Private Tales The Broken Crown

[Mariana]

"No, I'm not saying that." Eyes flickered over his shoulder and scanned those that they housed. Those they were to protect. She would make sure everyone staying would retire to their rooms early. Her sisters, she was worried about them. She wanted to protect them as well.

"I don't think these are ordinary bandits. I think they're searching for something."

Ransacking all the other temples to find it.

She wondered if she'd told this stranger too much already. Lips pursed thin. "If you want to patrol the halls tonight I cannot stop you. But there should be no death here." She'd made her wishes clear. If something happened and he was defending...well, that was a different story. But hopefully...goddess willing...that wouldn't happen. Perhaps they wouldn't even come tonight. But Averey had a bad feeling curling at the bottom of her gut.

 

[Alre Castielle]

"What would they be searching for?" Was it something that would help him?

Wait...did he just consider stealing from a Temple?

Alre mentally shook his head. Had he really fallen that far? He supposed if it got him the throne he would, but...well there was no guarantee of that so best not to actually even entertain the idea. Lips thinned for a brief moment but he kept pushing.

It was obvious the Priestess didn't want to answer more questions, but he couldn't quite help himself with asking.

"I mean." He frowned. "It might be easier to protect."

He quietly added. "If you don't want violence, then I suggest you get some of these people out of here. At least for a little bit."

 

[Mariana]

She frowned in his direction.

If it was what she thought it was? It was something very powerful and old. So powerful, it had been distributed among the different temple courts. When brought together...could mean destruction in the wrong hands.

It was clear she would not be telling him what it was.

Somethings were better left unsaid.

"Get them out of here?" Auburn brows rose along her fair skin. "These people don't have anywhere else to go. They were like you." She pointed out quietly. "I'm not sure if they'd be safer on the streets even if we know this temple might become the spot for the next attack."

A breath.

She could see the others wanting to fight like Alre offered and that's what she was afraid of. She didn't want more of them to get hurt. Any of them to get hurt. "Do you know of another place they can stay for the night?" She wondered if he did. He seemed more than the rest that usually needed help. There was something in his jawline. The rigid stiffness in his shoulders. Like he hadn't been born into the streets.

 

[Alre Castielle]

Alre considered for a moment.

Alliria wasn't exactly his own stomping ground. He had only ended up here because he thought he could find a rich merchant or something of the sort to sponsor a campaign to take back his Kingdom. That of course hadn't happened.

His father hadn't exactly been a popular ruler, and as it turned out most of the Merchants actually preferred to deal with his Uncle.

Bastards. "Another Temple?"

He propositioned. Alre highly doubted that this place was the only Temple in the entire city, and someone else would be willing to take in the refugees. He frowned for a few seconds, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Better on the streets than dead though, right?" That was what he'd always thought. it was why he'd run. "Does that mean you'll let me help?"

Something at least.

 

[Mariana]

Auburn brows furrowed in thought and she sighed.

"Goddess help us," she murmured loud enough so he could hear. "I don't know if they will...whoever they are, will come tonight but...if they do, you can help stand guard. Watch. I need to go alert the other priestesses. Do not...try not to," her teeth clenched, a finger coming to rub at her temple.

"Please try not to kill."

If they did come.

And with a flurry of her long dress, she left him to go talk to the others. Come up with a plan for those seeking refuge within their walls.

 

[Alre Castielle]

Alre just shrugged in response.

He didn't particularly care one way or another about killing people. It wasn't much of a big deal where he was from. The King and the Royal family were required to carry out any and all executions that they commanded.

This seemed far more justified than any of those had been. "Will do."

He called out to her as she flurried her dress and began to walk away. For a few moments Alre just stood there, a rather happy expression on his face as he lingered. Then slowly he turned on his heel and wandered away.

He had to find his sword, and a good spot to hide.

 

[Mariana]

Hours later, it was getting close to dawn. The night court temple was only now beginning to lose its power. The wards that protected it from mal intent. And Averey was on high alert.

If they came for the book. If they got it...

She wondered if they'd figured out that it took certain priestesses to read the text. To wield its magic. Had they taken others from the summer, sprint, fall temples?

Would they know to take her?

A belt looped around her waist with a small knife on the side. So against what they stood for. But she was also a guardian. A guardian of the book and its magic and power. She would not let them so easily take it. Nor herself. If that's what she suspected was truly happening here.

Light of the fae illuminated the walls, flickering like starlight. She turned the corner to check on the front doors.

Fzzzzzzzt.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG.

