Hey Yo! I am NerdRyuu and welcome to the 5th chapter of Udan's Legends! Last Chapter Lori claimed her throne of Yound's Jarl! This chapter follows right after the end of the last one!
But first, lets answer this month's question.
Guest99: Are you gonna introduce Becky along with Jackie and Mandee when Leni's arc comes?
I have indeed plans for them to become minor characters in the future, but not gonna assure a "Leni Arc" I have some plans to her that'll subvert the expectations for her, she'll still be the lovable airhead we love but I want to do something different with her.
Without any further ado, let's go!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Loud House
Morgan slowly regained conscience and started to get up. When she lifted her head, was met with the head of a soldier's spear pointed to her. She quickly looked to the sides, she was surrounded by the Mireworth soldiers that gazed at her in repugnance.
"Move away you imbeciles!" She ordered, expecting, as
"Soldiers, may you bring Miss Morgan over for a word with me?" The voice of Lori came from the other side of the room. One guard grabbed her wrists and forced her to walk up to the throne.
Morgan gritted her teeth as she looked at Lori sitting on that throne. She had her legs crossed and was resting her elbow on the arm of the throne and looked down at her with distain.
"Your web of manipulation is no more." Lori said.
"I'll never admit defeat!" Morgan said with murder eyes.
"You're already defeated. None of these guards are under your control. That was your only advantage. Severing the connection between you and the guards was our priority. And with Lincoln's last minute help. You are done for." Lori motioned to Lincoln, who was being standing with the help of Clyde by the side of the throne.
Morgan growled in rage and unexpectedly jumped onto him, pulling a dagger out from her dress and pointed at him, ready to stab the boy.
"Stop Morgan." Lori imposed. Morgan's movements stopped in it's tracks, the blade inches from Lincoln's abdomen. Morgan's arm shaked slightly, still trying to continue, but didn't matter how much Morgan wanted, her body didn't obeyed.
Lori looked with distain at her situation. Her eyes were glowing in azure with a jagged pattern. That was her Absolute Command, active in her eyes, the eyes of command, Kengengan.
Lynn was surprised. She really had a special ability like she said. Every word she said her subordinates would obey. It wasn't working because the manipulation in everyone, but now?
Now Lori was the Jarl. She had power all over Youndorf.
"That's pretty busted." Lynn thought.
"Drop the dagger." Lori ordered and Morgan immediately opened her hand, releasing the dagger that fell onto the carpeted floor. "Hands behind your head." Morgan did so.
"Curse you Lori Youndfaith." Morgan spoke gritting teeth, almost foaming in rage. Lori scoffed.
"Guards, please get her in the jail, where she'll await a proper trial. And take care to not get hit by her manipulation spells." All the guards made a bow and pushed Morgan back to a side door. Lori sighed.
"Miss Youndfaith…" Lincoln spoke, before Lori raised her hand with a smile.
"Call me Lori please." She asked. Lincoln made a nod with a smile. "I have a lot to thank you all "She said to Lincoln, Lynn and Clyde. "I am here now because you three." Lynn smirked, Clyde smiled with a bow and Lincoln kept his smile. "Specially you, Lincoln." She said standing from the throne and walking up to the trio. "Carol."
"Yes my Jarl?" Carol said with a soft tone, almost like she was proud of saying that.
"Please, may you organize the messenger to warn the citizens of town for a speech in the mansion courtyard?" Lori asked.
"Yes my Jarl, but… why me?" Carol asked confused.
"Because you are now the Jarl's counselor." Lori announced, but Carol just got more confused.
"What? But I… But… my mother and… I…" Lori raised her hand with a gentle smile.
"Carol. I know what your mother did. And she'll be punished by it. But you? I know you since we were girls. I know you kept secrets from me. But this, I can forget. I know it's imprudent, but I trust you Carol Springley." At that point, Carol's eyes had started to tear up and she started to cry. Clyde then released Lincoln and put her hands over Carol's shoulders, trying to comfort her.
