Author's Note: You know what, I am starting to think that my creative genius is a blessing but also a curse. This is the brainchild that randomly popped into my head the other night and now, I had to share the beginning of it with you guys. I hope you enjoy part one of this crazy adventure my mind came up with.
Summary: During an impending war between nations, one of the reigning queens of Montecarlac, is assassinated. A body never discovered, the grieving widow rages wars against the nations. Unbeknownst to queen Mariah May, her wife is hanging on by a thread in the wilds of the enemy nations only to be saved by three strangers. Toni is alive but has no recollection of her status or even her name. Better yet.. She doesn't know the coup that took place to take her life.
Rating: Rated M for gore, graphic violence and any other mature themes if they are present.
Pairings: Mariah May/Toni Storm, Toni Storm/? and others may appear throughout the story
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for any OCs that I use and the story itself. All the other characters belong to themselves obviously and Impact Wrestling/WWE/whatever promotion. This story is complete fiction. AU (Alternate Universe)
No One's POV
Emberfair, Montecarlac, the May-Storm throne room
Despite the whistle of the monstrous wind and massive amount of rain pounding against the heavy stone of the castle, the interior of the castle remained silent. The roar and crackle of constant thunder and flashes of lightning lit up some of the darkened rooms. Emberfair resided in the mountainous valley so weather as harsh as this was unfamiliar territory for its citizens. The topics whispered amongst the nobles mainly consisted about how the Gods must have been angry with them. What have they done to deserve their wrath? The chatter amongst the nobles ceased immediately as the large wooden doors to the throne room creaked open. The men and women of the Queen's court fell to their knees, heads bowed and looked toward the ground as a lone woman entered the room. A cold chill followed as the doors closed loudly behind her, the royal figure made her way down an ornate carpet decorating the center of the room.
The woman's blue-green eyes scanned every individual in the room. Nestled on top of her long, platinum blonde hair was a gold tiara that was encrusted with bloodstone. The red and black dress covers her shoulders almost fully and flows down into a graceful plunging neckline. It's a loose fit which covers up her breasts but does so without making it look awkward or messy. The long sleeves broaden towards the bottom, allowing her gold and silver bracelets to be displayed. The dress' waist is wide, but it's a comfortable fit. It's left simple, elegant and undecorated, creating a look that flows from top to bottom. Below the waist the dress widens and has multiple symmetric layers from top to bottom reaching almost the floor. She's wearing black kitten heels. Queen Mariah May approached the pair of thrones and turned back to her counsel, the neutral look on her face was now slowly dissolving into a scowl. "Where's Toni? Have you imbeciles yet to inform my wife about the situation at hand?"
Toni Storm was a descendant of the very first ruler of Emberfair and thus the kingdom has belonged to the Storm family for seven generations now. Even if the family name has changed over the generations, Toni was the sole heir to the throne whenever her parents passed from an unknown illness after a few years into her adulthood. She was an only child, and her parents were never able to produce a male heir so the first time in Emberfair history, a Queen ruled without a king. She courted and married a woman, Mariah May; they have been happily married for six years now.
The questions caused the nobles to raise and glance amongst each other, they all remained silent. An unwise decision because Queen May was very impatient and easily triggered by silence. One gentleman stepped forward from his seat which attracted the Queen's attention, he knelt down. He's wearing a standard shirt and buttoned it up fully to support the bow tie he's wearing. On top of the shirt, he's wearing a classy vest with seven buttons. It has a fairly deep v-line, which causes the vest to line up perfectly with the jacket's v-line when it's buttoned up. The jacket fits him like a glove, a tailored glove. It has a smooth chalk stripe pattern with matching dress pants which gives the outfit a refined look. He stood over six feet tall, his hair short and dark brown and freshly shaven on the side. His jaw covered in a short stumble and remnants of where a goatee once was. His gaze never left the Queen as her blue-green eyes stared daggers into his body. "Your Majesty, I personally went to Her Royal Highness' chambers and spoke to her through the door. She said that she would be joining us momentarily and I have two knights outside her chambers to escort her here."
