Chapter 21 – Despair
Godric winced as the nurse dabbed at his wound with a damp cloth, slowly wiping the blood aside to reveal the deep gash running over his cheek.
"You are so lucky Godric." She chided, looking it over, "Whatever did this must have missed your eye by a fraction. You should be fine, but there will definitely be a scar."
"Well, there go his good looks then." Laughed Helga though relief was etched on her face. "Rowena won't want you anymore."
"Very funny." Godric retorted though he couldn't help but smile. "How is she?"
"She'll be fine. She didn't even get a scratch, but her father looked furious. I think he wants to send her back but doesn't trust anyone enough to take her." Salazar grumbled as he entered the tent. "Told the nurse that she isn't even allowed to leave the tent without his permission."
"Yeah, well I guess we shouldn't have expected any less," Godric said as the nurse removed his armour. "They all think that we shouldn't even be here."
Helga gasped as she looked over at Godric; there were tiny cuts and bruises all over his torso.
"I'm not surprised," the nurse commented, "I'm amazed that you are still alive. You must be the luckiest soul alive. Nothing worse than a few cuts. Would one of you mind tending these, I have a lot of others to see to."
She walked off without waiting for a reply as Helga stepped over and dabbed the cloth onto the cuts. "What do you think they'll do?" She asked as she washed off the dirt and grime around the wounds, noting a large cut across his left shoulder.
"Probably, send us all home." Salazar growled, "after all 'war is no place for children.'"
The three laughed but stopped abruptly as John entered the tent. He glared at Salazar for a moment before walking over to Godric and surveying his wounds.
"You got rather lucky out there it seems, I have soldiers who lost entire limbs in that fight." He asserted. The trio remained silent as he stared at Godric. "But you are luckier still that nothing happened to my daughter."
There was a quiet rage in the king's eyes as he continued to stare at Godric. "As I told you before, milord, I will never let anything happen to her. She was never in any danger. And if I may say so, she would have done something a lot more drastic if you had kept hiding her away every time something interesting happened. She is more capable than you're willing to admit." Godric declared, staring straight back at the king.
Helga and Salazar stood silently watching the two. The king looked way beyond angry, and a lesser man would have cowered under the gaze directed at Godric, but he merely sat there staring back at the king impassively. But as the king opened his mouth to reply, Rowena came charging into the tent.
"Oh my, are you alright?" She asked sweeping past her father.
"I'll be fine," Godric replied pulling her into a hug gingerly.
"That remains to be seen," John interjected, becoming angrier by the second.
"Will you just stop it, father. It was my idea anyway. Godric only came along to make sure I wasn't in danger." Rowena lied staring back at her father just as angrily.
John stared at her, surveying her face as if trying to sniff out a trace of the lie in her expression. But her face remained unreadable beyond the obvious anger and concern. Godric was just as impossible to read, sitting behind Rowena watching the exchange blankly.
"Well..." John began.
"Milord!" A soldier interrupted, rushing into the tent. "A large force approaches from the hills. It is Thomas Gryffindor."
"At last. Finally some reinforcements. You four wait here while I deal with this. This discussion is not over."
John swept from the tent without another word or glance at any of them, leaving the soldier to watch them. Godric leapt from the small bed and reached for his things but fell to the floor in pain, tearing some of the cuts open further in his haste.
"Godric, sit down," Helga instructed trying to lead him back over to the bed.
"I'm not going to just sit here while..." Godric started.
"Godric please just sit down and stop trying to be the hero for once. There is nothing you can do right now." Rowena cut across him.
"But..."
"No buts, you aren't going out there."
Helga and Rowena escorted him back to the bed and forced him to sit back down. Salazar just sat in the corner watching the exchange, trying not to laugh at them all. He walked to the entrance and pulled it aside so that they could all see what was going on.
"Is that better?" He asked grinning.
"That depends on what we see," Godric replied seriously.
