Tilst Shall be Avenged
Disclaimer: Same as before. I was afflicted with a case of writer's block.
FireStar - Thanks for that suggested chunk of dialogue...
Miranda stared for a moment at Halb. Finding it hard to believe that he could have stood by or
worst participated in such a violent retribution she asked, "What happened after?"
"We wreaked a terrible vengeance upon the people of Tilst." Halb replied, "We burned the
city, looted buildings, and put many inhabitants to the sword. I only punished those directly
responsible, but my actions that day lead our commanders to take an even more horrific revenge."
As Halb spoke, he remembered the many peasants hanged, the screams of women being
raped by the Dozarian mercenaries serving in two battalions under the Knight of Baden. He'd
tried everything to convince the Duke of Parmas to spare the town of Tilst from the heavy hand
of destruction the army of Parmas was wreaking upon her, but it was for the naught.
Halb watched as the Duke hummed a musical tune as Tilst burned before them. His thin lips
were curled back with an evil smile. His blonde hair was swept by the wind as he sat astride his
mount.
"Milord, 'twas not a necessary act to burn the city of Tilst…" Halb replied.
"Halb?" Miranda asked, as they stood in the Land pavilion.
"Yes." Halb replied, blinking his eyes, still smelling the smoke, still hearing the screams, still
seeing an entire town of three thousand people ravaged and destroyed. His sword's blade was
reversed because of this.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg. After a long siege and bloody, the city of Steinchroe
fell and the forces under the Duke of Parmas sacked the city. Two battalions of Dozarians
followed by the rest of the army of Parmas went on a rampant looting spree. What followed
were acts of brutality and barbarity. It was there where Halb earned the title the Butcher of
Steinchroe, for a surrendering remnant was given no quarter by his men and by Halb himself.
Miranda's eyes lit up with realization just as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, "Halb... are
you... You were the Butcher of Steinchroe!"
"Aye, Milady." Halb replied, he did not bow his head, but stood with the same pride his noble
breeding had conferred upon him, "Tis the reason for my reversed blade sword, and for my
vow never again to take another life."
Miranda was taken aback, "Halb... I don't know what to say."
"You may wish that I depart from you, now that you know the truth about who I am." Halb
said, solemnly, his eyes downcast, "You have only to say the word and I will be gone. I will not
blame you, for I deserve no better."
Miranda put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips, the expression on her face literally saying in
gestures what she said next. "Halb, are you kidding? You saved my life less than ten minutes
ago! From the start you have been as true and loyal a friend as I could ask for, and if you think
I would disregard all of that because of what you did years ago, what I know you wish with all
your heart you could undo, then you obviously don't know me very well."
Halb replied, "I'm sorry I underestimated you, Miranda Wright of United States, for it seems
that The Butcher of Steinchroe has finally found a true friend."
Miranda walked closer to Halb, putting an arm around his shoulder, "I do not know the
Butcher of Steinchroe, I know only Halb of Parmas, who has risked his life more times than I
can count fighting the Heartless and defending the rest of the survivors, who has acted with
honor and respect, but never backed down from a battle where innocent lives are in jeopardy,
who has promised to help me resque my nephew, and who I now vow to aid and protect in any
way I can untill I have won back our worlds or died trying."
Halb replied, looking Miranda squarely in the eye, "As long as there is a breath in me, I will do
everything in my power to keep that from happening."
Miranda blushed, she'd never met a man as devoted as Halb. "Besides, both of our worlds are
counting on us! We are in this together, no matter what."
"See Morerro," Lilith Duprave said, "The Butcher of Steinchroe delivered into your capable
sights. Your brother shall be avenged…"
"The people of Tilst shall be avenged…" Morerro said, his eyes taking the faraway look they
always had.
After the young huntsman had gone, Lilith said to Blacknbloo, "The moment he's killed Halb,
kill the whiney little brat."
Two squads of Seabase Alpha's militia had taken positions around and inside Spaceship Earth.
Johann and Nani were still on the Innovention's rooftops picking off Heartless that marched in
large numbers towards Spaceship Earth.
Johann fired his arquebus again, sending another Soldier Heartless flying backwards into the
ranks of its fellows. The withering fire from the militiamen added more dead Heartless to the
pile.
"Why do they keep attacking this place?" Johann asked Nani, "No matter how many of them
we kill, they keep returning."
