself. Incredibly personable she always seems to outshine her brother who has learned to glare at the world under foreboding lashes. Also unlike her brother, Byrta is always seen with a smile on her face and her bright green eyes flashing at the world. Byrta loves the theatrics, loves music, and life. Byrta loves to feel alive. To play tricks and wrestle with the boys. She refuses to sulk, learns from her mistakes, and always gets back on the proverbial horse.
Byrta and her twin brother, Bard, have an extremely close and complicated relationship. They both feel as though they must protect the other, and have grown extremely attached to one another. Byrta, although confident and strong, has a hard time truly opening up to someone. She doesn't like to show sadness or anger, not wanting to ruin anyone else's mood along with her own. She's too afraid that they won't like her if she isn't smiling. That the world will frown back at her. Her mother had always said that frowning solves nothing, frowning only begets more frowns. Byrta took this to heart and always tried to be a bright spot on everyone's day. If she smiles at them, maybe they'll smile back. This is part of the reason that she is so dependant on Bard. She knows that no matter what mood she's in, and no matter how bad things get Bard will never get tired of her frown or sick of her depression. She could just be herself in front of him. With Bard she could get angry. She could show him every evil inside of her and he'd still love her, just as he knew that she'd still love him.
Appearance:
Contrary to her sunshine and energetic personality her looks seem much more stern and calm if you can get her to stand still long enough to really look at her. Pretty in a strong and almost foreign way she has hazel eyes that flutter between hints of colors although always settling on shades of green. Eyes that could gouge into your soul and hid hers. Eyes that closed you off and yet drew you in. Beautiful eyes that are set into a darkly tanned face. Hair as wild as the twists and turns that she threw her own body into. Untamable, and typically frizzy, dusty brown curls framing a face set with a square and stubborn jawline.
Her body is lithe and flexible but is made of pure corded muscle. Muscle that you saw ripple with every movement she makes. Muscle like cord that shows how strong and athletic she is. Standing at a tall five feet and seven inches, it helps to create a nearly imposing figure. The only part of her appearance that makes her seem attainable is that friendly sunshine smile that she flashes at nearly everyone that sees her. She has a smile that can brighten up the worst of days even if there is a bit of mischief hidden in the corners of those supple pink lips.
Family:
Bard (her brother), and possibly their father.
Pets:
n/a
History:
Byrta was born one and a half minutes after her twin brother Bard, and he never let her forget it. They were born in Nabol Hold to a farmer and his sweet-hearted wife. Their mother was all daises and honey. The kind of woman that touched everyone's heart, and yet she was also a strict woman who would raise her children to be respectful and productive young adults. She would not see her children act like vagabonds, not that they ever would. They both idolized their mother, barely seeing their father. They were generally a very happy little nuclear family and loved each other dearly. Neither child had really known tragedy until the winter that they were eight, when rather than getting a baby brother or sister they lost their mother. The whole hold seemed to weep for her just as the sky did, the whether surprisingly warm enough to rain rather than snow.
Byrta took this harshly, but not nearly as badly as Bard. Her brother was heart-broken and latched onto Byrta more than ever. Byrta tried to be the one to make things better, to take mom's place. Bard had always told her how much she was like mom although she had never understood the comparison. She was not nearly so pretty as her mother, and definitely didn't act like her. Byrta saw her mother as an angel and could only view herself as an incompetent and unworthy replacement. Bard said that her smile was like her mothers. That it became infectious, and people couldn't help but smile back. Byrta, however hard she tried to emulate her mothers smile, always saw the same wickedness in the corners of her lips. The kind that her mother never could have bore. Her mother. The woman that she would never be able to live up to, and yet always strove to make proud of her.
