Chapter Eight: Defenseless
Krista Cousland awoke hours later to her Mabari hound barking wildly at her door. He growled lowly as she managed to rub her eyes and sit up laboriously. Her head was swimming with memories of the events before slumber, a headache throbbing harshly within her skull. She looked through the skylight, the dark blue sky still twinkling with stars.
"Nugget, not tonight. I'm so tired," she groaned, flopping back onto her mattress. "Locked doors are your specialty, aren't they? Let yourself out."
The young Cousland pulled the sheets back over her shoulders and rolled over onto her side. Nugget began to whine in his high-pitched whimpering voice. Krista shoved one of her overly fluffed pillows over her head to block out the noise, trying to get some more sleep. Her hound snarled louder at the door and barked deeply. When his mistress did not stir again from her resting place, he trotted over to the bed hastily and bit the covers. He pulled them swiftly from the young woman's comfortable grasp and then jumped onto the bed, nuzzling the pillow from her face with an argumentative growl. Krista glared at him as he barked at her urgently. She sat up, dissatisfied with her hound.
"
What? What is so important? Do you have to go
that badly?" she snapped, crossing her legs as she rubbed her eyes again, trying to get the gunk out of her eyelids' most inner folds.
Nugget stared at her with his golden eyes and let out a defiant bark. She gave him a look of consternation and groaned, trying to sober her pounding head.
"Oh, come on..." she huffed in frustration. "You're smart enough to get into a locked larder but not out of my locked bedroom tonight?"
Nugget's attention shifted to the door, jumping from the bed and growling lowly at the door. She watched him curiously as she began to lazily swing her legs out of bed. Suddenly, she head a loud thud and the sound of metal clashing against stone. She scrambled to her feet immediately and rushed to the side of her door, standing cautiously beside it and watching her hound with fear in her eyes. Her head seemed to instantly clear and her heart raced.
'Is this really happening?' she wondered as she clung to the wall, astounded and listening for more movement.
'No one ever comes to the bedchambers at night.' She finally realized there were men yelling off in the distance, sounding frantic. She could not make out what they were calling for, but it piqued her curiosity and it set her nerves aflame. An array of knocks came from the other side of the door, hasty and forceful. The hammering nearly drowned out a bloodcurdling scream of a woman. Krista's eyes went wide with horror as she stared at her hound, hoping that she had imagined both the scream and the banging. This did not seem real. Another rushed series of eight knocks came from the door, shattering her imagination theory. Nugget snarled furiously at the timber. Trying to muster her courage, Krista swallowed hard in silence, listening to the hollering of others off in the distance.
'What's going on?' she thought to herself as she mustered the courage to speak.
"H-hello?" she called weakly, scared out of her mind.
A male servant with brown hair suddenly burst through the door as she jumped back, out of the path of the swinging door.
"My lady! Help me! The castle is under attack!" he shouted in panic at the naked woman before him. His eyes went wide as he looked upon her body, astonished, and an arrow shot straight through his chest, blood splattering her sweating body and Nugget's dirty fur. She ran to him with hesitance as his blood soaked into the stone floor. He coughed up the red liquid and cast a horrified expression at her. She knelt beside him, trying to slow the bleeding but only succeeding in becoming covered in it. She was no expert in first aid and she had no idea what to do.
"R-r-r-r...u-u-n" he choked as she stared with a panicked expression at the dying man, trying desperately to help him.
Her hands shook in fear, covered in the very substance that made her nauseous, dizzy, and so very afraid. She could see the shadow of his attacker closing in on her as she watched the life leave his body. She spun her head around to look at her opponent, coming face to face an arrow and the man wielding it. Two other men stood behind him with their blades drawn. She became aware of the light shining into her dark room suddenly, being blinded. The Howe family crest showed clearly on their armor as the men blocked the doorway. She was unable to see their faces, her eyes still adjusting to the greater points of light.
"Well, look-ey here. It's the Cousland's girl," one of them said smugly.
"That prude?" another snorted. She wanted to huff at him but struggled to find her voice again.
