The Princess Bides (Reena)

The door of the tavern bursts open, and something steps through. Something Reena has seen before. It looks like Bob.

But not quite. Another of the same species? More importantly, he/it carries a young woman in red with very dark blond hair. A woman Reena recognizes at least by features -- the same woman who accompanied Bleys from the shadow Grimm and whose portrait hung on Fernand's wall.

Not surprisingly, the tavern customers react with alarm. While they're busy screaming (or hiding) the huge creature lays the woman in red upon a chair. She looks unconscious, with a great bruise at her right temple.

Through the door commotion can clearly be seen townspeople shrieking in fear, almost stampeding away from something. In the distance, a tall hooded figure in black strides into view, wielding a huge mace in one hand and a curved sword on the other. Blood drips from both.

Which does nothing for the peace and calm within the tavern!

Yet the Bob-thing quickly closes the door of the tavern, grabs a huge table (filled with food and drinks but by now totally devoid of customers sitting around) and braces it against the door. It then seems to spin/fold itself into space (as one of its kind did before but in reverse). It is gone.

Reena begins to bark commands at the people in the tavern hoping to restore some order amid the confusion.

"Nadia, attend to your injured sister. If she is fit to be carried then take her out the back, otherwise we make our stand here."

To Sister Nadia's companions she says "Draw your weapons, men. Guard your sisters with your lives!"

To the other people in the inn:"Prepare to defend yourselves or flee this building. There is no space for cowards when war threatens the Unicorn!"

Bob's brother dropped off the sister here. Either Fernand knows I can defend her or she is a gift for Nadia. Details can be worked out later. First I need some better weapon than this dagger.

Reena tips over a table and breaks off one of the legs. A club to hit him in the helmet. Should slow him down for a moment so I can find a weak point in the armor for the dagger to pierce.

Moving to a shadowed corner of the room she waits for the entrance of the man.

Isn't their a city guard armed with crossbows to deal with a threat like this?

[Note: The young lady in red does not wear the robes of a Holy Sister. Those are white and green and include a wimple. She does however wear a unicorn medallion, which is rather like having a cross around your neck. But perhaps Reena hasn't paid attention to such things. Just FYI.]

On the other side of the wall and door, out in the street, the sound of blows and two sets of bestial growls echo louder and louder. After a few moments, one can hear what sound like military orders. One Reena can make out is "Let Fly!" followed by the distinctive sound of a flock of arrows let loose.

Sister Nadia, looking a nervous wreck, approached the young woman in crimson. Her eyes grow a little wide upon seeing her face. "Your Highness!" she says, almost under her breath.

The sounds of fighting eventually fade.

[R made an assumption. It may have been mocking when she saw the woman with the medallion so prominently displayed, but now the idea is stuck in her head.]

"Looks like the cavalry arrived in the nick of time. Stay here while I check on the situation out on the street."

Reena heads up the stairs of the inn and looks out a window onto the street below.

The streets outside are a mess. Scorch marks vividly mar the sides of buildings, as well as various fallen human beings. Some civilians and others in what look like some kind of official military garb. Breastplate, helmet, arm and leg guards with gauntlets. For some it looks exactly like a burning sword sliced through them, cauterizing as it went. A lucky one or two have only lost limbs. The smell of charred flesh lingers in the air.

Almost a dozen of what Reena assumes to be the City Guard (in short ceremonial red capes--they look good but serve no function, but cut so as not to be in the way) remain standing, checking on their wounded and scouting the area. They all seem especially spooked. Half are armed with what look for all the world like pump-action crossbows.

Neither the Bob-like creature nor the hooded thing with mace and sword are anywhere to be seen.

One of the guards has a differently-designed helm than the rest. He seems to be giving orders.

After seeing that the street is clear of trouble Reena drops her club, sheathes her dagger, and goes out to meet the city guard.

Approaching the presumed leader of the guard she says "Greetings. Who the hell was that guy and where did he go?"

"Everything is under control. Just get off the street and let us do our jobs."

Reena recognizes the old 'brush-off' when she hears it. But then, they have no idea as to her status. She remembers hearing somewhere this place is part of the Golden Circle. Is local official realized a member of Amber's royal family were present, odds are she'd get more respect. But is that what she wants at the moment?

