Chapter 15: Fractured
Chief Cithaeron Murray
There is a smell to a battle, a heightened one that tickled the nose with something awful. There was the smell of corpses, though they were not rotting yet, there was plenty that happened in the moment of death to garner a smell. Here in the field, corpses and burnt tents lined the grass where the ambush had started. Murray was marching back from Charlie's own ploy to reinforce the second part in his border war scheme to find he wasn't even needed, the only thing in the field were dead and grimm that were dispatched as soon as they charged in. Those monsters always came after battles. Now more than ever. Too much death. Too much hate.
Blood was prevalent in the air, though not as much as ash. This battle at least was heavy with smoke, a sacking was in progress and what was once was a town found itself a pile of ruin and ash, the distant keep a single lonely and battered facade as artillery bashed into it.
Murray couldn't help but notice however, a snowflake flag flying its colors at the top despite The Taurus' efforts.
This town was Highwatch, named so for its location in the White river valley border where the muddy streams became rapids here. The fall usually dried up the river, but heavy rains kept it up before the winter would freeze into a slow moving slush and cracking ice currents. This location made it a prime post to host a garrison of troops, an army in its own right meant to hold the river while Weiss built up her forces.
Attacking it head on was stupid, and Charlie was clever. Fame built on ambushes, he marched most of the mobile forces up the valley around the river openly the day after sending his envoy. Caught off guard most of the garrison would march to follow, only to be trapped in the muddy valley and encircled. The leftover guard would be first hit late in the night by the Taurus, and then midday by the Leo. All before Weiss could even have issued orders to start the war. A nasty trick to tie her hands with an envoy only to take her defenses during the delegations.
Murray didn't like it.
The plan worked better than he could hope though. This defeat would mean a loss of maybe a third of the Schnee forces, plus that airship they stole was doing fine work. The new paint job looked magnificent as it pounded the keep from its spot in the sky. The Schnee logo was covered by the black and white fire lotus and a gold crown. The Queen's idea. The Faunus added their own touch, a wolf on the other side with a claw mark. A reference to a soldier's favorite, Azura, even if the chief's all hated her. The woman was a powerful warrior, but ill-advised in politics and tactics, a bad advisor to a great man like Charlie.
"Hold up lads and ladies!" Murray called, stopping his army outside the town just below the hill. This little ruined ground, covered in craters and fire, it was the encampment, least before the shelling. "Set up a camp here. Double watch against th'grimm. Monsters'been chewing up our rear all day, kinsmen stay with me." The Kinsmen accounted for the elite inner guard of the chief, some eighty fighters. The battle officially wasn't over, but the looting was in full force. He didn't want to bring too many into the town and make it worse.
Once in the settlement proper, the human bodies were companion to Taurus ones, both live and dead. Flags showed that they were setting up camp on the other side of the stream, near town square, but even here they were everywhere. Rounding people up, dragging out valuables and setting fires to homes. Common attitude for conquerors. Many nodded at Murray, but most said nothing and stepped out of the way, allowing them to pass by closer to the town center. Fighting was still on, but it was mostly one sided. A shot or two could be heard, but Murray was in no danger, was his own troops running off into the houses was the real issue, dragging spoils up to him for permission.
Some asked for permission to take gold jewelry, others for lien notes and random assortments of goods. Murray always said yes, as was custom. As nasty as it was, raiding the enemy homes were how the army was paid. Definitely wasn't with money, gods knew Charlie had nothing he didn't steal. The oddest request involved a pair of his warriors dragging out a prisoner from a pile of them, some young human boy, dressed well, someone's squire. Exactly what they wanted.
"Can we keep him? King Charlie has a squire? 'ought we have one too? Right, what's your name lad?" the Leo woman contended, shoving this boy in chains forward, skinny lad with hair black as night and dark eyes. He had no joy in him, boy was dead walking. Nothing worth having.
"Czarny Zawisza ma'am," the mumbled in defeat. It was his first clearly. Doubted it would be his last either. No spirit was left in him.
"Don't abuse the lad and alright, no more requests now!" Murray accepted off-hand, neither caring nor wanting to know what the woman intended to do with the squire. It was something he could look into later, Charlie outlawed slavery so anything more heinous than the standard harassment any prisoner would suffer, within reason, could be punished.