"Didn't she and Nathaniel have a tumble before the Arl sent him off to the Free Marches?"
The mention of his name sent chills down her spine. He was gone and she was left with a wounded heart years ago. Why did they have to bring him up now?
"I don't know. Probably not. Didn't know squat about sticking it to the ladies. Wouldn't even touch the presents from the Pearl the Arl gave him. Stupid bastard. Said he was waiting for this one... What's so special about one fuck?"
She felt herself stiffen at the conversation pertaining to her and Nathaniel's romantic interest in one another in her early teen years. The thought of him waiting for her made her heart swim with wonderful things she hadn't felt in years, but at the same time she was angry at the guard for putting women on such a low pedestal and calling Nathaniel a bastard for actually valuing them.
"Oh-ho. She's
naked. Very nice. Looks like she's ready for us, boys."
'What?' she asked herself, mortified.
"Ah-ah. Howe said to kill the family, no exceptions."
"We can still have our fun, can't we? There's no sense letting such a nice body go to waste."
"Let's see if you're as chaste as they say you are...
Nathaniel was too much of an idiot to try anything, I'm sure. But you're just another chesty whore for the taking as far as I can see. That the Arl could produce such a pitiful excuse for a man is inconceivable."
Krista's eyebrows furrowed in anger and outrage, but she knew that she was vulnerable, powerless to stop them for the time being. They noticed it too and the man closest to her grabbed her by the hair, having the archer keep his aim on her. If she tried anything —no matter how badly she wanted to- she was dead.
"So tell me, how far
did the Arl's son get?" he asked, bringing her face close to his own; his breath reeked of onions and ale. She fought back her reflex to gag as he licked the side of her face with his slimy tongue, trying to bait her, to dare her into making a move against him. It was nauseating.
"Which one?" one of the guards snickered.
"For a prude, she sure gets around, doesn't she? I heard her boyfriend in the army here kicked Thomas's ass."
She felt herself gasp as she fought back the urge to wipe her face. How many people knew? Who did Thomas tell? Ser Gilmore had assured her that the Arl's son would be far too embarrassed to go spreading the word around, but apparently he hadn't the stones to keep his idiotic mouth shut. She swore she would kill Thomas if she survived this. The man near her face smiled knowingly.
"Thomas is learning how to fight. He'll have his chance to prove that soon enough."
"You know, I saw her earlier with another man. Dark hair, tall fellow. She seemed to be getting pretty friendly."
"I saw them together too. She slipped off with him right after the party. A lot of touching..."
"I find it hard to believe you're a virgin then, after being with so many men. We'll just have to test that, won't we?" the man whispered to her with a glint of spite in his eyes. He strengthened his grip on her hair and she cringed in response.
"If we... kept her as a prisoner at Amaranthine, don't you think Thomas would be appreciative, put in a good word with his father? Maybe even keep her in Denerim, in the dungeons?"
"No... no the Arl said to kill them all," another argued uncertainly. "Though the idea... it does sound good..."
"I think if he gave it some thought, the Arl could get a little pleasure out of this too..." the man closest to her suggested with an evil grin, cupping her chin roughly with his free hand. He crushed his mouth against hers in lust, forcing his tongue between her firmly pursed lips. She's thought of biting him, but knew that now was not the right time to fight, even though she wanted to vomit and beat him repeatedly. He pushed away from her lips but held her firmly in place beside him. "She'd be chained.
Harmless.
Powerless to stop us. Isn't that right,
my lady?" She grunted and coughed, spiting out the bitter disgust left behind in her mouth. She swore to herself that the first opportunity that arose, she would disarm and kill them. Nugget growled, but realized the danger his mistress was in if he made any sudden movements. He remained hidden in the shadows. The man who had grabbed her began dragging her back towards her bed and she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, loathing herself for being unable to impede him in any way. She yelled for him to stop, wishing either of her teenage heroes were here to save her again. She then thought of Garnet, begging the Maker he would come to save her, hoping he would instinctively know she was in danger and come running.
"Please... stop..." she begged in a low voice, barely audible to even her own ears.
