Authors Note: I hope you Valduggery fans love this idea
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They were at war.
They were losing soldiers.
They were desparate for a change of luck.
Eachan Mertitorious stood before his generals at the base of their operations. Which was basically a thousand of smaller tents protecting the bigger one at the center. After yet another disappointing performance on the battle field today they were in dire need of a new strategy.
"If we send our strongest allies out front our enemy will dessimate each and every one of them. What if Lord Vile wipes them all out?" said one of the generals.
"It's our only shot old friend. I think we might have our opening... Speaking of Vile, has anyone seen him recently?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"If he isn't on the field for a couple more days we can send the Necromancers to lead in front instead of the dead men."
"You know the necromancers can be trusted as far as we can throw them these days." the other replied coldly
"Send out the dead men out front you know they won't fail us."
Meritorious's looked at the man as if he were the most daftest thing beside the war.
"Without Skulduggery, you mean?"
The others looked at him expectedly.
"Absaloutley not!" he barked
"...Look..." one of them said unsure of how to approach the subject. "Skulduggery disappeared five years ago, without a trace, we must consider the posibility that he might not... be ... with us. Shouldn't we atleast test the rest of them before sending them out to war? Make sure that they don't need him?"
Before their leader could even debate about it, someone barged into the tent, startling everyone in the process.
"Who dares enter?!"
When the intruder finally had eveyones full attention they all gasped at the remains of what was once a noble man. His breathing was ragged even though he had no pair of lungs. He was skin and bone under a now shredded navy blue suit, though no skin was visible. It was if time stood still for this being, it was impossible, it was..."
"Skulduggery Pleasant." Eachan grinned. "You look different."
"I should certainly hope not!" he said.
"Did you do something with your hair?"
Skulduggery sighs and told him in mock-hurt. "All gone. Life goes on I'm afraid" then he laughs
"His gone mad!" one of the generals exclaims.
Skulduggery goes quiet and whirls on the owner of the voice and his reply is rather cold. "One tends to catch nasty things when they've seen their wife and child murdered in front of their very eyes." He advances onto his adversary who now pales as he gets a full view what what seems to be a walking, talking skeleton. "And then you wake up a pile of bones in a bag washed up from the river. Why don't you try positioning every dislocated bone in your body so that you may has some small part of normalacy like walking!"
The tension in the room was so thick you could have sliced it with a sword. Everyone in the tents realxes once Skulduggery requests an audience with Eachan.
When the two gentleman are reluctantly left alone, Skulduggery finally breaks down and lets out all the fraustration and sorrow he had bottled up for nearly five years.
"I truly am sorry Skulduggery. I know what it's like to lose a wife, but I couldn't imagine the pain of losing a newborn daughter."
Skulduggery sighs and tries to compose himself the best he can. "I didn't come here for sympathy Eachan, I came here to win a war."
He sighs despite himself. "What are you thinking about Skulduggery? It's rather hard to know what a man like you has on his mind these days." he chuckles.
"I saw your daughter today Eachan. She helped pull me together, quite litterly in fact. I thought she would hate me once I chose to fight in the war without her."
"War is no place for a teenager Skulduggery." Eachan took a seat and buried his face in his hands. " What am i to do with her? She wasn't supposed to be out of the house let alone near the river."
"Treasure her Eachan. Respect her wishes. Lifes too short."
"And its even shorter when we're at war." he reminded
Skulduggery nodds his head gravely, though he's not comprehending his friends words.
"She's got Ancient blood in her Eachan, I think you can expect this much rebellion from a nineteeen year old." Skulduggery got up and headed for the door. "Give her my thanks when you see her again would you?"
All the old sod could do was nod. "I hope to see you on the other side my friend."
"Me too Eachan." and with, that he left.
Skuludggery wondered what his friends got up to for these past five years.