Although this was an answer, it did not please Mariah in the slightest. Her wife was always the one to space out and have her head in the clouds. That's where their ideas differ, May was a realist and had an iron fist compared to her wife. Toni was soft and compassionate. She was empathetic and people would attempt to walk all over her. "Then why isn't she here, Nigel? Do you take me to be some sort of fool?!"
Her voice sent a shiver down Nigel's spine as he stood back to his feet. "Never, your Majesty!" He exclaimed quickly, trying to figure out a reasonable response to satisfy her Royal highness before she completely loses her temper. "Please, allow me to go fetch her and I'll have a stern talking to the knights that were supposed to escort her here about their tardiness."
"Hmph fine but I don't like waiting." Mariah dismissed the man and watched him quickly rush out of the door like a scared puppy. The tall blonde was about to sit down on her throne whenever the entire foundation of the castle shook from what felt like a massive tremor and a loud sound filled the ear drums of everyone present in the vicinity, it was the boom of thunder. But in order for thunder to sound, it occurs after lightning strikes an area nearby. The magnitude of this tremor caused Queen May to fall against her throne and the feeling of unease was starting to surface.
The next sound the blonde heard was the unmistakable sound of cannons firing, her soldiers were fighting against something and whatever was causing this damage, it wasn't mother nature. Another tremor shook the residents of the throne room as panic was starting to show on the faces of the counsel. The large wooden doors burst open, and knights pointed their swords to the potential enemy.
But instead of an enemy it was a female soldier, completely equipped in her knight armor. This set of armor has a rounded helm with a face guard shaped in the face of a lion. Attached to the forehead area and the backside are two fire-shaped ornament pieces. The shoulders are fairly squared, very wide and huge. The upper arms are protected by squared, half-covering rerebraces which sit nicely under the shoulderplates. The lower arms are covered by vambraces which have curved, pointed edges at the elbow point. The breastplate is made from many layers of rounded metal sheets. It covers the entire front and back side, but the attachment straps leave the sides under the arms exposed. The upper legs are covered by pointed, fully covering cuisses. The lower legs are protected by greaves which have several layers of curved metal attached to the outer sides; they form a tribal-like pattern. "Your Majesty, there's been a spotting of a Dragon in the skies above!"
Gasps erupted in the room as the blonde monarch took a moment to process the information the knight bestowed upon her. "A… Dragon.. That's impossible, they are not native to this land yet alone to roam near Emberfair. Are you certain..?" Mariah's face quickly lost its tanned complexion as she stared bewildered at the knight. She managed to get back to her feet, her hand gripping the arm of her throne roughly to hide the trembling her body was doing.
"Thousand percent, your Majesty, I saw the winged beast with my own two eyes. Lightning shot through its mouth and hit the castle on the West side. We are doing what we can to combat it." The roar of the dragon was heard, and it was loud enough to shake the enforced walls of the castle. The sound was enough to erupt panic between all of the members of the counsel, some cried and others screamed in panic at the news.
A sighting in Montecarlac of such a ferocious winged beast was unheard of. Why on Earth would the Gods send such a thing to Emberfair? Queen May released her grasp on the throne as the blonde processed everything to its fullest. The West Side is where.. "Oh fuck.. Fuckfuckfuck!" She screamed in a panic, rushing down the aisle as fast as this outfit would allow her. Mariah refused to sit down and do nothing while this beast was flying around and causing havoc. Her thoughts were purely focused on Toni and locating the love of her life. Why hadn't Nigel returned? Where was Toni? "Athena, focus on evacuating everyone present in the castle to the underground passage. Relay all soldiers that are in the city to continue to evacuate civilians with utmost urgency."
The knight known as Athena looked to the Queen's audience and gently grabbed ahold of one of Mariah's hands. Despite her duties that her Majesty had bestowed upon her, the knight disregarded the order and spoke. "Your Majesty, please, wait, you must be first to evacuate!" The Royal Family must be protected at all costs, both of the Queens needed to be the first to go to Chillstone. That's whenever Athena realized the most crucial detail about this entire thing, Mariah was alone. "Where's Queen Storm, why is she not present in the throne room?"
