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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1707301" data-attributes="member: 15043">“Ari,” Vintressa said softly, running a hand down the dragon’s snout.  A purr rumbled from his throat, drowning out the noise of woodcutters hard at work and the grunts of men doing physical labor. ”I’m so sorry I got scared,” she heard the dragon’s bubbly voice softly chime in her head, ”I said I would fight, but they poked at me...  I should have been more careful.”“There is nothing to apologize for, my friend,” Vin continued scratching around the scales on his snout.  “If twenty knights had leveled lances against me, I would flee as well!”  Vin smiled as she felt the draconic equivalent of a laugh wash into her mind.  “I know you’ll stand and fight when and if we need you.””I won’t run next time,” Ari announced in her mind.  She could tell that bravado did not cause this promise... shame and anger did.“Next time will be this evening, likely,” Vin said softly, “And I could really use your strength.  You may be young Ari, but you are very strong... and smart.”  She felt another purr rumbling through her hand as she petted him.  “I can only imagine what Xanadu has taught you in the months I was at the Academy!”His confidence is coming back.  Maybe that breathing he spoke about will come in useful.  At the very least, he can sit there and look imposing...  “Ari, I know you’ll make me proud, and make your Mommy Siabrey and Father Lucius proud as well.  You won’t run this time.  I know you,” Vin said sweetly.  “I only need you to stand here, in the middle of the road.  If they get too close, or if I yell, then breathe on them... okay?”She felt his acceptance of her wishes washing over him.  Giving him a last pat, she turned her attention to the noise around her, as men from the city watch cut up logs and fashioned large stakes... enough that each man would have one, it was hoped.  Will shortbows be enough? she thought, looking at the ancient but well made weapons the city watch people carried.  Valaron would have been able to recite to her the performance of various kinds of shortbows against plate and chain armor, but he wasn’t here... he was still recovering.  The problem still bothered her when she spotted the first pinpoints of light towards the north.  She didn’t need her brother to know it was the light of thousands of suits of mail in the bright sun.  A massive cloud of dust hung in the air behind the lights, and in the distance, the rumble of hooves, the whinnies of chargers and the rattle of weapons and armor rose in the air.  Vin’s stomach felt like it had tumbled out of her body, leaving a bottomless pit.  She felt bile rise in fear, and she fought it down.He’s coming towards us with a mailed fist...  He intends to pummel us to death.  She’d learned her lesson about riding dragons, and now spurred her horse, a roan mare, towards the center of the impromptu battleline that was being formed to block the knights path.  It was easy to find Raven... she was the only one not in any kind of armor.“Are they ready on the far left?” Vin asked, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.  Her stomach was still queasy, though she didn’t have to fight the urge to retch as much as before.  By Raven’s eyes, the fear was in almost ruling her.“Um... Daedles says he’s got stakes  But Vin!  What the hell are sticks of wood going to do against mounted knights!  With lances!” she gestured towards the host forming perhaps a quarter mile from them.  “They’ll just run us over!”“They’ll do plenty.”  I hope.  They say you can’t find anything by reading over the history of the Empire’s wars.  Perhaps Ananias was good for one thing…Albrecht Manse looked up at the sun, now entering the final quarter of its daily ride across the sky.  The air was still hot, and sticky... not nearly as much as Manse was inside his armor.  Erelion had insisted he wear his full plate, just like the others, and Manse was now thankful at how much he’d sweated... the woolen tunic underneath was soaked.  He took another long gulp from his canteen... the third one he’d used this day.Fluttering above his own head was the huge banner of House Manse, a red basilisk on a yellow field.  Other banners fluttered in the slight breeze around them... the twin serpents of House Erelion, Bearsans white wolf, the black adder of House Yorens.  All around him he heard horses grunting and neighing, knights cursing their squires, and the scraping of last minute sharpening of blades.  An army about to hurl itself in battle.Manse looked across the field at his opponent.  There she is.  The Dragon was mounted on a dark steed, the dragon Bearsans spoke of beside her.  He could make out mounted men... likely Household Guard.  The others on foot Manse could not see clearly, but he could see their banners... the City of Iskeldrun.  City watch... acting as line foot.  I must give the Dragon this... she is brave to take the field with such a force.  