3. Lilly's Dajemma

Lilly's Dajemma

  • A

    For everyone that has read along and enjoyed our little story I'd like to thank you and let you know that it truly has made me feel good to write something like this and know that some people actually enjoy the plot that Katebush and myself developed, amateurs though we may be.

    Also I'd like to thank Katebush again for all the contributions made and all the wonderful help with this story that quite probably was too large for me to handle alone.

    Just thought something like this was in order after finishing writing a hefty story like that. If you have any questions feel free to pm either Katebush or myself and we'll answer as best we can to clarify any obscure parts. Those results will be posted here for the benefit of everyone else. (would say post here but want to avoid cluttering it if I can, feel like an author who's ready to cringe if anyone thinks of scribbling notes in the new book)

  • A

    The ship rocked back and forth, back and forth.. fark but Lilly hated ships. Finishing releasing what little bit of the horrid food, that ship's cook had made, into Umberlee's realm, Lilly wiped her mouth and half staggered to a cleared area on the bow. The sun was setting, and the crew had been badgering her all day for a song, and she'd done her best to oblige them though she kept having to pause for "railing breaks".

    Her yarting in her lap now, Lilly began to sing her next song, her fingers picking at the strings as the ship rocked and her stomach sloshed around in her belly.

    "Merry men, and merry maids,
    brought together with little aid,
    making merry, ale for all,
    sipping, spinning, kissing, twirling,
    until the dawn when down we fall."

    Lilly singing in a lighthearted voice that she didn't really feel, though the crew seemed to appreciate it. Some giggled, some simply smirked to themselves while they worked, though more than one stopped what they were doing to listen.. and a couple just to ogle her.

    "Merry maids, with pretty smiles,
    many merry men with constant wiles,
    ill-lit corners with more shadow than light,
    where merry man and maid seek,
    a place to their own, 'spite what's right."

    A few of the crew gave little grins as they caught the connotations within the song and she almost groaned to herself as she realized how poor of a choice her song truly was. Well, guess she'd end up vomiting on another man who tried to pinch her bottom.

    "Pretty night, filled by pretty star,
    uncaring of man or maid who went to far,
    drink inspired, lust held them both,
    and darkness uncaring,
    of what now holds them closer than any oath."

    Lilly smirked to herself as the crass mariners caught onto the meaning of her words and many made rude sounds, losing interest in staring at her. Though just as many simply applauded, a few holding fingers to mouth and whistling.

    Lilly smile faded all too quickly as she quickly gathered her feet and rushed to the rail, where she dry heaved in Umberlee's expansive face.
    It wasn't long at all before Ocean came up to the woman and patted her on the back, whispering quietly.

    "Ya di'na tae' thuh 'erbz di'ya?" Ocean whispered knowingly, Lilly only nodding a bit as her stomach refused to settle. "Ah knew i', now 'ome on. Bak ya go to yer cabn. Yer zong wuz prity tho.."

    Lilly managed to look up and grin, whispering back, "having the song end with a baby should save me a sore bottom tonight.. at least til they're too drunk and try to pinch it anyways."

    Ocean grumbled a bit, and though she couldn't catch all the words, Lilly imagined that any crewmember caught laying hands on Lilly would face a harder punishment than Lilly punching them or puking on them. Lilly felt horrible actually, ususally she could look after herself, she'd even proved that to Horgeldaer, but now she could barely stand up for long on her own without dizziness taking over her.

    "Ocean.. remember the inn in Haven.. just before we left?" Lilly whispered as Ocean hooked an arm around the woman's waist and guided her to the cabin. The dark-haired girl of a captain giggled and nodded, a mischivious smile playing across her face.

    "'ad men drunker 'an 'ell try an' zweettalk uz.. then ah'd pick thur purse az we caryd them ba'.." Ocean giggled and Lilly smiled, her stomach easing a little at the memory.

    They'd been in "The Laughing Jackal", a rather cozy little inn in Haven, both women enjoying themselves and indulging in as much good food as they could. Lilly even allowed herself a glass of wine, though Ocean declined with tight-lips as Lilly offered it to her. Then, to their amusement they'd had drunken man after drunken man approach them and try to make conversation. Some at least tried to make conversation, most just babbled incoherently, asked one to dance despite there not being anyone even attempting to play music, or even blatantly asking for favors.

    It eventually got so bad that Lilly had to hit three of them to prove she wasn't a harlot, though she only wore her silken green dress simply since she'd had few occasions to wear it. Ocean nearly killed one of them, as a man stumbled forward and tried to slip an arm around her and immediately vomitted on the floor next to her chair. It had taken all of her control not to stab him.

    They got their revenge though, as after awhile Lilly got up and started to play different songs on her mandolin and birdpipes, her yarting and harp remaining in the room. Coincidently, all the songs were suitable for dancing and few men missed the opportunity to beg a dance of Ocean, who after only a bit of blushing accepted near everytime. A great fun was had by all that night, and Lilly earned several coins in tips from happy drunkards.

    It wasn't until they were atually in the room, however, until Ocean revealed all the necklaces and rings and coins and trinkets she had slipped from her unsuspecting dance partners. The girl giggled with how easy it had been. Of course that gold would probably go to the crew, but still it was less money from her own pocket, or her dad's for that matter, besides the point had been for fun, not profit.

    Now in the cabin, Ocean laid Lilly down on the stiff bunk, tucking her in and closing the little door that prevented its occupant from falling out from the tossing waves. Then Ocean was sure to set the bucket within easy reach of the bard, because surely she would need it even if there was only air left in her stomach.

    "Ocean.. can I see the sword?" Lilly asked, settling comfortably into the bed, Ocean oblingingly bringing the glass sword for Lilly. "Thanks brat." she chided, bringing a smile to the girl's face.

    "How long til we get home..?" Lilly asked seemingly from nowhere, Ocean frowning for a moment before stating proudly, "we'll be there by sunrise tomorrow, sooner if the wind picks up."

    Lilly simply nodded and tried to close her eyes, setting the sword into a leather wrapping to keep it from cutting anything, then suddenly a blinding light flooded the room. From just in front of the doorway, a silverlight expanded until a silvery door stood in place of the passage from the cabin. Stepping lightly from it were three creatures who's likeness she'd seen only once before. Instinctively she hugged the glass sword closer to her.

    Through the doorway had strode three elves with wings like that of a dove sprouted from their backs, though proportional to their size and obviously used for flight. One carried a simple gnarled, oaken staff with a ruby stuck to the top; another carried a sword of glass similar to the one she now clutched to her bosom. A third carried nothing at all, though all except the one with the staff wore chainshirts that were the color of a cloudy sky. They made not a sound as they moved, and six eyes weighed and judged the two women on the spot.

    "Give the sword." the one with the sword spoke gruffly for an elf, though obviously it was a forced gruffness as it still sounded very melodic, obviously they were not used to speaking common.

    "th' blade..?" Lilly answered in horribly pronounced elvish, trying to show that she wasn't a thief and hopefully to win them over. Though from the glares she received that obviously wasn't the right response, what followed was a rapid exchange of elvish too fast and high pitched for Lilly to even begin to follow. It was strange, while she'd heard elves that spoke as if they were nearly singing while speaking their own tongue, she'd also heard a rare few who sounded as if the forest itself spoke as they used the elvish tongue; however, when these three talked it was as if the winds and a multitude of birds attempted to hold a conversation.

    "Give us the sword human, we will not suffer thieves.." the elf with the staff spoke after speaking a few quick words that Lilly didn't understand, his speach suddenly perfectly understandable. "It belonged to a prince.. you killed him I assume?"

    Both women's eyes widened and they vehemently shook their heads negative, "We watched him.. he.. he fought a wizard.. a human wizard.. and they both died in spellbattle.." Lilly answered nervously, surprised as the warriors nodded their heads sharply.

    "And you stole the sword from their battlefield? Common thieves you are!" the warrior elf spat, then looked to the one with the staff, "Can we not kill them and be done with it? They have the sword so let us take it and be done. They are only human's anyways."

    The elf with the staff simply smiled and spoke quietly, "they understand us now you know." the elf warrior looking shocked though it quickly passed.

    "How did you acquire the sword then?" the elf with the staff, evidently a leader of the group asked calmly.

    "I uh.. I found it.. at the battle.. when.. they died.. it .. it was just laying there.. and.. I didn't think bandits or thieves should get it." Lilly finished up awkwardly, honestly confused as to what these elves would do, her stomach momentarily forgotten.

    "Very well.. we would wish it back, is there anything we could offer you for its return?" the elf again asked calmly, as if making polite conversation, though the other elves's wings fluttered in what could only be anxiety.

    "Not unless you could get us off this boat.." Lilly began with a sigh, already sliding the weapon from the leather wrapping.

    To her surprise the elf replied simply, "Done."

    "She knows of us now.. we can't just let her go!" the warrior winged-elf shouted, but the elf with the staff waved a dismissive hand.

    "None have seen us besides these two, nor do they even know our names or where we lives. We are safe I believe, and I sense very little magical talent around either of them. They pose us no threat." the elf spoke calmly, suddenly seeming much older than the other two elves, especially the winged-warrior with the sword.

    Raising his hands and incanting words that made no sense to either women, his fingers flashing through intricate gestures as the wind seemed to howl through the cabin. Then it abruptly died, and both women could suddenly feel what the spell could do. Ocean's eyes widened, and experimentally her feet lifted from the ground. She could fly!

    "Lilly! Lilly! WE CIN FLY!" Ocean squealed delightedly, and the old elf chuckling, the other two merely shaking their heads.

    "The spell will last for twenty four hours, be careful of its limit and be wary of where you travel, the road back may be much more perilous. Land is only a few hours flight, I would assume that is where you would head, the city of Peltarch, correct?" the old elf wizard spoke with a smile.

    Without another word needing to be spoken, the unarmed elf took the glass sword from the obviously excited Lilly and then as one the three elves retreated through the silvery doorway, and suddenly they could see through beyond the cabin again.

    Both women looked at each other and grins like two mischiviously little girls left alone in a room of nothing but honeyed candies rose on their faces. They each gathered their packs, strapping as much of their stuff as they dared think they needed to take with them. Then they both rushed to the deck, Lilly's sickness gone with the overwhelming excitement whelling within her.

    Ocean spoke briefly and hurriedly for the second in command to continue towards the city, and gave detailed instructions for docking there, though these she whispered. Then to the astonishment of all the crewmembers, both women took a running jump over the railing and as only magic could accomplish rose into the sky and soared across the wind towards Peltarch.

    The feeling was incredible, wind whipping through your hair and across your body, not a single constraint on you. Absolute freedom, the entire sea and distant shoreline the most wonderful sight ever seen by either. For hours they giggled and cartwheeled and raced through the sky towards the city they called home, towards the life they had left behind.
    Neither woman could truly believe they were doing this, it was simply.. unthinkable! Flying like birds, they tried to talk, but it was just too windy to be heard unless they stopped, which both women were enjoying themselves too much to even think about.

    Eventually, their weary bodies reached the city and slipped quietly into the city noticed only by those who watched over the docks and by those who enjoyed gazing at birds and clouds. Landing lightly in front of the bardic college, they slipped inside, despite their gleeful fun their bodies threatened to collapse if they didn't rest soon. Evidently flying is tiresome, even if it is magically granted.

    Slipping quietly through the hallways, still able to glide above the floor, they darted to the west wing where Lilly unlocked one of the doors and they both slipped inside. They exchanged tired smiles and dropped packs, weapons, and everything but enough clothes to not be naked. Both women finally climbing into the large bed and settling for the second most rewarding sleep they'd have in a long time. The first most rewarding sleep having to wait for Lilly until Mirkali discovered the women asleep in his bed and shooed Ocean off…

    THE END
    :dance: :boogie: :dance: :boogie: :dance:

  • A

    In her cabin of the ship, well the one she shared with Ocean whenever the girl stopped ordering the crew about, Lilly found herself in a horrid predicament. The herbs Ocean had gave her fought off the queasiness in her stomach wonderfully; however, they also made her very drowsy. Given the options, she didn't usually mind extra sleep, though she hated to be able to keep her friend company so little on the trip. Still, she'd been able to fight down her stomach enough for an hour or two of singing and ribald jokes with the crew; and of course there was always a helpful crew lad ready to help her back to the cabin, his hand seeking to steady her always, and only coincidently trying to cup her breast at the same time, though for the crewmembers own safety Lilly never spoke of it to Ocean.

    Gods but she hated boats, let Ocean and Deacon and Mirkali take all the damned seas, she'd walk if it was at all within her power. She'd spent nearly a week holed up in the cabin, either sleeping or puking into a basin bucket, and rarely above decks vomitting over the railing. She smirked a bit and wondered if that was considerred an insult to Umberlee, though Lilly thougt it simply revenge for stirring her stomach so bad.