"Keep a look out for any Cousland guards," he retorted to his companions, who both huffed in return.
"Want your privacy then, don't you?" one said, turning his gaze from them.
"You'll get your turns soon enough," the man close to her assured them, shoving the woman onto the bed, smearing the blood on her body all over her mattress.
The man with the arrow aimed at them lowered his bow and turned away.
"No! Stop!" She fought him, flailing her arms at his leather-encased chest. He pinned her arms together with one hand, laughing as she bucked her body frantically to get him off.
"Eager, aren't we?" he stated with an amused grin as he pressed into her inner thighs.
She kicked her legs to no avail. He dug his dirty fingernails into her scalp as he pulled on her hair again. She fought against his hold on her arms with every ounce of her strength. He barely budged as she depleted her energy quickly. Tears fell down the sides of her face as he released her hair and fumbled with his trousers. She was too exhausted to move her head. Hope felt so lost within her mind as she desperately prayed that someone would save her.
"Nathaniel..." she pleaded, watching as the man grinned at the name.
"He's not coming for you. He's never coming back... Even if he does, you'll never see him again. You'll be locked up where no one will even remember who you were," he spat fiercely.
"Rory..." she cried, wishing the knight who had walked her to her room was still standing outside her door with sword in hand. The man merely pushed against her thighs, trying to part them as she wiggled in a last effort to maintain her sense of self.
"Garnet..." she whispered, thinking of the man she had spent the majority of her night with. He said that he would protect her, but here she was –unable to protect herself and unable to stop this atrocity from happening. This man and many others were prepared to take her by force and were ready to break her spirit. She thought of how pitiful she must sound, relying on the men of her past and a man she met yesterday to take care of her. Krista struggled against him again, smashing her hips into him and kicking furiously with a growing scream as her thigh brushed against his now exposed lower body parts.
He struck her face to silence her voice, muttering something about Nathaniel's tolerance level for loud whores. Suddenly, Krista caught sight of her hound, running towards him at full speed, ears back, teeth barred, hackle raised and eyes narrowed with intent to destroy.
"The dog! Kill the dog!" the guard shouted in fear as the mabari latched onto his arm. He rose to his feet quickly, screaming in pain. Krista wiped the blood streaming from a split lip with her already bloodied arm, feeling disgusted and woozy. She tried not to think of the liquid covering her body among so many other things.
She saw the archer turn to his target and found her opportunity to strike as she reached for the injured man's sword. She slid it out of its sheathe furiously and drove it through the guard's belly with all her might, standing quickly enough to move his body in the way of the incoming arrow hurtling towards her pet. She pulled her sword back out and glared at the men from across the room.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Talking as if you know me? As if you know the men I loved!" she yelled, rushing towards them with the sword in front of her and her mabari by her side. She was blinded by rage. It almost seemed more words would not come until she spat the short nonsensical ramblings of her mind at him. "I'm
naked! I'll
kill you!"
"Shit! Shit!" the man with the bow panicked, fumbling to grab another arrow from his quiver.
Nugget launched himself at him, bringing the guard down in the doorway and tearing out his throat. Krista stepped over them and lunged for the last guard, who held a sword. She held the acquired weapon with both hands, though it was only a longsword. Without a dagger, her style would have to shift in order to compensate for defense. Their weapons clashed a few times after some heated glaring and he was able to get a near slice in at her stomach. She was lucky that she had been just a bit more quick than he was or her guts may have been spilled all over the bedchamber hall. She watched his shoulders and calculated when and how to defend against his attacks. She dodged a blow he had meant to bring down through her shoulder and took the chance to thrust her blade with all of her remaining strength through his side. Immediately he dropped his sword, body shaking. She retracted the blade and instantly used the pommel to strike the side of his skull, causing him to crash to the floor in a heap.
Krista let the metal weapon slip from her hand as she backed away from the dead bodies near and in her room. She fell backwards onto her bottom, scrambling away from them in a traumatized state as Nugget made his way to her. He tilted his head sadly at her but she couldn't see him. All she could see was the red liquid covering her body, her hands, and the floor. She was visibly shaking as the door she was crawling backward into opened. She screamed, tears rolling down her face as a metal form wrapped its arms around her. She dared not open her eyes and face her new attacker, for she knew that it would be over soon and it mattered not what he looked like.