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John stood at the edge of camp watching Thomas approach at the head of several hundred black clothed troops. He shivered slightly as a chill crept forward through the camp but didn't show any outward signs of discomfort. His mind was only half on the scene ahead of him as his mind kept drifting back to his daughter in the midst of that battle.
Thomas raised his hand and jolted John back to the present as all the troops stopped while Thomas continued forward marching right up to John.
"Welcome Thomas. I must say that..." John began.
"Enough of this idle chat." Thomas interrupted garnering a murmur from those gathered. "I have not come to aid your little fight here. I have come to tell you to surrender the throne to me immediately or I shall attack this camp with the full force of my army, which is considerably stronger than that gathered behind me." Thomas finished looking down at the King from his horse.
John stood there speechless for a moment before he started laughing. "Good one Thomas. Very funny."
"I assure you this is no joke. You will either surrender the throne to me by this time tomorrow I shall attack." Thomas said a vicious grin spreading across his lips.
John was once more stunned into silence as he glanced about at the men gathered nearby. Surely this must have been a joke Thomas had cooked up on his way here.
"Hey." A voice called from behind John.
He turned to see Salazar punch the guard he had left by their tent as the other three marched over to join him.
"I told you to stay in the tent." John chastised them as they approached.
"Ah, I see you managed to arrive before me. Not that it will do you any good." Thomas said, his grin spreading wider as the foursome took up positions beside the king.
"What do you want Thomas," Godric demanded ignoring both John and Thomas' comments.
"The same thing I have wanted for years. His throne."
John was quickly becoming angered at this foolishness. "Now stop being stupid. Bring your troops up here so they can settle into the camp and we will move this discussion into the strategy tent."
"Have you not being listening, you old fool?" Thomas growled glaring at John. "I am not here to assist you. You have exactly one day to accede to my demands or I shall attack. And I shall not be inclined to spare any who stand in my way."
Thomas' gaze shifted to Rowena as his grin grew wider again. John followed his gaze as Thomas turned his mount and headed back down the small hill toward his stationary troops. John's mind was spinning with thoughts as he ran back over the unbelievable conversation he had just had. But one thought kept coming through over all the others. Rowena was now in serious danger.
"Michael." He called. A young soldier walked forward. "Take my daughter and put her in my tent. Take as many men as you think it will take to guard her and keep her there while I figure out what to do here."
Rowena made to protest as Michael grabbed her arm.
"Don't fight me on this one Rowena. I am in no mood to argue this right now. Just go." John said.
Rowena glanced at the others as she was led away. "Your Highness, hiding her away is not going to solve this problem," Helga said softly.
"I know that. I only want her hidden away while I arrange to have her taken back to the castle where she will be safe." He replied.
"You can't do that," Godric growled. "She will hate you forever for that."
"I can do whatever I please Godric, I am the King, and you would do well to remember that before your mouth or actions get you into serious trouble. Now go back to your tent while I sort things out."
He glared at Godric so fiercely that even Godric knew the conversation was over. Helga grabbed his arm and led him back to his tent. Salazar stood there for a moment before following the others, but glared over his shoulder at both the King and Thomas' retreating figure.
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"So?" Helga asked as they entered the tent.
"So what?" Godric replied confused as he sat on the bed.
"How are we going to break Rowena out? I won't let her be sent away. She deserves to be here just as much as any of us."
"You heard the King. He would kill us if we put her in danger again." Salazar said as he entered, casting a quick but subtle silencing charm on the entrance.
"Helga's right though. We can't let him send her away." Godric said deep in thought.
"So what, when it gets dark we find a way into her tent, which is surrounded by guards, grab her, without making any noise, and sneak her back out, past all the guards again, and then what hide out in the forest or something?" Salazar asked his voice laced with sarcasm.
"No that will never work." Godric agreed.
"Exactly," Salazar said looking rather proud of bringing them to their senses.
"We can't wait until nightfall," Godric stated, wiping the smile from Salazar's face. "The King will send her away as soon as possible. He won't risk sending her after dark in case Thomas tries to block us in. He wants her as far away as possible long before dark. But otherwise, that's a great plan, Salazar."
