This is the last chapter before... *drum roll* the battle.
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people. - Confucius
The dragon was so pleased to be back with Tony, that he wouldn't stop chattering. He huffed and puffed and roared as he spoke excitedly about facing the demon. Tony laughingly asked him to keep quiet for some time as they needed to focus.
Pepper had told Happy to meet them in the dungeons in an hour. An hour had definitely passed, so she and Tony were once again, back in the passageway.
They had been walking through the narrow pathway for 10 minutes, when a niggling doubt began to form in Tony's mind. He stopped abruptly and Pepper bumped straight into him. They had decided he should lead the way as his arc was the only light source. She gasped but steadied herself by catching his arms and remained flush against him for a moment, still stunned by the impact.
Tony mentally girded himself because his body was enjoying the feel of soft, warm Pepper pressed against his back. He could feel every lush contour and curve against him, her warm breath on the back of his neck and the gentle touch of her fingers on his arms. He inhaled deeply, the scent of lilies filling his nostrils.
Hmmmmm, now who's not focused? whispered the dragon mockingly.
Tony snapped out of his sensual stupor. He moved away from her, turned and said out loud. "One for the demon lord, one for the witch, but what about the jewel?"
He could dimly see Pepper trying to look at him in the dark.
He explained, "Pep, we have blades to fight Morganna and the demon but we need something magical or otherwordly to pierce the jewel. To destroy it. It is the source of Morganna's power and holds some part of the demon..."
Pepper completed, "So if we don't destroy it, we can't defeat them."
He nodded. "The demon can be sent back to wherever it came from but Morganna would still be strong. We need to weaken her to finish her and only breaking the jewel will do so. Now, what can break a powerful dark magic object?"
The dragon whispered, Something that has the power of goodness and light. The opposite of evil. Fight the darkness with light. There is such an object in this castle. I can sense it but I do not know what its physical form is.
Tony tapped his arc thoughtfully and said "Let's go to the throne room. There may be something there."
He looked at the map and then turned rapidly, herding Pepper in the opposite direction.
"This way, Pep!"
Pepper wondered if Tony was indeed alright after his reunion with the flame. They were sneaking around in the throne room where Tony was seemingly having an animated discussion with himself.
"It is a weapon, yes?"
"Well... if it isn't a weapon, how would we use it to break the jewel?"
"What do you mean, it isn't a conventional weapon, it is an object, could you be more vague?"
He ended with an exasperated "aaaaarrrrrgh" and then suddenly realized Pepper was staring at him curiously.
"Who are you talking to, Tony?"
Tony looked flustered and replied "No one, just talking out loud."
Pepper understood his worry. I understand now. He's talking to the living spirit inside of him. But he doesn't want me to think he's crazy. He doesn't know I know his secret from Jarvis.
She whispered soothingly, "Tony, you can tell me anything. I won't judge you, I promise. Does the flame talk to you?"
He looked at her searchingly and signed deeply, as if the burden of his secret had finally wore him down.
"The flame is sentient. It is the spiritual form of a powerful being, who died a long time ago. The being lives within me as long as I have the flame. He is really talkative. But he is my friend, my companion. His presence makes me a better man." He shrugged and looked away.
She came closer and whispered "What is this being called?"
He whispered back, "His name is Ryunn but it seems disrespectful to call him by his first name. So I call him The Dragon."
The flame in Tony's chest flared at its name being mentioned. Pepper smiled at Tony, "So what does the dragon say we need to find?
A slow smile broke out on his face, in gratitude for her acceptance. He continued to walk forward. "He says it is the leftover piece of an otherworldly object. And that it has been preserved in this room for a very long time."
He came to a halt and pointed at a case on the wall. "Could that be it?"
Pepper followed his gaze. A large dagger was in the glass showcase. It was a dangerous weapon of beauty, with a bejeweled hilt and serrated edges.
She was confused. "Is that a holy or magical blade? Should we use it to destroy the jewel?"
"No" he said. "Look at what the dagger is sheathed in."
She saw that the dagger was embedded in a large, jagged rock, which looked like it had been broken off from a much larger rock. The rock was a dark, brownish red with tints of deep black.
She stepped closer and quietly read the inscription below the case.
