Lux in Tenebris Book III Embers of the Fallen
Chapter 1
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Under the heartless skies of the Everwinter, the ravaged land below once again was saturated with the blood of those who seek winters end. Though the torrent of ice and snow, rose a bluster of men and steel, as amies of united kingdoms of the land made their final stand against a common enemy. The blizzard brought about to aid the snow covered soldiers of darkness did little to belittle the spirits of their foe. Through the many lines of sudes spear wall pickets, the firstborn decedent of the DunBroch clan, raced with great speed with bow in her hand and a sword at her side.
As arrows made of ice struck around her, she jumped to the ground and slide across the snow on her layered lacquered armor that draped over her green dress. The eagle eyed archer turned to her attackers and knew she wouldn't give them a second chance. She reached to her side and drew an arrow from her quiver. This was no ordinary arrow, nor ordinary quiver, as the arrow left its housing, it struck its tip upon flint, sparking it into fire. Drawing her bow, she spied through the howling snow and found one of the archers who attacked her. After the release of her breath she let loose her arrow, and it struck true in the head of her enemy. The flame engulfed the soldier revealing he was nothing more than just the very thing that struck her face in the wind, snow.
Going back to her quiver she drew two arrows both struck aflame, and aimed quickly her bow held on its side at the next two archers. As the arrows released, she need not wait to see if she struck her targets, for her aim was perfect. She took this moment to rush back the way she came to one of the many craters that disfigured the land scape. She reached a young slender and fair-skinned girl. She had pink lips, blue eyes, and long straight blonde hair was poking out of the long black hooded cloak.
Going to her knees, after shouldering her bow, and pulling back her hood to revealed her fiery wirily red hair she said, "Come now lassie don't give up on me know."
Slowly the girl got to her feet, and allowed the other to place her arm under her and help her walk. After a few feet, the girl found the strength to stand on her own, and the two began to run until they reached an abandon trench. When they slid into it, the blonde haired girl covered her mouth and looked in horror as the trenched was littered with dozens of men and woman dead, their skin covered in frost, and their wounds numerous, and violent.
The Red headed girl drawing an arrow, and it sparked like the other's as it was pulled from the quiver, she turned in the direction she came and fired her arrow striking down a soldier of the Everwinter. Taking the hand the girl beside her, she began to run as fast as she could, when she began to see the touches and flames of the main battle line, she pulled out an arrow, and allowed it to burn as she waved it above her head.
When the two girls heard the familiar sounding roar echoing around them, they began to dart side to side. Both watched as dozens of boulders of ice fell down upon the earth. Crushing the wood spikes of the sudes, like twigs, and men bones like brittle coal. They knew not to be caught under one upon its landing. When a shadow began to be cast over top of them, the girls leaped forward as the boulder of ice narrowly crushed them as it landed inches from their feet.
Crouching behind the bolder, the green cloaked girl pulled, her blonde comrade behind the ice boulder and she pulled her under her body just as countless ice arrows began to impact all around them.
The blonde cried out, "Merida, just leave me! I am a failure; I can't stop this!"
The exiled Princess of the highlands, Merida, of the clan DunBroch grunted in annoyance from the blonde's complacency. She used to be such a head strong girl like herself, but since the sacking of York, and the betrayal of her lover she had grown ever so melancholy. Just as the volley of ice arrows ended, she looked up but threw herself and the blonde to the ground as hundreds of flame tipped arrows came flying from the opposite direction.
When the fury of deadly arrows stopped, Merida slowly rose her head, and felt uneasy as the air felt calm and smelled foul. Just when she thought they could raise to their feet, a shadow cast upon them from behind once more. This one rose slowly, and Merida face drained of color when she realized what the silhouette was.
Her reaction was to fight, and she immediately drew out and arrow and turned. Before her was the Reckoner of the Everwinter. Over forty meters in length, it had a long slender head with a long snout that came to a point. It had a dozens of six-inch razor sharp grayish tusks pultruding from its jaw, which countered the smooth white scales from the narrow nostrils to its glowing blue sunken eyes. Two long, white horns came out from the back of the head, and angled out slightly, but came to a smooth point. Just below the horns on either side of where the long slender neck met the head, were three long and thin bony protrusion connected by a thick slivery webbing made up the ears, as well as a flight surface. The bottom of the neck as well as parts of the back of the head behind the ears and down the upper neck was covered in long bluish white fur, that reached almost to the chest. The neck broadened out to the large muscular body.
One of the forearms rested upon the ice boulder, the two young women were using for cover, and its black claws crushed it with a simple squeeze. Upon its shoulders rose its awesome wings that opened up to reveal its nearly sixty-meter wingspan, of silver leather wing webbing blocking out the sun. Running down it's back the long silky fur followed along the spine. The hind legs were slightly larger than the forearms, to help support the massive frame. Its tale was nearly the same length as the head, neck and body combined, with fur following along its top till the tip of the tail with it fanned out like tail feathers along the caudal spade.
