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Into the Icy Darkness II: The Next Generation
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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1703857" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>Ari looked about him. The midday sun hung high in the clear, cloudless sky, its light reflecting all the colors in the rainbow from the stained glass windowed Hall of Kings towering above the dragon. He sniffed... his human form had the sniffles sometimes.</p><p></p><p>From Ari’s bright yellow hair, flecks of green, blue and red seemed to trickle down only to vanish before his shoulders. His sky blue eyes looked down, and he gave a worried huff. His clothes were garishly bright, just like he liked them... a bright yellow doublet matching his hair, and lavender trousers that matched his skin. The colors were meant to make Vintressa laugh when she came... they said she would be sad.</p><p></p><p>A rumbling screech of metal echoed from the far end of the plaza inside the Imperial palace complex, from one of the elegantly designed inner gatehouses whose spires reached gracefully (and from a military standpoint, quite uselessly) into the heavens. A clatter of hooves on stone rose to a rumble, as a column of rideres, their dark cloaks streaming behind them, thundered inside the palace.</p><p></p><p>Ari looked about them, and quickly found the blonde girl in the lead, already jumping off of her horse. She was working at untying a dark bag of some kind thrown over the back of her mare, and Ari stopped, puzzled as two of the other riders dashed over to help her. They then slid the bundle off the back of the horse, carefully to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Then Ari saw his head. The dragon didn’t recognize the fellow, his skin was a very pale orange... a color Ari thought strange. There were no other prismatic dragons, and he also watched as the young man’s ears swiveled about as he groaned. No human ears did that. The two riders that had helped Vin carried him off, with Vin looking after them hopefully.</p><p></p><p>“Vinny?” Ari asked, his voice musical and sweet as he spoke. </p><p></p><p>Vintressa turned, and Ari saw her blue eyes were deep as the sea, shimmering for a second before a tear coursed down her cheek.</p><p></p><p>“What happened, Vinny?” the young dragon simply asked. She didn’t answer, instead grabbing him tight and giving him a massive hug. Ari coughed for a second, the hug was so hard, until Vintressa let him go with a gentle kiss on his forehead.</p><p></p><p>“Simple Ari,” she sighed, looking into his eyes.</p><p></p><p>“You’re hurting? Why? What happened? Can I fix it?” Ari asked in quick succession. “I’ll fix it if I can!”</p><p></p><p>“Simple, loving Ari,” she smiled sadly. “Unless you are a master healer, I don’t know if you can fix some things. Unless you are a master commander, I don’t know if you can fix other things,” she said softly, before one of the dark cloaks loomed behind her.</p><p></p><p>“Your Highness,” the man bowed, and Vintressa gave Ari one last pat on the shoulder.</p><p></p><p>“I need to talk to these gentlemen, Ari. Go on up to the your chambers... I’ll meet you up there as soon as I can,” she said gently, before turning away. Ari stood for a moment, before realizing she meant for him to leave. As he walked away, the dragon could hear hushed tones, hurt tones between Vintressa and the man.</p><p></p><p><em>Hushed means secrects. Hurt means... politics,</em> the dragon thought simply as the long shadows of the palace enveloped him.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Your Highness, we have only ten thousand to watch the city walls... the city is far too large for us to man every portion of the wall... even if we call forth the city watch!” </p><p></p><p>Vintressa heard the voice of her Household Guard commander, and bit her lower lip, trying to focus her mind here, on the grounds of one of the palaces many plazas, and not in the building next door, where the wounded were being tended. <em>Vin... Royukgan needs you here!</em> she barked at herself. <em>Here, listening to Avaril and the other city defenders!</em> She pushed the painful images of his badly injured form from her mind, his groans and cries during the hurried ride back to the capital.