    "Fark it… I'll yawn just sleep.. before.. I.. puke..yawn.." Lilly spoke aloud for no particular reason, in her hands clutched a longsword made entirely of glass, a peculiar weapon to be sure though it was much tougher than its appearance seemed. She watched her reflection as her eyes grew heavy, and the vision of when she'd acquired it playing before her eyes.

    It had started as they were passing the woods through which Haven was only a half day's ride, and they were so close to the last leg of their journey. Through the trees and in a meadow just beyond the woods, the two women could see an explosion. Curious as they were, they couldn't help but investigate. They first tied up the horses and crept from tree to tree, Ocean barely a shadow as Lilly cracked more sticks and leaves than she took steps forward, yet both had their respective bows out and fitted with arrow and quarrel.

    Nearing the edge themselves, both women gaped; in the meadow before them was a man wearing scarlet robes with a red sash, his nationality not hard to distinguish, though the man opposite him was truly a rarity. An elf, dressed in blue robes that fluttered in the wind, looking not all that old for an elf, his hair tied back to keep it from his eyes. What truly made him unique though, were the white feathery wings sticking from his back.

    "Ah ulf w' win'z!" Ocean exclaimed almost too loudly, though if the either mage heard her they didn't acknowledge her.

    Both of the mages wore smug grins, neither woman knowing from which the explosion had originated from. The elf began muttering a quick spell, though the human began his own only a fraction of a second after. Five arrows of magical energy burst from the elf's fingertips and spiraled towards the human, though they burst apart harmlessly as the Mage became transparent.

    A quickly muttered spell and a fireball shot from the wizard in scarlet's hands, though the elf was already propelling himself upward with the aid of his wings, and the fireballs resulting updraft only aided him. Now casting his own spell, grease began to leak from the ground all around the human's feet, creating a slick appearing black lake over the ground.

    Careful not to move his feet any, the human incanted and snapped his fingers, his body floating lightly to hover a few feet above the ground. Though it was then that the elf's second spell dropped onto the mage, literally as thick strands of webbing fell from the sky and trapped the wizard.

    His body stuck in the sticky strands, the human mumbled a spell using words only and reappeared several dozen yards away from the enspelled area. Only a second afterwards, the webbing and grease erupted into flames as a fireball crashed into them, and the melodic sounds of elvish swearing could be heard.

    Both wizards gave each other a respective nod belying the arrogant grins mirroring the one on their opponents face, before each simultaneously began casting his own spell. Five bluish-green bolts spiraled and spun from the human's fingertips towards the elf, who was forced to abandon his longer spell to enact a quick spell that turned the air in front of him shiny and acted as a wall to the magical missiles.

    Neither noticed the two women who hid in the treeline, simply amazed. All those spells and neither had been harmed yet. These were truly talented mages, though naturally they both silently cheered for the elf.

    From the sky arced a bolt of lightning towards the human mage, though his own casting complete it fizzled in midair. Then with another casting, a returning bolt of lightning was fired at the elf, though as it seemed about to strike him, the elf appeared to blink from one place in the sky to another. Then, his own casting complete, there were suddenly eight of him.

    His brows furrowed in frustration, the human again gestured quickly and five more magical missiles shot at the flying elf copies, twisting in midair to strike five different images even as they all blinked again to a different spot. As the missiles passed through harmlessly, suddenly there were only three copies of the elf left flying, and each seeming to weave a spell.
    Suddenly, the human mage seemed incapable of remaining calm as he burst into uncontrolled bouts of laughter, apparently deeply amused by the fight.

    Though he laughed, the mage's finger's flashed through a complicated pattern, and then the elf's images were falling from the sky as their wings suddenly quit flapping, the body falling rigidly as if made of stone. Though seemingly by speaking a single word, the elf slowed its descent and the body rested easily onto the ground, face down.

    His fingers flicking again while he continued to laugh, the control of his body at odds with the control of his mood, a vaguely humanoid shape rose from the ground, seemingly made of dirt and stones and roots, and lumbering unerringly towards the elf that refused to get up.

    Lilly could now see that the elf's mouth was moving and he was muttering another spell, despite his body seemingly frozen in place and suddenly the body floated beyond the Earth elemental's reach, though the elf's body never changed position.

    The tide of the fight was established now, as the human mage apparently regained control of himself and smiled wickedly, this time speaking words from his mouth as well as gesturing. Before their horror filled eyes, a great fist closed around the elf and appeared to be trying to squeeze the life from him.

    The red wizard now chuckled delightedly as he loosed spell after spell at his leisure at the immobilized elf, lightning bolts and missiles of force exploded on him and his face strained to grimace.

    The elf smiled one last time and began to mutter a final spell, the incantation long and somehow unbroken, performed by vocal means only. Then suddenly the heaven's themselves seemed to be falling, as giant boulders of flame hurtled from the heaven's towards the meadow, smashing and burning everything they approached. The mage could neither prepare a spell to save his life, nor to prevent the spell, and his life ended as a huge boulder smashed into his head, crushing only half of the body. The Earth elemental would have met a more brutal fate exceot for the nature of the attack, still it smashed the earthen being to pieces that smoked as it melted back into the ground.

    The spell, while destroying the two opponents, was not designed to be used in close proximity, and the hurtling boulders also claimed the life of the winged elf, still held immobile by the clenched fist.

    Lilly and Ocean watched in horror at the devastion wrought by only two people, and they hugged each other tight until the earth no longer shook from the celestial barrage. It was a long time indeed before either peaked from the other's shoulder, and longer still before they curiously crept towards the battlefield.

    In awe, they saw the corpses, the crushed and battered remains of the winged elf, no longer looking half as majestic, with wings and arms and legs torn from the body and more bloody scraps than whole pieces left of him. Of the human mage, the entire lower half was intact, yet from the waist up was still trapped under a boulder, now separate from the legs.

    They just stared for a long while, but finally something sparkled and caught Lilly's eye, and moving as if in a dream, a horrible dream, Lilly picked up a sword made of only glass somehow left unbroken through the onslaught. It caught the sun and runes flared briefly on the blade as Lilly picked it up, what they meant she couldn't tell, but they were ancient and powerful by her guess.

    Anxious to show her find, Lilly called out to Ocean, only to find her busu looting what could be found on the lower half of the Red Wizard. Her azure eyes looked up, and held a rapier her smile showing it was good quality, probably magical.

    Back on Ocean's Fury, Lilly slept soundly on her cabin bunk, the glass sword clutched to her breast seemingly in parody to a knight's deathbed. Giving a small smile, Ocean shooed away the crew members who had come to "check up" on Lilly, kicking one between the legs that didn't hurry away quick enough.

    "We'z ulmoz 'ome, Lilly.. ulmoz 'ome.." Ocean smiled warmly, knowing the woman to be as overjoyed as she was. Only another weeks travel by sea, just one more week.


  • “You realize they’re bigger than us?”
    “Aye”
    “They have more men?”
    “Yez”
    “It’s not even a merchant vessel is it? I recognize those colours. It’s a slaver”
    “Aye. It iz”
    “So what are you going to do with it if we don’t all get killed?”
    “Nuzzin’. Ah juz wunt ter zee tha Fury in akzhun”
    “You plan to attck the ship then let it go?”
    “Yez. Tha zlavez can ge’ tha thin’ bak ter land wi’ou’ much zkill. Zlow mind yer wi’ nay mainmazt an tha riggin’ mezt up”
    “It has a mainmast, a bigger one than ours with more sails on it.”
    “It duz a’ tha momunt. Ha’ faith Lilly. O’…an hold on ter zumthin.”

    The journey back to Haven had been mostly quiet. A few run-ins with brigands had proven once and for all that Lilly’s newfound skills were sharp and ready, but little to truly stretch the pair had happened. Someone had stolen their horses at one point, but horse thieves who run slowly are soon dead.
    On their arrival in Haven Ocean had immediately gone to see the newly refitted ship and admired the work that had been done exactly to her specifications. The shipwright had given her a few odd looks over some of the modifications made, but had been paid enough not to quibble overly, and Haven wasn’t the most reputable of places to begin with, so he asked no questions and received no lies. Ocean had detoured briefly to a herb-woman in the town to buy Lilly a gift for the journey by water, a packet of herbs to control sickness, and then gone trawling the taverns and warehouse areas for crew, her previous one long since broken up. A few of her old crew were around and joined up again happily, remembering her as harshly disciplined but also remembering that she and Lilly made the journey over prettier than many a ship ever did. The rest were a motley bunch that she had now spent a week whipping, occasionally literally with the Bo’sun’s help, into shape. Only one had been foolish enough to argue with her over a direct order, and the man’s few possessions ad been handed out to the remaining crew once she had gutted him and had the body dumped over the side.

    “NOW” yelled the dark-haired pirate lass and with a whip-saw sound the two great arbalests let rip. Positioned on the fo’csle with forty-five degrees between them and with the port one currently elevated to thirty degrees the heavy bolts flew across the distance between the two ships and the chain between then snagged perfectly two thirds of the way up the mast of the slaver. A ripping tear rent the air as the two blots, pulled short by the chain, whipped around the mast and shred the mains’l and tore most of the sheets free.
    The windlass crews were already reloading another shot, the port arbalest now dropped to level with the starb’d and with the longer, spiked chain between the bolts. Calling to the helm to turn hard to starboard Ocean called again to loose the bolts and the result was every bit as devastating as she had fear. The siege weapons were designed to damage things bigger than single men and with screams and many a man leaping overboard to try and stay alive the chain swept across the deck of the slaver before the chain wrapped around the mast and spun to sweep a second time through those foolish enough to stand after the first pass.

    With a scream of triumph corvus’ crashed into the starb’d rail of the slaver ship and her crew stacked what was left of the slaver ships men. The fight was brief and bloody, though hardly as bloody as the initial salvo.

    With a bloodstained grin to Lilly as the two ships separated, the slaver now crewed by it’s cargo, Ocean called to her first mate to lower full sail.
    “Time ter ge’ ‘ome. An ah think we cin tell Mirk tha ah’z nay az mad az he thot”
    “No, brat, we tell him you’re madder, but that it works.”
    The two women laughed and went below for some rest and some food, the final leg of the journey finally almost over.

  • A

    A week had passed already, the two women were well on their way back to Narfell, back to the lives they had put on hold for this adventure. Not the least of their motivations fueled by the time they'd spent away from their men. The adventure was over now, their mission finished with Lilly proving herself. All of her goals were accomplished. She had proven herself as a fighter, she had earned her stepfather's pride.. the rings proved that. She still couldn't tell what they did, but she was certain Mirkali or any of the other bards could tell her without too much trouble.

    Holding her necklace in her hand, the two rings threaded onto it beside the pendant which constantly exuded the odor of wildflowers, Lilly smiled to herself. They had accomplished so much more than she could ever have dreamed. All that was left now was to return for what she had left, if there was a place left for her. That worried her, they'd been gone awhile, how far apart had her friends grown and how accustomed had they become to life without her?

    She shook her head angrily, she wouldn't worry. That was the reason she left damnit, to put an end to her worries. She left to find herself so she had told everyone.. but the truth was she had left, to become strong enough to take care of herself. Strong enough to not cry, strong enough to protect herself and her friends, and strong enough to not let silly little fears ruin her life. By blade and fist she had earned that strength, she may not have been the best fighter, but Tempus himself would judge her ferocious enough to cause at least some caution in all but the strongest of fighters.

    "Stop by order of the guard!" came a call from ahead, jarring her from her thoughts, her horse stopping as she noticed the four men standing in the middle of the road, two with crossbows trained, one on Ocean and one on Lilly.

    "Wa' d'yer won'?" Ocean barked at them, wanting to hurry and get on their way homeward.

    "You must pay the toll to travel this road." the man explained calmly, though in truth he looked little more than a brigand.

    "We payed no toll when we came from the north, why would we pay now?" Lilly asked, a hand drifting down to her thigh, and coincidentally very close to her scimitar.

    "Because you will pay, or you will face the wrath of the law." the man explained, the two crossbowmen lifting their weapons to threaten the two mounted women.

    With a sigh, Ocean began to dig for something at her hip, then her arm pumped twice, two daggers hurled end over end to burry themselves in the crossbowmen's throats. Shock showed on the other two "guardsmen's" faces as their companions fell over with only one firing a random shot towards a cloud. Apparently they were unaccustomed to having someone attack before they finished their speal.

    Lilly dismounted, her scimitar sliding free of its scabbard, Ocean now holding a flask of what Lilly could only guess exploded or contained some foul concoction that burned or maimed.

    "Can we pass now?" Lilly asked impaciently, striding towards the man with her scimitar dipped towards the ground, not held threateningly.. yet.

    The man just nodded, then dove for the crossbow his fellow had dropped, quickly squeezing the release and sending a quarrel whistling towards Lilly. Purely by instinct, and partly by Tymora's whim, Lilly's scimitar rose quickly and deflected the shot aside, a deep frown crossing her face as she closed the few remaining yards to the man.

