“You’re not my father!” I shrieked in pained disbelief. If Nora and I knew anything about anyone in this fantasy story, it was that Raelynn’s parents were dead. She was an orphan, one of many young survivors of a terrible plague that had run rampant across Speranza. She made her family where she found it; she never would have broken bread with such an arrogant extremist! He's just manipulating me.
“And yet I personally invested six years into your military training, though I remain unrewarded for my exhaustive efforts,” the leader shrugged indifferently. “But not for much longer. I am the one who found you first this time.” Is there… some reward for my safe return?
“Captain Garvith!” a young knight with short blonde hair called as he led his lathered horse to intercept the line. “A report from the scouts!”
Captain Garvith sighed impatiently as he waited for the knight to dismount, walk over, and bow to him. He then took the parchment the knight offered and promptly shoved it under his saddle without a cursory glance. “Just tell them to return to base. We got what we came here for,” he responded curtly before a contemplative look spread across his face. “Belay that,” he paused before turning to his Lieutenant. “Switch them out one more time. Her companions might decide to double back sooner than expected.”
“As you command, Captain Garvith!” Balor responded, leading his horse off with an unnecessarily strong snap of its reins.
Garvith eyed the blonde-haired knight. “Splint her wrist and secure the prisoner. Be sure to tie the bonds as tight as you can. She has a way of slipping out of tight spots.”
The weary young knight looked at me with unwanted pity in his eyes. “Shouldn’t we call for a healer?”
“No. It’s a reminder to keep her from doing something stupid,” Garvith retorted.
The young knight balked a bit. “But… Captain… she surrendered…”
“So what? She’s not to be trusted, understood!” Garvith declared to the entire line, who saluted sharply in response.
“What about Cinder?!” I yelled at him.
“You can have that ‘horse’ back once we reach our destination,” the captain replied with a hint of callous amusement. “Behave, and I might even spare your inevitably interfering companions. But understand, it depends on you doing precisely as you’re told… for once in your life!”
Just who the hell was this guy, and why was he such an asshole? And why were the others all listening to him? Most of the other knights remained helmeted, so I couldn’t search their faces, but I did catch the eye of the now-terrified young knight once again. “Just do what you have to do,” I hissed. He would probably scream just as much as Cinder did if he were hit with a crossbow bolt.
He nervously dashed to his saddlebags, procuring a few wooden sticks and linen wraps. I grit my teeth as he splinted my wrist as ordered. “Arms behind you…” he motioned sadly when he was finished, and I reluctantly complied, willing my tears not to fall.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered repeatedly as he bound my hands sloppily behind my back. They weren’t genuinely constricting, but it was enough to be uncomfortable. My wrist continued to throb threateningly, and I knew eventually, I wouldn’t be able to take the pain.
A few other knights, some hybrid, some human, dismounted and gathered my weapons, snorting with contempt at their simple design. Captain Garvith, however, shot them a disparaging look, and they ceased with their side commentary.
“Since you two are now well acquainted, you’ll be riding together,” Captain Garvith asserted as he turned away. “I advise you again, Raelynn, to keep your aura in check. Otherwise…” he stopped, and I felt his frontline draw in their holy focus in unison. “Do you understand, daughter?” Raelynn spent six years with him? I couldn’t stand six minutes!
“Understood, Garvith,” I said with a sneer. The most insulting thing I could afford was not acknowledging his rank or claim of having some relationship with me. Rather than react, he wordlessly led the column toward the south.
There is almost nothing more humiliating than to be hauled up and unceremoniously deposited onto the back of a warhorse. I was somewhat proud of myself for not screaming during the harrowing process, biting my lip angrily as they secured me in the saddle with additional rope. With a growl forming but never escaping my throat, I started to regret the chain of decisions I had made that had led up to this point. Why had I held on to the naïve belief that the code of chivalry was strictly followed? Once again, I had foolishly assumed that people would uphold the same principles as I did.
I wasn’t worried about losing my life; I was sure his anticipated reward was commensurate to my overall well-being. It was that I let my friends operate on a false set of assumptions just because I knew they’d disagree with my plan. My thoughts started to go dark with smoldering rage directed at myself and, to some extent, my captors as well.
Again already?
Raedine! You’re back!
I said I was just passing by before… but I don’t like going in circles, do you?
I screwed up again!
Everyone does. But dwelling on your anger alone won't solve your problem.
