The Lord of Ragnarok

Mini Chapter 7 - Gaining Allies

Kingdom of Coronam - Forested Area outside of Urbe Auream/Captial City of Coronam - Two weeks later - Princess Elegas Regiis P.O.V.

The wind whipping past my face was beyond delightful. I understood that it wasn't exactly lady like to ride ahead of Gravida, my lady in waiting, like I was, but at the moment I didn't care. For a mere three hours, when I got the chance, I was free. I wasn't Princess Elegas Regiis, beloved child of Agustus Regiis the king of Coronam, but instead I was merely Elegas, a girl who enjoyed riding, seeing the wonders of nature, and observing the world around me. It was not as if my life wasn't blessed. Everything I could ever want was in the palace. Anything I could ever wish to eat, gowns for days, but that was it. All of it was materialistic.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy these things. I would be the greatest of liars if I professed to disliking them, and disliking the pageantry. But at the end of the day, they were things. And things, regardless of how wonderful, simply are not able to hold a person's attention indefinitely. Which is why this ride is so important. I get to see something new every time I pass through here. I looked ahead, and there was a wagon, it's wheel broken, and outside of it were three men. One, balding, seemed to be fuming at the other two. The largest, a half giant I would believe, appeared to be lifting the wagon itself.

The balding man saw my approach, and he graciously bowed. It appeared that regardless of where I rode there was those that would always know who I was. I stopped my steed, which I had silently named buttercup, for she was very gently and sweet natured, and looked at the balding man. He was dressed in ranger garb, mostly a mixture of dark greens and black, and he looked behind me.

"Forgive me highness, but we are a trio of carnival performers, and our wagon has broken down. Unfortunately our caravan has long since left us behind, and we do not know this area well. Are we near the City of Urbe Auream?"

I gestured behind me, which is I supposed he looked in that direction, "Yes, the city itself is a mere hours' ride from here in that direction."

He nodded, "Would you know if this road is heavily traveled?"

I smiled at the unfortunate man, "I fear it is not. That is the reason I often ride here. There's little chance of being bothered."

He once again nodded, bowed, and then looked at me, "Then, I believe that there will be no one around to hear your screams."

My eyes widened as the giant struck buttercup, knocking her out. He grabbed me, threw me onto his shoulder, and looked at the balding man.

"Okay Vizzini, we have her, what do we do now?"

I saw The balding man as he looked at him, "Fezzik, you great lumbering landmass you snap her neck! Leave her here, and allow the search party to find her," he said as he pulled a flag from the Barbarus Empire out, sliced it up a bit, and then looked at me, "Afterward I will leave this on her body. It's usually carried by high ranking officials in the Barbarus empire. They will think that she was killed by them, thus sparking an all out war."

The half giant lowered, me, his hands trembling, "But Vizzini, I don't want to kill her. She hasn't done anything to me?"

I watched as Vizzini turned toward him, "You great idiot! You are working a job which will result in an all out war. It's a very prestigious line of work. Besides, if you don't then I have to fire you and do it myself!"

I heard a defeated sigh, "I'm sorry Princess, but I need a job, any job," he said before those massive hands began to squeeze on my throat.

"Do it," a raspy voice said.

I couldn't see him, but I heard Vizzini gasp, "Lord Stercore, You did not need to oversee this yourself."

"It doesn't matter, kill her, pin the flag, and then leave," Lord Stercore said.

"Halt!"

The voice was commanding, yet there was something rich and inviting about it.

"Turn away Equis, before you're killed," Lord Stercore rasped.

I saw a blinding light and then suddenly I was released. I turned to see a dark horned Equis. His blue eyes were soft, and his mane almost had an ethereal look to it. He moved toward me, giving me a reassuring smile.

"It is lucky I happened along this way. There were two paths to my destination, yet today I chose the path less traveled, and it appears that it made all of the difference."

I rushed toward him, wrapping him into a hug as Gravida Mulier rode up on us. Her horse was panting heavily, which means that I had pulled further away than I intended before she could catch up to me. She looked winded herself, and I watched as she managed to get down from her mare. She neared us, "Your highness, what happened?"

I looked toward where the men were, and I noticed the dead Sanctus Theocracy soldier. Beside him was the three that had captured me, and they looked unconscious, but in pain.

"I was caught off guard by those three, that… man had hired them to kill me, and then lay the blame on the Barbarus Empire," I looked to my savior, "But he saved me."

He gently rubbed my back, and then stepped back, "I was merely running an errand for my Lord, and happened upon this situation. I believed it was imperative to intervene."

Gravida nodded, "It is a wonderful thing that you have. Please, inform your Lord that his Majesty Agustus Regiis will most likely want to thank him, and you, for this wonderful act."

I smiled, "Inform him that my father will want to thank you both, as shall I," I bowed slightly, "Although, I did not get the name of my rescuer."

