Rosaline Mellikot's Story

"The hell is this? A trinket? Because I need to look my best when fighting those blighters, right? Stun them with my beauty? Trip over themselves at my extravagance?" A blonde woman said, holding a golden pendent in hand. She was talking to another young woman who had brought the gift to her, "Look. My brother said bring it to the archer named Rosaline. I brought it, but I didn't expect her to snark at me!" She said, holding her hands up defeated. The nerve of the woman. "Obviously, you nor your brother knows me," She said, looking at the pendent in her hand. Sighing, she shrugged, "I'll hold on to it, for his sake. Tell Mr..." "Caine," the woman said. "Right, tell him I'd much rather have it's price in arrows. But I'll take it I guess," she said, shooing the woman off.

"Oooh, Rose has an admirer," another female archer of the Valigart spoke when the sister of Caine got out of earshot, "How dreamy. Maybe he'll stop by and sweep you off your feet like a prince." She teased. "Shut up Adel, else I'm going to shove this necklace down your throat," Rose threatened over the laughter of the other archers. "Here, catch. It's not like I'm going to remember his name anyway," Rose said, tossing the necklace to Adel. "Maybe he'll like you better. I can hear it now. 'That Rose girl was a hellcat and won't listen to damn word I have to say. She won't even make me my dinner! But that Adel? That Adel will make me sandwiches all day. Too bad she isn't as pretty as Rose.' Better trade off really," Rose said, as the other archers around the pair laughed, as Adel merely glared at Rose, until she acquiesced a smile.

As the laughter died down, Rose leaned on the ramparts, her chin resting on her arm. Moments passed as more trinkets and arrows were handed out (Someone even fetched a quiver full of Rose's runic arrows. She made a stockpile a while back) throughout the ranks of the Valigart before Rose finally spoke again. "I hate the waiting. It's... So dreary, like we're waiting on our own funerals," she said rather bluntly before looking over to the other archers and smiled, "I don't know about you ladies, but this certainly isn't my funeral, and each bastard who even comes within shooting distance, will find a new hole to breathe out of," She said to the agreement of the archers. She turned around, sliding down the rampart and sat with her back against it. "I wonder how dad is holding up. This has got to be taking a lot out of him," She said, genuinely worried, "He's the only reason the Legion regroup as far back as they do," She said, leaning back, wishing there was something else she could do.

"Hey Rose, don't you have to answer the call today?" Lily, the woman on the other side of Rose, said. "That was today?" Rose asked. Another wave of laughter as Lily tapped the top of Rose's head, "Yes it is, you idiot. Didn't your father explicitly ask you to be there?" Lily asked. Rose shrugged and replied, "Oh. Well, when was the last time I listened to dad?" She asked, purposely trying to be as difficult as possible. "Rose, get your ass to the palace," Lily monotoned. Rose smiled, she really irritated Lily that time. "But I don't just want to leave you like this..." She said, these words actually sincere. "Look, we'll be all right. You're just one of the Valigart. I think we can find someone to replace you," Lily said, teasing again. Rose chuckled as Lily helped her to her feet. "You know you can't replace me. Fine, I'll go, but only because you asked so nicely," She said, smiling, "Oh, and Adel? you better treat that Caine boy good," She said with a wink before making off towards the palace.

As promised, Rose made her way to the palace and was greeted by a blind old bat, who pointed to a seemingly random spot where the other stargazers shuffled her off to. The rune where she was led to piqued her curiosity. Rose didn't know what kind of rune it was, as she practiced a more... Practical set of runecrafting. Even then, she wasn't as well versed as she should had been. "Oh well," She muttered as she stood on top of the rune. She did manage to snag a goblet of mead though.

As the Stargazers finished the last of the placements, the eldest among them called for the doors to be shut and for those assembled to be silenced. After a few minutes of effort on the part of the Stargazers, the voices were quieted down to a hushed whisper from one or two particularly rude members of the crowd. The silence was maintained for a few moments, till the Stargazers started to unroll an old scroll, part of which began to chip apart from age as it was unrolled. One member of the Stargazers came before the crowd to speak.

"I understand that with such a grand task, there are many among you who are eager to do what you can to end the crisis." He spoke loudly, selected among his peers for his strong voice and his ability to speak clearly, something often lost among the older and more reclusive Stargazers. "However, we have seen that it will be necessarily to send but a few warriors, chosen by the stars themselves. Sending more will result in disaster." He paused to allow a moment for those gathered to understand what he was saying. "As such, we will select you soon, choosing out those destined by fate to join upon this dangerous task. When you are asked to step forward, please follow along and stand up here." The Stargazer gestured behind him, where the highest part of the flooring was, on par with the rest of the palace. It was an invitation to stand on the same ground as the Royal family, some more loyal citizens would consider it an honor.

The Stargazers were gathered around a scroll, where they whispered and discussed how to interpret the signs, after each choice was made, a young man or woman from their apprentices would be sent off to bring forward the selected. Kalad Ashchrom was the first to be selected, the young woman who came for him smiled pleasantly as she held her hand out to guide him. Then Shawn Holyfield, the young man sent before him gestured to the warrior to come up to the stage, far too frightened to make contact with the outsider. The Stargazers had brought before them: Rosaline, Django, Shurik, Bridget, Marielle and finally after a quick argument between the Stargazers, Nathaniel.

Each were told to stand next to the one selected before them, each was given bowed heads of respect from the servants to the Stargazers. An angry looking man wielding two swords left the spot where he was standing and started walking towards the group of selected, he spoke with fury in his voice, "You would choose such weaklings over me! That girl is barely a child! And look at him!" His face was red with anger and passion, deep feelings of betrayal in his heart. One of the Stargazers held out her hand in front of him, her voice was fearless, "You may not approach further. You are you leave immediately." The man drew his blade and struck her across the side with a single motion, having lost his senses.

Many would move to react, many would place hands on their weapons or start to take steps, but a whirling axe blade tossed from further in the room split the raging man's skull apart, his body dropping backwards towards the ground. As eyes turned to look, there stood the King, his arm outstretched from his toss. He stood up straight and continued to walk towards the group as attendants ran to assist the wounded Stargazer. The King's path lead him to stand before those that had been chosen, a severe look upon his face as he studied each of them intently for flaws and weaknesses. Even as he bore his gaze down upon him the Stargazers were encouraging the others to make their way out, and for those who would still see their bravery noticed, to make their way toward the Knight-Captains post. The city still needed brave warriors to defend it.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, King Albrect stepped before Kalad, patting the man on the arm firmly and grabbing on to the front panel of Kalad's armor. "You are the Ashchrom boy, all grown up. Good, you father once forged me a fine blade. I expect you to be forged with the same dedication he has always shown. A good man from a good family." The King nodded his head in approval, but kept his stern look as he moved down the line.

