The Road to Valys

Post character departure info/monologues here!

Aerinne stepped back and looked over her handiwork. All of her belongings--her whole life, had been packed away yet again in anticipation of her next move. She'd learned to travel light-- the sisters had disdained excess material possessions for reasons of morality, but the healer had not truly learned the lesson until practicality had required it, on the dusty trail. Clothing and jewelry had become liabilities; just more to carry.

The healer's supplies were tucked into saddlebags and a rucksack--vials of liquid, satchets of herbs and rolls of bandage; everything she'd need to tend to the wounded on the battlefield until Raegnold surrendered. She palmed a last vial from a compartment well-concealed in the back of a drawer, and tucked it into her pocket-- this was for delivering mercy to those she couldn't help. Poison had presented an attractive alternative to slitting throats and suffocation, both of which the healer had found too brutal for her delicate stomach to endure. A drop of the odorless, flavorless tincture on the tip of the tongue, and a man would fall into a peaceful sleep, never to reawaken.

The dagger was last--sheathed in battered leather, and it made the healer shudder when she folded her fingers gingerly 'round its hilt. She'd hated carrying the thing. She had acquiesced to Tyltin's demand that she bring it with her it only to please him, having convinced herself that there would be no need. He had been right, though she'd never told him so. She remembered the day she'd had to use the blade with chilling clarity. The man had worn the enemy's colors, and his face was a crumpled ruin on one side where someone had struck him with a mace and left him for dead. He came at her with bloody arms outstretched, cursing wildly in spite of his missing teeth and his shattered jaw. He'd grabbed her roughly and torn at her hair and her clothes, before her blade bit into his flesh and he'd fallen lifeless to the ground at her feet. She could still feel the grating of metal on bone that had traveled up her arm as she thrust the dagger between the man's ribs. She'd cried for hours after that... stricken, absurdly, with guilt. Later, she'd been greatful that nobody had witnessed her folly save for the dead, who told no tales.

Beneath the hood of her oilskin cloak, the face that peered back at her from the other side of the looking-glass seemed old and wore a grim expression she couldn't quite recognize as her own. With a deep breath and a determined set to her jaw, the girl took her rucksack, fetched a servant to carry her saddlebags, and went to join her prince.

Had spent enough time pitting himself, he hadn’t went back to sleep as now dawn broke through the night, pale silvery light filling the room. He pulled back the heavy drapes, candles still burning. He spent a long moment watching the sun rise, watched the great light defeat the darkness. He pushed himself from the window, away from the light. It was time to pack, time to prepare. There wasn’t much to pack, he hadn’t brought much with him. It didn’t take long, so he spent the rest of the time staring out the window as he contemplated his future, what would become of a broken knight? He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. He had a new life, new duties to keep his life full. He had spoken up, he was going to Valys. He would lend his support in some way or another. It quickly came to mind, he could no longer fight but he still had skills that could be used on the battlefield. He had no doubt that he could be of service to Lady Aerinne. He tossed his bags over his shoulder, at the door he waved off a servant not wanting to feel even more useless. With his decision made he went to find the healer and tell her what he’d plan to do.

Cordelia

The imminence of the final decisions delayed the Ysdale party's departure, and so it happened that Lady Ysdale was there to congratulate the new King, but now it could be postponed no longer. Morning rose, and with it Lady Ysdale tucked away the bit of red she'd donned the night before, the pleasant ache the General had left with her a secret that would carry her through the next weeks and months.

Her goodbye to William left her more empty than she would have thought, even her brother-in-law remarking on her silence in the carriage. Ever composed in her black, she merely smiled at him as she drew her veil around her face, content for the moment to return to the dull widow's life.

The sunlit landscape rolled by, carrying her further from the brief exhiliration that she'd not expected to find. She could feel it still, that fluttering in her stomach, and her fingertips brushed near her neck to stroke the golden locket the General had presented to her.

"When Valys is won and my mourning is complete, I will be going to court," she announced without preamble after nearly an hour of silence.

Her brother-in-law's head jerked up for he had been drowsing in the corner, his eyes narrowing at her as he frowned. "When your mourning is complete, you will be wed to Lord Prichard. I've already promised him."

"No, I will not." She fixed an unpleasant smile on him. "You cannot betroth me while I am still in mourning, and General Vorserkeine-Alexston has commanded that I join the court as soon as I am able."

"We shall see."

"Yes, we shall."

