A/N: *sigh* Don't own CT. BUT...! Lyn, Shanda and Crabby are mine!!! Muahahaha!! Er...is that a good thing?
The Mystics attacked at dawn, a favorite time for surprise attacks throughout history. They weren't a large group, mainly Hench and a few Grimalkin, with a smattering of Free Lancers. But then, it was a very tiny town, barely a dozen houses huddled together, and with most of the fighting men in the army, there really wasn't anyone to give much resistance to the Mystics. Half a dozen boys who weren't old enough to join the army tried to stop the Mystics, but the Hench alone were quite able to handle them. No one else was foolish enough to fight, and the Grimalkin and Free Lancers caught those who ran. Before the sun was fully up, the town had been looted and torched, and the people were en route to the magic cave, and thence to Magus' castle.
The trip was hard, and fast, the Mystics pushing the prisoners hard, eager to leave the human lands. As the sun went down, the last of the group exited from the magic cave, and by moonrise the new slaves were in the pens, waiting to be assigned jobs, and still in shock from the speed of it all.
The next day there was a large crowd around the slave pens, different overseers eager to get first choice from the slim pickings. "Hey, d'ya gotta kill off all the boys? I need some strong slaves, not just weak women!" a blue Flunky called, disgruntled.
"Forget that, at least the women can cook! Or do you prefer field rations all the time?" a green Imp shouted back. "Oi, you!" she called to the slaves. "Can any y'all cook well? It's for the Generals, mind, and if you can't cook, you'll live to regret lying to me!" There was a long pause, then two of the women raised their hands, a mother and daughter. Both looked exhausted, brown eyes shadowed, brown hair dusty and limp. The slave master separated them from the rest, and the green imp walked over to inspect them. "Hum, yes…yes… Need a bit of a clean up, but you'll do. Follow me, and don't try wandering off!" She waddled toward the castle, and the women numbly followed. "Right, I'll get you a quick shower and breakfast, then you can go to the kitchens and start working on lunch. You can call me Crabapple, or Crabby for short. Who're you?"
"I'm Shanda, and my daughter is Lyn," the older woman answered in a low tone.
"Right then." Crabby turned and looked them over again, quickly, then headed off again. "She'll serve, you stay in the kitchen and do the main cooking, Shanda."
After a short, cold shower, a change of clothes, and some bread and cheese, the two women were brought to the kitchen, where Crabby soon set them to work, slicing last night's turkey and making plates of bread, cheese and meat. As soon as the plates were done, Crabby sent Lyn to serve with quick, hissed instructions.
Nervously, Lyn entered the dinning room, three plates balanced uneasily in her hands. The room was smaller than she'd expected, with only one table. The three generals were already there, and they didn't look too pleased.
"So you're saying that a raid on Porre is out?" the pink-haired woman asked, sounding rather disgruntled. "But why, Ozzie? I could do it easily! Just-"
The fat green imp interrupted her. "I said 'NO' Flea. Can't you understand? It's too risky."
"I agree, Flea. Anyway, we just took Allgetty. See?" the bald, purple Mystic said, pinching Lyn, who yelped and spilled the plates she was holding right into Flea's lap.
Flea jumped up and back, startled, as the bread, meat and cheese tumbled onto her, then she turned a murderous look on Lyn, who was quickly released by the purple guy. "Why you miserable human! How dare you drop food on me!?" Flea shrieked, gathering magical energy.
"I-I didn't mean to! He pinched me!" Lyn defended.
"Trying to blame Slash for your own mistake? That is unforgivable. I was just going to teach you a lesson, but now…" The Mystic smiled cruelly. "Now, I get to have some real fun."
Lyn wasn't sure what the woman meant, but she was sure it wouldn't be nice. It seemed a little too late to apologize, though, and running sounded even worse. So she did neither, instead standing straight-backed, waiting for whatever was coming. Flea loosed a bolt of black lightning, the crackling energies engulfing the human girl and pulling a tortured scream from her throat, which stopped abruptly. Satisfied, Flea cut the spell, smiling. Her smile quickly turned to a gasp of disbelief. The bolt had not killed Lyn as intended, charring her to oblivion. She was unconscious, but appeared otherwise unharmed. Shocked, Flea walked over to the girl and kicked her, then knelt to examine her. Disbelief multiplied itself on her face, and she reached for a container on her belt.
"I don't believe it! I've never seen any such thing…! If she can just be trained…" the magician muttered under her breath, pouring the contents of the bottle down Lyn's throat.
