The Forgotten Shall Rise
Chapter 13: Succession
Raoul wasn't sure what he had expected from the Lioness. It really was more trouble than it was worth to try and predict her. This was proven several times over when she began to laugh. And not just a quiet, nervous laugh either. Oh no, this was more of a loud raucous laugh that filled the entire cell. And Raoul wasn't the only one staring at her in amazement, Jonathan and even Gary appeared to believe that the Lioness had finally snapped. While this may have been true, Jonathan for one knew there was definitely another reason for her outburst.
When she finally managed to regain control of herself, Alanna had to support herself on Jonathan's shoulder with one arm. Gasping for breath, she struggled to retain composure. Jonathan raised an eyebrow, watching her inner struggle with well-contained amusement. "Alanna?" He asked finally, but slightly hesitantly. The word seemed to have the same effect as a bucket of cold water over her head might have. Immediately, she sat up straighter, and removed her arm from Jonathan's shoulder.
"Marakus is an idiot." She said flatly. "Does he really think he'll be able to use my brother against me?" Grinning, she turned her purple eyes on Jonathan. "He may have learned one secret, but that's just the cream on top. Apparently, he hasn't taken the time to dig deep, really deep. I can't wait until Kalasin comes home, dear Marakus is going to feel quite stupid."
Raoul's head snapped up. "You think he'll do it too?" He asked her eagerly. It had been a suspicion of his ever since Aleck had told him that Roald would be made King. There was only one problem that stood between Roald and his sister's return. Namely, Princess Shinkokami.
Alanna nodded. "I hate to say it, but I don't think the dear princess is going to be kept around much longer. I don't think Marakus wants a foreigner on the throne. And we all know there was a damn good reason for Kalasin going to Carthak." She glanced around at her cellmates, all of whom were nodding along. "And he'll be able to do it too, she'll have to return here for the funerals and coronation. Then it wont be any trouble at all to stage something or other that will make Kaddar believe she's stuck here." She shrugged lightly before continuing. "And I seriously doubt Kalasin will argue."
"As much as I hate to say it," Jon said, a hint of a smile on his face. "I agree wholeheartedly with the last bit. Who knows, it might bring some stability back into the country. And at least Roald will have someone by his side through this all." Alanna gave him an amused look, which he returned with a sad smile before he opened his mouth again. "I have to wonder how long Thayet has though."
That sobered them all immediately. Here in their cell, deep in the heart of the palace, they had forgotten about their friends and family who were going to suffer through this. Gary had Cythera, his father, and his children; Roald had Buri; Alanna had George, Myles, and her children; and Jon had Thayet and his children. They all knew that time was running out for these people, the people who would argue the claims of Marakus and the Hall.
"I just hope Marakus decides he needs Thom sooner rather than later." Alanna remarked softly, leaning back against the stone wall dejectedly. Fortunately, at least one of her children would be fine through out all this, safe in the Copper Isles. The other two might have some problems, considering how in the middle of things they really were, but they should come out of it physically unscathed. George and Myles however, were doomed. She just had to hope that they would be smart enough to lay low, in stead of attack the Hall.
Jonathan sighed, resting his own head in his hands. His children would be fine; Roald would take care of his siblings to the best of his ability. Thayet didn't have many options though. Marakus wouldn't dare leave her around; he wouldn't want anyone else having authority over Roald. And Shinkokami was, as Alanna had pointed out, a foreigner. He sighed again. Tortall had been in trouble before, the realm had suffered through his disastrous coronation, the resulting famine, the Immortals war, and the war with Scanra, which, unfortunately, they were still fighting. The peace they had thought they had achieved had been nothing more than a momentary lull.
Closing his eyes for a moment's rest, Raoul realized that he had the least to lose. Buri, as the Queen's closest and oldest friend, would be dealt with along with Thayet. It was unlikely he would ever see her again. Gary, who had slumped against him once again, had his wife, his children, and his father. While Cythera and the kids would probably be fine, Gareth the Elder was definitely out, so that Marakus could be Prime Minister. Raoul shuddered. How could one man want so much? How had he managed to find so many people who believed what he did? Even as Raoul began nodding off, he wondered how they were ever going to recover from this, or if they even would. At the moment, it didn't even seem remotely possible.
Roald put his head in his hands. This couldn't be happening. It just wasn't possible. He couldn't even begin to believe it, it was just too huge, too horrible. Things had happened so fast after that day, it seemed that people were trying to forget all about what had happened. It had been three weeks since the death of his father, the Prime Minister, and the Lioness, and people were a little too eager to put him on the throne. It had been decided, by whom he wasn't sure, that his coronation would take place exactly six weeks after the day the King had died, which left him with just three weeks left as a relatively normal person.
Everyday, he was in a different meeting, or getting measured for something else. Shinko had returned from her trip the day before, and he had barely even had time to say hello. Roald blinked, taking a few deep breaths. This was just too much, he couldn't handle it by himself. He didn't even have his mother to lean on, she had locked herself away in her room the night after his father's death, and hadn't left since. Reports on the war front hadn't told him anything good, apparently the Knight Commander of the King's Own, Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, had been killed in a battle, and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan had yet to return to Corus with her guard.
