ZARYA, DELMARA CORRINA

[DELMARA ZARYA]

Mara should not have been there. Again. She could almost feel her father's voice vibrating the whole of the mansion-like dwelling her family lived in and shattering any window within twenty miles. But... why was everyone so upset by her exploration? I mean, come on! She just liked to get out of the house!

Delmara Corrinna Zarya was in trouble. She was a sprite of a thing, with big blue eyes the color of the ocean on a calm summer afternoon. Her blonde hair flickered in the wind, length past her shoulders by a good six inches. She was trying to grow it back out after an atrocious bob cut she thought would be cute three years ago. Yes, she's still paying for the mistake. Undine still teased her - lovingly, of course. She stood at maybe 5'2” on a good day, and her slight frame made her seem like she'd be blown over by the slightest of breezes. So how could anyone be mad at little Mara? Easy. She stole into the forest surrounding the village they lived in with bow and arrow in hand, eyes set to kill... or hunt. Whatever. The frozen tundra was dangerous to her and no one wanted Princess Delmara to get sick or – godforbid! - die. This, in turn, explains King Merrick Zarya's fury. But what does it matter what I do? It's not like I can take the throne myself... Mara allowed herself a moment of sulking before shooting off in the opposite direction of her home. She could already hear the warriors her father used as guards approaching her position. Father should really get a life. I mean, he's got Undine. And Zakk. And Wyatt. And Murdoch. Wow, I just realized how many kids my dad's spawned... maybe he doesn't need a life. Shaking off the vague nausea starting to rise in her throat at the image of her dad's 'contribution to the family', as he always called it, Delmara took a sharp turn to the right and slipped into the denser part of the forest. The trees were forever dead and leafless, but the close proximity of the trees afforded good cover.

Hah! Let's see those silly boys find me here. Nineteen year old Delmara ran at one of the larger trees and dug her foot into the bark, propelling herself up into the branches. She didn't go farther than the base of the tree where all of the branches sprouted from – she was very, very afraid of heights, and even that distance from the ground gave her a horrible feeling of vertigo – and immediately dropped to her hands and knees within the wide tree. It all felt very 'imaginary treehouse' to her. The thought made her smile. She quickly urged it to go away. She was an adult now, and she had to prove to Father that she was no child parading around in big girl clothes. Thinking about childish treehouses would not help her in proving that to him. After taking a moment to assess her surroundings, Mara reached behind her to grasp a wooden arrow with phoenix feathers attached to the ends. The feathers were a sign of her royal lineage and would mark her kills accordingly, even if the bow was never meant for her. She also had some throwing knives at her hip, but she wasn't as good with those as she could be. She should really practice, but the bow was her first love. Deftly using her fingers effortlessly, she quickly notched an arrow and aimed, placing her left hand against her cheek while her right hand was held out straight, gripping the bow(Yes, dearies, this means she's left handed. don't get too excited!). It was made of a special type of white coral found on the reefs in the Southern Sea. They were made special, and very pricey goods for the Mer people. She cherished the creation, even though it didn't belong to her. Now, don't get her wrong, she didn't steal it. It belonged to Murdoch, who coincidentally preferred tridents to bows and arrows, saying it served the dual purpose of range and power. He didn't mind if his little sister borrowed it on occasion, and in fact left it laying across her bed that morning for her when she came back from her chores. He was sweet, and an excellent warrior. He made the Zarya line proud. However, he was not in line for the throne, and neither was Zak. Wyatt held that position, being the eldest(at the old age of 25). Murdoch was second in line, being 22, and Zak was third, a whopping 16 years old. He was the baby of the family.

A sudden crunch shot adrenaline through Delmara's body and she turned instinctively to the right, where a particularly boorish bear lumbered about, its light brown fur doing nothing to camouflage it from such a distance(which was about 150 yards). The poor thing must've just started to gain its winter coat, but that was no matter. Mara held no pity for those creatures which she slayed. She would thank them and Deitero after killing them and would subsequently drop them off at the butcher's front steps before traipsing off home. Sometimes she would leave a note telling him where to find the kill, especially when they were as big as that bear. She was still a little thing, and could not carry such heavy weight. Arrow notched and following the bear's every movement, Mara closed her right eye, took a slow breath in, and with its release simultaneously released the arrow from its position. With a barely audible thwack, the arrow embedded itself deep within the bear's neck. It choked out a slight 'Ungghh' before sliding to the ground and exhaling for the last time. Checking quickly to see whether or not any of the guards had heard her, Mara carefully descended the tree and rushed over to the beast. She reached it in record time, placing her hand at the arrow's smooth wood finish, and muttered, “sorry, dear creature,” before yanking it out and replacing the slightly broken weapon in her quiver(of matching white coral, which glittered like silver in the morning light). She stood up, noted the position she stood in, and pulled out a pre-drawn map.

Very carefully, Mara took a second, non-broken arrow, and poked a teensy hole in the exact location of where she was standing. Now, to deliver this--What was that? Crouching low beside her kill, Delmara searched the surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the branch had snapped. Either a warrior is getting sloppy, or I'm in huge trouble... Guess who didn't have any misstepped warriors to blame for the sound? Yup, you guessed it. What approached her with large, ferocious eyes, was a griffin with bold, golden feathers to match its light coat on the lion part of its body. The large head turned to the side, regarding her with a large brown eye, which looked almost black. Slowly, and very carefully, Mara lifted the bow and notched the arrow still clutched in her hands. The bird ruffled its feathers and made a loud, menacing squawk before taking a few steps closer to her. It was maybe fifteen yards away. She pulled the arrow back and aimed. Just before she could release the arrow, she heard a whirring in the air. A silver glint shot across the forest and caught itself in the belly of the beast. It reared, cawing in a horrible decibel, almost loud enough to break her eardrums. Instead of dropping everything and covering her ears, Mara didn't move. Except her brilliant blue eyes which sought out the thrower's frame. She found him crouched against the tree, in the middle of rising.