The real matter at hand was that Snowflake flag, no camp could be settled while the keep was still in enemy hands; better yet if they could get it without destroying the entire tower in the process would be spectacular. A nice surrender before Charlie arrived, get the keep ready for a king.
Problem was Schnees had a nasty thing against surrender. The keep was battered the walls a few steps away from the collapse, but anyone who popped out their head, or attempted to was nailed right in it. The Taurus packed the streets, but all under cover, gunmen peeping out of blown out windows and swordsmen backed against the barricade.
The fort was just out of reliable rifle range from where Murray was and finally he had a close look at its gate. It was barely there, the hinges falling off and a chunk blown out by an artillery shot. Much of what kept the gate clear was a handful of knights outside the palisade wall, shielded by thrown together furniture. To think of it the street seemed packed with the stuff, more couches tossed into mainstream for barricades than in the houses left Murray would bet.
Closer they got to the gate, more bodies started to be seen, the Taurus that had been propped politely together most everywhere were suddenly left on the floor, no one risking a pop to the head for a corpse it seemed. Murray wasn't afraid though, him and his line of kinsmen approaching the defenders in a steady line. The defenders didn't seem keen on this, but Murray and his lads and ladies were new faces and not approaching particularly swiftly.
"Animals back up! We'll gun you down if you take one more step!" a voice behind the farthest out barricade called. He spoke like a man who spent all his life being listened to. Annoying.
"Oh shove it!" Murray shouted back ignoring him. There was what, twenty gunmen up there, maybe another ten knights outside the walls, and a handful of guns in the keep tower itself. He wasn't nervous about a few steps.
"Chief Murray pull back! We're waiting on cannon fire to bring down the fort, they'll shoot anyone who approaches." The voice was familiar from some of the war meetings, a young Taurus of unsure voice, but respectable spirit. Hair red as blood and black horns popping about, a young lad named Aka, the Taurus' eldest son. He dressed well, black armor supplemented in red painted bamboo and steel plates, armed with the curved swords his people traditionally used and a rose inlay, the symbol of his clan.
"Damn it Aka, we want to take the fort not ruin it. Is your mother in command here?" Murray spit out with a curse and a whisper, his line stopped with him.
"No, I am Chief. The Taurus took the cavalry and mobile armor we had and went after the bulk of the garrison that retreated in the ambush, I'm in command of the infantry, were taking the town," he tried to sound sure of himself, tall boy as he was standing up straight, though not so high he could be picked off by a sniper. Murray was an obvious chief and no one was shooting, boy just acted stupid for no reason.
"Ask a boy to get ya a town and leave ya with a pile of matchsticks I see," Murray replied with sarcasm, too tired for this. Clouds were rolling in from the south and he wanted to be done. "Call the artillery off and I'll negotiate a surrender."
"Understood Chief," the young Aka replied. He was a good stout and strong soldier, but an ill fitted leader or particularly smart. The boy would never be a talented chief.
"Animals I said back or we'll hang more!" Murray ignored him at first till he saw what the man meant. Along the walls Faunus dead were hanged, most looked to be young servers, teen boys and girls most of them.
"Ah shit," Murray mumbled. If rumors about Charlie were right, he definitely needed those poor kids cut down from their ropes and whomever left silenced about this. Hangings affected the king's mood quite a bit. "My name is Cithaeron Murray, I am Chief of the Valen Leo. Here to discuss surrender."
"The Fang right? You like fighting Mr. Fang?" the voice asked in its irritable tone.
"Chief Fang please. Or Murray if ya like, and aye, I do."
"Then a duel!" The man stepped out and Murray almost cursed allowed. His hair was Atlas white, one eye a much dimmer, but similar color to the boy who was Wilhelm. This man was old though, other scared over. It was a Schnee, a lesser Schnee, but a Schnee. Dueling them always went so fucking well. "I win, me, as well as the entire town and all the prisoners go home, you can keep the bloody keep. I lose, we surrender for you to do with as you will. How's that?" Easy risk for him. He'd be too busy being dead to do with what they will.
"Aye, alright I will." The cracks of thunder in hindsight must have made the hooves silent. As a storm rolled in so did others, though at the time Murray did not notice that. At the time he was dismounting, brushing off his bronze chest plate and kilt for a duel. He never even heard the woman approach, only felt the wind as she rode part her, the dirt of her horses hooves splashing him. The Taurus, Akagura, charged.