Roald had briefly considered taking a leaf out of his mother's book and shutting himself away. Unfortunately, that would just cause more problems for him when they broke down his door, demanding he sign this, or try on that. He couldn't wait until the coronation and the funerals were over. He knew that was horrible of him, but this was more than he could take. Sooner or later, he was going to go insane, and then where would the country be?
He kept hoping that he would wake up, and this would all just have been a bad dream, no, better make that nightmare. The bad things just kept coming, with no end in sight. Roald had never experienced anything like this, he had never lost a family member, or a close friend, even when they were at war, he had never been hungry, or overly frightened, or overwhelmed. His parents had always made sure that he and his siblings were all right, had everything they could ever need, and that they were happy. Now that they weren't here anymore, he wasn't sure how long he would last.
Sighing, he sat up, resting his head against the wall behind him. He felt a stab of sympathy for Kalasin, who had had to look after herself in Carthak for quite a while now. The stab of sympathy was quickly followed by heartache. He hadn't seen his sister in far too long, thanks to the ocean that now separated them. That was the one thing he didn't thank his parents for, sending Kalasin so far away. He knew they had had their reasons, oh he knew all too well, and he was one of the few who did. Their real reasons had been very different from the ones they had given the country. The obvious choice, if they had merely wanted an alliance with Carthak, would have been to send Lianne, his youngest sister. Unfortunately, that hadn't been the plan.
But Kalasin was coming home, even if only for a few weeks. Messengers had been sent to Carthak, to bring the Empress back to Tortall for her father's funeral and her brother's coronation. Kaddar would be unable to refuse, and she should arrive the week before the coronation. Unfortunately, she would not stay long, only long enough for the crowning and the funerals, and then she would have to return to Carthak, leaving Roald here, in Tortall, all alone.
Unless… No, he didn't even dare to hope it. There was no way that Kalasin could stay here, she was married, she helped to rule a country, she couldn't run home just because her brother missed her. It wasn't that she wouldn't want to, they had been exchanging letters since the day she had gotten on that ship, and in every letter, without fail, she told him of how out of place she was there, and how she wished she could return to Tortall. No, the problem was Kaddar, he wouldn't just turn the blind eye while his wife deserted him.
Roald closed his eyes, shutting out all the background noise around him. There had to be something he could do about this, something that would bring his sister back to him. He had spent too much time away from her, and now was when he needed her most. Of course, Kaddar wasn't the only problem here, he hadn't forgotten about Shinkokami, his own wife. Undoubtedly she wouldn't appreciate Kalasin's return, considering it would result only in her being neglected by him, in favor of the Empress.
She may not have known all the secrets of this realm, but she wasn't stupid, not by a long shot. Without much trouble, she could probably learn everything, and then where would he be? Besides, it wasn't only his secrets this country was keeping. There were others, darker, and more dangerous, that could destroy the careful balance of the realm. There were secrets he didn't even know, secrets that were locked in the Monarchs' Chamber with his mother, secrets that had died the King and his Champion.
Roald sighed again. Secrets like that were probably better off in a grave.
"Kel! Duck!" Dom shouted over the clash of steel that was ringing in his ears. He had spotted, probably just in time, the archer that had the Lady Knight in his sights. He saw Kel flatten herself on the ground as an arrow whistled past before he had to turn his attention back to the bandit who was currently trying to skewer him with his sword. He grunted as he fended off a potentially fatal blow, wondering where in the name of the Black God they had come from. One minute they had been eating lunch just off the side of the road near the forest, the next they were under attack.
They were outnumbered by the bandits, but not by much. Unfortunately, the scales had been tipped in the other team's direction immediately, considering they didn't have a lady travelling with them. Yuki, bless her, wasn't useless however. She could use a glaive quite well, but she was no match for trained warriors. Sadly, these were definitely not your ordinary bandits, they fought far to well for that.
Neal was holding his own against a handful of the fighters, keeping them at bay with short bursts of green fire while he took them down one by one. Kel had since jumped to her feet and had run through the archer with her glaive, and Sebastian appeared to be having fun with a group of others. The squad of soldiers had split up and was engaging the enemy one on one.
Unfortunately, none of them were prepared for a large glowing circle to appear in midair. Even Sebastian stopped what he was doing to watch the gold disc stretch and shimmer. Dom, having dispatched his own attacker just before the disc's appearance, squinted at it from where was standing. Inside the gold rim he could see countryside, but it wasn't the countryside they were currently fighting for their lives in. For one thing, it appeared to be night, he could see the moon, which was full, and the sky was full of stars.
He was so enthralled by this that he didn't see the bandit sneaking up behind Yuki until it was too late. He did, however, hear her scream. The fight began again in earnest, they were snapped out of their trance like state and tore their eyes away from the portal to take on the enemy once again. Dom, the only one not currently engaged, cut down Yuki's attacker from behind, in much the same way he had done to her.