Drysllthen

Farewells, farewells, and yet more farewells, nearly all accompanied by red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips, wore on him, and Drysllthen had begun regret his plan to speak to each of the bloody women in his life before his departure, yet now they were done and he was standing in an empty tent with only his plans to keep him company.

The compulsion to study his plans yet again gripped him, and he stood staring at the papers arranged on his table. General Alexston's bold diagrams lay atop the rest, and Drysllthen smelt the peat, smoke, wood, and blood that would go into making them reality. Already swords clashed in his head, the battle playing out in his mind as it had endlessly in the last years. It was sharper now, more certain, all the imaginable variations met with a force that satisfied the King's cautious mind. He was ready.

Horns trumpeted, calling the ranks to order. They jolted him from his thoughts, and meticulously, he stowed his plans in a leather case and marched from the tent, a few men swarming in to deconstruct it.

His army awaited, and on the rise behind them, he saw some of the women waving farewell. He raised his fist to them, and they were gone from his mind in exchange for the army ready to march.

Inexorably, the mass of men, horse, and weaponry began to move. General Alexston's slower moving force, with its catapults and battering rams, would head directly for Valys, while the smaller fleeter contingent with Drysllthen broke off to the south, riding hard.

The message came to Raegnold: The armies move.

Sapphine had a rough morning. It was not because of the move, but it was because she had to get up extra early. Food was left out on ledges- a few apples here and there, nothing extreme. She had to do it when no one could scold her, and most definitely where her brother could not see.

Once that task was accomplished she'd head to her room. It was difficult to pack- what to take, what to leave behind? She didn't need to do more than the choosing, only glad that her mother was not there to supervise what she did and did not wish to take. At least she would finally be rid of the ugly dress that was a gift from the North. Let it stay!

Stealing away from the whole mess of readying for departure, she hurried down the path as far as she could go, watching as her brother disappeared. She couldn't help but feel a twist in her stomach. How long would he be away? She remembered what she told him, and instead of crying, she sucked in the heavy air as if it gave her life and promptly spun around. She was, however, a slight bit concerned. How was a warrior supposed to protect her clan without a weapon? This thought plagued her all the way back into the castle walls. She'd keep her eyes out for potential weapons. A candle holder? Well, that might prove worthy, and so to her breast it was taken. Further still she came upon a broom. Who would need a broom here now? Taken, and promptly dislocated from its straw-edged clump. She needed something more, something...dangerous. Pacing the halls, her brain wracked itself. There would be no weapons left behind in Dryll's room, nor could she sneak any of the decorative swords from their plates. Just as she was running out of options, and idea hit her!

Running down the corridor, she must have looked rather strange wielding a candlestick holder and a long stick, only to enter into the kitchen. From the edge of the cupboard she plucked a pair of butchering knives, the glint of the metal matching that of her eyes. These were not simply carried, but rather tucked beneath the folds of her skirts, held precariously in place by cords she wrapped about her thighs. She'd adjust them when she got to her room for it would be an awkward moment to walk into the kitchen to see a young girl sliding knives up her skirts!

Impressing herself didn't seem to be that difficult, but she did do it now. Once to her room where she had a moment of privacy, she managed to create a girdle of sorts that was at least a little more comfortable than not. Either way, she'd put up with it if it meant having something to protect her family beyond just guards. Now, she was officially ready to depart.

A buckle clink was barely audible over the consistent rumbling of wheels and hooves over the earth. The camp no longer existed. Instead, the masses of Sarmagh's forces had risen to the call, and had settled into formation. A personal rule of General Alexston's - always march in formation, never as one clumsy mass. The scouts were out. The catapults were moving. The giant battering ram was pulled on a colossal cart by two dozen draft horses.

He turned his head and watched the hands that were presently buckling the straps of his pauldrons around his upper arm. One of those wordless rituals; she buckled, laced and tied, and he moved to accommodate it. Almost done. The pauldrons were atop the black fur cowl of his cloak.

She affixed the front of said fur to the circular disc just underneath his breastplate, and paused.

No one really knew what was said in those moments between William Alexston and Merripen Van Gatt. Or whether anything was said at all. All that was apparent, was that he would be fitted into his armour, given his antlered Great Helm and within five minutes, he'd be mounted on the black beast with the bent face, decked in black, green and gold, and quite ready to begin the next march.

It would be slow. A ground-eating trot was the best they could manage, but the heavy machinery and additional energy of his footsoldiers would compensate for lost time.

Sarmagh was on the move.