Merida had only scene this beast once before, and even now it's sight drained the hope in her heart. Its name brought terror upon the hearts of men, Mighty Dragon of the Everwinter, Mordred the Omnipotent. As the dragon bared is dozens of blood stained spiked teeth, Merida was more fearful of who rode upon the back of such a tremendous beast. She had gone by many name since her sudden and terrible appearance a little over a year ago, after the first of many catastrophic convergences known as the Tempests.
Upon Mordred's back she sat the master of all of Merida's sorrow and misery, the Blue Skinned Harpy of the North, the Artic Terror, the Master of Suffering, Empress of the Everwinter, the Snow Queen, Elsa. She was a young and beautiful woman, no more than four years older than the eighteen-year-old Merida. She had fair bluish skin, short dark blue hair with blackened roots that flowed upwards, and pale blue eyes filled with sinister intent. She wore a white fur cloak, and a shimmering blue dress. Held within her hands a translucent ice staff. Floating around her head and shoulders like a halo were dozens of different lengths and shape shards of ice.
When Merida, and the Snow Queen's eyes met there was a moment as if time stood still, before the Celt released her flaming arrow towards the cold, heartless eyes of the Snow Queen. It was a futile attack as the arrow simply frozen solid, the flame snuffed out and it fell to the ground. Pulling her comrade behind her, Merida wasn't ready to die, but refused to show the Snow Queen any satisfaction of seeing fear.
Mordred's head reared back and shot forward towards the two, and just before it's jaws could being about the most horrible of deaths, a flash of steel came across the mighty dragon's face. The gash was deep, and Mordred pulled back onto his hind legs clenching his face as blood poured out from where is left eye once was. Merida stared in awe at the slender knight in full plate mail who stood before her with a sword and shield in hand. Before Mordred could recover, hundreds of flaming arrows began to strike upon it's scales. Though all simply bounced off harmlessly, it forced the terrible beast to push upwards with its mighty wings in protection of his rider. Rushing from the fog of war into the empty war-torn field of snow and ice, came twenty of knights armed with swords and bows.
Getting to her feet, Merida pulled the cloaked blond hair girl and watched as the knight who saved them turned and opened his helmet's faceplate. She nearly leapt for joy at the sight of the shaggy red hair, and blue eyes of the man she saw. Nearly running to be in his arms, but when Merida saw him look back to the blonde, she slowed just before hugging him. She looked back to the girl with guilt. She stared back at Merida and the knight and felt a chaotic mix of betrayal, sympathy, hate, and love.
Simply taking the Knight's hand, Merida and he began to run forward, and as they passed the blonde, Merida took her hand and with the twenty knights protecting them finally reached the main trench lines of the allied front. Once in the trench, Merida felt for the first time in days, a sense of safety.
When all the knights returned to the safety of the trenches, bowmen that lined the trench began to fire flaming arrows towards the location of where the mighty dragon Mordred once was. Pulling Merida with him, the Knight looked agitated as he spoke, "What the hell were you thinking going out there alone?"
Slapping the knight in the back of the head, Merida glared as she yelled, "Shut yer geggy, I caused enough of the poor lass's suffering, I wasn't going to let her die because of me."
Reaching a rear trench lines, Merida paused at the sight of her father, King Fergus, who stood as the leader of the exiled clans of the north. She rushed to him, but had to duck when she heard the sound of ice boulders landing nearby. When she finally got to her father, they shared a warm and comforting embrace as they crouched.
Running his hands through her hair, Fergus tried not to cry, "I thought ye be dead, child. I couldn't stand losing ya."
With her head resting upon her father's chest, Merida replied, "I could'nt stand see that girl die because of what I have done."
Pulling back from her father, Merida feeling of security began to vanish as he stared at her with sorrow and love. "Chester, Beeston, and Nottingham have fallen since you left."
Slowly standing with her father's help, Merida looked about to see that the army wasn't retreating, but preparing for a final stand. "Da, why aren't we falling back? The Everwinter will attack in mass any day now!"
"They have been, the night after you left." The Knight who saved Merida said as he stood with his helmet off to reveal his fair skin that had blotches of soot where his helmet's face shield did not cover.
Stepping forward, the Blonde hair girl pulled back her hood and pulled out her hair to allow her flowing locks drape over her cape all the way to her buttocks. Coming up to her and wrapping his arms around her a man with a scared face and weathered skin. He wore battle worn plate mail and had a cracked and bent crown upon his head. "Thank God."
With great disappear she whispered, "Father… You were waiting for us. If I didn't…"
Rubbing the back of her head, he tried to calm her. "No, it is okay. You are safe now, and we will make sure you remain safe."
Fergus, placed a hand on the man's shoulder and said, "Geraint, we don't have much time."
Nodding his head, he looked over to the Knight with distain. "If I had a choice, you would not be doing this."
"Da?" Merida watched as he began walking her away from the front lines, and towards her trusty Scottish Clydesdale Angus, who had a soldier DunBroch loading saddle bags. "What is going on?"
Pausing, Fergus knelt down so he could be more at eye level with his daughter at took his daughters hand. "Yer story isn't over yet, lassie. Yer strong as yer brave, and I know yer find a way to free yer mother and yer brothers from that Ice Witch, and help rise the clans of the highlands again."