Lori's Kengengan returned into her eyes as she was about to used it again on Carol. "Tell me truthfully Carol. Can I trust you?"
Carol started to cry even hard. "YES!" She shouted between sobs, Lori's order to speak truthfully made her Speak from the bottom of her heart. "YOU CAN TRUST ME! I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE TO YOU MY JARL!"
Lori smiled at her friend, her eyes returned to her natural colors. "I knew it."
"That thing is op." Commented Lynn to Lincoln, who nodded in agreement.
It was noon in the balcony on the second floor of the mansion, with a clear view of the courtyard used for announcements for the people of the city. Speaking which, they were confused at least and shocked at most, by now, the Jarl didn't had a speech from the Jarl for nearly a decade now. Ever since the announcement of the attack on Mireworth.
But to the surprise of the most pessimistic of the Youndorf's citizen, who appeared in the balcony was Miss Lori Youndfaith. When she appeared, the courtyard fell into silence as the citizens awaited for what came next.
"Citizens of Youndorf. My grandfather, Jarl Timillous Youndfaith IX has been dead for a unknown amount of time. His corpse being controlled by his counselor Morgan Springley to rule over Youndorf." The crowd gasped at that revelation. Lori looked down and rested her hands on the white marble balcony. "Morgan was behind the Siege on Mireworth with the objective of killing my father… She also had the entire court along with the entire royal guard under her manipulation." Whispers and incredulous gasps filled the courtyard. Morgan had Youndorf entangled in her web and no one of them knew how much danger they were in the verge of. "And today she made her move to try to wrongfully imprison and execute me. With the entire Youndfaith bloodline extinct, she was going to seize the power openly… But Lady Melanie blessed us with a miracle in the time of our greatest need." Lori motioned to her side and Lincoln stepped onto the balcony caught by surprise. He made a awkward smile and waved.
"Young wizard Lincoln Snowtop and his allies, Lynn Griffinheart, a knight with fire in her heart and Clyde McBride, next in line for Eriol's Jarl came to me with a proposal of a alliance between Yound and Eriol to protect both of the provinces smaller villages. They helped me to uncover Morgan's manipulations and free everyone that was under her control…"
Lori pause sounded like a queue for the crowd and they cheered and applauded Lincoln who shrank a little on embarrassment.
"And with this… I, Lori Youndfaith humbly assume the title of Jarl of Yound, and promise my citizens, I'll fix everything that my grandfather did in or out the influence of Morgan. Yound will have a new, brighter future ahead of us!" The crowd erupted in cheers. Some in the crowd weren't fully convinced of what Lori had spoken, but the hope that things would start to be better was enough to fill the hearts of the citizens that were once filled with dread for the future.
"AND YOU'RE ALL INVITED TO TONIGHT'S CELEBRATION SUPPER IN THE MANSION!" Lori announced with glee, making the crowd cheers even louder. Free food? From the Jarl? She was already a way better Jarl than her grandfather ever was.
By nightfall, the court's servants had reallocated seven very long wooden tables along the courtyard, and a smaller one in in front of the others, facing the others, and also had set them with dozens of plates, cutlery, cups, and candle holders to illuminate. A band of bards had been bought from the local inn to perform in the supper, and dozens of chefs of around town were in the manor's kitchen, helping to prepare the supper for an entire city worth of people. Even the private collection of wines of the former Jarl was opened for the occasion.
Little by little, people started to fill the tables, families sitting and eating together, bar mates sharing the expensive wine, friends laughing and speaking with one another.
Lori sighed with a smile looking her citizens having a fun filled dinner. She was sitting in the eight smaller table, in the center with her close friends and members of her court, that right now were Lincoln, Lynn, Clyde, Cass and Carrol. Lynn was a little upset that Lori didn't allowed her to drink the wine, just Lori, Cass and Carrol were old enough to enjoy the almost century aged wine.
