Hi, people. Here's chapter two. If any of you have any suggestions on a
different name for this fanfic, I would greatly appreciate them. Please
read and review! I would be grateful for all reviews, even flamers, though
I would prefer a constructive criticism over a flamer any day! Disclaimer:
I do not own Willow, though I wish I did. The only characters that are
mine are the characters that did not appear in the book by Wayland Drew or
in the movie. ~ represent thoughts since the italics on my computer do not
transfer onto fanfiction. A/N: Aria, yes Madmartigan is going to appear
in this fanfic, but not until the sixth or seventh chapter, I think. If
you want, though, I'll write a fanfic about Madmartigan, in my opinion, the
coolest character in Willow, hehehehehehehehe!
CHAPTER TWO
Sorsha awoke in a cold sweat. She opened her eyes, grabbed her dagger that she kept under her pillow, and sliced at the shadows with it in one fluid motion. When she realized that she was alone, she began to breathe more easily and returned her dagger to its place. She pushed the fur covers off her and climbed wearily out of the bed. She began to take her armor off, which she had been too tired to take off, and raked her fingers through her hair. She pulled her hair back and secured it with a scrap piece of leather. She pulled changed into a long, wool tunic that draped down past her knees, but left her breeches on.
"Just a nightmare," she said quietly to herself as she began to pace back and forth in her quarters. She sighed as she tried to recall the details of her dream, but failed to. All that she could remember was the face of her father, who she barely remembered, contorted into a mask of horror, pain, and betrayal. She walked over to the table and splashed some water onto her face from the basin. She crossed over to the bed and pulled the dagger out from underneath her pillow. She slipped it into a leg sheath and walked over to the oak doors of her room. She pushed them open soundlessly and slipped into the shadows of the corridor. She sighed in dismay when she remembered that she was to watch over the births.
She skipped down the several flights of stairs and pushed open a door that led to the kitchens. She walked briskly down that corridor and walked into the dining hall. She quickly ate some food that was already laid out and walked out of the dining hall and into a corridor, which led to the dungeons. She pulled open the trapdoor and quickly down the stairs. She blanched at the rank odor. She could hear the cries of newborns and their mothers. She held her breath as she walked by a cage full of the hideous death dogs, one of Bavmorda's monstrous creations, feasting on a screaming and writhing Galladoorn prisoner.
"Ethna," Sorsha said to a midwife as she entered an open cell. "Let me see the child's arm."
Ethna handed Sorsha the newborn girl who was wrapped up in a wool blanket. She was howling loudly. "He does not bare the mark, my lady," Ethna said quietly as she bowed her head. Sorsha coldly pulled the infants arm out of the blanket and grimaced. "Here, give him back to her mother," she ordered.
Ethna nodded as she took the child in her arms and stopped her crying by holding her closely. "Here," she said kindly as she handed the mother her child.
"Have there been anymore births that have not been checked?" Sorsha asked Ethna.
"No, my lady, not since Queen Bavmorda came down last night," she answered, looking somewhat dazed. Sorsha nodded her head and walked out of the cell.
"Sorsha!" the mother yelled. "You will burn for all the crimes you have committed against Galladoorn! My people will destroy you and that wretched beast, Bavmorda!"
Sorsha turned on her heel and strode into the cell. "Silence, wench," she snapped as she raised her hand to strike the mother, but hesitated. Instead of the woman squirming away from Sorsha's raised hand, she held her ground and glared at her.
"Hit me, see what good that will do," she said defiantly. "The child will be born and I will watch joyously as she destroys you!"
Sorsha raised her eyebrow in amusement and lowered her fist. "We shall see," she replied as she walked out of the cell.
"The child will destroy you, she will punish you for the crimes you have committed," the mother yelled shrilly after Sorsha who ignored her cries.
Sorsha climbed out of the dungeon and went to the stables. She found Kyrell sleeping in some straw with a bottle of mead in his left hand. "Wake up," she said as she kicked his feet. He jumped to the ground and dropped the bottle. He cursed as it shattered, spilling the mead over the straw.
"Yes, Princess Sorsha," he said, his voice full of contempt.
"Clean this mess up, Kyrell, and take care of the horses in here. I am assigning you to stable master," she said.
"As you wish, my lady," he said as he began to clean up the shards of broken glass.