The rifles began to aim, the other knights began to rise, but as all watched her, a blinding occurred. Lighting pooled from the sky and bolted down, catching the point of her telescopic pole arm, the sword end bursting in light so bright Murray was robbed of his sight for a moment, but so did it to the gunners that were supposed to kill her.
Thunder shattered ears, and whatever scream the old Schnee man would have made was nothing to the sound of that bolt so close. This was her semblance, electro-kinetic control it seemed. When sight returned a moment later, the gate, and the man were blown into fire from the pooled bolt. The other Taurus soldiers ran in, swords draw to support their leader, the fort taken by storm.
"Oh hell," Murray groaned, rubbing his beaten eyes, "Kinsmen follow them in, support the fight and for gods' sake don't let them destroy anything we need!" Today was a long one filled with exhausting people. The Leo had to admit two things though, that was an impressive ability, and a very well trained horse.
"Murray you look well," Akagura replied politely, their first real conversation together instead of letting poor Aka suffer as the go between. The line of them, as well as other chiefs and important figures lined the main street in perfect order awaiting the royal procession.
"You look," Murray could only stare into the bone mask, "as you do." That was enough conversation thankfully as the horns blew to sound the royal approach. It wasn't much of a sight, the line long, banners flapping haphazardly, the column made of light infantry, some loaded trucks and headed by their heavier Cavalry, the royal guard co-commanded by both Azura Thrym and her Canis riders, and Armillia and her knights. They were not cohesive.
"Murray," the human woman who headed the column mumbled as she passed, gold colored armor a bright blight to the eyes. Least there was some red on it to making it a little more forgivable. Armillia was at least making herself useful.
"You lot did a fantastic job I see," that was Azura mocking the ruined keep in sight that they had spent all day turning it into something remotely serviceable.
"Thanks wolf," Murray replied with a smile and a chuckle. Behind her was Charlie, he was splattered with a little red himself, the new weapon of his holstered, the Gambol. He seemed drained, most certainly not happy, eyes weary and not a word to say to anyone as they passed under the gate. The rest of the column broke apart into their regiments answering to whatever personal captain and in all rebuilding the city to better allow for a camp.
"He's in a good mood," Aka said to no one in a muffled voice, but Murray laughed all the same.
"Best of them. Come on let's see what we can do eh?"
Inside the palisade defenses the fort was over packed, the royal guard lining the walls, clearing debris from the grounds and fixing what the Taurus and Murray hadn't had the time to do so. The Kinsmen for the most part had all been ordered to reinforce the Leo camp, Murray didn't need to worry so much about defense with Charlie around. Without any guards, besides a few Taurus ones, the chiefs all pushed through into the keep. Ground floor was a foyer turned meeting hall. It was dusty and light poured in from holes in the stone ceilings made by cannon fire.
Charlie stood at the head of the table with a map, always was obsessed with maps he was. Behind him was a stained glass window, or half of one. Much of it was shattered on the floor, what wasn't showed the emblem of a broken snowflake and provided the much needed lighting for the map.
"Good day King Charles, I hope the fort is to your liking," Akagura started politely taking her seat. She was still in armor, the silk black kimono on her cut short and with added black plates of armor, her mask still tightly on, never taken off, red marks on white.
"I was hoping we could get it with a surrender, less damage." Charlie wasn't happy.
"Despite being caught by surprise, the Schnee were built up here, and hardy. Weiss was preparing for war as predicted, you were smart to attack while the envoy bought us time," Akagura was pleased by that plan, sort of trickery was her preferred method. Murray had cautioned for more tentative approach, but in the end it was ignored in favor of this bloody course. When Wilhelm died, Charlie made up his mind that peace was impossible, or Maledetta did, hard to separate the two.
"Where is the Queen, Charlie? I miss her compn'y," Murray asked in interest of her absence, this time taking a seat opposite of Akagura and her son. The Simian representative also sat next to Murray, an unfamiliar elder now that the chief's son was dead.
"As it turns out she's pregnant, least the doctors say so, decided it was best to go back and rule Fort Castle for the sake of her health and the prince or princess," Armillia answered for Charlie with the first happy smile to be had. She always loved her cousin the Queen. Charlie seemed more ambiguous, a little embarrassed which made Murray roar out a laugh.
"We need to celebrate!" this was fantastic news, despite his envy of Maledetta, Charlie was going to be a father and Murray already decided he was going to be the favorite uncle.
