Lore: Upon The Heels of War

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:19 pm

Soran retreated a step, his ears burning at Mizuki's provocative behavior. "We should really save this for after we learn the fate of Sinead's troops," he said with a small smirk, fumbling with the doorknob and opening it. He reached up and traced a finger affectionately down her cheek before leading her backward through the door and out into the hall where Rai and Blade were waiting for them.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:57 pm

She mock pouted but followed him like she was a young pup chasing a toy. It was always fun to get Soran riled up. Blade saw them come out into the hall first and he smiled, greeting them. He was dressed in his normal attire and cleaned up for the day.

"Morning mom, morning dad." he said with a knowing smile. Young boys should not know these things but Siren felt he needed to. Having teased him about the younger girls that were attendants in the fortress. He would come fast into manhood.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:06 pm

The throne room was still a little quiet. There was a buz of voices from two different groups that were spaced out. Advisers talking things over amungst themselves, perparing to address the Queen with their own theories and ideas.

Rai looked around the courtroom with a confused expression as everyone seemed to be very sad for some reason. Even the Queen who sat on her throne seemed so very sad. Rai began to walk slowly in the direction of the Queen, getting a little a head of her family. She felt she needed to give the young ruler a hug or something to cheer her up.

About this time a limping young man, who had healed mostly of the wounds that had been covering his body when he first arrived, came as briskly into the room as he could. He was less than appropriate to go to court, with wrinkled black trousers, and an unbuttoned white tunic shirt. His arm was in a sling and he still had bandages that criss-crossed acrous his chest. His long silver hair was pulled back into a loose pony-tail, with strands of silver hanging down in front of his eyes.

His expression was nothing more than distraught as he entered the room to find his sister's weapons on the floor just as the soldier had left them. Where was she? She had be here. The rumors could not be true. She had to be alive. She was the strongest woman he had ever met. She was the only one he knew could make it out alive.

Yet the expression on his Queen's face led him to the worst, and his heart was overcome with protective fury. His sister was dead... or worst.

"What happened?" He had no need to ask where she was. He already knew that answer. He wanted to know what had happened. How everything had gone so wrong and how the soldiers of Arken had gotten their grimey hands on a Queen's Maiden, and his sister.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:20 pm

Soran came up behind Rai and pulled her gently back, keeping her from approaching the queen. The room was full of people. He looked around at their solemn faces and didn't need to be told that the troops he'd seen dispersed had failed. They found a place near enough to hear what was going on and took their place among the others. Soran tuned in on the conversation Sinead was having with the silver-haired warrior he recognized from a week ago.

"Talon, I've received news that Tenele stood as a decoy to create an opportunity to ambush the enemy. The ambush was successful, but not enough to succeed in the battle. Tenele was taken by Arken. Talon, you know as well as I that Arken lacks the concept of prisoners of war. I have no choice but to consider your sister dead." She looked at Talon with a sorrow that proved she spoke the truth.

Soran jerked sideways as the vampire, whom he now knew was called Vlad, appeared a few feet beside him. The no life king strode swiftly down the red woven carpet that led to Sinead's throne. Sinead glanced up at him as he approached, and then blinked downward, as if avoiding his eyes. What? the vampire thought, taking in the scent of all the other humans in the room. He saw Talon next to her, and studied him as he came up to stand before the throne. "You summoned me, Queen. What is this?" he asked warily. Vlad was far from an alarmist, but something seemed extremely wrong in the spacious throneroom.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:25 pm

The last thing that Talon needed at the moment was for the Queen to admit that Tenele was possibly dead. He scooped Tenele's weapons up in both hands and gripped them to the point where what little nails he had dug into the skin of his palm. "I can't believe that..." he muttered darkly. "She's alive."

He glanced at Vlad, a dark expression coming over his face. As soon as it appeared it quickly faded. At the moment he couldn't find the energy to argue with a man that was leading his sister's heart on. At the moment he only had the energy to think about what was happening to Tenele, or what could have happened to her.