</p><p></p><p>“So you are saying that unless my mother or father’s armies come up, the city is undefendable?” She started walking towards the Hall of Kings, the usual place for meetings between the Imperial government and its military commanders. “There’s no possible way my mother or father can force-march themselves back to the city before Erelion’s troops arrive.”</p><p></p><p>“I fear we may have to abandon the city,” Avaril said quietly, the tone so hushed so that no one else could hear his suggestion. </p><p></p><p>For that, Vintressa was thankful. The last thing her beleaguered Regency needed was a mass panic that the Imperial family and army were abandoning the capital. That would have sparked a mad panic... prices would have soared, and tens of thousands would have clogged all roads leading out of the city trying to flee.</p><p></p><p>And Vintressa closed her eyes on thinking what they would be fleeing from. Her father had spoken of it in hateful terms, as he told her of the noble rebellion when she was four. The noble armies of Erelion and Comnitas had seized five villages and towns on their way to Iskeldrun, and even to this day, her father’s description sickened her.</p><p></p><p><em>When we marched back through, the towns were all burnt. Mothers, some missing limbs, all horribly violated, stumbling through the ashes, calling for children long dead. Men hung from boughs, or were dangling from stakes, doomed to death for defending the honor of their wives or children. Not a child was to be found alive within that expanse... some were dead... many more were dragged off into slavery, cleaning the feet of the knights that had tramped through... or worse...</em></p><p></p><p>She shuddered, her mind’s eye watching as Erelion’s army marched into Iskeldrun. The city burning, soldiers running through the streets carrying off the gold and jewels of ten thousand homes, having their way with the women, manacling the children, and slaying the men, the streets running red, oh so red, with the blood of thousands.</p><p></p><p>“No... we cannot abandon the city,” Vintressa replied softly. <em>I can’t do that to all of these people. There is no way for them to flee the city in time! And this Lord Erelion’s armies are lkely to commit the same atrocities as the last one!</em></p><p></p><p>“Pardon, Highness?” Avaril stopped suddenly, looking at her.</p><p></p><p><em>We can’t flee... we can’t sit here? What do we do?</em> her mind raced. She heard the noise of feet running behind her, but paid no attention as her heart sank. <em>I don’t know what to do! We have to fight, but how!? Ten thousand versus sixty? My mother or father could beat those odds, but I can’t!</em></p><p></p><p>“Highness! Highness!” Vintressa recognized the voice of one of the under-court mages. His heavy breathing belied his portly status... for one of his size to be running towards her meant something important.</p><p></p><p>“Highness! A teleport came in... from Kulloden, Your Highness!” he breathed out, before having to grab his knees and catch his breath.</p><p></p><p><em>Kulloden? Valaron!</em> </p><p></p><p>“Your brother, His Highness, has returned to us!” the man breathed heavily. “He... he is gravely wounded, but he comes with a stone... large, round and red!”</p><p></p><p>Vintressa was dashing towards the teleportation chambers before the man could say any more.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Fetch him some water!” Raven barked, relaying the command from the healer already looking over Val’s battered form. The pain in her chest remained, dull and insistent, but fading. </p><p></p><p>“Will Val be okay?” Ari’s look was curiousity mixed with concern. Raven nodded her head a hopeful yes, even though her eyes screamed a, “no!” Her mind remembered the tortured look on his face after the drow and Ananias had gone up in that flash of energy… when he reached down to pick up the ruby now caught in his grip, and had fallen forward, more sickening cracks coming from his chest. His agonizing cries as Tess’ warriors helped her drag him to the teleportation chamber, to rush him back to the Imperial palace and its expert healers.</p><p></p><p>Val’s face looked even worse than before. His normally coppery skin had bled dry of color, and his breathing was quick and shallow, only coming through gritted teeth. The healers had seemed relieved that no blood came from his mouth... at least his broken ribs had not hit his lungs.</p><p></p><p>“It’ll be alright, Val!” she ran a hand along his forehead, a tear coming down her face. She saw his eyes still followed her, a fact that was giving <em>her</em> strength. <em>He still watches me... he has not faded.