The explosion filled the hall, blinking out the fae lights one-by-one nearest her. She instinctively crouched, covering her ears and closing her eyes as another explosion rocked the temple.

What kind of magic were they using?

 

[Alre Castielle]

Alre had absolutely no idea what sort of magic was being worked here, nor did he particularly care.

The wall collapsed, a woman was thrown half way across the room, and as dust and debris flew into the Temple Alre simply waited. There was a pause, a murky sort of haze rolling through the night air as the fae lights began to flicker out.

Then he saw it.

Alre had no idea what it was, or rather who it was, but he could read the steps of an enemy as well as those of a rat. The way the figure moved, the blade already in it's hand, the slight sheen of armor that he caught beneath the breadth of a black cloak.

That was enough of a sign.

The figured stepped forward over the rubble and across the corpse of a man who had been caught in the explosion. He moved to head further into the Temple, to murder and steal, but he never got the chance.

Alre swept forward. Two steps saw him placed behind the figure, his blade reaching up and then quickly stabbing forward as in one single motion he impaled the man upon his sword. There was a guttural sound as he wrenched his sword free, and then the figure collapsed.

There was a clatter of armor, and then Alre stepped forward to head towards one of the other explosions.

 

[Mariana]

Most of the others were staying in their rooms. Thank the goddess. As the dust and smoke cleared, she staggered to her feet. She heard a sharp, female scream down the hall and squinted, her enhanced eyesight picking up on a shadowy figure gripping...Gwen.

"No," she breathed. Her priestess sister from earlier. The girl was supposed to be checking on the others. Not out here. Now. Averey pushed forward, stumbling through the rubble, pointed ears picking up on the conversation.

"......where is it GIRL."

Gwen stammered. "I-I don't know," fear laced her words.

"Liar," a smile behind the male words. "Perhaps I can find another to be more...helpful." He sneered.

"Leave her alone," Averey approached, back straight. Looking every bit in charge as she could muster. Keeping the fear out of her steely mask she donned across her features. "If you release her I will take you where you want to go. If you harm her or anyone else here; you will never get what you're looking for."

The man sneered.

An orc behind him sniffed the air, his eyes glowed. The man dragged Gwen forward, his grip on her arm unrelenting. "Show us first, girl, and we'll see about letting you both go. Otherwise, I'll snap her neck right now."

Averey faced off with him, fingers balling into small fists at her sides.

 

[Alre Castielle]

Alre had cut down two more of the odd armored men.

He had absolutely no idea who they were, what their motivations could be, but in the end that didn't really matter to him all that much. They were obstacles, that was it. His fingers tightened on his sword as he heard the echo of voices.

Each of the intruders had died quickly, though not because he was some amazing swordsman. He had trained most of his life, but there were plenty better than he. The reason the fights had been so swift had simply been because he caught them by surprise.

As he approached the voices, Alre intended to the same thing.

Honor was a fools game.

Slowly he stepped around the corner, his gaze flickering past the two men clutching a girl and seeing the Priestess he had spoken to. His lips turned to a scowl in an instant, and he motioned to her with a slight wave.

He just hoped she understood.

 

[Mariana]

She didn't know if she did. What was he doing?! Warring feelings twisted in her gut. That blood on his sword. But his very presence. He looked confident and sure. Gwen whimpered as the blade along her neck pricked her skin.

Averey made sure not to look to where Alre was for too long.

Teeth ground in her mouth. "Let her go and I will show you." The man holding Gwen stalked forward, dragging her with him. She was not going to yield on this. And she made sure it showed in her eyes. He looked down at her along his crooked nose and snorted, then pushed the other priestess forward, his fingers snaking around her arm instead as he whipped her around.

"Don't take my generosity for granted," he growled to her. Gwen pressed her palm to where her neck had been bleeding. Just pricked. She gave Averey an unsure look but Averey gave her a subtle nod to go.

Leave. Now.

Back still high, she began walking forward, the man's grip on her arm only tightening. She tried not to growl out or show the pain. She had to wonder what Alre would do and if he'd do it in time.

 

[Alre Castielle]

He had learned long ago that in a fight it was usually the person that hit first that won.

Such a lesson wasn't hard to learn. Most Apprentices came up with it and tried to take it to heart. Of course, being the first to strike wasn't always easy. Here he had to be careful. One Priestess was gone, but the other was still close.

Alre took a breath, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword.

His tongue flickered over his lips for just a brief second, and then he stepped forward. It took him three more to reach the first man, only his last step echoing the ringing sound of his boots. The man half turned back to face him, but by then it was already too late.