How do I solve it then? If I try to power up now…
If you can’t determine an appropriate action, you probably lack information or a timely opportunity. Put your energy to good use and watch for your moment.
A sigh escaped my lips, but I took her breezy advice to heart. Information and opportunity…
“Well…” I tried my best to keep my voice level. “What’s your name, Sir Knight?” I asked my 'voluntold' riding companion, whose horse kept pace with the one I was tied to.
“Volker,” the young blonde replied quietly. “But I am no knight, Captain Lightbringer.”
He was certainly dressed like one! “Uh,” I began in confusion.
“I am merely part of Captain Garvith’s retinue,” he murmured. “Only those with the inherent Blessing of Amity can hope to become a true knight of the Order.”
“Oh… I see.” Makes sense, I guess.
“You can tell the difference by looking at the pendants we wear over the surcoat,” he explained. “Although we wear similar livery, the Holy Knights are the only ones who may bear Euphridia’s Star.”
“Do they… pay you well?” I asked, trying to distract myself from my discomfort.
“Room and board, at least,” Volker confirmed. “I take on odd jobs that are… ah…”
“Beneath the others?’ I supplied.
“That’s one way to put it,” Volker murmured. “Let’s not say it too loud, though.”
We rode in awkward silence for a bit after that. He seemed nervous about his assignment as my babysitter, and I didn’t know precisely what would constitute a policy violation at this point. I wanted to get someone on my side, however. That would be the best inroad for an informative exchange with these professionally sanctioned mercenaries. But what could I offer up at the moment? I wasn’t about to tell them about my friends or anything else that could be used against me.
Did you forget your celebrity status? You’re playing Raelynn, the returning hero, back from the unknown! Impress him with an epic tale that can only be told by you!
What would a holy knight consider an epic tale that only the hero could—oh…
Feel free to embellish it a little. I know you can’t remember all the details.
"Everything's so different now," I stated loudly, gazing into the distance with what I hoped was an air of aloofness and mystery. "I had hoped Speranza would have changed for the better after I defeated King Epiales." I let out a sigh of disappointment and regret. “But I suppose my victory remains unsung, given the world's sorrow at my, uh…” I fumbled my words.
Unanticipated exodus.
“Unanticipated exodus,” I repeated aloud. Raedine’s corporate-speak was even better than I had realized!
“N-not true, Holy Captain!” Volker straightened in the saddle considerably. “We all speak of it, and we know of your sacrifice! It’s just… well… the Captain… and some other Holy Knights…. They were looking forward to participating in the ultimate quest for glory.”
Can’t get a nice reward if you don’t participate, right? “I didn’t want my sacrifice to cost the world anything greater than necessary, but I could see how some must have been disappointed, unable to join the final battle,” I falsely conceded while suppressing an eye roll. The last thing she needed was a bunch of violent hotheads calling attention to her actions!
“What was it like?” he asked in wonder, completely hooked now. “The final battle?”
I chose my next words carefully, shamelessly plagiarizing from the serialized novel. “He was a grotesque fusion of nightmare and malice,” I exhaled. “His face and body were covered in a hideous, matted fur, and with two baleful eyes, he regarded me as less than nothing before his abject might.”
“What did he say to you? What was his reasoning for seeking to destroy the world?”
I shook my head. “The only words he could scream were, ‘You are not Raela. You are even less than her. Tell your goddess to send Raela next time!’”
The knight tensed his grip on the reins. “To think he only wanted to destroy again that which was most precious to Holy Euphridia…” I couldn’t disagree with him there. It was as if a singular, destructive obsession had utterly consumed the old demon king.
“There was no use in talking with him. I advanced, my shield high to ward off his vicious first strikes. He swung his claws as his weapons of choice, unleashing wave upon wave of dark energy that crashed against my shield. Though each blow staggered me, I held my ground,” I paused, noting that a few more knights had slowed their horses to fall in step with ours.
“But you fought back, wielding the Faith and Will of Euphridia!” another knight took up the story from me. “Relias himself testified that as your blade met his twisted flesh, he felt pain for the first time in his miserable life!”
That… was plagiarized straight from the novel, too!
I think you have that idea in reverse, Rachel.
I swallowed hard. “Yes… Although my memory cannot serve me correctly, I vaguely recall his unearthly screeches piercing the air as I drew more and more ichor from his body with every successful swing. His claws raked across my armor, denting and shearing the metal even as he called upon the darkness itself to ensnare and poison me.”