Salazar just watched him dumbstruck while Helga turned to Godric.
"So how do we get past the guards?"
"That's the easy part," Godric said slipping off the bed and grabbing some clean clothing.
The other two just stared at him blankly until finally Helga grew impatient and cleared her throat loudly.
"What?" Godric asked as he finished dressing.
"You gonna tell us or just make us guess?"
"Oh, I thought it was obvious. We use magic as a distraction. None of these guys has seen a Patronus before so I reckon it will make a pretty effective distraction, don't you?"
"That's actually a really good plan. But whose should we use?" Helga asked.
"I thought yours would be best. Salazar's is still a little indistinct and mine would probably just make them double the guard. Plus unicorns are actually silver when they are younger so they might not think it's a trick."
"Ok so when are we doing this?" Salazar asked finally looking himself again.
"Now," Godric said forcefully as he lifted his gear from the floor and clipped it around his waist. He still strained slightly as he moved but his determination to help Rowena made it only a minor inconvenience. "You ready?" He asked moving over to the entry.
The others stood up and followed him as he snuck around the corner and disappeared into the camp.
ϟ
Despite the bright sun resting overhead an eerie chill covered the camp causing the guard's breath to cloud as they breathed out. Most had already bored of their guard duty and were sitting about chatting to one another about the new turn of events.
Only those by the entrance to the tent were still standing to attention. They were the first to hear the hooves moving softly around the tent, but they all soon noticed as the silver unicorn walked right past them heading deeper into the camp. None of them had seen a unicorn before much less up this close, so they all rushed to follow it as it danced its way amongst the tents.
Its hooves didn't even leave marks in the soft grass as it walked, attracting more curious onlookers. It walked right up to the strategy tent and walked straight through the open entryway. Everyone inside stopped what they were doing as they watched dumbfounded as the unicorn simply stood there staring at them all.
A soft breeze blew in through the entryway and the unicorn dissolved into silvery dust blown out through every crack in the tent's exterior. The King stood there a moment before he noticed the guards he had posted on Rowena's tent were standing in the entryway looking in with half the camp gathered behind them.
"What are you doing here? You should be watching my daughter!" John yelled as he rushed past them running full speed to his tent and throwing the doorway open.
The tent was completely empty except for a small handwritten note sitting on John's bed. He walked over to it and picked it up glancing at the soft slanted writing of his daughter.
Sorry, father.
He turned on his heel and glared viciously at the guards who were now huddled fearfully around the entrance.
ϟ
Rowena heard her father yelling even as they rode quickly through the trees. She felt sorry for the poor guards as she knew they would be punished severely but she was glad the others had broken her out.
"Where are we going?" She asked as Godric led them deeper through the trees.
"There is a small clearing up a bit further which will put us close to the edge of the field Thomas will have to cross on his march. That way we will be able to get in his way and maybe even stop him completely."
"Don't you think we need to get a little further away from the camp? The King will surely find our trail as soon as he has stopped yelling at his men." Helga asked.
"Rowena, think you can do anything about that trail. We don't want to be followed." Godric stated without looking back.
Rowena pulled out her wand and mumbled an incantation before pointing it behind her. A soft spiral of white light seeped from its tip spreading to cover the path behind them. It repaired the branches they had damaged and removed their horse's hoof prints from the ground. It even smothered their scent making it impossible for them to track them with dogs.
"Done." She smiled as she had never had an opportunity to try that spell out before.
"Good, because we are here," Godric said pulling his horse up as they entered the small clearing.
It was not very big, only a few metres across but it was enough for the four of them. Most of the gaps between the trunks of the trees were covered with twigs and branches making a silent approach very difficult. And through the trees, they could see the hilly area where Thomas must have camped his troops.
"So now what genius?" Salazar asked settling himself down.
"We wait. And when Thomas attacks we stop him."