Sorsha chuckled in amusement and walked over to the small box stall where Rak was. She fondly scratched his ear and gave him a handful of grain from an open barrel. He nickered as he ate the grain. She haltered him and brought him out of the stall. She quickly brushed his coat, checked his hooves, and tacked him up. She lead him out to a corridor that had a few soldiers, who had not been assigned to a troop, training. They nodded their heads in acknowledgement of her presence and continued to shoot bolts and arrows into a target on the other side of the courtyard. Sorsha pulled herself up into Rak's saddle and began to trot him around in circles. He kept on pulling at the bit but Sorsha kept a firm hand. She rode him around for an hour or so before a soldier interrupted her.
"Princess Sorsha, Ethna, the midwife, requests your presence. There has been another birth," a soldier said slowly.
"Fine, take Rak," she said as she slid out of the saddle and handed Rak's reins to the soldier.
She climbed down into the dungeon once again desperately hoping that it was indeed the child of the prophecy who had been born.
She walked past several pregnant women who all hissed obscenities at her. "Quiet," Sorsha snarled in return.
She entered a cell and walked over to Ethna. "Is it a girl," she inquired sternly. Ethna hesitated for a brief moment and looked at the mother sympathetically who was waiting apprehensively.
"Yes," Ethna answered.
"Show me its arm," Sorsha commanded.
"She bears the mark," Ethna said grimly.
Sorsha sighed in relief as the mother cried out in fear for her daughter.
"Then the omen is true. I must tell my mother," Sorsha said as she turned away from the child. She quickly ran out of the dungeon and up to her mother's conjuring room.
"Mother, the child has been born," Sorsha said breathlessly as she pushed open the doors.
Bavmorda's worn face creased into an evil smile. "Prepare the ritual," she said to her druids as she left the conjuring room, closely followed by Sorsha. Bavmorda orders several guards to accompany them to the dungeon. As they walked to the cell, Sorsha noticed Ethna bowing over a basket that seemed to squirm, but Sorsha simply rejected what she had seen, telling herself that it had been the light playing a trick on her.
Sorsha waited outside the cell as Bavmorda approached the mother. "You cannot stop the prophecy," the mother cried out in protest. Bavmorda wrenched the bundle away from the mother, unraveled the cloth, and realized that the child was gone.
"Where is the baby?!" Bavmorda cried out in anger.
"The midwife," Sorsha answered quickly, recalling the bundle the woman had been carrying.
The mother cried angrily. "Your reign of terror is at an end! She will come back and she will finish you!"
"Silence, wench!" a guard said.
"My baby will finish you!"
Bavmorda grasped Sorsha's shoulders and shook her harshly. "Find that baby, Sorsha! Use the Dogs. Bring her back to me alive!" Sorsha nodded her head in compliance once again and sprinted out of the dungeon.
CHAPTER TWO
Sorsha awoke in a cold sweat. She opened her eyes, grabbed her dagger that she kept under her pillow, and sliced at the shadows with it in one fluid motion. When she realized that she was alone, she began to breathe more easily and returned her dagger to its place. She pushed the fur covers off her and climbed wearily out of the bed. She began to take her armor off, which she had been too tired to take off, and raked her fingers through her hair. She pulled her hair back and secured it with a scrap piece of leather. She pulled changed into a long, wool tunic that draped down past her knees, but left her breeches on.
"Just a nightmare," she said quietly to herself as she began to pace back and forth in her quarters. She sighed as she tried to recall the details of her dream, but failed to. All that she could remember was the face of her father, who she barely remembered, contorted into a mask of horror, pain, and betrayal. She walked over to the table and splashed some water onto her face from the basin. She crossed over to the bed and pulled the dagger out from underneath her pillow. She slipped it into a leg sheath and walked over to the oak doors of her room. She pushed them open soundlessly and slipped into the shadows of the corridor. She sighed in dismay when she remembered that she was to watch over the births.
She skipped down the several flights of stairs and pushed open a door that led to the kitchens. She walked briskly down that corridor and walked into the dining hall. She quickly ate some food that was already laid out and walked out of the dining hall and into a corridor, which led to the dungeons. She pulled open the trapdoor and quickly down the stairs. She blanched at the rank odor. She could hear the cries of newborns and their mothers. She held her breath as she walked by a cage full of the hideous death dogs, one of Bavmorda's monstrous creations, feasting on a screaming and writhing Galladoorn prisoner.
"Ethna," Sorsha said to a midwife as she entered an open cell. "Let me see the child's arm."
Ethna handed Sorsha the newborn girl who was wrapped up in a wool blanket. She was howling loudly. "He does not bare the mark, my lady," Ethna said quietly as she bowed her head. Sorsha coldly pulled the infants arm out of the blanket and grimaced. "Here, give him back to her mother," she ordered.