“Relias also gave his all. He maintained the barrier of holy light that protected you from the evil toxin that fiend exuded.” It was an older knight now, holding his helm under his arm as tears unabashedly shined in his eyes.
Word for word…
The Holy Order of Blue has quite an oral tradition. I’m not surprised they’ve memorized the official lore.
“Tell us of your fatal strike!” yet another demanded. “That’s the missing part! How did you manage to pierce through his armor?”
“His armor?” I questioned in confusion.
"Forged from the darkest of fallen stars and absorbing all holy light that touches it," the venerated knight in charge of me recited, his voice taking on a solemn tone, "It is the armor of ultimate despair."
Oh, right, that armor. Huh. Technically, the charged final blow went straight through his armor into his chest, where one would typically find a heart. The wound was described as gaping, with nothing behind it except sludge-like oil. But how had she managed to disable its ability to negate amity attacks? What trick did she pull?
This is the part you have to embellish. I’d go with something powerful but vague.
I set my jaw and gaze toward the horizon. “When one faces the true abyss… the righteous do not falter, but call upon the great powers of all those who support them in their courageous endeavors.” Is that vague enough? I wished there was a system where I could have bonuses to deception.
Glancing to my side, I saw that two of them were crying openly now, tears silently streaming down their faces. Even though they were my captors, powerful knights that were dutifully carrying out the orders of a jackass, I felt a twinge of guilt. My bound and throbbing wrist, however, opposed any permanent forgiveness.
“How long until we reach Chairo?” I asked after a long silence. “It’s imperative that I reunite with Relias as soon as possible.” I gave you the information you wanted; now reciprocate! Are you going to rendevous or clash with the Order of the Silver? What’s the next step in your action plan?
The half-dozen knights who had listened to my tale exchanged furtive glances before nodding to Volker.
“Holy Captain… we’re not headed for Chairo,” Volker said with a wince, having pulled the proverbial short stick.
The oldest knight bashed his fist into his chest plate, and I couldn’t help but notice it was already quite dented. “We are returning to Fort Turri, where we will begin negotiations with the Holy Capital. They need to remember that it was us who protected them for the last three thousand years!”
…Well, shit.
My thoughts exactly.
Euphridia
“You’re not my father!” I shrieked in pained disbelief. If Nora and I knew anything about anyone in this fantasy story, it was that Raelynn’s parents were dead. She was an orphan, one of many young survivors of a terrible plague that had run rampant across Speranza. She made her family where she found it; she never would have broken bread with such an arrogant extremist! He's just manipulating me.
“And yet I personally invested six years into your military training, though I remain unrewarded for my exhaustive efforts,” the leader shrugged indifferently. “But not for much longer. I am the one who found you first this time.” Is there… some reward for my safe return?
“Captain Garvith!” a young knight with short blonde hair called as he led his lathered horse to intercept the line. “A report from the scouts!”
Captain Garvith sighed impatiently as he waited for the knight to dismount, walk over, and bow to him. He then took the parchment the knight offered and promptly shoved it under his saddle without a cursory glance. “Just tell them to return to base. We got what we came here for,” he responded curtly before a contemplative look spread across his face. “Belay that,” he paused before turning to his Lieutenant. “Switch them out one more time. Her companions might decide to double back sooner than expected.”
“As you command, Captain Garvith!” Balor responded, leading his horse off with an unnecessarily strong snap of its reins.
Garvith eyed the blonde-haired knight. “Splint her wrist and secure the prisoner. Be sure to tie the bonds as tight as you can. She has a way of slipping out of tight spots.”
The weary young knight looked at me with unwanted pity in his eyes. “Shouldn’t we call for a healer?”
“No. It’s a reminder to keep her from doing something stupid,” Garvith retorted.
The young knight balked a bit. “But… Captain… she surrendered…”
“So what? She’s not to be trusted, understood!” Garvith declared to the entire line, who saluted sharply in response.
“What about Cinder?!” I yelled at him.
“You can have that ‘horse’ back once we reach our destination,” the captain replied with a hint of callous amusement. “Behave, and I might even spare your inevitably interfering companions. But understand, it depends on you doing precisely as you’re told… for once in your life!”
Just who the hell was this guy, and why was he such an asshole? And why were the others all listening to him? Most of the other knights remained helmeted, so I couldn’t search their faces, but I did catch the eye of the now-terrified young knight once again. “Just do what you have to do,” I hissed. He would probably scream just as much as Cinder did if he were hit with a crossbow bolt.
