Darker Days RPG

[Crystal Heart]

Mayonette heard her name being screamed, but she dare not turn around. What could she do! She was standing above a dangerous man that had started a fire around them and it was only her and Elfride to stop him from escaping. Her heart beat wildly in her chest at the thought that someone was hurt.


She swallowed her fear and looked down at the man, whose eyes seemed to gleam with the knowledge that someone was fearing for her safety. She pressed her sword a little harder into his neck.

"Don't you dare make any sudden moves or you'll regret it for the few seconds that will remain of your life," Mayonette hissed. She hoped that he would believe her threat. She was a woman of Rohan and could kill someone if she needed to, but deep down she didn't want to.

[Witch_Queen]

Thomas looked deeper into the flames. Mayonette was still alive and it looked as if she had her sword drawn. Something inside him told him to tend to Mayonette that she was in trouble. Thomas rushed over to where his love was. He noticed Mayonette had some strange man held at sword-point. He cared not who the man was at the moment, right now he knew he had to aid her in any way possible.

"Mayonette, I was worried that the flames might have got you. But I see you are still just as strong as you was when I left." Thomas had his sword out and was cautious around the man laying on the ground. Thomas had heard Mayonette threatening the man but didn't know what the threats were about.

Mayonette had yet to look up from the ruffian and Thomas had his guesses. "Mayonette who is this man?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to even think.

"Thomas this is the man that started the fire. He's working for my uncle and he knows where Sandrina is." Thomas took a closer looked at the man. Something about the look of the ruffian reminded Thomas of a man he worked for in Gondor.

Thomas gasped for air and knew his gasp was heard by Mayonette. If he recognizes me then Mayonette will never trust me. She will never be able to look at me again. How would he tell Mayonette that he had worked for this ruffian back in Gondor. How would he let her know that the work he did just to survive was not the most honest of work........ The secrets of his past was about to creep up and get him at the worst time possible. "Mayonette I know this man..."

The fire was almost exstinguished, but still Thomas knew the heat was about to rise if Zach told Mayonette about his past with Thomas.

[Dimturiel]

The fire had been extingiushed almost completely. Edhener looked around him, in search for his companions. Yet, so far he could not find them. The only men that he could see were strangers, probably villagers come to put out the fire. But the air was still thick with smoke, and he could not see far. Edhener dismounted. He felt exhausted, as if many sleepless nights had passed since the fire had been set.

As the air became clearer, and his fear gradually diminished to become only a memory at the edge of nightmarers, Edhener's mind began to fill with questions. Where was Hama? If the villagers had indeed been called by them and not by thier enemies-which seemed highly unlikely-then should not the general be with them? And what happened to the rest of his companions? Had they all come out unharmed from the destructive red tongues?

Suddenly he saw Leoflic galloping towards him. At least one of his companions seemed to have come out alive. He waved to him.

"Leoflic, what happened?" he asked "And where are the others? Are they all alright?"

[Crystal Heart]

Mayonette heard Thomas gasp beside her. She watched him out the corner of his eye and could see that he was uneasy about this man. She finally turned her gaze over at Thomas quickly. She felt the man move underneath her sword and she pressed it harder against his neck.

"Don't you dare move. I will not be ashamed to kill you," she hissed. The man chuckled as he looked over at Thomas. A queer smile crept upon his lips.

"Ah Thomas, how have you been? What? No special hello?" The man asked him. Mayonette's eyes widened. She looked over at Thomas quizzically. She pressed her foot down upon his hip, pushing the embedded arrow uncomfortably against him.

"How do you know Thomas?" Mayonette inquired. Pain etched into his face. She eased up on him a little. She only wanted answers, not his death. She watched as he looked up at Thomas.

"Haven't told your fair Mayonette of what you did in Gondor? I thought you hated being dishonest. Thomas worked for me. He killed many innocent men for Samuel," he replied, sneering up at Thomas. Mayonette's heart stopped. She looked over at Elfride.

"You lie. Why would I believe a liar like you?" She spat back at the man. Her heart pounded wildly at the accusation. The sword quivered slightly in her hand and now, more than ever, she was far more than willing to kill another human being.