"I figured that." Salazar replied rolling his eyes, "but how exactly do we do that?"
"I haven't completely worked that out yet," Godric said staring across the plains to the hills.
He had absolutely no idea how to stop Thomas. And now it was on his shoulders to protect not only Rowena but the others as well. Though he would never reveal his feelings to any of them.
ϟ
The sun was just clearing the mountains and the camp was abuzz with activity. Soldiers were running about everywhere preparing for the battle they were told would be coming, though none of them knew when.
The entire valley was silent, as though all the animals had fled it during the night. No birds were singing morning songs and there were no small rodents rushing through the camp looking for food. The only movement seemed to be the soldiers themselves.
A strange creaking sound was drifting into the camp from down the hill. One lieutenant looked out over the broad plain curiously.
"Sir." He called to a nearby captain. "What is that?"
He pointed out over the plain to where four figures stood directly between the camp and the hills. As they watched the front lines of Thomas' army crested the hill. They stretched across all the available space as they moved forward now clothed in white rather than the black they had been in the day before.
"TO ARMS!" Called the captain as he saw the troops and rushed off to alert the King.
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"You guys ready?" Godric asked looking at each of his friends in turn.
They were all dressed in armour and holding their bows ready to make the first strike as soon as Thomas' army came into range. They all stood several metres apart in an attempt to prevent targeting the same enemy. Soft billows of breath could be seen rushing out from their helmets in the cold morning air.
"As we will ever be I guess," Helga replied from his right.
"Let's do this then. Take aim. As soon as they come in range fire all we've got."
Helga had suggested the night before that they attempt to take out as many as possible from long range but Godric doubted arrows would do much to stop the onslaught that approached. The best they could hope for was to break the skeletons up enough to render them useless.
He watched the undead troops approach down the shaft of his arrow, watching as each step drew them inexorably closer. Steady, whispered a voice in the back of his mind. They had nearly reached the mark. Only a few more steps.
"Fire!" He called, loosing his own arrow and hastily reaching for another not bothering to see if his first struck its target.
Arrows shot out from the foursome raining down on the advancing lines. Arms and legs were shattered free as the arrows struck their targets. The skeletons continued their march unperturbed by the loss of their limbs, moving with only one purpose.
"Keep firing. We need as big an advantage as possible." Godric said as the skeletons approached their position.
A horn sounded behind him but Godric didn't bother to turn to see who it was. The skeletons were right on top of them and he had more pressing matters to attend to.
"Form up." He called dropping his bow and pulling his sword free as the others moved in closer to him.
They waited in silence as the skeletons closed the gap between them. Helga groaned as she saw them for the first time. Many of them still had ragged strips of flesh hanging from the bones. Some were still even covered in dirty pieces of clothing or armour. Their heads were truly terrifying; empty white sockets sat were there should have been eyes, drawing your gaze despite your revulsion. Many had teeth missing and some were missing entire jaws or worse. Some with decaying remains of what had once been their faces.
Finally, they reached the foursome and began their attack. Godric's attention was immediately drawn to the enemy as it slashed down at him attempting to knock him aside so it could continue its march. Their blades locked and Godric twisted on his right foot, bringing his sword around and decapitating the skeleton. He made to attack another when the headless body swung at him fiercely and he only just avoided the blow. The skeleton assaulted him ferociously, swinging wildly with every stroke. Godric could barely keep ahead of the broad swipes, raising his sword in several feeble attempts to block the forceful strikes. Finally, the skeletons connected properly against Godric's sword knocking him off his feet.
His sword flew from his grip as he landed roughly rolling aside as yet another swipe from the skeleton buried its sword into the soft earth where his torso had just been laying. Somehow Godric's helmet had remained in place after his violent fall however it was now seriously hampering his view. He reefed the helmet loose and threw it at the pursuing skeletons chest watching happily as it shattered several bones as it passed straight through. He resumed his search for his sword keeping an eye on the skeleton dodging feet and arrows. He finally saw it sitting several metres to his right under the feet of a huge skeleton decked out in full armour.