The Once King's blade swept forward, cutting through the man's throat and severing his head in one smooth motion. The runemarked edge of Alre's blade sang, and then he kicked the now corpse directly towards Averey and the man holding her.

He hoped the distraction enough as he darted forward, his blade flickering low to cut the remaining assailant's leg.

 

[Mariana]

The fiend holding her whipped around with surprising speed at the sounds of the bodies hitting the ground. With a swift motion of his hand, he flung Averey toward the wall as she reached for his curved sword. Averey yelped as she was slammed against it and stumbled back.

"Step back, boy. If you cut me down, do you think you'll win?" He sneered and spat at Alre as he rushed forward to meet him. "It's too late for you to stop what's already in motion." There would be a flurry of blades, swipes, and slashes.

Averey put a hand to the back of her head, where it had met the wall. Palm came back with the wetness of blood. Gritting her teeth, she made herself stand. She had to get to the book. Get it out.

There were more shouts back at the entrance.

And she caught the smile of the one fighting Alre.

 

[Alre Castielle]

The smile would be his last.

Alre moved like a viper. As soon as the man's attention was elsewhere, as soon as he looked at Avery for even a split second the once King moved. He was quick, a single step, just a cut of his sword, that was all that he needed.

Steel met flesh.

Then again.

Two quick swipes of his blade and then a sudden thrust forward as the tip of his sword rent through the man's stomach. Shock colored the attackers face, the smile slipping from his lips as Alre looked at him with cold eyes. "I did win."

Alre said simply as he jerked the sword free and let the man fall onto the ground.

"I'm not going to apologize for that." He told the Priestess as he turned towards her and wiped the blood from his sword. "There's more still."

 

[Mariana]

Her fair skin paled. Eyes widened at the blood and she turned her face away, vomiting on the floor very close to Alre's shoes. She wasn't used to violence. Men being gutted before her. Blood dripping from steel. The smell, oh that tang against her nose, was the worst.

Limbs trembled as the back of her hand brushed across her mouth as she straightened.

"I...I have to get the book." Slapping a hand against and off the wall she'd leaned against, she stumbled forward. Down the dark corridor. "Cover me," she rasped, a half beg. They didn't have much time. And her stomach roiled inside her. Thank the night court she'd eaten a small dinner.

 

[Alre Castielle]

"Huh." Alre said blithely, seeming somewhat amused at the Priestess overturning her stomach.

There was something satisfying about rattling someone like her. She had reminded him of the Sisters back home, and it seemed only just that his own ways undid a little of hers. At least in his eyes. The amusement quickly swept away however as the woman stood and braced herself against the wall.

Alre watched her for a moment, and then she mentioned a book. "What?"

Lips thinned, and quickly he stalked after her.

"What book?" He said with a frown, holding his blade tight as he glanced around for more of the bandits./

 

[Mariana]

"Well," she amended, deeming him worthy of the knowledge. A queasy glance over her shoulder at the human before she turned down another corridor and stopped outside an ordinary looking door. Pulling a moon-shaped key from inside the folds of her robes, she inserted it into the lock until there were two clicks and the door swung open.

"Part of a book."

With a swish of her fingers, feylight was summoned and illuminated the small space. It looked like an ordinary closet. A junkroom. Stepping into the small space, she moved to the back corner, fingers rummaging among the shelves. It looked as though she was going for one of the dusty scrolls on the shelf, only, she reached past and there was another click as one of the walls swung inward to reveal a secret passageway.

"Each court has a piece of this book. There are powerful spells contained. Too powerful to be entrusted to only one court. Or one kingdom. Legend has it spells that can crack the earth itself. Create life. But the cost...the cost is too deep to enact these spells. I'm surprised...," she took a breath and summoned the ball of floating fey-light to illuminate the passageway.

Her face still looked drawn, grey.

"Anyone found out about this at all and I fear this is what is stemming the attacks on the temples."

The other courts.

There was more. But if he insisted on knowing, she would have to bind him.

 

[Alre Castielle]

He glanced towards her.

Of course it was something to do with magic. Alre knew how useful it could be of course, his fathers court Sorcerers had been quite good, but...well he had no talent for it and thus distrusted it in a way. His fingers tightened for a moment, his eyes wandering over the inside of the Temple.

"Why not destroy it?" The once King asked with a shrug.

He understood the idea of preserving history, of making sure that something like that would be stored away and kept safe, but if it was so dangerous? Well why keep it around at all. "Sort of would take away all the danger, no?"

Of course he knew what the answer would be.

It always was with types like her.

 

[Mariana]

She walked down a dark and winding corridor, the walls seemed to sparkle with real starlight.

