The City of Keahns

After taking out a few guards on this section of the wall, Shadowsigh got a part of his tribesmen into one of the outer towers, sending the rest to their predetermined areas to quickly take the walls. Walking down the stairs to the ground floor, he found himself glancing out of one of the arrow slits in the wall to see the city. He hadn't been to it since a boy and was feeling reminiscent.

Getting rid of any guards they found in the tower, he worked as dispassionately as if he had been picking flowers for someone. Finding a spare sword in one of the floors of the tower, he hooked it to his belt, ready to attack at the slightest provocation. The rest of the Wild Elves were to attack as soon as the sun disappeared beneath the western horizon, but if they heard the sounds of battle earlier, they were to run out. Gripping his knife, he thought of the odd girl he had seen in the forest, but dispelled it from his mind, focusing on the task at hand.
 
She walked to her home right up against the south wall. Jaq and her were silent the whole walk there, and once there, Jaq went back to man his post. She walked inside, and closed the door. She glanced to see what her message was, as right there was a messenger. The boy was holding an official letter.

"Miss Madge Wells?" He asked, addressing her formally.
"Present." She spoke. "Come over to the living room." She walked to the living room, and slumped onto the couch. He opened the letter, and began to read.
"To the dear Miss Madge Wells,
I, King William II, am pleased to announce that your father's request to have you wed my son, Prince Francis, has been officially approved. I am very excited to meet you, your father, General Judias Wells, has said many wonderful things about you. He is very proud to have you as a daughter, and my wife and I think from the sounds of everything we have learned that you will make a fine Queen and daughter in law. I pray you send a message back to me with my messenger, Lyle, upon receiving this message. Thank you, Miss Madge, have a wonderful day and I hope to hear from you soon. Signed, King Willian II."

Madge stared at "lyle" in amazement. "Wait--What?"
 
Sae had just replaced the bandages of his last patient for the night, a worried expression on his face. He had no idea what he was going to do about the Wild Elves. It would probably end up with more injured for him. Earlier that day, he had asked around for Aenaer, to learn that he was one of the dead. Surprisingly enough, the death didn't shake him as Arethor's had, and he didn't shed a tear as he nodded numbly. It was odd; perhaps he was becoming desensitized to all the killing? Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he changed his clothes in what must have been the sixth time that day.

As he decided he would do laundry soon, having gone through most of the clean clothes and linens, he started taking a walk, watching the sun set, just as a war call ripped through the quickly approaching night, the call being joined by the voices of a hundred Wild Elves as they burst from the wall's towers, looking like spirits as they rushed for the nearest invaders, the colorful feathers in their hair trailing behind them as they ran.
 
The army was stunned. Very few of them moved, and the few that did ran. Jaq was among some of them, his mind racing. He looked back towards the South border- Madge! He turned and ran down the streets, trying not to run into anyone.
"MADGE! MADGE, HELP!" He screamed as he got closer to her home. But, he was too close to a wall and one of the wild elves got him in his travel to get Madge.

Inside of her home, Madge heard the cries. She looked at the messenger. "Stay here." She sighed, grabbing her shield that was propped against the wall near the door. And she went out. She saw Jaq, right near by, dead, with a wild elf near him and about to attack more of her men- Her father's men, but people who were like brothers to her.

"Get away from them!" She screamed, running forwards, dropping all her weapons and her shield. She jumped up, and while jumping her body shifted in a miraculous way. She landed, ears folded back, the fur of her cat-like but also lion-like body standing on edge. Her claws dug into the ground as she stood protectively over Jaq. Elves had killed her Mother, they had killed her cousin, and now they killed her best friend. This battle was personal now. She sounded a low growl in the back of her throat, and pounced, claws extended, teeth bared.

