Disclaimer: Welcome to the realm of FanFiction!
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Mirian hurried to follow the other women to her mother, but her father impeded her progress.
"No, my daughter. You shall not follow their path. Remain by my side, and I will protect you." The king smiled sadly at her. She noticed how deeply his face was creased. It hadn't seemed that old months ago, she was sure. She looked at his snowy hair and his blue eyes.
On impulse she hugged him. "I love you, Papa." It had been a long time since she had called him Papa, and he smiled a bit more.
"I love you too, Mirian," The King drew a long breath and cried, "To me! To me! To me, my men, to me!" The courtiers ranged out behind the King. They faced the great paneled doors, ceremonial swords drawn.
Michel rushed into the great hall, wondering what had happened. He instantly drew his own sword and ran to stand beside his father and sister.
They stood poised for a fight, waiting for an enemy only the King could fathom. A knock reverberated across the great door. The King motioned for the pages to open it.
Three men stepped through the door, swords at the ready. Each sword bore the mark of the Kalid-Na'in.
"I have come to claim what is mine, King of the Wyth. Are you prepared to give it to me?" One of the Three spoke, stepping out in front of his two companions.
"I will not give it up, not with out a fight." The King raised his head proudly.
"Then a fight you shall have, regardless of the pact we made twelve years ago to the day." The man raised his sword in a salute, and the King did the same.
"Michel, Mirian, get out of the way." His children obeyed without question, although Michel flung him a hurt look.
The King knew that this was a fight that he would lose. He was mad to try to battle the Kalid-Na'in- they were virtually impervious to steel. He whispered a single word, "Charge."
The battle was brief but bloody. Only five of the combatants remained standing: the three Kalid-Na'in, the Lamaran envoy and the King.
"Thayer the Mercenary, you have won. Take what is rightfully yours." Then the King collapsed.
Michel held Mirian, shielding her from the grisly sight of the great hall. He regretted that he could not spare her from the sounds. She sobbed into his shoulder.
He had hidden them fairly well behind one of the many tapestries in the great hall. He had hidden them well enough that the three Kalid-Na'in could not find them until Mirian's sobs had calmed down into disconsolate hiccups.
Thayer ran to the Queen's chambers where the page had told him that all the Ladies had gone to. The guards to that room were dead before they knew what had hit them.
He unbolted the door and plunged into a seething mass of silk.
"Silence!" his bellow echoed through out the chamber. "Where is the Princess Mirian?" He addressed his question to a thin woman sitting on the bed.
"If only I knew!" She lamented loudly.
Thayer growled and stormed out of the room. A trail of Ladies followed him back to the great hall. Many of them shrieked when they saw their husbands, their lovers, their friends, their brothers lying among masses of blood and gore. None of them fainted.
Thayer paced angrily across the bloody floor, muttering to himself and to his companions.
"Where could she be?" Thayer stopped pacing for a moment. "Garrod, Lohengrin, search everywhere. I want what is mine." The Three strode off in different directions.
The Queen stood tall, watching the Kalid-Na'in invade her home. When they began to search, she walked over to her husband, and looked at him. His hair was now pure white, and the creases were so deeply etched in his face, she didn't think that anything could smooth them out. She bent down, ignoring the blood that soaked her dress. Silently, she reached out a shaking hand to close her beloved's sightless blue eyes.
"I love you," she whispered. Two crystalline tears dropped off her cheeks and into the King's beard. She rose again, and walked back to the cluster of Ladies. "Selena, come to me."
Selena threw herself into her mother's arms and just sobbed.
"Ladies, friends, go tend to your wounded or dead." The Queen's voice quavered as she swallowed her own tears.
Mirian's head was buried in Michel's damp shoulder, and she hiccupped softly every few seconds. She didn't know why she had not been allowed to go with the other Ladies, and she was scared. She had heard the sounds of battle and the screams as each man was cut down.
The concealment that the tapestry provided was welcome, because it spared her from the horrible sight that lay beyond. She shuddered and started to cry softly again.
Lohengrin had checked behind many finely embroidered tapestries. He ran his hands over one that depicted a dragon battling a unicorn. He lifted it up and scanned the wall behind it. There was nothing. He moved onto the next tapestry.
It was embroidered with a naiad and a unicorn dancing in a field full of flowers. He jerked it aside and found a girl crying onto the shoulder of a boy.