Ethna nodded as she took the child in her arms and stopped her crying by holding her closely. "Here," she said kindly as she handed the mother her child.
"Have there been anymore births that have not been checked?" Sorsha asked Ethna.
"No, my lady, not since Queen Bavmorda came down last night," she answered, looking somewhat dazed. Sorsha nodded her head and walked out of the cell.
"Sorsha!" the mother yelled. "You will burn for all the crimes you have committed against Galladoorn! My people will destroy you and that wretched beast, Bavmorda!"
Sorsha turned on her heel and strode into the cell. "Silence, wench," she snapped as she raised her hand to strike the mother, but hesitated. Instead of the woman squirming away from Sorsha's raised hand, she held her ground and glared at her.
"Hit me, see what good that will do," she said defiantly. "The child will be born and I will watch joyously as she destroys you!"
Sorsha raised her eyebrow in amusement and lowered her fist. "We shall see," she replied as she walked out of the cell.
"The child will destroy you, she will punish you for the crimes you have committed," the mother yelled shrilly after Sorsha who ignored her cries.
Sorsha climbed out of the dungeon and went to the stables. She found Kyrell sleeping in some straw with a bottle of mead in his left hand. "Wake up," she said as she kicked his feet. He jumped to the ground and dropped the bottle. He cursed as it shattered, spilling the mead over the straw.
"Yes, Princess Sorsha," he said, his voice full of contempt.
"Clean this mess up, Kyrell, and take care of the horses in here. I am assigning you to stable master," she said.
"As you wish, my lady," he said as he began to clean up the shards of broken glass.
Sorsha chuckled in amusement and walked over to the small box stall where Rak was. She fondly scratched his ear and gave him a handful of grain from an open barrel. He nickered as he ate the grain. She haltered him and brought him out of the stall. She quickly brushed his coat, checked his hooves, and tacked him up. She lead him out to a corridor that had a few soldiers, who had not been assigned to a troop, training. They nodded their heads in acknowledgement of her presence and continued to shoot bolts and arrows into a target on the other side of the courtyard. Sorsha pulled herself up into Rak's saddle and began to trot him around in circles. He kept on pulling at the bit but Sorsha kept a firm hand. She rode him around for an hour or so before a soldier interrupted her.
"Princess Sorsha, Ethna, the midwife, requests your presence. There has been another birth," a soldier said slowly.
"Fine, take Rak," she said as she slid out of the saddle and handed Rak's reins to the soldier.
She climbed down into the dungeon once again desperately hoping that it was indeed the child of the prophecy who had been born.
She walked past several pregnant women who all hissed obscenities at her. "Quiet," Sorsha snarled in return.
She entered a cell and walked over to Ethna. "Is it a girl," she inquired sternly. Ethna hesitated for a brief moment and looked at the mother sympathetically who was waiting apprehensively.
"Yes," Ethna answered.
"Show me its arm," Sorsha commanded.
"She bears the mark," Ethna said grimly.
Sorsha sighed in relief as the mother cried out in fear for her daughter.
"Then the omen is true. I must tell my mother," Sorsha said as she turned away from the child. She quickly ran out of the dungeon and up to her mother's conjuring room.
"Mother, the child has been born," Sorsha said breathlessly as she pushed open the doors.
Bavmorda's worn face creased into an evil smile. "Prepare the ritual," she said to her druids as she left the conjuring room, closely followed by Sorsha. Bavmorda orders several guards to accompany them to the dungeon. As they walked to the cell, Sorsha noticed Ethna bowing over a basket that seemed to squirm, but Sorsha simply rejected what she had seen, telling herself that it had been the light playing a trick on her.
Sorsha waited outside the cell as Bavmorda approached the mother. "You cannot stop the prophecy," the mother cried out in protest. Bavmorda wrenched the bundle away from the mother, unraveled the cloth, and realized that the child was gone.
"Where is the baby?!" Bavmorda cried out in anger.
"The midwife," Sorsha answered quickly, recalling the bundle the woman had been carrying.
The mother cried angrily. "Your reign of terror is at an end! She will come back and she will finish you!"
"Silence, wench!" a guard said.
"My baby will finish you!"
Bavmorda grasped Sorsha's shoulders and shook her harshly. "Find that baby, Sorsha! Use the Dogs. Bring her back to me alive!" Sorsha nodded her head in compliance once again and sprinted out of the dungeon.