He nervously dashed to his saddlebags, procuring a few wooden sticks and linen wraps. I grit my teeth as he splinted my wrist as ordered. “Arms behind you…” he motioned sadly when he was finished, and I reluctantly complied, willing my tears not to fall.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered repeatedly as he bound my hands sloppily behind my back. They weren’t genuinely constricting, but it was enough to be uncomfortable. My wrist continued to throb threateningly, and I knew eventually, I wouldn’t be able to take the pain.
A few other knights, some hybrid, some human, dismounted and gathered my weapons, snorting with contempt at their simple design. Captain Garvith, however, shot them a disparaging look, and they ceased with their side commentary.
“Since you two are now well acquainted, you’ll be riding together,” Captain Garvith asserted as he turned away. “I advise you again, Raelynn, to keep your aura in check. Otherwise…” he stopped, and I felt his frontline draw in their holy focus in unison. “Do you understand, daughter?” Raelynn spent six years with him? I couldn’t stand six minutes!
“Understood, Garvith,” I said with a sneer. The most insulting thing I could afford was not acknowledging his rank or claim of having some relationship with me. Rather than react, he wordlessly led the column toward the south.
There is almost nothing more humiliating than to be hauled up and unceremoniously deposited onto the back of a warhorse. I was somewhat proud of myself for not screaming during the harrowing process, biting my lip angrily as they secured me in the saddle with additional rope. With a growl forming but never escaping my throat, I started to regret the chain of decisions I had made that had led up to this point. Why had I held on to the naïve belief that the code of chivalry was strictly followed? Once again, I had foolishly assumed that people would uphold the same principles as I did.
I wasn’t worried about losing my life; I was sure his anticipated reward was commensurate to my overall well-being. It was that I let my friends operate on a false set of assumptions just because I knew they’d disagree with my plan. My thoughts started to go dark with smoldering rage directed at myself and, to some extent, my captors as well.
Again already?
Raedine! You’re back!
I said I was just passing by before… but I don’t like going in circles, do you?
I screwed up again!
Everyone does. But dwelling on your anger alone won't solve your problem.
How do I solve it then? If I try to power up now…
If you can’t determine an appropriate action, you probably lack information or a timely opportunity. Put your energy to good use and watch for your moment.
A sigh escaped my lips, but I took her breezy advice to heart. Information and opportunity…
“Well…” I tried my best to keep my voice level. “What’s your name, Sir Knight?” I asked my 'voluntold' riding companion, whose horse kept pace with the one I was tied to.
“Volker,” the young blonde replied quietly. “But I am no knight, Captain Lightbringer.”
He was certainly dressed like one! “Uh,” I began in confusion.
“I am merely part of Captain Garvith’s retinue,” he murmured. “Only those with the inherent Blessing of Amity can hope to become a true knight of the Order.”
“Oh… I see.” Makes sense, I guess.
“You can tell the difference by looking at the pendants we wear over the surcoat,” he explained. “Although we wear similar livery, the Holy Knights are the only ones who may bear Euphridia’s Star.”
“Do they… pay you well?” I asked, trying to distract myself from my discomfort.
“Room and board, at least,” Volker confirmed. “I take on odd jobs that are… ah…”
“Beneath the others?’ I supplied.
“That’s one way to put it,” Volker murmured. “Let’s not say it too loud, though.”
We rode in awkward silence for a bit after that. He seemed nervous about his assignment as my babysitter, and I didn’t know precisely what would constitute a policy violation at this point. I wanted to get someone on my side, however. That would be the best inroad for an informative exchange with these professionally sanctioned mercenaries. But what could I offer up at the moment? I wasn’t about to tell them about my friends or anything else that could be used against me.
Did you forget your celebrity status? You’re playing Raelynn, the returning hero, back from the unknown! Impress him with an epic tale that can only be told by you!
What would a holy knight consider an epic tale that only the hero could—oh…
Feel free to embellish it a little. I know you can’t remember all the details.
"Everything's so different now," I stated loudly, gazing into the distance with what I hoped was an air of aloofness and mystery. "I had hoped Speranza would have changed for the better after I defeated King Epiales." I let out a sigh of disappointment and regret. “But I suppose my victory remains unsung, given the world's sorrow at my, uh…” I fumbled my words.
Unanticipated exodus.