"Darling! Maker's breath! I heard fighting and I feared the worst!" her mother's voice rang out from behind her.
A wave of intense relief washed over Krista as she opened her eyes to look at her mother with terror. There was no way to put to words the fear that had been instilled in her. Those men planned to rape her and keep her as some sort of sex-slave for the Howe loyalists at Amaranthine and Denerim, but there was no way to say that to her mother. The idea seemed unreal to her own ears.
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Eleanor asked concernedly after surveying the scene. She pulled her daughter to her feet and began inspecting her body for wounds, holding the bloody lip that had been split when the guard struck her. "There's so much blood! Thank goodness you're all right! What happened, Krista?"
Krista shook her head, trembling in her arms as Eleanor pulled her into a hug. Krista did not care that she was not clothed at the moment, she just wanted to be safe. Her mother's presence did much to allay her anxiety.
"What did they
do to you, Krista?" she whispered, as she pulled back to look at her. Her daughter only rattled her head from left to right again.
"What's going on?" Krista managed to say, finding a shaky voice to speak with.
"I'm not sure... A scream woke me up. There were men in the hall so I barred my door. It looks like you weren't as lucky," Eleanor said, bringing to light her daughter's lack of clothing.
"I'm lucky to be alive, mother," she responded slowly on raspy vocals. "If it weren't for Nugget, they would have done Maker knows what to me while I slept."
"They tried to...? Maker forgive me... but I'm
glad you killed them! Did you see their shields? Those were Howe's men! Why would they attack us? Why would he let his men do this to you?" Eleanor panicked frantically, touching her daughter's split lip gingerly.
Flashes of her father arguing with someone while Ser Gilmore dragged her off to her bedchamber came to mind. Images of Howe's bodyguard came back to her, wishing her good luck with a sly grin.
"I think I heard dad arguing with the Arl last night," Krista said uncertainly in a small voice. "I don't recall what it was about, but I've never heard him so angry. Howe chose the most opportune moment to strike. The majority of our troops are on their way to Ostagar. He
planned this! His troops were delayed on purpose! And now he's getting rid of us! What does he want? Power? Is that what this is about?"
She was enraged as the pieces clicked in her mind.
"That
bastard! I'll cut his lying throat out myself!" Eleanor yelled with clenched fists. She relaxed as she watched her daughter's worried expression. "Have you seen your father since the argument? He never came to bed..."
A growing apprehension and fear in the pit of her stomach made her want to vomit. She wished sincerely that this was a mere nightmare and she would wake up any second.
"No," she answered weakly.
"We have to find him!" her mother resolved.
"We need to check on Oren and Oriana as well. They have to come with us, otherwise..." Krista could not finish her statement.
"Andraste's mercy! What if the soldiers went into your brother's room first? Let's check on them, quickly! Then we'll look for Bryce downstairs!" The worry in her mother's voice was transparent.
A shadowy form came into view from the halls as they ran towards the closed door to Fergus's room. Both women braced themselves for a fight when Krista realized she was still naked and unarmed. She cursed lowly as Nugget rushed to her side, growling at the presence.
"My lady, your ladyship, we have to get you out of here!" a familiar voice called as the figure approached, long cloak flailing behind him as he ran.
Krista relaxed her shoulders and took a few steps towards him "Garnet?"
She embraced him tightly as he came into the light, not caring if her mother saw. "Thank goodness you're okay!"