(http://www.liger.org/images/liger.jpg -Her cat form, only long haired. Yes, she's a liger with long hair. :D)
 
Shadowsigh could barely keep the smile off his face. Though it was part of their contract (they got to own the plains to the east if they came to any town's aid when needed), he still enjoyed the thrill of the fighting. He hardly used his knife or sword. Instead, he would leap at the nearest non-elf and claw and bite at them, his nails sharp from years in the wild. His technique was much like the rest of his tribe, but they were not nearly as animalistic as he was. Pulling away from a screaming soldier, he shouted to the entirety of them, "What sort of fight is this? You are all simply dying!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large cat with striped fur. Streaking towards the animal, who had pounced on one of his tribesmen, he barreled into her, pushing her off the elf. "Do not kill her," he told his tribesmen. Their gods forbade the killing of animals, unless it was for eating and supplying things the tribe needed. Catching her attention, he finally drew his dagger, its white blade glinting in the dwindling light. Looking into her eyes, he recognized them as the ones that had belonged to the girl.

"I had told you that we would be taking back the city," he stated, his stance ready to attack and defend. Looking around, he saw that the soldiers had started to pull themselves together. Even after the surprise attack, they had greater numbers than the Wild Elves, but Shadowsigh was holding onto the belief that his tribe would be successful.
 
Her tail flicked angrily as she growled at the elven leader, getting back on her feet. She went over to Jaq, nuzzling his side and picking him up with her mouth from his army vest. She flung him up, catching him on her back, eyeing the elven warriors. Then she padded off, her ears bent forwards, and tail still swaying in an annoyed way. She walked over to her weapons, picking them up with her mouth, and the flung them through the door. She then pulled herself into her doorway, her tail closing the door with a few swats.

Inside the messenger looked at the liger in fear and awe, she she sat and let Jaq tumble off her fur. Her fur was now blood coated on the back from Jaq. She she started to stand on hind legs, she morphed back.
 
There was a moment of stunned silence, the Wild Elves all watching in amazement and shock as the giant cat stalked back into the house. Shadowsigh was half-tempted to chase after her and get revenge on the elf she had attacked, but he held back. As the silence was broken by a war call, he returned to the battle.

The fight lasted for many hours, but soon it became apparent that the Wild Elves were fighting a losing battle. They hadn't brought enough men...As Shadowsigh gave the call to retreat, he heard shouts from across the city, all meaning the same thing: the attack failed. As they were surrounded, he immediately put on his negotiation face, knowing what must be done if his tribe were to all make it out alive. Being the first one to set down his weapons, his tribe followed suit as they were all gathered in the town's square.

Stepped forwards when called, he said, before anyone could say anything else, "I will give myself up without a fight as long as they are able to leave peacefully." Of course, his words were met with heavy opposition, his tribe wishing to fight to the death. Silencing them with a look, he turned back to their enemies. "You can do whatever it is you want to me, but leave them alone."
 
She always had an extra pair of clothes near any door in any place she lived. So, she quickly got dressed. After finishing a message back to the king, she searched through a small trunk a different messenger had brought by earlier. She grabbed a pair of hand-to-neck collars with cuffs, hearing and noticing what was going on outside.

"Well, we'll have to wait until Madge comes out-" One of them started.
"I'm here." She walked over, and knelt down, putting the collar on his neck and then cuffing his hands to the collar. "I agree to your terms, as long as they are not allowed to come back into the city without out permission."
 
Shadowsigh felt the shame spread across his face as he was collared, not looking at any of his tribe. Feeling his throat closing up, he forced himself to turn and look to them, and said in the Wild Elf language, "Do as they say. Do not come back unless you have permission. When you return to camp, tell Ivorybreeze that I have named her my successor. I...I probably will not be returning." Closing his eyes as he felt the humiliation overtake him, he turned away, listening to the silence behind him, knowing that his tribe would be reluctant to leave him.

However, they were escorted away by the soldiers, and Shadowsigh was glad for that. At least he would be able to suffer his punishment for taking on a battle they couldn't win. Bowing his head, he uses his bare shoulders to wipe off some of the warpaint, revealing the pale skin beneath it. "Do what you will with me. They will not do anything."
 
Madge stared at him. "Soldiers, gather those injured and dead, bring them to the medic. Then return to your stations, and stay with the previous schedule and routine." She sighed, looking towards her house. "...I wish I had another bedroom," she muttered under her breath, leading him into her home. She closed the door behind her, going over to her dead friend, Jaq, who she had cremated, and finished putting his ashes into a jar. "I'll decorate it later.." She looked to the elf. She went over, and dug for the keys in her pocket, and unlocked the collar and cuffs. "Well. Since there's one bedroom... I guess I can see about using my old make-shift bed in my room, and setting it up on the floor. The fridge is over there. Uh. There's a bathroom. And uh. I dunno. Not much else in this blasted house."