    The man left standing made a wild slash at her with his longsword though her block and deft twist sent it skittering from his grip. A step and a return arc caused his lifeblood to pour onto the front of his shirt, and for him to gurgle as the light faded from his eyes. The man who had fired the crossbow scrambled to draw his own longsword, but Lilly's booted foot stomped onto his hand, and her scimitar stabbed into his chest as he looked up to beg her for mercy. Her face set, he would have found none.

    "Aww.. yer zpoild oll m'gud fun" Lilly heard Ocean complain goodnaturedly, and she dismounted to hold the horses while Lilly searched the corpses for gold and valuables. Two crossbows, two longswords, a pair of daggers, some dried meat and several flasks of liquor which Lilly poured out, and a purse filled with thirty coins; Lilly loaded all onto her horse, which she'd named Sunset.

    "Come on brat, we got men to tease back in Peltarch, we can't spend too much time playing with ones on the road." Lilly with a smile, the fire burning in her eyes again, at ease with herself.

    Ocean simply nodded, well and giggled a little, and they both kicked their horses into a trot as they continued north.


  • They were packed at last, and homeward was their destination. Ocean looked at the sky and chose a star to follow with the expert eye of a sailor. Lilly was making her final goodbyes but Ocean had one she wanted to make. She passed Lilly talking to her older brother and with practiced ease came past the two of them with the black ring in her hand, Lilly’s finger barely registering the pass.
    She walked back into the house where Horgeldaer stood in the kitchen gazing out into the daylight where the people of the village, his family, made the goodbyes to Lilly that he had already made.
    “Zir…”
    He turned, watching the little dark-haired lass that so annoyed him, but somehow left him feeling the worse for feeling that way.
    “What is it lass?”
    “Ah wuntid ter zay zorry…fer wha ah zed tha night…an’ ter gi’ yer thiz. Ah’ll nay need I’. Ah’z nay wun fer ztandin thar an tekkin’ a beatin’ uzhuly. Perfict gift fer an ilmaturite I’z zure…bu’ ah wunt yer ter ha’ it. Ah dun noez wha yer’ll do wi’ it bu’ ah think yer zhuld ha’ it…mebbe ter remind yer o’ wha Lilly did ter ge’ it…an’ o’ wha zhe did ‘ere”
    With that she placed the chain, with the ring back on it now, into his huge hand.
    He looked at her a moment and then nodded, hanging it around his own neck with some difficulty before turning back to the window.
    Ocean turned, took up her pack and joined Lilly, the two of them making their way down the road and back towards home. With a fair wind and a star to sail by they could be in Peltarch inside three months. She just hoped Drelan hadn’t forgotten her.

  • A

    Gods it hurt, trying to stop a mace with a flimsy weapon like a rapier never turns out well. Speed and guile are well and good, but a shield does well to mitigate any advantage garnered from them. Still.. she'd won.. only from her Rashemi heritage, that skill which allows one to no longer feel pain, to no longer be afraid, to swing with renewed vigor muscles that had long since drooped to ineffectual soreness. She had only one as a berserker.. the one thing Horgeldaer could not teach his students, which was probably a good thing. Her spell had removed much of the deeper wounds she had received, and now more than anything it was blood loss and the fatigue that follows such an explosive rush that drove her to her knees.

    Around she saw smiling faces, her sister Sarah.. always too old and busy to spend time with her little stepsister when they were younger, now she received an affectionate pat on the cheek as she rushed past to tend to Malloc. In the crowd she could see her older brother, Devyn, who was getting married before she'd seen a decade. Her other two brothers she had yet to see, Matrim.. who she had always been closest with, and nearest to in age, had left for his own Dajemma, to Thay so Sarah had told her. Her other brother, Aran, had been missing since months after Lilly had left, apparently seeking her. Her da even nodded at her, just a hint of pride showing on his stubborn face. She smiled, half her face covered in a bruise she would surely feel in the morning, blood matting her clothes and hair, but she smiled; this perhaps being the most rewarding day in her entire life.

    Held by Ocean, she attempted to stagger towards a bench that was set up, though she felt so woozy it was as if Ocean was trying to hold up a drunken woman. One step, two steps.. three steps.. and then Lilly pitched over to the ground, Ocean only able to grab an arm as the woman feignted.

    Everything was so black, why couldn't she see? She'd won.. why then was everything so gods cursed fuzzy and spinning.. did she win? Was she dead? She'd seen her da smile.. was that any help? Yes, she'd seen Ocean smile too, that meant she had won.. she'd made both smile…she could rest a moment...

    Strong arms lifted her, who's they were she had no idea, nor truly did she care. As long as she could rest, bloody flames but her head pounded... and then the buzzing in the background faded away, as did all conscious thought.

    She awoke later in a bed, though the room looked unfamiliar... trying to rise, Lilly just laid her head back on the pillow, the pounding of thousands of tiny dwarves upon her skull returning as if she'd switched Moradin himself's ale for a mug of sheeps urine. She groaned, not wanting to open her eyes.

    "Drink this Lilly," came a woman's voice, a bowl being held to her lips as a gentle hand tipped her head, the warm liquid sliding down her throat, "it has a slightly bitter taste, but it will help ease your head and hopefully some of your other bruises too."

    Lilly coughed afterward, the stuff tasted like it had been poured from an old boot, but it did help her head. The light no longer hurt her eyes and made her swoon and spin whenever she tried to move or open her eyes, and she was able to sit up. Surrounding her was Sarah, a bowl and sevral herbs and a mortar and pestle atop a table nearby, and Ocean sat on the edge of the bed watching Lilly closely, smiling wide as her eyes openned. In the corner stood Horgeldaer, his arms crossed over his barrel chest, and watching impassively.

    "She's fine, everyone out." came his gravelly voice, Ocean and Sarah looking back startled.

    "Bu'.. shez juzt woke... yer 'ant b' 'elling at 'er 'lredy!" Ocean mustered with courage, knowing he'd not try to hit her after what happened before because of the ring.

    "I'd speak with her.. alone. Now get out of my room." Horgeldaer explained calmly, his arms uncrossing threateningly if they tarried. Sarah was already halfway packed and rushing out the door as horgeldaer's arms came uncrossed, having lived with him too long (though never taking the beatings Lilly had almost daily); however, Ocean didn't budge until Lilly's hand gripped her elbow and nodded. Then Ocean made a show of taking the ring off of her finger and sliding it onto Lilly's hand, eyeing Horgeldaer and daring him to say anything scathing to his daughter.

    When she'd left, Horgeldaer spoke softly, "I honestly didn't think ya could do it... ya surprised me. A rapier dagger... only good against single targets or groups of lightly armored and poorly coordinated groups. A style I don't teach, I'm actually dissappointed in Malloc for choosing it, though evidently ya have fought with a rapier before.... I'm proud of ya."

    Lilly almost cried at that point, not from pain, or from sadness, but happy tears, joyful tears, tears for words she'd only dreamed she'd ever hear spoken aloud. Uncaring that she was unclad beneath the covers, she rose and hugged him, leaning her head on his massive chest and letting what tears she couldn't sniff back stain his shirt. This time, instead of hitting her, he patted her back reassuringly.

    "Ya are a warrior now, ya've proven yerself and are free to go. Ya may not be my daughter.. but ya are no longer a disgrace. I'm wanting ya to go back to yer home.. yer home where ya belong now. Go back to yer bard... and go.. go with... here." Horgeldaer's voice threatened to break as his massive paw of a hand set two tiny objects in Lilly's much smaller hand.

    Lilly looked at him in confusion, in her hand were two rings. One fit for a tiny finger and inset with a band of diamonds with an emerald set atop it... her mother's ring. The other was one she'd never seen before, and it was a simple gold band with a silver lining twisting about it, a single emerald atop it, though it was definately a masculin ring. She looked at her da.. no, her father, for an explanation.

    "One was yer mother's.. the other is for yer bard.. read the inscription in the band... "was all Horgeldaer would say, no longer able to look at her.

    Turning the rings so she could read inside of them, she nearly feignted again. Simply, they read, "Go with my blessings".

    To her sight, they glew with a soft magical aura. Still unclad, but neither really caring, Lilly threw her arms around her father and hugged him tightly. Unable to say the words, he had given her something as meaningful.. and tangible.

    They both shared a smile, one of the few they had ever shared. And Horgeldaer stepped from the room, a befuddled look on Lilly's face until he tossed a robe at her from the hallway, and then she blushed. Dressing quickly, she made her way to her room, to fit proper clothes to her and to go make her goodbyes. She was glad to have seen her old home.. and making her father proud was the best feeling in the world.. but, he would never be able to treat her as a daughter, it was simply too late for that. These rings were the closest he'd ever be able to publicly proclaim that she was his daughter, and he loved her as he would any other of his children. Love her the same as any born of him, of his own blood.

    Making her way from house to house, Lilly stopped and chatted awhile, making her goodbyes. They would leave soon, after all they still had the rest of their lives ahead of them; and when she got back, Lilly knew a certain scruffy bard she wouldn't quit cuddling and kissing until she had to be pried from him for fear of killing him from starvation. If any mustered the courage to go in her room that is...


  • Ocean winced inwardly, all the time keeping a cheerful smile on her face. Blood was flowing freely from gashes on Lilly’s right arm and from both legs, a bruise was beginning to swell her left eye shut and the woman’s pink hair wasn’t entirely unnatural at the moment the last blow having opened a cut in the back of her head that would guarantee her a headache if she didn’t use her magic to heal it later.

    The morning had dawned fair and bright. Lilly and Ocean had washed, breakfasted and made their way out to the fighting arena, Ocean wittering on with strategy and plans, Lilly silent, pensive, trying to gauge what to choose and how to fight. Horgeldaer, Kai and Malloc arrived together a short while later. Horgeldaer called the two fighters to him and asked each if they had made their decision.
    “Aye” came the positive response from each and he took them aside individually to hear their answers. Afterwards Lilly moved over to the corner where Ocean stood, anxiously.
    “Wha’ di’ yer chooze fer ‘im?”
    “Mace and shield. He’s good with two handed weapons. He’s worse with swords, but it wouldn’t be fair to choose his weakest weapon.”
    Ocean laughed “Aye, thaz whu’ ‘e zed. Ah wunda wha’ ‘e’z chozen fer yer?”
    Ocean helped Lilly on with her leather armour. Lilly had thought hard and decided that brute strength was never going to make her victor here, speed was her ally.
    Ocean leaned in and whispered. “Pliz, waer tha off-hand gauntlet. Ah noez yer’z been practizin wi’out bu’ tha ekztru wollup wi’ mek oll tha difrenz”
    It was true. The practice the two women had been doing alone in the woods was mostly to do with combining Lilly’s brawling skills with her weapon skills, emulating her father’s own style. Another way of trying for his approval she guessed, but it was also a good set of skills to have in a real fight. She shook her head though.
    “Nay unless he chooses for me to wear it. I’d count it a weapon and whether you, or even father or Malloc would agree I feel better without thinking I might have cheated.”

    Horgeldaer bellowed to get their attention and the two fighters moved to the middle again. “Well. The choices have been made. This is nay practice fight, nor a training match. Whoever walks out of the ring walks out of their apprenticeship ter me as a trained fighter. Yer both stay in the ring til the other can’t walk out. Movin’ from apprentice to warrior has always been done this way an’ more than a few have died tryin’ too soon.” He looked at Lilly a moment then carried on “Sarah will be on hand though. I’ve no desire to lose either of you. But yer’ll fight hard or I’ll come in there myself and crack skulls. Malloc will fight with mace and shield, an’ Lilly with rapier and dagger. You can armour however yer like an’ once the fight starts anything goes. When one lays down and stays down, or submits, the other can walk, crawl or roll from the ring as a warrior. Understood?”
    They both nodded, Lilly looking pale, then withdrew to their corners. Kai was acting as Malloc’s second.
    “Raypya an’ dagga. Fack! Wull yer fazt enuff. An’ yer cin uze my raypya. Bu’ yer warin’ the gontlet now.”
    Lilly nodded, accepted the heavy metal gauntlet and the beautifully worked rapier that Ocean wielded. “What the fark does he think he’s doing choosing a weapon Horgeldaer wouldn’t use to pick up garbage!”
    “Wull he noez yer cin fite wi’ wun. Ah dun ge’ I’ eeza. Mebbe he wuntz ter finish yer qwik an ge’ on ‘iz way. Zheep zukin muzzafacker. An’ ah wuz ztartin ter think he wuzen tha bad.”

    The fighting began with Horgeldaers word to begin and was brutal. Lilly quickly tucked the off-hand dagger in her belt and fought with rapier alone, finding the balance more easy to handle. And now she stood, barely, her head bleeding, her limbs aching and her face starting to go an interesting shade of purple down one side.
    Malloc looked less tired, but more bloody. The speed of Lilly’s rapier thrusts had meant they had struck home again and again in those areas not protected quickly enough by the shield. The small slashes and punctures seemed to be doing little to slow the big man though.