[Glirdan]

The fire was almost doused now. Léoflic galloped towards Edhener. "Leoflic, what happened?" he asked "And where are the others? Are they all alright?"

"Don't worry, my friend. Everybody is fine. Elfride and Mayonnette are over there questioning the man whom Cordelia shot in the back and I do believe Thomas has joined him. Cordelia and Garnae are over there, on the ground. But I cannot see the General. It is him whom we need to speak to about this mess. What was Cordelia thinking!?" he looked slightly annoyed as he said this. But really he was filled with admiration for the girl. "Not many women could shoot an arrow like that. And the same goes for Mayonnette," he thought to himself.

He turned back to Edhener. "Have you seen the General. I can't see a dog gone thing with all this smoke billowing about."

[Mithalwen]

He is definitely feeling better , thought Elfride drily, that means he will be dangerous as soon as I get this out. She may have not have been tutored in interrogation techniques but she knew that as long as the arrow remained in situ Samuel's henchman was at her mercy. She didn't like the way the conversation was going and she needed calm assistants.

Overcoming her scruples as a healer she was less gentle than she might be in probing the wound site. The pain silenced the injured man momentarily. She had decided that given the arrow's trajectory and the fact she suspected it might be of a hunting type, designed to leave the head in the wound, she had decided the best course of action would be to push the dart straight through the skin rather than try to pull it out. It would be painful but better than leaving the arrowhead behind. The wound would drain better too she thought and be less likely to get infected.

She would need two strong assistants to hold him and at the moment she would prefer them not to be Thomas and Mayonette. She looked around. The fire seemed to have been put out but a thick haze of smoke remained. She saw Cordelia and Garnae together...no not them... .not the villagers who were busy checking all sparks were extinguished or talking with Hama who seemed to have drawn the village leaders to the river side of the fire - no doubt to delay expalnation of the wounded man. Then she saw Edhener and Leoflic. Perfect..
She called them over and suggested to Mayonette and Thomas that maybe the General would need their help in explaining the situation to the village elders since they knew most about it and that it would be better if those less involved helped her with the extraction of the arrow. Before she did so she made sure the man was bound hand and foot and that her assistants were ready.

"This is going to hurt a lot" she warned as she grasped the arrow firmly and with as much force as she could combine with precision she pushed the arrow through his flesh so it pierced the skin a few inches away from the entry wound. It wqas then an easy matter to remove the arrowhead and withdraw the shaft leaving a relatively clean wound. "All done - I think you'll live", she commented but the man showed little sign of gratitude to herself and her assistants who continued to stand guard as she dressed the wound. She smiled her thanks at them and then glanced across to where the others were and wondered how Hama had explained the situation to them. Hopefully they were not in Samuel's pay and the wounded man could be left in their care and custody until Sandrina was recovered - and then if necessary they could answer for their actions before the King at Edoras in the meantime, though he were off duty, Hama's status and would surely be surety enough to leave them free to proceed. Samuel clearly had locals in his pay but the Reeve of Underharrow would surely be true to the king. The village was too close to Edoras for such corruption.

[The Sixth Wizard]

"Crean!" yelled Garnae as Cordelia led the stallion towards him. "I thought I'd lost you! You're safe! That was amazing Cordelia!" Cordelia nodded but started to sob and cough in the ash, as she whispered, "What have I done?!" She fell on to the ground, staring at it.

Garnae smiled grimly. "You did what you did, it was nevertheless brave." He lifted her chin. "Don't feel bad, we all make mistakes. You just need to weather them with those that love you. Come, our friends need our attention." He hugged her swiftly, then leapt to the back of Crean.

Mayonette and Thomas were crouching over the man who had been shot. He looked not badly hurt and was talking to them. But Garnae couldn't believe what he was hearing. A murderer? Thomas? If he really did, we can't afford to keep him. Will this mean the end of our company? Can Mayonette go on if we have to get rid of him? These were dark thoughts.

As were Cordelia's omens. Just what would happen to her, even if Zach survived? He hugged the girl and stared at the smoulders. What a mess. She didn't know what she was doing. I have a bad feeling we'll be running from this on our horses. Fast.