Yanking her hand free, Merida looked about as more troops were moving to the frontline. "My place is here Da, with my clan! My mistakes have cost enough lives, I don't care what that drabby bampot wizard thinks!"
Fergus rubbed his head, knowing his daughter wouldn't take what he was about to say without a fight. "Keep the heid, Merida. This is not a debate; I am not going to let ya die here. Ya need to take the Princess, and find the Amulet of Avalor, if we are to ever find a way to end this blight upon the world."
Looking over to the young blond girl, Merida leaned into her father and whispered, "She hates me, and I am not even sure she is an enchantress, like everyone claims. I haven't seen that taffy cast a single spell other than that floaty ball."
"Ya goin." Fergus said in a commanding voice.
Stepping back, Merida shook her head and pointed to the frontline. "I should be at yer side, Fighting to the dea…"
Merida collapsed into her father's arm unconscious from the blow to the back of the head by the Knight's gauntlet. Giving a sigh, Fergus, held his daughter gently and walked her over to Angus. First to mount Angus was the Knight who helped Fergus place his daughters in front of him.
Staring at the Knight, Fergus narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what my daughter sees in a woolyback like ya, but I know she likes ya, maybe even loves ya. Ya better swear to me, ya will protect her even if it means ya death."
"On my honor." The Knight replied.
Glancing over to the Blonde hair princess who was mounting a chestnut Welsh Cob. Fergus spat and drew his sword out and pointed at the Knight. "Ya honor means shite Sir Taran of the Caer Dallben, ya broke the heart of one princess, but unlike her father, if ya break the heart of my princess, I will gut ya like a pig and pull out yer entrails, wrap them around yer tiny neck and gleefully watch as I choke the life out of yer tiny worthless body!"
Taran gave a fearful nod, believing ever word coming from the Scottish King, who was four times his size. He looked over to the Young Princess a woman he has known for five years. A woman, who at the tender age of thirteen thought he was in love with. He could not even remember the moment his love for this fair and beautiful girl even began to fade. Yet he knew it was outshined by the woman who he had just rendered unconscious.
Taking the reins of a third unmounted horse, Taran built up the courage to speak the name of the girl he once loved for the first time, since she had discovered his betrayal, "Princess Eilonwy, are you ready."
Releasing her hand from her father for what she knew would be her final time, she turned and faced Taran but didn't look him in the eyes when she responded, "Do I have a choice?"
Looking away, he slapped the reins of Angus, and he charged forward, with his third horse following in stride. Moments after he moved, Eilonwy whispered to her father, "I love you." Before she rode off behind Taran, and Merida.
Watching their children ride away, Fergus and Geraint exchanged glances, before they made their way to the frontlines. Once there, they came up alongside the leader of the united armies of Prydain. He had changed a great deal since his days as a squire to his step brother Kay. Resting his hand upon the hilt of his sword, the King of all of Mercia looked to the last surviving kings of Prydain. The rest were either dead, turned into ice trophies to the Snow Queen, or had fled. "Are your children safe?"
Staring off into the misty no-mans-land of the battlefield, Fergus frowned, "Not willingly Arthur."
Patting the peg legged king on his back, Arthur chuckled, "That daughter of yours is a feisty one, but brave, and true of heart."
As Fergus sheepishly smiled at the complement, King Geraint crossed his arms. "Other than the fact, that wildling Celt daughter of yours stole the true love of my daughter the last descendent of the House of Llyr, she is okay."
"Don't ya have some sheep to herd your tiny man," Fergus replied?
Looking to his fellow Kings, Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Save it for the Snow Queen and the Everwinter army. Princess Eilonwy, is a fine and beautiful maiden, just like her mother Queen Angharad. There will be plenty of time for her to find her one true love."
"Like you did Arthur?" Geraint smirked as he looked to the leader of the Normans.
Fergus, let out a long fading whistle, "Way to hit a man below the belt Geraint."
Clearing his throat, Arthur drew out his sword as the offensive was about to begin. He looked down to Geraint and countered. "Bloody Bard."
"Substitute Squire," Geraint countered.
Clearing his throat, the much larger King Fergus stared down at the two men. He first looked at Geraint, "Ya sorry tosser. Ya only became King because yer wife was bewitched by your poetry." Turning to Arthur he added, "Ya just a mangy squire who accidently pulled some mystical sword from a rock, witch impressed a bunch of knights to make you king. And where is that sword? Ya lost it in a lake! I am the only true king. Coming from thirteen generations of my clan's history, so show some respect."
The Welsh and Norman king of the land of Prydain look to Fergus and said in unison, "You're wearing a skirt."
"It's called a kilt!" After all, three men stared at each other as if they were about to fight, they burst into laughter. Their cheer raised the moral to them soldiers around them. After a couple pounds on his chest and a long breath of the brisk winter air, Fergus said, "The grand wizard merlin is dead, our children are our only hope to ending this witches reign of terror, and stopping the Tempests from destroying the world. I am surrounded by people I've gone to war with more than broken bread with. Yet, if I am to die here in…" Looking about Fergus glanced to Arthur, "What did ya say the name of this place was again, Arthur?"