“Unanticipated exodus,” I repeated aloud. Raedine’s corporate-speak was even better than I had realized!
“N-not true, Holy Captain!” Volker straightened in the saddle considerably. “We all speak of it, and we know of your sacrifice! It’s just… well… the Captain… and some other Holy Knights…. They were looking forward to participating in the ultimate quest for glory.”
Can’t get a nice reward if you don’t participate, right? “I didn’t want my sacrifice to cost the world anything greater than necessary, but I could see how some must have been disappointed, unable to join the final battle,” I falsely conceded while suppressing an eye roll. The last thing she needed was a bunch of violent hotheads calling attention to her actions!
“What was it like?” he asked in wonder, completely hooked now. “The final battle?”
I chose my next words carefully, shamelessly plagiarizing from the serialized novel. “He was a grotesque fusion of nightmare and malice,” I exhaled. “His face and body were covered in a hideous, matted fur, and with two baleful eyes, he regarded me as less than nothing before his abject might.”
“What did he say to you? What was his reasoning for seeking to destroy the world?”
I shook my head. “The only words he could scream were, ‘You are not Raela. You are even less than her. Tell your goddess to send Raela next time!’”
The knight tensed his grip on the reins. “To think he only wanted to destroy again that which was most precious to Holy Euphridia…” I couldn’t disagree with him there. It was as if a singular, destructive obsession had utterly consumed the old demon king.
“There was no use in talking with him. I advanced, my shield high to ward off his vicious first strikes. He swung his claws as his weapons of choice, unleashing wave upon wave of dark energy that crashed against my shield. Though each blow staggered me, I held my ground,” I paused, noting that a few more knights had slowed their horses to fall in step with ours.
“But you fought back, wielding the Faith and Will of Euphridia!” another knight took up the story from me. “Relias himself testified that as your blade met his twisted flesh, he felt pain for the first time in his miserable life!”
That… was plagiarized straight from the novel, too!
I think you have that idea in reverse, Rachel.
I swallowed hard. “Yes… Although my memory cannot serve me correctly, I vaguely recall his unearthly screeches piercing the air as I drew more and more ichor from his body with every successful swing. His claws raked across my armor, denting and shearing the metal even as he called upon the darkness itself to ensnare and poison me.”
“Relias also gave his all. He maintained the barrier of holy light that protected you from the evil toxin that fiend exuded.” It was an older knight now, holding his helm under his arm as tears unabashedly shined in his eyes.
Word for word…
The Holy Order of Blue has quite an oral tradition. I’m not surprised they’ve memorized the official lore.
“Tell us of your fatal strike!” yet another demanded. “That’s the missing part! How did you manage to pierce through his armor?”
“His armor?” I questioned in confusion.
"Forged from the darkest of fallen stars and absorbing all holy light that touches it," the venerated knight in charge of me recited, his voice taking on a solemn tone, "It is the armor of ultimate despair."
Oh, right, that armor. Huh. Technically, the charged final blow went straight through his armor into his chest, where one would typically find a heart. The wound was described as gaping, with nothing behind it except sludge-like oil. But how had she managed to disable its ability to negate amity attacks? What trick did she pull?
This is the part you have to embellish. I’d go with something powerful but vague.
I set my jaw and gaze toward the horizon. “When one faces the true abyss… the righteous do not falter, but call upon the great powers of all those who support them in their courageous endeavors.” Is that vague enough? I wished there was a system where I could have bonuses to deception.
Glancing to my side, I saw that two of them were crying openly now, tears silently streaming down their faces. Even though they were my captors, powerful knights that were dutifully carrying out the orders of a jackass, I felt a twinge of guilt. My bound and throbbing wrist, however, opposed any permanent forgiveness.
“How long until we reach Chairo?” I asked after a long silence. “It’s imperative that I reunite with Relias as soon as possible.” I gave you the information you wanted; now reciprocate! Are you going to rendevous or clash with the Order of the Silver? What’s the next step in your action plan?
The half-dozen knights who had listened to my tale exchanged furtive glances before nodding to Volker.
“Holy Captain… we’re not headed for Chairo,” Volker said with a wince, having pulled the proverbial short stick.
The oldest knight bashed his fist into his chest plate, and I couldn’t help but notice it was already quite dented. “We are returning to Fort Turri, where we will begin negotiations with the Holy Capital. They need to remember that it was us who protected them for the last three thousand years!”
…Well, shit.
My thoughts exactly.
Euphridia
