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Post by Sovereign on Jan 30, 2013 0:32:22 GMT -5
Toma
He had been escorted by Alaric through the many men and women running back and forth, the battle to come fresh on their minds and to Toma’s eyes, the fear of the battle to come. The numbers where to few to go up against the Crow King and the vast army he was sure to bring with him. They would be decimated in an open fight, and then who would avenge the fallen royal line?
No, they needed Toma; he was trained for this day. He’d give them a fighting chance with a different strategy. Though there was one thing that worried him, he needed certain people with certain skills and he honestly didn’t know if they had enough men for the plan that was forming in his mind.
His escorted stopped in front of a man who resembled the Crow King ever so slightly, but more noble. This must be their leader. “Sir, my name is To—“ Before he could get a word out a woman barged up and began speaking with great haste.
"Melzikiah, please listen, I'm sorry about earlier, and for my part in unwillingly leading our enemy here." Toma listened while he looked at her, trying to figure out where he saw her before. " But the size of the crow force--it's too large. Were outnumbered, sir." she stopped for the briefest of moments searching his eyes from some proof that he knew she was right. "And I learned some vital information while imprisoned that I must relay to you, and there's no time. If either of us were to fall...it could be disastrous for the Hawks." It was then Toma realized who she was, well at least where he knew her from,
"WHO is that. WHO IS THAT!" And with those words she realized who he was, and drew her bow, with an arrow pointed right at her heart. "What in Malphas's bloody name is he doing here?!"
“I’d like to ask you why,” he looked down at his chest “you are pointing an arrow at me?” This is bad, we parted on less than bad terms. I have to think of some way for her to lower her bow. “But what point would that serve, I was less than a gentleman that last time we met, so no wonder you would point your arrow at me.” He looked toward her leader and spoke. “But I agree with you, the army that Malphas will bring will be too big for us to win…” He paused “if we use conventional strategy. “
Melzekiah
Melzekiah had been rushing about trying to settle his troops nerves but it wasn’t helping that much, plus he had to get a strategy in place. He knew himself that many would die in the upcoming battle, and victory was a long shot.
At the current moment he was looking down at a map of the area. The forests and valleys around the camp could make for some good places to hide some flanking troops, but that would only work with a full army! He had less than half! “I could place some Archers in the tree’s and order them to pick off , but that would only put a dent! Unless I lined everyone of my archers along this path…but what if they take another? It’s too risky, they need to stay back.” He lifted his hands and brought them down hard on the table in front of him, as Avan brought a man he didn’t recognized toward him and at the same time Eve came rushing up.
"Melzikiah, please listen, I'm sorry about earlier, and for my part in unwillingly leading our enemy here." He was about to stop her, it wasn’t the time to put blame on anyone but she kept going.
" But the size of the crow force--it's too large. Were outnumbered, sir." she stopped for the briefest of moments searching his eyes from some proof that he knew she was right. "And I learned some vital information while imprisoned that I must relay to you, and there's no time. If either of us were to fall...it could be disastrous for the Hawks." I know, Eve. We might die here. But then something unexpected happen, Eve looked at the new comer and screamed rather loudly asking who he was then, asking why he was here.
“I’d like to ask you why,” he looked down at his chest “you are pointing an arrow at me?”But what point would that serve, I was less than a gentleman that last time we met, so no wonder you would point your arrow at me.” He then looked toward Melzikiah. “But I agree with you, the army that Malphas will bring will be too big for us to win…” He paused “if we use conventional strategy.”
“Eve, put your bow down. I’d like to hear what he has to say before you execute him unjustly.”
Benaiah
"Yes, sir." The man in front of him said before tensing up rather visibly. "I, um... My name is Locke Fendras. Your leader, Melzikiah, has recruited me for his service," the man then took a bow.
“Relax Locke, my father is always recruiting new Hawks from prisoners. It’s nothing new to me.” He looked at him again and realized he was the one that fell in the bushes when he and Bethany fought off that group of Crows. He almost laughed at the thought, but then he frowned this man would probably die in the coming fight. “We are mobilizing for battle, it seems it will be a bloody one. If you still wish to fight…report to the main camp.” And with that Benaiah turned and ran back.
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Ambassador
Full Member
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidance of things not seen.
Posts: 130
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Post by Ambassador on Jan 30, 2013 1:04:51 GMT -5
Alaric
Alaric ducked. It was scary enough to see Eve pointing an arrow in your direction, but when you added the murderous look on her face it was enough to make anyone hit the ground. Only after he had moved out of the line of fire did Alaric regester that Eve was not pointing the arrow at him, but at Firion.
"WHO is that. WHO IS THAT!" Alaric was startled when Eve had pointed the arrow in his general direction. But now he was just confused. Did Eve know Toma? How? And why was she so ferice towards him? Alaric was confused, but not particularly worried: If Eve HAD considered Toma a real threat, and enemy, she would have shot first and asked questions later. Or maybe it was Melzekiah's presence that held her string.
“I’d like to ask you why,” Toma looked down at his chest “you are pointing an arrow at me? But what point would that serve, I was less than a gentleman that last time we met, so no wonder you would point your arrow at me.” He looked toward her leader and spoke. “But I agree with you, the army that Malphas will bring will be too big for us to win…” He paused “if we use conventional strategy."
Alaric was impressed: Anyone would could keep their peace with an arrow pointed at them, especally when an angry woman was on the other side, had dicipline indeed.
Eve
“Eve, put your bow down. I’d like to hear what he has to say before you execute him unjustly.”
Eve recognized the sence and authority in Melzekiah's words: he knew her character well enough to add biting sarcasim to his words. He knew she wouldn't really have shot the man (maybe) but it was his own way of repremanding her.
Eve kept her bow pointed at the ground, but loaded. However her nemsis wasn't the reason: she could hear the Crow's getting closer. But for the moment she would have to bite her toung and listen to Melzekiah and whatever plan this newcomer might have.
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Post by atlantis on Jan 30, 2013 20:46:44 GMT -5
Locke
Battle? So soon? He felt the color rush from his face and ice form in his veins. Well, Bethany had said it was likely Ackbar's retreat meant an army of Crows would descend on this place soon. And if that was true, he was just as guilty as his brothers for this battle. He knew he had to help them as much as he could; he ignored his fear, took a deep breath, and ran after Benaiah.
When he came to the main part of the camp, he spotted Bethany almost instantly. Without thinking, he joined at her side, watching the dramatic conversation between Melzikiah and several other soldiers. "So, I thanked you for not killing me, but I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life," he said quietly. Somehow she made him feel brave just by being there. "I don't know how I would live with myself if I were still fighting for the King-- I would rather die in this battle than live a thousand lives in service to Malphas."
Avan
When he awoke again, he could feel the tumbling of a rolling cart beneath him: he was on the move. He pulled himself into a sitting position and found he was surrounded by Crows. Not soldiers, but healers and medics. He was amazed to find he wasn't tied up, either. But he was without a weapon. In a flash he remembered what had happened and his heart jumped as he realized he didn't see Samara or Moire, the foreign woman. He looked to one of the medics for answers. "Who are you people? Where am I?"
"You were discovered lying unconscious along the path," the elderly man explained, "and the captain ordered that we mend your injuries."
The captain... A sick feeling developed in the pit of Avan's stomach. He darted out the back of the medical carriage, several of the healers shouting at him to come back. He shoved a soldier off a horse and climbed on himself, eager to get to the front of the march and see the captain. As he rode further and further, he began to see familiar shoulders supporting an equally familiar head. The sick feeling in his stomach worsened as he realized he knew the captain.
"You!" he shouted when he was closer. "What have you done?"
Lucien Wylder glanced lazily back at his son, evidently having anticipated his reaction. "You mean besides save your life?"
"I'd rather you had left me to die!"
"Shush," Lucien said to quiten his son. "You'll raise alarm if you don't calm down." Avan looked at a few of the other soldiers and saw they were indeed beginning to stare. "And how could I leave you like that? You're my s--"
Avan narrowed his eyes at the phrase on the tip of his father's tongue. "You certainly didn't have any problem letting me rot in prison for ten years," he hissed. Lucien had no response to that, only a small sigh, and Avan took it as an invitation to continue. "How do you live with yourself after what you did? How could you betray everyone?"
"We would have lost the war anyway, Avan," Lucien responded, leaving the impression that it was a speech he had recited to himself many times. "I only joined the winning side."
