Case's fourth dream concerning the Manticore children scared, saddened and delighted him. One moment he sat up late watching a police drama on television, the next, there was darkness. He found himself in the children's tower quarters, and in the beginnings of a dire situation.
"MAX!" cried Jondy, as Princess Max convulsed on the floor.
It was night, and snow fell past the window. Case watched as the children gathered around her.
The door burst open, and two human guards ran in to take Max away.
There were gasps. Suddenly-
With a yell of rage, Prince Zack picked up a sword and swung out at the guards. One became afraid and ran down the stairs, but the other tried to fight back.
He smacked the soldier on the head with the blunt side of his sword, knocking him out, and ran to see to Princess Max.
"What are we going to do now?" asked someone.
"Follow me."
Everyone looked at Princess Eva, who nocked an arrow to her bowstring. She looked at them with purpose. "Let all those who hate this place and want their freedom take up their weapons and follow me! Follow me!" she yelled, and there were cheers.
Case followed them to the weapons chest. Princess Tinga elbowed the bigger ones out of the way to make sure Princess Brin had a sword, which looked almost comical in her tiny hands.
They swarmed out of the tower and down the stairs. All except Prince Zack and the princesses Jondy and Max had weapons in their hands, but only Eva ran at the front.
They were in a hallway with slit windows that let streams of wintery light into the half-darkness. Through the gloom, Case could see a huge tapestry hanging from the wall of some giant mythical creature with the body of a lion and the leering face of an old man.
There was a blaze of light. Everyone skidded to a halt. Princess Tinga stood nearby the back, and it was only at this second that Case realised he was next to her. Although he was taller than everyone except 205 Boy, he went onto his tiptoes to see what was happening.
There stood King Lydecker, armed human soldiers and Nomaly guards with ropes of saliva dangling from their crooked, razor-sharp fangs. It was still as a tomb, like some ghastly tableau.
Eva stood alone, her face set, but her arrow quivering. Case could suddenly feel how terrified she was. Princess Eva felt a helpless, pure terror so great it obscured her from thinking anything but four simple words.
What am I doing? Case heard these words as though Eva herself had whispered them into his ear.
The King had a bow and arrow too. And there was a twang of bowstring. Eva was struck in the chest with an evil poisoned arrow and fell backwards onto the cold floor. She had been killed instantly.
Her arrow slid across the floor, halting a little way in front of Princess Max, who seemed to have recovered. Her eyes were glazed with sadness.
Case saw Princess Brin duck her head slightly to see as Princess Eva fell. She closed her eyes as if trying to block this awful image.
He looked to Tinga. Her mouth fell open and her eyes filled with tears. Tinga's bottom lip quivered like some child who had witnessed the brutal murder of a sister she'd loved so dearly, and not a warrior and a princess who had to be brave for her family.
Then she seemed to steel herself. And there came over her face and all the children's faces a universal look of such terrible rage and grief that Case himself was frightened.
Led by Prince Zack, the royals ran forward. Weapons upon weapons, there was a clash unlike any Case had ever seen before. Men had been slain by these angelic children, whose features were twisted in anger.
Case even saw Prince Krit take on a Nomaly, running him through. "Kill my sister, will you? Murder my brother Jack?"
They ran. Case ran too, although why he couldn't say. He knew they couldn't see him.
Zack stopped, at the head of the line. He peeked around a corner and tipped over a huge ornate armchair in the hall, revealing yet another secret passageway. The children dropped onto their hands and knees to crawl through.
Princess Jace suddenly looked very apprehensive. She stood still as Princess Max crouched, preparing to crawl inside. Max turned around and beckoned her furiously.
Jace shook her head, her breath coming short, and backed away as though Max was a monster.
Case followed the children through the tunnel to another hallway. They ran through a giant kitchen the size of his school cafeteria, some slowing to snatch bread or cuts of meat from long tables. Then Zack threw a small, modest wooden door open.