Looking about the war torn lands, Arthur replied, "Camlann.
"If I am going to die here in Camlann, it is my honor to do so beside men of honor such as yer selves."
A soldier walked by the Kings with a troth, and each man dipped their swords blade into the liquid and the man moved on as he went down the line of swordsmen. Arthur, stared down to the sword and frowned, for it wasn't the blade that he pulled from the stone nearly twenty years ago. He looked behind him to his signal corps and nodded. Horns sounded and men began to place ladders up to the trench walls.
Drums began to bang, and in the first line of troops the spear and pikemen set the blades of their weapons aflame. Behind the Trenches, archers rose flaming arrows up and ready to let loose. Fergus eyes narrowed as he saw through the mist the mindless horde of the Everwinter Army baring down on them. Arthur raised his sword and sung downward giving the orders for the archer's release. All watched as thousands of arrows were shot into the air, and began to rain down upon the army of snow soldiers.
The final horn sounded, and the united armies, poured out of the trenches, storming towards destiny. A final desperate act to not defeat the Everwinter, but to give those who could a chance. It was beyond saving their own lands; it was to save the world from a frozen hell. Following their men into battle, the three kings of the alliance charged forward, and as they came out of the trenches struck their swords upon the stones that lined it, igniting their swords into fiery weapons of death against any creature of snow. All three entered battle knowing it would be there last.
With flaming arrows flying overhead, and Ice arrows landing around them, the two sides clashed in climatic fashion. The flame weapons of the united armies were merciless against the humanoid figures made of snow and ice. None heeded in their fury to kill each other as the ground began to quake. The sky began to fade to darkness, which turned the flaming weapons glow into an awesome spectacle of dancing flames.
"It's a Tempest!" Geraint shouted as he struck down a snow soldier.
Beating down a snow giant with his sword, Fergus looked about to see even the Everwinter soldiers were confused about what was happening. Just as he was about to reply to Geraint he watched as he vanished into the mouth of Mordred as he swooped down from above.
"Geraint!" Fergus shouted as he threw his sword towards the beast.
Weaponless he picked up a fallen soldiers flaming spear, he struck down any snow soldier that came close to him as he followed the dragon as it flew across the battlefield killing entire squads of men with its breath of fire. Just as he lined up his shot with his spear a figured landed in front of him.
He came to a stop as standing before him was the blue harpy herself. Pointing the spear at her, Fergus snarled, "So Queen Elsa, ya icy little devil, we meet again?"
"What has it been, eight, no nine months," the Snow Queen replied with a diabolical smirk. "I do so enjoy the ice statues of your dear wife and sons. They are still my favorite, I was hoping simply collecting the final two pieces, so I can show all my friends the complete set."
Before Fergus could respond, the icy skinned Elsa rose her hand and blasted ten charging knights with her powers turning them to ice and shattering them into pieces across the blood stained snow. Stepping back, Fergus knew his options were limited. "Do you think ya scare me witch? Even this tempest ya summoned will not stop me from killing ya."
Peering upwards, Elsa began to laugh as she walked closer to Fergus. "Oh my savage little Celt, I am not the one who causes the tempests, I am simply a result of them."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fergus saw Arthur charging towards them, and he knew this was their best and only chance. He lunged forward with his spear, and just before it struck Elsa froze it and the strength of Fergus's grip had it shatter like glass, yet he still charged forward and tackled the smaller woman. She began to freeze Fergus's hand turning it into ice as they struggled, Arthur charged at her with his sword out stretched to impale her.
As soon as the sword struck Elsa buckled over it, and the force of the blow shattered Fergus's frozen hands and he fell to the ground. Both kings watched as the Frozen Terror fell to the snow lifeless. Yet before he could believe the sacrifice of his hand was worth it, he watched as the flames from the sword began to melt the body of Elsa, and he realized that it was just snow, like her endless soldiers.
When he stood to warn Arthur, he witnessed in anguish as the thick talons of Mordred hind legs ripped through the man who pulled the sword from the stone. The dragon roared as it threw the legendary king into air, and Fergus watched as the great king of the Normans struck against the ground suffering a mortal blow. Mordred landed overtop of Arthur who fearlessly stared at the beast who had just killed him.
Distracted by the fall of the great King Arthur, King Fergus didn't realize he was in danger until he felt the cold sting of ice enter his body. Looking down he stared at the blade of an ice sword. Stumbling forward, he fell to his knees and reached for the sword Arthur used to strike down the snow made doppelganger of Elsa. Feeling the presence of the Snow Queen behind him, he lashed out quickly and watched as the blade cut across her hand that she had raised to attack him with her powers.
Drawing her wounded hand back hissing in pain, Elsa screamed in rage and before Fergus's could get back onto his feet she flung out her good hand turning him to ice. Her hand had a deep burning gash across the palm that went down to the bone. Elsa seared in furry as held up her good hand to Fergus and obliterated his frozen body in a fit of uncontrolled wrath.