Carrol and Clyde were hitting off very good, Carol was drunkenly teasing the younger boy and Clyde was shyly speaking back, trying to avoid passing out. He used to do this when he got too much embarrassed.
Cass had passed out in the table after her glass of wine, she probably was a light drinker, and that wine was too much for her.
Lincoln enjoyed his meal, he had put in his plate slices of bread, mashed potatoes with pork and a weird dish he never ever seen, it looked like it was made with cabbage. It was weirdly delicious for Lincoln's taste.
"Ya know Linc." Lynn said holding a bitten baked potato in hand. The boy looked at her. "There's something I didn't understand about Morgan, Carol said she had a Natural Talent. What the hell is that?"
"Some people are Naturals at somethings Lynn. They're born with the natural capability to do something without ever training or studying. See my mother for example."
"Rita?" Lynn spoke, the boy nodded and continued.
"She's a natural alchemist. Brewing potions, tonics, differentiate similar herbs, identify the properties of ingredients, all that stuff. I never got a cold in my life! And she and Pop-Pop swear to Maja that she never took any class to be so good!" He explained. Lynn nodded along.
"Oh, I'm getting what you're trying to say, Morgan mat be a natural in manipulation spells." She speculated, Lincoln nodded
"Ye're right kids!" Carol said drunkenly to the two, getting her attention off Clyde for a second before hiccupping and returning to tease the embarrassed boy, confirming Lincoln's theory. Lincoln snickered seeing his friend so embarrassed and returned to his dinner.
Later on the dinner and some cups of the century aged wine, Lori leaned over to Lincoln's shoulder.
"Heey Liinkie…" The Young Jarl spoke dragging her words in her drunkenness. Lincoln looked at her blushing, Lori was very close to him, close enough for her uncannily blue eyes look like the bright sky.
"Uh… Lori?" He asked embarrassed, feeling he was paying the price for laughing at Clyde's predicament.
"As the *hic* Jarl... I need to build a court for myself! I already have Carol and Cass in it… *hic* Hoow… about… you stay here with mmeee andd… be part of the court asss my Thane?" Lori offered with a drunken smile and bedroom eyes, her head nearly resting on his shoulder.
Lincoln's face turned red like a tomato and shifted his eyes around, seeing Clyde with his eyes wide open and he made a thumbs up to Lincoln with a awkward smile. Carol had a smirk in her lips looking at him and Lynn had a complete blank expression, only side eyeing at him with shrunken pupils. He couldn't help but notice she was holding her table knife very firmly.
"Uhm…" Lincoln didn't knew what to say, depending on what he responded, he could end up in a lot of trouble. "Miss Lori… You're drunk and I-" Lori made a disappointed groan and rested her chin on shoulder.
"Pretty please Linkie…" She said pouting. "Can you stay here with me?" Lincoln's eyes widened as he saw that Lori's eyes of command, Kengengan, were back to her eyes. Unconsciously, or maybe consciously she was using her blessing on him.
But Lincoln sighed and made a gentle smile. "Sorry my Jarl, but I can't stay. I have a task to fulfill, and I still have a dream that I want to seek."
Lori drunkenly groaned in disappoint, turning away, not noticing that Lincoln wasn't affected by he command. "But don't worry Lori." Added Lincoln, making Lori look back at him. "I promise I'll come to visit you."
Lori made a tired smile at him and chugged down the rest of the wine bottle and letting a loud sigh, she laughed and gazed at Lincoln again. "You're making me fantasize about leaving the Throne to go with you… wouldn't that he fun?" Lincoln giggled.
It was almost midnight when the party ended and the villagers started returning to their homes. Lincoln, Lynn and Clyde, still guests, were escorted by a maiden to the two rooms she had prepared the day before. Clyde and Lincoln agreed to lock the door for the night, just as a precaution that neither Lori or Carol would drunkenly creep their away into their room.
While Clyde slept soundly on his bed, Lincoln was sitting on bed, with the window open on his side so that he could get some light from the moon.
