The two night guards stood on the Keep side of the great bridge as they saw a small coach being pulled by a pair of horses enter the bridge on the far side. One of the guards stepped out blocking the road on into town. The horses trod across the bridge. The driver pulled gently back on the reins even as his foot pushed down on the mechanical brake causing the coach to slow to a stop as they came off the of bridge.
The other guard stepped up as the one blocking the road walked down the other side examining the horses and coach as he moved.
"Good evening. Welcome to the lands of Scorpion Keep. How can I assist you?" The other guard asked even as his eyes probed the man and what he could see of the coach.
The man smiled down at him.
"Good evening. I am Simon and I have information I need to give to Lord Walter and his bride." Simon told him politely.
The guard nodded as he saw his partner come around the back of the coach.
"May we look inside of the coach? Is there anyone or anything we should be concerned with?" The guard asked as his partner stopped at the door.
Simon smiled and shook his head.
"Just my worldly goods, nothing dangerous and no one traveling with me, so be my guest. Just, it is a tad messy. Living in such a small space is like that sometimes." Simon told him.
The guard nodded and his partner opened the coach door and looked about the clutter within. He moved a few things and then leaned back out and closed the door and nodded.
The other guard looked up at Simon.
"I'm not sure if anyone is available at the Keep right now but we do have two inns available and you could go up in the morning." The guard told him.
Simon shook his head a little.
"My coin is a little low at the moment. Is there by chance a place I could camp at? I can move back across the bridge if not." Simon told him.
The guard nodded and pointed to a road that followed along the stream to the south east.
"Follow this road about three hundred yards. You'll come to a general camping area. I don't believe anyone is there so it should be quiet. There is an outhouse there and if you have fishing gear you are welcome to test the waters." The guard told Simon with a smile.
Simon grinned.
"I thank you good sir." Simon said as he slapped the reins and let off the brake as the horses began moving.
The guard stepped over to a small podium beside the guard shack and wrote a note and then rolled it up. His partner pulled a pigeon out of the pen and he quickly attached it to the leg and his partner tossed the bird up into the air and the bird shot off into the night towards the Keep.
Raynold sat in his living room sharing a drink with Amanda.
The couple had been spending more and more time together since the Lord and Lady Paige had returned from the mission to Wheeler's Ridge and now three months since the twins were born they were spending almost every minute that they weren't required by Keep business or medical issue together.
Raynold groaned as they heard a knock on his door. He rolled his eyes as he untangled himself from Amanda and adjusted his robe and walked to the door. He flipped the lock and opened the door and a guard was standing there holding a small piece of rolled paper.
"My apologies Raynold, the guards at the bridge sent a message up to the Keep." The guard waited until Raynold took the note before he turned and left.
Raynold sighed as he closed and then locked the door back. He unrolled the piece of paper and began reading it.
"Apparently someone named Simon has arrived requesting a meeting with the Lord and Lady." Raynold said out loud as he moved back over towards the couch.
"Does this mean you have to leave me now?" Amanda asked pointedly.
Raynold smiled and shook his head.
"The guards directed him to the camp ground to await the morrow." Raynold told her as he sat back down after pouring them both another drink.
Amanda smiled and half curled up beside him.
"Good, I was going to be very upset if something took you from me again Ray." Amanda told him even as they both shared a sip of their drinks.
Megan lay next to Sylvester, both of them breathing hard. She looked at Sylvester and smiled even as she half rolled towards him and kissed him tenderly.
"For someone who has never known the act of love Sylvester you are very talented." Megan finally confessed something she had been thinking since their first time together two nights before her brother's state wedding to Paige.
Sylvester smiled even as he breathed hard.
"Well, remember me telling you my library was all books of knowledge? Some of those books go quite in depth in how to please a woman. I would say that while the information appears quite correct, the application of that knowledge is a good bit different from the way it is described in the books." Sylvester told her.
Megan grinned.
"Well I'm not complaining. You do it so well." Megan kissed him again. "I hope you weren't disappointed I wasn't a virgin."
Sylvester shook his head.
"Not in the least. And your experience has certainly seemed to increase my pleasure in the acts." Sylvester told her as his hand ran down her side.
Megan giggled.
"Boy would Father be upset if he knew the truth. But we do need to have a conversation Sylvester." Megan told him ending on a serious note.
Sylvester frowned.