"Nooo!" Staring down to the battlefield from the tree line of a hillside, Merida watched in anguish as her father died before the hands of the Snow Queen. She thrashed and kicked struggling to break free from Taran's arms. He could barely control her as she had already made him run twenty yards just to catch her after she awoke from being struck in the head. Since holding her back she has dragged him an additional ten yards.
"Merida stop it!"
Head butting Taran, Merida nearly got free from that, but was her emotions were so overwhelmed she simply continued to lash her arms and legs out trying to get free. "I am going to kill her! Let me go or I will kill ya too!"
Wrenching her back and forth, and regaining his grip, Taran watched as tears began to pour out of Merida's eyes. "She is to powerful, our only hope is to find the Amulet of Avalor! I will not let you go down there just to die!"
After a kick to Taran's groin, he finally dropped her, but Merida's emotions were so overwhelming she simply fell to her knees and cried uncontrollably. Falling on the snow next to her, Taran rolled about in agony. Merida finally rose her head and stared down into the battlefield. With a trembling hand she reached for her sword and began to draw it out before she was struck in the back of the head knocking her to the ground unconscious.
Standing behind her, Princess Eilonwy, held a frying pan in her hands. She gave a heavy sigh, feeling great relief, for she has been wanting to hit Merida with something for a long time now. "That is enough out of you. Bloody Gingers."
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Trampling through the peaceful forest of Bidart just south of the port city of Bayonne, a man of the finest pedigree stumbled about during a clear and cool night. He had his trusty blunderbuss in one hand, and a massive stein of fine ale in the other. He didn't even remember why he decided to go hunting in the middle of the night, but after the twentieth round at the pub, it seemed like a good idea at the time. At his side was his faithful lackey and extra stein holder.
The Hunter, with broad shoulders, a neck larger than most men's thighs had jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail, even as a slobbering drunk he was better looking than any man alive if you asked him. Even if you didn't ask he would tell you. He always enjoyed his annual trips away from his relatively quiet, peaceful secluded farming village of Larressore. This had an added purpose of finding his true heart's desire. However, once again the girl, the only beauty worthy of his heart could not be found.
Holding up his stein he continued with the song he was just chanting not realizing he was repeating it for the tenth time, with each line he performed the action the song he was singing called for.
"Brother LaFou raise your glass.
And above all,
don't spill anything,
and put it from your forehead,
to your nose,
to your chin,
to your belly,
to your crouch,
to your mouth, and gulp,
and gulp and gulp!
With his hands so full, the not very handsome, short and pudgy LaFou simply grabbed one of the steins by his mouth and drunkenly gulped down as much as he could, spilling most of it on his face and chest. Reaching a clearing from the forest, the Hunter stood stoically overlooking a large hillside that reached down to the sanding beaches of the ocean. Taking in a hardy deep breath, he finished off what was left of his ale, and grabbed another stein from his LaFou.
"Look at it LaFou, breath in that clean ocean air!"
Peering out to the water, LaFou could feel his skin crawl, he didn't know how to swim, and the idea of even getting near the ocean scared LaFou. "It is something Gaston. Maybe someday you can take Belle on the ocean."
Slapping the foolish flunky in the back of the head, Gaston boiled in anger of a reminder of the girl who had been avoiding him for months now. "I think her crazy father is hiding me from her. That fool knows his daughter will fall in love with me. Do you believe he allows that girl to help him with building things!"
"It inconceivable!" LaFou deemed as he looked up to his idol.
When a faint sound of thunder was heard, Gaston's keen hunter's ears had him look skyward to see not a cloud in the sky. When a second thunder clap was heard he raised his blunderbuss and looked back to the forest.
"What is…" Before LaFou could finish, Gaston punched him in the mouth to shut him up.
They first felt it in the pit of their stomachs, an uneasy gut churning vibration, that so resonated throughout their entire bodies into what at first felt like a wonderful motion and trembling of the earth. Never has Gaston or LaFou ever experienced an earthquake only knew of them as legend and stories from the far south. Just when they thought the event was just a harmless event the ground felt like it dropped and everything that wasn't rooted to the earth fell to the ground causing an intense, tumultuous, and deafening boom.
Falling onto his back, Gaston stared in absolute astonishment as he witnessed the night sky be split open in a jagged line of brilliant fiery green light. At that moment, Gaston was sure, that the world was coming to the end, as the stars all at once appeared to be fluttering down from the heaves with streaks of fire trailing them. As the ground stop shaking, Gaston strength alone couldn't will him to run, he simply covered his eyes with his arms as it felt like all the air was being sucked out of his lungs.
Than it ended as suddenly as it came, silence returned to the hilltop overlooking the ocean below. Opening his eyes, Gaston slowly uncurled from the fetal position, and stared upwards to see that the stars were resting peacefully in the night sky twinkling brightly, but his trained eyes knew they weren't right. Sure he could find the North Star, and all the constellations he used for navigation while hunting, but they were not where they should be. Coming to his feet, he slowly survived the forest to find that many trees fell during the chaos, yet what disturbed him the most was he couldn't hear a single bird, incest or rustling of the leaves in the wind.