"You're wrong. We could have won with your help. Our loss at Felgrove Valley rests on your shoulders alone. All the people that were killed, or imprisoned, or tortured... it was you that let that happen."
Now Lucien rounded on Avan. "You were a child," he answered with heavy condescension. "What do you know of any of it?"
Avan halted for a moment before trotting after his father's horse. "I was there. I saw my friends-- our friends killed and beaten and destroyed. I know enough." They continued for a while longer in silence, both too filled with anger to bother with conversation.
He didn't understand. Why would Lucien save him? The man had betrayed everyone, his son included. He had let Avan spend his life in prison, never doing anything to release him. For ten years, Avan had sworn that if he ever came face to face with his father again, he would kill him without hesitation. Yet here was the moment and, though he found a wealth of hatred inside, he couldn't bring himself to do it. At last, Avan spoke again, a concerned curiosity buzzing in his mind. "Where are you going, anyway?"
Lucien considered this question for a moment, evidently weighing the consequences of his answer. "We pinpointed the location of a major Hawk base. We're on our way to destroy it."
For the second time that day, Avan's horse stopped in its tracks. "You're what? I can't let you do that."
His father just let out a loud--somewhat maniacal-- laugh. "Oh, you can't? Son, you may not be bound by chains, but you're still a prisoner." Lucien turned to see the somewhat puzzled expression on Avan's face and gave an arrogant smirk. "Don't let your jaw hang like that; people will think you're slow. You didn't really believe yourself to be free or else you would have run by now. You're tethered to me by your own hatred, afraid you might never get your revenge if you let me out of your sight. I understand you so well I don't need to tie you up."
By now Avan was shaking with rage... but somehow everything Lucien said was true. He decided to go along with the charade. If there was going to be a battle, Lucien would have to take his focus off Avan at some point. Then he would strike.
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Logos
Full Member
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Post by Logos on Jan 30, 2013 22:04:29 GMT -5
Shyahwyn:The woman was gone before Shyahwyn could figure out her strange reactions. The stunned blinking, the words about not killing their own or innocents, spoken as if their truth was as obvious and beyond doubt as tomorrow's dawn. She really thinks the Hawks are all...pure and true...like something out of a bard's tale? She's never heard of the Rosewood Massacre? Shyahwyn could remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. Hiding behind a tree with her basket of berries while the Hawk* knights rode into her village, massacring the men and boys, violating the women and girls, leaving only a handful of survivors--on purpose, so that the horror of their deeds would be spread. She seems so suspicious, how can she be such an innocent child when it comes to these Hawks and her would-be king? Adding to Shyahwyn's confusion was the fact that these Hawks seemed to live up to Eve's rosy picture. She shook her head to clear it. No time to sort that out now. "As fast as the Crows got here, they must have sent cavalry, right? We archers could ambush them, aim for the horses not the riders, so we don't waste arrows against armor, then we fall back through a trap field when they mass for a charge, circle around, and hit them from behind. You do have trap fields...right?" Then it hit her that these people were professional soldiers, not rangers. "Or maybe nobody sang Snare and Deadfall** when you were kids..." she muttered. *OOC 1: These were Crows wearing Hawk surcoats, committing the atrocity to stain the Hawks' name. **OOC 2: Lyrics: Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose Baffle them with trick and ruse Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Snares are meant to catch and hold Loop of vine with knot to hide it Placed just where the overbold Still a foot or head inside it Hook it to a counter weight Or a young and sturdy sapling Use their manly pride as bait Catch them with its sudden grappling Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose Net them so they can’t get loose Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Deadfalls kill the prey with weight Dropping down from high above them Make it look like act of fate Rocks and limbs with none to show them Carve the triggers out with care Hide them so that none can see them Greased with fat from boar or bear So the slightest touch will free them Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose Lost without a hope or clue Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Hidden pits for them to tread Drop them down to kill or maim them Men can’t fight if they are dead Men march slower if you lame them Line the holes with wooden spikes Harden tips within the fire Row on row like warrior’s spikes Give them more than they desire Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose Dead men cannot carry news Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Lead them on and lead them long Make it look like nature’s crafting Fear and greed will drive them on Bite your tongue to keep from laughing Let them think they’ve won the war While the noose draw ever tighter Deadly though these brigands are Traps can take the toughest fighter Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose With no choice except to lose Snare and deadfall, pit and- Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose With no choice except to lose Snare and deadfall, pit and noose
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Post by Zabby on Jan 31, 2013 0:44:17 GMT -5
Malphas
Malphas had a hard time sleeping, not worry but rage mixed with excitement. He raged that the Hawks thought they could steal his throne but he was excited that he would finally be rid of his enemy and with luck his self-righteous brother.
He finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning after bouncing back in forth with his emotions. Awakening a few hours later, he quickly put on his armor and weapons and head to Zai’s room.
He knocked on her door: “Are you up, my pet?”
Zai
The injured assassin was awaken by the sharp knock of her master form a deep restful sleep. It was a rest that she needed badly, and it was not quite long enough. As her eyes opened and she heard her Lord ask if she was awake, she felt the sharp stinging of her wounds and the aching of her broken body.
You can not show weakness she thought to herself. She shook off her sleepiness and hopped out of bed, wincing at the sharp pain in her injured leg. “I am awake m’Lord!” she called through the door. “And putting on my armor!”
Zai rushed to put her light armor on as quickly as possible and limped out to where her master was standing. “I am at your command, m’Lord,” she said with a bow.
Malphas
“Good, we march not long from now.” He turned and walked toward his door, not stopping to tell her to follow but expect it, she was his broken pet after all. “You will ride by my side, and be ready at my command to do whatever I ask.” He turned to look at her. “Do you understand?”
Zai
With a quick nod to acknowledge his words about the march, Zai picked up limping behind him. She was surprisingly able to keep up with her master, unlike yesterday when she was having trouble following Beryl.
When Malphas turned her her, she met his eyes with a cold, knowing look and said, “Of course Master. Your command is my joy.”
Malphas
“Good, now lets go. I need to speak to the men that are left before we depart, Wylder has already taken a force ahead of ours.” He marched out his door and headed down the hallway, out towards the courtyard, where most of his men would be assembled.
“MEN! Today we march to rid our land of a pestilence that has overstayed it’s welcome, today we had to Battle, and we will wipe them from our country, we will give them no quarter! Their men will die today! Their Women will become ours! We will have supreme victory, do not offer mercy, do not offer peace, only offer them FEAR OF YOU!” His men cheered as he turned toward Zai, “Are you ready?”
Zai The girl followed Malphas out as he addressed the men. She tried to make herself look as noble and impressive as possible. She hid her injuries as best she could by simply bearing the pain that standing tall caused her. Zai could not allow the men to think of her as weak because if she was weak, Malphas would be weak by extension.
Zai had to prevent a smile from spreading across her face as the King turned to her. He cares so much about me, she thought to herself. There’s no other reason he would ask whether I was ready so often. I can’t let him down!
“I am always ready, m’Lord,” she replied, not being able to contain the joy she felt about this man paying attention to her.
Malphas
He smiled at her then turned and proceeded down his stairs of his castle of his country. Many of his veterans were from the old mercenary groups that used to plague the land, he made a show of getting rid of them but in reality he just bought them to be his personal army, which meant all he had to do to keep them happy was promise either gold or women for them to be happy. And so they were.
He climbed atop of his horse at the gate, looked back at the mass of ferociousness that was his to unleash on his enemies and smiled. “ALL UNITS MOVE OUT!” He shouted as he kicked the sides of his horse and started on the path to war.
Zai Zai’s heart leaped from her chest when he smiled at her. He approved. She had gotten her master’s approval She had made him happy. That is what mattered and she was pleased.
She followed after her master down the stairs and to a horse that had been prepared for her next to Malphas’s. She gulped a little. The thought of a long horse ride did not seem good for her aching body, but there was no way she could disappoint the King. With some minor help from the man who was holding her horse, Zai was able to mount it and she rode silently next to her master.
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Post by Bhunivelze on Feb 1, 2013 14:09:40 GMT -5
Pyra
“I can't leave him and let him turn into a beast."