Maeryn sat on the ledge of her open window in the early hours of the dawn, letting her legs dangle out into the brisk morning breeze. From her perch she could see the men packing up their camps. Could watch the warhorses being saddled. Jades tried to pick out those most important to her, but the men all looked like ants, scurrying about in the distance. A heaviness grew in her heart and that small snake of fear twined 'round her spine more tightly than it had previous.

She envied the women who got to attend. Those healing hands that could count and tally, those who would be the first to know who lived and who died during the seige, while the others, like Maeryn, would have to wait out the weeks in distress. There would be no comfort at the end of each day for them. Only long days and nights of worry.

When at last, she saw the dark mass fading off over the horizon, she pulled herself in from the ledge and studied her quarters. It was time to pack. The process took her hours. Dresses were folded by precise specifications and packed in even numbers. Trinkets were placed in small, individual boxes. Everything had a place, and Mae took pains to be assured they got there.

When the last of her things were packed, she pulled them all into a neat stack in the hall and returned to the barren room with a bristly brush and scalding hot, soapy water. Everything was scrubbed down, from beneath her bed, to the dirty trap of the fireplace. No inch of the room was spared.

Still she was not satisfied. Her nerves had her scrubbing down the room, hands cracked and bleeding, covered in blisters. She worked until a servant wandered in to announce that the rest of the party were waiting on her. Hastily she wiped away the tears she hadn't known she shed and rose to her feet. Gloves were slipped onto her fingers without the cover of bandages and she hurried out the doors to find her place in the carriage with her mother and the rest.

Nalani wasted no time in packing, though she didn't realize just how much there was to pack. A lifetime of dresses, books, and other things. There wasn't room for it all, she wasn't going in her own carriage after all, no she would be accompanying Queen Mother Garnett and Princess Maeryn. She certainly didn't want to be a burden. Feeling honored, well that word didn't do justice. It was more then that. There was no word in the Nharatian language that could describe how she felt. She sighed as she flopped onto the bed, "Father." She called out, having seen the poor frantic man pacing by her door a few times. She knew he was there, "I will not be able to take it all. Perhaps I can send for the rest later?" He would enter her room nodding his head. He looked ragged and tired, the poor man hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She'd heard him pacing before she'd gone to sleep. Though she hadn't gotten that much sleep either, far to excite to sleep. "Yes, of course kitten, whatever you can not take you can send for later." He would join her on her bed, pushing a stray strand from her face. They would spend no more time together playing chess, discussing books, complaining about what wasn't made right. He felt he was losing his daughter, even though he was happy for her, he could not hide his sadness. The look he gave was heart wrenching. He wanted so much for her but he was still having a hard time of letting go. She leaned into him as she rested her head on his chest, as she had so many times when she was younger. "Thank you father, for letting me go. I know it is hard but in the end I shall be better for it. I promise." She looked up to him and smiled that eye reaching smile she always gave. He hugged her tightly but let her go soon after, had he not he would have changed his mind and kept her with him. "Just pack the essentials and the rest I will send." His voice was heavy with emotion, the emotionless man was having a terrible time fighting his emotions. He gave a heavy sigh as he would stand and move back to the door and leave. He couldn't bare watching her pack anymore. She would nod and reorganize the two suitcases she was taking.




The day had dawned with father, mother, and daughter spending the whole night talking and reminiscing. Time moved rather quickly, far to quickly for parents and child. Nalani was starting to feel just as sad as her parents, yes she was still excited to go and start a new life but leaving her parents and everything she knew, well it was hitting her now. She heard the sound of the carriage and the whine of the horses before there was a knock on the door. She sighed deeply as she and her parents moved to the door, servants gathered her things and handing them off to one of the carriage men. Stepping out she was in awe to see the mighty carriage, dawned in Valenti colors and the large horses. She was still in awe and disbelief really, to be noticed by a member of the royal family, the Queen Mother no less. She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around everything. She was a nobody who was noticed by one of the most important persons in the world, it was simply unbelievable. Garnett was kind enough to give the young woman a moment to say goodbye to her parents and she took the opportunity readily. She hugged and kissed them and before long, tears were shed. Sad and happy tears came from each family member. The joyous and sad occasion was interrupted by a loud male cough. It was time to go, she'd spent enough time saying goodbye. She would tell her parents that she would write often, turning she was helped into the carriage. Everything was surreal, she was excited, scared, happy, and sad. She would take a seat near the window, her face pressed to the opening as she watched her parents disappear into the background. Another tear rolled down her cheek, this was it she was beginning her new life. She would watch the scenery go by, not wanting to miss anything. This was her first time out of town, really her first time anywhere. Next stop Valys.