The children swarmed through, swinging swords and maces in the air and looking grimly determined. This was obviously some kind of escape route in case the castle was attacked.
Case jumped the cracked steps, which were covered with moss and grass. Children zigzagged away into the snowy night, alone. For some reason he found himself following the princess Tinga.
Tinga bolted through the trees, striding and jumping wide. Her breathing was ragged and came sharply. Case struggled to keep up. She ran faster than anyone he'd ever seen.
These children were obviously of some incredible stock- great athletes, great warriors, fast and strong and intelligent. They had just masterminded a daring escape from the colossal fortress of a tyrant king, for God's sakes!
Tinga stopped in some secret clearing, where Zack already stood. Slowly, it filled up with children. One girl arrived gasping, with her arm bleeding. A Nomaly had caught her and she'd been forced to abandon her weapon (a crossbow) to him.
The air was tense. Everyone ducked against the ground as they heard footfalls after a long wait, but it was only Max, followed closely by Princess Jondy.
Tinga put her arms around a shivering Brin. Princess Brin's gown was already soaking- she'd obviously tripped and fallen in the snow.
Zack stood up. He tapped his right pointer and middle fingers against his left palm, and the children assembled closer together, two girls and three boys still hiding behind trees a short way away, weapons at the ready.
He brought his right hand up at a right angle to his body, two fingers raised. Prince Zack then counted all of the children and frowned.
Max looked somewhat sad as she executed a series of complicated signs ending with a shake of her head.
Prince Zack sighed and continued. He tapped his fingers against the back of his left hand before cutting his fingers across his throat.
Finally, Zack held up two fingers and pointed to Princess Syl and Prince Krit, who nodded and ran off together. He was pairing off his siblings to escape.
Case watched intently until he pointed to Brin and Tinga. Tinga pulled Brin up and the two of them fled.
They ran through the forest, wild-eyed, terrified. Case could barely keep up. A battle seemed to still rage in the trees, as they heard the clashes of swords against swords. Case heard a voice that sounded like Prince Krit bellow, "She SAID down on the ground!" followed by a scream of pain.
Tinga's own crossbow dangled from her hand.
Princess Brin surged ahead, and Tinga roughly grabbed her by the arm as some human soldiers on horseback galloped past.
Still with fear, Brin looked up at her big sister, who used one of Prince Zack's signs. She tapped her right pointer and middle fingers against her left palm.
They ran. Case skidded to a halt to avoid smacking into Princess Brin, wondering why. There was a high stone wall.
Tinga paced up and down a moment before pulling an arrow out of a quiver on her back and untying a length of rope she'd looped around her waist when last she'd been in the home tower. She tied the rope to the end of the arrow and slid it into the bow. Raising her crossbow, the young princess put it at a peculiar angle and then shot.
The arrow soared true over the wall. Case couldn't see where it landed. Tinga tugged on the rope, making sure it was secure, before offering it hurriedly to Princess Brin. Brin's sword swung from a sheath at her hip.
Brin began to climb. Princess Tinga looked around skittishly and murmured to her sister, who disappeared over the wall. Tinga scaled the rope and hopped over the wall, doing a neat forward roll into the snow.
Case followed, just able to catch up with the escaping girls. They ran through dense forest before appearing on a road. Case found himself standing a long way away. He could just make them out in the darkness.
They'd escaped. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to charge over to the girls and hug them like little sisters; he wanted to comfort and congratulate them, although it was impossible. They couldn't see him...
"You there! Boy!"
Case started. "Yea, milady?" he said, feeling this to be an appropriate way of addressing the young Princess Tinga.
"Art thou from the village, peasant boy?"
"I am, Your Highness," Case replied, unable to believe that he was actually talking with Tinga.
"Which way be it?"
A giant cart drawn by a packhorse approached creakily along the road.
"Right along the road, ma'am. T'won't take ye long to reach it, and there's a tavern where they would gladly give you shelter." Case had no idea why these words were coming out of his mouth.