“You’re too late for that. Not even Elhanan himself could turn Lucas’s heart.” She said with anger still boiling. “That heartless creature is no longer human. He is the embodiment of hate, lies, and fear. A demon.” She looked over at ben and stared him down, looking at him directly in the eyes. “He tainted me... I know that I will never be pure again for what he did to me. He took my life, my future. And what did he do with it? Cursed it to a destiny of war and violence, running away from my family and friends. It’s not the life I wanted! I wasn’t meant to be a soldier! He changed my life and then left me for the wolves.” She walked to the door of the prison. Without turning her back she gave Ben one last piece of advice.
“If you think that you’re what is keeping him from turning into a monster. Then you are more stupid and then I give you credit for.” She stormed out of the prison and looked around. Some soldiers were staring at her with puzzled looks. She didn’t realize how loud she was being. She stormed off in search of Melzikiah. She found him in his tent with Eve and some men she didn’t recognize right away. She saw that Eve had her bow down but still at a ready. Who are these people?
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Post by Sovereign on Feb 4, 2013 23:11:31 GMT -5
Bethany Bethany watched in stunned silence as Eve ran off and made her way into Melzikiah’s tent, she listened to Shy’s plan. “Yes, that would be an excellent plan.....if we had a trap field. We couldn’t risk too much activity.” and then she felt someone at her side and a familiar voice. LOCKE! She thought a little more excited than she thought she should be. "So, I thanked you for not killing me, but I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life, "I don't know how I would live with myself if I were still fighting for the King-- I would rather die in this battle than live a thousand lives in service to Malphas.” She smiled, he had already begun to change after one meeting with Melzikiah, but she hoped that he didn’t die in this battle. “You better not die Locke, or you’ll have me to answer too okay?”
Locke
Though he knew the color must still be gone from his face, he still felt a tinge of pink creep onto his cheeks. “How bad do you think it’ll be?” he asked quietly.
Bethany
“Malphas is a lunatic bent on keeping his throne at all costs. I mentioned my father earlier? He was the runner-up in the Grand Tournament in the honor of the king’s youngest coming of age. Malphas cheated to beat him, my Mom and I watched him. I watched her treat him for poison for a very long time. When Malphas took the throne, he sent a legion of soldiers headed by a man once called Uncle, my dad’s best friend Lucien Wylder. Those bastards killed my Mother while she was tending the Garden, my father killed every Crow from a distance that day, all except his best friend....and then Lucien struck down my father...” a single tear slipped down her cheek. “Lucien couldn’t beat my father in combat, not even Malphas was able to do that....but...my father relinquished his life in exchange that I might live...plus he couldn’t bring himself to strike down Uncle Lucien, he had his own son...”
She looked at him crying now. “I was left alone that day and had to fend for myself till I found the Hawks.” She looked back to Shy, and quickly dried her tears. “Malphas is a lunatic, my father would never have went after him, all he ever wanted to do was to take care of us.... He only thought my father was a danger, and he wiped him and all he cared for off the face of this land. Or so he thinks.” She looked around at the men gathering. “And we are a THREAT to his throne.”
Locke
He nearly choked at Lucien Wylder's name, recognizing it as that of Ballack's superior. He placed a hand on her shoulder softly. "Melzikiah told me Malphas was responsible for the lives of your family, but...." He didn't know what to say. He knew what it was to watch a loved one die right before one's eyes. But this was so much worse. He bowed his head deeply. "I'm sorry. I've helped the one who hurt you and I'll do my best to make it up to you. No one as kind as you should ever feel that kind of pain. I’ll make sure you never do again.” Bethany
She smiled at his hand on her shoulder, she couldn’t place why she had told Locke and Shy her past just now but it felt good to let them know her reasons for being a Hawk. "Melzikiah told me Malphas was responsible for the lives of your family, but...." Of course Melzikiah would. "I'm sorry. I've helped the one who hurt you and I'll do my best to make it up to you. No one as kind as you should ever feel that kind of pain. I’ll make sure you never do again.” She laughed at his promise, a loud but sweet laugh. “I’m sorry Locke, but remember I was the one who just bested you, and your brothers?” She smiled, feeling a little bad. “It’s much more likely that I’ll make sure you aren’t getting hurt.” she laughed.
“But..thanks for the gesture, it’s not something I’ve heard in awhile.”
Locke
"Oh, spare me the memory...," he replied with a groan and a laugh of his own. Her laughter was something to behold, spell-bindingly beautiful, and he made a mental note to make her laugh frequently. "I mean it, though, silly as it sounds. I owe you... everything. And I will repay you." Then with a grin, he added, "You're right, however; you may have to teach me a few things after this is all over."
Bethany
Is he flirting with me?” Bethany thought and looked away to hide her blush, she had been flirted with before many times, but not by someone like Locke. He lacked confidence when they had first met now, but he was starting to gain it.
“Maybe, and you only owe me for the medicine, and the time in our jail. Melzikiah was the one who let you out, and I bet he even gave you a few lessons.”
Locke
"Sure, a lesson or two," he agreed, looking toward the Hawk leader with a glance. "He understands far more of the world than I can ever hope to. I pray one day he'll be able to get through to my brothers as well." It had begun to sink in that he wouldn't see them again for some time and he missed them already.
Bethany
“Do you realize who his brother is?” Bethany asked looking at him.
Locke
Locke nodded, “He told us in the prison. Beyond their appearance, you wouldn’t know they came from the same blood.”
Bethany
“So he knows the feeling of fighting his own brother, believe me, he would love to talk Malphas out of his insanity but he can’t. Malphas is too far gone. But your brother’s? It will be your responsibility to talk them out of their own destruction,” she frowned. “I fought them, remember? They barely put up any resistance. If they stay in this war....they will die...” She looked at him remembering him in the bushes. “And if you don’t find a reason to truly fight, then you will too.”
Locke
A heavy feeling came over him with her words, reminding him of the new burdens he bore. "When we joined Captain Ballack, I would never have imagined I would end up here." He shook his head. "Just the day before I had been content to stay home and read. But nothing ever turns out like you plan it to.... From what you saw in the forest, he probably seemed as much a floundering oaf as I am, but my brother Madoc is my hero. I will find him and rescue him from himself, as well as Warren, nevermind my lack of skill. I can’t let them kill me until I do that.”
Bethany
She turned and closing her eyes, slapping him across the face. “Don’t you dare waste the life you’ve been given Locke Fendra’s! Don’t you even talk about yourself getting killed! If you die how could you keep your promise to me?!? I would never forgive you!” She opened her eyes suddenly, realizing what she had just done. and said. “I....” she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I’ve lost too much to this war, I don’t want to lose anyone else. That includes you too Shy.”
Locke
He couldn’t hide his blush this time, nor his shame at what he’d said. “I-I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Bethany
“I’m sorry for slapping you, it just kind of happened. Well we’ve spent a lot of time doing nothing and we should probably prepare for Battle. You have your weapons ready Locke?” She said looking at him trying to smile, still embarrassed at her outburst.
Locke
He grabbed the sword at his side. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered, glancing toward Melzikiah who was still busy discussing battle plans. Remembering what Bethany had said as he walked up, he added, “What if we laid traps in the training grounds? The land is flat, and well-covered with trees for hiding archers. We could have a second group hidden on the other side of the valley ready to charge when the first falls back.” He felt a little weird even saying it; he wasn’t exactly a military strategist. But the training area seemed accommodating.
Toma
“Give me some of your most silent warriors, we will fight from the Shadows, we can leave right now. Attack them from the back, silently and quietly. I’ve been trained in this kind of fighting.” He looked too the woman. “And I will be loyal to any cause that ends the reign of Malphas.”
Melzikiah
“Good idea, Eve, you and Bethany will be part of this strike force.” He turned and was about to walk away when Locke came up and started talking about the training grounds. “That might just...work.”
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Post by Sovereign on Feb 4, 2013 23:47:17 GMT -5
Samson Blake/ Shadow Blade
He had woken early, prepared his weapons, stared across the horizon thinking on what was coming with this battle. He would have to make a stand against the Crows, not something he relished doing but something he should have done long ago. He didn’t even understand why he allied with Malphas anymore, it was like he had woken from a bad nightmare.
He drew his sword and looked at the scar in the middle of it, were in his dream Elhanan had shattered it with his mere presence. He could have been killed in that dream and he believed he would have died, he believed he deserved it...he had tried to kill his own nephew in the service of this pretender “king”. But it wasn’t death he found, but a new life in his old age. He’d make things right, if it cost him his life.