Still, if influence is what she's looking for, the Holy Sisters probably outrank a City Guard officer. Yet the guards might welcome the help of someone experienced at combat. Maybe. Plus she is a witness of sorts.

The officer starts to say something, but reconsiders. With a nod he summons one of his Guardsmen. "Faethor -- she wants to help. Take her with you and check down that street." Faethor salutes Roman style, fist to heart and nods at you. He heads down a street to the right.

Now, this street seems pretty much deserted. Street lamps still offer light. A bit of wreckage from what was presumably a big fight can be found at the opening of the street. None further down.

Faethor says "Thanks for helping out."

A mild whining is in the air as Reena goes down the street with Faethor. Rather like two string instruments just outside of human hearing having a kind of duel. It makes Reena's skin crawl a little bit.

Before following Faethor Reena picks up a sword and one of the crossbows if any look to be useable.

"Glad to help." she says to the man's thanks.

As the whining sound gets louder she steps ahead of the man to take the point.

"Do you hear that noise? I can't quite pick up what direction it is coming from."

Not waiting for Faethor's response she keeps heading down the alley.

Faethor gives her a strange look, but follows her down the street.

The sound fades, then increases, seemingly at random. If Reena goes to where it seems to be coming from, it may fade or remain the same. If she retreats, it may get louder. With concentration, she may conclude the sound's source is moving. Quickly.

"Wait, do you see something?" Faethor continues to follow her, but his face remains puzzled.

But then...

A flurry of wind in what seems like a tiny tornado! Localized in one spot between herself and Faethor. She and the Guardsman are tossed to the grround! Within the whirlwind--which crackles and sparks like a cross between a thunderstorm and an aurora borealis--she plainly sees the figure like Bob, but now bleeding from many wounds. It/he wrestles with the robed figure, who no longer wields weapons but whose clawed gauntlets rip into the strange long-limbed creature's flank! The thing like Bob head-butts the robed being!

And they vanish!

"I was hearing that - whatever it is - coming"

Reena gets up and brushes the dirt from her clothes.

"I can't figure out any path their battle will take or predict where they will appear next. This fight of theirs could carry them throughout the city destroying everything in their path. The best we can do is get to a central location at an intersection with paths leading to every quarter of the city and hope to move in to attack when those two land and stay on the ground. Their was park near the port that I passed through earlier. It would seem to meet my requirements.

"Come on, let's go back to your commander."

She then marches purposefully back up the ally to where the captain of the guard was.

Again, the whirlwind! The lightning! The colored lights! Less than four yards directly in front of Reena!

She feels the blast as before but this time manages to stay upright (experience plus Amber-level reflexes). Beyond the fighting creatures, she can see more of the city Guard running this way.

But then the Bob-thing does some kind of spinning motion while grappling with his foe. The cloaked Creature flies and lands a little to the right of Reena, making a heavy thud with the impact! It seems stunned. At least it isn't just jumping up again.

Not taking a moment's pause Reena takes a full swing with her sword aiming to chop of the being's sword hand.

Don't want to kill him just yet but hacking off his hands should help to make him more manageable.

The blow, when it lands, feels odd. Almost as if Reena were cutting into several different substances at once -- water, wood, some kind of powder. Its effect proves startling. Multi-color sparks explode from the wound, and the cloaked figure vibrates like a tuning fork.

Arrows from the city Guards fly through the air, hitting both the being at Reena's feet as well as the long-armed Bob-Thing, who is already bleeding ichor from various wounds. In moments he collapses, while the cloaked figure stops vibrating or or emitting sparks. Instead it simply...deflates. A long sighing sound accompanies this, after which it looks like all she has before her is a long, dark robe -- partially shredded -- and a pair of metal gauntlets.

So much for having a reasonable discussion with this thing. Not that constructs have much to say even at the best of times.

Reena grabs the gauntlets and inspects them for any signs of machinery or arcane glyphs that would provide information on who or what created this thing.

The design of the gauntlets is not one Reena recognizes, apart from the fact they are gauntlets for approximately human-shaped hands. Apart from feeling very cold, there's nothing she can see odd about them.

The remnants of the cloak likewise feel cold.

About ten yards away, the fallen Bob-thing groans as the city Guards surround it, arrows drawn and aimed.