His judging eyes came upon Shawn, peering firmly into his eyes, as though they were two beasts in a staredown. Finally the King gave a nod of respect to the barbarian. "I received the bear. Killed with strong hands, hands I hope will give their strength to less hardened warriors." He paused for a moment to study the man, "And to crush the Black Legion." His eyes held firmly locked with Shawn's even as he began to walk down the line.

King Albrect looked upon Rosaline, the first softening of his facial expression came. "The daughter of Arthur Mellikot." He put his hand on her armor and gave it a tug, as older warriors were known to do with the young. "Shoot well," he patted the patch of her belly that lacked any armor to protect it, "and avoid a wound to the gut." Being mocked and complimented in the same was a difficult thing, but there was little choice but to accept his words. "Aim for the underbelly of the great lizards, arrows won't pierce their hide elsewhere." He continued down the line, his stern look returning.

Django fell before that deeply judging gaze, while the King stared down at the man as though he were a child being looked at for signs of guilt. "A swordsman, hopefully a brave one. You remind me of a man I once fought beside. Use you talents to guard my daughter well." He gave Django a firm pat on the shoulder and continued along.

As he came before Shurik Mad-Blade he seemed almost frustrated, he looked forward at the man with a deep scrutiny that he had not placed upon the others. "I will confess, I know nothing of you. My men tell me you come from the deserts to the south, I have never ventured there." The king placed his fist to his chest and made a firm pounding noise. "Use what skills you possess for this quest, ensure that the Black Legion falls. And perhaps, after this is over, you will be willing to tell us about your people."

King Albrect stood before Bridget his left hand tensed into a ball, his eyes slowly edged from a look of study to a gaze of anger. He reached out and grabbed her arm like a man about to scold a child. His senses seemed to take hold and he relaxed his grip and gave her a gentler pat on her arm. "I know your face, and it hurts my pride to have you stand before me, yet I cannot deny the need for those with your skills. You have killed many, yet all this will be pardoned if you complete this quest. You will find yourself rewarded." He paused as if to let go of something in his heart, "Bring my daughter back to me when the task is done and you will also have my forgiveness."

He stepped away from Bridget quickly, moving to stand far above the Sky Elf before him, "If you have received any ill treatment from my people, please forgive us, we are not used to meeting with your kind." He held out his hand to take hers and gently held it for a moment, "In Orlay, our elders are respected, and you should have received such respect while you were within our city. I will try to secure you a much more appropriate reception when you return. I thank you for coming."

Finally he came to the last, Nathaniel. He shook his head a bit when he came before the young man. "Youth and ambition often follow hand in hand. I do not know what role you will play in this tale, yet you are a part of it as destined by the stars. You are young, and were I choosing men for this task by my eye alone you would not be here. Do not take these words as insult." He grabbed Nathaniel by his armor and pulled at it to check it was firmly in place. "Regardless of age, you return as a man with full rights. You will bear the title of hero as mightily as any other."

The King stood at his full height, stepping before the group as a whole and looking over them. "Do you have any questions for me? Any thing you need to request or any clarifications I can make as to the intent of this quest?" His voice was firm and strong, possessing the refined quality of nobility and the strength of a veteran warrior. As he finished speaking, a young man came up and handed the king the axe he had thrown earlier, now cleaned of gore.

"Wait, what? Me? ... Fuck." Rose cursed, startling the men around her. Who would have imagined the pretty little lass beside them would drop such a vulgar word. The reason for the drop was that she wasn't actually expecting to be chosen for anything. Her father asked her to make the trip in his stead because he was so busy lately, what with organizing the archers against the legion and all. She fully expected to see some sort of ceremony, with big buff men being chosen for a daring and dangerous mission. She'd clap, cheer, blow kisses in their directions, and then head back to the wall with the rest of the Valigart. She didn't expect that some trouble-making archer would be chosen instead of a big man with her weight in muscle alone. Well, there was that one fellow who looked like a barbarian who wrestled bears for fun. Huh, Rose had found the guy she was standing behind if things got too intense.

Despite her initial outburst, she followed the young stargazer who came to collect her courteously (well, for Rose) and was deposited between the barbarian... Shawn was it? and some other guy with a brown bandana she had never seen before. Where were they scraping this lot from? It seemed like the stars had the same sense of humor as Rose did. She chuckled with this thought. The shock and surprise at being chosen had worn off and she had returned to her jovial optimistic self. What a fun adventure this was going to be. Her cheer was cut short as some man seemed mad he wasn't going to get in on the adventure either. "Asshole," Rose muttered, "Who's he calling a little girl?" She asked Shawn, knowing it couldn't be her. She was a soldier dammit, and she was to be treated like one. Her irritation was alleviated when she looked down the line and saw that there were, in fact, other women who looked younger than she did. "Oh," She added.

Time for words passed when the man drew his blade, likewise causing Rose to draw her bow. By the time she finally got an arrow nocked, the man had already cut the Stargazer, and when she finally sighted the man and began to pull the bowstring taut, an axe beat her to the prize. Rose's eyes shifted to where the axe had came from and found the King sitting with his hand outstretched. "Beaten by the King," Rose muttered dourly. Immediately though she brightened and spoke at the men around her," Good thing King Albrect's a badass, yeah? I can take that loss," She said, allowing the bowstring to slacken and replaced the arrow back in her quiver. She did not, however, replace the bow. Who knew how many other idiots would attempt the same thing?

As those who weren't chosen began to file out of the Palace, the King began to go down the line and give words of encouragement to each chosen. First was Shawn. Then her. Her's was a complement and a mocking gesture. "Of course Sire," She said about shooting well. "Gah," She said with surpise when his rough hands patted her belly, "They'd have to get close first," she added said with a confident smile. Then came the foreigner bandanna man. She should probably get his name eventually. Then came the others. Needed their names too. Well, except for Kalad. She knew of him. And was that an elf?

When the King had finally finished, Rose was leaning on her bow like a walking stick. He asked if there were any questions. The thought almost made Rose laugh. It was like when a mentor asked if there was anything else their students needed to know. Looking down the line once and to Shawn, she spoke first. "Uh, yeah, I guess I have one," She said raising her hand, "When do we start?"

Rose never was the patient one.

Django didn't expect to be chosen that fast. "Whoa, that was...easy, but never underestimate the Stargazers, they know their ways of predicting things. At last, I won't fail you in carrying on your legacy Master!" he thought quietly as He walked to where the others were being gathered and noticed the rage filled warrior ranting about the choices. He gripped the iron sword at his side and prepared for a struggle but saw the immediate answer to those who dared stood up to the stargazers choice as he saw an axe cleave the man's head in two. Realizing as he turned that the one who stopped the struggle before it began was King Albrect.