    Stepping in close Malloc feinted with the mace and as Lilly dipped the rapier point to rum his right arm through he brought the top edge of his shield up under her jaw. The pink-haired woman swayed, her vision clouding for a long moment, her legs almost giving out under her as Horgeldaer looked on impassively. In the end that was what won her the fight. The calm detached look on her fathers face as she lost the fight finally made her blood start to boil. With a roar of anger she jumped back, her footing almost slipping. She began to sing as she circled, Malloc looking confused, and the worst of her wounds began to close. Then her singing changed pitch as she charged in, the bardic magic aiding her. Malloc was too well trained to be confused for long, he saw his opponent coming at him again and readied his shield to meet the rush, his eyes on the point of the rapier. Where the plan came from she couldn’t tell afterwards. Was there even a plan as she charged? Probably not, just the red mist and the image of her fathers neutral face as she came so close to losing. With a scream she drove the dagger, drawn as she closed at a run, and drove the point of it through the shield and into Malloc’s left arm as her rapier came up to block the mace from any attack against her. As their weapons locked Malloc’s cry melded with hers for a moment and then the shield dropped the few inches she needed. With her teeth gritted and every moment of pain, and anguish and heartache, every scornful word, every blow and hateful act of her fathers behind the blow she left the dagger in the shield and drove her gauntleted fist into the side of Malloc’s head.

    He dropped like a felled ox. Lilly staggered, the last of her energy used in that final charge, and then dropped to her knees. She looked over at Horgeldaer who looked back at her, his face neutral but his eyes gleaming. Tears? No, the blood and swelling if her own face was making her visions wobbly, surely. Pushing herself upright again she made her legs move first one, then two paces and eventually came to the edge of the ring. With silence all around she dipped under the slung rope that marked it and stepped out. Sarah looked at her, pride shining in her eyes despite her own calling and then stepped into the ring and rushed to Malloc’s side.

    Lilly stood, though barely, face to face with her father. He looked at her, his eyes glistening, though his face still neutral, and then rested one of his meaty hands on her shoulder. He met her eyes, and then nodded. It was one short nod, but for Lilly it was enough, and then suddenly Ocean was there, holding her up as she started to fall to her knees again and guiding her to the sidelines to sit, and rest, and decide what to do with the rest of her life.


  • “Ahz wutched him yer da’t mizzen. ‘e cin claim oll ‘e likez tha he dun luv yer an tha yer zecund rate in ‘iz eyez bu ah’z zeen tha way ‘e lookz a’ yer. ‘ez nay fitin’ yer wen he lazhez out. ‘ez fitin izzelf.”
    The older woman looked unconvinced but slid down the bed a little so she could look out through the small window towards the area staked out for the fight tomorrow. Time had passed since that night when her father had so confused her, and she had to admit that his way around her made little sense since. Alternately gentle and brutal, a kind word here and twenty harsh ones there. Maybe Ocean was right, maybe he just hated to admit to anyone that he might have ever been wrong. Stubbornness was certainly one of his traits. Maybe he truly had discovered that he loved her, and in so doing had made himself feel guilty for how their lives had gone before. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Probably all she’d ever get from him by way of praise and acknowledgement and pride. She laughed suddenly, causing Ocean to look puzzled behind her in the bed.
    It had suddenly struck Lilly, the irony of Ocean being here to see this. For months she and Mirkali, well, mostly Mirk, had tried again and again to persuade her to live her life her way, and to stop trying to please Deacon all the time. The young lass was so hung up on her fathers pride and acceptance, and now after months on the road, here she was desperately trying to make her father proud of her and accept her. Which was right? Was Ocean right all along, should a daughter allow her every action to be coloured by what she thinks her father would be proud of her for doing. No, what Mirk said made more sense, “Live your own life, make him proud by being the best you you can be, and the happiest.” And yet, Horgeldaer’s acceptance, slight though it was so far, meant so much to her. She sighed and closed her eyes willing herself to sleep.

    Ocean watched Lilly sleep for a while and then slipped out of the bed, the room and the cottage. Moving through the shadows she slipped to where the fight would be held tomorrow. Malloc, a bear of a youth, black hair and dark eyes, built like a younger and scaled down version of Horgeldaer himself, and by Horgeldaer’s own estimation a fine student. Versatile, trained with every weapon Horgeldaer could teach him, and soon to be off himself for his homeland. Moonlight shone on the pitch, and on the arrayed weapons in racks around it. What would he choose. How would Lilly respond. Horgeldaer had insisted that they chose weapons for each other for this bought, a test of tactics, knowledge of their opponent, and versatility, all rolled into one fun-packed bloody square, ten feet on a side. Lilly was best with single handed blades, especially scimitars. Capable with heavier swords, passable with an axe. Malloc was a devil with a quarterstaff, but could handle most weapons with ease.
    Ocean had watched him the last couple of weeks leading up to the match, trying to find a weakness, some clue as to a weapon he used less skilfully than the others. There were weaknesses, but nothing so outstanding that she felt Lilly could relax, especially with Malloc choosing her weapon.
    Lilly and Ocean had had little free time during the training, and to Ocean’s occasional annoyance Lilly had spent all of it training in secret with her in the nearby woods. Practicing moves that might help in the fight, things that Malloc wouldn’t have seen her practicing.
    Ocean was frustrated. For all the sparring and training she felt suddenly useless here, unable to provide the final help that would ensure victory in the morning. Ocean was many things, noble and fair rarely amongst them. A pirate raised and a pirate born and she stared at the racks again in the cool night looking for a way to cheat. A way to make sure that no matter what bullshit Malloc pulled out of the bag her friend, her surrogate big sister, would win the day and finally show the miserable bastard inside that she was a daughter to be proud of. Of course, Ocean was sure that Horgeldaer was actually quite proud of Lilly already. Reading people was a skill she had long held dear and his body language and the way he was around Lilly spoke volumes to the young lass. But Lilly needed more. Lilly needed not only to win, but for the arrogant son-of-a-bitch to admit that he was proud of her for doing so, however briefly he made that statement.
    As she paced out the field of battle she ran her eyes again and again over the weapons trying to decide which instrument of death Lilly would have to fight with, and which she would choose for Malloc. To avoid unfairness the decision was to be made separately with both choosing at the same time.
    “She’s good. Stubborn too. But she’ll nae beat me”
    Ocean turned to see the dark haired youth, and star of her thoughts stood at the edge of the pitch himself.
    “Yer cuden zleep eeza?”
    “Aye. Never much do afore a fight”
    “Lilly iz. Ah thinkz. Will yer tell me wha yerz gunna chooz fer ‘er?”
    The young man chuckled “Nay. But ah’ll nay be disrespectin’ her by choosin’ her best weapon, nor takin’ tha cowards way an’ choosin’ her worst.”
    Ocean nodded slowly. “Thiz iz oll too complicatid fer me. Yer haz an enemy yer killz ‘em. Oll thiz playin’ wi rulez..”
    “There’s nay much honour war, and nay much point fighting to test yourself by gutting someone yer respect and train alongside”
    “Ah zupoze. Ah wull. Zleep time. Unlezz ah cin distract yer..”
    Ocean winked one bright blue eye at the lad, who despite himself blushed deep. She slid up alongside him and ran one hand down one of his muscular forearms. Standing on tiptoe she kissed him softly on the cheek, then her eyes met his for a long moment before she turned and went back to bed, thinking to herself “Wull, ‘e’ll nay zleep much now. An’ ah might e’en be able ter distract ‘im termorra.” With a grin she climbed in alongside the sleeping Lilly and closed her eyes.

  • A

    Much later, when night had fallen and most in the village had found their respective beds, Lilly was creeping through the still hallway of her youth, her goal the room at the end of which, in her youth, she had never thought to seek without the sanctuary of her mother to keep her from her da's wrath. Now, she tiptoed quietly along, gently easing the door open trying to avoid waking Ocean who slept in a room only a few doors down.

    "Da.. are you awake Da..?" she whispered quietly, half expecting him to hit her for even thinking of barging into his room; however, she saw the striking of flint from where she remembered the bed to be, and soon enough a candle was lit. His face now visible, though mostly hidden in shadows, she could see how swollen his jaw had become from his own punch ironically. Even with this, she could see the set of his face that he wanted her to speak her business and be done.

    "Da… I just wanted to see if you're alright.. and.. uh.. well, see if I could fix it for you.." Lilly explained softly, not quite sure how he'd respond, though wanting to offer. "You see.. I'm a bard.. and.. well.. I have a bit of healing magic..can I try?" she finished up, ready to scamper back through the door should he threaten her. Seeing his nod, however, she hastened over to the bed, adjusting her robe as she sat on the bed, reaching out a hand to touch his swollen jaw.

    It surely pained him, but he didn't flinch. Tough as nails despite his age, and surely that was a devastating blow if Ocean's story was accurate. Her fingertips brushing over his jaw, cupping his chin whilst her other lightly stroked his cheek, she began to sing a soft song, wordless yet the notes themselves being more important, her fingers glowing with a soft white radiance. Gradually, the tingling magic went into him and the swelling went down until his face looked as it had while she'd trained.

    She expected him to hit her, and she even lowered her head to accept it when she was done, she knew he hated wizardry, but the blow never came. Lifting her nervous green eyes, she saw his icy blue ones regarding her curiously, then ever so gently, that big paw which so frequently struck patted her knee awkwardly.

    "...thank you.. Lilly." the first sincere thanks he'd ever given her, "you have really become a bard?" his tone awkward, unused to actually talking with his stepdaughter of anything but chores, fighting, tactics, or scoldings, usually biting comments.

    Lilly nodded, equally as off-balance as her stepfather was, "Aye.. I'm a student in the College back home.. in Peltarch... it's a place.. well, for bards.. to learn and.. to live." she explained uncertainly, not that she knew not of the College, but because she was too busy trying to puzzle out the man.

    "Do you enjoy it?" he asked, again sincerely, he was really starting to freak her out.

    "I do.. my sister, and best friend is a student too.. her name's Penny... and I have lots of other friends there, and the masters are really nice.. Zyphlin, the Headmaster, even taught me to read.. and.. Mirkali is there.." she explained uncertainly, waiting at any moment for him to grow bored, he didn't.

    "Mirkali.. is.. your man?" he continued as she nodded, "tell me about him." a request this time, quite different from the usual demands.

    "He's.. well.. he's charming, and handsome.. and.. well, he's smart, kinda scruffy.. but.. well, I love him.." horgeldaer nodded, and she continued, "he's always been so sweet to me.. and, he's helped me through so much, and.. I.. hope we'll engage when I get back.. we were saving for a house before I left.. but.. I.. I just had to leave, just.. to prove myself." Lilly blurted, feeling very scatterbrained and a little relieved to release her emotions to someone besides Ocean, which she felt she'd near talked and whined to death. Plus, it was nice to talk to her father.. stepfather.

    "I see.. does he have money? or is he another penniless wandering bard?" he asked bluntly, and Lilly giggled.

    "He's got money, he always finds money. He helped buy me a sword, though those mage's Nico hired were taking forever to enchant it. I'm hoping it will be ready when I return." Lilly answered, becoming easier with the situation.

    "I see, you two live together?" again another blunt question.

    "Well.. not exactly.. we both live at the College, or whatever inn is closest, but uh.. well, not exactly together yet no." she said quickly, now uncomfortable with the situation again.

    "You haven't had any children have you?" Lilly blushed as she heard his question, she had had one child.. though that wasn't Mirkali''s, and the child was dead, an illness taking it before she could get help for it.

    "I um.. no.. um.. Mirkali and I are.. uh.. waiting until we have a.. um.. a house. Though he knows how bad I've wanted some of my own, but for now I've just got Breezy." seeing his look of confusion, she explained, "Breezy is my kitten, well not so little anymore I bet. Mirkali and Fadia, my other sister should be watching her, Daria too. Probably spoiling it terribly." giving a small smile as she finished.

    "These sisters.. how did you get them? Not by blood i'm sure, Sarah is your only blooded sister." Horgeldaer asked, confused again.

    "Well.. actually, it's by blood-oath. I saved Fadia's life.. and Penny's my best friend. Actually, I have a swordbrother too, his name's Drelan.. and. you'd like him I think." she explained, showing him the crossing scars on her left palm, and the single scar across the top of her right hand.

    "Quite the life for yerself.. now.. if ya're a bard.. could you play a song for me?" Lilly was beside herself, her stepda had just asked her for a song.

    Nodding quickly, speechless, Lilly darted to her room and got her Fairy gifted harp from her pack, and quickly rushing back. Mumbling a quick five notes, she flicked her fingers at the ceiling and light flooded the room. Smiling now, she undid the clasp on the harp case, and took her instrument out.