"Thank you Charlie, but unfortunately we need to focus, I promise we can celebrate soon. I plan to end this war within the year," Charlie had a smirk when he said that, and not surprising considering the audacity of that. A young Volpes sub chief whistled in shock.
"While that's an interesting aspiration, more realistic matters should be attended, the future child should be assigned Faunus godparents in case of -"
"Taurus, do not be so quick to kill me," Charlie gave an awkward chuckle before taking out a flask he dipped into a little too much lately, "but yes, I've already had it instructed that Azura is the godmother, she's a Faunus, I'm sure you have no complaints." Aside from it not being her, no the Taurus likely did not.
"Not to mention Maledetta is alive and well, it's not healthy to talk of their deaths," Armillia cut everyone off, the lone human commander was quite outspoken.
"But it is prudent," another chief suggested from the set.
"Regardless, we need to focus please!" Charlie cut everyone else out, setting up his pieces along the map of Vale. He was burning something fierce; Murray liked him best like that. "We've been so busy trying just to survive for the first time since the beginning we can actually think about winning this, making something of all this blood and killing. Maledetta has put our claim to the throne up to a few nobility that have thus far been neutral. Namely Icemarsh. They have the bulk of the Valen fleet in their harbor and have yet to side with anyone. If we take Castle White they promise, after we end some old border disputes between them and the Schnee, to side with us. That gives us a fleet. That ends this."
"Relying on humans is ill advised, we should split up into three armies, one army goes north and meets up with my clansmen and take Nördlichste, one can sit here and hold, and another can go south and take Ruthven. Weiss won't be able to mobilize against one army without abandoning the Castle White to attack from the other two. Low risk and we get even more territory." Akagaru countered completely cutting off Charlie; she had a habit of doing this, resisting his every action, especially when it came to humans. Their alliance was born out of mutual interest, but the ultimate goal for both leaders was something so alien from one another, that every meeting brought the risk of infighting as the days went by, infighting they couldn't preform.
"Let the king finish Taurus, show Charlie some respect!" Better she bad mad at Murray than him. Between them, Charlie was the one he wanted to back, he was the visionary, had real chance for a better Vale. The Taurus was a creature of war, what she would do once she won never really mattered. It was about punishing them however she could, least it seemed that way.
"So we get an extra castle or two, no men for it, nothing but territory we have to station and more ruins like this. Grimm are becoming a problem you know? Villages on the outer territories are asking for people to protect them, our armies are getting turned into chew toys and our traders won't lead caravans without massive armed guards. The longer this war goes on, the more negativity, more grimm. Ya want more grimm by all means waste time going after Ruthven." Azura Thrym was a huntress, her concern for the grimm a constant complaint, or over sight by her perspective. Murray had a hard time calling her wrong, though the wolf's reputation has been largely tarnished.
"It brings us no closer to ending the war, and that's what I'm focused on. I just want to go home, I think we all do. Do you not want to end the war Akagura?" Charlie was serious, leaned forward arms on the table for support. He was starting to get the act.
"I want a Free Faunus Vale of course Charles," She answered behind the mask. It was impossible to watch her, to see what she was feeling, if she felt at all. Murray wanted to tear the mask off himself.
"Then show me some faith please. You promised me an oath as part of our new Vale," Charlie spoke softly, as he was known to do, for a meek person he had such a fine control of himself, infinitely likeable and pleasant, Murray couldn't resist him for sure.
"Of course Charles, as you instructed we captured the fort."
"And you left it in ruins, we'll have to leave a garrison to deal with the grimm," Azura replied giving a glare to both sides of the table, Murray included.
"The losses involved in taking this fort without artillery would have outweighed whatever we lose to fortify the garrison here," the Taurus countered folding her arms over one another, a slight give to her guarded nature.
"Should have let me duel the old man, we could have least kept the damn door on its hinges," Murray mumbled in a laugh. He assumed Akagura tossed him a glare, the white bone mask was all that stared at him.
"Because we had such luck with duals yes." That counter, well timed as it was left a hiss and barely held in breaths. No one had anything to say, do maybe, as Azura stood straight up, knocking her chair away into the dust. Now that woman could give a hateful fucking stare, the Queen of it with her eyes that turned yellow in rage and scars that highlighted her tenacity.
"We're doing this now huh?" Charlie spoke up, taking just a second to swallow down something from a flask, a nasty habit he got into in the worst of days, "Fine then, we talk about this. Wilhelm, someone shot him, and whatever he knew about it he decided to spend the time trying to kill you, why?"