With those thoughts he turned and went back to his room, knocking on Beryl’s door awakening her and telling her to meet him outside.
Minutes later he stood listening to Malphas giving a speech to the troops as they prepared for war, promising them the death of their enemies, and for the women of the Hawk camp? Shadow Blade gulped, he prayed victory would go to the Hawks this time. He jumped up in his saddle and looked down at Beryl, offering a hand.
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Logos
Full Member
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Post by Logos on Feb 7, 2013 15:13:10 GMT -5
Shyahwyn:
“Yes, that would be an excellent plan.....if we had a trap field. We couldn’t risk too much activity.”
"But maybe I can set enough traps to make them think you've got a trap field. That might make 'em paranoid enough to slow their march while they check for traps, and buy your army more time," Shyahwyn said, looking around to assess the terrain and the resources the forest could offer. As she spoke, a young man she hadn't seen before approached, and started a conversation with Bethany. The King is mad? Then he might just order his men to bull through and not care about losses.
Bethany went on to explain how Malphas' men had killed her family. Better not tell her that Hawks killed mine, she thought, looking away from the pair to hide her own tears. "Sorry to hear that," she said with a crack in her voice. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll do my best to kill and maim some of 'em for you."
The banter between Bethany and the young man started to turn flirtatious, with blushes and shy glances taken by each when the other wasn't looking. Shyahwyn started to feel uncomfortable. Spotting a willow tree, she drew her utility knife and jogged over to it, quickly cutting off a few fronds, placing her cuts just below leaves so that it would not be obvious that pieces had been removed. She was still within earshot of the pair, but she tried to keep herself from hearing and retaining too many of the personal details that weren't any of her business.
“I’ve lost too much to this war, I don’t want to lose anyone else. That includes you too Shy,” Bethany said. Taken aback, Shyahwyn snapped her head toward Bethany.
"I don't plan on dyin' in this little donnybrook. But you don't need to worry about me. I ain't yours to lose." Still, Bethany's words tugged at her. These people didn't just have some would-be king they wanted to enthrone. They had each other. It was so easy to see, the network of bonds between them. Eve and Alaric, Eve and Bethany, Bethany and 'her' young man. Trust and camaraderie, esprit de corps, and with the latter two, perhaps the first green shoots of love. Even this Melzikiah of theirs was part of the web of relationship. Shyahwyn could hear it in the way they said his name, in the way Eve trusted him not to execute or brutalize her, even though she'd unintentionally led his enemies to him. As if the idea of cruelty and caprice from him was an impossibility.
Kings ain't no concern o' mine! So what if his boot is lighter on the necks of the people? It's still a boot. Her mind could never erase the sight of the Hawk knights charging into Rosewood Village, the sound of screams of terror and agony, and the Hawks' bellows of triumph. The Hawk crest stoked the fires of her hatred at least as much as that of the Crows. And yet...
These Hawks had her at their mercy, their prisoner, to do with as they pleased. They'd never had any need to play roles for someone they could have just butchered at will. And if there was one thing that seemed to drop from their lips, over and over again, as if it was as axiomatic as the rising of the Sun, it was that they didn't harm the innocent. Eve said it, Alaric said it, and more than that, their behavior showed it. Not only in her case. One of their leaders had taken time out of an urgently busy day to try to win the Crow she'd been captured with to their cause, and they'd apparently done the same with Bethany's new friend as well.
Could it have been a sham? Could the King have had his men ravage Rosewood, disguised as Hawks? To stain their honor? Turning away from the pair to blink back her tears, she shoved those thoughts aside. No time to sort that out now, and no way I'll ever know for sure. I just got to get through this. I fight under my own banner, a banner no one will ever see.
“What if we laid traps in the training grounds? The land is flat, and well-covered with trees for hiding archers. We could have a second group hidden on the other side of the valley ready to charge when the first falls back.”
Shyahwyn composed herself and turned to the young man, who seemed to be growing, coming into his potential with each passing moment. "That's...a good idea. If they're coming here in a hurry, they'll be cavalry. Ironheads'll see a flat spot as a good place for a charge, so they can run archers down." She started to sing in the lilting tones of a teaching song for children...Ranger children.
"Lead them on and lead them long Make it look like nature’s crafting Fear and greed will drive them on Bite your tongue to keep from laughing
"Let them think they’ve won the war While the noose draw ever tighter Deadly though these brigands are Traps can take the toughest fighter!
"Snare and deadfall, pit and noose Drive your quarry where you choose With no choice except to lose Snare and deadfall, pit and noose."
“That might just...work,” an unfamiliar voice said. Shyahwyn turned and saw a tall man the others seemed to be looking to, standing near a map table. Is that him? she thought, swallowing nervously and turning away before he could catch her looking. An idea was snapping together in her mind, but she didn't dare say it--not to him at any rate. It ain't my place to try an' tell 'em how to win this. They've got generals an' a wannabe king for that. But if the man was Melzikiah, he had just done something astonishing: he'd listened to the words of a raw recruit, giving them consideration without regard to the young soldier's station. I don't have to talk to him. I'll just talk to Bethany, and he'll hear if he wants.
"Malphas is gonna want to keep you lot from escaping. He knows he's got a lot more men, and if he's mad like you say," Shyahwyn said to the young archer, but loud enough for the man she thought was Melzikiah to hear, "he'll prob'ly be more confident than he oughta be. If I was like that, I'd prob'ly do hound an' hunter. Send one force to flush you out an' start you runnin', while the rest o' my army moves 'round to hit you from the other direction. If you stand an' fight the first force, the second gets you from behind, and if you run, the second force flanks you.
"But maybe he wouldn't be expectin' you to attack. If he splits his army, maybe you could defeat each force one at a time. We stay here with a small force of archers an' try to slow the 'hound' force, like we're a screen buyin' time for your people to get away. Except your army ain't here, it's headed out to hit his 'hunter' force as fast as your men can move. They'd have to leave your supply wagons an' stuff behind, but if they could move fast enough, maybe they could hit the 'hunter' force before it's expecting a fight, and while it's still too far away to get help from the 'hound' force. If your whole army can beat that half of his, then it could swing around an' hit the 'hound' force from the rear.
"You could line your supply wagons up across the opening of the box canyon," she said, gesturing toward the defensible valley in which she'd so recently been imprisoned. "If the 'hounds' think you're plannin' to stand for a siege, they might not rush their attack, since they'd be expectin' the rest o' Malphas' army to come along. It'd be better for them to just pin you down an' wait 'till the whole gang shows up instead o' chargin' at what they'd think was prepared defenses. 'Cept, they wouldn't be pinnin' down much more than a few archers an' whatever it takes to make it look like your army's here. Instead, we'd be pinnin' them down.
"'Course, all that depends on what kinda army you have, an' what kinda army Malphas has, an' if he'd be likely to use his men that way, which is all stuff I don't know nothin' about. So take it for what it's worth," Shyahwyn said. "Now, if someone could take me to this trainin' field, I'll start makin' a nice, warm welcome for Malphas' 'hounds.'"
Cerys:
With nowhere else to go, Cerys had spent the night in the cathedral. She'd fallen asleep in the midst of her prayers, but she awoke in a modest bed in a monastic cell, probably the residence of one of the priests. Stretching out the kinks in her muscles, she slipped quietly out of the room and made her way to the main sanctuary. The church was crowded now, but not for a service. The people packed inside watched the double-doors, not the sacristy, and it was obvious at a glance that they were frightened.
From outside, she could hear the muffled bellows of a proud, familiar voice:
“MEN! Today we march to rid our land of a pestilence that has overstayed it’s welcome, today we head to Battle, and we will wipe them from our country, we will give them no quarter! Their men will die today! Their Women will become ours! We will have supreme victory, do not offer mercy, do not offer peace, only offer them FEAR OF YOU!”
Cerys winced at the bloodthirsty cruelty of her father's words. The last shreds of hope and belief that her father might be the wise, good, oh, so hard-working King she'd been told he was all her life slipped from her fingers, torn loose and ripped to pieces by the storm that roared from the throats of his soldiers. Their enthusiastic howls, like the baying of rabid dogs, shouted out hunger for the chance to visit horrors upon whatever women they might lay their hands on in this conquest. Cerys didn't know exactly what sort of horrors those might be. She only knew that Mother had been made to hide in terror behind a door, unable even to come out and see her for a moment. But for the unexpected mercy of Shadow Blade, Mother would have been the firstfruits of the misery Father sought to deal out to that unknown multitude. Those women, should they fall into the King's hand, would not share her Mother's blessed fortune. Cerys bowed her head in prayer, closing her eyes tight.