</em> “The healer will make things right!”</p><p></p><p>“If Ray says things are going to be okay, it is! Ray doesn’t lie good!” Ari added with a child-like smile on his man’s face.</p><p></p><p>“I... hope... so... it... hurts...” he rasped out slowly after the clerics had finished their probings of his wounds. Sweat was forming on his brow, just like it had during the teleportation. And like then, she now cradled his head gently.</p><p></p><p>Nervously Raven looked towards the other traveler that had come with, who sat in a tired heap in the far corner of the chamber, another cleric checking her over. Raven could hear her Aunt’s protests, very soft. “Go see to the prince. I am fine. See to him,” she kept saying softly, demands the cleric ignored as he bandaged her stomach.</p><p></p><p>“Go tend to your Aunt Tess, Ari,” Raven said softly. “Someone should be beside her just as I’m beside Val here.” In truth, Raven felt her defenses giving, and the last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of the young prismatic dragon. <em>While he takes the form of a young man, he is only six... young even in human years.</em> She watched sadly as his naive optimism jogged over to Tess’ location, a cheery, “You’ll be okay Auntie, Raven said so!” coming from his lips.</p><p></p><p>“I...still...have...it?” Val asked her slowly, his eyes looking deep into hers. Raven blinked away the nascent tear in her eye, and cast a reassuring glance to his less injured right arm and smiled at the ruby sphere clasped there.</p><p></p><p>“Yes. Yes you do Val,” she whispered back, over the start of prayers to Honoria and Pelor, requesting his broken body be mended. She saw Val’s eyes close, and he visibly winced as a rather sickening crunch came from his chest and stomach. The huge black bruise there seemed to lift, as if his insides were being re-arranged. Raven quickly took his hand into hers, and felt a vice-like grip almost crush her palm.</p><p></p><p>“It’ll be alright... it’ll be alright,” she kept saying softly as the priests moved their hands across Val’s body, other horrible noises rising as Val’s body re-adjusted, wounds bound themselves, and bones slid back into place. The small noise of the whispered prayers and calls finally died away, and the priest of Honoria, one of the elders in that church, turned to Raven.</p><p></p><p>“He needs rest. Rest for this day and next,” he said softly. “He will be very sore, for quite some time. Some servants should mix some lavendar milk, or poppy wine if the pain becomes unbearable.”</p><p></p><p>“The... pain...will...not,” Val said hoarsely, still in apparent pain.</p><p></p><p>“Thank you, Your Eminence,” Raven nodded to the man, only to hear a loud crash from behind her. Before she could turn around, Vintressa was beside her, tears streaming down her face.</p><p></p><p>“Not you too!” she kept repeating, running her hand over the bruise covering half of his stomach. “Not you too!”</p><p></p><p>“What happened?” Raven asked, her attention partially diverted to Vintressa. <em>Val is healing now. Now another needs healing of a different kind.</em> She put an arm around the Princess.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“It’s my fault!” Vintressa blurted out. <em>It’s all my fault! Royukgan was right! A battle was not my place! If I hadn’t rode out there, intent on saving the day, he wouldn’t be on death’s door! And enemies would not be marching on the city!</em> All of her pent up guilt and fear tumbled forth, as she leaned over the broken form of her brother.</p><p></p><p>“What is?” she heard Raven’s calm voice ask. Between tears, Vintressa managed to tell Raven what had happened... her plan gone awry, Royukgan’s grievous injuries, the armies marching on the capital. </p><p></p><p>“...and that’s why its all my fault!” the Princess sputtered at the end, tears still coursing down from her guilt-riddled eyes.</p><p></p><p>“They’re... coming... here?” Ari’s musical voice asked, before changing to a growl, rumbling deeper and louder than no man’s should. “Then I will turn to a dragon, and shred them before they can hurt my Aunt Tess, my Ray, my Vinny, and my Val!”</p><p></p><p>Vintressa only could cast a sad smile towards the dragon. <em>You are so young... you don’t understand yet what this all means!</em> Her tears increased as she imagined Ari bravely trying to fight... she wasn’t even sure if he knew how to. Vintressa’s head lowered, until she was looking directly down in her guilt... directly into her brother’s eyes.