Finally, he looked towards the ocean, and that's when he saw the impossible. Beached upon the sandy shore, a sailing ship of immense size, broken in two. It was next to a second ship, a smaller Dutch style Fluyt. Something Gaston was used to seeing in the Bayonne harbor. Rubbing his eyes unable to believe what just materialized before him, Gaston looked to LaFou who stared gobsmacked at the ships.
When the crackle of musket fire was heard, Gaston narrowed his eyes and focused to see, men in uniforms upon the small ships firing their weapons against shadowy creatures emerging from the much larger one. When the obvious battle ensued, Gaston quickly leapt into action, drunk, with blunderbuss at the ready and a satchel loaded with shots, and powder. Not far behind him his trusty LaFou still trying to finish off whatever was left in any of the steins he dropped following the earthquake.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, both stared at the unimaginable sight, pouring from the large four mast ship were dozens of green, purple, and gray skinned creatures that stood no more than four feet tall. They had long pointy ears and wart covered disfigured faces. They were armed with short swords and spears, charging towards the small ship. Upon the Fluyt, they witnessed men along her deck, forming firing lines unleashing hell down upon the devilish goblins.
The totally surreal scene was far too much for the inebriated LaFou who dropped like a rock as he fainted on to the white sand beach. It was clear which side, Gaston would take, the men over the ugly and disfigured. As he rushed towards the Fluyt he aimed his weapon at a charging goblin and fired, shooting him in the back. The repeated volley of musket fire from the Fluyt hid his shot, and as he reached the bow of the Fluyt haul hull he had reloaded and opened fire on another goblin.
The horde of goblins was too much and before Gaston could reload or climb to the deck of the ship for safety he was forced to parry a spear strike with his blunderbuss. The blow was so weak and pathetic, to the hunter who was roughly the size of a barge it caused him to bellow a laugh. He took the spear into his hand pulled it along with the goblin into the air and with a swing of the arm, the impish demon was thrown from the spear landing in the shallow waters of the shore.
With ease he scoured a second goblin and then threw the spear with the goblin impaled upon its shaft into a third. The sight of such easy slaying of their fellow fiends gave the goblins hesitation to approach the giant of a man before them. This gave Gaston time to reach the accommodation ladder built into the hull, and board the ship.
Once on deck, Gaston stared down an entire squad of uniformed men armed with muskets pointing at his directions. He placed his hands on his hips and stoically posed as he said, "I am here to help!"
Calling out from behind the men was a slender, fair skin woman, with scarlet lips, long deep coral red hair, with aqua blue eyes. "Hold ild!" The scarlet was wearing what was once a very expensive fine blue dress with gold and white lace and pink embroidering. She held her hand up and stared at Gaston questionably, "Du taler fransk?"
Before Gaston was a beautiful woman speaking in a foreign keen hunting senses picked up on the breath of would be attackers approaching from below him. He held up his finger to signal the woman to give him a moment. He finished reloading his blunderbuss and turned just as a blue skinned goblin was coming up the ladder. He placed the barrel of the weapon on its head and fired. The headless body of the little devil fell down off the ladder knocking all of his comrades that were on it behind him. Gaston looked to the railing of the ships deck to see goblins were climbing over the side. He grabbed one's spear and then punched its holder in the head so hard, the goblin flew twenty feet off the side of the ship. With the spear, he quickly makes quick work of five more goblins. He finished by throwing the spear across the railing of the ship impaling four more goblins before it struck the wall side of the quarter deck.
Turning back to the now astonished soldiers and the flabbergasted woman, Gaston returned to his stoic pose with his hands on his hips. After clearing her throat, the woman spoke in Gaston's native tongue, "Welcome aboard!"
With the fiendish enemy taken off the side of the ship, the soldiers charged forward in two lines and with their muskets each line took turns shooting down into the horde. Reloading his blunderbuss, Gaston couldn't help but leer at the beauty before him who assisted the soldiers in reloading muskets. "The names, Gaston. You wouldn't have any idea on why a beautiful woman such as yourself was lucky enough to be saved by me would you?"
When one of her soldiers was struck down by an arrow, the women quickly picked up his musket and fired down at the goblins. "Nice to meet you, I am Ariel. I was hoping you knew."
Still staring at the woman, Gaston leveled his weapon and without looking fired taking off a goblins head. "Should I?"
As Ariel was reloading her musket, she replied, "We were at sea, fleeing from minions of Morgana, when we suddenly appeared here."
With the hordes of goblins thinning, Gaston looked about the soldiers knowing they were not mercenaries or sailors, but quality marines. "You must be pretty important to be protected by your kingdom's marines."
"It's complicated." Ariel replied. Just as she rose her musket to fire she heard one of the ship's crew cry out from the mast, and she looked to see a massive tentacles jetting out from the sea and smashing holes throughout the hull and the aft of the ship. She turned and fired her musket at the deadly purple tentacl. With her shot expended, she dropped the musket and ran towards the captain's room.
Gaston, finding the next impossible thing more thrilling than the next, fired his weapon at the tentacles. After he fired, he retrieved a sword from a dead marine, and used it to defend himself from the slimy tentacles that appeared to be covered in suction cups that had teeth ringed within. Just as he reached Ariel, he hacked a chuck of a tentacle to defend her.
