the hounds and the hares

[Elyscia Demarais]

Elyscia had tried to convince her sister, Cassandra, in joining in on the festivities, but she refused. So it would seem that she was running on her own in this one, aside from Eleesa and her ladies. Her fiancee still hadn't returned, and she honestly wasn't sure if he was, especially if he found out that the king was now dead and there was no point in keeping his word to the arrangement.

So what harm was it to play the game and perhaps catch her eye on a lord? Or at least an innocent little kiss.

She quietly waited in the crowd of women, finding her way next to Eleesa. Elyscia smiled at her and curtsied slightly. "It's good to see you are joining us, majesty." She spoke softly. She hadn't had much of a chance to speak with the queen since their return from Aralore, mainly because she and Cassandra had been catching up and enjoying each other's company.

Her eyes scanned over the group of men. The deGrey brothers were out of the question because they were her cousins, of course. But there were some other cute men in the group. Hopefully, she could catch a good one before they were all taken.
She watched as they all ran off and she started giggling at the sight of all of them rushing off as if their life depended on it. Oh, this was going to be fun.

[Lucian deGrey]

It was times like these that Lucian wished he was back on Military island training rather than about to run from a bunch of women. This was horribly embarrassing and he wouldn't have participated if his brothers hadn't forced him into it. It was a silly game and tradition. He wasn't even sure if any of the ladies would go after him. He was the quiet, shy type who was often overlooked. Lucian was definitely overshadowed by his other brothers.

He nudged Wesley, nearly shoving him. "Remind me why I need to be participating in this thing?" He wasn't as excited about it as his brothers seemed to be. He turned to look behind them at the group of ladies gathering to become hounds in the chase. It was then that he spotted Anemone amongst them and he smiled ever so slightly, remembering the evening they had danced with one another. She was a sweet woman, and cute. But he felt nervous around her, as he would with any lady, really. There seemed to be a dark cloud looming over her, however, and he couldn't help but wonder if it involved the late King Edward, with what she had told him.

Lucian caught himself staring for a bit too long, perhaps it looked as if he were just scanning through the ladies wondering who would bother to catch him. He couldn't help but wonder if Anemone would try for him, or if she had her eyes set on someone else.

He turned around again just as the men were signaled to go off. He ran quickly. The man was military--he needed to run fast. He saw his brother Wesley shove his friend Shane, and so he got back at him, snatching hold of Wesley's shirt and yanking him back a bit so that he would stumble himself and Lucian would pull ahead of him.

[Stefan Gifford]

Stefan had grown up in Aralore, and there was never any kind of tradition such as this one. It was strange, but intriguing. And while he felt hesitant to participate at first, simply because his job was to be guarding his queen rather than run from her and other women, Aric had insisted that he join in. There were various guards around the grounds, however, it was just a matter of if he trusted them enough to ensure Alexandria would remain safe.

He nearly towered over all the other men as they were gathered, and he wondered if the size of him would scare the ladies away. Stefan could appear quite intimidating, and he wondered if that was the initial reason Orin had appointed him one of Alexandria's guards. He didn't mind, of course.

Still, even before the game started, he kept his eye on his queen as Aric spoke with her. He waited quietly and scanned the area, making sure nothing looked suspicious. His eyes found Claire for a moment and he couldn't help the slight smirk that pulled the corners of his lips upward. He remembered her clumsy stumbling at Alexandria's door. The snot that ran down her nose. How he had to help her back to her room because she wasn't feeling well. So why was she out here risking her health now? A slightly concerned look crossed his features, but as the king consort found his way towards him and gave him the advice, Stefan laughed and nodded, turning his attention back to the starting line. "Yeah...." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at how much taller he stuck out from the others. Sometimes it was rather embarrassing. But at the same point, it gave him an advantage. "Perhaps I should crawl instead?" He smirked and raked long fingers through his hair to get it out of his face.

As they were instructed to begin running, Stefan decided to stay nearby Aric. For several reasons. One, he could keep an eye on him and guard him since he was off duty for Alexandria, seemingly. And two, to perhaps prevent any other ladies from attacking him. He had the queen's back, no one would be kissing her husband.