Tears streamed steadily onto his cloak as they dripped off her chin. He did come for her –to protect her- just like he had said he would, even if he was late. Every inch of her body pressed against his leather as she savored his touch. He wrapped his arms around her back, shocked at her lack of clothing and the amount of blood she was covered in, though she didn't think of that. She thought of him. Despite the layers he was wearing, he was well aware that it felt like nothing stood between their bodies and he was ashamed to have his desire betray him at the moment she nuzzled her mouth against his neck in a barrage of tiny kisses. Eleanor cleared her throat loudly and Krista pulled away, feeling a growing appendage behind his leather flaps near his abdomen. She felt incredibly embarrassed and somewhat shamefully aroused. Everyone who had seen her naked tonight was dead save for her mother and now Garnet. Her face turned scarlet as she tried to cover her body with her hands and arms.
"Krista...?" he inquired and gazed upon her form, eyes fixated on her exposed breasts. Reluctantly, he turned his body away from the three and tried to regain his composure. "We have to get you out of here as soon as possible. Howe's men are attempting to storm the main hall. From what it seems now, they are killing everyone in sight."
Nugget and Eleanor calmed when they recognized he was not a soldier of Howe. Eleanor was surprised to see him and even more surprised to see her nude daughter hugging him so affectionately and draping his neck with kisses. Krista darted with a squeak into her room, ignoring the dead bodies lying in the doorway as she stepped on the corpses.
"Have you seen my husband, Garnet?" Eleanor pleaded as he turned around sheepishly.
He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. I have not seen him since the farewell party. It's... not pleasant down there, my lady. There are fires around every corner and bodies along every path it seems."
"Garnet, this is hardly the time for formalities. Please, just call me Eleanor," she stated, perturbed and afraid for her husband.
"What about Oriana and Oren?" Garnet asked, walking towards the door to Fergus's room. Nugget sniffed at him curiously as he opened the door. Instinctively upon inspecting the scene, Garnet turned away from the room and faced the Teyrna, catching her as her legs gave out beneath her. She screamed and cried as she looked upon the corpses of her grandson and daughter-in-law.
"No! My little Oren! What manner of fiend slaughters innocents?" she managed to rasp in between jagged breaths. Garnet stood there, supporting her silently until she regained the strength to stand, though tears of anguish and hatred rolled off her cheeks. "I'll remember this day when Howe dies screaming like the dog he is! Oh..." she cried. "Poor Fergus! I don't want to see this!"
As Eleanor left the room in tears, Krista ran over equipped with her weapons and suited in her new armor, save for a boot she was still holding in her hand. Nugget had peeked in, but hung his head and soon was rubbing against the Teyrna's leg to try and comfort her.
"What is it, mom? What's wrong?" she asked in a rushed tone, tying her hair up messily in a loose bun.
The Teyrna only shook her head, letting the tears fall, patting the mabari softly.
Krista walked into Fergus's room, letting Garnet do the same for her as he did for her mother as her legs buckled beneath her. She then cried into his chest, wrapped her arms around him inconsolably, letting the boot in her hand fall to the floor. He clutched her lovingly, trying to be her rock, the one thing unchanging in this chaos.
"Why?" she sobbed, her voice cracking. "Why is he doing this? Fergus loved them both so much..." She could not contain the tears or slow them no matter how hard she tried. "They never deserved..."
Garnet stroked her hair and kissed her forehead gently. "He will pay, Krista."
He picked up the boot from the floor and led her out to where Eleanor was standing. He closed the door behind him out of respect. The two women wiped their eyes at nearly the same time, knowing that now was not the time to mourn. It was apparent they were blood relatives there at that moment as their resolve hardened their emotions. Garnet and Nugget waited nonetheless for them to collect themselves.
The man clad in leather fumbled with the boot nervously and Krista looked at him, a sad smile forming at the familiar memory. He bent down to put it on her as she bent her knee and lifted her leg straight up. He slipped it on slowly and set her leg down gingerly. The straps were taken care of in seconds; he had designed them after all. The Teyrna watched the pair stare at each other longingly as he stood and squeezed her daughter's hands lightly before walking towards the hall to search for incoming guards. Nugget followed him happily.
"You've taken to him," she stated, watching Krista gape. "And he has clearly taken to you. You think you would have mentioned him sooner, seeing as he's been a visitor here for years. Fergus would be so happy..."
"I... " She couldn't believe her mother was bringing this up now. Then she thought that perhaps it was keeping her mind off of Oren and Oriana.