This done he got to his knees. Carefully, he turned the lady over so that he could feel for a pulse. His hands came away sticky with blood, and he felt his stomach turn. Dom pressed a hand frantically to her neck, feeling around desperately, but he got nothing. He let his hand fall, and afraid to look at her, passed it over her eyes to shut them. Here, huddled on the ground, next to his dead cousin-in-law, he imagined he could feel the world falling to pieces. Little did he know that, far away in Corus, Roald, the unofficial king, was feeling the same thing, on a much bigger scale.
Kel didn't see Yuki fall, or Dom go to her, she only saw another woman, older than herself, but wielding a sword like it was merely an extension of her arm. She felt rushing despair as she watched the woman approach, while the Lioness could have taken her, there was no way she could. Throwing her glaive down, she drew her sword while she still had the chance and prayed. Fortunately for her though, this woman, who held a sword as though she had been born to do so, had other plans for her.
A few yards away, Neal was fighting his own fight. He was torn between going to Yuki, or avenging her death and destroying the men in front of him. When he saw Dom cut down her attacker, he turned on the fighters, who, just moments ago, he had been fighting so eagerly. With a yell, he raised his sword and returned to battle, fighting furiously. He blocked their swords like they were sticks, and, green eyes wild, ran one through the stomach. Without pausing, he pulled his sword back, ignoring the blood that splashed on him, and stabbed the other in the shoulder even as he felt his own arm being hacked at.
Gasping, Neal dropped his sword as his legs gave out from beneath him. The only thing that saved him from a painful death was a well-timed arrow from a corporal. It pierced the man's throat and he dropped like a stone, missing Neal by mere inches. The same corporal ran over to Neal, dodging the arrows that rained on him from a handful of archers on horseback. "Sir! Sir, are you alright?!" He asked frantically, dropping to his knees beside the fallen knight.
Neal grunted. "Do I look alright?" He asked dryly, taking the offered hand to pull himself upright. Leaning heavily against the corporal, he grimaced. "You're going to have to bandage… that." He told the man, referring to what was left of his arm. He didn't dare look at it, despite being a healer, he didn't think looking at his own severed arm would exactly help the situation. The corporal hurried to do so, tearing his own shirt off rapidly to tie it around the wound. As he did so, Neal, going steadily whiter with every gasping breath he took, watched the battle in front of him. Fortunately all the enemy warriors were occupied with fighting Sebastian and the soldiers. Dom was still with Yuki, and Kel…
"Alright sir, it's all done." The corporal said nervously, testing the knot carefully. Neal winced as movement sent sharp pains through his entire body.
"Help me to my feet." He demanded, eyes still on Kel and the man, no, woman she was fighting. When the corporal hesitated, he tore his eyes of his best friend long enough to glare at the man. "Now." He said coolly, trying to ignore the nearly blinding pain where his arm used to be. Sighing, the corporal jumped to his feet and bent down to lift Neal. Gasping in pain as his shoulder was jostled, Neal leaned against the older man, trying to get his bearings.
Sebastian, having gotten rid of all his opponents without much trouble, ran over to replace the corporal. "I'll take him from here," He told the now blood-soaked man, taking Neal's remaining arm and draping it across his shoulders. The corporal nodded his thanks and hurried back into battle. "Nicely done Sir Knight." Sebastian announced, barely even pausing as a fighter ran at them. A few feet out, the man collapsed, hands at his throat, gasping for air. Neal stared at the wriggling man nervously, before remembering what he had seen a few minutes before.
"Where's Kel?" He managed to gasp out, too drained to even look around for his best friend.
"She's over there, in the middle of a fight. She'll be fine though, don't worry too much." Sebastian said, nodding in the direction of the Lady Knight. "You'd be better off to worry about yourself really." He gripped Neal's waist tightly, making sure the healer didn't collapse. "Any chance you can work any of your magic on yourself?"
Neal didn't answer his question, he had turned to watch Kel fight just in time to see her disarmed and grabbed in a headlock. He watched, frozen in pain and horror as the woman she was fighting let out a loud whistle with her free hand before backing towards the shimmering gold disc. He didn't notice the other fighters drop everything and run to join her until they were all right in front of him. Even as the first of them disappeared through what could only be called a portal, he was pulling his arm off of Sebastian's shoulder, and running towards them.
He didn't hear Sebastian call out to him, or run after him, he only saw that woman, with Kel still tight in her grasp, step through the portal and disappear. And as that happened, he knew he must do the same. He ignored the warning his brain was giving him, ignored the pain that was shooting up through his body to is head, ignored Sebastian's shout. Even as he stumbled through the portal, and into whatever was on the other side, he blacked out.
Sebastian, seeing Neal go through, did the only thing he could think of right then, rational or not, and followed him. He was only a few yards away when the portal began to shrink rapidly. Increasing his speed, and forgetting about the others, he dove through just in time to see the gold light wink out. And then, everything was white and his head was spinning.
He could hear singing, softly first, growing louder and louder as he fell. For all his brains, and all his magic, Sebastian had no idea what was happening, or where he was going, or even what was going to happen next. For the first time in his life, he was completely, and utterly, lost.