Cambrian
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The Soul Engine Ch. 37 (Original Fantasy)
🕑 Added 2023-10-17 22:00:22 +0000 UTCA/N: The Citadel, at long last!
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It’s quite clear when they finally DO reach the Order of the Rose’s base of operations. Because… the Citadel, as Thayla had called it, has to be the most amazing thing that Mikael has seen since arriving in this world. Hell, based solely on his fractured memories, it might be the most amazing thing that he’s ever seen, at least with his own two eyes.
While it’s perhaps not as tall as the trees of the Sylian Woods or a skyscraper back on Earth, it still towers over its surroundings, with its tallest peaks reaching high into the sky all the same. But more than that, the structure is positively massive, easily half as large as the City of Alether just by itself. It’s also grandiose in a strangely austere way.
Where Thayla and all of her fellow Knights of the Rose seem to wear golden armor of increasing ornateness depending on their rank within their Order, the Citadel is not nearly as opulent, extravagant… or even intricate. Instead, the whole structure is marble white and smooth as can be. Even enhancing his eyes, Mikael can’t see any seams or cracks in the entire structure as they approach. The only openings are windows and what are clearly meant to be arrow slits.
It reminds him of cathedrals from Earth, but without the stained glass or over the top displays of religious reverence. But then, that makes sense Mikael supposes. The Order of the Rose doesn’t follow a god as far as he’s aware. They only followed their oaths and their honor. Still… still, it’s an incredible sight and Mikael won’t lie, his breath is taken away just staring at it.
The closer they get, the more its majesty becomes apparent too. It’s one thing to see it from afar, but to find himself in the shadow of it is another thing entirely. It very much blocks out the sun once they get close enough, leaving them to travel another ten minutes in the shade just to reach the outer gate.
However… that’s where the trouble begins. There are of course armored men manning the walls of the Citadel. That doesn’t surprise Mikael. However, the looks those men give their small group set him on edge. Judgment. Derision. Anger. Something is definitely wrong.
Unfortunately, with them literally sitting outside of the front gate, it’s not like Mikael can tell Thayla to stop and let them regroup for a moment. Maybe he’s just imagining things, after all. And even if he isn’t… they’d known way back at the beginning that their reception would be somewhat frosty. This whole idea was a gamble from the start and Mikael was well aware of that fact. In the end, they just had to hope that they would be allowed to make their case before any violence began.
Of course, he’s not the only one in the cart who feels the… unpleasant amount of attention being directed at them. Thayla is sitting straighter than ever before, shoulders squared and head held high as she guides the horses and cart through the gate and down a short corridor into the Citadel’s front courtyard. Meanwhile, Bula bristles at first but then grins once they’re out of sight of the knights on the walls. Reaching down into the cart for her battle axe, she would have picked it up if Mikael hadn’t stopped her with a hand.
She gives him a curious frown and Mikael responds with a shake of his head and a quiet voice.
“We let Thayla try and handle this. We do not start anything. We only end it. Alright?”
He’s pretty sure the only reason Bula agrees is because of the ‘end it’ sentence. Still, the half-orc huffs but nods, leaning back in the cart and leaving her battle-axe where it lays. He doesn’t want to give the Order of the Rose any reason or excuse to attack any of them. Even if Bula could probably heal from a lot of what these knights could throw at her, she wasn’t invincible or immortal. Meanwhile, he… well, he didn’t want to have to slaughter an entire Citadel worth of men who could be thrown at Foss Sangrey and his undead army if he didn’t absolutely have to.
They’d come here looking for allies against a far greater foe. Not to start a fight.
Of course, it’s pretty abundantly clear that the Knights of the Rose didn’t get that memo, because as soon as their cart leaves the short passage and passes into the front courtyard, they find themselves stopped. In their path stands a tall, towering knight in golden armor just as intricate if not more so than Thayla’s. Surrounding them in a half-circle, meanwhile, are dozens more knights, all of them wearing their helmets with their weapons at the ready.
As the gate closes shut behind their cart, Bula gives Mikael a look and Mikael just smiles back at her. Like he’d said… they’d let Thayla try and handle this.
“Thayla! Welcome home! I wish it was under better circumstances!”
It’s the man at the front, blocking their path, that speaks up. He’s also the only knight not wearing a helmet right now. Instead, he has it tucked under his arm with his sword still in its sheath at his waist as he smiles a broad smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes at the group of them. Meanwhile, Thayla has stiffened at the overly familiar form of address. She bristles as she tosses the reins she was holding away and rises in her seat, towering over the assembled welcoming committee.
“Chevalier Ironshield. What is the meaning of this?”
A few things are immediately obvious to Mikael. Number One, this Ironshield guy knows Thayla and Thayla knows him. Number Two, he’s overly familiar with Thayla in a way that Thayla clearly doesn’t appreciate. And Number Three… Mikael has to remind himself to follow his own instructions. Because just like Bula couldn’t be seen brandishing her battle axe even if they were currently surrounded by knights brandishing their own weapons, Mikael couldn’t allow himself to be goaded into interrupting Thayla while she was doing her thing, no matter how much he might have wanted to come to her defense and call this guy out for being an irritating bastard.