Once again he was staying up late studying Marlin's Journal. He had noticed that when he reached the last page, of the book, there was a blank page and when he turned it, another blank page appeared from thin air. Lincoln was amazed at that. The book had a infinite expansion enchantment, so he would never run out of pages to write. Lincoln read about that on that very book around a hundred pages before.
Lincoln read and re-read that page, however he knew for sure that he wasn't still able to enchant anything, he was completely inexperienced with the Incantation school of magic.
Enchants were a different kind of magic, instead of using the energy within, Enchants were charged by nature itself. Incantation was like making nature use it's infinite magic to make a spell into an object. However it is easier said than done, as a entire enchanting ritual was required. The only step Lincoln knew was drawing a rune seal in the ground with a specific material for every different enchant, coal, Salt, Pepper, Lapis Lazuli, iron dust and even gold dust for example.
These materials in their most raw form had magical properties, much like potion ingredients, but Rita once told Lincoln that minerals were not really suitable for potion brewing, their cost being the biggest detractor, using gold to brew a simple fever tonic wasn't really economically smart.
Lincoln's yellow eyes sucked the information of each page, each word were imprinted in his brain the moment he read them. However Lincoln never thought about it, for him, that learning speed was as normal as breathing.
Lincoln sighed closing the book. He really should sleep, the next day it was going to be full, with the preparations to continue his journey.
At the same time, far from Youndorf, in Sarphel, capital of Yound's neighboring region, also named Sarphel, a young lady walked the empty alleys.
Sarphel was a city constructed over the docks of the Sarphel Lake, due this, the city was built as several floating "islands" in several levels connected by several bridges, creating canals with the water below. Each level was connected by stairs and bridges. Below at the water level, boats stayed attached to the wooden colons that sustained the upper levels. The whole city was constructed with wood and stone.
Being built atop of a lake, the city didn't smelled particularly good, the lower level smelled like moss and fish,
She had messy short auburn hair freckles on her cheeks, in her ears spiraling metal earrings. She wore purple vest that went down just to the middle of her body, the sleeves had been torn away. under the vest she wore a black and lavender bodysuit that accentuated her thin frame. She wore two pieces of side skirts around her pants that made her profile look like the elytra of a beetle.
She carried in her back a oddly shaped large black case.
The young woman looked around, discreetly walking in a particular direction. Every now and then, she ducked behind a house just for seconds later, a Sarphel soldier pass by in their patrol. She crept slowly her way down the town without being saw by any guard and after a while, she arrived at her destiny.
Again ducking behind a mossy stone wall she looked at the Jarl's long house. The only building of Sarphel built in solid ground, being slightly higher up than most other buildings. It had a tall wall around it. The girl looked at the right side of the wall, a patrolling guard was walking around.
The longhouse wall wasn't connected with the city's outer wall, but it had a rather wide alley circling the longhouse. This alley was regularly patrolled due being a obvious unsafe zone.
However it was the safest and easiest way inside.
"You got this Acai!" The girl muttered. She picked the case from her back, unbuttoned and picked from inside a very weird instrument. The four strings running from the handle all the way to the head made it look like a lute, however the handle was longer and with a shape that looked to make it easier to hold there with both hands. and the head was very different than any lute, it was shaped like a battle axe. It was purple and silver on the blade it also had a long strap running from the handle to the head.
Acai closed the case and again put on her back and rested this Axe in her shoulder, holding it by the handle. She awaited the guard turn all the way back into the alley to sneak into the other side.
She had to be quick, soon the guard would reach her position on the alley. She looked up at the wall to the longhouse and luckily, she found a vine running up the wall. She used her strength to swing her axe into the wall, lodging it into the wall and hooking in the vine.
Then, she summersaulted up the handle, making momentum to escalate the wall, grabbing the axe in the process and landing on top of the wall, crouching.
She looked down, inspecting the best place to drop down. That side had green grass, trees and bushes surrounding the wall. She looked fourth as she acknowledged the presence of another guard going down in the direction she was. She dropped down.