She put the jar of Jaq up on a shelf on her bookcase. "I'll show you the bedroom..." She went towards her room,.
 
Shadowsigh was silent, feeling only slightly better when she took off the collar and cuffs. He hadn't showed any emotion when the dead man was cremated, instead staring blankly into the fire, wishing he could have made a different decision. As soon as he was able to move his arms again, he reached up, wiping away the rest of the warpaint, revealing his fine features and arching eyebrows, so unlike the features of his Wild Elf brethren. While they did look similar, it was obvious that Shadowsigh wasn't descended from generations and generations of Wild Elves. Looking at the makeup on his hands now, he sighed heavily, hardly paying attention to what the girl was saying.

Having relatively no choice but to follow her, he did so, looking around at the house. It felt...disturbing, being indoors like this. It felt like there was no space at all in the house, and gave him an eerie, claustrophobic feeling. His people lived in tents made of animal skins on the open plains, living as they have for thousands of years. Praying that she wouldn't make him wear proper clothes, though he knew he would need a change of them soon, he fingered the wolf pup's claw earring he had on his left ear, the one that he had been given when he became a man in the eyes of the village.

Letting his ragged hair hang in his eyes, he looked through it at the girl, his chest feeling like it was constricting at what happened. He still had yet to understand what his atonement would be. He was suspecting a public execution, but he had no way of knowing.
 
She got into her closet and pulled out her makeshift bed. It was a few blankets, a pillow, on top of a thin matress. She set it up on the floor next to her bed. "Uh...What's your name again?" She asked as she fixed up the bed for him. When she finished, she looked at him. She wasn't sure what to do. She had held many people hostage and prisoner before, but this felt different for some reason. In one way, she wanted to release him. In another, she just wanted to smack him across the face and make him see what he had done to Jaq. She closed her eyes for a moment while she waited for an answer.
 
"Shadowsigh," he mumbled quietly, suddenly self-conscious of his bare chest. Looking at the makeshift bed, which was little more than a cot, really, he sighed softly, thinking about how it looked compared to the beds they had at his home. Most nights, especially in the summertime, they wouldn't even use the tents, instead sleeping beneath the stars, using the thinner blankets instead of the thick winter ones. He half-expected her to put the collar and shackles on him again as soon as she turned her back to him, and kept a wary eye on her, some of the black paint still covering one eye to give him a creepy look. The other half of him expected her to treat him like an animal, like so many non-elven races did to the Wild Elves. Taking a long look at her with his amber eyes while hers were closed, he frowned slightly, already missing his familiar tent, the stars above him and the ground beneath him, everything about home.
 
She looked at him and nodded. "I'm Madge Wells." She looked around her room. "Sorry there's not much space.. There is one extra bedroom, but I'm supposed to have a visitor soon so..." She looked out her window at the sun, seeing it was setting, and cursed. "More like now... Uh. Do you want anything to eat before I run off and meet my prince charming?" When said said "run off and meet my prince charming," her voice went lower in pitch and cold with bitterness and almost hatred. She was not happy about being forced into marriage. Rather, she'd like to spend her life alone. "We have fruit... And some meat..not much.. Uh. I'm really not sure what we have in the fridge, but go help yourself, I can restock it." She went to look in her closet for something more . . . Appropriate to wear. She was shuffling through the back part, where her father had put some dresses and sighed. "I swear to god...If Francis calls me "Miss" I'm going to punch him," she muttered darkly to herself.
 
"I am not hungry," he answered simply, though he knew it was odd for himself. Normally after a battle, he would be starving, but tonight, he felt as normal as he had that morning. He didn't understand her allusions, but he could understand the emotions, the tone of her voice. Raising his eyes when she spoke into the closet, wondering who it was she was talking about, he asked, "Are you alright, Madgewells?" He stated her name as one word like his people did, not understanding the concept of having two or more names. Tilting his head curiously, he found his gaze shifting towards her ears, biting the inside of his cheek as he pondered asking her about them again. Deciding against it, he tried to offer her a smile.
 
