Dragonstone II (350 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.75 on 7 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Anthony Locascio (View user info) at 2007-03-05 19:39:47 EST
I currently have only 3 things I'm posting on uber: Dragonstone, Soulless (yes, I'll get back to it I promise), and WUBR.
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"Commander, do you remember the night you and my father left to fight the first battle of the goblin wars?"
Brage's eyes narrowed, unsure of what seemed like an irrelevant question. "I haven't taken so many blows to the head that I don't remember the most pitched battle we've ever fought. That was the first battle I fought with Shieldbreaker." He gestured to the giant flamberge sheathed in his saddle pack. "Your father cleaved nearly as many goblins as I that day, if I remember correctly."
The prince nodded. "You were there when he said goodbye to me, remember?" Brage nodded in reply. "You were outnumbered, what, ten to one?"
"Fifteen," the commander corrected, lifting his chin proudly.
"And you were unsure that you were coming back? You were not certain of victory, were you? That night would have been the last that we laid eyes upon you in this life."
"Any commander knows that before he goes out onto the field," Brage said. Edges of defensiveness had crept into his voice. The prince raised a hand to calm him.
"Yes, a risk that you took to defend us. I was there the night that you and my father said goodbye to us in the great hall. You remember?"
Brage nodded curtly. It was obvious that the prince's vivid recollection was returning him to memories in places where he did not want to go.
"I do, too. I remember that my father hugged and kissed my mother and told her that his spirit would wait near her through the years, to be with her so that they could cross over together. I remember him hugging me so tight my ribs creaked, and saying that it was my responsibility to defend and protect the kingdom when he was gone."
Brage waved his hand dismissively. "That was five years ago, my prince. You can't expect me to take such a declaration into the present day. And even if I were to, it would still not supercede the directive the king has given me, his final order."
"That is not my point, commander," the prince said quietly. "The point is, he was risking death, and he took the time to tell his family that he loved them before he went. Now I will ask you this: were you there when my father was dying?"
Brage bridled instantly. "I was committed to a training exercise! Your father understood that I could not always be spared to simply sit with him while he ate! I had two of my finest swordsmen with him at all times! There was nothing they could do, and likely nothing..."
"Again, not my point, commander," the prince said evenly. The soldiers on either side of them shifted their mounts nervously. Brage was getting angry, and it had never boded well for anyone to make him so. "My point is that I was there. My father knew he was dying, even as I held him. Only this time, he didn't tell me that he loved me, or my mother. He didn't call for her and he didn't have any sweet words of reassurance. He just gasped out as best he could, 'Dark times upon us, take the dragonstone, find our friend within the mountain.'. That was all."
The prince reached within his shirt and removed the dragonstone from where it had been nestled against his chest. The heavy stone was shrouded in a mithril setting and chain - a sword would dull itself to nothing before it could cut the shimmering silver metal. The setting had the effect the original jeweler had intended - the huge ruby threw out a spiral of red light when viewed dead on, looking for all the world like a large, baleful red eye.
"Whatever those words mean, they were the king's last, true order. It was an order so important that he did not have time to say goodbye. I've been trying since his death to understand that rather than just feel hurt. I....I miss him."
Brage breathed out quietly. "We all miss him, my prince."
"I believe you, Brage. I believe it fully, that's why I must do this. Whatever he meant by his last words, they were too important to ignore. They were his last, true orders. As his son, it is my obligation to carry them out. As his subject..." The prince hesitated, then decided there was no point in dancing around the issue any longer. "MY subject, I expect you to carry them out in the best way possible. In this case, that would be to pitch a base camp and await my return while I try to find a way into the mountain."
Brage waved a hand in the air irritably "Wait wait wait, your father said 'a friend within the mountain.' How do we know this mountain? The Broken Mountain, of all others? What about Ushir Peak, or Coldstone, or...."
The prince laughed. "You know the truth of it, the edicts concerning this particular mountain. No mining, no roadways can be built around it. This particular mountain held a significance for my father. He wielded his royal seal rarely enough, but when he did, it was almost always in reference to this mountain. I'm certain this is what he meant, the highest peak in the western kingdoms."
"It would have to be," Brage said sarcastically, pressing his palm against his eye. He could feel a raging headache beginning somewhere in the back of his head. "T'would be too easy for it to be Ushir Peak, a thirty-minute hike to the summit, oh no, we must send the boy up the Broken Mountain." He looked up from his personal conversation to the expectant eyes of the prince and his two horsemen. "Let's say that I believe you. Let's say that I must allow you to climb the mountain. Your father was a better mountaineer than I ever was. To this day, I still don't know how he managed the climb. How do you intend to reach the summit, if indeed you do go ahead with this madness?"