The Queen let out a hiss and swatted the armored gauntlet away. "Unhand me! I don't know where Toni's at, the last known location of her was at our chambers." Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes and her mind was creating disturbing images that could be all a lie. Her wife could easily be safe and side, perhaps the tremor caused the older monarch to rush to find Mariah.
"On the West Side.. Oh fuck! Let me come with you-"
"Do as I tell you! Don't you dare disobey me!" Without another second for Athena to argue further, Mariah picked up the sides of her dress and continued to run down the corridors of the castle. Nothing matters right now but locating the love of her life, once Toni's safe, they can use the passage to go to Chillstone and be safe. Another tremor staggered her steps, but it didn't deter her from her mission. Her pacing slowed whenever her eyes gazed upon the damage of the dragon's onslaught. The rain and wind were rushing inside, and the breeze was strong enough to make her plant her heels roughly on the ground. Mariah crossed her arms in front of her and continued to proceed down the hallway. Aside from the rubble, the blonde woman was able to make out a person laying face down on the ground. The dragon's attack could have easily knocked him out, but the Queen didn't care about that. She needed answers revolving around her wife. "Nigel! Get up you useless stooge."
Mariah let out an angry scowl at the seemingly unconscious and kicked him in the side. A second kick managed to wake McGuiness from his unintentional daze. His head lifted up to look at the Queen's deadly gaze. "Ack, your Royal Highness, I'm sorry.."
"What happened? Are your wounds serious?" For the first time, it seemed that Queen May was caring about his wellbeing. She was never as compassionate as Queen Storm, not by a long shot.
"I don't know, I was running and the ground shook. Something hit me and I was knocked out. My wounds aren't-" His hand ran across the top of his head, Nigel felt something wet and brought his hand back to gaze at the crimson liquid covering it. The tall man was left to wonder what the hell that earthquake was caused by.
"Then get up, there's a dragon attacking the castle and it's been blasting this side. I-I have to make sure that Toni's alright." Nigel wasn't left much time to process what the blonde monarch had informed him of. The roar of the dragon was heard loudly from the gaping hole in the castle's structure. He couldn't believe his own eyes seeing a small glimpse of the massive beast's attack shoot over the castle and into one of the seven watchtowers towering over the walls of their safehold. Mariah continued to run down the hallway and based on the trajectory of the lightning, this dragon was still on the West Side.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, you shouldn't be over here. Your life is precious, and you need to be protected-"
Mariah turned back to face him, her scowl now nothing but a look Nigel could only describe as fear mixed with anger. "I have to find Toni, you virgin, I'm not leaving until she's safe with me!" The Queen's resolve was unfazed even in the face of death, no matter what happens, Toni was her main priority.
"Very well, I'll aid you and take the lead." Talking was pointless, Queen May was not going to change her mind. The least Nigel could do was offer his service to protect her Majesty with his life if push comes to shove. Even if it was one measly second, he was going to be useful to his Queen. The pair made their way down the corridor, this entire section looked like an explosion had taken place. One or more of the dragon's attacks hit this spot. Upon rounding the corner which would lead to the Queens' chamber, the sight in front of them was something they were expecting to see. "What the.."
"Oh my.." Blood. Crimson liquid coating the painted walls like it was forcibly squeezed out and burst like an overinflated balloon. Small fires on drapes continued to burn despite the fierce rain and wind. Combining the smell of the smoke and the blood, the stench was unbearable. Mariah covered her mouth, her eyes widening and down at what appeared to be entrails, human entrails. The entrails connected to the upper torso of a knight that had been seemingly cut in half, the blank lifeless eyes still open and able to be seen through the helm. Other armored limbs were scattered amongst the crimson pools staining the ground. How many different bodies were here? How many knights did this monster eat?
"They were diced apart like ribbons." Nigel responded solemnly, looking down at the knight with his lower half missing.
The realization continued to set in for the Queen as her eyes darted passed the deceased soldiers and to the closed door of her shared chambers. It was too close for comfort. The wreckage continued down the hall, this entire floor looked to be exposed to the harsh weather. Fire raging and blood splattered about, Mariah ran forward once again and through the thick liquid and stepped on the limbs of the fallen. "TONI!" Her shout echoed around them as she reached the doorknob. Mariah swallowed hard and opened the door.