He smiled back at me, "My name is Umbra, and I am a servant of Lord Manulus. I will relay your message. However, since I have business in Urbe Auream, and I am certain that you most likely would like to return, shall I accompany you there?" he asked.

Before I could answer Gravida did, "Please, we shall ensure that you are well compensated for your generous act."

He gave us a bow, "That is not necessary. I did what I had done simply because it was the right thing to do. I offer to accompany you now because it too is the right thing to do."

Temple of Celestia Sol - Throne Room - Mannulus' P.O.V.

I leaned back, glad to receive the message from Umbra. The Princess was safe, and he had become ingraciated to the royal family through his act. Undoubtedly the king of Coronam would want to start a war with the Sanctus Theocracy. After all, they apparently launched an attack on one of the royals. We would need to lessen their control on the criminal enterprises happening in Coronam as well. Doing so would ensure that they would not have the opportunity to retaliate so easily.

Simply put, I would need to ensure that we were completely prepared. I had no doubt that Lala, Maxine, and Lulamoon could easily deal with the criminal element. Doing so unnoticed might take time, but right now we had that luxury. I closed my eyes, and I cast the message spell. A moment later I felt it connect with Lala.

"Lord Mannulus, how may I serve you?"

I grinned, "Lala, we're ready to begin to remove the criminal element. Inform Lulamoon that she is to help you in this endeavor. I want every single burrow of pests that make up the criminal element ran by the Sanctus Theocracy to be removed. When you are finished I want you to keep the home you've acquired in Urbe Auream in good repair. I intend to visit. As such, there will need to be a place to stay."

"Of course Lord Mannulus, shall we begin right away?"

I opened my eyes and looked at my four brides, all of which had accompanied me, "Yes, we begin now."

The Hidden City of Sanerek Nim - Entrance to the City - Mistress Marevelous' P.O.V.

I was so tired. We had moved, nearly non-stop, for two weeks, and in that time we had tried to stay hidden. I didn't want to admit that fear was getting the better of me. But it was. Finally, I had to find a place for my people, because apparently they chose me as their de facto leader, to rest in a sort of shelter. This cave looked promising, only to find that it wasn't a cave as much as it was an entire Dwarven city. It was odd, but the bones of dwarfs, humans, and trolls littered the area. It was almost as if they had been in a massive army together.

Regardless, there was shelter, there was rest to be had, and then there was the sound of someone not of our group walking and shouting. I stood, ready, and scared out of my wits. I hated what that bastard had done to me. I was scared of a male voice I didn't recognize, and I hated it. I wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to be scared of my own shadow…

"Hey! This stronghold belongs to the Guild of The Temple of Celestia Sol! Show yourself or get a close up view of a lighting bolt!"

My eyes widened, "7hund3r?!" I shouted.

I heard the hoofsteps, and then I saw his face, "Holy Shit, MM?" he asked

I broke into a smile, cried, and hugged him. I wasn't alone, I didn't have to be afraid. I barely registered his telling me it was alright, but I hugged him for all I was worth. Slowly, I released him, and I felt the Presence of Suavis nearing behind me. I turned toward my new friend.

"Suavis, this is L0rd0f7hund3r, he's a friend of mine, and one of the people that live in the home we're going to," I looked at 7hund3r, "Is the temple far?"

He shrugged, "It's a good walk from here, but I think we can do better. Let me contact Mannulus, and I'm sure he'll find a way of getting you there quicker."

He walked away, closed his eyes for a moment, and then he seemed to go very still. I looked to Suavis, "You okay?"

He nodded, "I am, I just… It's hard to trust anyone easily. Not after what has happened."

I touched his hand, "I understand, but it's nearly over. We're almost finished with it, and I know that my friends will protect all of us."

He nodded, "I trust you, and I will try to trust them, but please, be patient."

I nodded. It would be patient with him. He had been infinitely so with me, and besides, right now he was the closest thing I had to calling a friend before finding 7hund3r. And unlike my old friend contacting another old friend, Suavis knew what I had gone through. He had suffered as I did, and neither of us wanted to go back to it again. I would gladly choose death over going back. And I knew that all of those that had followed me felt the same. Death, in any shape, any form, and any terribly way it chose to exist, was far better than going back into the tender mercies of those slavers.

Instead I heard a sound, and looked toward the opening of the cave to see a portal open. Out from it walked Mannulus, and with him was Rainbow, Twilight, Luna, and Solar Flare. The four of them saw me, and instantly I could see their muzzles grow into a smile. I didn't want them to smile. I didn't want them to be glad of my return. I wanted to wash this feeling off of me before I could even begin to celebrate. And I hated that I felt like that. I was approached, and I saw the look on Mannulus' face. He wore the stoic look well, but I could see that something bothered him.

"What happened?"

"We were taken as slaves and… It's a long story, I just want to go home, can I please go home?" I asked.

He nodded, pulling me into a hug, "Of course, and I will ensure that this never happens again, come, it is time for you to be safe once again."