The sound of bushes caught the attention of the guards and he walked up to where that bush made a sound with her spear firmly in his hand.
But when he leaned down to look at what had made the sound, a startled crow croaked and flew away, startling the guard who made a few steps back cursing under his breath. The guard then grumbled and continued to make his patrol.
Acai watched him as she sneaked past behind him and crouched below a window of the manor she had to break in. She then put her open palm onto the wall and closed her eyes.
There was six guards on the first floor, along with four house maidens that slept on their small room on the side of the kitchen.
Other four guards patrolled the second floor, with five other people sleeping, these on their respective rooms, those probably were the Jarl and their court.
Both ends of the only stairway to the second floor were guarded, there wasn't no other way to the second floor.
From the inside.
One of the windows of a occupant room was wide open on the other side of the manor. And the door was unlocked.
Acai made a cheeky smile. She finally reopened her eyes and looked up, spotting a wooden gutter that screamed for her to climb it.
With a jump, and a swing, she lodged the axe on the gutter and used it to climb up. From there, it was easy to lodge the axe once again in the upper gutter and climb into the roof.
Putting the axe on her back, she looked with attention to the clay tiles and slowly sneaked through the roof of the manor, carefully choosing where to step, to not make any noise. Slowly but surely, she arrived at the other edge of the roof,
She flipped down, holding the edge and swiftly entering the room, rolling around the floor to not make any sound. She stood up, darting into the bed. She was inside. Now she just needed to locate, get the necklace and-
"What are you doing?" A feminine voice asked the invaded. Acai slowly turned to the girl. With a worried look. She couldn't believe how carelessly she acted. And so soon.
The girl who talked was blonde, had shoulder length hair and lustrous eyelashes. She was sitting on her double sized bed with only a cyan night gown.
Acai, panicking raised her index finger over her mouth in shushing motion the girl mouthed an "Oh" and nodded.
The brunette girl jumped and looked at the door, then, she jumped over the side of the bed, getting just out of sight of the door.
Seconds later, the footsteps of a guard became louder until he appeared, swinging carefully the door, checking on the girl.
"Lady Samantha, is everything fine? I heard noises." The guard asked, sounding concerned.
Samantha made a quick look at Acai that was laying in the ground by her side, still motioning a shush, more worried than ever.
It took Samantha some seconds do decide what to do, she looked at the girl with a devilish smile, than turned back to the guard.
"No Sully, is everything ok, I just… Had a dream. You can go… I want to be alone… Girl stuff." She whispered the last part. Sully blushed for a second than cleared his throat.
"Oh, Uh-huh… uhm… Okay… I'll go now… huh… enjoy yourself!" he said closing the door a little too hard. The two girls heard heavy and quick footsteps until it faded.
Another two seconds passed before either girl moved again. Acai jumped up, she was completely panicking.
"Bloody hell, how could I be so careless!" Acai spoke passing through the room back and forth. "It was supposed to be a easy job!"
"Cahem!" Samantha cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of the other girl. She had her arms crossed and a smug face. "So, what you're going to do now thief?"
Acai growled grabbing her axe from her back and jumping on the bed, pointing the bladed side of the axe onto Sam's throat.
"Don't get smug with me, princess! I had clear orders! Don't let yourself be seen by no one and to kill however see me! And for your information, I'm not a thief. I am an assassin." Samantha gulped. But then smirked, not buying the bluff.
"Yeah, you would have killed me the moment I saw you." She said, pushing the axe aside.
Acai climbed down the bed, shocked and ashamed. She sighed in defeat, sitting on the bed. "Great. My first mission and I failed miserably!" She sighed. "I don't have the guts to be a assassin." Samantha tilted her head. "Now what I'm going to do? With my failure, they'll send another one of us for the bounty, and I'm telling princess, I'm the least rotten apple in the tree!" Samantha gulped again. In that, she believed. but her attention got swayed by the thing The girl in front of her had on her lap.