"What do you want to hear?" It sounded like a real question the way the Taurus said it.
"Wilhelm Schnee was murdered; did you have anything to do with it?" Charlie had no defining character in his speech, nothing that might have seemed angry or happy. No the only thing that he seemed was apprehensive a small quake in his hand telling Murray this was a conversation he was avoiding.
"Yes," the Taurus replied. No one even moved when she said it for how casually and easily the words left her lips. It was only a second later people began to react. Guards readied themselves, Chiefs stood up straight, unable to calmly ignore that. Some of the others sat still and Aka, most awkwardly of all put his hand to the sword before his mother swatted it. "Of course I did."
"You murdered him," Charlie said as if clarifying something.
"I didn't murder anyone; he was trying to murder me if anything." Everyone seemed aghast, looking at her with some level of horror or judgment, the few that didn't were either watching the guards or looking down at their hands of guilt. "You let the man insult you, ruined the reputation of our best warrior-"
"He cheated, there was ice in the mud," Azura defended, though Murray wasn't sure if he believed her.
"To top that he should have died anyway for cheating in a duel," a pause of silence hung in the air as people looked for one of the two of them to say something, "I couldn't allow him to come back and run his own inquisition. He could have pinned any of us in this delusional conspiracy of his."
"Are you involved in the murder of Wernher Schnee," Charlie added with another accusation.
"Why would I be?" Not an answer.
"Akagura you had no right to supersede my authority and escalate this crisis-"
"What authority?" she interrupted completely cutting off Charlie's authority. "Your royal title isn't real Charles;
this whole thing is nothing more than an agreement of convenience. You can't complete any of this without me or mine. We put that crown on your head, ill-fitting as it is, and if you try something we'll just take it off. Now do you want to go back to our little farce nicely or do you need to throw a tantrum?"
Azura cracked into motion, knocking the maps away in her forceful fling forward. Aka, the young fool, got in her path trying to pull his weapon free. He didn't stand a chance. The wolf grabbed the kids head and slammed it so hard against the table, his horn fractured on the now splintered wooden edge. Lad never cried, but he was groaning, blood seeping from the horn. It was as shattered as Azura's reputation had been in recent weeks.
"Stop!" Charlie shouted and the motion ceased. Aka was still curled up moaning on the floor, Azura standing a behemoth in front of Akagura more than a head shorter, the wolf's chest nearly pressed into the white of the Taurus' face. The huntress was quaking in fury, barely chained down by her friend's words. She was so close, so close to getting a fight that had built up to this moment.
"Give me an excuse to break you," the huntress growled, eyes amber and semblance ready, the wolf in her all out.
"Don't worry; I'm done playing with your cat." No one else seemed to hear that. No one besides Murray and Azura.
"We are done for today. Everyone return to your camps, prepare orders to mobilize after breakfast tomorrow. We'll have a morning briefing on our next engagement against Weiss understood?"
"I understand plenty Charles, Have a good night King," Akagaru made little noise walking away, not bothering to pick up her son who relied on one of their guards to pull him up. The mysterious woman walked out, her black kimono vibrant in flowing as she stepped out of the decaying structure.
Murray knew it would have caused a lot of blood, but all things that followed considered, he wished Azura had broken her neck.
"Without a trace Charlie."
"I see." The Faunus King was back in his place that morning. Sitting this time, not standing. He was hunched over, like a man that had spent a day working the plow, but it was still just morning. Sun wasn't even out. He had a drink in his hand, but this time Murray would be remiss not to join him in one.
The Taurus had snuck out in the night. Not just her, her army too, all the arms they collected and even the prisoners. More than their lion's share of the food and horses. They made up a bulk of the heavy cavalry, much of their mobile armor, their most disciplined fighters. Near a third of their numbers. Too much.
"I'm sorry King Charles, we did not know until morning," one of the other chiefs meekly offered to explain their failure. No one knew until the only remaining Taurus whom stayed only to inform them of the "White Bull's" plan to liberate Nördlichste and "inspire" King Charles to head to Ruthven.
"Alright, we need to move. Low supplies means we need to go twice as fast before stock starts becoming a problem. We can raid Riverpass on our way to Castle White."
