Chapter: Four
Title: Come Forth My Children!
Author: Zelli
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Suffice to say, Zelli hadn't quite anticipated the potential of being suspending in mid-air. And while floating roughly twelve feet off the ground was pretty fun, there were other matters at hand that Zelli wished to deal with, namely her duels with Will and Harry. Now... where was her wand?
Zelli fumbled with the side seam of her tunic for a few seconds before she finally located the slender column of wood that was her wand. 13 inches of rowan wood with an oak handle with thorn inlays. (Thorn wood, not poky thorns.) The core of the wand was a tail feather from the phoenix of Zelli's old mentor, the only feather that noble phoenix ever gave. A ring of small focusing crystals of deep purple was inlaid at the top of the handle, causing a flash of lavender light as Zelli gave the wand a decisive flick. A beam of golden and purple sparkles shot from the end of the wand and struck the top of the tallest tower of Zelli's castle.
Oh, Eru...
Zelli cast a smirk at Tanni. Oh, yes, the Rohirrim queen knew what was coming. With Tanni momentarily distracted, Zelli struck out at the power holding her up in the air with her own Force. Force canceled Force and Zelli began to descend back to the ground with an acceleration of -9.8 m/s². AKA, she started to fall. But it was only a twelve-foot drop, easily survived. With a second flick of her wand, this one almost casual and nonchalant, Zelli slowed her decent and landed gracefully on her feet. Raising her arms, she presented the army that was gathering behind her.
"Behold, my minions, my children!"
The timing was perfect. The moment the spell had struck the point of the tower a call had run through the castle itself, calling Zelli's minions to come protect their mistress. From the depths of her castle the came, marching in ranks 100 wide and 25 deep, the bright sunlight glistening on their dull white backs.
A collective gasp run through the eored. This group of soldiers had seen many armies, both fair and as ugly as something from the underside of a rock. But nothing like the one that was gathering now behind the young magess. Finally one rider snickered.
"Spoons? Her army's a bunch of spoons?!"
Tanni snapper around and glared at the rider. Under his queen's gaze he quelled and sank into his saddle. "Never underestimate a magess," Tanni rebuked, "Especially this one, Gilligan. She's a -insert highly unflattering elvish and Rohirrim words here- and in her hands the simplest things become dangerous weapons." Snapping back around, Tanni started to regret bringing this particular rider with her. He was young and rather inexperienced, though he certainly attempted to make up for these in battle spirit.
Steel yourselves Eorlings," Tanni said as she drew forth her sword Gwaelindë. At the same time, Zelli tucked her wand away and snapped her own sword into her right hand. And while it appeared that the sword was much too large for such a person to wield, Zelli held her sword in much the same way she had her light saber. The blade was of fine elvish workmanship and sharp enough to mark stone and not dull. The golden pommel was set with a bright purple stone and elvish runes running up and down the blade marked it as a spell-casting sword. In the books of lore this sword was known as "Binder" for many fell creatures had been defeated and bound with its powers. But when Zelli had received the sword from her mentor, she had dubbed it "Elennar" or "star-fire," for in battle it would shine with the blaze of a star.
Both women raised their swords at the same instant. In sync, they leveled them at the other and roared, "CHARGE!!!" Like two waves clashing in the midst of a storm, the eored and the spoon minions met in mighty battle.