No matter how hard she tried to keep the family together their father was grief stricken, and in the six months after their mothers death they had seen more of their father than ever before, although he wasn't their father any more. Grief is a strange thing, and Byrta will forever have a construed view of grief in her mind. Her mother had never seemed sad in all of her life, and always tried to make everyone happy. Her brother, who was once as much of a ball of sunshine as Byrta was, became brooding and sneaky. Began to shut himself off from the world. But her father is what really affected her thoughts on this emotion. Her father, who became lazy and angry. He would go out into the fields less, and instead sit in their house drinking for hours. Finally he began to resent both of his children. Byrta, who was much more like her mother than she could ever give herself credit for, reminded him of his wife and therefore earned his scorn. He hated her outright and openly for being able to keep a piece of the woman he loved while he was left with nothing. Nothing left but the two children that he had never really known, and certainly didn't care for now. Bard, although expressing grief, didn't express enough in their father's opinion, and soon he pretended that Bard didn't exist all together. Bard, after a few weeks, seemed to return the favor, while Byrta continued trying. Mother would have wanted the family to stay together, to stay close. She would have wanted them to be good to their father. Byrta tried so hard to impress him. To show him that she loved him and wouldn't leave him. That he could have Mother as well if he would just love her. She acted as if the scorn brushed off of her shoulders and continued smiling. Reciting in her mind the lessons that her mom had taught her. The one standing out the most...
"Byrta, darling, don't frown." The pout remained on the young child's face.
"Why not?" With a small sigh that angel bent down to Byrta's eye level and lifted her chin speaking kindly but firmly, in a voice so soft that it seemed like she was telling Byrta a secret piece of wisdom.
"Frowning solves nothing. Frowning only begets more frowns." Byrta relented and gave her mother a half smile, which made the woman beam. "There you go sweetheart. Smile. You have wonderful smile. Learn to use it." She winked at Byrta before turning back to the chores she was attending.
... The scene repeated before her eyes every time she wanted to break down in front of her father's harsh words. She would stand tall. Frowning solves nothing. Frowning only begets more frowns, and she did not want her father to frown any longer. She wanted to see him smile... but he never did. He never smiled for the bright little girl who was losing all hope. Instead he wallowed in his depression ignoring the damage that he was doing to a pair of amazing young twins.
No matter how much farther she was falling into depression no one ever saw it. She'd smile all day, being cheery and try to make her smile as infectious as her mothers. It wasn't until late at night, when she thought Bard was asleep that she curled up into a ball and cried. Absolutely sobbed. Sometimes she would wake Bard, and he would never say a word, but instead crawl into bed with her and wrap her in his comforting arms. This created an attachment to Bard that she felt she could never have with anyone else. He could see her upset. He could see her frown and she knew that he would think no less of her in the morning.
While their father had stopped working or caring for his children Bard and Byrta were learning to fend for themselves. All that spring and summer they took care of as much of the crops as they could and ate those, but two youngsters could barely do a full grown man's work. Still, they managed to feed themselves until winter, when the ground froze over and they were left with nothing. It was nearly a year after mom's death and their father only seemed to be worsening towards his children and the rest of the world. It was like he was trying to kill himself with all of the booze he was drinking. Somehow Bard was managing to turn up with food though. He continuously said that it was merely stored away, but Byrta knew when her twin was lieing to her. He also always seemed tired and she would often find him napping in the middle of the day.
Finally, one night she pretended to fall asleep, merely laying in bed until she heard her brother get up and start tip-toeing out of the room. Byrta silently followed him until he opened the front door. At which time she made her presence known.
"Bard. Where are you going? And don't lie to me." Bard turned around looking guilty, but it was quickly covered with worry as he motioned for her to go back to bed.
"I have something important to do. Go back to bed." Byrta jutted out her stubborn jaw and gave him a stern look. "Look, Byrta I don't want you mixed up with this. Promise me you won't follow." When Byrta said nothing he frantically urged, "Promise!"
"Fine. I won't go after you but if you don't come back safe I'll never forgive myself." With that Bard nodded and left. After only a split seconds deliberation Byrta decided to follow him anyway. Hiding herself in the cover of the darkness surrounding her she found her brother stealing the food that was keeping them alive and immediately felt immense guilt for letting him take this burden alone. She walked over to him and began filling her arms as he was even as he shot a glare at her. He wouldn't dare yell at her here, but she knew she would hear it when she got home.