</p><p></p><p>“That... was... very... brave...” Valaron’s quiet voice could be barely heard, but in Vintressa’s mind, it came with the power of a thunderbolt. “...You... saved... mother... and... father.” When she looked down at him, she saw pride in his pained eyes, and a tense, terse grin on his pained face.</p><p></p><p>“It... was?” she sniffled.</p><p></p><p>“If... Ari...can... help... I... can... help...” he said again, turning his head slowly towards the orb in his grasp.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1703857, member: 15043"] Ari looked about him. The midday sun hung high in the clear, cloudless sky, its light reflecting all the colors in the rainbow from the stained glass windowed Hall of Kings towering above the dragon. He sniffed... his human form had the sniffles sometimes. From Ari’s bright yellow hair, flecks of green, blue and red seemed to trickle down only to vanish before his shoulders. His sky blue eyes looked down, and he gave a worried huff. His clothes were garishly bright, just like he liked them... a bright yellow doublet matching his hair, and lavender trousers that matched his skin. The colors were meant to make Vintressa laugh when she came... they said she would be sad. A rumbling screech of metal echoed from the far end of the plaza inside the Imperial palace complex, from one of the elegantly designed inner gatehouses whose spires reached gracefully (and from a military standpoint, quite uselessly) into the heavens. A clatter of hooves on stone rose to a rumble, as a column of rideres, their dark cloaks streaming behind them, thundered inside the palace. Ari looked about them, and quickly found the blonde girl in the lead, already jumping off of her horse. She was working at untying a dark bag of some kind thrown over the back of her mare, and Ari stopped, puzzled as two of the other riders dashed over to help her. They then slid the bundle off the back of the horse, carefully to the ground. Then Ari saw his head. The dragon didn’t recognize the fellow, his skin was a very pale orange... a color Ari thought strange. There were no other prismatic dragons, and he also watched as the young man’s ears swiveled about as he groaned. No human ears did that. The two riders that had helped Vin carried him off, with Vin looking after them hopefully. “Vinny?” Ari asked, his voice musical and sweet as he spoke. Vintressa turned, and Ari saw her blue eyes were deep as the sea, shimmering for a second before a tear coursed down her cheek. “What happened, Vinny?” the young dragon simply asked. She didn’t answer, instead grabbing him tight and giving him a massive hug. Ari coughed for a second, the hug was so hard, until Vintressa let him go with a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Simple Ari,” she sighed, looking into his eyes. “You’re hurting? Why? What happened? Can I fix it?” Ari asked in quick succession. “I’ll fix it if I can!” “Simple, loving Ari,” she smiled sadly. “Unless you are a master healer, I don’t know if you can fix some things. Unless you are a master commander, I don’t know if you can fix other things,” she said softly, before one of the dark cloaks loomed behind her. “Your Highness,” the man bowed, and Vintressa gave Ari one last pat on the shoulder. “I need to talk to these gentlemen, Ari. Go on up to the your chambers... I’ll meet you up there as soon as I can,” she said gently, before turning away. Ari stood for a moment, before realizing she meant for him to leave. As he walked away, the dragon could hear hushed tones, hurt tones between Vintressa and the man. [i]Hushed means secrects. Hurt means... politics,[/i] the dragon thought simply as the long shadows of the palace enveloped him. “Your Highness, we have only ten thousand to watch the city walls... the city is far too large for us to man every portion of the wall... even if we call forth the city watch!” Vintressa heard the voice of her Household Guard commander, and bit her lower lip, trying to focus her mind here, on the grounds of one of the palaces many plazas, and not in the building next door, where the wounded were being tended. [i]Vin... Royukgan needs you here![/i] she barked at herself. [i]Here, listening to Avaril and the other city defenders![/i] She pushed the painful images of his badly injured form from her mind, his groans and cries during the hurried ride back to the capital. “So you are saying that unless my mother or father’s armies come up, the city is undefendable?” She started walking towards