King Albrect! Oh how his Master talked about his exploits in Orlay with this man. To Django, both his Mentor and King Albrect, were his idols in the ways of a warrior. He watched as The king made careful inspection of the people gathered. He looked through the lines to list who was chosen. He noted the large Barbarian right away. He knew that he would have to cover his back him. There was a female archer in Orlay's soldier attire, whom he thought was giving him the most peculiar stares, that the king gave familiarty with a bit of an insulting gesture to the bare stomach of the lass. He was about to chuckle until the king turned his attention to him.

The King's eyes felt like they were piercing into Django's soul to find a fault in him. He never felt such piercing eyes before, the eyes of an old veteran warrior who knew his way of judging one's skill, save for his own mentor's eyes. He was then patted on the shoulder and looked at the others he was inspecting. A desert dweller, two wielders of magic, one wearing the look of a medic about him and one that was next to the Barbarian, another woman warrior, and then to his realization, an elf. "As I live and breathe.." He muttered to himself. He only heard about the reclusive elves, but he never thought he saw one.

When the King was finished inspecting and asked for questions he only had one thing to say. "I'm willing and able to go upon this quest." He saluted to the king by closing his right hand into a fist and placing it to his heart, showing the back of the glove that displayed the Number upon it. "I am Django Faraelis and I am at your service, as was my master before me."

Many of the Stargazers gather their things and beginning returning towards their tower, even with the importance of sending off the heroes, they have many tasks ahead of them. There are stages to this battle that go beyond what a commander can judge with his eyes, and to this end the Stargazers regroup to see beyond what normal men can see. They gather to tell of what will come, to serve as the King's wise advisers in the darkest of hours.

King Albrect is a strong willed man with the heart of a lion, but his body is aged and his nights have been restless, even as he stands before the selected heroes, expending his composure to appear strong before a tide of destruction. Many friends lost, many more still to lose, yet a King cannot afford tears nor sorrow. He lifts his hand, fingers gesturing to a woman standing far behind, a lady in service to the queen. The middle-aged woman turns and begins heading towards the inner part of the castle, where the royal family makes their home.

No severe questions came from the heroes, yet there were things that must be said all the same. After a deep breath and a moment of thought the king began to speak.

"No simple task awaits you in the west, there are many dangers, as I am sure many of you are familiar with. The Black Legion is marching upon us, and more of their numbers emerge with each day. Many of my men and women await for the beginning of this quest and they will give you the opening you need to make it to the cover of the woods. I ask that you honor their sacrifice, for they march out knowing they face death in leaving the city walls."

His eyes closed for a moment, as he pictured what he could remember of the paths beyond the western wall. His fist tensed as he struggled to recall a name.

"Many years have past since I once walked in the outer lands, my mind is not clear on the paths nor should I advise you on where to go when you enter. My daughter seems to feel the pull, her eyes sometimes drift, her attention absent as she peers off to something beyond out sight. Follow her gaze should you become unsure of the way to the Black Legions' lair."

He glanced over each of them, "You will have a short period of time in order to prepare yourselves, I had packs of dried food readied, bread and salted meat along with waterskins. It would be best not to take the time to hunt, unless need demands it. Every day it takes for this quest to complete is a day that we spend having to hold our walls. My generals tell me they believe we can hold against this siege for three weeks, I do not believe we have more than two. Rapacity is a virtue in this, mix it well with carefulness but dread to tarry. We place the fate of Orlay in your hands."

A woman, beautiful with a steady look appears in regal clothing, from her eyes it is clear that she has been crying though she has done her best to cover it up. Beside her is a younger woman, wearing plainer, yet still fancy, clothing. The first of the two is the queen, a necklace bearing the crest of the royal family intends to make it clear to those who would not otherwise know. The woman at her side is her handmaiden, a woman of distinction and scholarly wit. Behind the two, a small girl peeks out to see the strangers who have gathered in her home.

Neither woman says anything as they walk closer, nor does the girl, who swiftly returns to hide behind her mother. The King gives a brief glance behind him, hearing the clack of less practical shoes on the wood and stone of the floors.

"Here comes my wife with my daughter now, please forgive her grieving, she does not wish to see our daughter part from our arms. It is a thing of sorrow for us both, as I imagine any parent would feel. Excuse us for showing our hearts so plainly," the King spoke with a softer tone, his voice shifting from how he speaks to his subjects into how he speaks around his child and wife. "Have Mylina come over here, these are our champions, selected by the stars of destiny."

The little girl was lifted up by the Queen's handmaiden and carried over towards her father. Mylina desperately buried her face in the handmaiden's neck, hiding away from the unusual people who she was being introduced to. The handmaiden stood the girl beside her father and pressed a hand on the child's back with a whispered, "stand properly." The Queen stood back, watching from a short distance away, she did not wish to come closer as her heart was already pressing her close to tears again.

"This is Mylina. My only daughter. She was born with strange markings upon her back, circles and line with runes and other archaic markings. They were recorded and many have worked on deciphering what it means but to no avail. The Stargazers tell me that this is what will undo the bindings of the Black Legion and reduce them to dust before us. No other reason would I let my daughter part my sight were it not for the end that meets us should she not go. I am glad so many of you speak of dedication, and I ask that you do what you can to protect Mylina on the way there and back again."

The little girl's eyes glanced at each of the warriors gathered, her own mind barely understanding what was being asked of her. She had been explained that she would accompany them, but her young mind couldn't appreciate the importance of such a monumental task. Her eyes looked over each with confusion and fear, only a couple of them were anything similar to the people she was used to.

"Gather yourselves, your task will soon begin, follow my man," He gestured to a middle aged scholar who was walking into the room, "He will guide you to where we are getting ready." The King leaned down to hug his daughter, "Mylina, these warriors will guide you. Stay with them, listen to what you are told and try not to be afraid. I love you my child, I am sorry to ask you for so much."

The scholar gestured with a limp hand, "Right along this way," his voice was rasp and nasally with an unpleasant whine. He started walking towards a side courtyard where several attendants had bags in their hands to hand off and an armored man stood beside a small cashe of weapons and gear. A couple of younger ladies, hardly twenty, stood together holding several finely woven, and darkly colored cloaks, behind them remained the rest.

The Scholar spoke again, "Take what you will, if you need for anything else before you depart, simply let me know and I'll see if we can fetch it for you." His unpleasant voice did not seem to bother the attendants but one of the girls with the cloak seemed to cringe slightly as he spoke. His every word like fingernails on slate to her ears.

Minutes after the young princess was lead out by her father, held firmly by the hand. She was wearing a many layered dress of fine quality, and well crafted shoes for a woodland journey. She fussed over the rough wool cloak that covered her, the scratchy fibers were something she was unused to having to wear. Her father gave a stern look and she put her hands down, letting the cloak rest against her without further adjustment.