Just as a tentacle crashed through the Capitan's room door, a girl no more than twelve came falling out of it rolling to the ground. She had long thick black hair and brown eyes and before she could get to her feet was scooped up into Ariel's arms. "Melody!"
Pulling the little girl behind her, Ariel looked to Gaston as he hacked away at lashing tentacles. Ariel could do little as she watched her ship aft get torn apart as the tentacles dragged the ship out to sea. All she could do was lay over the young Melody when the main mast fell. Yet thanks to Gaston the tentacles never once touch Ariel or Melody. As quickly as they came, the tentacles retreated, and looking about only half of the Marines and a quarter of the ship's crew remained standing.
Gaston took the lull to reload his blunderbuss and look about unsure of what fantastical thing would happen next. He was not disappointed as a flash of green fire erupted on what remained of the quarter deck, and after jetting high into the air, the frames vanished to reveal a slim greyish skinned woman with dark purple hair. She wore deep purple robes with black trim. Her green and golden trim eyes stared down at those below her with pure malleolus. Rushing to stand between Ariel and the witch were the Marines who all rose their rifles to the new threat.
Ariel stared up at the woman with confusion as she did not know who she was. Staring at the weapons, a devilish grin grew on her face as she flicked her wrist. Gaston could smell it, even though the deck stunk of recently fired muskets. Something was burning, not just gunpowder but leather. Suddenly one by one the marines defending the Ariel powder flasks began to explode along with the muskets in their hands. Gaston quickly threw off his satchel and blunderbuss over the ships side, then leapt over top of the woman and the child as the final line of men vanished in the destruction of their own weapons.
When the screams and explosions ended, Gaston looked down to the foreign woman and asked, "You okay." Ariel simply nodded, and he turned to see the evil witch was laughing hysterically. He looked about quickly, and when Gaston found a large splinter of wood sticking out from the ships mast. He ripped it free from what remained of the mast and threw it at the magic user like a javelin. Before it struck it froze in midair and simply hovered there a few feet from its target.
When he heard the screams of the little girl, Gaston turned to see a tentacle had wrapped around the child's leg and she was dragged swiftly out of the arms of Ariel and off the deck of the ship into the water. "I will save…"
Before Gaston could even announce his coming act of heroism, he was pushed to the side by Ariel who was kicking off her shoes and running to the ship diving into the water. "Saving people is no job for a woman." Gaston muttered annoyed a bit by Ariel outshining him.
Just as he turned to confront the witch she vanished in a burst of flames. Confused on what to do for a moment, he realized that Ariel would probably need rescuing from the water, because she is just a girl after all, and they can't swim. So after kicking off his boots, he ran and dived into the water.
The moon lit sky did little for the brute Gaston as he blindly searched the sea bed for any signs of bodies. Coming up for air, he looked back to the shore, knowing if he gave up he can simply create the epic but tragic story of how he failed to save the redheaded beauty. Just as he made up his mind to swim back to shore, his leg became ensnared by a tentacle covered in stinging suction cups. Wincing in pain, Gaston was only given a split second to take his final breath before he was ripped under water.
All he had left to defend himself with was his skinning knife. Pulling it out, he tried to cut at the tentacle but struggled against the force of resistance of trying to reach his entangled leg traveling so fast under water. All he could do was nick at the tentacle, as he was dragged deeper and deeper underwater and further and further from shore. His lungs began to burn, he barely had a full breath, and wasting energy trying to reach his leg was making him feel light headed. With the surface only becoming a distant memory the fear of the black depths of the ocean would be his final resting place began to set in.
When he snapped to a stop his whole body stretched out, looking up in the dimly lit waters he stared in wonder to see that Ariel not only had him by the arm, but with tremendous strength she was preventing the unseen monster from pulling him deeper. She pulled him to a rocky shelf edge, where he was able to grab onto a jetting rock. Taking the knife from his hands, she easily cut him free from the tentacle. It was than he realized in sheer terror that Ariel was not even human.
Her legs were gone, and in their place was a shimmering sea-green horizontal fish-like tail, with long silky pale green translucent fins. With his gasp of shock, Gaston just lost his last desperate particle of air. He covered his mouth as the void began to fill with all that was left, sea water. The feeling of drowning was painful, terrifying and slow, but the freakish siren who was partly to blame for him dying was a bigger threat. He was going to spend the last seconds of his life trying to free himself form this monsters grip.
This was a first for Ariel. Sure, 'the I am a mermaid,' shock on humans was always different, and fear wasn't uncommon, but when someone was drowning, trying to drown faster wasn't the normal response she got when she tried to rescue them. Her Atlantean strength easily overpowered the fear stricken Frenchman and she pinched his nose and placed her mouth over his giving him the life sustaining gift of air.
With lips upon his own, Gaston froze. He stared into the woman's eyes as his lungs were filled with the warm precious gift. When she pulled away Gaston stared at her as she used his knife to cut away her dress, and she swam with lightning speed as she slashed at an approaching tentacle. She than dodged quickly as a glowing green ball of energy whipped past her.