"Good lad," said Tinga with a regal air. "Now run along home to your mother, peasant boy, before she does worry for your safety."
"Oh no!" cried Princess Brin in fear, pointing to where some human soldiers emerged onto the path. They ran to jump into the back of the cart.
Case let his breath escape. They were truly safe.
And just as they were taken to the safe haven of the village, he heard Brin's bewildered whisper to Tinga.
"Where did the boy go?"
* * *
DISCLAIMER: 'Dark Angel' belongs to Fox and James Cameron. Not me. So don't sue.
NOTE: OK, I have a couple of notes for you all. Firstly, I would like to personally thank dleep for pointing out the discrepancy that Case fell asleep at school and woke up at home. I was very tired when I finished off Chapter Three and didn't notice that. I have edited it so that Case wakes up in the same place. Sorry, everyone!
Also, I am sorry I have not stuck to the actual '09 escape flashback in one way. Of course, there are lots of ways I haven't stuck to it in order to transfer the setting from 2009 Wyoming to a nameless medieval land, like the fact that the children are carrying weapons, or the Blue FAERIE, or the fact that they escaped through a door instead of a window.
The one that I am actually apologising for is the fact that Eva does her whole heroic little speech thing before leading her siblings from the tower. I actually paraphrased her line (which, for all you people who can't be stuffed scrolling up, is, "Let all those who hate this place and want their freedom take up their weapons and follow me! Follow me!") from a line by Joan of Arc in the film 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'. You see, I really like that film and I see Eva as a sort of Joan of Arc-y figure in this fic. The actual line, which I've got off IMDB so don't blame me if it's wrong, is, "This morning God gave us a great victory, but it is nothing compared to what he is ready to give us now. I know you are all tired and hungry, but I swear to you that even if these English were hanging from the clouds by their fingertips we would pull them down before nightfall. Now let all those who love me... follow me! Follow me!"
Thank you to all of you who have a) ploughed through all these insipid author's notes and/or b) reviewed this fic. You rule!
"MAX!" cried Jondy, as Princess Max convulsed on the floor.
It was night, and snow fell past the window. Case watched as the children gathered around her.
The door burst open, and two human guards ran in to take Max away.
There were gasps. Suddenly-
With a yell of rage, Prince Zack picked up a sword and swung out at the guards. One became afraid and ran down the stairs, but the other tried to fight back.
He smacked the soldier on the head with the blunt side of his sword, knocking him out, and ran to see to Princess Max.
"What are we going to do now?" asked someone.
"Follow me."
Everyone looked at Princess Eva, who nocked an arrow to her bowstring. She looked at them with purpose. "Let all those who hate this place and want their freedom take up their weapons and follow me! Follow me!" she yelled, and there were cheers.
Case followed them to the weapons chest. Princess Tinga elbowed the bigger ones out of the way to make sure Princess Brin had a sword, which looked almost comical in her tiny hands.
They swarmed out of the tower and down the stairs. All except Prince Zack and the princesses Jondy and Max had weapons in their hands, but only Eva ran at the front.
They were in a hallway with slit windows that let streams of wintery light into the half-darkness. Through the gloom, Case could see a huge tapestry hanging from the wall of some giant mythical creature with the body of a lion and the leering face of an old man.
There was a blaze of light. Everyone skidded to a halt. Princess Tinga stood nearby the back, and it was only at this second that Case realised he was next to her. Although he was taller than everyone except 205 Boy, he went onto his tiptoes to see what was happening.
There stood King Lydecker, armed human soldiers and Nomaly guards with ropes of saliva dangling from their crooked, razor-sharp fangs. It was still as a tomb, like some ghastly tableau.
Eva stood alone, her face set, but her arrow quivering. Case could suddenly feel how terrified she was. Princess Eva felt a helpless, pure terror so great it obscured her from thinking anything but four simple words.