"Your father might have been worried about your judgment in rank, but we never questioned your taste in personality," the Teyrna explained, walking towards the hall Garnet had scouted. "Is he the first one you haven't physically pummeled? Nathaniel was a nice boy, but it is now
clear that his father sent him away with a reason... And Ser Gilmore... Well, your father didn't want things to get
complicated should you two ever have-"
"Mother!" Krista interjected, feeling incredibly bewildered. Who ever told her that she'd had a thing for either of those two? Though she supposed she could have been less transparent. Nugget looked at her with a puzzled tilt of his head.
"-broken up," Eleanor finished coyly as they reached the door where Garnet was waiting with the mabari.
"There are guards in this room. I think there are three but I can't be sure until we open the door," he said, pulling two daggers out from the holsters on both sides of his thighs. "Are you two ready?"
Nugget barked to remind him that he was present.
"And you too?" he asked, addressing the hound quietly. "Shh..."
Nugget wagged his tail happily. Krista readied her blades as her mother grabbed an arrow from her quiver and readied the bow she had been hauling on her back. Garnet shared a solemn look with Krista before pushing the door open. They both tumbled inside dexterously and disabled two of the three men that Garnet had predicted would be there. Krista watched as the last guard was taken out with an arrow to the forehead. The young Cousland's hands shook as blood stained them once more. Her friend looked at her and knew instantaneously that she had never killed a man before tonight.
Eleanor was checking in the guest rooms nearby when she had a large intake of breath.
"Oh... Landra! I'm so sorry... If she hadn't come to me... if she hadn't been here..." Eleanor could not finish her thought and fought back the tears.
Krista peeked inside the room briefly and then walked towards Garnet, a sad expression on her face. She embraced him again, worried that he could be the next person to die and ripped away from her in this massacre. His firm arms welcomed her and stroked her messy hair tenderly once more. She wanted time to turn back so she could re-live their night by the fireplace in the barracks. She wished she would have stayed with him. She would have felt safe, protected from this mess. Her mother finally rejoined them and their small group continued down towards the antechamber area, multiple paths in the castle obstructed by flames and disheveled stone. Loud and pained yelling echoed throughout the entire castle.
"Howe's men must be everywhere! The screaming..." the Teyrna paused as a thought occurred. "The front gates! That's where your father must be."
"Eleanor, you and your daughter need to escape. If Howe's men catch you-" Garnet started until Krista cut him off fiercely, the legendary Cousland temper sparking behind her eyes.
"We are
not leaving him behind."
"Agreed. Couslands do not run from their problems," the Teyrna added, though in a bit of a softer tone. "I have my treasury key. If there's anything worth fighting for to keep from Howe's hands, it would be the Cousland family sword. We should get it."
Garnet opened his mouth to object for fear of their safety, but he closed it when he realized it would only waste time arguing when they could be moving. As their group moved quickly and as silently as possible towards the treasury room, Garnet took up the lead, scouting ahead and disappearing into the shadows before their very eyes.
"Krista..." Her mother kept her voice low. "If Howe's men are already here, then we must assume that the castle is now in his clutches. We must use the servants' entry in the larder to escape once we find your father. It is our only hope. Do you hear me?"
The young rogue swallowed hard, not wanting to accept this nightmare. No, she wanted to fight it with every ounce of her being. She gritted her teeth and was about to defy her mother when the Teyrna glared at her.
"Do not fight me on this, Krista! We have to get out and regroup, send word to our allies of Howe's treachery before he murders us all! Do you think he would paint himself as a murderer in the eyes of the Ferelden nobility –in the eyes of the public? No... He will tell them whatever story he chooses, dear."
"He wouldn't... mother... would he? I mean he can't! His family and ours...I grew up with Nathaniel..." Krista objected. "And Delilah? They would
never go along with this..."