"Oh, what a cool instrument! Is a weapon and a musical instrument, right? How do you call it?" She asked excited. Acai looked at the axe.
"It's a heavily modified lute, It doesn't really have a name, I just call Ax. Commissioned to endure combat and shred some cool sounds!" Acai jumped around holding the axe as a proper musical instrument, getting a little carried away. Samantha laughed.
"You also like music?" She asked.
"If I do? I Love it! Sound is my life! Is what truly is in my veins!" She said shredding the strings, creating a metallic note, different from everything Samantha ever heard.
"Amazing!" She said with stars in her eyes, that type of sound was so different, so… electric. "I wished I could play my lute more." Samantha smile dropped. Confusing Acai.
"Why not?" She asked.
"My mom. The Jarl. Is so overprotective." Samantha sighed. She doesn't let me go out the manor. At all. Not for a simple walk on the gardens. I can't play my lute without supervision, I can't go see the maids cooking, I can't have any friends aside from the ones she assigns for me, she says it's for my protection, and that I am destined and I have to be the perfect Jarl." Samantha explained rolling her eyes.
Acai stood in silence. She looked down at her axe, processing what Samantha told her. She looked at Samantha again. It was like if the mirror she looked talked. Down in her core, Acai related to every single word she said. Then she smirked.
"Say princess… How… about… A day out on town?" She asked with a grin. Confusing Samantha.
"What?"
"You and me, get out of this manor, have some fun here in Sarphel?" Acai elaborated. Samantha's eyes went wide.
"W-what? I can't, H-how we would pass the guards?" Acai smirked.
"I got princess, I can get us out!"
Samantha looked down, clenching her sheets. She was tired of that room. She was tired of these walls. She wanted to go out. Get in trouble, discover who she was.
"Please! Please let me go with you!" Samantha begged with her eyes starting to fill with water.
Acai smiled and when Samantha was getting up, she looked at the royal girl's night attire, blushing and turning away, she said. "Yeah, but first, its better with you get changed, princess."
"Oh… hehe…" Samantha then realized something. "Excuse me, I think we didn't got properly introduced, I am Samantha Sharp, what's your name?"
"My name is Luna-" The girl's mouth shut close so hard her jaw hurt a little. She may be a failure of a assassin, but she would never get he true birth name out in the open.
The girl thought for a second. Acai was her first name, but for family tradition, her surname came first. But she didn't liked her name at all. Acai was nice and all, but it didn't hit like a musician's name.
"Luna Eh?" Samantha spoke up, grabbing the attention of the girl.
"What?" The girl asked.
"Luna's your name? It's nice." Samantha said with a smile.
Luna…
"Yeah… Name's Luna!" The girl spoke with confidence. "Luna Acai!"
N/A: So we end this chapter with Udan's Luna and Sam! It's clear by now that these characters are quite different from the usual for them, I still want them to have a deep connection with music, and they'll have, 'cause, come on, it's Luna and Sam.
The city of Sarphel was inspired primarilly by Riften from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Venice from real life, I wanted a different place from the past two regions of Udan, Eriol and Yound's plains. there's still a third region in the future that's also in plains and, but aside from these, I want the other regions to be very diverse! We'll see more about Udan's Geography and Population in the next chapter.
I like to imagine the face Lynn made when Lori flirted with Lincoln like the jealous face that Nagatoro makes in the manga, 'cause it's so funny!
Also, if you're wondering, Lori's proposal, while drunk, it was pretty much a marriage proposal, so Lynn's face is much justified.
One more thing, I never planned Carol or Cass to be attracted by Lincoln, some comments assumed that, so I want to apologize if someone got disappointed by that.
I also want to thank all the feedback I'm receiving I appreciate the comments and questions, so I want to remember, you arre always welcome to leave a comment, if you want to make a question or just wants to say something.
Next Chapter Lincoln and Lynn will finally resume their journey and meet a pair of musicians!