No! She was alive. He had to keep thinking that.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:34 pm

"Talon," Sinead said, raising her voice to make Talon take her seriously. "Vlad," she quietly included the vampire. "Tenele has died in the service of my throne, with highest honors for her bravery and leadership on the battlefield. There is no reasonable possibility that Arken has spared her life. Only one soldier from the entire battalion survived the battle, and that is because he was ordered to escape.

Vlad watched Sinead's lips moving, and it was like her voice warped in his mind until he couldn't even tell what she was saying. He tilted his head faintly to the side, looking at her like she was speaking some other language. In his chest, he could feel his undead heart pounding, racing with fear. It was like his body understood her and his mind didn't.

Sinead gave a worried look to Vlad, whose ruby eyes were glowing, but not quite focusing on her. It was like he was in some other world. She looked to Talon, who at least seemed to be alert. "I'm sorry," she said to them both.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:40 pm

"No!" Talon roared, his voice echoing off the walls of the throne room and silencing the crowd. "We can't just assume she is dead! If she's alive we have to at least try to get to her before they kill her. We can't let her die by assuming she's already dead! She's my sister. She can't... I would... know..." He was shaking, though at the moment he was unaware of whether it was rage or fear or sorrow.

"Tenele is alive..." The room was spinning now and no matter how much he respected his queen the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was slit her throat for sending his sister to her death.

"Tenele was a high level Queen's Maiden... isn't it possible they would keep her alive for informational purposes?" He didn't want to think about what horrors they might have put her through... He didn't want to think about what those men had done to her. He didn't want to think that she was a slave to one of them... He didn't want to think about the way they might have killed her. However, he found it increasingly hard not too.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:42 pm

Mizuki kept her head down, her hair veiling around her face. She felt the sadness in her marrow. She wished she could help them more, do something for them... Blade sat ridged, staring straight ahead, holding himself in courtly diplomatic manner to reveal nothing. In the beginning of the week, a messenger had been sent out towards the Dark Angel fortress with the seal of Gabriel. Blade knew he had to let his people know the situation, within the letter he told them they would be joining forces with Ighten in order to bring an end to Arken's wrath.

Blade knew his people would be indifferent to joining with Ighten, never had they bothered before with the two warring kingdoms, if only to protect themselves. But now they had to get involved, their own fate hung in the balance as well.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:50 pm

"I don't believe that's possible, Talon," Sinead said gently. "Vlad, the messenger was asked to make sure you received this."

Vlad narrowed his eyes as Sinead held out her hand with a tattered rose petal in it. That woke the vampire up. He was suddenly hyper-aware of everything going on, everything she'd said. He frowned and scooped the petal into his hand, studying it. Suddenly his hand began shaking with rage. He clenched his fingers, destroying the petal and throwing it sideways. "Send me," he demanded, suddenly leaning forward on the arms of her throne so that he was right in her face. His eyes were glowing furiously.

"Vlad, I know how you feel-" she started warily. It took focus not to shrink away from him.

"You do not," he growled, his voice morphing into something fierce and surreal, "Send me!"

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:56 pm

Talon said, watching the vampire. The way he acted. The way he moved. It was almost as if... He watched as the vampire roared for the Queen to send him to find Tenele.

"And me," Talon said, his voice cold and far more calm than Vlad. It was only calm because Talon was using all of his abilities to withhold the rage that was coarsing through him.

"You don't even know if she lives, Lord Raider!" one of the advisers stated, is voice seemed to imply that Talon was being foolish. Of course the adviser could see to it that his sons never entered the feild of battle. He would never lose one to war.

"Then bring forth a seer who will tell us otherwise. I don't see any around! Therefore we go on faith!" Talon spat. "She is my sister. I would search the world over for her and if she be dead... I will search for her remains. She deserves to be burried with honor, she deserves to have her remains intombed like those of other fallen soldiers. You know this, my Queen."