The fact was, he didn’t know enough about this situation to step in without making an ass of himself. And more than that, Thayla wasn’t some mewling maiden in need of a white knight. She was a knight herself, and a damn capable one at that.
Chevalier Ironshield’s eyes flash, his smile not wavering for a moment. Not that that means much when his smile is so clearly fixed upon his face, a faux grin designed to hide his true feelings.
“Oh? Whatever do you mean by something like that? Honestly, addressing me so formally. This is merely a… ‘welcome home’ that’s long overdue. Though I suppose if there WERE any additional meaning then that, it might have something to do with the piss poor company you’re keeping, Thayla.”
Mikael, Avina, and Bula all stiffen at that as the Chevalier’s eyes shift over them all, his smile remaining but his gaze… his gaze filled with condemnation. Shit, he definitely knows something. Or thinks he knows something, anyways. But what? Mikael is starting to reconsider his ‘non-interference’ plan, but at the same time, he’s not quite ready to overrule Thayla just yet. So, when Bula gives him an expectant look, he once again shakes his head ever so slightly, making her scoff.
Thayla, meanwhile, hops down from the cart, a scowl on her face that then softens when she gets a little closer to Chevalier Ironshield. Mikael can tell because through his enhanced hearing, he can make out her words alongside the softening of her tone.
“Sir Nathaniel… please. We need to see the Knight-Superior at once. You and I… can catch up later.”
For the first time, the man’s hardened eyes soften slightly and his smile even becomes a little genuine. But then he shakes his head.
“The Knight-Superior… no. I’m sorry Thayla, but your father is far too busy to deal with things like this.”
Wait, hold on. Her father? No seriously… her father?! The guilty look Thayla throws back over her shoulder at him is enough to confirm the bombshell that this man, Chevalier Nathaniel Ironshield, just unknowingly dropped on Mikael’s head. The Knight-Superior was the head of the Knightly Order, according to Thayla. Meaning that Thayla was the daughter of the Grand Master of the Order of the Rose. A Knightly Order who she herself had described as being second only to the Emperor of this entire country.
So basically… Thayla was also a Princess. A Knightly one if you wanted to be clear about it, but practically royalty all the same. Jesus fucking Christ. Was every one of his lovers going to turn out to be some variety of special and unique? Mikael is the one to shoot a glance at Bula this time, one that the half-orc returns with a bewildered look on her face. At least SHE clearly hadn’t known who Thayla’s father was. Though it did have Mikael wondering who Bula’s father was now.
With his luck, Bula’s father would be Orc Royalty as well, with Bula as the Orc Princess destined to unite the Orc Tribes and conquer Zuveria once and for all. God he fucking hoped not…
But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things. They were currently in the midst of a very intense stand-off, after all. Thayla’s secrets aside, Mikael tries to focus on the present… and Thayla is clearly attempting to do the same. Having turned back to the Chevalier, the female knight shakes her head.
“You don’t understand. This is too important to so readily dismiss. Knight-Superior Dawnguard WILL want to hear of this… I assure you.”
Finally, in the face of Thayla’s obstinance… Nathaniel’s veneer of civility drops alongside his smile. Letting out a low sigh, he shakes his head right back.
“Why would he? He already knows.”
Huh? Mikael blinks and so does Thayla, the white-haired woman just as taken aback as he is. Then again… a sinking feeling starts up in Mikael’s stomach as Nathaniel steps past Thayla’s frozen form and begins pointing at them, one after the other starting with Bula, then Avina, and then finally him.
“Lord Killer. Necromancer Princess. Undead Abomination. Do any of you deny it? Do you deny your true nature, hm?”
Okay, that was… a lot to unpack. Especially since the Chevalier was so confident but also so wrong. Still, they’ve been directly addressed so there’s not much to be done at this point but respond. Mikael stands up in the cart, immediately tensing when all of the knights with their swords shift on their feet, looking ready to charge him at the first sign of trouble.
He keeps his hands well away from his own sword in turn. Sure, he knew he could have taken all of them and more. But could he have done so while keeping Avina alive? Maybe. But then what afterwards? Where would they go next to find an army willing to help them defeat Foss Sangrey? No… diplomacy was still the answer here.
“… I would ask where you heard such claims, Chevalier Ironshield.”
The Chevalier looks surprised that he’s the one talking. The man’s gaze flicks to both Bula and Avina, the former baring her tusks and teeth at him in a snarl and the latter averting her gaze, fixing it on some point in the distance. Finally, Nathaniel looks back at him and huffs.