"Thayer!" He called to his companion.
"Stand back," warned the boy, drawing a ceremonial sword. Lohengrin calmly unsheathed his own blade.
"Lohengrin, separate them, but harm neither." Thayer's blade appeared next to Lohengrin's.
Mirian looked up at the two men standing before her. "Michel, put it away," she whispered softly.
The man called Thayer chuckled, "She is wise, young Prince." Michel lowered his sword, but held onto Mirian tighter. "Let go of her."
"No!" Michel was filled with a longing to protect his older sister.
"Michel," Mirian tugged on his tunic, "Do as he says!" Her doe-like dark eyes pleaded with him. Reluctantly, he released his clenching hold on her sleeves.
"Why?" He whispered, the hurt showing painfully on his face.
"Because Wythin needs a King," Mirian said in a dull monotone. "Be that King!" Her eyes held a wild look of longing as the warrior wrenched her away from Michel.
Shari watched through tear filled eyes as the warrior called Thayer slung one of her beloved children over his shoulder. She watched as Michel ran to his father's fallen form, crying silently. The world seemed smaller suddenly, as if there was not space enough for her to live without her husband. She sighed and turned to Selena.
"Selena, my darling, would you go fetch the Healer? I am feeling ill." Selena hurried away, and Shari slowly sank to the floor. Dispassionately, she allowed the blackness that crept around the edges of her vision to consume her entirely. It was blissful relief from what had happened.
---
.-.A/N.-. Wow...this took me long enough! (At least, that's what it feels like...it's only been a week though, according to my calendar.)
I'm sooo sooo sooo happy! I got to go to the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia to hear the Philly Orchestra perform Stravinsky's, "The Firebird" It was so awesome! My cousin was announced to everyone because she is Assistant Concert Master, and so, the whole band/orchestra knows that my cousin is first chair in the Orchestra!! Wow...I loved it.
.-.MapleRose-if you think of a new title...tell me please! :o)
.-.Ko-Shani-you're right...that was a lot of questions! I think that a lot of your questions should be answered in this chapter...I think.
I need a new title!!! Does anyone have a better idea? Suggestions!!!!! :o)
.-.EvenSong.-.
---
Mirian hurried to follow the other women to her mother, but her father impeded her progress.
"No, my daughter. You shall not follow their path. Remain by my side, and I will protect you." The king smiled sadly at her. She noticed how deeply his face was creased. It hadn't seemed that old months ago, she was sure. She looked at his snowy hair and his blue eyes.
On impulse she hugged him. "I love you, Papa." It had been a long time since she had called him Papa, and he smiled a bit more.
"I love you too, Mirian," The King drew a long breath and cried, "To me! To me! To me, my men, to me!" The courtiers ranged out behind the King. They faced the great paneled doors, ceremonial swords drawn.
Michel rushed into the great hall, wondering what had happened. He instantly drew his own sword and ran to stand beside his father and sister.
They stood poised for a fight, waiting for an enemy only the King could fathom. A knock reverberated across the great door. The King motioned for the pages to open it.
Three men stepped through the door, swords at the ready. Each sword bore the mark of the Kalid-Na'in.
"I have come to claim what is mine, King of the Wyth. Are you prepared to give it to me?" One of the Three spoke, stepping out in front of his two companions.
"I will not give it up, not with out a fight." The King raised his head proudly.
"Then a fight you shall have, regardless of the pact we made twelve years ago to the day." The man raised his sword in a salute, and the King did the same.
"Michel, Mirian, get out of the way." His children obeyed without question, although Michel flung him a hurt look.
The King knew that this was a fight that he would lose. He was mad to try to battle the Kalid-Na'in- they were virtually impervious to steel. He whispered a single word, "Charge."
The battle was brief but bloody. Only five of the combatants remained standing: the three Kalid-Na'in, the Lamaran envoy and the King.
"Thayer the Mercenary, you have won. Take what is rightfully yours." Then the King collapsed.
Michel held Mirian, shielding her from the grisly sight of the great hall. He regretted that he could not spare her from the sounds. She sobbed into his shoulder.
He had hidden them fairly well behind one of the many tapestries in the great hall. He had hidden them well enough that the three Kalid-Na'in could not find them until Mirian's sobs had calmed down into disconsolate hiccups.