He groaned silently to himself as he pushed himself up. He quickly ducked another blow from the first skeleton and leapt forward lunging for his sword. The second skeleton saw him as he approached and moved to intercept but it moved too slow. Godric's fingers closed around the hilt of his sword and he swung it the moment his body struck the ground, lopping the legs clean off the larger skeleton. It collapsed behind him as he stood and faced down the first skeleton which was now chasing after him. He stood firm awaiting the strike, spreading his feet to better balance his weight.
The strike came as soon as the skeleton was in range but Godric was fully prepared now. He pressed down with his right foot spinning quickly out of the way on his left and brought his sword around his body swiping down and across the shoulder of the skeleton as it blundered past him. His blow connected shattering the shoulder blade and continuing down through the ribs and sending parts of skeleton flying in all directions. Its legs stepped about a few times as though confused about what to do next before they collapsed in on themselves joining the rest of the skeleton on the ground. Godric grinned broadly and returned his attention to the large skeleton that was clawing its way across the ground. Several quick strikes had it in pieces as well.
Godric paused for a moment to survey the scene. He quickly located the others who were gathered together working their way deeper into the enemy lines. They were making considerable progress as they covered each other's attacks leaving a wake of shattered bodies behind them. He moved swiftly, using the broad side of his sword to break up as many skeletons as he could on his way back to his friends. Shattered bone and empty armour littered the ground around their feet as Godric finally approached.
He looked up as he approached and his heart stopped. He saw Helga swing a broad stroke at a nearby skeleton and slip as she stepped on a bone on the ground. Her shot swung wildly over its head and pulled her even further off balance. Salazar and Rowena were engaged in their own skirmishes and couldn't see Helga's predicament. A wicked smile spread across the decaying face of the skeleton as it stepped forward raising its axe. Godric stood frozen for a moment as the situation sunk in. He dug his toes in and lunged forward with all his might meeting the skeleton in a full body tackle as it commenced its swing.
There was a sickening crack and Godric felt his sword slip from his grasp once more. He could feel the skeleton struggling underneath his form and he began smashing his elbow down upon it. There were several more cracking sounds as he smashed bone after bone, not stopping until the skeleton was completely still. Someone grabbed him roughly from behind lifting him back onto his feet. Still weaponless, Godric swung wildly at this new foe, hoping to catch them off balance.
"Watch it you fool." Salazar cursed him as he roughly shoved Godric's sword back into his hand and moved back to the fight.
Godric smiled to himself as he rejoined the fight, casting a quick glance at Helga to make sure she was still alright. Most of Thomas' force was spread too far to either side of the small quartet for them to do much. The skeletons mostly moved swiftly around them continuing on their march. Only those unlucky enough to fall within the small radius of their group were destroyed. Fear began to clutch at Godric's stomach. There was nothing that they could do to halt the skeletons. They were going to fail.
A mighty horn blasted once more, now not far behind at all. Godric turned to see the source this time and watched as the lines of the skeletons that had passed over them crashed headlong into the King's army, now only a few hundred metres behind them. Hope blossomed in his chest once more as he turned back to engage the enemy with renewed fervour. He took several steps out from their small group in order to cast a wider strike into the lines of the skeletons, shattering more and more with every stroke.
White shards of bone filled the air, dancing in all directions, glancing off shield and armour alike. The screams of wounded and dying soldiers filled Godric's ears as the foursome slashed their way deeper into the enemy lines. But with each step, they took the screaming increased. Every soldier in the King's army still able to walk was throwing everything they had at the skeletons and they were being swept aside like dust. Screams echoed from every direction as the skeletons marched resolutely onwards. Hundreds of them were being smashed to pieces but the others continued completely oblivious slaughtering the soldiers who got in their way.
"This is hopeless Godric," Salazar yelled. "We're being massacred. We have to retreat."