For the first time, she looked at Alre like he was his age: naive.

"It can't be destroyed." Not that she would if she could. No. An even stronger magic protected the pages. It physically couldn't be destroyed. The act of destroying it might actually do as much damage as someone using some of the spells hidden inside.

She turned suddenly, bracing a hand against one of the sparkling corridor walls. The world seemed to spin as she did so. The back of her head was matted and wet. She must've hit it harder than she'd though. Teeth grit as she looked at the sword-hungry man.

"I can't answer anymore of your questions unless I do a binding spell. So make your choice if you want to know more or if you'll stop asking me these questions." She wasn't trying to be rude. She was just trying to state the facts. And not faint in the process. And get to those pages.

 

[Alre Castielle]

"Everything can be destroyed." Alre said as a simple counter. It might have been a naive statement, and he was rather naive, but well...from what he understood magic was not eternal. Just had to try hard enough to break it.

Just had to do it right.

That was what Alre knew of this world. Everything could break if pushed. Magic. Metal. People. Just had to do it in the right way. Just had to pull it off. His fingers tightened for a moment, a breath filling his lungs as he looked at her and frowned. "No."

He rejected simply.

"You don't have to do any sort of spell." Alre said. "You can tell me or you can do this all alone."

The once King wasn't about to be cajoled into something. "Your book might be magic and mystery but I'm not, and I doubt you can save it alone."

 

[Mariana]

“Then I guess I’ll be doing it alone,” the priestess said simply and turned around. She was bound to not tell secrets of the book. Like all the priestesses were. All who knew about its power. And if they ever betrayed the spell?
Well.
There were things worse than death.

She hesitated a moment as she continued her path and looked over her shoulder.

“Thank you for helping...my sister. Before.”

Even if she didnt approve of his methods. She was grateful for the results.

 

[Alre Castielle]

He grunted in response.

There were still echoes of fighting, the clashing of swords, the ringing of steel. He could hear it in the distance, he knew the attack was still ongoing. By now the City Watch would probably be on it's way. They wouldn't be here in time though.

Too slow. Lips thinned for a brief moment, fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword. "No more questions."

Alre agreed, though if he couldn't ask questions, then he would do things his own way.

Not that she would find that truth out until it was too late. Three quick steps caught up with her, and he said nothing as he passed her by and headed for the sounds of screams.

 

[Mariana]

She blinked. Surprised as he turned back toward her and passed her. Why was he....

Head shook. She'd fully expected him to get out and be on his way. She wondered why he stayed. They owed each other nothing. She wasn't about to complain though. She knew she needed help if she wanted to get out of here alive. Hopefully, the others had fled by now. Even with the city's night watch coming, she had a feeling they were up against some powerful sorcerers.

Coming around one final turn, she stopped at an ordinary looking brick in the wall. Murmering a spell beneath her breath, her hand waved in front of the stone. It glowed and then cracked. Averey pulled the pieces aside and took out a set of bound parchment, gripping it tightly.

There were shouts coming down the corridor. Ones she didn't recognize. And she knew they weren't the watch by the feeling of their power coming toward them. There wasn't time to...

Avery unbound the parchment pieces and began muttering another spell, even as she sagged against the stone. Her skin seemed to glow like starlight as she gripped the parchment in her hands. Slowly, the ink began to disappear and transfer to her own skin.

 

[Alre Castielle]

Alre watched on, frowning for a few moments as he looked down at the woman.

Ink seemed to shift from the page and onto her flesh, his fingers tightened, and for a brief moment he reconsidered his plan. A part of him still held the thought, but he held back, hesitated, and unfortunately that hesitation was enough.

As he stepped forward towards Avery a shout echoed behind him.

"STOP HER!"​

The voice caused Alre to spin around on his heel in an instant. Three men stood in the distant Hallway, two of them in heavy leather armor and one with a deep black robe. His fingers tightened around his blade, and the two in armor stepped forward.

"Shit." Alre said with a grimace, his blade spinning in his palm.

This was going to be tough.

 

[Mariana]

Her concentration didn't waver. Nor her will even as shouts echoed behind them. She slid down the wall as the spell was completed, fingers loosely gripping the now empty parchment pages. There was a good chance those men would still think the spell was on the pages.

Her bones ached with the very effort to stand.

Her energy nearly gone.

She needed to rest.

But she couldn't afford to. She clawed her way back to her feet, nearly fainting with the effort.

"Alre," she rasped and reached to tug at his elbow. She could feel the magic from the robed one. "We need to...run. He....they're too strong."