Please, my Lord Elhanan...I do not know if it is Your will to deliver the enemy into the King's hand, or him into theirs. I beseech You only...please, spare the innocent from the King's wrath, or from that of his enemies should You grant them the victory. Outside, she could hear the tramping of soldiers' feet and the clopping of many hooves of the knights' mighty steeds as Malphas' legions began to move. What would You have me do? She could hear hushed whispers and a rustle of movement from the assembled throng.
Cerys opened her eyes. Those nearest to her who noticed her presence had whispered of it to those next to them. As the word spread, the people turned...to her. Like a field of wheat with a wind blowing through it and bending down the seed heads, the the crowd sank as a wave of kneeling swept through them. They all looked to her...with desperate entreaty. There was no expectation in their eyes, not even any hope. They could see that she was only a little girl, and knew full well that she could do nothing about a King consumed by vengeance and brutality, or armies gathering for a war that was sure to tear the Kingdom apart. But she was the Princess. The only part of the regime that would look at them with kind eyes and a gentle smile.
Cerys' sapphire eyes panned across the sea of faces, meeting theirs. Her heart ached to answer them, somehow. She only had one thing to cling to, the words of the Codex she'd read the night before:
"He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me?"
'Do justice and righteousness.' As much as I can. Can I do anything at all? Who did Father leave to rule the Capital in his absence? Did he leave anyone? That voice she'd just heard, calling upon men who should have been defenders to be savages instead, was not a voice that cared about justice or order or peaceful governance. It was a voice of hate, of unrestrained vengeance, of madness.
Cerys' heart hammered in her chest. To step forward now, to do even the modest little things for the good that were coming into her mind to do, would put her squarely in her father's eye upon his return. But what good am I, if I don't do anything at all? Clenching her hands at her sides to hide their trembling, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Beloved children of Elhanan. Subjects of our fair Kingdom. My friends. While our King leads the nation's armies into battle, I promise to do all that I can to create justice and peace until he returns to his throne. I will try to insure that the City's granaries are filled and the poor do not lack for bread; that the Watch keeps order in the streets, and that brigands do not find opportunity to prey on the roads and the villages and towns. Starting today, I will hold Audience at the Palace each day at noon, until our King returns, and after, if he should permit me to continue."
Cerys had heard rumors of a backlog of cases awaiting Audience--for the King to take his place on the Judgment Seat to adjudicate the disputes and hear the pleas of his subjects. Until now, such rumors fit the narratives she'd been told, of how heavily the Crown weighed upon his brow. He'd had her do it once: watching with an inscrutable expression as a child who had no idea what she was doing struggled to do her best. In retrospect, she realized that she'd been hoodwinked a number of times by persuasive speakers, and unknowingly delivered ridiculous rulings in her ignorance. And that was only the ones she'd figured out later, or had explained to her. Since then she'd tried to learn what she needed to know in the Library. There was just so much to try to understand, about things like the surveying and placement of boundary stones, laws about debt and inheritance and indentured servitude contracts and... It just went on and on and on, and none of the books were meant for a child's reading. Still...she had to try. "I beseech Elhanan that He will provide me wisdom...beyond what little I have on my own...so that I might serve you, and our Realm, as well as possible...and do justice and righteousness in His name." The echoes of her soft, high voice faded slowly in the silence.
"Koh'aan," she said, nodding toward the priest, grateful for every minute of tutoring she'd received in the ancient Tzadikkim language, and that she'd managed to speak his title properly. "Would you please lead us in a B'aruukhah and a prayer for the peace of the Realm, and a psalm of praise for our Lord?"
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Post by Bhunivelze on Feb 8, 2013 14:19:20 GMT -5
Lucas and Krieg
"If you learn anything about my son, will you let me know?"
“I’ll keep my eye out; if something comes up I’ll let you know.” Lucas was lying. He could care less about the man’s son. “Krieg, get prepared for a journey. You have twenty minutes.” Lucas walked out of the room not bothering to look back at the men he left in there. He walked straight to his room and opened the door to find a bow and arrows being placed on his bed by a maid. “What are you doing?” The maid jumped up in shock, her face seemed vaguely familiar. “A gift from the King.” She bowed and scurried out of the room. Puzzled, Lucas looked at the bow. It was beautiful. Birchwood intertwined with gold plating and an emerald placed on the top. “Truly a beautiful bow. Why would the king give it to me? I did fail after all.”
He walked out of his room and towards the throne room with both bow and arrows on his back. He entered and looked for the king. Nowhere to be seen, eh? He looked at the throne. He remembered that Malphas left for war. Lucas was to meet up with him after gaining some information on the Hawkes. Suddenly he found himself lying on the ground with a figure standing over him about to drop his foot on his chest. He rolled out of the way before the assassin could complete the job. This was not the first time his life had been in this type of danger, but there was something that made this one feel different. He jumped back on his feet and loosed a quick arrow in the direction of the attacker. The other man dodged the arrow with ease and leaped through the air landing beside Lucas. Lucas tried to dodge but the assassin was too fast. He grabbed Lucas’s head and twisted it. With a chilling crack, Lucas’s corpse sunk to the floor. With no time for last words, Lucas just lay there. No time to repent. No time to ask for the forgiveness of those he wronged. He just had his life taken from him.
Krieg ripped of his cowl. “The job is done.”
Krieg wasted no time in escaping the castle. He slipped by the guards and made his way out of the city. He knew where he had to go. But it would be a couple days before it was safe to go there. He decided that his father’s farm was probably the safest place right now. He traveled for the remainder of the day and found himself in a wooded area. He decided that this was the best place to take shelter for the night. He climbed up a tree and saddled a branch and leaned up against the tree. Krieg didn’t want to kill Lucas. He hoped Malphas would. But the job was done now. It was off to get his payment.
What was that girls name again? Tira? Pila? Eh, who cares? I’ll get paid and maybe I’ll get some more work. That’d be nice.
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Post by Zabby on Feb 9, 2013 0:04:32 GMT -5
Ben Sighing, Ben slumped back into his seat. "Lucas," he muttered to himself. "We'll have a lot to talk about the next time I see you." His heart really sank for Pyra and everyone here. Not only was she wronged by the boy she loved, the Crows were going to descend on this camp and pillage the whole thing. He had seen what most of the army was like. It was not going to be pretty. And they probably won't send their women away Ben thought with a sigh to himself.
Beryl Taking Samson's hand, Beryl slid into the saddle behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled as she was able to bury her head into his back, filling her nose with his scent. She felt so safe with Samson. It was nice to have him watching after her.
Beryl was shaken out of her thoughts by a familiar sound. Malphas was raving again. He liked to think of himself as giving an inspirational speech, but really it was the rantings of a mad man. Once the king had sent his horse into a trot, Beryl whispered to Samson, "Can we just run now? Go start a life somewhere else?"
Ben
After sitting on his butt for a few more minutes, Ben realized just how stupid he was being. Why am I still here? he asked himself. Maybe, if I get back, I can talk to Lucas and the King to try to get some sort of parley going to save all these people. If we can just convince them to surrender and get the courts to work this out, there might be hope after all!
Getting up, Ben began to look around his cell for something that would be useful in getting him out. Then he spotted it, a sword placed just outside of the bars of his cell. In all the commotion to prepare for battle, someone must have just rested it there and forgotten about it. Sliding his arms through the bars, Ben grabbed the blade. Then he slashed at the worn lock. He was able to get a clean hit and it broke open. Sheathing the sword, Ben began to make his way away from the Hawks camp and back to where he thought Akbar and the trackers who must have followed him would be.
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Ambassador
Full Member
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidance of things not seen.
Posts: 130
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Post by Ambassador on Feb 11, 2013 22:38:14 GMT -5
Eve & Alaric
“Give me some of your most silent warriors, we will fight from the Shadows, we can leave right now. Attack them from the back, silently and quietly. I’ve been trained in this kind of fighting.” Toma looked too Eve “And I will be loyal to any cause that ends the reign of Malphas.”