A huge fight ensued between the twins, but after a few days of following him and absolutely no sleep Bard gave up and agreed to let her help so long as they were smart about it. Ever the pencil and paper of the two. Their constant planner, even when their mother was alive and all that they planned was pranks, he now began forming new tactics to his thievery. He played on both of their strengths and now that their was two of them they only had to go half as often. Soon they were able to steal things in broad daylight. Grabbing an apple here, and a loaf of bread there. It was safer to steal during the day if you planned on stealing regularly. The inventory mix up would be taken as a mistake rather than them noticing that things were consistently going missing by night. The only trouble was that it is easier to get caught in daylight. They had to apply both wit and skill to an act that they both despised, but if Byrta was going to do it (and she had to) she was going to do it right.
Everything continued like this until the spring of their ninth turn. Dad changed from harsh to nearly maniacal. One day when Byrta walked into the house with a loaf of bread and a few cheeses their father actually got up and walked over to her. Byrta's heart seemed to be caught in her throat as the onslaught of words broke her heart and hope.
"Where'd you get that? You stole it didn't you! What would your mother think of you now?! No more smiles for you! You've tarnished her name with this foolishness!" Bard walked in but he went unnoticed by both the unrelenting father and the terrified Byrta. He had never come this close to her before. His face now only a few inches from hers as he continued screaming. "You're unworthy to call her your mother! You should have died! Not her! But she loved you children didn't she?" The last sentence was harshly spoken rather than yelled, and he griped Byrta's arm so tightly that she was sure it would be bruised in the morning. "And then one of you took her life. She deserved so much better than you ungrateful brats." His grip tightened and Byrta began whimpering.
"Dad! Dad! Please let me go! You're going to break my arm!" A twisted and hungry smile formed on his face as he squeezed harder. "Ow!"
"Let go of her you monster!" Bard was coming to her rescue.
"She's my daughter and I'll do what I want with her! If your mother knew that you two were stealing she would hate you as well. You know that?" Byrta finally gathered the strength to look him in the eye, because that wasn't true. If she knew anything, she knew that her mother would have understood. They only stole what they needed, and she wasn't proud of what she did.
"No! She would have loved us anyhow! And she never would have neglected us like you have! We never would have had to steal if it wasn't for you! If she's going to be disappointed in anyone it would be YOU!" Byrta simply bursted, all of the anger tearing out of her screaming voice. The only thing that stopped her from continuing was a strong and broad hand slapping her so hard across the face that she went reeling across the floor. Byrta was knocked out cold and didn't wake up until Bard had already carried her far away from her home.
"I couldn't let him hit you, Byrta. I just couldn't." That was the first thing he said, as if trying to explain himself, but he didn't have to. Byrta knew that Bard would have died trying to protect her and could only imagine what happened. She didn't press it however, just wrapping her arms around him.
"Where are we headed Captain?" He gave a small smile and Byrta couldn't help but beam at him. Be happy Bard.
Byrta didn't learn what had happened until days later when curled around a fire Bard finally just told her. Byrta knew better than to press it with her brother.
"Byrta. I didn't actually kill him... but I tried. He was too strong, too big. But I got you out of there. I got you to safety." His eyes, usually closed off, seemed to want her approval, wanted her to tell him that he did an excellent job.
"Thank you, Bard. I never would have had the courage to leave myself." Bard just nodded before probing the fire again. For the next few months they traveled. Picking a general direction and heading that way by day, and camping by night. They didn't have supplies but learned plenty in those few months until they found High Reaches Hold where they were fostered.
Their foster mother was a nice enough woman, if extremely stern and grave. She fed and clothed the twins, but was usually too busy with her own children to monitor the pair too much. It didn't help that they both naturally bonded with each other rather than integrating with the other children. So usually the pair was left to their own devices. Merely hanging around and having little adventures. In this time they did a lot of exploring and play fighting. Bard was always trying to get Byrta to wrestle around. She loved doing it but Bard's constant insistence towards it made her worry a bit. What was he planning now?