    Taking several breaths to steady herself, she let her fingers glide along the strings of the harp, letting a subtle but beautiful rhythm emerge of its own, with her only having to guide it with gentle nudges of soothing hands.
    The silver notes filling the room, she looked at her stepfather, to see him watching her anxiously, then there was only her voice as it rose to take its place among the silvery notes in the otherwise still house.

    "Selune.. I pray you, listen
    harken I say,
    golden moon of nightfall,
    please don't fade away.
    Below you lay our whole world,
    our ambitions to touch your face,
    yet for all the highest tower,
    none shall ever take your place.

    Selune, I pray you, listen
    just a moment more,
    at your feet lay thousands groaning,
    our victims left from countless war,
    The dead and nearly so,
    left for want to be with you,
    a perfect world, they wished to create,
    their own world, broke, their own nightmare comes true..."

    Her voice was beautiful, her fingers effortlessly gliding and the whole scene seeming angelic. The meaning of her song not lost to her stepfather, he most of all knew the product of war trying to create something beautiful. As her song ended, she saw a tear in his eye. She couldn't believe it, she'd cracked him, he'd finally openned up to her!

    "Da! I knew it, I knew y..uufff" she cut off in midsentence as his slap sent her flying from her perch on the edge of the bed, her robe spilling open as she scrambled to save her harp from hitting the ground.

    "The hells were you thinking playing something sad like that! Farking bards, can't ever go a moment without doing something stupid or ruining someone's mood, now get out so i can do something constructive, like sleep! Maybe if you spent more time with a sword than playing with strings and cuddling with anything speaking more than five pretty words. Hmmph." Horgeldaer grumbled, waving his hands in a shooing motion.

    Gathering her robe as best as she could with one hand, and trying to grab her harp and case, Lilly ran from the room as fast as she could. Tears already formed in her eyes, "that stubborn old farking goat kissing bloody flaming piss bucket of a man. How the fark can he sit there and be farking about ready to cry he liked it so much then tell me my voice sounded like an orc's latrine! May Sharess lure someone to his bed, surely he couldn't take more than five minutes away from either insulting or hitting them enough to coax them himself." Lilly grumbled and swore, perfectly aware they had just woken everyone in the house, and that Ocean would most likely sneak in soon to comfort her, but she just didn't care.

    She had been so close, he had liked it, he was proud. He had farking talked to her! Then he goes and hits her and yells at her like nothing even happened. She couldn't stop the tears if she wanted. It was just like when she was a little girl, except she had no momma to run to.

    Gods she wanted her momma back... but as always, they deigned not to answer. Either enjoying her plight, or genuinely apathetic. Either way they changed nothing. Fark them too, she thought bitterly, and set about to crying herself to sleep. She still had training in the morning.


  • Ocean looked up from where she had been watching the match, idly fiddling with the black ring.
    “Why tha fack duz yer nevva tell her wen zhe duz zumthin’ right? ‘e’z layin’ down an zhez ztood up. I’ yer wuntid tha two o’ them ter fight ter tha deth juz zay zo an’ zhe’ll kill ‘im fer yer.”
    Horgeldaer looked at the young, dark-haired girl a moment, trying to look like he was considering the answer, whilst in fact he sorted through the mangled syllables for the meaning of what the daft girl had just said.
    He grunted. “I did, were yer not listening. I told her the last blow was good.” He sounded slightly defensive. He hadn’t worked out what to do about Ocean yet, she did every task he set her, no matter hoe ridiculous, pointless or seemingly outside her abilities. If it hadn’t been for her insistence on using a rapier to fight with he might almost have been tempted to actually train her a little, just on the side whilst he worked with the others.
    “An’ zhe did kill Olgrim, wi’ ‘er bare ‘andz an wi’ a zpear thru ‘er gutz. Dotta’z in’ juzt med wi blud. Dotta’z iz med wi’ tha way yer treetz ‘em an tha things yer teech’z ‘em. Zhe’z morr yer dotta than enny thay’nz brat, an’ when yer admitz tha ter yerssen an’ ter Lilly zhe’ll ha’ found wha zhe’z zeekin’ I’ yer arzk me.”
    “No-one did ask you, yer interfering brat. Now, if yer have nothing better to do you can take the axes from the rack and sharpen them up for me”
    Ocean sighed and heaved herself up, muttering under her breath “Ah cin zee why yer wife lay wi’ a thayan, zhe needed five minitz off frem tha chorz yer gi’d her”
    She hadn’t intended it to be heard…well, she had kind of intended it not to be, but for once Horgeldaer’s ears caught the meaning of the words straight away and his fist flew. It connected with the side of Ocean’s head harder than perhaps he’d intended and the resultant crack echoed through the night, closely followed by a loud, but muffled string of swearing, from Horgeldaer.

    Lilly returned and found Horgeldaer sitting in his accustomed place whilst pressing a large hunk of meat to the side of his face, around the edge of the meat the edges of a huge bruise could be seen and when he grunted a welcome she could see that his jaw was broken. She looked puzzled between the two of them, Ocean sharpening axes by the fire.
    “Yer da…wull, ‘e beleafz yer abou’ olgrim now” Ocean suppressed a grin. “An’ ah’z found ou’ wha tha ring duz. I’ yer wearin’ I’ then ennythin’ hittin’ yer hurtz itzen inzted. Duz tha zame ter yer tho, wha yer hurtz hurtz yer, which iz why Olgrim wern’ werrin’ I’. We cott ‘im torchrin. I’ ‘e’d bin werrin I’ ‘e’d o bin tochrin izzen.”

    Lilly looked between Ocean and her father, a look of total incredulity on her face, sizing up the small pirate lass and the huge giant of a man who was sitting nursing a broken face and the situation caused her to have to suppress a short laugh. Horgeldaer gave her a furious look, but it was too late and Ocean had caught the laugh and echoed it back with one of her own. Horgeldaer looked with disgust at Ocean, who’s brightly azure eyes were watching his face. Without really intending too he found himself laughing as well, and as the tension broke the three of them laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, a laugh that was only broken off by Horgeldaer’s swearing as his jaw hurt, and Lilly’s admonishment to him to rest it and to go and see Sarah in the morning.

  • A

    "Concentrate!" came the call from Horgeldaer, Lilly lifting her bronze scimitar into a defensive stance. She'd been surprised when her Da had returned her sword, especially seeing that he'd apparently been busy at a forge because all of the knicks in the blade were gone, he'd even polished it! Concentrate damn you, she scolded herself mentally.

    "Begin." came the barking order, and both Lilly and Kai carefully began to circle the other, though soon enough Kai set his feet preparing to hold his ground, and drew back his katana in what seemed a parody of a knight preparing to thrust a lance, only two handed. He was waiting for Lilly to attack, in his "ready stance" as she called it, which meant he was ready to respond to nearly any advance she made. Swearing silently to herself, Lilly burst forward and swiped with a quick horizontal arc to his chest. "Perfect, no way he can dodge or parry in time." she thought to herself.

    A moment later, "Fark!" this time aloud, as Kai's sword somehow snaked out to lift her attack harmlessly over her head, and forcing her into a quick tumble past him to avoid his descending strike at where her back just was. Just barely, it smacked the ground instead of her.

    Horgeldaer nodded, apparently pleased with both of their reflexes, though it was his way to not offer unneeded compliments, that just led to overconfidence. He then watched as Lilly furiouly fended off the next several swiping arcs that Kai launched at her; Lilly quickly getting up to a knee, her scimitar deftly moving to redirect each attack, despite the awkward position.

    Sensing her opportunity for reprisal, as Kai raised his katana over his head into a high-guard stance, Lilly sprung out and extended for a thrust to his midsection. She barely caught herself with her free hand as the padded blade met no resistance. Now feeling the fool for falling for his bait, Kai swung his descending blade hard after having repositioned himself to avoidnher strike, perfectly anticipated. Lilly's breath was blasted from her, and her face hit the dirt as the padded katana smacked her hard across her shoulder blades.

    "Point!" Horgeldaer called, nodding to himself as his apprentices trick worked flawlessly, and would have been a killing blow had they been fighting with bare steel and intent to kill.

    Dusting herself off, Lilly got back to her feet and held her scimitar loosely in her hand, tip pointed to the ground. Giving a smirk, she approached cautiously, talking between pants, breath not yet recovered, ".. that stance.. is best.. for.. a reckless.. advance..".

    She feinted a charge as she got closer, hoping to spook him into a mistake, it didn't work though as the Kara-turan apprentice never sppoked, he always regarded her with a calm and patient demeanor, though never wavering in vigilance. She'd not distract him with a loose top as she'd down with Eastlanders in the past, she grinned at herself as the thought came to mind.

    Still holding his awkward jouster's guard, Lilly lifted her scimitar high to threaten a descending attack and then dipped her scimitar to parry the expected thrust attack before her scimitar would even have a prayer of hitting. Forced the give ground, Kai repositioned himself and used his katana as a buffer to keep Lilly away with her shorter blade. He tried to shift into a more appropriate close-quarters stance, but Lilly locked their swords at the hilt and lifted it high and to the side, serving both to minimize the usage of either sword, though it perfectly openned him up for the jab to stomach that Lilly launched immediately after.

    Jerking too hard on the locked swords, he stumbled back a step as his frustration showed, his sword pulled away too easily as Lilly let go of her hold, and punched out again this time to Kai's stomach, this time doubling him over. She then finished the sparring match with the descent of her scimitar's hilt, left above him from the enlocked swords, and knocking his unconscious body to the dirt, face first.

    "Point, match" Horgeldaer called, quite impressed actually, so far none of his other students had been able to effectively counter Kai's high guard stance, or the "Nesting Owl" as he called it. His other stance, the jouster's, he called "The Coiled Viper", Lilly had been working hard and was actually fairing pretty well against him. He had still outscored her nearly twenty to thirteen points, but she did well for someone at a disadvantage for reach and fighting an unfamiliar style. Indeed, Kai and his shifting guards were intriguing to Horgeldaer who prefered a more spontaneous and brutal style, with nearly as many bar room punches as cleaving attacks with a sword.

    Still, it was invigorating to watch the two trade blows, and watching Lilly after deftly parrying and blocking his many sweeps and arcs to suddenly launch her own flurry of attacks. He was also impressed with how she seemed to incorporate her free hand to grab and pummel him while her scimitar eliminated the threat from her sword. She almost could be his daughter.

    "Good enough for today.. drag him down to Sarah's and be sure you haven't seriously hurt him. You still lost you know, most of his hits would have killed a person, yours were mostly knicks, though that last was decent. Anyways, drag him then go get a bath, you got time til morning, then we start again. And use a shield next time, ya got a bloody extra hand!" Horgeldaer blustered, sending the girl into a flurry as she bent her tired and sore body to the task at hand.

    It was a good thing Kai wasn't a heavy person, else her sore muscles would have never carried him far enough to get to Sarah's, her sister and consequently the healer of the village. It seems witch blood was in the family, though it was still farking hard for Lilly to learn anything!


  • As Ocean stumbled the last few yards Lilly looked up with a slight frown at the exhausted girl. Lilly was sitting on a heavy log, a rope between her waist and the log loose at her back. Ocean collapsed to her knees beside Lilly, her own log pulling the rope taut behind her.
    “Ah’z nay bilt fer fackin’ log draggin’ an’ oll thiz ztrenth orz-zhit…” she panted.

    It felt like months, though in truth Lilly had only been in training for six weeks, and despite her protests Ocean was getting stronger and fitter. Lilly looked far different to the woman who had been carried naked to Horgeldaer’s house those weeks before. The most recent bruise was even fading from her cheek and had not been replaced for a few days. Horgeldaer was quick with his fists and quicker with his temper, but he seemed to be drinking less the better Lilly’s training was going, as if her fervour and desire to prove to him her worth had started to infect him now that he could see that she meant to go through with it no matter what he threw in her way. What had started as a battle of wills, his ability to think of ways to make her suffer for her training, and to make her cause Ocean to suffer, had become a united test to see how far they could push Lilly’s body and mind. And so the booze flowed less freely, his fists flew less often and the training became all.

    Ocean drank some water and slowly untied the log, her nimble fingers making short work of the knots when her tired arms could bring them to bear. Looking up she saw Horgeldaer approaching with Kai, the small, slightly yellow faced apprentice. She sighed with relief, since it meant she didn’t have to don the ridiculously heavy metal plates and let Lilly beat the living hells out of her with the heaviest axe, or one of the long swords she was now allowed to use. Kai was small, but fast and used a curved blade that seemed to flicker in the sunlight. Ocean had wondered at that at first, since Horgeldaer seemed to be disgusted by light blades, but having seen the small man at work, using the sword both one and two handed, she could see why Horgeldaer had agreed to train the man.