"It's because of that door, the Heartless sense that's the heart of the world. If it isn't locked, the
Heartless will consume this world." Nani said, sadly, "Like they did with mine."
Johann fired his jaeger rifle, splitting apart the skull of a Large Body Heartless. Still the
Heartless kept coming, despite losing many of their number to the accurate fire of Johann's rifles
or the militiamen's determined defense.
"Halb..." Miranda began to say, when suddenly bands of Heartless leaped from the various
theaters on the upper level of the Land pavilion.
Halb drew his reversed blade sword and began to engage three Bandits simultaneously. He
parried the slashing blows of the first two, and then parried the second. The Bandits appeared
to have Halb backed against a wall, his nobleman's sword drawn, facing no particular attacker.
It appeared the Bandits were at an advantage, but Halb knew he was the one advantaged in this
fight. He ducked under the swing of one Bandit then bashed the creature underneath the chin
with the hilt of his sword. He spun around faster than anyone had seen a man move and struck
the second on the side of the neck with the reversed blade of his sword. Had the blade been
turned forward the Heartless would have been decapitated. Halb spun the other way, and
struck the third Heartless on its sword arm with all his might. The creature dropped its sword,
and staggered from the fight.
Miranda felt a slight imbalance and before she knew it she tumbled down the stairs. She felt a
sharp pain in her wrist. As she tried to stand she felt a blow to the back of her head and then
blackness claimed her.
"Where's Miranda?" Bonkers asked.
"Ask that of me later, for I've not seen her." Halb replied. He was currently fighting two Bandits with his reversed blade sword.
"Wait, three guys just carried her off…" Bonkers remarked.
"Watch out!" Halb shouted, he covered the two steps between himself and Bonkers with
lightning speed. Halb swung his reversed blade sword right into the throat of a looming Soldier
Heartless.
"We've gotta go after her!" Bonkers said.
"You needn't tell me twice…" Halb replied, following Bonkers down the stairs, whilst dueling
with the two Bandits all the way down. Halb managed to knock down one of the Heartless with
a blow to the stomach and head and barely managed to parry the next slash from the second
Heartless. He ducked and swung the reversed blade sword into the stomach of the second
Heartless.
They could see Miranda being carried off into the Living With the Land attraction. Bonkers
tapped his radio and said, "Cobra, we could use some help here, three guys just carried
Miranda off."
"We can't send help Bonkers, we're dealing with enough Heartless around Spaceship Earth as
is." Cobra replied.
"Oh that's just great. Two of us against a gun toting weirdo with a vendetta against you..."
Bonkers said, "And one of us no good in a fight."
"Tis not true, my friend." Halb replied, rubbing the toon's furry head, the way he'd seen
Miranda sometimes do, "We shall rescue Miranda, and you shall be a great help in doing so."
Bonkers brightened, "Bonkers D. Bobcat and the Butcher of Steinchroe on another whirlwind
adventure..."
At Halb's somber expression, Bonkers said, "Sorry, I meant Halb of Parmas."
Halb silently sheathed the reversed blade sword, "Oaths are not taken lightly, Bonkers. As you
know. My solemn vow was to never take life again..."
"Oh, but that vow shall be broken, swordsman of Parmas." Maleficent said. She held one of
the pages of the prophesy, one that Terroenza's followers had taken from one of Merlin's
couriers in EPCOT.
"Beware, Maleficent..." the enchanted mirror behind her spoke, "For the swordsman of Parmas
can reverse his blade for the sake of good."
"Then we must be sure that he reverses his blade for the sake of evil." Maleficent said,
sweeping her hand over the crystal ball, showing Morerro and his two comrades tying Miranda
to a chair.
Miranda winced as she felt the rope cut through her bad wrist. 'Sprained, not broken,
otherwise it'd hurt a hell of a lot more.' She thought.
"Why are you doing this?" Miranda asked.
"Thou shalt not be harmed, gentle lady." Morerro replied.
"She travels with the swordsman of Parmas, Morerro. Shall we not sample her charms then
end the harlot's life." One of the three said.
"Be still Moab, be still. The one who I wish to kill, The Butcher of Steinchroe, is he who shall
be killed. We shall let this woman free the moment the life of Parmas is ended." Morerro said,
"By my hand."
"He isn't the Butcher of Steinchroe anymore." Miranda began.