The dagger of Aramiah is a beautifully crafted weapon, gifted to King John by his loyal subjects, on the anniversary of his 10th year on the throne of Carinthia. But the true gift is the rock in which the dagger is sheathed.
A long, long time ago, when the city was very young, a giant rock fell from the sky in a fiery blaze, on the outskirts of the city. The holy men said this was a sign from the heavens. The place where the rock fell, was revered as a holy site. The giant rock was protected at all times by a section of the royal guard. People came from far and wide, to see it, to admire it because it was rumored to have magical properties.
One stormy night, blasts of lightning stuck the rock, first at the center and then repeatedly, splitting it into multiple smaller parts. The city's historians meticulously collected all the parts of the rock and moved them to the city's throne room. As the ages passed, each part began to disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces, until nothing but a shiny, sharp powder remained. This is the only part of the sky rock, that still remains. Because of its magic, any blade sheathed in it, will not turn brown with age .
Pepper looked at Tony, with wide eyes. "This is a holy rock, something that fell from the sky. In a blaze of light."
Tony nodded in agreement. "This is what we need." There was a lock on the case and he struck it with Pepper's blade but it didn't break.
Pepper stepped up with her hair pin. "Wait, let me pick the lock." She placed the hair pin in the key and began to move it slowly, until the lock opened. Then Tony gently opened the case and pulled the dagger out of the rock. The rock seemed to glow softly as he caressed it with his fingers. "This is what we need." he repeated with wonder.
He picked up the rock and said, "Onwards to our friend in the dungeons."
Tony and Pepper used the passageway, to land right next to the main staircase, that descended to the dungeons. It seemed like a battle was taking place below, in full swing. They could hear sounds of swords clashing, grunting and yelling. Then a loud male yell was heard.
Tony and Pepper looked at each other and said at the same time "Happy!"
They ran down the staircase, Pepper clutching her blade in her hand and Tony with the rock raised. Those were the only weapons they had. When they reached the bottom, they were stunned by the scene before them.
It was the prisoners led by Happy, versus the palace guards. Happy had let all the prisoners go, so each young woman was armed and angry. The palace guards were slightly tipsy and didn't seem to be completely in their senses. So the fight was evenly matched. The combatants had paired off and were seemingly having a good time, fighting each other with gusto. Happy was in the center, taking on all stragglers enthusiastically, his large frame setting him apart from the smaller guards.
Tony wondered why the guards seemed so... off balance. The dragon whispered, Morganna's attention is distracted by having sex, so her hold on these men is off balance, so in turn they are not in their senses. Do not kill them, they are not in control of their own minds.
Tony whispered the same to Pepper. She had picked up a small shield from one fallen guard and had adopted a fighting stance, blade raised, shield firm. He felt a rush of pride at her readiness and skill. Then he saw a bag thrown carelessly on the other side of the dungeon, his helmet peeking out from it.
He pulled Pepper close to him and whispered in her ear. "I can see my armor, I'm going to circle around, wear it and stop the fight. You be careful, they are affected by the jewel but they can still hurt you. Good luck, Pep."
She gave him a sideways glance, her eyes full of excitement, mind focused on the fight ahead and he laughed softly. "Maybe I should wish the guards luck instead." That made her giggle and he let her go, then ran up the stairs.
Pepper studied the guard-prisoner pairs and decided to help the ones closest to her. She charged at the guard's back, knocking him down with her force and he fell to the ground hard. Then she punched him in the jaw with the shield. The young maiden breathlessly thanked her.
She turned and saw a guard chase another woman, sword raised, woman screaming. She ran after the guard and then came to a screeching halt, as he turned to face her, eyes gleaming, sword raised. She gulped and raised her shield, bracing for the blow. Suddenly a nimble figure jumped on the guard's back, clinging to his neck, covering his eyes and screaming at the top of her lungs. The guard flailed about wildly and another woman cunningly tripped him with her leg. He fell over and the three women pounced on him, hammering him with clubs and shields. Pepper recognized them as the maidens from Boron, the ones she gave the apples to. She smiled at them in thanks and the tallest one said, "You are welcome, Pervert."
Happy was busy boxing the lights out of the guards circling him and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Then a loud roar was heard from the other end of the dungeon. Everyone stopped and turned in that direction. Pepper smiled slowly.