The four walls that would enclose the room were now three, like the rest of this side of the castle, the Queens' room was victim of the dragon's blasts. "Darling, where are you!" Mariah pleaded for an answer with her scream and instead was met with the howl of the wind. Part of the room was charred from the initial impact of the lightning. The furniture was all shifted closer to the standing walls. Blood coated the carpet flooring of the bedroom and there was a lot of it. Three massive slashes carved into the stone meant that the dragon was personally here at some point. "Dar…ling.." The pet name left her slowly as the pieces of events were forming a gruesome conclusion, Mariah studied the floor further. Amidst the blood, there were several torn pieces of fabric scattered about. The blonde recognized Toni's dress and this fabric belonged to it.
Nigel looked to the ground and noticed a gold tiara tossed aside; it's resting in another pool of blood. "Queen Mariah." He didn't want to be the one to deliver the final nail in the coffin, but the evidence was really starting to show what transpired here. Mariah's eyes followed and noticed the crown that belonged to her wife.
"No.. No.. It can't be. She's.. This blood is.. Her crown.." She continued to shake her head from left to right, this wasn't real. All of this was some kind of illusion casted upon her. The love of her life was not dead! Her hand clutched her bosom, her breathing became so shaky that she was barely able to breathe. The dizziness caused the Queen to fall to her knees, coating her dress in the crimson blood that presumably belonged to her deceased wife. Mariah's heart was squeezing tightly and beating so fast, she couldn't see or think clearly.
Her vision remained blurred, she felt something underneath her knee and whatever it was tiny yet solid and cylinder-shaped. With fear continuing to surge through her, Mariah shifted her knee and reached underneath her dress. Once doing so, the object within her sight caused her stomach to twist into more knots if possible. In the palm of the Queen's hand was a finger, torn savagely from its host. The bone chipped and protruded out with muscle and flesh torn, crimson liquid coating it. The blue-green eyes of the monarch focused on the one piece of jewelry upon it. Wrapped around the finger was a ring with Mariah immediately recognized as the very same ring she had placed on this finger all those years back. "Oh, Your Majesty…"
What little stability that Mariah had been trying to maintain had crumbled down with the final hit. This was the truth, there was no denying it any longer. The Queen couldn't hold back the tears any longer; she never showed weakness before only her wife was able to see this side of her. "TONI!" Clutching the crown in her hands, she screamed out her lover's name as the dragon's roar could be heard in the distance. Life was handing her a cruel hand, this wasn't how things were supposed to be. Mariah sobbed uncontrollably, a broken mess on the floor for several minutes as Nigel silently mourned beside her.
After what felt like an eternity, the Queen stood to her feet; cradling the two pieces that remain of her beloved. Mariah slowly moved across the destroyed chamber toward the gap that engulfed part of the bedroom. Her heel stepped on something metallic which caught her attention, it was a piece of knight armor. Mariah glanced about and realized that more pieces were scattered about. How many people has that creature eaten? The Queen inspected the shoulder plate of the armor closely and revealed that the crest was not theirs; instead of a lion, it was an owl. "...This.. this crest.. It's Wrencuria.."
Wrencuria was a country on the other side of the continent, the soldiers would have had to travel to the entire country of Ashor to reach Montecarlac. Nigel pondered how such soldiers were able to traverse Montecarlac without raising suspicions. If any civilians saw them, the royal palace would have been informed. McGuiness noticed a gauntlet that had the crest of a bear, this situation continues to get worse. "There's another over here, and it's Mortadel."
"M-Mortadel too?!" The sets of two different countries' armor were found in her bedroom, this continued to illustrate a more sinister tale at play. This attack from the winged titan of the sky was not a coincidence. It was a planned assassination, the countries wanted to carry out the murder of the monarchs of Montecarlac and mask it to be as a result of a dragon attack. Dragons cannot be controlled, and it turns on a dime, it murders some of its own allies. "They... They took her from me. My wife... She was eaten by that beast!" Mariah's eyes stayed toward the sky as she managed to catch a glimpse of the white dragon hiding in the storm clouds. The cannon fire had ceased, and the winged beast looked to be retreating to the heavens. Queen May used her wrist to wipe away the influx of flowing tears, grinding her teeth together and stomping down on the Wrencurian armor. "She never wanted to go to w-war with them, but I'll be damned if I let them get away with this heinous crime. I'll slaughter them."
