peerless_thayet | (no subject)

(no subject)

Just before dawn, the raiders close in on the village and Pirate's Swoop, expecting to tighten their net and catch the Tortallans unaware. Instead they invade an empty village and face the castle's closed gates. On the wall, warriors and villagers alike stare down at them, fully armed.

Their surprise is a morale boost that is sorely needed when the sun's light spills over the horizon and the unnatural fog rolls in, the dampening spells contained within making Gifted individuals weak and unable to work the simplest magic.

Ignoring Buri's token protests, Thayet finishes a quick meal, pulls her hair into a tight bun and climbs the stairs to the observation deck with her bow and arrows. She takes two trainees along, Elnore and Padrach, and nods to George and his guards.

The fog is thick, almost gritty on her skin. Aside from various consultations with George, Onua and Numair, all she can do is wait.

[Scene and some dialogue taken from Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce.]

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"I'd say so. It ain't like we fired or anythin'."

The YET hangs heavy in the air.
It...might be wise to have someone else handle the diplomacy from here...

It's a scroll, Thayet can see now. The Stormwing shrieks laughter at Raph, flinging spittle, and tosses the scroll onto the stone between Thayet and George.

She stays perfectly still. Ready.

Thom and Jamie both lean forward when their uncle picks it up and begins to read:

"To Queen Thayet of Tortall and Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop, from the Lord of Free Corsairs, Mahil Eddace, greetings. By virtue of superior numbers and armaments, I claim the castle, village, points, and waters of Pirate's Swoop for the League of Free Corsairs-"

"For Carthak, more like," grumbles Jamie.

Thom claps a hand over his mouth. "Shhhhh!"

"Should you prove obdurate I shall have no choice but to reduce the castle, enslave the survivors, kill all beasts, and sow its fields with salt. You have one chance only to avoid death, capture, or enslavement: surrender to me the person and effects of Thayet of Tortall and her children, Prince Roald and Princess Kalasin. You have what remains of this day and tonight to reflect. If the three persons named are not given over to us by such time as the dawn sun will clear the horizon, we will commence bombardment by catapult. If you wish to signify acceptance of these terms, you may do so by runnin' up three white pennants."

"That's awful," Thom whispers.

Jamie looks at Roald, who had gone white when his name was read. "Aye."

He nearly misses the way George calmly rips up the scroll.

"Is that all?" murmurs Thayet when the terms are read.

She could worry and feel responsible for every life within these walls, for the horrible things that might happen to them when they refuse to surrender, but that would be self-defeating. If it wasn't this it would be something else. Ozorne would find some other advantage to use against Jonathan, now that he's chosen his course.

Thayet makes a mental note to say as much to her children later. No one here should blame themselves for Ozorne's folly.

"Well? Your answer?" the beast is saying.

George, the true and loyal friend of the crown that he is, spits on the ground and orders the Stormwing to leave so she doesn't have to.

"Oh, good. We hoped you'd say that," it giggles madly before flying away.

Raph can feel the anger burn in the back of his mind. How DARE they? Who do they think they are? We will not stand for this! I will not stand for this! And just as he tightens his grip preparing fire the high pitched shriek of an osprey cry cuts the tense silence in place of the arrow.

The bird of prey takes off after the stormwing, and once reached begins pecking at the foul creatures eyes. The stormwing lets out a similar shriek and flails about trying to knock the smaller bird loose.

"Daine, call him off," Raph hears Numair say, his voice tight. Daine's response is lost to the swirl of emotion and thoughts that cloud Raph's mind. He can only assume that she doesn't comply immediately because Numair is forced to yell a second time.

"DO it! Call it off!"

She relents, and Raph can feel it. So strong is her will that it convinces him to lower his own weapon and take a step back from the wall.

Thayet's eyes are drawn away from the bird attacking the Stormwing to the galleys below. Arms raised, the red robed mages unleash ribbons of golden fire, one by one, until it forms a square between the ships.

It is beautiful, and also terrible.

The square rises, higher and higher, until it explodes upward with a reverberation that slams into everyone guarding the castle and knocks most of them down.

Sprawled on the stone, Thayet has just enough breath left to wheeze, "Horse Lords." Her fingers hunt for her bow.