She heard a low murmur, a whisper, pass through the crowd, both guards and maidens alike. "The Iron Knight is here." "The Knight of Iron is here."
She stood on tip toe, to see the familiar, awe-inspiring sight of Tony, clad in his black steel chest plate, full-face great helmet and steel gauntlets and greaves. The flame in his chest, seemed to shine brighter today, enveloping him in a frightening, unearthly blue glow.
I'll never grow tired of seeing him stride in, clad in armor, flame glowing. The man is truly magnificent.
He raised his curved sword and said in a commanding tone "Noble guardsmen of Carinthia, you have been placed under a powerful spell, thanks to the evil witch who sits on your throne and masquerades as your Queen. Put down your arms, now. We have no wish to harm you."
Some guards seemed frightened enough and lowered their weapons. However, one bold one snarled and threw a wooden club straight at Tony. Who very calmly, raised his gauntlet and blasted the club with a burst of blue flame, turning it to fine ash.
Pepper grinned. The man also knows how to wow a crowd.
Tony asked sternly, "Who wants to be stupid and throw something else at me?"
The fire show seemed to have scared the guards and they immediately threw down their weapons. The maidens began to push them into the cells and lock them in.
Happy came towards Tony, a look of unabashed awe on his face. "Tony, I wish I could learn how to do that." Then he shuffled his feet and looked downwards, trying to be casual. "I was worried about you. They took you away and I'm sorry, I lost my senses too, over that Queen. I hope you are ok...".
Tony stepped up to him and enveloped him in a hug, made slightly awkward by the armor.
"I'm so happy to see you alright, Happy. I had a near death experience and it made me realize... I'm just glad you are fine."
Pepper tried to control her giggles at the two manly men, trying to hide their relief at each other's presence.
Tony cleared his throat and looked at the maidens, who had collected together and were staring at him with wonder. "You seemed to be having a good time, fighting with your own army. of beauties. Are you lovely maidens, all right? Any one injured?"
The crowd of women shook their heads, in awe of being addressed directly by the Iron Knight. Then one of them, Pepper recognized her as the tall blonde maiden from Boron, stepped out from the crowd. She asked curiously, "What are you going to do next, Lord Knight?"
Tony said "Why, destroy the evil Queen of course and free noble King John, from wherever he is imprisoned." The crowd cheered and Tony raised his hands to quieten them. "But first, I and my two fighting companions, are going to discuss a battle plan and we are going to arm ourselves for the battle ahead. In the meantime, please head back to the city and find shelter for the night. Once this is over, we will meet to help you get back to your villages and back to your families."
The young blonde woman looked at Tony beseechingly. "My Lord, we can not leave. We want to help! We want to fight the Queen too. She imprisoned us unfairly." Other women began to chime in as well. "We want to fight too!" "Come on, let us help you in the fight." "We can fight too."
Pepper looked at the eager, anxious faces of the young women and then leaned closer to Tony. "We could use their help, Tony. Look at their eagerness. You can't refuse them."
Tony whispered back "We are going to face a witch and a demon, they are just young girls. Suppose they get hurt? Or killed?"
The worry in his voice, touched Pepper. But she understood their passion to be involved. "The more, the merrier. We will let them know of the risks and let us see how many still want to fight."
Tony nodded. He briefly spoke about Morganna's activities and the demon lord. This seemed to frighten most of the crowd, who admitted, they were not ready for this level of warfare and wanted to leave the castle. However, a few women stayed back, one of them being the Blonde from Boron (Pepper gave her a nickname).
Tony smiled at the remaining girls and then said "Let us discuss armor and weapons. Everyone needs to have a weapon and wear some form of armor. Happy, you go first. Show us what you've got."
Happy had dragged the large bag from the inn, to where they were standing. He took out a half helmet, a round shield and his favorite, the black battle axe from the workshop. He presented himself, grinning maniacally.
Tony nodded his approval. "Happy, you are well equipped. Now, what about Pepper and the ladies?"
The ladies just had clubs and Pepper just had her small blade. Tony tapped his arc, deep in thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "There's got be an armory, somewhere around in this castle."
One of the women spoke up, "Yes sir, it is just above these dungeons. On the ground floor."