Tossing the gloves back down she turns to the city guard standing over the Bob-thing.

"Put your weapons down. Can't you see that this creature probably saved your city and all it's inhabitants?"

She grabs the cloak and pushes through the guards. Tearing up the cloth she attempts to bind and of the more serious wounds on the creature.

This city probably owes this thing more than it could ever pay. A little medical work by me could help with gathering up a band of these creatures in the future. They show great promise for guard duties.

The Guards do not lower their weapons. The Captain says "That's more than I know. And I'm more than a little curious how you know or claim any such thing?"

"Did you not see this creature locked in battle with that thing?", she points over to the remains of the construct.

"Or at least even see the two of them fall from the injuries they dealt each other? Ask yourself how they could have appeared here both suffering from major wounds. I wager that a close look at this things injuries will reveal sword cuts and mace bruises"

All the binding of wounds Reena could manage with the shredded cloak complete she stands and wipes her hands on a piece of newspaper that was drifting by on the breeze.

"Was that the only attacker in the city or are other guards battling in another quarter?"

"I'm asking the question here," is the Captain's reply. "Not you, young lady. And the fact these two things were fighting each other doesn't make either one of them not dangerous."

"Excuse me," calls out an almost-familiar voice. Over in the direction of the tavern stands Sister Nadia. The Guards let her by (Reena recalls the Holy Sisters form part of the royal government here). She approaches, giving quite a take at the fallen being on the street.

"Her Highness is in the tavern back there," she says "and requests to speak with you, Captain, and with you," she indicates Reena. She says in a lower voice to Reena, "Not really a request you understand, more like an order." After taking a deep breath she kneels beside her. "I'll treat this wounded being, as far as I am able, while you speak to Princess Valentine."

The Captain nods and says "Lets go then."

"I do not take orders from anyone here be her princess, captain, or guard. However, I do need to speak with this Valentine so I will go."

She gestures the Captain forward. "Lead the way."

The Captain follows Sister Nadia back to the tavern, where the young woman in crimson (with the unicorn medallion) now sits in her chair. Someone has given her a cup of something that she's sipping.

When he enters her presence, the Captain snaps to attention and gives what Reena presumes is the local salute--fist over heart. "Your Highness," he says.

She looks up at them, clearly not feeling well at all. "What has become of my bodyguard? His appearance is most strange to our eyes -- very tall, with huge arms, a face like some kind of animal?"

The Captain hesitates. "He appears wounded, Highness, but his opponent is destroyed or fled. My men are watching this...bodyguard...as we speak."

"Good," she says. "His name is Bill, by the way." Now she turns to Reena. "You acted with considerable forethought, according to Sister Nadia. Please accept my thanks." Now that she's gotten a close-up look, there's zero doubt in Reena's mind. Here is the original of the portrait on Fernand's wall. More, this is the woman she followed from Grimm.

"I told you it was on our side," Reena says to the captain, "Next time listen to your betters."

Reena approaches the princess and holds out her hand "Valentine, I'm Reena of Amber. Bill and the city guard did an excellent job containing and ending the threat to your city. With Bill incapacitated for the moment can I guard you on your return to the palace?"

Subtly but clearly, everyone in the room gives Reena a look at the "your betters" remark.

"Reena of Amber," Princess Valentine says, "Many thanks for your efforts, as well as the offer. Before I accept, would you please offer something more about yourself than a name?" Now that she's up close, Reena can see Valentine looks to be in her twenties. She carries herself with a air of command -- not that of someone used to getting her way, but of being in charge and confident of her ability to handle events. Even now--disheveled, at least slightly hurt, in a deeply uncertain situation where her life is concerned--she remains focused despite a few tell-tale signs of nerves. She is making herself take deep, steady breaths for example. She is clearly not just sitting on the chair, but resting in it. But she remains calm. Or at least in control.

Reena might well notice something else. The locals--from ordinary folk to Sister Nadia and the Guards--are all watching her like a hawk. But none seem afraid of her. No one, for example, is trying to hide from her sight. On the contrary, a few clearly want to get a good glimpse of her.

When a serving girl pours something into her cup--extremely watered-down wine--Valentine smiles at her briefly. The hand that lifts the cup to her lips shows a tiny tremor. And she takes several long sips of it while waiting for Reena's answer.