Title: The Forgotten Shall Rise

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Rating: PG 13

Pairing: If you haven't gotten the hint yet, let me make it very obvious. I'm not telling.

Summary: The stories of several groups are colliding, and the results could be disastrous. A group of forgotten people are powering up and need Kel to complete their escape. The members Hall of Conservation are moving in on Alanna and her friends, with a deadly agenda. Sylvia and her band are drawing nearer to the Bridge of the Moon, and their path to the mortal realm. And now the Gods have been alerted to these happenings, and they don't like it. Can any of our heroes and heroines survive the battle that will cross three planes of existence, and involve gods, the elements, and a long forgotten race of warrior deities?

- - - - -

Chapter 11: Clipping Their Wings

- - - - -

"You'll write?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Kel was never one for teary goodbyes, but at times like this, she couldn't help it. Wyldon and Raoul had managed to get out of giving Aleck the complete tour of the fort. Dom and his squad were on their horses, waiting for her to finish her goodbyes, Sebastian was pouring over a map on the back of a bay mare, who didn't look impressed. Neal on Magewhisper, and Yuki on her chestnut mare Farasha, were beside Kel and Peachblossom, thanking Wyldon.

Kel had yet to mount, she was on her feet, Peachblossom's reins looped around her arm. Peachblossom himself had a pained expression on his wide face, as his head was being pulled forward. The arm with his reins on it was wrapped around Raoul.

At the last second, Kel had lost it. She had been composed as she said goodbye to Wyldon, and several men of the King's Own who had come to see them off, but when faced with parting ways with Raoul, she had broken down in tears.

Raoul looked rather uncomfortable, especially with Peachblossom's face so close to his own. In the four years he had spent in close quarters with the gelding, he had become wary of him, and rightly so. Carefully, he pried Kel off him and patted her arm awkwardly.

"It's alright Kel, you'll see me soon enough, Third Company is being given the winter off. Second is being sent out to give the new recruits a chance to experience battle. So far the only fights they have been involved with are with each other." He said kindly, before gently pushing her towards Peachblossom.

She went with out argument, only the tear tracks on her face displaying how upset she was by recent developments. As she mounted Peachblossom, the squad turned their mounts as one, and the gates opened.

Neal, Yuki, and Sebastian followed the soldiers, all wearing grim faces. Sebastian had rolled up his map and stored it a saddlebag. There was no time for anything but riding. There wouldn't be time until they reached the safety of the palace. And they weren't even sure it was safety.

Kel took up the rear. Peachblossom's large, dish like, hooves raised small clouds of dust as they passed through the gate.

With one final glance back at the fort, they set out. Away from safety, and away from civilization. They were on their own now, and it was up to them to keep her alive. There was only one question.

Could they do it?

- - - - -

In the capital, which this ragtag group had hoped would be their safe haven, Alanna was having other problems.

It seemed they had underestimated Lord Marakus.

It certainly wouldn't be a mistake they made twice, but it would be doubtful that they would ever have the chance. This may seem pessimistic, but people are generally allowed to be negative when they are chained in a cell in a dungeon of their own castle, or their king's castle, in Alanna and Gary's case.

He was smart, they had to give him that. The chains were specially made, with magic blocks in all three, just in case. It didn't seem to matter that Gary hadn't a trace of a magical Gift, they were just being paranoid.

And they had every right to, whoever they were. It is foolish not to be paranoid when you have chained your King, his Champion, and Prime Minister in a dungeon. What they hoped to accomplish with this, Alanna didn't know, and couldn't guess for the life of her.

Marakus had seemed slightly odd as they began their 'discussion' in one of the many conference rooms. She, Gary, and Jon had made it perfectly clear that the matter would be investigated, and every precaution would be taken. But he had refused to hear them.

What he had wanted was for them to revoke Keladry's knighthood, and to disallow any girl to become a page ever again. They had rejected the idea, obviously, but he had been expecting that.

It was then that four, very large guards entered the room, and Marakus himself took the pleasure of disarming the three while they were frozen by a magical working. Then they had been taken forcibly to where they rested now. Marakus had known they would never agree to his proposal, and he had planned for it. If he couldn't get them to agree, he could get rid of them.

But he clearly had forgotten one thing.

People would notice quite soon that the three most powerful people in the realm were missing, and a search would begin. The entire capital would be searched, along with every single inch of the palace. And then they would be in a great deal of trouble.

But who were they? Lord Marakus, yes, but who was helping him? It took more than just one man, or woman, to pull off something like this. It took more than just ten men even. Was it the Hall of Conservation? It didn't seem very conservative to chain up your leaders in a dark, dank, dungeon and plot to take control of the realm.

How could they even believe that they would be able to? Thayet was still alive and free, as well as Roald, they could both easily take Jon's place as ruler. There would be other Kings and Prime Ministers, and other Champions. What could they hope to accomplish?

Even as Gary started to stir in his chains, Alanna knew the answer. They wanted to get rid of her. And they would never be able to do that when Jon, Gary, or Raoul was around. They had either forgotten about Raoul, which was practically impossible, or were on their way to him while she just sat here, wallowing in self-pity.

- - - - -

"He has always been too noble for my liking. Imagine! Sending me to retrieve a mere mortal girl! The nerve of him, it's nearly unbelievable!" Sylvia said indignantly, hands making fierce chopping motions in the air. Her unflappable bay mare snorted in response, sensing her mistress's annoyance.