What am I doing? Case heard these words as though Eva herself had whispered them into his ear.
The King had a bow and arrow too. And there was a twang of bowstring. Eva was struck in the chest with an evil poisoned arrow and fell backwards onto the cold floor. She had been killed instantly.
Her arrow slid across the floor, halting a little way in front of Princess Max, who seemed to have recovered. Her eyes were glazed with sadness.
Case saw Princess Brin duck her head slightly to see as Princess Eva fell. She closed her eyes as if trying to block this awful image.
He looked to Tinga. Her mouth fell open and her eyes filled with tears. Tinga's bottom lip quivered like some child who had witnessed the brutal murder of a sister she'd loved so dearly, and not a warrior and a princess who had to be brave for her family.
Then she seemed to steel herself. And there came over her face and all the children's faces a universal look of such terrible rage and grief that Case himself was frightened.
Led by Prince Zack, the royals ran forward. Weapons upon weapons, there was a clash unlike any Case had ever seen before. Men had been slain by these angelic children, whose features were twisted in anger.
Case even saw Prince Krit take on a Nomaly, running him through. "Kill my sister, will you? Murder my brother Jack?"
They ran. Case ran too, although why he couldn't say. He knew they couldn't see him.
Zack stopped, at the head of the line. He peeked around a corner and tipped over a huge ornate armchair in the hall, revealing yet another secret passageway. The children dropped onto their hands and knees to crawl through.
Princess Jace suddenly looked very apprehensive. She stood still as Princess Max crouched, preparing to crawl inside. Max turned around and beckoned her furiously.
Jace shook her head, her breath coming short, and backed away as though Max was a monster.
Case followed the children through the tunnel to another hallway. They ran through a giant kitchen the size of his school cafeteria, some slowing to snatch bread or cuts of meat from long tables. Then Zack threw a small, modest wooden door open.
The children swarmed through, swinging swords and maces in the air and looking grimly determined. This was obviously some kind of escape route in case the castle was attacked.
Case jumped the cracked steps, which were covered with moss and grass. Children zigzagged away into the snowy night, alone. For some reason he found himself following the princess Tinga.
Tinga bolted through the trees, striding and jumping wide. Her breathing was ragged and came sharply. Case struggled to keep up. She ran faster than anyone he'd ever seen.
These children were obviously of some incredible stock- great athletes, great warriors, fast and strong and intelligent. They had just masterminded a daring escape from the colossal fortress of a tyrant king, for God's sakes!
Tinga stopped in some secret clearing, where Zack already stood. Slowly, it filled up with children. One girl arrived gasping, with her arm bleeding. A Nomaly had caught her and she'd been forced to abandon her weapon (a crossbow) to him.
The air was tense. Everyone ducked against the ground as they heard footfalls after a long wait, but it was only Max, followed closely by Princess Jondy.
Tinga put her arms around a shivering Brin. Princess Brin's gown was already soaking- she'd obviously tripped and fallen in the snow.
Zack stood up. He tapped his right pointer and middle fingers against his left palm, and the children assembled closer together, two girls and three boys still hiding behind trees a short way away, weapons at the ready.
He brought his right hand up at a right angle to his body, two fingers raised. Prince Zack then counted all of the children and frowned.
Max looked somewhat sad as she executed a series of complicated signs ending with a shake of her head.
Prince Zack sighed and continued. He tapped his fingers against the back of his left hand before cutting his fingers across his throat.
Finally, Zack held up two fingers and pointed to Princess Syl and Prince Krit, who nodded and ran off together. He was pairing off his siblings to escape.
Case watched intently until he pointed to Brin and Tinga. Tinga pulled Brin up and the two of them fled.
They ran through the forest, wild-eyed, terrified. Case could barely keep up. A battle seemed to still rage in the trees, as they heard the clashes of swords against swords. Case heard a voice that sounded like Prince Krit bellow, "She SAID down on the ground!" followed by a scream of pain.