For once, since being summoned and chosen for the quest, Rose felt something other than optimism. It was dread. Soldiers, men and women, were going to sacrifice themselves so that they may make it to begin the journey in earnest. She was taken aback by this revelation, she didn't know- or perhaps even wanted to know- how they were to break through the lines of the Legion. Now it dawned on her. They were to be given an opening by the sacrifice of soldiers, who believed that they, they would end this nightmare. Rose's eyes grew wide and for once since being called, looked distressed. How many of those being sacrificed had she known. It could be any of them. Lily, Adel, Caine, even her father. Rose bit her lip, tasting the copper on her tongue. Could they truly succeed, and make sure that this sacrifice would not be in vain? She didn't know... She just didn't know.

Rose was brought out of her dread by the appearance of a tear stained face. The queen. Rose bowed her head to the queen and looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the little tyke hiding behind skirts. It almost brought a smile back to Rose's face, but her thoughts were still in turmoil. This would not be some grand adventure like she thought it would be. It wasn't going to fun, and the entire kingdom rest on their shoulders. Suddenly, she felt the entire weight upon hers, and no precious child would make her forget about it right now.

Mylina. Such a pretty name. And she looked so worried and confused. A hand went to Rose's forehead as her thoughts flew up into a flurry. Dammit, everything got some complicated in such a short amount of time. Not only was the kingdom in their hands, but this little child as well, no more than seven years old. Dammit. This wasn't her, this wasn't Rose. She wasn't some savior, she was just a loyal- if troublemaking- soldier, a proud member of the Valigart. Not some hero. Still though, she couldn't pull her eyes away from the child. The precious little thing in her daddy's arms, scared out of her mind. Her own thoughts went to her own father and he used to hold her like that. Finally, the tears began to roll down the conflicted archer's cheeks.

She was being selfish. This wasn't about her, how everything was complicated for her. It was about the kingdom, about her friends, and most importantly, about that little girl. "Dammit," She muttered under her breath in a cracked voice. She shouldn't be crying in front of this child like this. Rose was her protector, she couldn't seem weak in front of her. Rose pushed the tears back and put on her best smile and approached the king and his daughter. She nodded at the king with the same optimistic (if troubled) smile she appeared in. And although her eyes were red from tears, she tried her best to look brave.

She knelt to the Princess and ruffled the girl's hair, still smiling a wide and comforting smile. She placed a warm hand on the girl shoulder and spoke, "Hello there Mylina. My name is Rose," She said, "I'm one of your guardians. Don't be scared, and don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you- Ever," she said with full conviction, giving the girl her hand to take. "Let's go yeah? The faster we get done, the faster we can get you back home and to your mom and dad!" She said, optimism swinging back in full. Once again, she gave the girl the widest smile she could possible muster. Who would have thought Rose could be so... Sisterly. "Now go with your dad for the moment, I'll see you again in a minute, okay?"

With that, they were taken to a courtyard with provisions and gear. She had enough arrows and supplies to last a while, but she still took on extra provisions of rations and water- personally carrying the supplies that Mylina would need herself. Despite her not being the strongest of those assembled, she would bare the burden herself. Rose had decided to personally take up for the child, since she couldn't see a man like Shawn or the foreigner acting nice to the girl, and she would probably be frightened of the elf. It had to be her. She even managed to snag another quiver of arrows before picking out a dark blue cloak to wear over her armor.

Again, Mylina was lead out by her father in a wool cloak. It looked scratchy by the way she tugged at it before her father shot her a look- a look all fathers gave their daughters. Rose still got those looks from her own father. It made the archer giggle. She approached the child and knelt in front of her again, this time adjusting the cloak for her. "You'll get used to it eventually," she said with a wink. It was about this time the foreigner with the dark skin approached. Shurik was it? He did something Rose didn't expect the man to do. Comfort the child. He didn't seem like the one who would try to comfort a child, even if it was with a blade. It was a touching sentiment to be sure, one she couldn't help but smile at. She looked at Shurik with the same smile and spoke, "That's nice. But if she cuts herself with it, I'm cutting you," She said with a wink. Despite he was handing a dangerous weapon to the child, she kept her mouth closed (for once). Who was she to reject the sentiment on behalf of the child?

Then she chewed on the side of her cheek, thinking. "Huh... How about some some cookies for the trip?" Without waiting for the answer, she turned and barked at one of the star-gazers. "Hey! Someone fetch me a bag of cookies!" She called before standing and handing out her own hand out for the girl to take. She looked up to Albrect and nodded with a optimistic smile. "I'll look out for her, sire. She reminds me of myself," She said on reflection. Then she thought about it for a second...

"I don't know if that's a good thing though," She said, shooting another wink to the child.

The king did not acknowledge Shawn's request, but in honesty it wasn't one to begin with. Shawn was going to take it even if he had to kill the others to do so. He glared about at the others and the king as more spoke, and looked up as the girl was shown to them, revealing a small quivering figure that they had to defend from the Legion and all of its horrors. Shawn smiled and rolled his shoulders as though he were loosening up to prepare for a fight, a sign that he was anxious for battle. The challenge piled on with every moment, and surviving in of itself would bring his name glory, but Shawn was strong enough to shoulder all of it, and use that weight to crush his enemies. The woman who had stood beside him went to console the child, as did the whisperer from before, and Shawn watched in interest, as well as listening carefully to their words. Both used flowery speech to bring comfort, but talk never won battles, not amongst the clans at any rate. The giant of a man turned to face the King, slamming a fist to his chest and grunted.

"She is clan" He said simply as he turned and headed to view the weapons and armor provided by the King's men, casting aside his own battered blade for a hefty claymore, weighing as much as a small child, part of the weight focused at the tip of the dense blade to make swings faster, giving them more momentum and cutting power. It was a fine blade, and Shawn accepted it, holstering it as he looked around at the selection again, not seeing anything else that suited his eye, and so took a knife and called it a day for the shopping. He finished as the whisperer and woman finished speaking to the girl, and Shawn decided to approach her, crouching down to get closer to her eye level.

"Shawn strong, you no need be". It was simple, and to a fellow of the clan, it would be an insult, but Shawn meant it as comfort. She had the power to do what none in the clans could, which was destroy the Legion, so she obviously had strength elsewhere besides her arms. Shawn chose to respect it, or kill her if those marks were just that and nothing more. He stood and joined the others, settling beside the first to be chosen, one whose armor bore more funny symbols, and gave him a stern glare.

"King say Orlay fight so we start. Nine clan die so Shawn get into Orlay... Excited to see how many Orlay worth one Clan. They die with honor like Clan... die strong like Clan" He said, a tinge of sadness in his voice hinting at his missing his brethren, remembering as they slew other clans together, and eventually the Legion until numbers overcame them. The barbarian looked over at the King one last time and gave a nod as he headed out, grabbing a mud brown cloak on his way, snatching a slab of beef from a banquet table as he headed back outside. He lived his day to day outside... it felt wrong to not do so now at the start of his greatest conquest.