Thayer ran to the Queen's chambers where the page had told him that all the Ladies had gone to. The guards to that room were dead before they knew what had hit them.
He unbolted the door and plunged into a seething mass of silk.
"Silence!" his bellow echoed through out the chamber. "Where is the Princess Mirian?" He addressed his question to a thin woman sitting on the bed.
"If only I knew!" She lamented loudly.
Thayer growled and stormed out of the room. A trail of Ladies followed him back to the great hall. Many of them shrieked when they saw their husbands, their lovers, their friends, their brothers lying among masses of blood and gore. None of them fainted.
Thayer paced angrily across the bloody floor, muttering to himself and to his companions.
"Where could she be?" Thayer stopped pacing for a moment. "Garrod, Lohengrin, search everywhere. I want what is mine." The Three strode off in different directions.
The Queen stood tall, watching the Kalid-Na'in invade her home. When they began to search, she walked over to her husband, and looked at him. His hair was now pure white, and the creases were so deeply etched in his face, she didn't think that anything could smooth them out. She bent down, ignoring the blood that soaked her dress. Silently, she reached out a shaking hand to close her beloved's sightless blue eyes.
"I love you," she whispered. Two crystalline tears dropped off her cheeks and into the King's beard. She rose again, and walked back to the cluster of Ladies. "Selena, come to me."
Selena threw herself into her mother's arms and just sobbed.
"Ladies, friends, go tend to your wounded or dead." The Queen's voice quavered as she swallowed her own tears.
Mirian's head was buried in Michel's damp shoulder, and she hiccupped softly every few seconds. She didn't know why she had not been allowed to go with the other Ladies, and she was scared. She had heard the sounds of battle and the screams as each man was cut down.
The concealment that the tapestry provided was welcome, because it spared her from the horrible sight that lay beyond. She shuddered and started to cry softly again.
Lohengrin had checked behind many finely embroidered tapestries. He ran his hands over one that depicted a dragon battling a unicorn. He lifted it up and scanned the wall behind it. There was nothing. He moved onto the next tapestry.
It was embroidered with a naiad and a unicorn dancing in a field full of flowers. He jerked it aside and found a girl crying onto the shoulder of a boy.
"Thayer!" He called to his companion.
"Stand back," warned the boy, drawing a ceremonial sword. Lohengrin calmly unsheathed his own blade.
"Lohengrin, separate them, but harm neither." Thayer's blade appeared next to Lohengrin's.
Mirian looked up at the two men standing before her. "Michel, put it away," she whispered softly.
The man called Thayer chuckled, "She is wise, young Prince." Michel lowered his sword, but held onto Mirian tighter. "Let go of her."
"No!" Michel was filled with a longing to protect his older sister.
"Michel," Mirian tugged on his tunic, "Do as he says!" Her doe-like dark eyes pleaded with him. Reluctantly, he released his clenching hold on her sleeves.
"Why?" He whispered, the hurt showing painfully on his face.
"Because Wythin needs a King," Mirian said in a dull monotone. "Be that King!" Her eyes held a wild look of longing as the warrior wrenched her away from Michel.
Shari watched through tear filled eyes as the warrior called Thayer slung one of her beloved children over his shoulder. She watched as Michel ran to his father's fallen form, crying silently. The world seemed smaller suddenly, as if there was not space enough for her to live without her husband. She sighed and turned to Selena.
"Selena, my darling, would you go fetch the Healer? I am feeling ill." Selena hurried away, and Shari slowly sank to the floor. Dispassionately, she allowed the blackness that crept around the edges of her vision to consume her entirely. It was blissful relief from what had happened.
---
.-.A/N.-. Wow...this took me long enough! (At least, that's what it feels like...it's only been a week though, according to my calendar.)
I'm sooo sooo sooo happy! I got to go to the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia to hear the Philly Orchestra perform Stravinsky's, "The Firebird" It was so awesome! My cousin was announced to everyone because she is Assistant Concert Master, and so, the whole band/orchestra knows that my cousin is first chair in the Orchestra!! Wow...I loved it.
.-.MapleRose-if you think of a new title...tell me please! :o)
.-.Ko-Shani-you're right...that was a lot of questions! I think that a lot of your questions should be answered in this chapter...I think.
I need a new title!!! Does anyone have a better idea? Suggestions!!!!! :o)
.-.EvenSong.-.