Sylvia and her band were picking their way through a bog in the southern region. As it was now, they would have to travel to the Bridge of the Moon to be able to traverse into the mortal realm. Their people's power was waning with the moon, to which they had been bound, but soon they would be free of its endless cycles. Soon the gates to the mortal realm would be open.

"Of all the selfish things he has done, this has got to be the worst. I get to fight my way through a swamp, while he gets to power up the Seven. Who died and made him King?"

"Sylvia! We think we might have located the girl!"

As the band rode on, Sylvia had set her three farscryers to searching through the parallel plane for the girl, Keladry of Mindelan. Now, she huffed a bit, before slowing her mare and waiting for the three to catch up.

She didn't understand why Emerish didn't just kill the Lady Knight. He had Marked her after all, and had accidentally nearly killed her. Just thinking suicidal thoughts near the parchment that bound her would cause her to act on them. Luckily, she had been saved by her world's healers, otherwise there would have been hell to pay.

Like as not, they needed the girl to free themselves. It was a rather depressing thing, that their freedom depended on a girl whose shield was still wet. But when she had expressed these feelings to Emerish, he had gotten rather snappy, his way of saying he agreed, but couldn't do squat about it.

It was rather funny, for all their magicks and power, that they had been bound here, and too the moon, by a, at the time, minor goddess. At first they had been able to fight it, but as the goddess grew older, and more powerful, so did the bonds she had placed on them. Emerish had confided in her, not two years ago, that the lowly goddess who had sentenced them to this place, was now perhaps the greatest of all gods, second only to her brother, Mithros.

As the farscryers leveled with Sylvia, the eldest of the three presented her with a map of Tortall, bearing a small white star that was moving ever so slowly, but steadily, towards the capital.

"She is traveling with at least thirteen others, including one squad of the King's Own, a healer knight, the healer's wife, and a mage. They left Fort Mastiff a week ago now, but still have several weeks to go until they reach the capital." The farscryer, Annin, traced the route the group would be taking, give or take a mile or two.

"We are due to reach the Bridge of the Moon in three days Sylvia, and they will be roughly here then." The second farscryer, Mavitch, pressed his finger against the map of Tortall, leaving a whisp for yellow fire where it had rested. "The area is perfect for an ambush, very rocky."

"Are we to take them all?" The third, Tomas, asked. A long sword was strapped to his side, and he fingered it restlessly as he spoke.

"We are." Sylvia confirmed, gazing at the map, planning a strategy of sorts. "Let us say there are fourteen of them, and seventeen of us, do you think we can overpower them?"

"Perhaps," Mavitch said. "It would depend on the circumstances. Our best chance would be to surprise them, preferably in the night, that gives us the upper hand. We scanned the area, and there is a small wood near the road. They will probably sleep in between the two, if we can hide in the wood, we should be able to sneak up on them. It's our best chance."

Sylvia nodded, the motion causing her dirty blond hair to fall forward into her face. With an impatient hand she wiped it away. "We'll wait here," She said, pointing to the wood on the map. "And then we'll have them."

- - - - -

"My lord! My lord! You must come at once!"

Raoul turned in his seat so that he was facing Flyndan. The captain was wide-eyed, and frantic. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Flyndan had called him away with apparently urgent messages almost every day this week. It was getting rather tiresome. Especially since the problems he displayed at catastrophic levels were always just silly misunderstandings, or trivial disagreements.

Nodding an apology to his lunch companions, he pushed his chair back and watched Flyndan's wince as the wooden floor creaked with cruel enjoyment. "What is it Captain?" He asked wearily.

"Well, you know how we have magical connections to every room that houses someone important or worrisome?"

"We do?" Raoul raised one eyebrow. "That's new."

"Sir! Would you please just stay focused for once? It's actually important this time!" Flyndan said indignantly.

"More important than Tamsing's boots ending up underneath the latrines? Oh fine, I'm listening." His first comment had brought a lovely purple shade in Flyndan's face, and Raoul had realized that if he wanted his Captain to survive the conversation, he would have to be serious.

"We heard Lord Aleck discussing the real reason he came here with a member of his entourage!"

"Yes, what is it?" Raoul asked, genuinely curious as to this 'real reason'. "I thought he came to get rid of Kel."

"Well, he came to get rid of someone, but that someone isn't Kel…" Flyndan said hesitantly, preparing himself for Raoul's reaction.

"Well who is it? If it's Neal, he's gone too. I suppose it's possible that he wants Sebastian, and I wouldn't exactly get in their way if he did, but he's gone too…" Raoul trailed off and looked at Flyndan expectant.

"Uh, er, it's you sir."

"I'm sorry?"

"He came to get you."

"Oh goddess…"

"Apparently the King is missing, as well as the Prime Minister, and they don't know about the Champion." Flyndan whispered, news like this would have disastrous effects on the soldiers. There was nothing more distracting then knowing your country quite possibly could by ruled by a knight in his mid twenties.

"What?!"

"Please, sir, you need to keep it down. The men cannot know of this. This is all we know, besides the fact that they have been missing for a week, they disappeared the day Keladry left." The Captain said, glancing around them for anyone who may have heard. Luckily, the soldiers were all too busy talking and eating. "Apparently the Hall of Conservation is behind all of this."

Abruptly all the noise disappeared, as though it was just an illusion.

From behind them, a crisp voice said, "That's quite enough Captain."