His legs were long and he ran like a beast. Surprisingly, Aric kept up with him though, and he was feeling rather impressed with the older man. "Are you hiding, or just going to keep running?" He asked Aric, keeping his stride along with his.

[Triston deGrey]

It had been a while since Triston participated in this tradition. Several years ago, he had been in a somewhat serious relationship with a woman who never wanted to play in the game. So he never did. But he was single and an eligible bachelor now, and it would be interesting to see who would try to hunt him down.

His brown eyes glanced around the group of ladies. There were a lot of beautiful women, some he recognized and others he did not. It was then that he spotted Queen Eleesa, and a look of surprise crossed his features. He wasn't expecting her to join in, especially so soon after the passing of her husband. But it also made her look stronger and willing to join in the game with her people. He smiled softly, catching her glance for a moment before he quickly turned his gaze, spotting Margery and that smirk on her face, her eyes seemingly looking at him. Dear god, no. He nodded to her in obligatory greeting before looking away and back at the starting line and to his brother William, who he was standing next to. He nudged his arm and leaned in closer to him to whisper. "You ready for this, old man?" He grinned and laughed softly. "Your fiancee seems ready to pounce." Maybe she was looking at William instead. I mean, she should be chasing him, right?

He got ready in a running stance and once the councilor instructed them to run, Triston was off, running off to the left side and into the trees.

[Alice Calder]

She wasn't quite sure why she'd agreed to this event. Either way, she was here now and already dressed for the occasion. Besides that, her Queen was present and Alice intended to keep her eye on her as best she could. What better way to do that than to take part? Alice had never taken part before, despite her 22 years of life, so why not gain a new experience? Truthfully, with her particular skill set, many of the men here would be at an unfair disadvantage. Of course, Alice didn't really plan on participating competitively. More or less, she'd likely just meander around at her leisure. There was really no telling where the evening might lead in the end and perhaps it would be of some fun to find out.

Dark brown curls tied into a soft ponytail, a knee-length black dress to accompany, Alice had gone a little out of her way to assure she didn't stand out among the sea of men and women. Her chocolate-colored eyes scanned the room, becoming familiar with each and every face within the vicinity, landing on Eleesa Demarais for a moment before she'd turned her head back to listen to the announcement from one of the councilmen, watching unamused as the hares took off at the drop of the word 'go.' Rolling her eyes, she was regretting this already, though it didn't stop the smirk from spreading across her rose painted lips.

[Nathaniel Starke]

Ladies chasing after him? Yes please. Nathaniel was all about this event, despite his calm and collected appearance. He seemed as if he were too cool for this type of thing, had no interest in partaking. But inwardly, he felt the complete opposite. He just did not fully know how to contort his face to show the amount of joy he held.

Brown eyes scanned through the ladies briefly. He did not recognize too many of them, aside from the queen and her ladies. He was surprised to see the queen, but she was now widowed and single, so why not?

He returned his gaze towards the men that were around him. His competition. Although, was it much of a competition for them? Maybe more so for the ladies, they just needed to run and hide from them, it wasn't their choice on who captured them, other than running harder and faster from the ladies they did not want to catch them. He smirked at the idea of running away from a lady to avoid a kiss.

And now it was time to run. Nathaniel sprinted forward, his tall form and long legs carrying him straight ahead rather than off to one of the sides.

[Lunari]

And the hares were off in a mad dash through the castle grounds, suddenly scattering every which way. The councilman regarded the women and gestured for them to step up to the starting line. "Ladies, if you would be so kind?" There was really no time limit to this event. The people could spend the rest of the day outside if they desired, but there were food and refreshments awaiting them inside for whenever they wished to come in or a hound caught her hare.

"Alright, get ready!" the man announced, continuing to count down the time in his head. Most of the men were already out of sight by now, but he could tell there were some eager ladies ready to hunt down their prey. "And go!"