"Don't be a fool, Krista. The type of man Rendon is... of course he would. He acts on his own selfish impulses," the Teyrna stated, rolling her eyes at how naïve her daughter could be. "The man is heartless. He sent Nathaniel away because
he had a conscience and a backbone. Delilah never had a chance at standing up to the man and you know that. Without Nathaniel, she just couldn't. And Thomas... he's just as slimy as his father and I'm sure you've seen that. I understand he tried something on you and went back to his father, sniveling like a baby."
Krista's mouth hung agape. "You
knew?"
"You only keep a good secret when it embarrasses you. And in a way, those are the easiest to read... So plain in your face, darling," her mother told her sadly as she touched her cheek. "But we Cousland women take care of our own problems. Your father never knew."
Krista did not know what to say as they came upon the treasury. Garnet had already slipped inside to scope out the scene. Two Cousland guards lay dead. He checked their pulses for signs of life as the mabari hound sniffed at their corpses. The two women hustled to the locked treasury door and Eleanor used her key to open it. Once inside, Krista ran towards the farthest weapon rack, dropping her older and fairly worn longsword in her hand and grabbed the family sword.
"The only way Howe is getting this is if he pries it from my dead hands," she stated, turning to her mother. Her eyes drifted to a suit of armor with a fine helm, embroidered with the family crest. As she went to grab the helmet, her mother began to strap a fine shield to her daughter's back, throwing her balance as the weight of it came down on her.
"That's only going to slow me down," she argued as the straps came around her shoulders tightly. "It's too heavy!"
Garnet stood in the doorway, ready to offer his assistance when her mother interjected.
"You have to keep this shield safe, Krista. This sword and shield are the only things left of your grandfather's legacy. Should I fall-" Eleanor began.
"Don't say things like that!" she shrieked in response.
"Should I fall here, you must keep these items out of Howe's corrupted reach."
"I can carry it, if it's too heavy my lad-" Garnet quickly hushed his tongue.
Both women shot him dangerous glares. He forgot about the non-formal rule he was supposed to follow now. He bit his lip in regret, knowing Krista could not simply accept help due to her stubborn nature –that is, unless she was sure she needed it.
"It's
fine," Krista lied in an annoyed tone, grabbing the helm she had admired. "I can handle it."
She knew the full plate armor was a lost cause, but the helm was something to consider. As she began to move with the new weight on her back she let out a frustrated grunt. She shoved the helm onto Garnet's head as she passed him in the doorway.
"Wear this," she muttered. "Your charging is way too careless..."
"My charging?" he scoffed, adjusting the helmet so he was able to see. "Have you seen yours? You don't even hide before you strike..."
The group prepared for their exit when Garnet held out his arm to halt their progression. Nugget's hackle was raised again and he barred his teeth, though he knew better than to growl now. Garnet held a finger to his lips as they all watched shadows on the cobblestone outside grow larger. Eleanor readied her bow silently as he pulled out his daggers. Krista was too afraid that she would make noise by shifting the shield on her back to grab her secondary weapon, so her body instinctively refused to move.
Howe's men hadn't even gotten footholds in the door when an arrow soared through the air and a dagger struck against flesh. Two men toppled to the floor in short screams, blood gushing from their new wounds. The group stepped over the Howe soldiers and moved on quickly towards the main antechamber as it was the quickest shortcut towards the larder exit and the main gate, if they might encounter the Teyrn on their journey; it was etched into her mind, a place where Krista remembered having a meeting the previous day with Duncan, Howe and and her father, a place for their fancy parties and greeting place for other nobility. Maker only knows how this fiendish nightmare would shatter her memories of the great hall. The possibility that it could be overrun by now refused to take hold in her mind; it abstained from lingering too long there.
Garnet took up the lead again, not allowing his new companions the chance of injury. Krista tried not to look at Howe and Cousland soldiers' bodies alike strewn about the grounds they walked upon. They burst through the side entrance and came upon an intense battle between several opposing soldiers. Krista caught sight of a streak of Ser Gilmore's red hair sticking to his forehead with sweat as he lead the Cousland soldiers' tactics flawlessly. Her heart was relieved to find he was still alive and well. Now, if she could just find her father, she would feel better about the fleeing and regrouping strategy her mother was so intent on following.