    Ocean relaxed against the house wall watching the two spar, even her quick eyes finding it hard to follow their blades. Lilly had finally been allowed by Horgeldaer to use her own sword. She had worked her way up through the weights of axe and sword until she could move the heaviest fast enough to satisfy the giant of a man, and now she was suddenly using a sword half the weight she had been and the blade flew.
    Against a lesser opponent she would have won easily, but Kai was as fast and had trained under the old man for longer, so they fought fast and hard, blades making nicks now and then in fabric and padding.
    The weeks of strength, endurance and balance training showed through as they fought, Kai faster and probably better, but Lilly not as far behind as she could have been and from the expression on Horgeldaer’s face far from as bad as he’d expected at this stage.
    As they finally parted, exhausted and with blood flowing from several small cuts on both their bodies Horgeldaer stepped forward.
    “Hmm could be worse. Two months. In two months yer can fight Malloc, choosing weapons fer each other. Yer win you can walk out of here with me not having to worry that yer disgracing my name”

    With that he turned, and walked into the house setting a half full bottle on the counter in the cooking area as he went.


  • “Zhitting zhipfacking az-likkin’ zun of a fetid donkeyz nazal puz…” The litany ran on and on for several more minutes. Eventually even Ocean began to run out of swear words, or more likely out of breath, since her ability to curse seemed endless.
    The morning had started so well, apart from being up at dawn of course. She’d sat and watched as Horgeldaer had made Lilly warm up, then run five miles, then do a hundred pull ups on the branch of a tree near the house. The other apprentices did similar exercises and then moved off to spar and train together, leaving the two women and Horgeldaer to their business. Then she’d made both her mistakes.
    The first one was simple enough. Horgeldaer had Lilly strip to a vest and pants and then marked two lines in the dirt about fifteen feet apart. With ease he then dropped a boulder at one of them.
    “Yer pick up the boulder. Carry it ter tha other line. Put it down, don’t farking drop it, then run to the first line and back, pick up the boulder and move it back again. Keep doin’ it until I get bored of watching yer.”
    Ocean sat, leaning against the house eating an apple, until Lilly slipped on the rain slicked grass and she snorted with suppressed laughter. It wasn’t really funny, Lilly as already sweating heavily and exhausted from the run, and the boulder was an awkward shape to lift, not massively heavy, but the weight all dragged at the wrists. With hindsight, laughing was a mistake, not noticing Horgeldaer notice and not running for it was the bigger mistake. So here she was, not an apprentice, “Too skinny an’ I’m not teachin’ yer how ter fight with a pigsticker like that thing”, but Lilly’s ‘training partner’.
    Which meant a second boulder, and a long list of words collected from dockside bars the world over.

    When they broke for some food around noon Horgeldaer sent them down to the stream to wash up and the two aching women did so without protest. Protest just made the man angry, and they were learning fast that it was easier to do as he said than to question why. Some of the exercises made sense, the boulder strengthened the wrists, built grip, but others seemed nonsensical. For the last hour he had had them trying to catch a pig. Which is why they needed to clean up before food so desperately. Lilly said the pig catching was probably to teach balance, footing and sharpen their reflexes. Ocean maintained that the miserable old bastard just liked to watch two half dressed women roll around in the mud.

    In the afternoon Lilly was finally allowed to hold a sword. Horgeldaer had calmly removed hers and handed her something more like a crowbar with an edge.
    “Yer’ll use this for the first week or two. And you won’t be using yer own fancy thing while yer here at all. It’s very pretty but it’s too light fer trainin’. Now…yer see tha dead tree over there? Well those wedges cut inter it are numbered. Go over there, take a stance and then strike true into each wedge in tha order they’re numbered in. Until I say ter stop”

    Ocean and Lilly walked to the tree, Lilly lugging the heavy sword, Ocean muttering a few more choice words as the stiffness I her limbs began to tell. The tree was a solid old oak, lightning blasted at some point, but tough as iron. Someone had carve 6 deep wedges out of it, three on each side, all at different heights, and then carved numbers next to them. Lilly took a deep breath, heaved the sword into a fighting stance and swung at the first notch, stomach height on the right. With a resounding clang the iron struck the solid oak and rebounded, Lilly’s aching arms not expecting the wood to be so hard, the sword flying back and away to land a few feet from Ocean’s position against a nearby tree.
    “Mizrubel fack wuntz yer ter kill me now” chuckled Ocean as Lilly retrieved the sword and started again, this time more prepared for the hardness of the wood.

    Two hours later Horgeldaer approached the women. Lilly ached to the bone in both arms and began to stop as he approached but he stood behind her, moved her feet, changed her grip a little and walked off, calling behind him “Another hour. Take water when yer need it though, I’ll not have yer passin’ out on me again”.
    Lilly swore and began again.

    A week passed before Horgeldaer changed their routine, and even in that week the change in both Lilly and Ocean was noticeable. The regime was designed to build strength, stamina and grip and it was working on both of them, though in Lilly more markedly.
    “Well, I think yer finally getting’ ter tha point where yer worth the effort of training properly. But not with swords yet. Start with the axe. You…Ocean…put on those heavy greaves. Lilly, take the lightest of the axes from that rack. Same six points as on the tree but this time against a person whose allowed to move. You both stay between these lines though…Begin! And pull your blows and I’ll step in there and hit her instead, understand?”

    Over the next few nights Ocean started inventing some new words.

  • A

    It was night now, and Lilly found herself in the strangest of places, it was both familiar and yet so unspeakably unexpected that Lilly couldn't help a bit of disorientation. For the first time in a decade, Lilly was in her old house, the parlor actually, sitting on the couch where she had nestled in her mother's lap when she was just a little girl. It seemed so empty now, of her four brothers and her only sister there was no sign, her mother she knew was gone, so now there was only Lilly and her stepfather. Ocean arrived panting, finally finished hauling their things from the inn and unpacking them in a room. Horgeldaer sat in his old, wooden chair that creaked whenever he shifted his weight, watching the two women with interest.

    "A'right..guess first I'll ask who yer friend is, an' next what the fark yer doing here." Horgeldaer explained calmly in his gravelly voice, gesturing a thumb at Ocean.

    "I'z is Ocean Fyne," Ocean squeaked timidly, still a bit afraid of the man who was Lilly's stepdad, though she tried her best to hide it.

    "Sure ya is, ya know who I am I'm pretty sure, less ya've gone completely daft, anyways, Horgeldaer Laer, Lilly's stepda" he explained again, "now why're you here?" waiting for them to explain.

    "We've.. come on Dajemma." Lilly stated, mustering all her courage, his heavy slap knocking her to the wooden floor.

    "Ta fark ya are, ya aren't a warrior, ya aren't a man, and ya've never even seen a Witch. Fark, lass, ya aren't even from Rasheman!" horgeldaer thundered and scolded the pink haired woman climbing back into her chair, her cheek burning from the blow.

    "Zhe iz a waryer! 'he kild loz've en'mies!" Ocean said, rising from her spot on the couch beside Lilly, though Horgeldaer hard stare sat her back down again.

    "Aye? What've ya killed? A couple goblins, a hungry sneak, and sleeping orcs aren't exactly the stuff of legends ya know." he mocked them.

    "I've.. I've fought drow.. and mages, and enough goblins and orcs and kobolds to overrun any village.. and mummies, zombies, and even a cave of Malarites.. the boss of the that man you killed!" Lilly stated, pride starting to leak into her voice.

    "So ya killed the fat man he worked for, but not him? Now if you'd have killed Olgrimm instead of some fat merchant in an acolytes cave.." Horgeldaer tried to explain, but Ocean interrupted him.

    "Bu' wez di' kilt tha ma'arits, Lilly kild Olgrim wi' 'er bar' 'ands! 'e stab'd 'er wi' a sp'ir an' sh' still kilt 'im!" Ocean gushed heatedly, proud to defend her friend and hopefully make her stepdad proud of her.

    Horgeldaer just snorted, "Ya think I'll believe yer two were the ones tha' killed Olgrimm? Braver men than you have tried, yer full of shite, and i'll not tolerate lies in my house." he scolded as he leaned forward to strike Lilly again.

    Lilly simply leaned forward, and met his gaze, her eyes hard as she spoke harshly, "At least we were never forced from our own country."

    At those words, Horgeldaer's lip curled into a snarl and he lashed out with a viscious backhand, three times in rapid succession. Her eyes were closed, waiting for him to decide to actually punch her, but the blow never came. Peaking through a squinted eye, still afraid to fully open them, she saw the big man sit back and sigh heavily.

    "Lilly.. do ya know why I was exiled? Do ya even know who yer father is? Don't look dumb and gape at me you wench, you know farking well it wasn't me that sired ya." He spoke slowly, and carefully, Lilly's face a mix of too many emotions to read.

    "Lilly… yer a Thayan. Yer father, yer real father, was a farking Red Wizard, dead now, but he was. Ya know well enough the people of Rasheman hate nothing more than Red Wizards, and.. much as it hurt my pride.. I pretended you were my own while she was pregnant. I'd intended to pretend forever.. but you know well enough yer hair ain't natural. Farking wizard's gift, and then everyone knew, they wanted to kill you. Worse, they wanted to kill your mother, for willingly lying with a Thayan. I wouldn't let them.. I fought them, men I'd trained, men I'd grew up with, boys of those men. Good men, I killed far too many of them. There I left what pride I had left.. traded it all for a whore of a wife, and a pink-haired bastard of a daughter. Was it worth it? Nay, you were never worth it, but it wasn't my choice to make..." horgeldaer explained, lost in his own memories and drink, pausing only to lift a bottle of some potent liquor to his lips, the contents burning down his throat and easing the words out.

    "Everything, Lilly.. I gave up everything for you and your mother. I was a weaponmaster, I trained warriors of Rasheman, I could have been a clan leader one day. Gone.. gone in a trail of blood and tears, a path of orphans and widows. You know I couldn't control myself, the berserk came over me stronger than it ever had before, and for once.. I couldn't control it. So.. I fled.. the homeland I had grown in, my land, my life. For you." he babbled, moisture in his eyes though he didn't cry, he would not permit himself tears in front of them.

    "We fled Lilly.. farking ran away.. and you know what.. you weren't worth it. I killed the wizard sure, but you were still there. I should have killed you, you know I wanted to.. but I couldn't. You were still mine.. not by blood, but you were mine even if you were my dishonor. I shoud have killed you.. but I didn't.." he said as he finished drinking whatever foul tasting brew he had in the bottle.

    "You say yer on Dajemma.. you want to prove yerself a warrior. First light then, first light we start training. I'll be damned if I throw away everything for you, whore. First light, you become my apprentice, and you'll be no disgrace when you leave, or you wont leave. Now go get some sleep, you'll need it." he babbled, before shooing them with his hands, finall striking Lilly with the empty bottle and physically carrying her to the room, laying her down gently and tucking her in. Before Ocean's astonished eyes, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, before gesturing roughly for Ocean to follow him.

    "By first light.. we begin..."

  • A

    Moving with age, Horgeldaer held his sword in one hand, though it shook slightly until the tip dipped towards the ground, the older man raising a bottle to his lips, taking several large swallows. Horgeldaer was vulnerable, while he concentrated on guzzling whatever potent liquor the bottle contained Argandor could strike. Raising his sword overhead, Argandor charged expecting to cleave the old man in half; however, his charge was halted a second later as glass shattered against his face, shards stinging his cheeks and the liquid released assaulting his eyes and nose. The older man had thrown the bottle at him! Damn him, but the liquor burned his eyes and everywhere the glass had gashed open.

    "Fight me you flaming goat! Fight me with all this honor you are supposed to possess.. or did the sheep your father slept with and you called mother teach you only to fight as a coward! Fight me or i'll kill the wench!" Argandor bellowed in rage, wiping at his face trying desperately to see through blurring, stinging eyes. Bits of liquor, blood and spittle flew from his lips, the battle would be ugly indeed.

    Horgeldaer's eyes wandered to where the blinded man vaguely pointed, then they narrowed dangerously, "touch m' daughter.. and every lonely dog in Whiteriver will use you dead body as a pillowmate.." and before their eyes, Horgeldaer seemed to grow another foot taller, and his shoulders rippled with the strength of a man many years younger, the bastard sword seeming much lighter in his hands now. The apparent ease and familiarity with which it was held made one think if his act of frailty was illusion or facade. His eyes hard, he stalked Argandor, walking slowly and with his sword gripped lightly in one hand, tip towards the dirt.

    Argandor, able to see through red, tear-filled eyes only, could take no more of this man's stalling and charged again, blade ready to rend this man in two. A heavy downward chop, as had felled the men earlier, there was a crash and a grunt. To the astonished eyes of all their, the heavy blade was frozen in midswing, Horgeldaer on one knee and both hands holding to the hilt of his bastard sword, and aside from the initial grunt Horgeldaer seemed to strain very little. Holding the joined blades with one hand on his sword hilt, Horgeldaer's other hand snapped up into Argandor's stomach, the younger man grunting loudly as the air was blasted from him, backing away quickly, heavy sword raised defensively.