Now that Erelion had taken the precautions of covering his flanks, Manse was far more at ease.The heavy thud of warhorse hooves came to a stop next to Manse, and as he turned, he saw Bearsans, the man dwarfed by the great beast of a mount he rode.  He flipped up the visor of his helm, and Manse saw the small man was wearing the same fierce grin that he’d worn the day before, setting out to collect the Empress’ ‘peace terms.’“Looks like we’ll be fighting old men and boys today,” Bearsans shouted derisively.  “Not many spoils from this fight, and few ransoms!”“When the Empress Siabrey leads them, I have no doubt mere boys will turn out to fight fiercer than you think,” Manse replied.  “Pah!” Bearsans laughed.  “Look at the shoddy ranks that City Watch has set up!  They can’t form a straight line!  They look like a gaggle of mongrels!  Manse, I care not whether it is a worthy fight or not.  All I know is that I claim that Keldare woman as a prize before anyone else!”“A Baroness is a prize now?” Manse raised his eyebrow.  What are we sinking to, becoming like the barbarians to our south?  “I should think she would be more worthy as a ransom than a prize.”“When she uses vile magics to humiliate me, she is not worthy of a ransom, in my mind!” Manse grumbled.  “A prize she shall be, and when I’m done, perhaps my bastards by her will be taller than their father!”And likely no less fiery, Manse thought sourly.  “Good luck to you, Beardstone.”“Luck is always with the small!  That is what the halflings say... let us see if it applies to men as well!”  Bearsans closed his visor. And armored legs spurred his mounted forward towards the front, the knights of his house falling behind.  Shouts and curses arose even more, as Lord Jaypens’ high pitched yell broke over the plain, screaming about someone taking the lead in front of his men.Vintressa gave a growl perhaps a half hour later, carefully dismounting from her mare.  Her mother’s greathelm was quickly off of her head, and the princess once again gasped for breath.  She could keep her helm on for only short periods of time, when she needed to take it off, she got off her mount so the enemy couldn’t see.  She gave a cursory glance to the Chief Court Mage, his incantations making shadowy soldiers appear behind her own thin lines.  The raven sent tow days earlier now sat on his shoulder... a sight that made Vin slightly less annoyed.She is on her way...“They’re still positioning, Highness,” she heard Avaril complain.  He had donned plate only an hour before, and it was plain the heat was harassing him as well.  “They may not come this day, if they continue to jockey around.”If they wait on the morrow, we’ll have to deal with Erelion’s foot, as well as his knights!  Vintressa bit her lower lip slightly, trying to think. That little plan I read about long ago will FAIL if the foot moves up!   She needed to encourage these knights to come forward... there was still four hours of daylight left.  Enough for us to try to finish this business.You WANT to fight?  Wouldn’t Val be surprised to hear this?“Raven... come with me!”  Vintressa already had the helm back on, and several guardsmen helped her back onto her mount.  “Avaril, go find the court mages, and inform them to be prepared... when they stumble, that is their cue.  I doubt if they charge recklessly they’ll bring focused mages along to block our spells!”“Um... how are we going to get them to charge recklessly?”  Raven asked after Vintressa as the Princess spurred her horse on.  She could only see the princess’ eyes through the slits of the greathelm, but the way they gleamed told Raven Vintressa had a mischevious grin on her face.  She reined up just behind their lines.“Do you remember the trick we learned in Aegrifyr’s lecture... about how to speak from a distance?” Vin’s muffled voice asked.  Raven nodded.  “Well, Raven, you’re better at insulting people than I am.  Ride about halfway out there, use that little bit, and hurl some choice insults.  Once they start to move, act like a craven coward and run.  If enough of their lords charge after, I am guessing Erelion will order the whole lot to come forward!”“Um.. okay?” Raven said uneasily.“It is hot… and they must be feeling such under all of their armor.  Hotter people are more prone to fury,” Vin said.  “They are more irritable.  Goad them… I have no doubt they’ll come!”“Two marks for easy insulting... the knight with the white wolf banner... Lord Bearsans.  One of the ones Tess paralyzed yesterday.  And Lord Yorens, the one with the black adder as his flag.”  Vintressa suddenly stopped, and read the look of fear on Raven’s face.  “Don’t worry... you’re riding a quarter-horse, not a charger, and you aren’t weighed down by armor.  It should be no problem to outrun them!”Raven gave a sigh, not having the same confidence as her friend.“Oho!  I think that the Empress may wish to parley!” Manse heard from one of his knights behind him.  Albrecht followed their gaze to the young woman in traveling leathers that trotted to the middle of the field.  