Tinga's own crossbow dangled from her hand.
Princess Brin surged ahead, and Tinga roughly grabbed her by the arm as some human soldiers on horseback galloped past.
Still with fear, Brin looked up at her big sister, who used one of Prince Zack's signs. She tapped her right pointer and middle fingers against her left palm.
They ran. Case skidded to a halt to avoid smacking into Princess Brin, wondering why. There was a high stone wall.
Tinga paced up and down a moment before pulling an arrow out of a quiver on her back and untying a length of rope she'd looped around her waist when last she'd been in the home tower. She tied the rope to the end of the arrow and slid it into the bow. Raising her crossbow, the young princess put it at a peculiar angle and then shot.
The arrow soared true over the wall. Case couldn't see where it landed. Tinga tugged on the rope, making sure it was secure, before offering it hurriedly to Princess Brin. Brin's sword swung from a sheath at her hip.
Brin began to climb. Princess Tinga looked around skittishly and murmured to her sister, who disappeared over the wall. Tinga scaled the rope and hopped over the wall, doing a neat forward roll into the snow.
Case followed, just able to catch up with the escaping girls. They ran through dense forest before appearing on a road. Case found himself standing a long way away. He could just make them out in the darkness.
They'd escaped. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to charge over to the girls and hug them like little sisters; he wanted to comfort and congratulate them, although it was impossible. They couldn't see him...
"You there! Boy!"
Case started. "Yea, milady?" he said, feeling this to be an appropriate way of addressing the young Princess Tinga.
"Art thou from the village, peasant boy?"
"I am, Your Highness," Case replied, unable to believe that he was actually talking with Tinga.
"Which way be it?"
A giant cart drawn by a packhorse approached creakily along the road.
"Right along the road, ma'am. T'won't take ye long to reach it, and there's a tavern where they would gladly give you shelter." Case had no idea why these words were coming out of his mouth.
"Good lad," said Tinga with a regal air. "Now run along home to your mother, peasant boy, before she does worry for your safety."
"Oh no!" cried Princess Brin in fear, pointing to where some human soldiers emerged onto the path. They ran to jump into the back of the cart.
Case let his breath escape. They were truly safe.
And just as they were taken to the safe haven of the village, he heard Brin's bewildered whisper to Tinga.
"Where did the boy go?"
* * *
DISCLAIMER: 'Dark Angel' belongs to Fox and James Cameron. Not me. So don't sue.
NOTE: OK, I have a couple of notes for you all. Firstly, I would like to personally thank dleep for pointing out the discrepancy that Case fell asleep at school and woke up at home. I was very tired when I finished off Chapter Three and didn't notice that. I have edited it so that Case wakes up in the same place. Sorry, everyone!
Also, I am sorry I have not stuck to the actual '09 escape flashback in one way. Of course, there are lots of ways I haven't stuck to it in order to transfer the setting from 2009 Wyoming to a nameless medieval land, like the fact that the children are carrying weapons, or the Blue FAERIE, or the fact that they escaped through a door instead of a window.
The one that I am actually apologising for is the fact that Eva does her whole heroic little speech thing before leading her siblings from the tower. I actually paraphrased her line (which, for all you people who can't be stuffed scrolling up, is, "Let all those who hate this place and want their freedom take up their weapons and follow me! Follow me!") from a line by Joan of Arc in the film 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'. You see, I really like that film and I see Eva as a sort of Joan of Arc-y figure in this fic. The actual line, which I've got off IMDB so don't blame me if it's wrong, is, "This morning God gave us a great victory, but it is nothing compared to what he is ready to give us now. I know you are all tired and hungry, but I swear to you that even if these English were hanging from the clouds by their fingertips we would pull them down before nightfall. Now let all those who love me... follow me! Follow me!"
Thank you to all of you who have a) ploughed through all these insipid author's notes and/or b) reviewed this fic. You rule!