Thom and Jamie land hard on their backs. After a lifetime of coexisting with his siblings, Thom is good at picking himself back up and scrambles over to the wall. What he sees makes his chin tremble, even as his hand closes over the practice sword he'd strapped to his waist before dawn.

Out of the churning displaced air between the ships comes a horde of Stormwings and something much larger, like a giant red hand shoving them through. Instantly the stench of death and decay filled his nostrils, making him want to retch.

Stunned, Jamie stays where he landed and watches fear cross his brother's face.

Thom's afraid? He's usually so level-headed and, well, soldiery. Why-

Oh.

Jamie feels the blood drain from his face. "Roald!" he yells, looking for the prince. Roald is soon there, with Onua, and the K'mir is ordering them below. She doesn't have to yell it twice. Jamie grabs Roald's hand, then Thom's, and drags them to the stairs.

He wants to find Grace and Kally.

As quickly as he swept over him, the feeling stand down dissipates, leaving Raph to shake his head clear of the influence. He's not sure how he ended up on the ground, but he rectifies the situation with a simple kip up to his feet. He's hoping what he sees before him is merely another trick of the mind being played on him, but when rubbing his eyes doesn't make the image of the stormwings go away he rules that idea right out.

"great googly moogly," he whispers.

Right then, if it's war they want...well then it'll be all out war they get! Raph's eyes search the deck looking for the children, they are his first priority after all.

"Jamie! To the meeting spot!" he bellows. "Now. Bring Roald with you! Stay safe!"

"Okay!" Jamie hollers, as he dissappears down the stairs.

They'll be there.

After they find their sisters. Goddess only knows what Grace has got up to in this mess.

Hearing Raph, Thayet smiles grimly and draws back her bowstring. An arrow takes out the lead Stormwing, the messenger, and so Thayet sights on the next. Her shot sails through the air and pierces its throat.

"Remember!" she yells. "Aim for their heads, necks and chests!"

Settling into a rhythm, Thayet fires arrow after arrow. Daine is nearby doing the same. Archers fire, guards slice at the ones that get by with swords and daggers. In her peripheral vision Thayet sees Numair sit down, out of the way, and Onua draw a protective circle around him. Soon those with lesser Gifts are able to employ simple fire and war spells.

But the Stormwings keep coming in unbelievable numbers.

Raph joins the archers until he finds his own quiver empty. He is just about to reach for his sword when another wave of calm begins to assert itself over him. Stand down! Please! Do not fight! Even if he didn't already recognize the voice, it could only be one person speaking straight into his mind, Daine.

There's too much going on around him for Raph to maintain a good enough focus to completely ignore her, but he does manage to draw his sword and use it defensively.

A group of gulls attack the Stormwing Thayet has in her sights, ruining her shot. She pulls back from the line of defense, doing a series of quick stretches to loosen the cramped muscles in her arm, and spots Daine's misery.

There's no time to say anything. The raiders just outside the village choose that moment to attack the other side of the castle. Horns sound, rams are brought forward and ladders are thrust at the walls. Captain Josua rallies the Swoop's guards, who know very well how to defend this place, and reinforces the guards, trainees and villagers facing this new threat.

It's handled well. The Tortallans are doing what they can, what they must, with no complaint. Thayet glances around once more and goes back to shooting at the Stormwings.

The pleas started small, but they've since been growing in power and volume at an exponential rate. Raph has found himself on a couple of occasions being nearly brought down by the throbbing in his head. He staggers back from the front line, and notices that even this subtle shift away has lessened the pain.

He must move away. Further down the wall, away from Daine. She'll be his undoing if he doesn't.

As luck would have it a new ladder appears a quick jog away. Raph shifts the grip on his katana and charges. Woe be unto the Raider whose head is first to clear the top.

Hours pass.

The raiders are as persistent as the Stormwings. More so, as the Stormwings eventually grow bored and coast down to the battlefield outside the castle walls to snack on the dead. Eventually the observation deck is clear of them and the main fight is happening on the walls. The raiders keep trying to gain ground with their rams and ladders; the archers struggle to keep them at bay.

Thayet doesn't quite remember when she sat down, but it feels nice.