The prince chuckled. "My father was indeed a good climber, but not as good as you might think. He had a small advantage that he told me about in confidence one evening when he'd had a bit more wine than normal." The prince reached across his body and drew his short sword. Leaning over in the saddle, he took a swipe at one of the rocks jutting from the body of the mountain. There was a flash of sparks that sprayed dramatically. The horsemen struggled to control their mounts as they reared and backed away. When the fracas died down somewhat they saw that the face of the rock had been sheared away as cleanly as a sharp knife through a roast. The prince held the weapon up, a short sword with a plain, gold hilt, grinning.
"This is Stonebane, a little secret my father kept close about his person. More of a tool than a weapon, I guess. If there are no handholds to be had, Stonebane can make one easily enough."
"I knew it!" Brage laughed out loud, his oft-unused grin splitting his dark face wide. "'An impossible climb,' I used to tell him. 'It's all about technique,' he would say. 'You need to practice," All the while carving his way up the mountain! I wish he was here, right now, so I...I could...."
His laughter died out, as did the prince's smile. "Yes, I know, Commander. I wish he was here, too. However, he is not. Time is really short, from the way he made it sound. I don't know what he meant, or what dark times he means are on their way, but he didn't make it seem like there was time to spare. I believe it with every bit of my being. If there is a 'friend within the mountain' as he said, I have to find him, or her. All of Kharyd could be in danger."
Brage paused, his dark eyes squarely on the prince, who was trying to hold Stonebane as nonchalantly as possible. He had worked in the excuse to draw the weapon relatively smoothly, and though he tried to act natural, his small finger twitched against the hilt in preparation for flicking it through the gap in one of horsemen's armor. The weapon would be no better at cutting metal than an ordinary sword, but having it in his hand already bettered his chance of success, he figured.
Finally, Brage dipped his head. "He would kill me, he would absolutely kill me," he muttered. There was a longer silence then, and the horsemen shifted uncomfortably as they waited out the long seconds. Then, finally, "What can we do to help in your absence?"
The price held the sigh of relief and released it slowly. He did not move to sheathe his weapon yet, fearing it would give him away. "Thank you, Commander Brage. You can pitch a camp here and wait. I will return by...sunset of tomorrow. If I do not return by then..." He paused momentarily as he realized that it was a real possibility, then cleared his throat and continued. "If I do not return by then, I hereby designate you as Lord High Steward of Kharyd until I do return. My mother will not doubt your word. She is Queen, but I fear her broken heart will prevent any meaningful governance."
"If you don't return, prince, I doubt I will see the following sunrise. Your father's spirit
will most definitely return for my head," He lowered his stare to the two horsemen. "Tie up the horses. They need to rest. And pitch camp. And bring wood for a fire."
One of the guardsmen glanced off in the distance. "It's a quarter mile to the tree line, sir," he offered timidly.
"Then I guess the two of you had best get walking before the sun sets. If it's dark before you get back, I may mistake the two of you for goblins and set Shieldbreaker loose on your skulls."
The two guardsmen, knowing that the huge commander was anything but a jester, immediately dismounted and set to removing their armor for the long walk. Brage turned his gaze back to the prince. "We'll be here until you return, prince. Otherwise I will break this whole mountain down to come get you."
The prince looked back and could only nod his thanks. He shrugged his equipment - ropes, spikes, and Stonebane - tighter around him and began to pick his way up the rocky slope.
"Domenic!" Brage shouted. The prince turned again, surprised at hearing his name. It was not something he heard often. The two looked back at each other for a long moment. "Be careful," he said. At the distance, tens of yards, he couldn't have said it too softly, but to the prince's ears, it sounded that way. He nodded and turned to continue when Brage shouted at him yet again.
"One more thing! At that angle, you'd never pierce the mail under a guardsman's breastplate. If you must kill quickly, aim for the gap at the neck, or the groin where the padding is thinnest."
Domenic looked back incredulously. His hand went guiltily to the sword at his hip. Somehow, the commander had read his intent anyway and had been ready for him. He shook his head and continued his climb, Brage's laughter echoing behind him. As he dug his heavy boots into the scree, he hoped he would be back to hear it again.
User Reviews
Submitted by Benny (user info) at 2007-05-28 21:00:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2007-03-07 10:23:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2007-03-06 08:25:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Shitty alters below.
Submitted by rorrim (user info) at 2007-03-06 05:48:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-03-05 19:50:37 (#)
Ranking: 1
+1 addition for mentioning WUBR. (you believe that guy? {used this sample 25 times, yesterday...Stuck in the brain...)
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-03-05 22:33:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-03-05 19:50:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
.5 deduction for even mentioning WUBR.
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-03-05 19:49:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
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