She bore no white flag, however, which puzzled him.A rider to the middle field, with no flag of truce... she is too young to be a magical of great power... perhaps she is a peace offering?  But who would the Empress send that would  be worth trading?  That doesn’t look like one of the daughters of the Imperial family...“My Lord Bearsans!” a young woman’s voice sounded loud over the battlefield, as if she was yelling from right next to Manse.  “How does it feel to have been knocked off your mount by a lady’s whisper?  I am sure Lady Bearsans can relate to that experience greatly!”Shouts and cries of laughter arose from the knights around Manse, before a loud, roar drowned out the cacophany.  Albrecht immediately recognized the shout.  Bearsans.“You small little piece of crap!  Hog armpit hairs are not worthy of your stench, you little cur!” Manse could hear him snarl, all the way in front.“And Lord Yorens!” the girl’s voice sounded again, “Afraid to draw your blade?  What is your concern?  An old, toothless fishmonger said you had no problem drawing your blade for her!”More shouts, and Manse could hear Yoren’s furious shouts for his knights to form charge line, alongside Bearsan’s men.  Yet the young woman continued, her small horse cantering back and forth in front of their lines.“My dear... Baron Erelion,” her voice called, as her horse reined up.  “My poor...poor Baron.  Craven like his brother’s host!  With a gold crown that is not worthy of a brothel mistress!  Who in their mind would follow one whose path to crown has sold his promises to many men?  Many a brothel mistress should hire your, dear Baron, you might help them further their employees work, for surely you could teach common women of the night to sell their promises as well!”Manse heard the breath intake, as the woman called out again.  “What is this?  A mere woman, unarmored, has more bravery than a host of warriors that call themselves the flower of knighthood, the height of chivalry?  I think the chamberpot of a loose man has better aroma than this pack of fools!  Perhaps too many of you have been too busy chasing the flower of village maidens, and forgotten how to draw your steel blades, as opposed to your fleshy ones!”She’s goading us, Manse realized as his own fury rose at her sharp and vicious barbs, holding his hands up to signal his men to hold ground.  “Do not move!  She’s antagonizing!  Don’t give in!” he turned his horse, trying to address the lords close to him.  “Hold ground!”  Too late did he feel the ground tremble slightly underfoot, and hear the loud calls from down the line... among them Bearsans crying, “Erelion!” Dammit! Manse wanted to curse, as the young woman spun her horse around and charged back to her own lines, craven to the core.  He could see now that Bearsans and Yoren’s banners were leading the way, despite the fact that the woman was easily outside their reach, and was screaming away from them faster than they were charging.“Albrecht!” Manse heard a familiar voice call, and within a second the gilded form of his Emperor was beside him.  His visor was up, and Manse could see his face was flushed with heat and fury.  By the tenseness he gripped his reins, Manse was sure that Erelion wanted to join the attack.“Recall Bearsans and Yoren!” Manse shouted, as the noise of horses thundering forward increased, more nobles joining the charge, their ancestral battlecalls on their lips.  “Recall them!  She wants us to come at her for some reason!”“Sound the advance,” Erelion growled.  “I want her force cut down before nightfall!  We’ll ride through the night and destroy Iskeldrun while it sleeps! We have more than her, we’ll ride over her corpse!  No prisoners!  Craven women like these should not be allowed to live!”  Manse could see the vicious glare in his lord’s eye that he meant every word he said.  Manse saw in his mind the burning of the city... women and children screaming in the streets, as mailed knights cut them down, trampled them with their horses.  Flames licking into the sky.  Then his blood shuddered, as the face of everyone woman became that of his wife, and every child took the look of his young son.I cannot do that!  It... it would bring eternal dishonor to me and my House!“Sound your own advance, Majesty,” Manse heard himself say.  “My men shall stay here.”  It sounded as if someone else was speaking and Albrecht was only listening from a far distance.  He could immediately see Erelion’s eyes flash, his nose flared, and he began grinding his teeth in rage.“You... you are no longer by bannerman!  Craven!  We... dammit I’ll deal with you after this, by god!”  Erelion’s visor snapped down, and he grabbed a nearby squire with a trumpet.  Three blasts came from the horn, three blasts echoed up and down the now ragged line of knights, and quickly the rest joined their eager companions in charging.  Manse watched in disgust as about half of his own men leapt forward as well.</blockquote>

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