"Great, let us go there and you lovely ladies can get suited up!"
Twenty minutes later, Tony watched Pepper and the other women, enthusiastically line up to be presented with weapons and armor, distributed by Happy, who had elected himself armorer for the day.
In terms of armor, Happy provided quilted jackets and selective cuir bouilli or hardened leather armor pieces, such as shin guards and arm guards. While the women put their armor on, Tony took Pepper aside and gave her a few items for herself, which she accepted with a smile.
For weapons, Happy offered a choice between mace, short sword or steel club.
Tony selected a short sword for Pepper and a round shield. He would use his trusted scimitar or curved sword but he needed a shield as well and picked up a handsome kite shield for himself.
"Why are you using a shield this time, Tony? I thought your armor could handle anything." He turned to face Pepper, who was looking at him with worry in her eyes.
He replied, "The demon is going to use fire against me. So I need something to block his flame. I will counter with my own flame but I will need to preserve my strength and be on the defensive for brief moments. You need a shield too."
He held out the shield and the sword to her and watched as she took the sword with wonder, slowly sheathing it at her side. Then she took the shield and tried it out, checking the weight on her arm.
"Pep, do you have your dagger as well?"
She nodded absently, still fascinated with the shield and pointed at the dagger, strapped to her hip.
Tony took in the sight of Pepper, clad in reinforced plated mail armor, from chest to thigh. My lady warrior is ready. I hope the armor is not too heavy for her.
He said aloud, "Pep, is the plate mail wearable? Can you move comfortably? Is it too heavy, tell me now."
She adopted a defensive stance with the shield and then pulled out her sword and charged forward.
She spoke, flush with excitement, "It is a little heavy but I can handle it. I feel very protected."
She then clanged the shield against her chest mail, as if testing its strength. Her enthusiasm made Tony chuckle and she looked at him askance. "Why are you laughing, Tony? Do I look comical in this? Do I?"
He patted her lightly on the head, to calm her. "You look magnificent. Be careful, not aggressive." She smiled at him with an emotion in her eyes, that he didn't know how to identify.
Tony put on the rest of his armor as the Blonde from Boron (Pepper's nickname for the tall maiden) came over to twirl in her armor for Pepper. He called out to Happy "Hereald, are we done with the distribution?" When Happy nodded, Tony set down his shield and picked up his sword.
"Come closer everyone, I am drawing out the battle plan on the floor."
They descended as one, deeper and deeper, into the depths of the castle, Tony leading the way. The dragon was guiding him with whispers, This way, this way... I can feel it... my, it has grown strong in its time here.
When they reached the lowest level, they landed at a very narrow passage, so narrow that only a single person could pass through at a time. At the end of the passage, was a solitary red door.
Tony realized they had to go over their assignments now. They split up into two factions. The first, comprised of five young women, would stay one level above this level, making sure no guards disturbed the fight with Morganna. The second faction, he, Pepper, Happy and two young women, including the Blonde from Boron (whom Tony felt had hidden fighting talent), would enter the room and face the evil within.
Good lucks were exchanged all around and Tony pulled his helmet down, over his face. He stopped outside the room, bracing himself, mentally and physically. He could feel the flame surging within him, roaring like a brilliant blue blaze. The dragon was highly excited. It was breathing out flames of blue fire in succession, as if it was practicing.
He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating hard.
Noble Ryunn, bless me with your rage, your flame, your power, your passion. I am but a humble channel. Let your flame flow through me and burn away this pestilence.
He saw the dragon unfurl like a giant, red and blue, scaly, swirl of flesh. Swirling through him. The blue flame began to dance in him.
The dragon whispered, This is no ordinary foe but we are not ordinary beings either. Evil prevails when good men do nothing. We will send the demon lord back to the depraved depths from whence he came and we will wipe out all trace of his malevolence from this castle. Let the flame engulf those who harm the weak, who destroy lives, who wish to harm us.
He felt raw power of light and heat course through his veins. He looked at the women behind him, Happy and Pepper. "Remember the plan. For King John and Queen Jacinta, we fight!" They echoed his words.
He looked at Pepper who was breathing hard. Tony said quietly "May your blade meet every target true." She repeated them back to him, earnestly.
Tony pushed the door open and they entered the room.