    Horgeldaer stalked him again, whipping his sword from behind him into a lazy horizontal arc which was easily blocked by Argandor; however, the left hook that immediately followed was not, and caught the man in his nose, blood now freely dripping from a broken nose and a few more shards of glass driven deeper into the skin.

    Again Horgeldaer stalked him, only charging straight at him after circling to place himself between his foe and Lilly. The first attack a high feint, followed by a sweeping arc to the bandits knee; all could hear a clang of metal on metal as the sword hit, though Argandor still stumbled back his sword raised defensively though it had done him little good so far. He was lucky to have such fine armor under his disguise, or else by trying to block the high feint he'd have lost a leg, and soon after his life.

    Horgeldaer eased his guard, and spoke aloud to almost the entire village gathered around them, "His big sword is effective against lesser fighters, and useful for intimidation, but it lacks any sort of adaptation, and is cumbersome and slow. He wont be able to hit me because he can't strike fast enough, and he isn't strong or smart enough to smash through my guard." the experienced man speaking almost in a detached voice, regarding Argandor coldly.

    Much slower, Argandor advanced on Horgeldaer, his sword over a shoulder as he let a seemingly wounded arm hang near his waist. Horgeldaer waited, letting the man inch forward until Argandor exploded into action, bringing the greatsword crashing down with one hand, while his long dagger flashed in his left hand to stab Horgeldaer as he instictually evaded or blocked the heavy blade, moving toward the seemingly injured hand. THe ploy wound have worked except with an almost scary ease Horgeldaer ducked under and around the descending blade, and the dagger strike hitting empty air as Horgeldaer had dodged the other way against almost any sort of reason. Even as the old man steeped past Argandor, his foot kicked out to catch the man's ankle, and then he turned and chopped heavily with his bastard sword to the falling Argandor's right elbow. The crack of bone audible even above the clash of metal as the blade struck armor.

    The older man spit on him, then stepped back, again addressing the crowd in a detached voice, his cold blue eyes never leaving the groaning form of Argandor, desperately trying to gather up his blade with his left hand. "Another disadvantage to two handed weapons.. you need both hands to wield them. I will admit that was a clever trick he tried to pull, but no man ever swings a weapon like that one-handed without something of the like planned, even if one hand is wounded." the grizzled old man berated him, and he didn't even sweat yet!

    Fear in his eyes for the first time, Argandor rose using his good hand and favoring his other leg, his hand clutching the overlarge greatsword as if it somehow could spare him. Horgeldaer stalked him again, circling him like a vulture waiting for the man to fall over and be dead. Argandor for his part looking much like a scared rabbit. With a last burst of strength, that greatsword swung in a low arc at Horgeldaer's legs, trying to use both hands though his face showed pain even before the blade was knocked from his grip as the two blades crashed together. Disarmed, Argandor desperately tried to punch out at the old man, though his fist was caught in midair by Horgeldaer's left hand. Before their eyes, Argandor knelt down, agony showing on his face, Horgeldaer's veins popped from his neck as he strained; slowly, sickeningly, the crowd heard the man's hand bone's crack under the force of Horgeldaer's crushing grip.

    With agonizing slowness, Horgeldaer let the man slip to the ground, his blade flashing lightning quick and a head soon falling to the ground as Argandor's headless body slumped to the ground.

    "One more reason a weapon which let's you choose either one or two hands is preferable.. now strip him of everything, and bring it to my house on the hill." Horgeldaer said quietly, shrinking to his normal size again, which was only slightly less of a giant. As if he was lifting a sack of potatoes he lifted Lilly over his shoulder, who was too awestruck by the situation to even respond, carrying her naked body towards his house. Almost by accident, his hand made a motion for someone to follow from where he'd picked up Lilly, and Ocean materialized from the tall grass, following cautiously. Lilly was slumped over his shoulder, having feignted. Something Ocean had never thought to see her do.

  • A

    Morning came over the little village of Whiteriver, the farmers having already been about their chores for an hour. Inside the only inn, by a fire which had long since died away sat Lilly, staring into the faintly glowing embers in a blurred stupor caused only by tears and much liquor. Ocean had stayed with her through much of the night, though at Lilly's bidding had found her bed; however, sleep eluded her til just before the sun started to peak over the hills of the horizon.

    As the sun rose a little higher, more people went about their business, though just as many seemed to prefer to keep their beds, Lilly and Horgeldaer's shouting having kept them awake, and especially the crying children and barking dogs that resulted from it. What had really set the village astir, was as Lilly returned from the inn with much potent liquor in her arms, and obscenities spewed from her lips every other word. Enough had been quite enough. A gathering of husbands and sons had come initially to persuade her to seek her own bed, though eventually they gave up the futility and bodily picked up the shrieking and kicking form, and carried her to the inn. There Ocean finally calmed the woman by firmly telling her to sit and quit causing a scene by acting childish. Of course the woman stopped quickly, but soon settled in a chair to drink herself to a blissfully memory-free stupor.

    Back in the present, a large hooded man ducked through the door of the inn, a large greatsword strapped across his back. Walking with an easy grace, he wove in between the tables to stand behind Lilly. Ever so slowly, she looked up at him, under the hood into that grinning face.

    "Time to pay what you owe.. I'll collect whether you want to give it up or not." came the mocking voice, why was it familiar?

    Lilly tried to focus tired eyes, too drunken to see less than three images of him. A large man, extremely large, well muscled with a gigantic greatsword.. had she met him before?

    She tried to stand up, in order to get a view of him that wasn't upside down, but he slapped her heavily across the face, her limp body crashing to the floor. Fear welled within her, though the burning in her cheek was too far away to really be felt.

    The man looked around, being sure the innkeeper hadn't woken from the crash, and surprisingly he hadn't, the man then leaning down to whisper to her, "You aren't wearing the ring are you? you pink-haired whore." his great paws of hands already patting over her body feeling for it, not missing the opportunity to feel her more womanly areas when his hands passed over them. Lilly was oblivious, even when he decided he couldn't be safe just searching, and cut her clothes from her with a long knife from his belt sheathe.

    "Good you aren't, lets go whore. My employers were very dissappointed when you killed Olgrimm… but I think delivering you will help ease their minds. Of course, after I've killed Horgeldaer, and after you've been... "broken in" first." The big man talked as he leered at her, bending down to swat her behind before grabbing a chunk of her hair and beginning to drag her out. Lilly barely reacting, confusion etched on her face.

    As the sunlight hit her eyes, her limp body sliding onto the dirt outside of the inn's back door, Lilly became aware of the wrongness of the situation, the bard beginning to struggle. The man only laughed, lifting the drunken woman, who had so far neglected to make even an audible protest, by her hair and punching her heavily in the face, her body hanging loosely after that. He then swung her naked body over his shoulder, striding towards the woods two hundred yards distant, the entire way his hand feeling her bottom.

    The man was halfway to the treeline when he heard running footsteps and the jingling of chainmail armor, and chuckling the man heaved Lilly into a patch of tall grass. Still laughing as he drew his greatsword, looking far too big for any normal man to wield, though this man was hardly normal. Soon enough, a ring of men covered in chainmail and wielding a motley assortment of weapons, though all appeared well made, had formed a semicircle around him. The oldest of the eight men stepping forward.

    "Drop your weapon, and back off of the lass. We have you out-sworded, you are over-matched." the most experienced man said, though little authority was in it as he gaped at the man.

    The man just laughed, "None of you rabble is Horgeldaer, so I'll not harm you unless you try to harm me or impede justice. This wench is a thief and a whore, and worse yet, a murderer. A few days ago, she lay with a friend of my own, for only six coins she'd promised to kiss and cuddle him until cock crow. Yet by morning, all that was left was a room stripped of anything valuable, and my friend with a dagger sticking from his chest. Will you protect that!" finishing in a deadly serious tone, the men backing away fearfully.

    Unsure of what to do, both archers lowered their weapons though the others kept their spears, axes, and blades at the ready. Finally, one of the younger fighters voiced in a confused voice, "Why would you want to kill Horgeldaer..? he is a hero!."

    The man only raised his giant blade to his shoulder, grinning again, "because I want to be known as the best, and so far that old dog has done a good job of avoiding real fighters to impress farmers and widows." the man gloated, seemingly unconcerned at being unarmored and surrounded by eight armored men.

    "You lie!" one of the men shouted as a bowman loosed a shaft at the man's chest, which clattered to the ground as if it had struck a wall. Three others, one with an axe and two with swords charged him.

    The man was ready for them, his downward chop cutting through armor and bone as the heavy diagonal attack cleaved the first man with a sword in two. He then spun, his great sword whipping around and cleaving through the midsection of the man with axe who charged his flank, cutting him in half as easily as he would through paper. The third man tried to stop and reverse his direction, but managed only to skid towards the giant man with the giant sword. A viscious punch caught the man in the side of his head, then with one hand, the man was thrown to his face in the dirt. The heavy blade made dust rise as it crashed into the ground with a wet sound, no one daring to look at the man most recently felled.

    The man then looked around arrogantly at the awe-strucked fighters, "Any more challengers? No? Good, then you, yes you. The ugly one. Go find Horgeldaer, and tell him I've killed all but yourself in thi little entourage. Don't forget to mention I warned you all." This caused the other men to jump back and clutch weapons in fear, the man only laughing the louder, the light of madness in his eyes. Lilly stirred now, muttering under her breath as she felt a tingle sweep through her as her system was purged of its intoxication through magic.

    "There's no need ya daft farker.. i'm here" came a gravelly voice, from behind the now clustered and shaking men, a few being roughly shoved aside. "Now who the fark are you before 'ah kill ya?" he looked over and gave an appreciative nod to a little boy Lilly recognized from the wagon, before facing back at the man. The boy scurried out of reach of either giant, then turned to watch curiously.

    "Some call me a madman, an executioner.. and legend calls me the Shadowknight.. but I always like telling my name to people who truly deserve to die. Prepare yourself Horgeldaer, for you face Argandor now." Argandor stated coldly, though an arrogant grin plastered his face, not intimidating the older man in the least.

    A hand gripped Lilly's shoulder, and turning her head ever so slowly, she was able to spot a nearly invisible Ocean crouched in the tall grass around her. Her shortsword bare and ready for action, though hidden so the morning light never shone from it. Both women looked to where the two giants faced off, the eager, young Argandor, muscles bulging in anticipation; his huge sword being raised into a proper stance. A huge contrast to the older Horgeldaer, who drew his smaller by comparison bastard sword with a relative slowness, cracking his neck with a few rolls as he did. Then tossing his sword case casually to the ground, Horgeldaer raised his weapon slowly into a fighter's stance, his age apparent and stiffness slowing his movements.

    Lilly groaned, surely she hated her father, though she didn't want to see him die. She knew he was good.. but surely he couldn't stand to Argandor.

    (OOC: part two coming soon. just a pain to type all at once)

  • A

    Lilly sighed, "Fark.. but if I didn't know I'd end up back here…" as she walked her horse into the tiny village, farmlands visibly surrounding it in the dying light of dusk. Lights from candles and fire shone from the windows of the modest wooden homes, the onset of Shar's veiling close, Selune already rising for her nocurnal journey.

    Unconsciously, Lilly looked to a hill atop which a house slightly larger than most in the village sat, though it was enough distant to not actually be in Whiteriver. As she looked, she shivered, though she barely even felt the cold. Shaking her head and swearing more, Lilly drew out a bottle of wine from her pack, that she'd secretted away without Ocean's knowing. She'd need the valor of either Tempus himself or a drunkards's courage to keep from turning and fleeing this place, hells she half expected the Foehammer himself to come ready to kick her in the rump. Argandor coming for Horgeldaer... a giant of a man who was deadly quick with his bastard sword, though he was surely old by now. After all, he was her father.. "Stop that! he's not really your father.. just your momma's husband.." she chided herself angrily aloud, a few of the children playing nearby staring at her before giggling.

    As Lilly hitched her horse by the only inn in the village, she spotted Ocean sittingo n one of the benches looking decidedly bored. Though as Ocean saw her, she rose quickly to rush over and nearly tackle the bard in a hug. Lilly tried her best to hide the bottle of wine behind her back, but was hardly successful, Ocean just giving a sigh and holding out an expectant hand. Like a little child Lilly handed it over, and Ocean simply poured it out onto the ground.

    "the kid was alright.. I take it..?" Lilly asked after a moment, brushing down her horse while Ocean helped to unsaddle it.

    "Ay.. he wuz olroight, juz needin a bi' o' rezt now.. woos this.. Hurgaldeer?" Lilly froze as Ocean asked, just shaking her head and refusing to answer.

    Finally, "a man I'm going to see tonight.. I want you to stay here, get us a room and get a warm bath.. have one ready for me when I get back. He's a bad man, and I doubt it will take long.. if things go well.. I'll come get you." Lilly spoke, her mind whirling a million miles away. Ocean went to pat her shoulder, and Lilly flinched as if a whip had cracked down across her back. Ocean frowned at her, wondering what fate Lilly had befelled to this man..