"Of course, what do we need to discuss?" Sylvester asked softly, but with resolve.
"We've been having a lot of fun Sylvester and fun is good. But I think it is time I start thinking about moving on if you aren't ready to consider building a life with me beyond fun. I told you I want to have children Sylvester. And while I know children can happen without marriage there are other things to consider. My brother's reputation for one as well as I don't want to just have kids. I want a family." Megan told him.
She saw his eyes open wide and Sylvester was breathing a bit faster than he already was and she smiled.
"Relax Sylvester I didn't mean you had to propose this very minute, but I don't want to wait too much longer. I already know I fancy you far more than anyone else I've met in a very long time. So for me, I'm moving past just having fun with you." Megan told him as she kissed his cheek.
Sylvester nodded.
"I understand Megan. And I would be remised if I didn't tell you the truth. I too have been moving past just having fun with you. That is if I ever really felt that way. I suppose I should ask your Father first." Sylvester told her.
"If you feel the need to do that that is fine with me." Megan said as she snuggled against him.
Lord Walter rose early and after checking on the twins sleeping soundly in the room that was once his wife's dressing room he took a moment to caress Selase. He dressed in his leathers and stepped out into the living space with his sword and shield. He walked out on the balcony and looked down at the inner courtyard over forty feet below him.
He smiled as he leaped over the banister of the balcony and began falling. His imposingly muscled arm reached out as he fell and his fingers dug into the wall of the keep and he felt the pressure as friction started building. His fingers were beginning to sting as the flesh was heated by the friction but his descent was slowing. He forced his fingers to dig in tighter against the stone and he slowed more as his action forced his foot towards the wall and he pushed his boot against the stone adding more friction. Until his other foot kissed the ground at just under ten miles per hour. He tucked and rolled before he sprung up from the ground instantly on impact.
While in mid air he drew his massive two handed sword and brought his shield around and he struck at the battle dummy before him as he landed. The sword sliced clean through the neck of the dummy even as he spun on his heel. The mechanical action of striking the first dummy had caused the second dummy to spin on its axis and forced its weapon to strike and he intercepted it with his shield.
Walter's arm swung his sword and sliced through the dummy's arm that held the weapon. The sound of the steel weapon striking the granite stone beneath the dummy echoed about the courtyard. Walter followed the strike with his shield. As the shield struck the dummy it broke free of its mounting pole and fell backwards.
This action trigger six crossbows and they fired their bolts. Walter moved with fluid ease as he slipped out of the path of the bolts and his sword arm came down and sliced through all six bolts.
His eyes opened wide as he realized too late that the last bolt was trapped and it exploded. Lord Walter was thrown up and back away from the blast. He landed on his back and his training kicked in as he automatically flipped on over. He landed on his left knee along with his right foot. He shook his head as he pushed up and took off running just as a hole opened in the wall and a spear shot out towards him.
Lord Walter leapt up and did a summersault over the spear while swinging his sword and cut it in half sending both pieces across the ground. As he landed he ducked instantly at the sound of a spring latch and a dummy sprung up from the ground. Its weapon sailed over his back. Lord Walter's left leg kicked backwards and the dummy was knocked off its axis and it hung there seemingly frozen between falling over and coming back down in place.
Lord Walter spun and drop kicked the dummy and it fell on over. This in turn triggered a net which shot quietly out of a tube on the ramparts of the Keep. His keen ears ever alert caught the sound and caused him to look up and his eyes opened wide even as he tried to tuck and roll out of the way. The net nonetheless landed on him. The small spheres attached to the net by Sylvester began emitting electrical pulses and Lord Walter grimaced and groaned even as his muscles began spasming.
With great effort, Lord Walter was slowly moving his sword arm until he managed to angle the sword enough that the butt of the hilt touched the granite and with the net resting on part of the blade the electrical current was shorted to ground.
Lord Walter took in several deep breaths as his sweat ran down his forehead. Slowly his breath became shallow and grew less frequent as he lost consciousness.
One of the many servants of the Keep who had been smiling as she watch her Lord as he exercised gasped seeing he was no longer moving. She ran out into the courtyard and yanked the net off of him before kneeling down next to him.
She saw he was breathing and took in a deep breath as she yelled for help.