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:09 pm

Mizuki lifted her head. She could do it, except...

"Mother," Blade said, anticipating what she would do. Earlier, she had explained to him that she had locked away her powers, accidentally forever. "I can unlock them, if you wish." Mizuki looked at her son sharply.

"You cannot..."

"I can. Remeber, I have your blood in me... and Gabriel's."

"It's too dangerous. Your magic is chaotic."

"I can handle it! Let me." His look was fierce. Mizuki still would not let him and she dropped the matter forcefully. Blade was frustrated, he knew he could do it and his mother's power was sorely needed. He closed his eyes concentrating deeply. He'd do it without her consent. It took a lot of focus to keep his magic in check. He honed in on his mother, willing her locked powers to come open again. He willed hard until he felt something within his core, something that seemed to say to him "now", and he touched his mother's hand.

Mizuki was startled by what happened. It was close to what she had experienced with Soran's memories coming back in a flood, except instead she was feeling everyone's emotion, and seeing it. Pictures of people were coming into her mind like flashes of light, she had to blink them away until they subsided and the rush finally ebbed away. After a moment, collecting herself she turned to Blade.

"What did you do...?" she asked him incredously. He merely smile, like he was saying "You know." Wrapping her mind and soul around the realization that she was once again a seer, Mizuki pushed aside her shock and stood up. Clearing her throat to let herself be heard.

"I am a seer."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:25 pm

Sinead and most everyone in the room turned to Mizuki curiously. "You can sense whether our Tenele survives?" she asked. Sinead was very good at controlling her emotions in these situations, but someone like Mizuki could see it plainly in her eyes; she was as crushed by Tenele's death as the two men standing in front of her.

Vlad looked over at Mizuki. The glow in his eyes subsided enough for his expression to emerge through it. It was a very different one from those she and her party had witnessed a week ago, when they'd met him.

Soran analyzed the vampire. This girl they were talking about, Tenele...it was the girl they'd met in the dining quarters when they first arrived. The vampire had seemed very different when he was with her. Soran didn't read emotions well, but even he could sense soething completely different about Vlad. "Mizuki," Soran said, catching her arm. "Are you sure this is safe? You locked your powers for a reason. I'm right, aren't I?" he said to her in a low voice.

"Seer, if you would, please," Sinead said, unsure of what they were discussing.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:27 pm

"Tell us," Talon said quickly. "Does she live." His heart was pounding so hard he thought that everyone in the room must be able to hear it. He wanted to know quickly. He wanted to know if his sister was alive or dead. He had to know. If... He had to know now!

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:37 pm

Mizuki said, "It'll be fine. We're safe here." to Soran, something she truly believed. She stepped forwards towards Talon and Vlad, sensing their flooding emotions. Vlad trying hard to keep them in check but his concern and overflowing love and fear were so vivid to Mizuki now. And Talon... anger, sadness, a brother's love and devotion... his was painful to bear. He was blaming himself. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, using their emotions over that one woman to guide her.

She was lost suddenly, going into her trance and beginning to fall backwards until a soldier rushed forward to grab the falling seer in his arms. He held her delicately as Mizuki stared off into nothing.

What Mizuki saw, she could not say, except that Tenele was a sliver light trapped in darkness and evil. She blinked, coming out of her trance and got back onto her feet.

"Tenele... is alive."

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:43 pm

Talon let out the breath he had been holding. A thousand questions suddenly filled his already cluttered mind. They wanted to spew forth from his mouth, even though half of the answers he could come to himself. "Is she hurt badly?" he asked, though he knew that she was. He knew that they had tortured her and probably were still torturing her.

He turned to the Queen at this thought and looked at her urgently. "With our without your permission, my Queen... I will go to save my sister. I mean that, with all due respect. She is my sister." He looked to Vlad, unsure what she was to him.