As time marches onward Raph has found his position on the battlements shifting as the need had called for. By this point he's gone as far as he can away from Daine while still being within sprinting distance to the meeting place, should things get to that point.

Though...in the back of his mind he's calculating whether or not he'd be able to swing a quick stop to pick up Thayet as well. Any frustrations he has with his timeline -- or the simple fact that he can't climb down one of the damn ladders and fight on the actual battlefield -- he takes out on any enemy forces he can reach.

The good news is that he's certainly found a group of guards and warriors that he can safely count as later drinking buddies, should they all survive this.

Edited 2009-06-18 03:22 (UTC)

Fighting the urge to close her eyes, Thayet manages a smile when Onua appears with fresh water and a tonic Maude had made to help keep them all upright as the day wears on.

"The archers are putting up quite a fight," Thayet remarks, indicating the men and women protecting the walls. The water slides coolly down her throat and loosens her voice.

"Yes," the other woman agrees. "We're holding our own."

Thayet coughs after a large sip. "The healers?"

"The same. Sarge is bad off. You should go below, Your Highness."

"That I can not do. This is more my fight than anyone else's, Onua," says Thayet.

"Yes, but-" Onua breaks off and whirls around, eyes seeking Numair. "Down!" she shouts an instant later, roughly pushing Thayet to the stone floor.

She can't see much from her position, but Thayet feels the air change as something huge roars with fury above their heads and flaps giant wings. Wriggling her hip, she gains enough leverage to lift her head just as the red-gold, glittering dragon banks over the deck and flies back toward the sea.

Everyone else hits the floor as she comes back for another pass. Everyone but Daine, who climbs up on the wall and stares rapturously at the bat-like wings and shiny scales.

"HOLY FUCK!" Raph says before he can stop himself.
Was that just...did he just see...
Raph leans over the battlement a little more than would normally be safe for anyone not currently a master of both Ninjitsu and Shang. He just needs a better look.

"Is that a dragon? You've got to be fuckin' KIDDIN' me!"

This is no illusion. The way the stones shake and the flags whip around in the wind of her passing suggest the dragon is real enough.

Thayet starts to rise, concerned for Daine and everyone else on the wall, when the dragon almost grabs her in long, silver claws, snapping at her with equally silver teeth.

Again Onua shoves her down.

As the dragon returns, screeching, it's clear she's focusing her anger on the queen.

From his vantage point Raph can just barely make out the shape of Daine standing on the wall of the observation deck.

"she's not seriously going to to try to talk..."
Raph's mutterings are cut short as a spike of pure pain pierces his mind when Daine calls out to the great beast with all her power.

So loud is Daine in Raph's mind that he can't hear himself screaming over the sound of her voice. His hands begin to tremble and he very nearly loses purchase on his precarious perch. It's only the quick reflexes of those stationed around him that keep him from falling off the wall entirely.

Tahoi barks sharply, then whines. In the stables, the horses go wild. Even the birds in the vicinity squawk at the pain.

The humans remain oblivious.

"Stop!" Daine pleads aloud. "Stop! What kidnappers? What lies?"

Josua loses his sword to the dragon's claws and is flung aside. Numair, no longer absorbed in keeping the spells off the castle, surges to his full considerable height and hurls fire at the dragon. It wraps around her and then blows away in the wind, like she's merely flown through mist. Daine begs him to stop and throws her weight at him when, unharmed, the dragon comes in low and lands on the deck. Screams echo around them.

Pressed against the wall by the dragon's bulk, Thayet gasps as the stones threaten to give way and the mighty tail and wings thrash about. She can't see what's happening.

This could be a problem.

When Raph comes to he's laying on the ground behind the battlements. He's aware that there are people standing over him, but his vision blurred from the remnants of his blinding headache. Over the buzzing of his ears he can hear the men standing over him.

"They say she's laying her hands on the beast," they whisper to each other.
"Trying to talk to it. Calm it. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Raph runs a hand over his face, and tries to sit up.

"You all right there, Raph? Nearly took a tumble, you did."

"I'm fine," he says, stumbling to his feet.

The strange looks he's given clearly indicate that no one in the direct vicinity is buying that, though...it's never been in doubt that the Shang have strange ways.