Lead into the small courtyard with the others, Nate was currently hard at work looking through the weapons presented to the heroes. The medic had rarely been anywhere near the front lines during his service to Orlay but now he would soon see himself charging through them to get into the vast forest outside his kingdoms walls. It also didn't help the only thing close to a weapon he carried was a pike which was mainly used to create a magical barrier for quick patch jobs on the field. Finding a small collection of short swords, the young man grabs a simple looking blade and pulls it out of its sheath to get a better look. Taking a few practice swings, Nate finds that it should suit his needs perfectly places the weapon back in its holster before tying the scabbard to his belt. In a similar fashion the medic goes and finds a buckler amongst a pile of shields and secures it to his forearm.

After accepting a cloak from one of the servants, Nate makes his way over to the small crowd gathered around the princess. While he normally couldn't stand children, Mylina was a exception. If what the stargazers had prophesized about her was correct, she appeared to have some connection to the legion's power source, which apparently also doubled as a compass for leading them towards it. The medic's curiosity was abuzz with questions though he doubted anyone could really answer them so for now he did the logical thing and keep his mouth shut while the Valigart talked to the princess and the barbarian known as Shawn gave a typical alpha male speech. Sighing slightly as the brute walked off, Nate raised a eyebrow at the battle mage who then began growling and snarling as a form of communication with Shawn. If that was the way the barbarians communicated normally it explained why Orlay was able to fend off the simpletons for years.

Far behind the inner wall to the courtyard, beyond this small grassy patch smelling of sweet honey and lilac sprigs, there was a war. The battle was raging once more, and the faint clash of metal, the shattering of blades against blades haunted the air with a shrill reminder to those gathered in this safe place. Death ravaged on as time was spent here. Few smiles came to the faces of those servants here to assist, and for some, the only reason they were not in tears was because they had already mourned for the dead who still live, those swordsmen who held the privilege of being the front line.

The actions of Shurik were frightening to the young queen, who lacked the age, or years of battle her husband had. A small gesture from the King kept her reaction pleasant, she trusted her husband in these matters, despite the whelming fear that plagued her. She was not prepared for blood. She spoke in soft words, "I thank you for your kindness, bring my child back to me and you will have my gratitude for the rest of my days." Shurik's ways were confusing but, should anyone be able to do something like this perhaps this group of strange individuals was the best bet in succeeding. Or so the Queen thought as she watched Shurik step away.

Rose's comforts, along with those of Shawn were received with nods of appreciation from the King and strange stares from the young princess, she did not speak in response to either of them, she simply watched them with curious eyes. It felt like something more lay behind her gaze, something eerie.

In the courtyard, the girl held the knife she was given in her hands, looking at it the same way one might admire a piece of art, she held it gently. The King looked to Shurik, "thank you for your kindness. I am happy that you will be on this journey." The King smiled at Rosaline's behavior, "You will do a fine job. Orlay trusts you to guard our walls, and I trust you with my daughter."

Once everyone appeared to be ready and had things gathered the King gave a gentle push on the back to his daughter, "Stay with your guardians, listen well to them. It is time for your journey to begin and for all of us to play the roles we were born to play." He looked up towards the others, his voice spoke with more conviction, "We begin. Head towards the city gate, there will be several of the people of Orlay present to assist in this endeavor. Each is ready to do what they must to help, to guard you till you can escape the Black Legion. A last warning, stay together, work together. You will surely each come to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses." He held his hand up, "May the Ancestors watch over you, and the stars guide you."

The pathway down towards the city gate was made clear, any debris that might have been blocking the passage was now removed. By the gate a small group of riders in heavy armor sat atop fine horses equally armored. Groups of spearmen stood at the ready behind them, great shields in their off hands to create a wall to pass between. At the far back an elderly man stood, two apprentices by his sides held up paper banners covered in runic wards and geometric shapes.

The last bit to this plan seemed to be the arrival of the Princess and her guardians, though few at the walls could spare the time to watch their approach.

Rose nodded and handed out her hand for the little princess to take. With the last of the King's blessings, prayer, warnings they set off for the city gates. The trip itself was relatively uneventful. Rose was deep in her own thoughts during the walk. Mostly about how to best protect the princess during the initial dash to the forest. She couldn't carry the girl and fire off her bow at the same time. She couldn't hoist her on her back because of her bow and arrows, but she didn't want the princess to run herself. Rose figured the best thing would be to have one of the men carry her on their back as they ran, best case would be Shawn. He looked like he could carry and princess and protect her while running. Besides that would free up her hands to fire off her bow.

"Hey, Shawn," She beckoned in a muted voice, "When we break past the gates, can you carry the princess?" She asked. Whatever the answer, they soon appeared at the mouth of the gate. Men-at-arms, soldiers, archers, and all were there. Though Rose's eyes weren't drawn to the lancers on great horses or the infantry spear men, but the archers on the wall. Specifically, the Valigart. They must have gotten new orders while she was away. One of the girls, Adel, noticed Rose and waved at her from the wall. To her side was Lily.

"Damn! We have to depend on you? Well Shi-" She was jabbed hard in the ribs by Adel next to her, who then motioned to the child beside Rose, "... Shoot. You always seem to find the worst kind of trouble, don't you?" She called laughing. Rose pushed the blonde strands out of her eyes as she looked up to Lily, "You know you're gonna miss me. Hell, when I'm gone, who's going to keep you two straight?" She replied smiling, causing both Lily and Adel to laugh. Finally Adel spoke, "We will miss you, ya know? But all the more reason to get back quickly, yeah?" Adel then looked down the line of Valigart Archers and back. "The entire unit wishes you luck," She said to the agreement of a couple of archers who weren't busy firing into the legion.

"Look," Lily added, "We've bet a lot on you. We've got the whole kingdom riding you you and your friends' shoulder. Best not screw it up for all of us, got it?" Rose gave the thumbs up, "You know me, I always get the job done!" She said.

"Like turning my head gray?" A strong voice said from another part of the wall. The owner of this voice was an older man, about Albrect's age and he looked just as healthy, if not as muscular. His once blonde hair and beard was now more gray. Worry lines etched across his face, but his eyes were still a sparkling blue. He was thin and slender, but his arms were long bands of muscles toned from years of pulling a bowstring. As he approached the lip of the wall, he still had a light step in his gait. Rose was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the man, and still couldn't believe her eyes as the man descended a ladder.

"Daddy?" She asked as she made her way past the soldiers and met with her father. The first thing that either of them did was give the other a hug. You're a grown woman, and still manage to worry the hair off my head. Getting chosen like that, it's crazy girl," Athur said, still embracing his daughter, "Yeah, like I had a choice in the matter daddy," She replied, finally breaking the embrace. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you said you were planning today?" Rose asked, to which Arthur responded by pointing at the archers on the wall, "I was. Though I had hoped to meet you on the wall instead of down here. We'll cover your advance from up there," He added.