An Hour Later…
The Outskirts of Chilkasing Meadows, Mortadel
A tranquil carpet of soft, gentle colors stretched out as far as the eye could see, edged by a thick, ancient forest in the distance. Above and throughout the sea of flowers hurried buzzing bees and brightly colored beetles. Boarding the flowery blanket was a deep river that animals used as their primary source of water and fish for the carnivores. Birds that normally flew above were rushing to the forest to receive shelter from the sudden onslaught of the rainstorm. Any humans walking on the dirt path leading through the grassland, opted to continue forward even if the storm's origins were questionable.
Multiple pairs of horse hooves trotted on the dirt pathway as they made their way further from their homestead of Hazelgrave. Their objective was simple: look for survivors of these increased attacks in these parts. Not a single soldier or person was able to describe what caused their wounds or murdered innocents. The attacks were more frequent and were only mere miles away from Hazelgrave. It was unsettling for the townspeople. A woman sat upon the saddle of a shire horse dressed in armor. Her helm was not on top of her head and her jet-black hair was pulled back into a long ponytail. The shoulders are squared, quite short in length but large in size. They're decorated with small spikes on each side, pointing upwards. The upper arms are protected by rounded, half covering rerebraces which sit perfectly under the shoulderplates. The lower arms are covered by vambraces which have several rows of barb-like spikes on the outer sides. The breastplate is made from various layers of squared metal sheets. It covers almost everything from the neck down, it narrows near the groin and leaves part the sides exposed. The upper legs are covered by squared, fully covering cuisses. The lower legs are protected by greaves which have several large, sharp spikes on the outer sides. "This storm is not naturally formed. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky until minutes ago."
Sitting on the carriage were two women, both dressed in doctor uniforms. The one steering the horses was the smallest woman out of the trio. She looked to be Japanese, which was extremely rare for this part of the world. Her hair was long, and curly a dark reddish-pink color and her bangs were a lighter pink color. The woman had very big and soft brown eyes, she looked over to the woman on the stallion. "Hmm, perhaps the Gods are shedding tears for the victims of these attacks." The nurse said softly, wiping a lone tear from the corner of her eye. "I hate unnecessary violence." This outlook on life was the main reason for taking this career path, her gifts allow her to save lives.
The raven-haired soldier was unsure that was the case. The Gods or Mother Nature themselves would at least heed some sort of warning of the storm's arrival. This was almost instantaneous. She pulled out a long wooden spyglass and looked in the direction of the clouds. "Hmm, no, are my eyes deceiving me or am I witnessing a dragon flying below the storm clouds?"
The mention of a winged titan attracted the attention of both of the medics on the carriage. The more petite of the two let out a gasp, unsure of what to think of the news. The taller of the two, a brunette, immediately held her hand outwards toward the soldier. "A dragon...? Quick Deonna, let me look." Her tone showed impatience and the woman known as Deonna obliged, handing the spyglass. The brunette on the carriage was the lead doctor of the small village of Hazelgrave. She stood almost six feet tall; her stature being compared to amazons. Her hair was a shade of dark brown, almost black in color. The most distinctive feature was a linear scar that went up from her jaw and barely stopped underneath her right eye. The doctor lined up the spyglass and used it to look at the main part of the storm. At first her eyes didn't spot anything. She even began to speculate that Deonna was hallucinating the winged beast. That was until the brunette finally laid eyes on the white titan that soared freely in the sky. "...V-Vy."
The doctor lowered the spyglass and continued to stare in the direction of the storm and the dragon. Her bottom lip quivered, and her entire body was shaking as she continued to mutter the same sound over and over again. "Daisy, what is it?" The Japanese woman asked soothingly, trying to get her fellow medic to look her way to no avail. She took the spyglass from Daisy and looked at the clouds. "I've never seen a white dragon before."