"My father arranged for me to marry some Prince." She finally pulled out a dress, glaring at it in horror, and took off her weapons belt. Once all her extra weapons were off, and her jacket, she slipped the dress on. Then she shimmied out of her pants, and pulled off her combat boots. She grabbed a pair of heels, and slipped them on.

The dress was a bright green color, with blue and pink ribbon lacing the edges. The top part was constricting, tight with two thin off-the-shoulder straps, while the bottom puffed out a bit and was much looser. Her heels were white. The clothes seemed too small- and they were. They were a size too small. She looked at her short hair, grabbed a blue hair clip from the closet in a small bag of accessories, and pinned her bangs back.
 
Watching her put on the dress, Shadowsigh tried to make sense of what she had said. An arranged marriage? he asked himself. In his tribe, it was the women who chose their lovers, and if the man reciprocated, then they tried seeing if they were destined to be together. Never was a marriage prearranged. In his tribe, women were equal to the men, and had every right and responsibility men had.

Looking up when she was dressed, he said, "It is pretty on you...?" He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, the women of his tribe never wearing dresses. He wasn't sure if it was pretty on her or not, having only seen girls in pants like him. "...But you look like you cannot breath."
 
"It's hard to breath in dresses like this.. Especially ones with a corset as part of the design." She sighed slightly, and heard a knock on her door. She swore softly. "I'll have to leave you here, Shadowsigh. Uh.. Just don't destroy anything." She left her room, almost closing the door, leaving it slightly opened, incase he needed to get out and use the bathroom, or just wanted to listen. She walked to the door, almost tripping from the heels. It had been so long since she looked like a girl, or acted like one, that it felt.. Strange.

She opened the door. "Hello!" She said, forcing herself to smile at the man in front of her who was escorted by some soldiers who held his bags. The elder boy, who was about twenty- three years older than her- had dark brown hair, cut short and out of his face. His eyes were a smooth hazel color. His clothing was crisp, clean, and unwrinkled. Her wore a white shirt with the royal emblem on it, a bow tie, dress pants, and robes that tied as well. His hair was actually slicked back, and his leather shoes were shined. Her gave her a quick smile.

"Good eve, m'lady." He bowed to her, taking her hand and kissing her palm. She would have recoiled at the display of affection if it weren't her father's orders and wishes that she went through with this. She pulled the door opened more for him to come in.

"Please, come in." She took the bags from the Soldiers, and thanked them. Once he was inside she closed the door.
 
Shadowsigh had crept behind her, silent as the wind, hiding in a dining room that was adjacent to the front hallway. Listening to their short exchange, he kept his mouth shut, stealing only a quick glance at thew man she was to be wed with. He was much older than her...it looked odd, to say the least. As soon as the front door was closed, Shadowsigh considered making a bolt through the wide window of the room, before common sense took over. If he ran away, he would be fouling his honor. Returning to his tribe and lying to them about what happened would be worse.

Ducking into a closet, in case the two walked into the room, he pulled himself up onto the top portion, squeezing him into a small space and covering all but his face with the various objects there, not wanting to disturb the items beneath the small loft. Breathing softly, not sure how the girl would react to finding him there and not in her room, he remained completely still, his amber eyes glinting in the faint light.
 
Madge showed Francis to the guest room. "So, this is the guest room, I though you'd be comfortable in here.." He flashed her another smile, taking his bags and putting them on his bed.
"Well, I was hoping to share the same room as you, but I see that's not going to happen... Right?" He seemed..angry..or insulted by having been shown the guest room, rather than her room.
"Sorry..." she murmured softly, looking away from him. She had grown up around somewhat unruly men, not a noble family. He rolled his eyes at her, before brushing past her, obviously annoyed.
"Well. You can unpack my bags, and hopefully get some food cooking. I'm starving after the travel." He said, and went to the living room, grabbing a random book and reading it on her couch. She was shocked- how could royalty be so... So rude?! She bit her tongue, not letting herself say it.
"Alright, Francis.."
"It's Prince Francis." He corrected her, turning a page in her favorite book, ripping the corner. She stared in horror, and then went into the guest room, slowly unpacking the bag.
 
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