Arthur then looked at those who were chosen by the stars. "A good lot by the look of them. Trust them, Rose. Though keep an eye on the men," He said with a wink. No doubt Rose's single status worried her father as well. Rose sighed and groaned, "Daaad." Arthur smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead, "Good luck and be careful Rose, we're counting on you. May your arrows always fly true and nail the son of a bitch that you're aiming for," He said, mounting the ladder to ascend the wall once more. "Thanks daddy, yours too... Love you," She added before making her way back to Mylina. She grinned at the princess, "Daddies never forget their daughters. But ours are going to be bald from worry when we return," She said with a wink.

The castle grounds were abuzz with activity, a familiar sight to the veteran warrior studying their movements as they prepared, himself preparing for the day his blade would be turned on them. In his boredom waiting on the others to pick out weapons and tend to their affairs before setting out, Shawn had decided to climb a tree and liberate a sturdy limb from the proud oak, and sat parallel to the gates as he whittled himself a sturdy club, watching the Legion intently as he did so. By the time he finished, the others were gathering near him, and decided to rejoin the group, with the one named Rose asking Shawn to tend to the child when they made their way out through the Legion.

"Shawn fight, not nurse. Shawn lead charge, crush Legion underfoot. Whispering man close behind, catch what Shawn wound, and girl in middle with magic user...", Shawn said as he pointed at Nathan, "...so strong can fight. Fire man behind them, make sure Legion can't split group, while others kill stragglers. Archer's have daggers ready, no need bows until we break through" Shawn replied to the suggestion, believing it to be a bad idea for him to care for the child when skulls needed crushing. He may be a brute, but even he had need for strategy on the battlefield... a Battlemaster didn't earn his title by being completely mindless like the beserkers.

"Shawn want test new club anyway" the beast of a man said, almost playfully as he swung the hunk of wood around, casually though to a trained eye one could tell he had bludgeoned with such a weapon before. "But Shawn best at charge, he and nine clan had break through Legion to get into city and only lost seven to Legion... Orlay archers kill other two clan when we enter range" Shawn said, shooting Rose and Bridget a glare, not knowing if they had been on the wall that day or not, but for the moment he assumed they both were, tensing his body as though he wanted to crush them on the spot, which he did, but restrained himself for the greater glory of defeating the Legion.

The outer wall shook with the might of the endless ranks of the Black Legion, the next wave of the assault reached the stonework with a clash of metal on rock. Arrows pelted fanatically downwards as the legion fell one by one. Their thinning gave little comfort as a sea of new warriors poured forward, marching upon their own fallen to get ever closer to overcoming the defenders of the city. Goodbyes were suddenly halted as the demands of the wall came to light. A stocky man of foreign origin fell from the wall, his dark screams quickly silenced under the unforgiving blade of a Black Legionnaire, for there were no prisoners taken by this army nor mercy shown.

The young princess made no noise, nor did she cower or show awareness of the events transpiring around her. Even as other children hid within the walls, weeping in fear or cowering in their homes, Princess Mylina simply watched. A man in his twenties standing atop a nearby roof, able to survey the other side of the wall shouted down to his captain, the man on horseback who would lead the Calvary out into the field. "Sir, they're all forward pressed, the gap is there!" the man's voice was hard to hear over the clash of battle, but he used every bit of his voice to cry out over the noise.

A young captain, identified by the overlay on his garment (though his years would indicate otherwise), gestured towards the group to come forward, the time had come to give an opening, to split apart the enemy forces in order to give the heroes the chance they would need to reach beyond the walls of the city. It was a half day's walk to the Great Wall, if they were swift of foot they could make it far sooner. Alacrity was as necessary as carefulness, a trial for a group of individuals that were little more than strangers to each other. Time would bind them closer, or seem them all destroyed.

A horn was blown to coordinate the various parts of this endeavor and immediately the old mage's hands began to gesture in wide arcs, eldritch power crackled forth from the two banners, the numbers and geometric shapes rose up and away from the page and began surrounding the elderly man, the life in his cheeks seemed to drain away as his gestures drew closer towards himself. Arcane energy polluted the ground below him in a mirage of color and distortion, a sight few would see again, a magic never before preformed and likely to ever be performed again.

The gates pried open with the turning of a spoked wheel, the archers above leaned over the wall to fire arrows at the entrance as the Calvary captain reared his horse and drew out his sword, glimmering brass in the sunlight. As his horse's hooves landed on the ground the horsemen all took their charge, galloping into the horde that lie before them. They were but the wedge to open the way, and they rode out with cries of bravery swinging their blades down to strike at enemies as their mounts trampled over the Legion. Behind them rushed the spearmen, holding open the gap by jabbing at the Legion.

The Valigart were given their order to keep watch over the heroes as they made their way through the gap, to shoot down any of the Black Legion that broke past the spears or horses. Their arrows were precise and well timed, pegging back each of the foes and slaying many of them. Even as they fired to clear the path, the wall below them was being marched upon, the legion edging closer to the archers. One seemed to stay her attention but a sharply barked order brought the focus back to where the other arrows flew.

Rose held Shawn's glare and looked back into the barbarian's eyes. "Orders were to shoot anything that moved," She stated in a matter-of-factually tone. Everything in the Legion's sea of bodies looked so alike, she couldn't say whether it was or wasn't her who gave Shawn's clanmates the killing blow. Even if she did, she was given the orders to protect the city at any costs, and she didn't feel regret at taking any of her shots. What she destroyed then meant one less she had to destroy here, and she wasn't going to apologize for it. But the conversation, if one could call it that, didn't have the chance to get heated as the order was given to open the gates.

The sounding horn indicated the beginning of this journey and the opening maw of the gate was just the start of their path. Rose took a couple of steps back to better cement her position of a rear guard and in one fluid motion had her bow in hand and an arrow in the other. The arrow's fletching was dyed red and orange and the shaft was expertly inscribed with mystical runes. Before gate had opened wide enough to allow for the onslaught of the calvary and spearmen, she began to play a song on her bowstring. She drew and loosed the arrow, firing it at the gap in the gates. In midair, it crackled and popped, igniting in intense flame and piercing the chest of the unlucky legionnaire to find itself in the path of Rose's runic arrow. Upon impact, the entire being burst into flames and like that, the mad charge was off to a start.

And a mad charge it was. Rose expected the barbarian to lose himself in the blood and war instintly, and she wasn't surprised when he did. What did surprise her was the tiny elf Marielle's raw ferocity, managing to even keep up with the barbarian. Next was the loud swordsman Django or Black Thirteen or whatever he called himself screaming no quarter at the fire mage. Shurik, well, the foriegner was gone in a flash, taking the princess along with him. Truth be told, Rose felt more comfortable with Shurik taking the princess than anyone else, as the man seemed least likely not to find a blade in the sea of warriors. Though Rose wished he wouldn't violently kill with the Princess in tow. They were supposed to protect her, not mentally scar her.