“Good idea, Eve, you and Bethany will be part of this strike force.” Melzekiah said. Eve bit her toung, hurt, but she didn't show it. Not only had Melzekiah completely ignored what she had to say, but he had accepted the words of a complete stranger that he knew Eve had reason to distrust. And now, she was going to have to babysit him, to fight side by side with someone she could never trust. Eve may have stepped out of line a little today, but she had always been one of the Hawks oldest and most valuable soilders. Melzekiah turned to face Locke.
“What if we laid traps in the training grounds? The land is flat, and well-covered with trees for hiding archers. We could have a second group hidden on the other side of the valley ready to charge when the first falls back.”
“That might just...work.”
Great. Locke wasn't even a military stratigist. However, Eve had to admit it was one of the best options they had. Melzekiah turned to her. She pursed her lips and nodded affirmitave to his orders, not trusting herself to speak. With one final gorgons glare at Toma Firon, Eve took several happy steaps away from him to go stand with Bethany.
"What shall I do, sir?" Alaric interjected. "Shall I fight with Firon's group as well?
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Post by Sovereign on Feb 12, 2013 2:15:53 GMT -5
Garidan
He sat on top of one of the three ramparts that faced the sea, each representing one of the three northern cities Ansmekkar, Midin, and Bamaden. While Ansmekkar and Bamaden were fully marital cities, fortified with a full garrison force. Midin on the other hand was the center of trade, it had defenses but was not under martial rule. These three cities, while not the capital, are some of the most important city in all Aquitas. It was said that if any of these three fail into enemy hands, the country would soon fall as well.
Garidan scanned the ocean, ever watchful. Some questioned why he, the Commander of this city, would lower himself to guard duty. But anyone who knew the story, knew exactly why. He saw the pirate ships like it was yesterday.
Twenty-two Years earlier
“Hey Garidan!” the angelic voice could make his darkest day bright, his boring days full of life. He looked down from his post on the rampart and smiled. Vivian Astra, long raven hair tossing about her slim figure by the ocean breeze. She wasn’t a soldier or a family member of any soldier, many wondered why she appeared at Ansmekkar, just two years ago.
She was a medic she said, ran in her blood. Garidan had seen her do wonders with her knowledge of the natural herbs, soon she had become the primary medic of the fort, but more than that she ran an orphanage for those orphaned by routine mercenary and pirate attacks in the area.
He smiled down at her, no one denied that they had an attraction to each other. “Vivian, what are you doing here! You know I have guard duty today!”
“Yes, yes. I know Lt. Garidan Fouler is a very dutiful man.” She laughed as she mocked him. “I just wanted to know if you are free later. The children have been asking about you since you last came over. They wanted me to invite you for dinner.” She meekly smiled, a blush appearing on her face.
He blushed, he enjoyed the last time he saw the children. And the night that they had shared afterward together. “Are you telling me that the children really asked for me? Or are you just using that as a cover up to get me back under the sheets.” He looked down to her.
“GARIDAN FOULER! You are a horrible man to suggest something like that in public.” Her words feigned fury while her eyes gave him an affirmative.
His laughter was loud as he shouted back down to her. “Tell the ‘Children’ then that I will be honored to be their guest again.” He smiled at her.
“One more thing Gari, I love you!” She shouted as loud as she could. He shook his head and blushed, the men would be laughing in the barracks over ‘Gari’. Well the damage was done, might as well go all the way. “And I love you , Vi!” And with that she smiled and walked away, heading back to her orphanage/clinic hybrid.
The rest of his shift went by relatively uneventful, the ocean waves lulling him to sleep a few minutes here and there. A few hours later his replacement was there to relieve him, and he hurried down the stairs and straight to Vivian’s orphanage.
“It’s GARI!” a Child he recognized as Gideon, his father and mother were killed a few years ago. Before Vivian, his life was harsh, having to manage on what little the soldiers could give him, but now he was a strong boy of four years.
“Hey Gideon, you look stronger today. Have you been practicing with your sword?” Garidan asked smiling.
The child held up his ‘sword’, a stick about two feet long, proudly and swung it at Garidan lightly. Garidan grabbed his arm in fake pain. “Ouch, you cut off my arm.” He smiled. And with that Gideon gave him a mischievous smile and shouted “CHARGE!” and before he could put up any defense all the orphans charged him, tackling him to the ground in fits of laughter.
Above the laughter he heard Gideon shout. “Vivian! We got him!” Garidan couldn’t hold back his loud bellowing laughter as he struggled to see as Vivian slowly walked up to him wearing an elegant black dress, and silver necklace with a rose pendant, a gift from him. “Good work, Commander Gideon. Now please escort Lt. Garidan to the kitchen.” And with that she turned and walked away.
Garidan looked at Gideon as Gideon placed the end of his stick sword to his throat, “No funny business, you are a prisoner. Garidan put his hands up. “Lead the way.”
A few moments later he was setting in front of an elegant dinner, with a bottle setting there waiting to be opened. “Do you like what you see?” Her voice sent shivers up his spine. He turned in his chair and saw her, her beauty even more apparent in the soft light from the fireplace. “The food or you?” He smiled as he stood up, grabbed her hand kissed it and led her to her chair, pulling it out so she could sit.
“Oh, here I am trying to be the romantic one, and you show that not all soldiers are oafs.” She smiled and laughed as he sat down.
“Soldiers are supposed to protect what is precious to them, Vi, you are precious to me.” He smiled very lovingly at her from across the table.
“Should we just skip the dinner?” Vivian asked with a serious voice. “Because the dinner seems less important now.” “As tempting as that sounds,” Garidan looks at the food. “I am starving.” And with that Vivian smiled and poured him a mug of wine.
Dinner went by slowly, with small talk here and there, laughter through out. Hours passed, then he looked up. “Shouldn’t you put the children to bed?” Vivian looked at him with a mischevious smile. “Gideon told me he would, so you and I could spend time together. He’s a sweet boy, he really looks up to you.”
“I know, I know.” He says while looking deeply into her eyes before rising.
“What’s wrong?” She asks looking up, before he walks toward her and takes her by the hand, leading her to her door.
“I love you Vi, marry me?” He says gently cupping her face.
“Yes.” She says as he leans in and kisses her, she wraps her arms around him as the kiss intensified, he reached around her and opened the door, leading her in without breaking the kiss. The door shut, and the best night of his life began.
“PIRATES! PIRATES SPOTTED TO THE EAST! ALL SOLDIERS TO THE DOCKS!” The cry woke Garidan slowly, Vivian was asleep under his arm but she soon awoke too. “Did they say Pirates?” She asks looking up at him, holding the blanket over herself as Garidan puts on his uniform, sword and shield.
“Yes,” he says looking down at her. “Get dressed, get to the children and make sure they are safe.” And with that he kissed her deeply and passionately and ran out the door.
It took him a few minutes to reach the docks, and join his fellow soldiers. Not far ahead of them he saw Commander Jocelyn Amelyon, some would think that the men would be insulted that she was their commander, but Jocelyn had gained their respect by serving with them, in all positions. And she was deadly with her bow and arrow and sword combination.
Then his eyes were drawn to the ocean, and the two ships heading right at them. This was going to be bad, they’d never dealt with two ships at once, at least not this size.
“MEN! Don’t let fear take you! This may be a military base, but this is also our home. We have children and loved one’s here. These worthless pirates want to take our home and loved ones from us! Let that make you angry, and from that anger draw on untold courage, and resolve. These scum have never prevailed against before, and they never will!” Jocelyn shouted to her men. Everyone erupted in cheers, including Garidan.
He drew his sword and readied his shield, and waited as the ships loomed closer. He had heard from Vivian that when Elhanan’s follower’s died that they were welcome into eternity to be by his side, until this point he didn’t know if he believed in eternity, the ships seemed to take eternity to reach them.
Right as they entered port, Jocelyn lit one of her arrows on fire and shot it right at the mast of one of the ships, lighting it on fire. They waited as the ships docked, and Then in a loud voice, “CHARGE!” Of course that order wasn’t for everyone. Jocelyn and the archers would stay behind right now.
The plan was to push the untrained pirates back into the water they called home in life, and make it their home in death. Garidan joined his comrades in a loud shout as they rushed forward to meet the pirates.