"Charlie, you don't mean to don't mean to be doing this, not really. I've never lead you astray, but lad without the Taurus, we can't beat the snow bitch," Murray tried to plead with amusement, but Charlie was not amused, he was so angry, small, sad. It was a painful thing to see.
"I have a plan. Riverpass is where Weiss will meet us. Town has the largest bridge up the river. Only people on horseback can push through White river, even if it's low right now. It's situated between two plateaus, perfect for artillery. A terrible place for us to go. We still outnumber her easily three to one, we have much higher moral and we have Armillia." Charles may have been tired, but a map was in front of him, the chess pieces laid out. White Bishops on the plateaus looking over the town, both rooks on the bridge, knights on opposite sides of the plateaus, and every single pawn on the west side of the river bank Queen right in the town center. "The bridge will be the logical place to attack, her strongest defenders, a band of Mistralian mercenaries, will hold it. Murray, your people were kicked out of Mistral. Want revenge?"
"Yes lad, but listen-" He placed the black bishops on the bridge, the Leo soldiers.
"We'll need to have someone assault the river too, make some boats, lead with someone fierce. Azura I can count on you?"
"I'm where you need me Charles." A Black Queen with black rooks was placed right on the river.
"Charlie, I'm sorry lad, but let's hold on-"
"Light infantry will of course cover the center; we need to look as big as we are." Pawns lined their side of the bank, ready to move into any position needed, or protect the black King on his position, far back left away from the bridge.
"We'll have what remains of the leftover Taurus and light armor commit to an attack on the right flank. Tie up people there, make them think we're going for the right hand Plateau. A Feint." A lone two pawns went right and locked the White knights.
"Charlie, if we do this, and I'm saying we shouldn't, but if we do listen to me lad, we need to do something else, we can't just send wave after wave, ya know that right?" Murray leaned in, trying to reason now with the man he had grown to love. A good man. "Least put your camp and guns by the bridge, choose one path to break, not all these little games." Charles didn't seem to be listening, his right hand toying with a black knight piece. Something reached him though, his amber eyes looking up at the old Leo, tired as he had to be.
"Friend you have to trust me. I've got a plan. We have a plan. All my life people have been suffering while I wait for the right time, while I wait till I'm pinned and have no other choice. I've had enough horrible things. We break them here and it's finally over. I'll have an army and a navy, we can march the army south, meet the confederates heading north and pin Sir Arc, I can take Icemarsh Navy and sail right into Vale. We can finally end all of this nightmare. I just have to once in my life not pick the desperately safe option to do it. So I will, years too late for Lucia, but I got to this time Murray, I can't do with without you," the young king was in tears, but alive in a way he had not been all morning, "We take Castle White, I promise I'll make you its Lord, Murray I will. We'll invite the Taurus back, say we need them, need her. She'll come to cause I'm meek just like she says, and when she does I'll have her put to floor and in front of the gods and Schnee alike, I'll cut her fucking head off for all the murder she's caused us!"
The man that was acting like a king for the first time in his life, did so with black knight piece in his hand, staring at it with the hateful intensity, Armillia's knights, the odd Ace, untested and dubious in worth.
"Armillia, can I trust you? Trust a human?"
"Humans? I wouldn't, I don't even like your kind, but a knight loyal to her Queen. Yes."
Weiss the Lord of White Castle
"Upper left corner ma'am" The scout exclaimed nervously, the young girl likely never met a noble before, or a wealthy woman, or a general either. It was her lucky day.
"Yes let me see," Weiss mumbled politely, eyes locked through the looking glass atop the plateau tower, one fixed in the artillery base. She saw exactly what she hoped, a quivering sight from across the river. As dusk was coming tonight the sign rose in its place. An Airship with a massive black flame lotus, all within a crown of gold. The king was coming, coming to her spot, the plan was on and the battle to decide history was here. Wilhelm's killer was coming for her now and a river was all that separated her from them.
For the first time in weeks Weiss was calm, heart steady despite the crossroad approaching. It was finally time. Charles had not disappointed and now the siren played. It was time to get ready. One way or another it would be their first and only dance together.
*** Well sorry everyone for the late response! I took October off for the most part to work on a birthday gift for a friend, as well as celebrate my birthday as well as preparing for National Novel Writing Month where I will be working on my first original novel which if your at all interested you should check out my mirrored account on fictionpress when the first chapter is done.
Other than that I just want to thank TCR for the edits and tell you all congrats! We're 75% done with AV, things are going to start wrapping up!