---

OOC:
And the chase has begun! Post at your leisure and there's not need for turn-based posting unless more than two characters are interacting together. Have fun! There's the refreshments and the like inside the castle, but the scene will probably end before that (but feel free to start another thread to have characters interact there if you'd like) since there will be more Yule stuff based the next day.

[Eleesa Demarais]

The queen had been a little too preoccupied to notice Margery's looks and who her venomous eyes were falling on. All she realized was that her breath caught in her throat when Triston managed to find her, even if it was for the briefest of moments.

Maybe she shouldn't do this. Maybe she should just feign feeling ill and step aside, but there was that part of her that refused. She didn't want to and she was finally able to make her own choices. So, she was going to run through mud and brush in a silly little game and forget the rest of the world for a few hours.

Her eyes finally drew from the men to the girls around her, specifically her ladies-in-waiting again. Anemone and Avalynn seemed thrilled, and Eleesa couldn't help but give Ane's arm a soft reassuring squeeze. So many things were up in the air, but she had not abandoned the girl...and she would figure something out. She had promised.

Looking over to Alice, she nudged her a little. "It'll be fun," she whispered to her in amusement. She could tell the young woman didn't wish to be there, but who knew? Maybe she'd find someone else to keep those keen eyes on instead of having to follow Eleesa around all the time. Even if the queen was immensely grateful for her presence in more ways than one.

Sweet Elyscia was drifting to her side and Eleesa acknowledged her with a gentle smile and nod of her head. "I feel like I'm a little out of place," she confessed with a giggle. It was true, because there was still that residual thought lingering in the back of her mind, as though this was wrong, as if Edward would suddenly appear and tell her to get back inside. Eleesa swallowed the lump in her throat to shove the memory away. "I'm surprised Cassandra hasn't joined us." At least, she didn't see Ely's older sister anywhere among them.

As the men rushed off and they were told to step forward, Eleesa's heart began to pound. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she figured she'd let fate simply guide her. There was no harm in that, right? Soon, she found herself running as they were told to give chase, and the queen with her fingers clutched tightly into the front of her skirts, began to rush off towards the left to the trees.

[Lunari]

Margery only had eyes for Triston now. She wasn't even embarrassed enough to look away when he saw her, nodding in that polite way he always did. Her nod of acknowledgment was slow, those eyes narrowing somewhat playfully. The duchess watched as the men lined up and that ran like they were shot out of a cannon.

The duke was headed towards the left, towards the thicker woods, it would seem, so that was exactly where Margery began to move. She was quick to note, however, that the queen herself was also rushing off in that direction. With a light huff, she hiked up her skirts a little higher and forced herself to run faster, already cursing at the insanity of this all.

[Aric Demarais]

Alexandria should be certain that her husband would not allow anyone else to catch him, at least not on purpose. He had teased her about it, that she better be "quick enough" although she knew he had been joking. Hopefully. Every other lady would know he was taken and shouldn't be trying to steal a kiss from the prince. But, he supposed not every woman had such morals.

He'd also tried to reassure Stefan beforehand that it was alright to let the queen out of his sight for this event. Most likely, her lady-in-waiting would tag along with her since the girl appeared to be attached at the hip. It was cute, really, and he was happy Alex had that constant companionship. There would be no danger here, so hopefully the towering guard could relax a bit and have fun.

As it would appear that Stefan was going to follow him instead, he tried not to laugh because it would just make him winded faster. It was impossible not to, though, because imagining the man crawling around was ludicrous! "We will run as far as our-" A pause, he was already going to rephrase that. "As my can lungs can handle, then find a place to hide," he told him. "There are high hedges in the courtyard garden. Might be tall enough to conceal you." Another laugh, slapping the guardsman on the back, he continued to run towards the garden maze.

He was already running out of breath, though, and made a mental note to ensure he continued to exercise and train once this was all over. Aric had gotten a little lax about that.

[Wesley deGrey]

Wesley was cackling like a madman as Shane yelled at him, but the laughter was cut short when his damned brother yanked back on his shirt. It caused the sailor to halt immediately, staggering back a couple of steps as all the men whizzed by him. "DAMMIT, LUCI!" he called after him. He didn't have a crazed woman who was probably going to shove his face into the mud, but Wesley did!

