Disclaimer: All characters, with the exception of Captain Julian Fraanis, Queen Alani and her half-brother Alton, belong to Sherwood Smith.
To Mrs. Dom Masbolle: Yes, Mel is a mage and is planning to help them, but you will see that in the battle everything happens so fast that she doesn't have time to cast any spells. And more fluff will come, I promise!
As Captain Julian, Danric, and Mel road back to their waiting army, Mel felt as if time slowed. It seemed to her that getting everyone into proper formation took hours. And the ride down the hill to the actual field of battle appeared endless.
As the two armies assembled on the field time resumed its normal pace for Mel. She was doing her best to breathe when Danric noticed her anxiety.
"Darling, are you alright?"
Mel didn't trust herself to speak, so she just nodded. But Danric knew her far to well.
"You're worried about using your magic in battle?"
She sighed. "A little."
He smiled encouragingly saying, "You'll do fine."
She smiled back and their eyes locked for a moment. They said nothing, but each knew by heart the look in the other's eyes.
In but a few short minutes some signal that Mel didn't catch was given. As the two armies sped towards one another, time changed once again for Mel and she felt that everything was happening at once.
The armies clashed at full speed and Mel was at once occupied as several warriors tried their best to kill her. But three years with one of the best swordsman in the world as her teacher had paid off, and Mel had no trouble defending herself. As she wheeled her mount around, out of the corner of her eye she saw arrows fly.
Turning again to face Danric's direction she yelled, "Bows! Danric, they're using bows!"
He nodded and forced his way towards her, calling orders in a voice any field general would envy. In response, his warriors brought up their shields as another volley of arrows flew into their ranks.
But even with the arrows raining down on them, and with less numbers, it soon became clear that the Remalnans were gaining ground.
Hard as Danric might try though, he could not reach Mel's side and he soon realized that Mel was being drawn purposefully away from him and towards the outer edge of the battle. As the Norsundrians slowly retreated, Danric followed her, and saw that the Norsundrian soldiers hurriedly blocked his way. He knew suddenly that they wanted him and Mel separated.
"Mel!?" he yelled as he fought through the soldiers blocking his path.
She turned to look at him and saw that he was simultaneously fighting off two soldiers and throwing frantic looks in her direction.
Just then, something crashed into the back of her skull. The last thing she heard before darkness took her was Danric's desperate call of "Meliara!"
For most of her three-day trip across Norsunder, Mel was unconscious. She knew only that she traveled with many soldiers, and that she hurt, and then she welcomed her descent back into the quiet darkness.
On the fourth day Mel awoke slung across the back of her horse. Not only did she feel like a sack of flour, but every muscle in her body hurt and she had a headache the size of Athanarel. Looking around she realized that she and the soldiers were in some sort of courtyard.
Trying to use her magic to ease the ache in her head so she could better concentrate, Mel found herself weak and gasping. That's when she realized she was wearing shackles on her hands and feet, but they had some sort of magic in them that was meant to bind the wearer's powers. So they knew she was a mage. 'Damn it!' Mel cursed before someone touched two fingers to the back of her neck and she once again dropped into a black void.
Mel came to in a small wooden building. She still had the shackles on, but only a dim reminder of her headache lingered. She had little time to orient herself before she heard voices and the clank of a key ring. The door swung open and two men stared down at her. A woman's icy voice asked, "Well, is she awake?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
'Your Highness?' Mel thought.
Just then a woman with long white hair and ice blue eyes that matched her voice slowly stepped in. The two soldiers quickly moved to flank the door as the woman surveyed Mel.
"Welcome to my country, Queen Meliara," the woman said with a mock curtsy. "I am Alani, Queen of Norsunder. I trust your journey was pleasant?"
Rather than respond to the insult, Mel asked, "Why am I here?"
"Why?" Queen Alani asked incredulously. "For one of the oldest reasons, my dear. You see, we are a poor country, and who better to ransom than a Queen?"
"Who indeed?" Mel muttered, then taking a deep breath she said, "Remalna doesn't negotiate with hostile nations. You'll get no ransom."
But Queen Alani only tittered, then said, "Oh yes we will. Because either we get the ransom, or you die, and your precious king would never let that happen would he?"
Before Mel could think of a retort she was gone, and the door closed and locked once more.
Thanks so much for reading everyone! And please review to tell me what you think, and give me any suggestions. Everything is appreciated, I promise!
Next chapter we join Danric to see what he was up to while Mel was being hauled across a country.
See you there, Mia21