The man by running behind him got hit by an arrow falling down, then another as Garidan and the rest pushed forward. Pirates aren’t archers! He looked up barely to see that one of the ships flew the flag of a mercenary company in the area, while the other was the pirate ship. But he kept charging, Vivian and the children needed protection and so he would be their protector.
He he was now at the point of the charge and hit the pirates first, bashing his shield into the face of the first one who fell into the water knocked out, then decapitating the next one. He was aware of the men around him falling like flies as the archers from the ship took them out. They had taken some of the Pirates out when he shouted for the retreat, they would have to rely on their home turf to give them the advantage.
“Lt. Fouler! Get up to those battlements! They are climbing the wall!” Jocelyn shouted at him as he neared her position, he looked up to see some of his friends fall to their death. “Yes, SIR!” He exclaimed as he ran to the stairs, with a group of men following him.
As he got to the top of the stairs he barely ducked a slash of a wicked sword wielded by a mercenary, Garidan then brought his sword up straight into the man's skull, using his shield to push pull it out. “GO! GO!” He screamed at the others as he stepped to the side to let them charge the other mercenaries climbing the walls.
It didn’t take long to take care of the wall and secure it, and Garidan was on his way back down, when a pirate leapt at him with a small dagger, slashing at his left eye. His vision went red as he cut down the man in front of him and continue to run.
The battle raged on for hours, the men of Ansmekkar winning, but at tremendous costs. Garidan saw many of his brothers in arms die that night. He had long lost his shield because of exhaustion and now relied on the thin layer of chainmail under his uniform to protect him. Vision in his left eye was completely gone but he was still fighting. He couldn’t even open his hand to release his sword at the moment.
“ARGH!” He heard the cry of the Commander as she was disarmed by a man who must be the leader of this attack.He was lifting his huge sword above his head, while Jocelyn sat there, holding her ankle in pain, she was going to die.
Garidan ran, sliding right in front of him and holding his sword with both hands as the man brought down his lethal strike, somehow Garidan kept his sword sure but then the man started to relentlessly bring the sword down over and over again. “Fouler, leave me!” His commander shouted under him.
“No, Ma’am.” He grunts with each blow his arms grow weaker. “GARIDAN!” A voice shouted but it wasn’t his commanding officer, it was Vivian. He looked and saw her running toward the man above him, she was holding his shield. And she rammed right into him, knocking him over and making him drop the huge sword of his.
But what happened next would haunt Garidan for years to come, he unsheathed dagger, grabbed Vivian by her neck, smiled and shoved it right into her chest.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Garidan screamed standing up as the man dropped his Vivian, unsheathing a sword, but it didn’t matter to him. This man would die for what he just did to Vivian. The man raised his sword up to block but Garidan slid under him, grabbing his shield and running at him from behind, sword pointed forward. The pirate didn’t stand a chance as Garidan’s sword impaled him, and he kept running until he was against wall. Gairdan started bashing his shield into the mans face. “YOU PIECE OF TRASH! SHE WAS INNOC” He heard a soft voice. “Garidan Fouler.” He let go of his sword and shield and ran over to Vivian.
“Are you okay??” He asks hurriedly seeing the blood pour out of her wound. “No, no my love. I’m dying, I’m going into eternity.”
“No, no, no, no! We are going to get married and adopt Gideon, I’ll retire from the military and we could move somewhere beautiful.” He looked into her eyes “Please don’t leav...” She put a finger on his mouth.
“He has a purpose for you, I saw that in you the first day we met. Elhanan has a purpose for you. You will do great things, my love. But please kiss me. Let me leave this world in your arms.” Garidan kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. Breaking the kiss to say one thing. “I love you, Vivian Astra.”
“And I love you Garidan Fouler,” Vivian says as the life in her eyes leaves. Garidan sat there crying with his arms around her.
It seemed like hours later but it was only minutes. “You shielded me from death, you shielded those children. Yet you’ve taken the worst of the beating. You are a shield,” Jocelyn said quietly.
“I didn’t shield the one who mattered to the most. I am a failure.” Garidan says weeping.
“No, no you are not. You saved many lives today. If You hadn’t shielded me, he would have one. He would have killed those children.” Jocelyn says, though Garidan seemed to ignore her. “GARIDAN FOULER! DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT SHE SAID WHEN SHE FIRST CAME HERE!” Garidan head shot up. “I’ve come to....” Jocelyn started, and Garidan finished “protect those without the means to protect themselves.”
“She loved you, don’t waste the life you’ve been given.” And with that she left him being.
Two weeks later
“But...but....” Gideon looked up into Garidan’s eyes. “I don’t want to lose you too.” He stood by Jocelyn who had taken over the orphanage and stepped down from her commanding post the day of Vivian’s funeral. Her reason? She couldn’t waste the life she had been given.
News had spread quickly of Garidan’s courage and he was sent an offer to come to the capital to become the head of the high princes’ royal guard. He accepted. “Gideon, Jocelyn is an amazing woman. She’ll protect you, but your mother,” that is what all the children were calling Vivian now. “would want me to go. She told me I was destined for great things. I’ll never forget you.” He turned and got up on his horse. “You’ll be a great man one day Gideon, a man of mighty valor. I love you.”
Present Day
“Father?” A familiar voice awoke Garidan from his memories. He turned to face Gideon, now twenty-six and his second in command.
“What is it Gideon?” He smiled wiping the tears away.
“Thinking about mother huh?” His adopted son smiled at him. “She was a great woman, I wish I had realized it when she was still alive.” Gideon says before remembering why he was here. “We’ve got a woman we found on patrols, she was malnourished and beaten from hard travel.”
“Why are you telling this to me? Feed her and give her a warm bed.” Garidan says.
Gideon looked him in the eye. “She looks like mother.”
In took a few minutes for Garidan to get back to the old Orphanage but when he opened the door his breath was taken away. “Impossible.” was the only word that escaped his mouth. Sitting there at the table was the very image of Vivian. It felt like it was 25 years ago.
“What’s your name?”
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Logos
Full Member
Posts: 172
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Post by Logos on Feb 12, 2013 8:44:03 GMT -5
Cerys:
Cerys hesitated at the palace gate. The edifice was so much more imposing all of a sudden . I just have to pretend I'm a great queen...and do what a great queen would do...right? She bit her lip. That's all easier thought than done. Do I really need to do this? Surely Elhanan would not really expect me to...what? Do justice? Nobody will even listen to me! I'm just a little decoration for my father, like those tiny dogs the court Ladies carry! The eyes of the people in the church came back to her...the way they'd looked at her as she'd made her rash proclamation. I can't...turn my back on them. They listened to me. Maybe I could find a good grownup who can do justice? Maybe that's what Elhanan wants me to do. But how would I know who in the Court is good? Everything anybody ever told me is a lie!
She took a long, slow breath, trying to gather the strength to breach the invisible wall in front of her. If nobody listens to me...then at least I did everything I could...right? I just have to pretend I'm a queen. Please help me to do right, Elhanan. As if her foot was weighted with lead, as if she had to lean into a fierce headwind to advance, Cerys took her first step toward the Palace. The second was easier, and the third easier still. Pretend I'm a queen. I'm a good queen. I'm Elaearrhii, Queen of the Faerie Realm, the White Lady of the Pearl Tower, and I give my Realm peace, justice, and prosperity, she thought, trying to assume the dignity and beauty of the Faerie Queen. By the time she reached the gate, she had stepped fully into her role (though of course she had no pearl-scaled dragon or crystal scepter or magical powers), nodding regally to the guards as they let her pass.
Heading toward the throne room, she raised her hand and called out to the first page she saw. "Page! Come here, please." The page came, and bowed. "Has my father the King appointed someone to administer the Realm in his absence?"
"I...do not think so Milady. Or at least, I have not been told."
"Very well," Cerys said, raising her chin. "I shall hold Audience today at noon. See that the Chamber is prepared. Please have a chair brought for me and place it beside my father's throne. And also, another chair for the throne room as well."
"As you wish, Your Highness," the man said, bowing again to the tone of command in her voice.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome, Your Highness," he said, surprise briefly sweeping across his face. King Malphas and his hangers-on never thanked anybody...
Was that a mistake? Am I supposed to act like...they're just supposed to do what I say? Brows knit in concentration, Cerys thought about it as she walked on. If people started disrespecting her because she was too polite, she wouldn't be able to get much done. But the Faerie Queen is always good and kind in the stories. And didn't the Ketuph say woe to him 'who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing?' He's my neighbor.
