Title: The Forgotten Shall Rise
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG 13
Pairing: Not telling (But it's not K/N, or is it?)
Summary: Keladry finds herself trapped between the threat from Scanra
and Galla. When New Hope is attacked, and devastated, she can't even ride off
to rescue her people, because this time, they were all killed. When she does
something both crazy and extremely stupid, she is ordered away from the
battlefield. A squad of the King's Own is to accompany her on the long ride
back to Corus. But something unexpected is thrown their way. Besides the
obvious, that she wasn't going to go without a fight. Thrown into the lies and
deceptions of everyday life, Keladry has to fight for what she believes in, and
a way back to the front line.
- - - - -
Chapter Title: Blood in the Wind
- - - - -
Death and destruction were everywhere. Bodies and blood were discarded over
everything. The bodies had been scavenged on. Stormwings had come and gone, signifying
what Keladry had already known, they had attacked soon after she had left. It
also confirmed that no one had survived. They would have heard of it much, much
sooner. It was hard not to just throw herself to the ground and scream like a
child.
She walked around her trashed home wordlessly, silently taking it all in, the
identities of the bodies, the animals, the supplies everywhere. She picked her
way into the healers' area and took a deep breath. The ill or injured lay
murdered in their beds, given no warning, and no way to fight back.
She paused to cover the faces of those who were still exposed. As she passed
through the door, she thought her legs would give out. There, in a cradle next
to the door, a baby was pinned down with a spear through its belly. Kel lurched
out the door and vomited into the flowerpot holding dead flowers next to her.
She grasped onto the rough wooden edges and bit her lip sharply.
They were all dead, not one had escaped, or been taken.
Keladry squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the painful memories, and the
persistent tears. It wouldn't do to cry now. That would just bring people to
her, and she really and truly needed to be alone right now. Taking a few
calming breaths, she readied herself to walk into Headquarters. Knowing what
awaited her there was almost as bad as it being a surprise.
She shifted the broken door aside and stepped over the body of a refugee she
hadn't know particularly well, but still mourned for. She walked up the
bloodstained stairs and prepared herself for the worst.
Whatever it was she prepared for, it wasn't this.
In her room, Tobe lay slumped against the wall beneath the window, nothing to
show how he had been slaughtered, only that he had been killed, and that there
was nothing she could do. Nothing. His face was stark white, matching the walls
of her room. What angered and disturbed her most though, was the message. On
the wall, written in blood she gathered to be Tobe's, was a message to her.
Lady Knight,
You aren't so strong now are you?
We are waiting.
When your armies come we shall tear them apart.
Just like we tore apart your little heart.
We shall conquer.
Keladry fell to her knees on the floor. She stared at the crimson message on
the wall, and felt rage taking over her. Keladry stood up and stared at Tobe
for a minute. "I'm sorry." She whispered. She grabbed her axe from
her weapons belt and hurled it at the door, screaming her fury. It buried
itself deep, too deep for her to pull it out.
That brought Neal running.
When he saw her room he walked over to her and put his arms around her.
"Oh Kel, I'm so sorry." For once, he seemed able to be serious, maybe
it was because he knew. Knew that she would quite literally kill him if he
cracked a joke.
"All of them Neal. Every single last one of them!" Keladry finally
let the tears fall, soaking through Neal's new white shirt. Neal listened in
shock, not from the news, he already knew, he had seen it himself as he walked
through the ruins of New Hope, but from the fact that Keladry of Mindelan had
finally dropped her mask, and was allowing the world to see the inside.
As if she had heard his thoughts, Keladry straightened up and blinked the tears
from her eyes. "I'm going back to Mastiff."
"No-"
Neal stopped. She would do as she liked, no matter what he said. And maybe it
would be good for here to be away from memories such as this. And he didn't
have to worry about her running off, because there was no one for her to run
off after. "Go." He said quietly. "Before they notice. I'll
stall for you."
Keladry looked at him curiously, and nodded. She paused to consider something,
there would be people all over the place in the Headquarters, she would be
bound to run into someone there, or if not there, somewhere in New Hope. Making
a quick decision she prayed to the gods for luck, and lowered herself out of
the window.
"Gods all bless."
Keladry thought she heard a voice in the wind, but couldn't be sure. It didn't
really matter anyways. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do when she
reached Mastiff, but she was beyond caring. She climbed quickly down, eyes shut
tightly. Just because she wasn't afraid of heights didn't mean she liked them.
A light wind ruffled her clothes. The sound reminded her of the women of New
Hope setting their wash out to dry. She bit her lip again, and commanded
herself not to think. It wouldn't do to be overcome with grief again and fall
off the wall, especially after she had managed to cure her fear of heights. She
took a deep breath, and nearly lost her hold on the wall. The smell of old
blood flooded her mind, and she fell.
Luckily, it wasn't all that far to fall. Only a few feet, maybe seven. Kel
rolled on impact and stood up, unharmed but for a bruise on her shoulder and a
splinter in her palm. Teeth clenched, she pulled out the splinter and snuck up
behind the soldier holding her horse.
Thanking the gods that Neal had bored her with anatomy when they were younger, Kel
pinched a nerve on the soldier's neck, and he dropped like a stone. With a grim
smile, Kel swung up onto Peachblossom with none the wiser, except for Jump,
Nari, Arrow, and Quicksilver. "No, you all are staying here.
Understand?"
Giving them no time to follow, she spun Peachblossom. "Charge." By
this point she was beyond caring if anyone saw her, she just wanted to be away
from New Hope, away from the destruction. She raced as if she believed the wind
would strip away her troubles and cast them out.
There was quite away to go until she would reach Fort Mastiff, but she hadn't
any idea what she was going to tell them, and what they would do to her. One
thing was certain though. She couldn't afford to drop her mask again. Dangerous
things happened when she did, and she wasn't going to give anything, or anyone
a chance to hurt her, or anyone around her. So really there was only one thing
she could do. Maybe some would be hurt by it, but it was the only real solution
left for her. She just hoped no one would find out until it was too late,
because she didn't think she could live with the shame it would bring.