the Hall of Kings, the usual place for meetings between the Imperial government and its military commanders. “There’s no possible way my mother or father can force-march themselves back to the city before Erelion’s troops arrive.” “I fear we may have to abandon the city,” Avaril said quietly, the tone so hushed so that no one else could hear his suggestion. For that, Vintressa was thankful. The last thing her beleaguered Regency needed was a mass panic that the Imperial family and army were abandoning the capital. That would have sparked a mad panic... prices would have soared, and tens of thousands would have clogged all roads leading out of the city trying to flee. And Vintressa closed her eyes on thinking what they would be fleeing from. Her father had spoken of it in hateful terms, as he told her of the noble rebellion when she was four. The noble armies of Erelion and Comnitas had seized five villages and towns on their way to Iskeldrun, and even to this day, her father’s description sickened her. [i]When we marched back through, the towns were all burnt. Mothers, some missing limbs, all horribly violated, stumbling through the ashes, calling for children long dead. Men hung from boughs, or were dangling from stakes, doomed to death for defending the honor of their wives or children. Not a child was to be found alive within that expanse... some were dead... many more were dragged off into slavery, cleaning the feet of the knights that had tramped through... or worse...[/i] She shuddered, her mind’s eye watching as Erelion’s army marched into Iskeldrun. The city burning, soldiers running through the streets carrying off the gold and jewels of ten thousand homes, having their way with the women, manacling the children, and slaying the men, the streets running red, oh so red, with the blood of thousands. “No... we cannot abandon the city,” Vintressa replied softly. [i]I can’t do that to all of these people. There is no way for them to flee the city in time! And this Lord Erelion’s armies are lkely to commit the same atrocities as the last one![/i] “Pardon, Highness?” Avaril stopped suddenly, looking at her. [i]We can’t flee... we can’t sit here? What do we do?[/i] her mind raced. She heard the noise of feet running behind her, but paid no attention as her heart sank. [i]I don’t know what to do! We have to fight, but how!? Ten thousand versus sixty? My mother or father could beat those odds, but I can’t![/i] “Highness! Highness!” Vintressa recognized the voice of one of the under-court mages. His heavy breathing belied his portly status... for one of his size to be running towards her meant something important. “Highness! A teleport came in... from Kulloden, Your Highness!” he breathed out, before having to grab his knees and catch his breath. [i]Kulloden? Valaron![/i] “Your brother, His Highness, has returned to us!” the man breathed heavily. “He... he is gravely wounded, but he comes with a stone... large, round and red!” Vintressa was dashing towards the teleportation chambers before the man could say any more. “Fetch him some water!” Raven barked, relaying the command from the healer already looking over Val’s battered form. The pain in her chest remained, dull and insistent, but fading. “Will Val be okay?” Ari’s look was curiousity mixed with concern. Raven nodded her head a hopeful yes, even though her eyes screamed a, “no!” Her mind remembered the tortured look on his face after the drow and Ananias had gone up in that flash of energy… when he reached down to pick up the ruby now caught in his grip, and had fallen forward, more sickening cracks coming from his chest. His agonizing cries as Tess’ warriors helped her drag him to the teleportation chamber, to rush him back to the Imperial palace and its expert healers. Val’s face looked even worse than before. His normally coppery skin had bled dry of color, and his breathing was quick and shallow, only coming through gritted teeth. The healers had seemed relieved that no blood came from his mouth... at least his broken ribs had not hit his lungs. “It’ll be alright, Val!” she ran a hand along his forehead, a tear coming down her face. She saw his eyes still followed her, a fact that was giving [i]her[/i] strength. [i]He still watches me... he has not faded.