Ozzie and Slash watched in amazement, never having seen such humane behavior from Flea before. "Yo Flea, what are you doing? I though you wanted to kill her? What's with the potion?" Slash queried.
Flea ignored him, patting Lyn's cheeks and feeling her pulse. "BOY! Boy, don't just stand there! Get her to the small room in my quarters, and stay near her until she awakes. You know how to alert me when she does." As the Mystic spoke, a young, blue-haired man emerged from the shadows and lifted the girl.
"Yes, Lady," he murmured as he turned away. He swiftly followed Flea's orders, having to search a bit to find the room she had specified. There was already a narrow bed in the room, and the man placed Lyn upon it, seeming not to notice the filth of the bed, nor the narrow confines of the room. Having no place else to sit, he then perched uncertainly on the end of the bed, glad that Lyn was shorter than the bed.
* * *
Lyn's sleep was restless and tormented by nightmares. She woke with a start and found the young man still sitting on her bed. "You're up," he noted "Give me a moment." His red eyes unfocused and she could feel his attention going elsewhere. Lyn was silent as she looked around the very bare room. There wasn't anything to see beyond exposed stone walls and the young man. Finally she was unable to contain her curiosity.
"What happened?" she asked.
The man's eyes snapped back into focus, and she could feel the weight of his attention. He sighed slightly, then explained, "Flea tried to kill you, but somehow you survived. I think she's decided to take possession of you, to train you. She should be in soon."
Lyn blinked a few times trying to assimilate the information. "So who are you? And where am I now?"
"You're in Flea's rooms, off the main foyer. Here's some advice; keep quiet and keep your eyes open. The more you can learn that they don't teach you, the better off you'll be."
"But…who are you? I'm Lyn. There: I've told you my name. Now you tell me yours," she pressed.
The man's eyes flashed, and he smirked a little. "Things don't work like that here, Lyn. And you'll be lucky to keep that name. Still…" He trailed off, and when he spoke again his voice and manner were gentler. "Let us make an agreement. I shall keep your name, and you keep mine. That way who we are now cannot be wholly forgotten, no matter how they try. My name is Janus, though I suggest you not name me where they can hear. They seem not to like it."
Lyn nodded, brown eyes wide. "I-I think I understand. But-" She was cut off as the door opened violently and Flea strode in.
"Leave," she ordered. Janus bowed slightly and left, though Flea seemed not to notice. "So, girl… What am I to do with you? First you dump food all over me, and then you survive my black lightening, AND recover in far less time than an untrained human has any right to. I can leave you alive, or have some fun killing you slowly…but you'd probably prefer living…" She stopped and waited, finally seeming to get slightly annoyed. "Well…? What do you say, girl?"
"I-I'd kinda like to live…" Lyn stuttered, frightened of saying the wrong thing to the Mystic general.
Flea raised a brow. "Oh really? You like the idea of staying alive?" Lyn nodded mutely. "Then get out of that bed and give me a reason not to kill you!" she commanded, glaring at the human girl.
Lyn struggled to sit up, but fell back in exhaustion. Flea continued to glare as Lyn tried again, and again, until finally she had achieved a semi-vertical position. Taking a few moments to catch her breath caused the wizard's eyes to narrow, and Lyn quickly forced herself to a standing position. She swayed on her feet for a moment and then collapsed landing on the floor and scrapping herself on the bed. Flea sighed and rolled her eyes, looking heavenward.
"That all you got, girl? Oh well, it's time for me to get my beauty sleep anyway. You get off easy." Flea walked out and found Janus waiting, as she had mentally ordered him. She jerked her head back toward the room and went into her own room.
Lyn was starting to pull herself up when Janus came in. "Good job," he commented, picking her up and laying her in the bed without difficulty. "I think you actually managed to impress her."
"What makes you say that?" Lyn asked incredulously, after she got over the shock of suddenly being deposited in her bed.
"Because she didn't chew you out," the man replied, nearly smiling. "Also, she's letting you go to sleep before sunset. Take advantage of the luxury; tomorrow is going to be a very hard day. I have to go now; I still have work to do." Janus turned and left, leaving Lyn to ponder the day and her likely fate until she fell asleep.
A/N: Hi all! I know where I want to go with this story, I just need somebody to yell at me to finish! *hint hint* One question though...is this a Mary Sue?? Lyn will be the main chara, but she does NOT have it easy! And I plan not the change the game unless I truely have to. And no romance for Lyn unless you want it! You'll have to tell me! Anyway, this is Kd Zeal, signing off for now!