Appearing from a burst of green flame was the gray witch from the ship with a curved sword. Gaston remained silent as he observed of one fantastic battles he could never imagine. The scarlet siren held her own against the magic and sword wielding witch with just a skinning knife. After what looked like a dozen parries and dodges, the siren finally delivered a stabbing blow to the witches' shoulder.
"Give me, my daughter back Morgana!"
The woman smiled and released the grip of her sword and allowed it to sink, "I promised you I would take way everything you have ever loved princess. I have taken your father, your husband, your kingdom, and now your daughter. You are homeless at land and sea, and alone. What more must I take until you give up what is rightfully mine."
Pushing the knife deeper into the Morgana's shoulder, "I will kill you!"
Gently, Morgana placed her hand upon Ariel's that gripped the knife tightly. "Than do it! I have lived over a hundred life times, and I do not fear death." She watched as the rage and anger boil within Ariel's face, but saw panic and fear within her eyes. "But you won't, because you can't. After all the pain I've caused you, all the blood I shed, you still are to pure to take a life." Ariel shook her head in such pain, wishing the powerful enchantress was wrong. Even with the ability to kill the woman who has harassed and tortured her since she was a child, her heart simply wouldn't allow it. "You are the Arulam Dei, you are incapable of taking a life."
Releasing her grip on the knife, Ariel drew back in tears, "What you ask for. This is not something I can just give!"
Pulling the knife from her shoulder, Morgana watched as her wound healed. "You are a clever girl; I am sure you could figure it out."
Staring down the woman with hate, Ariel eyes narrowed. "I know who you are." The woman looked surprised, at Ariel. "All those years torturing me and my sisters, your magical escape from my father's prison, then your sudden rise to power in this human form. You are not merfolk, you never were."
"Like I said a clever girl." Marina peered down to Gaston who was slowly losing consciousness. "Your friend is dying again."
"This is not over." Ariel said as she swam backwards to Gaston.
"You know what I want Princess." The Dark Enchantress jeered as she disappeared in green flames.
With Morgan gone, Ariel stared into the dark void of the ocean her heart ripped apart at the loss of her daughter. Yet there was one life she could save at that point, swimming to him, Ariel easily lifted Gaston and shot upwards to the surface. Upon their breach Gaston had lost consciousness, and Ariel looked to the lug of a man and was reminded of his horrible reaction to her mermaid form and knew there would be trouble. She looked towards her half sunken ship near the shore knowing she needed to take measures.
It took longer than expected, but finally with the last bit of strength she could muster. Ariel wearing a tattered gray dress, pulled Gaston out from the crashing waves before she fell to the ground exhausted. Already missing the many perks of being merfolk. Kneeling before him, she leaned over and whispered a sweet and soft melody into his ear.
'The nighttime fills the sky,
Your memories go falling by,
Bring thy beneath in calming air,
So warm and soft at myside,
My sight brings your world in harmony,
Your memories of me bring humility
Until I set your memories free like water in a stream,
You will forget forever more."
Pulling away, Ariel stared down to the man knowing she crossed a line she could never comeback from. She used the power of her song voice to cast a spell upon a human. An act that had been banned by her people for nearly two thousand years. As she brushed the man's hair out of his face to lean down to make sure he was breathing okay. Without warning she was knocked to her feet by the small pudgy Lufau who rushed to his friend's side in a panic.
"Is he alive? What happened," Lafau yelled as he shook Gaston violently?
Pulling herself out of the sand, and brushing her hair out of her face, Ariel gave a small sigh and said, "He is fine. He saved my life."
When Lafau bent down to see if he could hear a heartbeat Gaston reflectively punched him in the face knocking him back about five feet. When he slowly opened his eyes at the sight of Ariel he felt a sudden feeling of disgust and hatred, which was unnaturally over powered by an absolute and uncontrollable feeling of peace. It felt atypical, yet welcoming at the same time.
Rubbing his head, Gaston looked about the shore unsure how he got there. "What happened?"
Playing with the edge of her hair, Ariel was never a very good liar, so didn't want to even try to make one that was overly complex. "You rescued me from the dark enchantress."
"I did," Gaston questioned? After a moment of thought he slowly stood up and smiled down to the young woman. "I did. Well of course I did!" He looked to see Lafau had recovered and was cheering his praise for rescuing the fair woman. "What about the little one?"
"You mean my daughter," Ariel whispered, crestfallen. "Sadly she was taken away before I…" Biting her lip Ariel corrected herself, "before you could rescue her."
Seeing Ariel fight off tears, Gaston placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Ariel, Gaston is here, and I will hunt down that vicious sea monster and the dark enchantress that took your daughter!"
"You are the best Gaston!" Lafau crowed.
"I know." With his hands on his hips, Gaston looked out to sea and realized he had no idea who he was looking for. "So who was that witch?"
Ringing out her hair, Ariel gave a heavy sigh. "She goes by many names. I've always known her as an evil crooked governess named Marina Del Rey. More recently I learned the name her teacher got her, Morgan Le Fay. However her true name is the daughter of darkness herself… Morgana."
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