"There is nowhere to retreat to! These things will just keep coming and overrun the camp."
"Well, we have to do something. We won't last much longer here." Rowena added as she spun past the two, sword flying.
Fear settled over Godric as he analysed their situation. Everywhere he looked soldiers were engaged with their enemy and they were being slaughtered like animals. A deep chill was following the skeletons and was setting over the already demoralised troops. Godric could see they were close to the edge. Many were cracking under the overwhelming onslaught. They could not sustain this battle much longer, but there was nowhere they could escape to that Thomas' skeletons would not follow. The best that they could hope for was a small head start as Thomas replenished his force from this field of death.
Even the weather was closing in about them as the previously clear sky was quickly filling with heavy dark clouds trailing a deep darkness as they washed inexorably over the mountains. Despair grasped Godric as he watched the shadow transform the already frightening scene into a living nightmare. And with the darkness came a debilitating sense of claustrophobia, making you feel as though you were miles underground making escape completely impossible. A mighty thunderclap cut across the battlefield with frightening intensity affecting everyone but the undead forces who continued slashing away.
Time seemed to slow dramatically for Godric as he stood there. The sound of the thunder had frozen in its march across the field. The pressure wave was almost visible, yet another tangible enemy beating at the soul of the army. He could feel the moisture building in the darkened mass above ready to pummel them all. The mountains were nigh invisible in the darkness. He could see the King a few dozen feet away holding his own against several dark figures, soldiers everywhere looked on the verge of madness. Helga was frozen in what must have been an artful sweep of her blade; several severed enemy body parts were stuck in the air, unable to continue their descent. Salazar was planted firmly on the ground, face determined as five skeletons moved to intercept him.
But the despair reacted to none of this until he caught sight of a single flame amongst the chaos. Rowena was stopped in the middle of a well-controlled spin, sword flaring out from her body as though it were no less than an extension of her arm. But it was her face that broke him. A sheer determination was etched in every feature. The hopelessness of the situation seemed unable to touch her as she worked away at the skeletons. An icy hand reached into Godric's chest and squeezed his heart so powerfully he thought he would die that very second. There was nothing he could do to save her. He had led her to her doom.
Godric fell to his knees as time resumed, terror still not releasing its stranglehold on his heart. A huge weight rested on his shoulders crushing his body deeper and deeper into the ground as a loud whooshing sound passed directly over his head followed immediately by a mighty crash of sound. Confusion clutched at his mind as he tried to sort things out. That had not been another clap of thunder, it had been much fuller and sustained. It had been a horn blast. Immediately the helplessness disappeared and Godric leapt to his feet as he felt a thud from behind him. He whipped around and saw a skeleton flailing on the ground behind him, obviously having lunged at his back as he stood, and missed completely.
He quickly dispatched it and looked west as the horn blared again. A huge force had just burst from the valley among the hills and was crashing through the ranks of the skeletons scattering them all over the place. The sudden appearance of this large force seemed to have confused the entire enemy force, they were just standing, looking useless as the King's army and this new group continued smashing their way through everything they could reach.
Godric smiled and started hacking his way wildly forward, struggling to reach the head of this new party. The others followed after him as the skeletons launched back into action with renewed vigour, but it didn't seem to be enough, the newcomers had broken the spell the skeletons seemed to have cast on the King's army.
"Charge men, no mercy." Echoed a voice from the head of the force, a voice Godric recognised in an instant.
"Max."
It came out as barely a whisper from his lips, but it echoed back to him from behind him as he ran. And he glanced over his shoulder to the other three looking elated and charging along after him. Lightning illuminated the scene and they could all see Max up ahead, engaged with someone that was clearly still alive.
"Thomas."
Again it was barely more than a whisper but this time there was a sinister growl that tore up from deep within Godric's chest as a slight red hue cut into his view. His pace quickened as he watched the exchange unfolding in front of his eyes. Here was his chance, revenge would be his. But a sudden disappointment crept into his mind as he watched Max gain the upper hand and knock Thomas to the ground. He was too slow, he was about to miss his chance.