The Mystics attacked at dawn, a favorite time for surprise attacks throughout history. They weren't a large group, mainly Hench and a few Grimalkin, with a smattering of Free Lancers. But then, it was a very tiny town, barely a dozen houses huddled together, and with most of the fighting men in the army, there really wasn't anyone to give much resistance to the Mystics. Half a dozen boys who weren't old enough to join the army tried to stop the Mystics, but the Hench alone were quite able to handle them. No one else was foolish enough to fight, and the Grimalkin and Free Lancers caught those who ran. Before the sun was fully up, the town had been looted and torched, and the people were en route to the magic cave, and thence to Magus' castle.
The trip was hard, and fast, the Mystics pushing the prisoners hard, eager to leave the human lands. As the sun went down, the last of the group exited from the magic cave, and by moonrise the new slaves were in the pens, waiting to be assigned jobs, and still in shock from the speed of it all.
The next day there was a large crowd around the slave pens, different overseers eager to get first choice from the slim pickings. "Hey, d'ya gotta kill off all the boys? I need some strong slaves, not just weak women!" a blue Flunky called, disgruntled.
"Forget that, at least the women can cook! Or do you prefer field rations all the time?" a green Imp shouted back. "Oi, you!" she called to the slaves. "Can any y'all cook well? It's for the Generals, mind, and if you can't cook, you'll live to regret lying to me!" There was a long pause, then two of the women raised their hands, a mother and daughter. Both looked exhausted, brown eyes shadowed, brown hair dusty and limp. The slave master separated them from the rest, and the green imp walked over to inspect them. "Hum, yes…yes… Need a bit of a clean up, but you'll do. Follow me, and don't try wandering off!" She waddled toward the castle, and the women numbly followed. "Right, I'll get you a quick shower and breakfast, then you can go to the kitchens and start working on lunch. You can call me Crabapple, or Crabby for short. Who're you?"
"I'm Shanda, and my daughter is Lyn," the older woman answered in a low tone.
"Right then." Crabby turned and looked them over again, quickly, then headed off again. "She'll serve, you stay in the kitchen and do the main cooking, Shanda."
After a short, cold shower, a change of clothes, and some bread and cheese, the two women were brought to the kitchen, where Crabby soon set them to work, slicing last night's turkey and making plates of bread, cheese and meat. As soon as the plates were done, Crabby sent Lyn to serve with quick, hissed instructions.
Nervously, Lyn entered the dinning room, three plates balanced uneasily in her hands. The room was smaller than she'd expected, with only one table. The three generals were already there, and they didn't look too pleased.
"So you're saying that a raid on Porre is out?" the pink-haired woman asked, sounding rather disgruntled. "But why, Ozzie? I could do it easily! Just-"
The fat green imp interrupted her. "I said 'NO' Flea. Can't you understand? It's too risky."
"I agree, Flea. Anyway, we just took Allgetty. See?" the bald, purple Mystic said, pinching Lyn, who yelped and spilled the plates she was holding right into Flea's lap.
Flea jumped up and back, startled, as the bread, meat and cheese tumbled onto her, then she turned a murderous look on Lyn, who was quickly released by the purple guy. "Why you miserable human! How dare you drop food on me!?" Flea shrieked, gathering magical energy.
"I-I didn't mean to! He pinched me!" Lyn defended.
"Trying to blame Slash for your own mistake? That is unforgivable. I was just going to teach you a lesson, but now…" The Mystic smiled cruelly. "Now, I get to have some real fun."
Lyn wasn't sure what the woman meant, but she was sure it wouldn't be nice. It seemed a little too late to apologize, though, and running sounded even worse. So she did neither, instead standing straight-backed, waiting for whatever was coming. Flea loosed a bolt of black lightning, the crackling energies engulfing the human girl and pulling a tortured scream from her throat, which stopped abruptly. Satisfied, Flea cut the spell, smiling. Her smile quickly turned to a gasp of disbelief. The bolt had not killed Lyn as intended, charring her to oblivion. She was unconscious, but appeared otherwise unharmed. Shocked, Flea walked over to the girl and kicked her, then knelt to examine her. Disbelief multiplied itself on her face, and she reached for a container on her belt.
"I don't believe it! I've never seen any such thing…! If she can just be trained…" the magician muttered under her breath, pouring the contents of the bottle down Lyn's throat.