[/i] “The healer will make things right!” “If Ray says things are going to be okay, it is! Ray doesn’t lie good!” Ari added with a child-like smile on his man’s face. “I... hope... so... it... hurts...” he rasped out slowly after the clerics had finished their probings of his wounds. Sweat was forming on his brow, just like it had during the teleportation. And like then, she now cradled his head gently. Nervously Raven looked towards the other traveler that had come with, who sat in a tired heap in the far corner of the chamber, another cleric checking her over. Raven could hear her Aunt’s protests, very soft. “Go see to the prince. I am fine. See to him,” she kept saying softly, demands the cleric ignored as he bandaged her stomach. “Go tend to your Aunt Tess, Ari,” Raven said softly. “Someone should be beside her just as I’m beside Val here.” In truth, Raven felt her defenses giving, and the last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of the young prismatic dragon. [i]While he takes the form of a young man, he is only six... young even in human years.[/i] She watched sadly as his naive optimism jogged over to Tess’ location, a cheery, “You’ll be okay Auntie, Raven said so!” coming from his lips. “I...still...have...it?” Val asked her slowly, his eyes looking deep into hers. Raven blinked away the nascent tear in her eye, and cast a reassuring glance to his less injured right arm and smiled at the ruby sphere clasped there. “Yes. Yes you do Val,” she whispered back, over the start of prayers to Honoria and Pelor, requesting his broken body be mended. She saw Val’s eyes close, and he visibly winced as a rather sickening crunch came from his chest and stomach. The huge black bruise there seemed to lift, as if his insides were being re-arranged. Raven quickly took his hand into hers, and felt a vice-like grip almost crush her palm. “It’ll be alright... it’ll be alright,” she kept saying softly as the priests moved their hands across Val’s body, other horrible noises rising as Val’s body re-adjusted, wounds bound themselves, and bones slid back into place. The small noise of the whispered prayers and calls finally died away, and the priest of Honoria, one of the elders in that church, turned to Raven. “He needs rest. Rest for this day and next,” he said softly. “He will be very sore, for quite some time. Some servants should mix some lavendar milk, or poppy wine if the pain becomes unbearable.” “The... pain...will...not,” Val said hoarsely, still in apparent pain. “Thank you, Your Eminence,” Raven nodded to the man, only to hear a loud crash from behind her. Before she could turn around, Vintressa was beside her, tears streaming down her face. “Not you too!” she kept repeating, running her hand over the bruise covering half of his stomach. “Not you too!” “What happened?” Raven asked, her attention partially diverted to Vintressa. [i]Val is healing now. Now another needs healing of a different kind.[/i] She put an arm around the Princess. “It’s my fault!” Vintressa blurted out. [i]It’s all my fault! Royukgan was right! A battle was not my place! If I hadn’t rode out there, intent on saving the day, he wouldn’t be on death’s door! And enemies would not be marching on the city![/i] All of her pent up guilt and fear tumbled forth, as she leaned over the broken form of her brother. “What is?” she heard Raven’s calm voice ask. Between tears, Vintressa managed to tell Raven what had happened... her plan gone awry, Royukgan’s grievous injuries, the armies marching on the capital. “...and that’s why its all my fault!” the Princess sputtered at the end, tears still coursing down from her guilt-riddled eyes. “They’re... coming... here?” Ari’s musical voice asked, before changing to a growl, rumbling deeper and louder than no man’s should. “Then I will turn to a dragon, and shred them before they can hurt my Aunt Tess, my Ray, my Vinny, and my Val!” Vintressa only could cast a sad smile towards the dragon. [i]You are so young... you don’t understand yet what this all means![/i] Her tears increased as she imagined Ari bravely trying to fight... she wasn’t even sure if he knew how to. Vintressa’s head lowered, until she was looking directly down in her guilt... directly into her brother’s eyes. “That... was... very... brave...” Valaron’s quiet voice could be barely heard, but in Vintressa’s mind, it came with the power of a thunderbolt. “...You... saved... mother... and... father.” When she looked down at him, she saw pride in his pained eyes, and a tense, terse grin on his pained face. “It... was?” she sniffled. “If... Ari...can... help... I... can... help...” he said again, turning his head slowly towards the orb in his grasp. [/QUOTE]
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