It seemed her and the medic were the only really sensible ones in the fray. As Nathan ran ahead to keep up with their companions, Rose followed behind at a clip, letting fly a couple of unruned arrows, each finding their home in the chest of a Legionnaire. Here, even Rose displayed another facet of her personality. The trained killer, a disciplined and lethal soldier of Orlay. She drew another arrow, this time one with deep blue fletching and runes. She nocked it and aimed to the side where the spearmen were busy holding the line. She fired past two extremely surprised spearmen and planted itself into the ground. Moments later and the runes kicked in, slicking the area around the arrow in a thin sheet of ice. Rose immediately nocked another arrow, and couldn't see the sight of a number of legionaries slipping on the ice to be dispatched by the spearmen.

Rose managed to keep step with her group as they surged forward. Wasn't hard to keep track of them really, just follow the bodies. After firing another unruned arrow, she withdrew two arrows, one with white fletching and another ice arrow. She fumbled the white arrow and dropped it on the ground, but managed to nock the ice arrow and sent it flying towards the front of the group. It impacted a Legionnaire, freezing it solid for either the Barbarian or elf to smash at their convenience.

The white fletched arrow would later explode into a heavy white mist, allowing the survivors of the charge to retreat back to the castle under cover. If she had timed it right, it would set off once her party had made it to the woods.

Laughter escaped Shawn's lips once they broke through the Legion ranks and his frenzy had calmed with a lack of enemies to destroy. His mind drifting back towards sanity, the warrior took in his surroundings and found the land to be unfamiliar. His clan had traveled another way to get to Orlay, and his people lived beyond the Great Wall, but he still had the survival skills which came from a life spent enduring the wilderness. His eyes caught sight of the river, as well as the wall in the distance, but turned his attention to the girl with the pointed ears, crouching down and lightly poking her arms a few times before smiling and looking her in the eye.

"Fought good, strong like clan but too..." He trailed off, searching for the right word in the foreign tongue he used, but then looked up at Kalad.

"Tell her she fought good but was too contained and focused, fought like an Orlay" Shawn waited for Kalad to relay the message, and resumed his smile at the Elf.

"All pointy ears strong as you, or you Dragon blood?" He asked, asking if she got her strength as his own clan had, who would hunt and kill dragons in the ancient times, drinking their blood and using the dragon bones and hide for weapons and armor. The blood they drank would ensure a strong child, or so the shamans would say. When he finished examining the elf, he looked to the rest of the group.

"Dark Armors marched like ants over dead. Avoid now" he said before pointing at the river, "Find water and follow to wall. Clan follow river to Orlay, but Dark Armors may camp near now. Any you know these wood?" he asked, glancing about the group, taking care to ensure Rose saw his earlier declaration of hate had not diminished due to having fought together with his gazes towards her, but said nothing concerning it. For now he was content to figure out where to go now that they had broken through the Legion for the moment. A few things were obvious, even to Shawn, such as having clean water and a source of game to hunt for meat. Shawn believed they should camp near the river, and travel through the forests when they advanced towards the wall. The trees would keep the Legion unable to make full use of their numbers as they would in a field or meadow, and was certain the damned warriors were incapable of stealth, which this group was not... mostly. Shawn was capable but chose not to make use of it, as the bigger kills wanted fights to begin with, and bears had more meat on their bones than a timid elk.

Rose sat on a rock and let her gaze drift skywards. The talking of the others were just a dull whisper in the back of her mind. She was too far lost in her own thoughts to make out what they were saying. She gripped he bow tightly as she thought. Before they broke into the forest. Before they had made it here to relative safety. She had seen some of the legion ascend the wall and attack some of the Valigart. She didn't know if they all nor none had survived the attack, and that thought frightened her. Her thoughts fell upon Lily and Adel and whether they were the ones who fell to the Legion. She could feel the despair in the recesses of her mind try to take hold of her mind.

Then she sharply tore her head away from the sky and those thoughts. Thoughts like that were not going to help anybody. Not the Valigart, not the princess, no one. Instead, she folded her thoughts up and tucked them somewhere dark. She leaned forward and came to rest her chin on the end of her bow. Despite being surrounded by brave men and an elf, she felt so very alone. Even if she tucked her dire thoughts away, that did little for her underlying dread. She was uncharacteristically quite as the others spoke. She didn't even return Shawn's hate-glare.

"Yeah, follow the river. Whatever," She muttered, throwing a glance back the way they came. What she wouldn't give for just a little bit of peace of mind. To know that her friends had survived. Even so, there was no denying that there had been loss of life either way and that hurt. She allowed her hers to drift away from the path they had trod and back to the matter at hand. Apparently, they were following the river. Sounded fine to her. She never really ventured out of the city, even before the Legion nonsense started. She could find nearly anyplace in the city, but leave that and she was about useless.

She glanced over at Shurik and the Princess. She mustered a forced smile at the princess, merely to fain airs. Then: "Next time, try not to behead anyone with the princess in tow, yeah? That can't be healthy for a girl her age," She said. She had no idea what kind of childhood the Dailak had, but she did know that Mylina wasn't Dailak. Despite being neck deep in legion territory, Rose wished to shield the princess from as much unnecessary bloodshed as possible. She then reached under her blue cloak and pulled out a waterskin. She pulled back and tossed it over to Shurik and explained, "It's the princess's."

Then her eyes drifted to Django, who was laying on his stomach listening to the stream. She was amused by the man. Much less so by his eagerness. She frowned and shrugged, "Dunno, but if it bleeds, then an arrow to the head will solve that problem," She said tapping on her bow, "Or we could have the big guy throw the elf at the problem until it goes away," She added, gesturing toward Shawn and Marielle.

"So are we going or what? I'd rather not stay in one place too long," She said, standing.

After the initial surge forward Kalad had lost himself in the madness of it all. He followed behind the others, following blindly, something he would never have done if not for the stress of the situation at hand, and eventually he found himself standing in a clearing with the others, the sounds of battle behind him. Calming himself with a series of deep breaths, he allows the magic in his armor to dissipate, causing a small cloud of steam to surround him as the heat flows into the cooler air. Eventually his armor is back to normal, though still warm to the touch, and he has ahold of himself enough to hear Shawn speaking to him in his native tongue.

Listening to the large man, he nods and turns to Marielle and relays the message before sheathing his sword on his back and taking a look around, trying to determine where they were in correlation to the palace. While doing so he listen to the others, and notices Rose is not quite herself, which, given the recent events, doesn't surprise him, but he feels as though he should do something. Not knowing the world as well as the others, however, he can think of nothing to say, and so he walks over and lays a hand on her shoulder for a moment, giving her a sympathetic look and hopes she understands his intentions

"If memory serves..." Kalad says for a moment, walking over to the river, looking first upstream, then down, "This river runs all the way to the wall and under it, though a large iron grate. I think our best bet is indeed to follow this for as long as we can, then find someway past the wall when we come to it."