"White dragons are rare compared to others of its species, that particular one must have lightning capabilities that's what causes the storm. That's what I think, Mina." Deonna deduced because it was the only thing that made sense to her right now. She had never personally seen a white dragon before, and this was massive compared to other winged beasts she's seen before. "They are mainly native to Quven and east Mortadel, this one is flying like it came from Ashor."
"No beasts like that live in Ashor. Very strange..." The nurse placed the spyglass between them and tucked her hand underneath her chin. Off the top of her head, she couldn't think as to why a dragon would be so far away from its native land. Mina looked over to Daisy, who hadn't said a single word since peaking into the glass. Mina noticed how much the doctor was trembling and that all the color in the brunette's face had quickly faded. It's been a long time since she's seen the senior doctor in such a state. "Daisy, are you okay? Are you sick, you look pale."
The brunette still never looked Mina's way, instead her hand gently touched the scar on the side of her face. "Vyrloro…"
It was the only word that Daisy managed to say but this got Deonna to halt her horse at the mention of a fabled name. "Champion of the White, Daiz, are you certain?"
"..." The silence spoke a thousand words as the brunette refused to say anything more regarding the dragon. The three continued their journey up the path near the river in silence. Deonna didn't want to believe that a myth like Vyrloro was still alive and kicking but judging by her friend's reaction, it had to be true. About half a mile up the road was whenever Daisy noticed someone at the edge of the riverbank. "Hold on, Mina, stop the carriage."
Without a second thought, the younger nurse did as instructed and the brunette immediately stepped down from the carriage and rushed on the now muddy terrain. Half of the woman's body was still submerged in the water, with the intense rain that was happening it's no surprise that the river had flooded. The water surrounding her was tinted in a crimson hue. Daisy was quick to pull her onto land carefully. She studied the woman for a second, her hair was short and blonde going barely past her jaw. What was once a dress is now a ruffled mess of loose fibers, dirt stains, dried blood stains and holes, it barely manages to hang from her shoulders like a discarded old towel. Part of the bottom has been torn off and the sleeves are worn away, leaving much of her exposed to the elements. This looked to be a woman that suffered in poverty however besides the clothing, her appearance says the opposite.
Deonna and Mina joined the doctor at the riverbank as Daisy was carefully trying to maneuver the dress to locate the stab wounds without being indecent in the open. "These clothes were put on her after she sustained the wounds." The soldier stared at the rags and noticed that one of the wounds had to be on her side and the other was across the shoulder and down her chest.
"I thought so too but that's not the main concern here. There are two wounds, but I can't locate them without undressing her, I can't do that without getting her to the back carriage. But first..." The brunette placed down her bag and opened up a small wooden case and pulled out a small cylinder vial. "Faint pulse, blue lips... She's been poisoned; Mina can you remove it?"
"Yes. I'll do my best." With that the younger doctor placed two fingers against the blonde stranger's forehead. Moving them downwards, she pressed them against the sternum and released a small sigh. What were once brown eyes glowed green, and her hands were enveloped in a green aura. The young nurse remained stoic and silent as what appeared to be gray, metallic liquid started to release from the pores of the woman's skin. Mina moved slowly through the woman's body and what was expected to be a couple drops turned into more. Her powers were able to keep the poison from touching anything else and Daisy managed to secure it into a vial. "The-there's a lot of it. What i-is it?" Mina's breathing was shaky, her powers were still very new to her, but she tries her best to help people. She could only use it for a short amount of time before having to rest.
Daisy shook her head, tucking the case in her bag. "Not sure. But it's not safe to leave it out here." Grabbing a hold of the stranger's left arm, she noticed a lot of blood covering the hand. "She's missing her left ring finger; the cut was not done cleanly. Let's see if I can put some pressure and stop the bleeding on these wounds." The doctor wanted to get the woman out of the rain to prevent further illness, she could have potentially been in or partially in the water for hours. No one knows the answer but her and she isn't awake to tell the story. That would be until the once closed eyes of the stranger started to flutter open and her green eyes focused on the trio hovering over her.