It turned out that he was trying to teach her to protect herself, and ended up doing a very good job at it. Byrta was a natural athlete, and loved doing physical things. She was always challenging herself, and a spar with her brother was always fun because the boy was built even better than she was, and would usually win. It gave her something to strive for. She didn't really find her niche, however, until the mid-winter festival at High Reaches Hold.
Byrta and Bard were walking around finding amusement in the traders. It wasn't until one particular trader, though, that Byrta stopped dead in her tracks and just watched. The girl was about twice Byrta's age, ten, and danced wonderfully. It was a mixture of dance and acrobatics that fascinated Byrta. The way this beautiful trader with dark hair and full lips had such control of her body. Byrta watched and began mimicking some of the moves, her mind twisting around the ways that it was done. Byrta merely had to watch something a few times to understand it. First was the cartwheel. She watched the woman make the whirling motion, kicking her legs in the air. Next time Byrta noticed the way the woman touched the ground with her arms and propelled her feet up. Finally Byrta tried to figure out how much force to put into in. Then she tried it. First time she fell, but the second time she did it. The third it was nearly a perfect cartwheel. This continued for more of the easier moves. One where she bent herself backwards and then thrust her feet over her head was one of her favorites. Byrta stayed there for a few hours trying to accomplish these feats. Only a few that she tried failing her. When the woman was done performing she came over to Byrta.
"Have you had any training?" Byrta shook her head and flashed a bright smile at the young woman. "Okay. Well, would you like to learn a bit before I leave?"
"Of course!" The girl taught her how to do the few moves she had tried and failed at, along with some of the one's that she hadn't tried, not understanding how to do them. Only when the sun was setting, did the beautiful girl step back from Byrta with a wicked smile and a laugh.
"Practice those to perfection and I'll be back at the next festival. I'll teach you more if you master those." With that she walked away leaving Byrta to practice late into the night. Every waking second Byrta was practicing. Always twisting, turning, and contorting her body. It was a way to avoid having to sit still no matter where she was. Plus, most people were amused by her practicing sessions, they would smile at her or clap. Occasionally some ooo's or aaaah's followed a particularly difficult trick. She master what the girl taught her quickly and soon was trying new things of her own. Some turning out good and others not so great, but either way she was having fun, being productive, and staying out of everyone's hair. Everything was good. Bard would usually come to make sure she didn't kill herself, and would help her develop new tricks, bracing her while she tried them, but he refused to learn with her. Soon enough, though, was the harvest festival, and, as the girl had promised, she was there. Byrta realized that she had a partner and made mental notes of all of the amazing stunts they did together. It was simply wonderful to Byrta.
When her show was over the girl asked Byrta to show her what she's learned. Byrta far exceeded her expectations. Byrta had more than just a few of the moves under her belt, but wasn't afraid to string them together into a routine that looked beautiful. She'd also learned a lot on her own, which is more than most could do. The girl decided to teach Byrta a bunch of her much more difficult tricks. One's that caused quite a few wipe-outs before Byrta perfected them. Soon her body was more comfortable performing these tricks than sitting still. She was a blur. More people recognized her as a blur of tricks and fun rather than by her face. After a lot of probing she finally got Bard to agree to partner her so that she could practice the paired tricks. He was very good at it, and learned about as a quickly as Byrta had. Soon they made a class act together, and a year from their first meeting, when the twins were eleven years old, the girl offered for them to come with her and become acrobats. With some prodding from Byrta, Bard agreed, and they both joined the beautiful girl and many others in a show.
They learned much more about being acrobats, and even exceeded the woman's talents, although the touch of personality and dance that she added to it gave her a separate and lovely show none-the-less. They also learned to swallow swords and became very adept fire-eaters. They had a great time, and became very talented young adults.
This lasted until they were seventeen when, while staying in a hold in their travels, they were searched and sent to be candidates and Dalibor Weyr.
Dragon Preference:
I'm not certain if I have a preference for Byrta except that she can't have a dragon just like herself. A yellow, for example, wouldn't really be fitting. A Gray would probably be best. It would reflect Bard with it's quiet and aloof, as well as probably allowing Byrta to get in touch with her emotions more because of it's own emotional nature.
I'm not picky though if you have a better idea.