Thus reassured that she had not already committed some great faux pas, Cerys strode confidently to the throne room--and gasped with shock at what she saw. "Sir? Are you alright?" she said, running to the prone form. "Captain Kreiss?" The man's eyes were wide open and glazed, a forlorn pool of spittle drying on the flagstones around his open mouth, shining like a snail's slick. "GUARDS! GUARDS!" she cried. Men charged into the room with halberds in their hands. "You!" Cerys said, picking out a guard. "Go bring the physician!" She was becoming more sure every second that she was looking at a...corpse. But perhaps the Court physician could tell how he'd died. The other guards formed up around her.
"My Lady, we should get you to safety," one of them said.
"Is there any place in the Realm that should be safer than my father's throne room?" she snapped, her Faerie Queen persona starting to come unglued. She noticed an arrow stuck in the carved cedar paneling of one wall. Cerys peered around one of the guards to look at Lucas' body again. This time she spotted the fine bow in his hand, and the quiver of matching arrows. "He was attacked! But he doesn't look wounded..." she said, confusion in her voice.
Moments later, the guard returned with the physician in tow. "Good doctor, we fear that our master strategist is dead. Can you tell us what happened to him?" Cerys asked, scrambling to piece together her Faerie Queen persona and not sound so much like a scared little girl. The doctor crouched to examine the body. Could Shadow Blade have done this? Or maybe Father had it done? Otherwise he'd have wanted Captain Kreiss to go to the battle with him, wouldn't he? Unless he'd meant to leave him in charge, and somebody didn't want that...wanted the City to fall into chaos... Cerys gulped. If that was true, it meant that she would be the assassin's next target.
"Your Highness, his neck was broken."
"How? Did he fall?"
"You needn't worry yourself about th--"
"How?!"
"I suspect that the attacker grabbed his head and twisted...with his bare hands. Do you see this hand-mark?" he said, turning the head over to reveal a five-fingered welt. "It looked like his head was gripped tightly...and..." the physician stammered, clearly as uncomfortable with giving the girl details as she was to hear them. Her face was now almost as pale as her gown, making her big eyes stand out even more than they usually did.
So...maybe not Shadow Blade then? Doesn't he use poisons and weapons? Cerys thought, knowing full well that the scraps of exaggerated rumor about Shadow Blade that reached her ears were hardly a complete course on techniques of assassination. I hope it wasn't him. I want him and Mother to be safe...but I still have to find out who did it.
Suddenly it hit Cerys that her little effort to 'do justice' for awhile until Father returned would not be a simple matter of hearing the people's pleas or trying to make sure there was bread for the city and keeping criminals and brigands from exploiting the King's absence. An enemy--the ones Father fought against or some other--had shown that they could strike into the heart of the Palace itself. No one was safe. She had a national crisis...on her hands.
What would the Faerie Queen do? Cerys drew a blank. None of her Faerie Queen stories were quite this...violent. She'd use her magic, probably. But I don't have any magic! Alright...so...what do I have? Cerys tore her eyes away from the corpse and turned to the guard who had brought the physician. "We must hold a Council of War. Send for our Father's advisers and the chief men of his Court.
Suddenly the guards bristled, readying their halberds. A servant stopped in the doorway, holding a carved and gilded folding chair. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.
"It is alright, we asked for a chair to be brought," Cerys said. "Please, bring it and place it next to the King's throne."
"Yes, Your Highness," he said, eyes flicking toward the body as he passed. He placed the chair and looked to her for her satisfaction. She nodded, and he gave her a bow. "Is there anything else you require of me, Your Highness?" Without meaning to, he looked pleadingly at the door, wanting out of the room as soon as possible.
"Attend us for a moment please," she said, waving him over. He approached the guards, wary of their weapons, and bowed. To Cerys' surprise, his fingers were trembling. Does he think I plan to kill him? Why?
"Do not be afraid. You are not in any trouble." His arms didn't look strong enough to break a man's neck like a twig, so he didn't seem a likely suspect. "You must not speak of this to anyone. When the time is right, we will make it known to the people. For now though, we do not want to let fear spread among the people as a poison. You may tell others of what you have seen after we have announced it and not before." From the looks in peoples eyes when she did catch them spreading some juicy rumor, Cerys figured that such a tale as this would be sorely tempting to spread, for him and the guards as well. By offering a time when they could tell it, she hoped to firm up their willingness to wait. And, in the case of the servant, offer him reassurance that he would not be killed because he Knew Too Much. "May we trust you?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Oh, yes, Your Highness! I will tell no one! Thank you, Your Highness."
"That is all. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Your Highness," he said, bowing and departing with obvious gladness.
"That goes for you men as well. What happened here must not leave this room until we are ready to announce it." And how should 'we' announce it? I'm going to have to make some kind of speech about how he died for the King and the Realm... I won't be able to hide it for long. But if I can get an idea of who did it first... And I will need to send a message to Father. That last thought chilled her. She had no idea if he would approve of her stepping in, but now more than ever it was clear that someone had to.
"Doctor, would you please take a pair of guards and find out who last saw Captain Kreiss alive? And when you are done looking at the body, have Captain Kreiss prepared for burial?"
Cerys glanced at Kreiss' body, unsure of how she should feel. She only recognized the young man from Court appearances. She'd never spoken with him. What reason would a brilliant, prodigy strategist have to talk to a little girl, and vice versa? There had been some speculation among the servants though, that she might marry him someday. If the King produced no male heir, who better than a master strategist to name as his successor? Had such a thing come to pass, the obvious thing would have been to betroth him to Cerys, to cement his position and see to it that Malphas' bloodline continued. That would never happen now, of course.
"...Yes, Your Highness, consider it done." The physician chose a pair of guards and took them to fetch a stretcher and a shroud and carry the body to the cellars where it could be kept chilled until he was ready to embalm it. He was more than a little nervous about the idea of trying to catch somebody who could break a man's neck as easily as a chicken's, especially an armed man. He could only hope that the killer had already fled the Capital, his mission accomplished. But what if he would now be stalking the Princess and anyone who tried to assist her?
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Post by purplemunster94 on Feb 12, 2013 15:24:47 GMT -5
Samara
Samara gasped when Avan jumped at the man, then tumbled off of the cliff. She knew with her skill, she stood no chance against these men, she had been lucky in the inn, getting away with only a wound. Her wound had been treated, but her strength was already taken away. She prepared herself for the worse, all the hope she normally had was taken away in that moment, as the crow men stood between her and freedom.
Elhanan I know you can hear me. If it is my time to go, take me swiftly, but I know you didn't save me multiple times for it to end like this. I know this is selfish, but please, please protect me in this moment.
To Samara's surprise the next thing she knew the men were running. She couldn't imagine why they would run away from a small fragile girl. She stumbled to the mouth of the cave and saw more forces coming her way. They obviously weren't crows, if the others ran from them, but they didn't appear to be hawks either. She knew this was her only chance so she took off as fast as she could run away from both forces.
She was no match for the soldiers following her. She was soon overtaken. Her luck had to be the worst, she would escape from one enemy, and get caught in another, in less than an hour. She gave in and turned toward the group, I guess you've saved me enough, I trust this will go alright, I'm sorry for doubting you Elhanan.
The man in charge of the group called out to her and told her not to fear, that they were going to help her. At these words Samara, broke down and crumpled to the ground tears falling freely. She couldn't believe that at last she might find a group that would make her safe. Everything hit her all at once. The next thing she knew, one of the men was helping her to her feet, and guiding her to the rest of the group. As they traveled Samara had a new found hope, that everything was going to work out. The calm and relief she felt made her realize how hungry and tired she was. She forced herself onward, anyway, she would not slow this group that had saved her down.
Finally, they arrived at a camp, not too big, but still, with soldiers. She was guided to a tent, and told to wait. They would check her wounds, and give her something to eat shortly. She smiled, "Everything you have done for me, is worth more to me than you will ever know."
Samara was drifting to sleep when a large man came rushing into the tent. She was startled and stood quickly, using the wall to balance herself. She really was hungry. The man didn't look angry, just shocked, when he asked for her name.
"My name, sir, is Samara. Samara Galen." She curtsied, and looked up at the man, he was obviously a man of leadership. "I'm am forever in debt to you sir."
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