    Lilly muttered to herself the entire time, but slowly she marched towards the house on the hill, her travelling leathers still on her, scimitar buckled to her hip. Then, drawing her courage, she knocked on the door, having to knock again louder as no one bothered to answer the first call. Inside she could hear the creaking of an old chair under someone's weight.

    Eventually a deep, rumbling voice that sounded a bit intoxicated came from the closed door, apparently irritated at being disturbed, "Tha fark do ya want? If its money then I nay got it, if it's killin then they can wait til farking morning."

    The door oppened, and Lilly saw perhaps one of the most physically imposing men she had ever seen in her life, which was no easy feat. He was old, that wasn't in question, yet like how an oak grows tougher and more gnarly with age, so too had this man. Corded muscles ran across broad shoulders twice as wide as most men's, arm' as thick as most men's legs running down to hands seeming perfectly sized to crush a man's skull, all on a frame that seemed closer to seven feet tall than to six. He seemed a bear, with arms that looked as if a rabbit skin had been wrapped around them, a thick carpet of greying hair poking from the top of his sleeveless tunic. Upon his face was set a small, trimmed beard and mustache which was more grey than his salt and pepper hair. Peircing blue eyes stared out at her, narrowed and a testy look upon them. He recognized her then, yet for whatever reason he had forgotten just why he didn't like her, the alcohol most likely.

    The smell of strong spirits assaulted her nose, nearly bringing her to tears with the fear that seemed palpable near this man, she had never wanted to see him again. Her step-father, Horgeldaer Laer.

    "I.. was.. just passing through.. Da.. is..um.. Momma home..do you th.."
    Lilly stammered nervously, and very much afraid, though her words were cut off all too quickly as Horgeldaer's heavy fist smashed into her jaw. The pink haired bard sent into a short flight from his small wooden porch, to crash unceremoniously into the dirt behind it, where she spat blood. Without saying a word, he slammed the door.

    "Blood bucket of piss!" Lilly shrieked at the closed door, feeling to see if any teeth had been lost, thankfully none had. "I just bloody came to farking see my Momma, you can bloody well rot in your flaming grave for all I farking care!" tears mingling with her anger, blood still welling in her mouth.

    "Lurana's gone you whore.. go back to where ya came from, none want a disgrace like ya here.." came the rough voice from behind the door, though the bark wasn't in the words, they almost sounded apologetic.

    Lilly was far too worked up to back off now, she continued her shrieks, "Bloody, farking hells I'll go back! Farking sodding disgrace I am? Beshaba's middle finger, I'm not the farkingone exiled from his own bloody country. Take your own disgrace you bastard, treacherous coward!" She knew she'd gone too far, yet she didn't care, even when the door was flung open, a fully irate Horgeldaer stepping out, the light of Selune magnifying the glare of hatred from those icy blue orbs.

    Hatred seemed tangible as she looked at him, suddenly very afraid, though for his part Horgeldaer just stared at her, a half empty bottle of liquor in his hand, "It was because of ya Lilly.. why I was exiled from Rasheman.. you and your farking whore of a mother.. deciding farking a wizard is more important than her own family and husband.. if it wasn't for whores like ya, then honest folk could be much happier." as he finished his speeach, his frustration showed as he hurled the bottle at her, the glass container hitting her heavily in the chest, causing to fall over again with a grunt. Tears had already welled in her eyes, and leaked down to the dirt below.

    A hundred questions whirled through her mind at once, all wanting to know why, but her throat was too constricted from crying even if she could think of a question to actually ask. The door slammed, and without even thinking, Lilly picked up the bottle, popping the cork and swallowing as much of the burning liquid as she could. It felt as if she were trying to drink a campfire, logs and all, yet she didn't care. The burning soothed her, made her forget about what had just happened, made it as if it had never happened.

    "Fark you.. I'm not needin a dad.. fark you.. people love me.. Ocean loves me.. my sisters love me.. Mirkali loves me... they love me for who I am.." she tried to scream to the night, though her burning and raw throat constricted it to a choked whisper, causing her voice to vie with the crickets as some ofthe villagers peered from their houses to the one atop the hill. Despite what she'd said, she felt very unloved at this moment.

    From her hidden shadows, a figure of a girl slipped back towards the inn, the sight she'd seen having been very brief but all together too shocking. She had wanted desperately to rush out and attack the man who had so hurt Lilly, yet.. somehow it just wasn't her place. With a heavy heart, the girl went slinking back to the inn, leaving Lilly to cry to herself until she finally found the strength to come back. Ocean also wanted to be rested, and prepared for an early departure in the morning, which she was sure Lilly would insist upon.


  • The third bandit rode hard, intending to outrun the fight behind him as much as to catch the wagon ahead. Ocean was no horseman and found herself shaken and jarred by the ride, the bolt shaken loose from the crossbow clattered to the road behind her.
    "Fack it, I' ah haz ter ah'll tok tha zhitzuka ter deth!" she sword to herself as only a sailor can.
    With no thought but to catch the horseman efore he caught the slower moving wagon she leant forward over the horses neck and kicked hard with her heels.

    Finally she started to gain, first pulling in behind then starting to come alongside. Never much for ceremony, subtlety or in any way behaving in a ladylike or heroic fashion she simply let the crossbow hang on it's strap, pulled her shortsword and stabbed the bandit's horse in the arse.
    With a shriek of indignation the horse reared, the rider struggling to stay in the saddle, but failing and falling hard.
    Ocean pulled her own horse up hard and lept from the saddle. Striding forward with an arrogant swagger, clearly enjoying having caught the man, she came to within striking distance.
    "Zurenda or ah'll zkyua yer waer yer liez!"
    The bandit made no response, his head lying at an odd angle to the body, not one conducive to long life and healthy children.

    Ocean pouted. "Zod it. Borin' facker!" Kicking the body for good measure she mounted and rode on to catch the wagon, and keep her appointment with Lilly in Whiteriver.

  • A

    A chill wind blew from the North, winds that travelled the long trek from the Great Glacier to bring discomfort and cold feet to any who dare to travel the roads that meander near the northern reaches; not surpisingly, those chill wind never ventured far enough south to bring solace to those trapped in the sweltering heats of the more southern climes. The wind did, however, perform an excellent job of biting through the cloaks of the two women and thoroughly freezing them to the bone, causing them both to huddle within their cloaks and hunch over their horse's necks to avoid the biting breeze. Ocean seemed the smarter one, wrapped within a heavy fur cloak she had bought before the journey, the thick garment equal protection against wind and sea spray, warm at first though it gradually leaks through until it's little comfort at all. Lilly seemed to be worse off, though she refused to show it by chattering her teeth like Ocean did; the older woman wore a sparkling purple and blue cloak that seemed more accustomed to a wizard. The cloak was a gift from an old lover, and she had refused to buy a new one, even though it had got her in trouble before. Apparently, the swish of the sparkling garment coupled with her swaying walk and low cut shirts seemed to interest some in parting with their coins for a night's acquaintance; though it only took a slap, or a punch for those who went too far to get her a respite from grabbing hands.

    Winter was coming, that was easy enough to tell, and neither woman enjoyed the idea of entertaining themselves while stuck in an inn waiting for the snows to thaw, thus had they rode south as quickly as their horses could manage. They had left Vandorn behind at the last village, a decision in which Lilly felt bad to make but she had finally decided was a worthwhile choice. Despite her words to Penny and Fadia before leaving, a handsome knight was not what she needed, she'd never find herself or put her mind at ease if she kept getting distracted. Ocean had whole-heartedly agreed, even going so far as to bribe a local woman to "distract" him for a day, while the two of them rode off south. Lilly had sighed as Ocean told her between giggles, the pink-haired woman making a mental note to let her friend sneak off less.

    "Zo.. wur er we go'un agin?" Ocean, her teeth chattering, trying to further wrap herself in her cloak, which had almost become a second skin.

    "To Rasheman.. and then Sembia maybe, Mirkali gave me a list of drinks to get for him, of which I've collected none thus far.." Lilly answered, frowning a bit at having accomplished so little. "Supposedly the cities in Sembia are a hundred times bigger than Peltarch, so I think it'd be fun to visit there." she finished, excitement edging into her voice.

    Ocean simply yawned, "I'z zeen em 'afore, theyz iz nuthun speshul.." though honestly Ocean was itching for the opportunity to visit a city again, she'd had remarkably few opportunities to practice her trade, aside from a few travellers coins and pies sitting on unwatched window sills.

    "Just cause you've had a life sailing all over the farking world diesn't mean everyone else has seen it," Lilly started with a mock stern voice, though she giggled, "hells, an hour or so further south is the furthest…" then her eyes widened, and her mouth shut with a click. She hoped Ocean wouldn't ask..

    "Wur's tha.." Ocean pressed, not understanding Lilly's sudden expression.

    "Oh um.. nowhere.. nowhere important really.. um.. some little town.. a river there I think.. um.. Whitebridge.. or Whiteriver.. something like that.. just a little farm village.." Lily stalled, finally giving up and riding her horse up ahead to end the conversation.

    Ocean just frowned and let her friend go, she'd tell whatever secret she was hiding in her own time, probably in an hour. What was it about this farmland that bugged her? wasn't she a farmer's daughter after all?
    Maybe she had an ex-lover who lived here, or maybe there was a city close by! That had to be it, that's why Lilly was pretending it wasn't a big deal.

    Lilly's thoughts were many and scattered, though she instictually huddled over the horse's neck as she heard the crack of a whip behind her, waiting for the blow to fall across her back. Confusion whelled within her as the expected blow didn't come, then embarrassment as she collected her senses, feeling dumb for falling so deeply into her thoughts and memories. Looking back, she saw a pair of horses pulling a wagon thundering down the road, a young boy of no more than fourteen winters cracking the whip over the team's head, a boy of closer to nineteen slumped over onto the boy. Blood matted his shirt, and his expression was unresponsive, to all eyes dead, a quarrel sticking from his chest. Terror was engraved upon the young boy's face, a cloud of dust swirling in the wake of the wagon, hay spilling from the back as the wind from their wild rush carried them past the startled women.

    As they passed, the boy shouted, "Ride for Whiteriver! Bandits! Horgeldaer will protect us!" that remark leaving a dumbstruck expression on Lilly's face as the dust cloud washed over them, the horses snorting their displeasure. Both women had reigned, Ocean winding the winch to her crossbow and Lilly staring after the boy, her memories having captured her attention for a moment.

    "Lilly.. gi' ready! Wez uz figh'in!" Ocean said quickly, now loading a bolt into her freshly cocked crossbow. Lilly sluggishly pulling her composite bow from her back, fitting an arrow from her saddle quiver to it as if in a dream.

    They hadn't long to wait, as three mounted men quickly crested the hill in obvious pursuit of the boy in the wagon. Ocean's quarrel leaped from her crossbow, the bolt embedding itself into the chest of the first rider, knocking him from the saddle as he released his reigns to clutch at himself. Lilly's arrow, however, missed its target, her horse getting skittish as the horses hooves thumped against the road coming nearer, the mount bumping against the side of the bow and causing her shot to graze the second rider's horse's flank. The horse in its surprise reared and the man went crashing to the ground with a wet thud. The third bandit was not quite as offguard, bearing a loaded crossbow instead of longswords like the first two. He discharged his shot at Lilly, though it missed horribly and stuck into the road behind her.

    The third bandit had no intentions of stopping to engage them though, and rode past them still in eager pursuit of the wagon, both women swearing, "Shit!" Lilly tried to fit another arrow to her bow, but the shot fell short and shot wide from the awkward angle of the horse. Ocean was working fast to load her crossbow again, when Lilly barked, "Go after him! i'll deal with these two. We'll meet in Whiteriver!"

    Nodding once, Ocean fitted a new quarrel to her newly readied crossbow, then kicked her weary horse into a gallop. Lilly watched her go, then dismounted and drew her scimitar, checking the two for life signs.

    The one thrown from his horse was assuredly dead, his chest no longer rose for breath, and his mouth was frozen in a wordless scream, his eyes staring wide at the sky, except that he lay on his stomach. The one with the quarrel in his stomach lay on his back, groaning from where his horse had left him.

    Calmly, Lilly walked to him and kicked him, the wounded man groaning louder. "What.. do ye want.. bitch.. " he said between gritted teeth and growls.

    "Answers.. who do you work for? Why chase the child?" she asked calmly, kicking him in the ribs when he didn't answer quickly enough.

    "because.. it's.. Horgeldaer's.. grandson.." the man said, now coughing up blood, "Argandor.. is coming.. for him.. and... all.. his brats.. and bitches.. like you.. you kn.." at once his coughing and taunting were silenced as Lilly's scimitar flashed once, the man's throat cut as his precious lifeblood flowed to stain his already filthy shirt.

    Horgeldaer.. bitches like her.. Argandor coming.. if only the man had known how terrible his taunts had truly been to her...