Ozzie and Slash watched in amazement, never having seen such humane behavior from Flea before. "Yo Flea, what are you doing? I though you wanted to kill her? What's with the potion?" Slash queried.
Flea ignored him, patting Lyn's cheeks and feeling her pulse. "BOY! Boy, don't just stand there! Get her to the small room in my quarters, and stay near her until she awakes. You know how to alert me when she does." As the Mystic spoke, a young, blue-haired man emerged from the shadows and lifted the girl.
"Yes, Lady," he murmured as he turned away. He swiftly followed Flea's orders, having to search a bit to find the room she had specified. There was already a narrow bed in the room, and the man placed Lyn upon it, seeming not to notice the filth of the bed, nor the narrow confines of the room. Having no place else to sit, he then perched uncertainly on the end of the bed, glad that Lyn was shorter than the bed.
* * *
Lyn's sleep was restless and tormented by nightmares. She woke with a start and found the young man still sitting on her bed. "You're up," he noted "Give me a moment." His red eyes unfocused and she could feel his attention going elsewhere. Lyn was silent as she looked around the very bare room. There wasn't anything to see beyond exposed stone walls and the young man. Finally she was unable to contain her curiosity.
"What happened?" she asked.
The man's eyes snapped back into focus, and she could feel the weight of his attention. He sighed slightly, then explained, "Flea tried to kill you, but somehow you survived. I think she's decided to take possession of you, to train you. She should be in soon."
Lyn blinked a few times trying to assimilate the information. "So who are you? And where am I now?"
"You're in Flea's rooms, off the main foyer. Here's some advice; keep quiet and keep your eyes open. The more you can learn that they don't teach you, the better off you'll be."
"But…who are you? I'm Lyn. There: I've told you my name. Now you tell me yours," she pressed.
The man's eyes flashed, and he smirked a little. "Things don't work like that here, Lyn. And you'll be lucky to keep that name. Still…" He trailed off, and when he spoke again his voice and manner were gentler. "Let us make an agreement. I shall keep your name, and you keep mine. That way who we are now cannot be wholly forgotten, no matter how they try. My name is Janus, though I suggest you not name me where they can hear. They seem not to like it."
Lyn nodded, brown eyes wide. "I-I think I understand. But-" She was cut off as the door opened violently and Flea strode in.
"Leave," she ordered. Janus bowed slightly and left, though Flea seemed not to notice. "So, girl… What am I to do with you? First you dump food all over me, and then you survive my black lightening, AND recover in far less time than an untrained human has any right to. I can leave you alive, or have some fun killing you slowly…but you'd probably prefer living…" She stopped and waited, finally seeming to get slightly annoyed. "Well…? What do you say, girl?"
"I-I'd kinda like to live…" Lyn stuttered, frightened of saying the wrong thing to the Mystic general.
Flea raised a brow. "Oh really? You like the idea of staying alive?" Lyn nodded mutely. "Then get out of that bed and give me a reason not to kill you!" she commanded, glaring at the human girl.
Lyn struggled to sit up, but fell back in exhaustion. Flea continued to glare as Lyn tried again, and again, until finally she had achieved a semi-vertical position. Taking a few moments to catch her breath caused the wizard's eyes to narrow, and Lyn quickly forced herself to a standing position. She swayed on her feet for a moment and then collapsed landing on the floor and scrapping herself on the bed. Flea sighed and rolled her eyes, looking heavenward.
"That all you got, girl? Oh well, it's time for me to get my beauty sleep anyway. You get off easy." Flea walked out and found Janus waiting, as she had mentally ordered him. She jerked her head back toward the room and went into her own room.
Lyn was starting to pull herself up when Janus came in. "Good job," he commented, picking her up and laying her in the bed without difficulty. "I think you actually managed to impress her."
"What makes you say that?" Lyn asked incredulously, after she got over the shock of suddenly being deposited in her bed.
"Because she didn't chew you out," the man replied, nearly smiling. "Also, she's letting you go to sleep before sunset. Take advantage of the luxury; tomorrow is going to be a very hard day. I have to go now; I still have work to do." Janus turned and left, leaving Lyn to ponder the day and her likely fate until she fell asleep.
A/N: Hi all! I know where I want to go with this story, I just need somebody to yell at me to finish! *hint hint* One question though...is this a Mary Sue?? Lyn will be the main chara, but she does NOT have it easy! And I plan not the change the game unless I truely have to. And no romance for Lyn unless you want it! You'll have to tell me! Anyway, this is Kd Zeal, signing off for now!