As he speaks he looks around at the group. It was obvious that they would be doing this anyway, but he hoped his words would help to ensure the others, as he suspected he might be the only one with knowledge of the world beyond Orlay in this direction...even if it was only from his history and geography books. Thanks to said books, he also knew that they would indeed have a few fights waiting for them beyond the wall, and probably on the way there as well. Humans may be the dominate race in Orlay, and in the lands within the walled off section of this world, but it was not so in other places. They would need to be prepared for anything, and so he remains standing by the river, waiting for the others to be ready, then falls in with them as they head out.

Shurik waited on his haunches at the riverbank, his low murmurings coming down to complete silence as he finished the ritual cleaning of his blade and carefully returned it to its sheath, listening to the rasp of the curved blade against the rough leather of the weapon's holster. He secured his weapons in their sheaths, and then hauled up the hem of his robes, revealing thick cloth trousers and tall black boots. The assassin folded the hems of his pants and slipped them into the top of the boots, cinching each tightly with a short length of cloth before lowering his robes again. The assassin listened to Shawn speak to Rose, making his best attempts at comforting her. Shurik appreciated his attempts at increasing the obviously troubled Rose's morale, although his speech was a little ambiguous; and although the assassin appreciated the barbarian's skills both on and off the battlefield more than a 'civilized' person would, even he had to admit that Holyfield's speech wasn't the vest for increasing morale at all times.

He stood, his feet falling softly as always across the cool grass, as he stood alongside rose. His low voice was still the same calm, detached rumble as before as he said, "What Shawn means is that the Valigart are obviously more than a match for any Legionaries that may have breached the wall. Should your sisters have fallen, it was only because they lost their footing on a rampart choked with the bodies of their enemies." The assassin stood with his arms crossed, looking downriver.

"We have to go," Shurik stated matter-of-factly, hearing the clanking of Legion armor on the field far away. "The river is low and the banks are exposed; the mud will bog down our progress, and there will no doubt be some sort of cover on the spillway; a cover that will no doubt take significant time and effort to breach." With that stated, the assassin freed his knife from its sheath and withdrew his sword from its loop, taking a few test swings, readjusting his arm to its almost unfamiliar weight. "I will move ahead and attempt to scout what we will be dealing with. I would suggest that if anyone were to join me, it would be Rose or Shawn."

"Coddled?" Rose couldn't help but laugh. The last thing the soldiers were was coddled. Especially her, the daughter of the greatest archer in Orlay. She had certain expectations to live up to because of that heritage . "We may not throw our children off into some wolf pit to toughen them up, but the soldiers of Orlay are a hard sort. We would happily give our lives for our king and our home. Hell, we are fighting for our homes now, and we're cornered. And you best of all should know that a cornered beast is at it's most dangerous, barbarian," She said, staring daggers at Shawn.

"Especially the Valigart," she added, raising her head up high. Depression had shifted into indignation at Shawn's words. "Do you understand how hard the woman have to work to be recognized in Orlay? Much less to become part of the army? The Valigart is the best at what we do and that's to kill whatevers threatening our home before the bastards can even see us on top of that wall," She said. "These lifeless bastards don't have that drive, they don't feel like us. If the things weren't so damn resilient, then they too would have been crushed like everything else that stood against Orlay and her safety," She said, boldly implying the Barbarian's own tragedy. Then she shot a glance to Shurik, "We do not go down easily, and we do not lose our footing, assassin. Best you remember that," She said with full conviction. Their words managed to light a fire in her heart, and now she fully believed in her own words. The Valigart would not let some undead legionnaire bastards kill them, Rose included.

Without waiting a response from either of the men, she unclasped the cloak around her shoulders and tossed it to Marielle, "Hold that for me, please?" She not so much as requested, but demanded. Rose didn't harbor any bias against the elf, but that didn't mean she too was safe from Rose's mood. Then she pulled off a bag and pressed it into Kalad's hands, explaining that, "It's Mylina's. Don't lose it," she said, talking long steps away from the group. "Come on Shurik, didn't you say something about scouting ahead? Then lets get to it," She told Shurik as she pushed forward ahead of the man, nocking an ordinary arrow into her bow as she walked. She threw her head back to the others and then said, "And if the princess is hurt when I get back, I'm going to shove an arrow up each of your asses." The barbarian didn't manage just to start a fire, but more akin to an inferno. Rose couldn't help but want to see a Legionnaire and put an arrow square in the middle of it's skull.

"Come on people, let's get this done so I can go home and stop worrying about this," She called.

Django was shocked to see Rose's anger flare due to Shawn's and Shurik's attempt to calm her depressed mood, but all that did was make her pissed at everyone. He felt that he should finally get his own troubled spirits out in the open but he held his peace, only giving one small hint on what he did know about the legion and what they caused him by letting several tears escape him before his face turned into an calm, yet slightly angered manner in order to act the way he made his first impression.

"Well, Lesson well taught from a barbarian on how not to calm a lady down and have her insult in everyone's faces in five syllables or less." He stated. "But I agree one thing, if we don't get a movin towards the wall and find a way through it and steer clear from the legion baddies our gooses are as well as cooked, not to mention I don't want to take an arrow in the buttocks or worse an arrow in the kneecap."

With that said he looked at Kalad. "Fire-Mage. Since Mad-man with a blade is absent it boils down to you, Madam Marielle, or the Healer Man to carry the Princess if you please?" he asked in a hushed tone. "I'm carrying a Silver Blade on my back and would not like to drop it anytime soon for it feels as though I may need it for future reference. Also, I don't trust anyone who can comfort a lady from a depressed state into a severely angry mood to do the task."

With that he then kept his ears open for any ambushes as he traveled with the others to the wall.

Quickly and silently, Shurik followed Rose through the woods. At one point he had traded his sword and dagger for his shortbow, keeping one arrow nocked at all times as for the sake of stealth. Shurik was no crack shot in comparison to the Valigart, but he could hold his own at range. The two traveled through the woods, low to the riverbank, for what seemed like ages before they eventually came to the breach.

Shurik had never seen a dragon before. To be perfectly honest, the Dailak-shir didn't even believe in dragons, with the exception of myths and faerie stories. They were long gone from the desert sands, chased to the far corners of the world by elves, barbarians and a wide range of other things both natural and otherwise, and the desert-dwelling scholarly types honestly believed that every last one of them were gone. So to see a dragon, even a dead one, was something new for the assassin.

His reaction was exactly what would be expected: no reaction. An intent observer would note that his right eyebrow raised a matter of microns, but other than that the assassin was unflappable. He looked at the dragon, and the Legion marching down its back, with the casual detachment one would note a crushed beetle. He traced his eyes down the ranks of the Legion all the way to the emaciated, corpse-looking commander type, then looked to Rosaline.

"We will have to use the dragon," Shurik murmured. "It is inadvisable, yes, but it is also the only forthcoming solution. We will have to distract them." He cocked his head to one side, looking at Rose with a note of inquisitiveness. "That is your specialty, I trust?"