Anger shot through her. Delmara Corrina Zarya stood to her full height, aimed, and shot. The arrow twanged neatly as it left the string and buried itself in the bird's chest, just to the left of its heart. The beast fought for a moment more before collapsing. The warrior began to walk over to her, but angered beyond belief, Mara notched another arrow and let it fly just past his head. She pulled a third out and aimed, and the man froze. “Move even an inch toward me and I will kill you.” her voice was quiet, but she knew he could hear her. She could hear his panting breaths at the thought of dying, it was so silent in the forest. She could feel others watching but made no move to lower her weapon. He raised his hands in surrender and she nodded toward the griffin. “Take out your dagger and leave this place.” she ground out from between her teeth. He shook his head slowly, as if he wasn't sure of what he heard. ”But, if I do that I could be executed by your father.” She narrowed her eyes. “If you don't do as I command this instant you will die anyway.” His eyes widened as the realization of her seriousness weighed in. “I will go home soon enough, after I drop off my letter to the butcher.” He began to move toward the bird, apprehensive of course. She lowered her weapon, but did not return her arrow to the quiver, just in case. As he ripped the dagger from the griffin's chest, he called, “Would you like us to present these gifts to the butcher for you? Save you the trouble?”

Mara considered this. It would save her time, and the less time she wasted avoiding her father the more trouble she'd be in. Careful not to let any emotions show, Delmara nodded her head. “But first take out my arrows and toss them to the ground. All of them. And do not allow the butcher to know of your presence. If he knew the meat was coming from he he'd stop accepting the gifts for fear of treason.” Every mer of the realm knew Merrick had forbidden Mara from hunting in the forests, and anyone who helped her died by his hand. She didn't like the idea that some of her people starved while she lived with plenty to eat and drink, so she'd begun dropping off packages when she was good enough to kill something that actually moved and hadn't already been dead. First she'd left bunnies and foxes, simple things she was able to catch. After two years of this, she was able to down Griffins, bears, wolves, and once a baby cerberus, which was maybe four months old and already six feet tall. That day she'd actually feared for her life. But, she managed it.

Now, why did she do such crazy, reckless things? She was a princess and was required to do no more than sit around brushing her hair and looking pretty. But Mara hated that life. She wanted to help her people. She hated to see their suffering, and after living in the Tundra of the realm for a year Delmara had cracked. She decided to sign up for the Championship. She was going to help her people, get them somewhere they wouldn't have to fear their heritage like the snow-filled landscape they resided in did. She would show her father she was worthy of more than a simple pretty brush and a nice bed to sleep in. She wanted to be more. She wanted to be a warrior, just like Murdoch. Undine was always the pretty, never-needed-more-than-a-pretty-seashell kind of girl, but that was not Mara. She liked adventures, exploring, and finding new and creative ways to hunt down the forest creatures. Someday she hoped to hunt in the sea, her real love, and be at one with the ocean. To do that she had to win the game and secure her family's honor.

“Princess?” The voice of the warrior broke through her thoughts. He was standing closer to her, but not close enough to be threatening. “We need to get your bear... “ He looked as if he was afraid to even come within a few feet of her. Smart man. “Okay. You may approach.” His look of relief brought a smile to her lips. She patted him lightly on the shoulder before heading back toward the village. “Thank you for you assistance, even if I didn't need it. What's your name?” He stared at her like she was a psychopath. But, not one to refuse a princess's wishes, he responded lightly, ”Kayden. Kayden James Moriarti.” She gave him a smile, a genuine one. She then waved and turned from him. “Nice to meed you Kayden James Moriarti. Feel free to follow me next time. I don't exactly enjoy dragging my kills back into town. Too messy,” she joked good-naturedly. She'd noticed a shy smile on his lips before she'd turned away. She kind of liked his sweet candor. It was very obvious that though Mara's emotions overpowered her on occasion, she would also switch from emotion to emotion at the drop of a hat. Not a bad quality, just a dangerous one in a princess who is supposed to always be polite and demure. Fat chance that'll ever happen.

Ah, well. Must go tell Father good morning. He'll be happy to know that Kayden convinced me to return home. Maybe he'lll even get a bonus. With that, she traipsed down the hidden pathways created by the dead trees' thick roots and disappeared into the white expanse of Ni'ith.

FACE CLAIM :: Jessica Stam
ALIAS :: Taylor-Taygirl-Tigger-Tay-T Diddy(don't EVER call me T-diddy. I will have to kindly stab you in the throat.)
EXPERIENCE :: Ten years
CHARACTERS :: Morti-dear
HOW YOU FOUND US :: Really, it was bound to happen eventually
HOW ARE YOU DOING? NOT AS WELL AS YOU'D HOPED, EH CHEATER?

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HEAVEN IS WRAPPED IN CHAINS ©

[LADY EMMALINE ©]

That's the second champion I've accepted this morning. Awesome application, Tigger. Do you have a griffin fetish I should be aware of? You seem to like them... Anyway, I can't wait to see what sort of mischief Delmara stirs up in amongst the mer community, particularly the champions. Should any questions or concerns arise, you're welcome to contact the staff members.