A slight clearing was developing around the fight as Godric leapt forward now only a few strides from the ring. Max positioned himself above Thomas' body and raised his sword, a look of obvious triumph spread wide across his face.
Godric stumbled as he finally passed into the opening as the look on Max's face suddenly dropped, horror replacing triumph in less than a heartbeat. Godric instantly forgot about everything else as his eyes fixed on Max's expression, the bloodlust that had driven him over the last ten metres drained out as though someone had pulled the plug on his emotions. He dropped to his knees once more and slid the last foot to Max as he too mirrored Godric's movement. Arms reached out from somewhere behind Godric and caught Max's falling body, holding it close to his.
It took him a moment for Godric to realise that it was his arms holding Max until that second his body had been completely empty of all feeling locked entirely on the look on Max's face. It was a mixture of surprise and defeat. Godric managed to tear his gaze from Max's long enough to gaze down at his chest from which four arrowheads now protruded.
"Max..." Godric whispered.
"I'm so sorry Godric. Is Helga safe?"
"I'm right here dad." A torn up voice came from Godric's right startling him slightly.
"I am so proud of you both. I am sorry I was always so cryptic with you. Take care of one another."
"No, dad. We still need you." Helga wept her voice breaking on almost every syllable.
"I am so sorry sweetheart. Look after your mother for me." He reached out and took her hand which had already drained of so much colour, it was nearly as pale as the bones scattered about him.
Godric wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but he couldn't make his mouth move, much less sound come out. He still felt completely empty, as though someone had ripped his insides out. He couldn't care less what was happening in the battle around them, his eyes were still fixed on the face of the man who had been the only father he had ever known.
Max smiled at them once more and closed his eyes. Godric could feel the breath leaving Max's body, and somehow he knew with all his being that he would never take another. He barely noticed as two pairs of arms wrapped around his chest as someone started crying on his shoulder. There were strange noises coming from all around him but Godric couldn't make out any of it. Only one though now rested in his mind. REVENGE! Thomas had now taken his entire family, even those who weren't related by blood. Anger burned through every fibre of his being, burning him at the same time as flooding him with strength.
"GODRIC!" Someone screamed shaking him fiercely.
He turned his gaze and found Rowena was grasping his arms shaking him her mouth moving soundlessly. Her face was as perfect as ever except for a tiny line of blood seeping down from just above her hairline.
"You're hurt." He said, the anger washing suddenly from his body.
"You need to stop Godric, you're going to kill yourself." She screamed.
"What are you talking about?"
"THE ARROWS!" She scalded.
He looked down and realised that she wasn't trying to shake him, but was trying to pry him from Max. He instinctively held Max even tighter feeling a slight pressure on his chest.
"Godric please." Came a soft voice from his right.
He turned to see that Helga was doing the same thing as Rowena. He couldn't believe that they were trying to tear him from Max, especially Helga, why was she so unphased by her own father's death.
"You have stabbed yourself in the chest with the arrows you moron." Salazar chided from behind Godric.
"What arrows?" Godric asked finally loosening his grip on Max enough to let the others shift him back.
He looked down and saw three gashes in his chest which were leaking blood badly. He immediately shifted Max further from his body so he would not be sullied by the blood pouring out of his chest. It was only then he realised that it was raining on his head and he looked up to see that the clouds had unleashed their stores at last. As he looked down again he saw that there were hundreds of soldiers standing all around them.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Not now," Rowena whispered in his ear, gently prying Max from his arms, this time he didn't resist. "You need to get inside. Come with me. Salazar will help carry Max back."
Godric's mind went blank again as he gazed at Rowena unable to resist her this time as she pulled him up and forced him to walk away back toward the camp. All the colour seemed to drain from the world as he stared at her and he stumbled as the ground rushed toward him. He heard Rowena scream but couldn't reach out to her, he was a prisoner in his own body and as he hit the ground he remembered no more.