Disclaimer: You know it already. So bite me.
A/N: Will you invisible readers out there every make yourself known? All you have to do is press that liiiiiiiiiiittttttttleeeeeeeee button way down there... Thanks!
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The Colonel watched as Consellariel slowly picked up the tiny bronze key, fingering it before slipping it into her tunic pocket, and the annoying voice that was his conscience perking up again.
'That is it, 'Atce. There goes your last hope of ever getting Daleria out of there until this whole event has blown over. Good for you. I'll see you in the after life, shall I?'
Strongly and angrily willing the voice to simply disappear in the ways that voices in one's head disappear, the colonel raised an eyebrow at the badger lady, asking as calmly as he could ask right then, thanking his years of training as his voice came out steadily enough.
'So when are you going to let the blinkin gel out of there, marm?'
Consellariel looked him over again, this time rather shrewdly, as if pondering over something related to him that she could not quite put her paw on. The colonel stiffened slightly, but did not show any other signs of tenseness. Seasons of training had made him cover over that area, and being the colonel was not a task that let emotions get into the way easily. This was one of the times that emotions did decided to place it's annoying head into, therefore resulting in this mayhem that had ensured. Consellariel shook her large head slowly, letting out a grim and humourless chuckle, her eyes still on him.
'You wish that it was not you who had to do that, didn't you, colonel? You wish that it was not you that was placed upon this errand? I see it all to clearly. You have always been a hare acting on righteousness, haven't you, Rapieratce? You follow my orders, but anything under your power, you make sure gets carried out in a way that is morally correct, am I right? I have never, ever seen you do anything that resulted in any single one of your fellow Long Patrollers getting into trouble if they did not deserve it. You have reported a fair share of feisty youngsters, I know, but when it came down to those few certain situations that toyed on the brink of emotion, you gave in, did you not? Your heart has always gone out to those less fortunate than yourself, those who were confused, lost, or simply felt strange in this environment. Yet you know and understand that this is a situation that results in sacrifices, do you not? Was is not what you were brought up to believe, straight back from when you were only a patroller?'
Rapieratce nodded stiffly, eyes ahead, not looking at the badger lady at all. He refused to, knowing that every word coming out of her mouth was true. Which made matters even more difficult for him.
'You know that at times like this when all is at risk that sacrificed have to be made, don't you? Well right now, we cannot let Daleria endanger us all by leaving the mountain. It would give the vermin at our doorstep another reason to attack, another victory to their side. They already have 5 hostages. All ours. We need not make that number six. Daleria is going to stay in there until this WHOLE thing has blown over, colonel. You may not like it, I may not like it, Daleria may not like it for all I care. All I know is that matters that involve anybeast else beyond Daleria, especially a whole mountain, will directly come into my hands, whether any other beast on this mountain likes it or not. I cannot shun from this duty, and you cannot shun your orders from me, do I make that clear?'
Still keeping his eyes ahead, the colonel nodded again.
'You that if anything that gets Daleria out of those cellars involves you, consequences will apply. I will not be holding back on that either. You know what would happen, colonel, so do not make it happen. I know you understand this. I know very well. You just do not like giving others no chance in changing. Daleria will not change, not unless she has been forced to the edge. She is a fighter, in more ways than one, so do not try to change that.'
Rapieratce did not say anything, only nodding silently again, his jaw clenched tight. Consellariel looked at him again, before waving her paw.
'At ease. If you stand like that any longer, I swear you will start rooting to the ground.'
Taking up a more comfortable position, he waited as Consellariel went on with a heavy sigh as she dropped down onto the ledge seat.
'I am not usually like this, you know. Of course you know, you've been in this mountain quite long enough. This is just one of the rare times that I have to push my authority. Too much is at stake here to lose in a careless move or act. It must be stopped. The ongoings between Daleria's family is almost too far gone with her. She is on the edge. Who knows what she would do if let loose? You have seen her fight at those times, colonel. You know that she goes into a mad rage. She must not be let to be able to hurt herself. This is simply to make sure that she cannot do any silly thing such as throwing herself away again. I care for every single hare on this mountain, and Daleria is no exception. I only hope that she understands... She is hot headed, verily so, almost to the point where she does not listen to advice. But she is not fool. She will come to her senses in time... But how long will this take?'
Silently, Rapieratce thought to himself.
I wish we both knew the answers to that blinkin question, marm. If we only did...
Burying her head in her paw, the badger lady of Salamandastron looked in great distress.
'I simply do not want to hurt her...'
'Nobeast wants to willingly hurt another beast that is not in the wrong, marm.'
'I suppose that you are right... But Daleria is so strikingly different from nearly everybeast. They way she thinks, the way she holds herself... Her emotions get rather tangled, and the wounds she has taken are still raw. I fear the I am doing nothing but rubbing salt into them...'
'You only do the thing that seems jolly well right, marm, and this is no blinkin exception. She will come to terms with it.'
Shaking her head wearily, Consellariel waved her free paw at Rapieratce, allowing him leave.
'I have kept you long enough. The next drilling is in three hours. Remora is taking a break from this one. You take over. But I still want you to keep a eye on Daleria. I do not want her already frail condition to worsen any more than it has to.
Rapieratce nodded silently before
saluting and taking his leave. He too was hoping dearly that Daleria would
come to terms with the idea that she was only in the cellars for her own
good. But he felt that, somehow or another, she never really had ever come
to terms with anything that she didn't want to. And this would not make
an exception at all. Far from it. This was the root of her very problem.
Sighing, he turned to go to his own dormitories to prepare for the training,
and maybe a visit to her down below.