"Regret is no substitute for blood, gentle lady." Morerro replied, "He killed my brother, and my
brother's blood demands his blood. Tilst shall be avenged."
"Can't you see Halb regrets his actions." Miranda replied.
"Again, gentle lady, no regret can extinguish the flames that burned Tilst." Morerro replied.
Miranda could see the deep pain and hurt in the young man's eyes, but she could also see the
unreasoning hatred for revenge. She could see it was clouding his judgement. By subtle cues on
the part of Moab and the third fellow's actions as they carted her off down the river in their skiff
she could tell that they had no intention of letting Morerro live after he completed his deed of
vengeance. The leering attention the two gave her was disconcerting, but what was more so
disconcerting was the next conversation.
"After Morerro gets his vengeance, we shall collect the handsome reward that Lilith Duprave
promised us for her capture." Moab said, indicating Miranda.
"Perhaps we shall sample her charms first before doing so Moab." the third man, an older
fellow with a hooded cloak replied.
"That was my intent."
Miranda slowly inched a shard of glass she had hidden in her shirt sleeve and began cutting
away at the cord binding her wrists. As soon as the third fellow had left the room with Morerro
Miranda saw Moab leer at her and say, "Well perhaps I should do a bit of exploring first."
Miranda batted her eyelashes, "I'd like that..."
'Good, fall for the dumb blonde ploy like any other lackey's bound to do...' Miranda thought as
Moab moved closer. She scissored her long legs upward, kicking Moab under the chin,
stunning him and then with all the force she could muster she swung the chair into his face. From
what she saw, he wasn't breathing. She knew she shouldn't regret killing him, the man was
planning to rape her and turn her over to Lilith Duprave and God knows what hideous fate.
She snuck out of the wooden farm house where she was being held and jumped into the main
channel and started swimming. Miranda had been a champion swimmer in high school and even on the Toon Town beat she still swam three times a week. But she'd never attempted swimming
with a sprained wrist before. She hissed sharply as the pain shot through her hand, but the
adrenaline of the escape was overriding the pain.
Morerro watched her swim away. He wasn't going to shoot the swimming woman, for she
would lead him to the Butcher of Steinchroe and revenge.
"HALB!" Miranda shouted, as she swam towards the tour boat Bonkers and Halb had
commandered.
The two hauled Miranda into the boat and she barely breathed out her warning when a shot
just missed Halb. "Morerro of Tilst, if thou desires revenge, take thy best shot..." Halb said,
calmly standing to his full height, "But permit my companions safe passage."
"Halb, wait..." Miranda said.
"Be still, milady, I know what I must do." Halb replied.
Morerro was shocked. This wasn't the Butcher of Steinchroe he was expecting. Indeed, the
man standing to his full height in the tour boat may have once been the reviled villain, but there
was not a trace of the malice and cruelty in his eyes now.
"Take the shot Morerro." The older man said, "Tis a rare opportunity..."
"I - I cannot..." Morerro said, "For I cannot defeat the swordsman of Parmas. All I can do is
kill him. And no longer doth it captivate my interest."
"Noble Swordsman of Parmas." Morerro said, as he rose from his hiding place, "I shall not kill
thee. I can see now the Butcher of Steinchroe I have long hunted is dead."
Halb calmly said, "That he is, Morerro of Tilst."
"I permit thee safe passage, swordsman of Parmas." Morerro said, "For you have shown me
thou art truly contrite. I could kill thee, but that would not fulfill my aim of defeating the Butcher of Steinchroe..."
It was then that the hooded man leapt from hiding and stabbed a small, six inch knife into
Morerro's back and fled. The trio headed to Morerro's side.
"Who hath done this to thee, Morerro?" Halb asked.
"A courtier of Vasserbunde..." Morerro said as he died.
"Vasserbunde?" Halb asked.
"Isn't that Prince Nupraptor's city?" Miranda asked.
"Aye, Milady, but that means that Nupraptor has a traitor in his midst." Halb replied.
"Parmas is not dead, milord." Sir Ferguson said to Terroenza.
"Thou hath failed me, Ferguson, and you should know I suffer failure not..." Terroenza began,
drawing his own sword.
"Stay your sword, Terroenza." Maleficent began, "This could work to our advantage. Sir
Ferguson, a new task I have for you. Turn the swordsman of Parmas to our side by any means
possible. Any means."
TBC