“Surprisingly polite for an undead abomination. As for where the information came from… the newly proclaimed Supreme King of Ocreatha sent a letter ahead of you all. As Regent-Lord, Foss Sangrey has long been an ally to our Order. He has allowed the Knights of the Rose to freely roam the lands of Ocreatha and kept open lines of communication between himself and our Order.”
Looking to Avina, the Chevalier smiles a grim smile.
“It is thanks to him that we know exactly who you are, Princess Reyalis. As well, it is thanks to him that we know you resurrected this man as your undead servant.”
Mikael bristles at being so readily dismissed as ‘this man’ and ‘undead servant’. Man, he really wanted to wipe that smile off of Nathaniel Ironshield’s face. He could understand why Thayla seemed to dislike this guy so much. They’d barely interacted and he already found him to be downright insufferable. Unfortunately, Nathaniel isn’t done. Next, he gestures to Bula.
“Just as we know this one as the half-orc Bula… murderer of the late Zadicus Quinn, former Lord of Alether.”
That was… entirely wrong. Not only was Mikael very much not undead, but Bula also wasn’t even Zadicus’ killer. HE had killed Zadicus Quinn. And for damn good reason too. More than that, he’d do it again if he got the chance. Before he can say as much, however, Nathaniel waves a hand through the air.
“Naturally, due to our close ties with the former Regent-Lord, allowances will be made. He has asked that all three of you be remanded back into Ocreatha’s custody to answer for your respective crimes… and the Order of the Rose has agreed to do so. That said, he has only requested that the Princess and the Princess alone be handed over alive. So, you all have a choice to make. Whether you will hand over your weapons and come quietly… or make this difficult.”
Well. This certainly changed things. Especially if all of these knights were under explicit orders to leave Avina alive as well. That meant Mikael didn’t have to worry about her safety quite so much. On the other hand, the ugly looks on some of the knights’ faces made him wonder if they were all so willing to follow that order. They looked eager for a fight to break out. But then, they did think he was an undead abomination and Bula an orcish murderess. Ugh. What a mess. This was-
CLANG!
“Ow!”
Mikael blinks, torn from his thought process as something strikes Chevalier Nathaniel Ironshield square in the back, making him stumble forward half a step before the man whirls around. There, on the ground before him, is a gauntlet. A gauntlet thrown by one Dame Thayla Dawnguard. Sometime in the ensuing reveal, Thayla had removed her gauntlet and literally tossed it at the other knight.
“Specious lies. Preposterous insults.”
Looking at Thayla questioning, Nathaniel furrows his brow.
“Thayla… what are you doing?”
With her head held high and her icy blue eyes glinting, Thayla scowls angrily as she draws her sword and points it directly at the Chevalier’s face.
“Chevalier Ironshield. For spouting such obvious falsehoods regarding my allies, I challenge you to a duel of honor! When I beat you soundly, I and my allies WILL go to see my father… with or without your approval.”
Mikael blinks as all around them, the air goes still for a moment. Then, much to his surprise, the knights surrounding them all take a few steps back, looking at one another in consternation. Holy shit… she’d literally just thrown down the gauntlet, hadn’t she? Nathaniel looks mulish for a moment… and then crouches down to pick up Thayla’s thrown gauntlet. He eyes it for a moment before nodding and tossing it back to her.
“I accept your challenge, Dame Dawnguard.”
As Thayla begins strapping the gauntlet back onto her arm, Mikael, Bula, and Avina can only watch as an impromptu dueling circle quickly forms. Nathaniel Ironshield draws his own sword with a flourish as he and Thayla face off, a chuckle leaving his lips as he shakes his head in clear amusement.
“Honestly though… have you truly forgotten the way things were between us in this short time since you were last home, Thayla? We grew up together… and not once, not a single time have you ever won a spar against me.”
Thayla frowns at that, but simply finishes tightening the straps on her gauntlet and takes up her position. Nathaniel flashes her a cheeky grin as he enters his own stance.
“Still, if you wish to complete your disgraceful return home with another ignoble defeat… so be it.”
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A/N: Well that escalated quickly. Tomorrow's chapter... is told from Thayla's POV btw! So look forward to that :D
Leave a Like if you enjoyed and be sure to let me know what you think!
Comments
RanmaChaos
Thanks for the chapter!
Cambrian
Mikael: "Oh cmon, that shouldn't even matter, I'm on a whole ass other world!"
Phraxius
Actually, Mikael, YOU are the direct descendant of, uh, King Arthur.
Cambrian
You're not wrong~
Cambrian
I'm sure Bula's dad isn't orc royalty, pfft. There's no such thing as orc royalty! Right? :P
Colin Love
Not gonna lie the thought crossed my mind last chapter - "With his luck, Bula’s father would be Orc Royalty as well, with Bula as the Orc Princess destined to unite the Orc Tribes and conquer Zuveria once and for all. God he fucking hoped not…" lol. Still though hyped to see Thalya in her natural environment.
Kael Hyun
For the shear comedy now that has to happen now. Not only because it would be funny but also because given what they're up against they need all the help they can get.