Guards and servants ran out of the Keep into the inner courtyard. One of the guards grabbed the net and laid it down next to their Lord. As they transferred their Lord to lie on top of the net one of the servants ran for Allie.
The guards grabbed the net and pulled against it raising Lord Walter up and they began moving to take him inside the Keep. The balcony door of the master chambers opened and Paige stepped out in her robe followed by Selase. Selase let out a shriek even as Paige looked down and saw them entering the Keep carrying Walter on the net.
Paige ran for the door, her eyes opened wide just as the servant's door opened and Lisa ran in.
"My Lady." She called out in alarm but then saw Paige at the main door. "Our Lord is alive but injured during his workout my Lady." Lisa called to her while moving towards her.
Paige took in a deep breath of relief and nodded.
"Thank you Lisa. Selase woke me up and I just saw them carrying him into the Keep. Are they bringing him up here?" Paige asked.
"They should only be a moment." Lisa told her as she nodded.
Lisa moved to the couch and pulled the back cushions off and set them on the table to give Lord Walter the maximum amount of room offered by the seat cushions. Paige stood just outside of the suite staring towards the main stairs. She smiled hearing the heavy foot falls on the stone.
The first two of the four guards bearing their Lord came up to the top of the steps and slowly the last two came up along with six of the Keep's servants with them. One of them carried his shield the other bore his unsheathed sword.
Paige smiled gratefully at the small throng and stepped to the side while they carried him in.
Lisa gestured to the floor beside the couch where she had dragged the coffee table away and the guard gently lowered him to the floor. They carefully took his arms and legs in their hands. They pulled and slowly raised him back up and got him on top of the couch.
One of the guards grabbed up the net and as they all moved to leave Allie came through the door and rushed over to the couch to stand next to Lord Walter's head. Paige sat down beside him and stroked her hand down his cheek shaking her head.
Allie reached down and put her hands on each side of his head and began chanting. Lisa watched as her eyes went white and her hair began rising up in the air as Allie's power poured out into Lord Walter as she probed his cells.
"That never ceases to give me the willies." Lisa said continuing to watch Allie.
Lady Paige smiled at her words.
"Did you see what happened Lisa?" Paige asked quietly.
Lisa shook her head.
"I'd heard Alicia yell for help and ran out just as they were getting him put onto that net my Lady. I'm sorry." Lisa told her.
Paige smiled at her.
"That's fine Lisa. Would you mind going to find Alicia and finding out for me what happened?" Paige asked.
Lisa shook her head.
"No my Lady, I'll return shortly." Lisa told her as she turned and ran for the servant's door and as she stepped through Sir Cabe came in through the main door.
"How is our Lord?" He asked out of breath.
Paige smiled back at him.
"He's strong Cabe." Paige told him and then looked at Selase as she chirped and Paige nodded as she stood.
"My Lady, is something wrong?" Cabe asked her in concern.
Paige shook her head.
"Selase just said that Daithi is hungry." Paige told him.
"You really do understand her don't you?" Cabe asked in wonder.
Paige nodded.
"Ever since I met her daughter Selana, I've been able to understand her every word." Paige told him as she left to go care for her son.
Greetings! Hope everyone is well and had a good weekend! I've contemplated how to tell this story for a while now. It seemed like there was no way to accomplish it. While some would say that with Fantasy it is easier to write I would say if you don't mine plot holes that might be true. While I think Fantasy gives the writer more tools to accomplish the task, it can still take a lot of effort to make a story work when it wasn't written with a concept in mind. And I didn't want to just shoehorn in this fact into the story so I have had to delve deeper into the metaphysical aspects of this AU to accomplish this goal. I didn't think I would have to go past 5 chapters but, with everything that has been brought out in this, I am sure to do it justice, I'll have to write more than 5. I might break it down, leave this to deal with the surface of it all and then to delve down into the meat of the ramifications I might write other stories. I'll have to play that by ear.
My new story "Unconsciously Conscious" is taking shape nicely, chapter 3 so far. "Dance" hasn't gone past chapter 1 yet, but then that happens when working on so many different stories at 1 time, many thanks to Scorpling to graciously allow me to use an AU version of Keilah from her story "Bully For You", only in back story but she immediately came to my mind to make this story happen. Happy Consequences is still moving slowly. I hope to have the next chapter done today, I'm about halfway through it, so hopefully tomorrow. I think that is everything for now.
To the Adventure! -Tim