Speaking of. He should have continued to run in that very second, but he took just a few seconds to turn and face the group of gathering women, finding Helene right up front. Beginning to jog lightly backwards, the deGrey actually dared to wink at her before facing forward again to continue to run straight, his speed picking up immediately.

Despite being the shortest of his brothers, Wes was still fairly quick on his feet and rather spry- one had to be when on a ship during a storm. He could see the river up ahead, knowing the hounds had probably been given the go ahead to chase, but he didn't look. He charged forward, immediately soaking his boots as he began to cross the frigid water. It wasn't deep nor dangerous, but it was a little slippery.

[William deGrey]

William had pretended to look over his shoulder as if to find Margery when Triston mentioned her, but he actually didn't bother. He didn't know how to feel right now, and should another lady actually wish to chase him, he'd be accepting of it. That's how much he wasn't sure what to do about his supposed fiancee after everything. Everything just felt wrong.

But, if anything, this would simply be fun to watch the chaos ensue. As the men ran off, he already heard Wesley screaming in annoyance at Lucian who had clearly done something. It made him chuckle as he ran straight yet began to veer a little off to the right. Maybe he would simply get lost. He could do with the peace and quiet.

[Shane O'Sullivan]

Now it was his turn to laugh out loud as Lucian made Wesley's chances at getting a good lead a lot less possible now. Shane didn't stop though, and made a mental note to tell ol' Elliot all about this when he returned to the ship. Anything to make the deGrey a laughing stock among the crew. He knew little of the lady Wesley had supposedly made a bet with, but the man seemed very sure he'd win.

Something told Shane that winning didn't mean not being found, but he didn't ask.

He shot for the trees; his long legs carrying him far and fast before he was weaving through the brush, trying to put distance between him and the ladies. Shane didn't wish to chance being seen, though, knowing the "hounds had been released" probably just a few seconds ago. So, leaping up to grab a hold of a branch, the sailor began to scale up a tree.

[Helene Hewitt]

Once Helene had gotten herself to the front of the Hounds and had pushed her sleeves, she was already getting into her running position. Her eyes locked on Wesley deGrey. She couldn't help but smirk she watched him run and one of his brothers yanked on his shirt. She could faintly hear his shout of annoyance from where she stood, and it made just made her grin larger. 

She watched as he turned around found her. He was jogging backwards and then winked at her, before he was off like a dart running straight. He was taunting her, and it was going to cost him. Helenes smirk fell as a look of determination crossed her face. The moment they were allowed to go, she put the definition in the 100 yard sprint. Her only focus was Wesley who was somewhere up ahead of her. She didn't bother to pick up her skirts because of the pants she wore underneath, and only let up her speed once she entered the woods. Her eyes darted around everywhere. Had he gone up a tree? The left or right? Her instincts told her he had kept running forward, and so forward she went.

She could faintly see a figure then, up ahead at the river as they went plowing through it. It had to be him, no one else would be stupid enough to go running into the river in winter. With newfound energy, Helene hurried in that direction. 

[Marinette Roquefort]

Marinette hardly noticed the chaos that ensued as the younger deGrey brothers teased each other and Wesley winked at Helene. No, her eyes were caught on William deGrey, who went off down the center. When the women started their sprint, she quickly spotted Margery once more, who was running off in distinctly a different direction than her fiance. Marinette felt strangely vindicated to find that not only had she been right to be suspicious of the woman, but that Triston and Olivia's evaluations of her had been spot on.

Marinette's mouth set into a firm line as she too started into motion. Absolutely not. She wasn't going to allow this woman to upset Olivia and the other deGreys and then kiss men other than her fiance on top of it. That was too much. The chase itself may be a game, but this was a man's future she was treating so flippantly, and a young girl's as well. If she didn't care about either of them even enough to find her fiance in a game, she didn't deserve them. Marinette may be shy, but she simply couldn't let this go. And so she sped off on her long legs, gaining on not a hare, but another hound. She didn't know what she was going to do, not yet, but she would be sure that Margery caught no other man.