Sir Griffin's Story

Be calm,wait for the signal.

This was the thought that passed through the young man's head. One foot in front of another, he just needed to focus on that for now. Not for the seething hatred he felt for the man leading this group of murderers. There was certainly plenty to think about on the subject of walking. The young man had never worn a set of full plate before. The armor of the Elfenslaga had to weigh nearly seventy-five pounds. It had a few more articulating pieces than that of other knights. The underarmor was completely hidden behind various overlapping plates attached to the sculpted cuirass and pauldrons. The slanted nature of the armor sacrificed some of the advantages of conventional design to protect from the arrows and magic it was believed the Fae employed.

One foot in front of the other. The overgrown bog they seemed to be wading through didn't make it much better. The young man looked ahead to another, just in front of him. He couldn't see his mentor's face at the moment, as it was covered by a helmet. It was difficult to see anything at all through the slot in his own visor. He wasn't used to this. He set his jaw, determined all the more to perform. His gambeson itched. This group of Elfenslaga had been marching for three days. Who knows when the last time the man this armor had belonged to had bathed.

There seemed to be a murmur heading down the group of knights. It reached the man in front of him, then he turned to hiss at the young man in the back.

"Hold up." He growled low.
"We're stopping? Have we run into Fae?" He whispered back urgently.
"No idea, Griffin seems agitated. Stay calm, Roland." Was the reply, as his mentor turned back to face towards the front. Roland craned his neck as much as he could, trying to see up towards the front. They'd followed this group of Elfenslaga for three days, and had now been a part of their ranks for one. They had been steadily creeping towards the mysterious borderlands, where the Fae's kingdom was thought to begin.

Towards the front, Sir Griffin scanned the trees surrounding them. He wore no helmet, boldly marching into enemy territory without fear of injury or death. Griffin knew the Creator was on his side, and that no matter what happened, he would emerge victorious. He knew no fear, no remorse, for he was righteous. He stared out, seeing beyond, the gears in his mind turning. His arms tingled with anticipation, and his gut was calling out a warning. These were signs he'd learned to heed in conflict. The sixth sense of a warrior was nothing to be scoffed at. It was instinct, survival. Then, he saw it. Movement. It was swift, barely discernable. A man who had never seen it before would have been unable to catch it.

"Form up! Sentinel formation!"

Roland and his mentor watched as the armored knights of the Elfenslaga kicked into action. They sloshed to their leader, forming a tight skirmish line, raising their shields. Then, one man rotated to the rear of their partner. Their bills pointed slightly outwards, the long thrusting spike at the end glistening slightly in what sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees. Roland and his mentor then assumed the position themselves, going back to back and hefting the polearms. The bill was the preferred weapon of the Elfenslaga knights. Skilled in the weapon's use, they could hook even the swiftest and flightiest Fae and drag them to the ground, if the Fae were not careful. One hooked, it was easy to impale or chop them up. Roland shivered at the thought.

"Sir Thomas, we aren't going to let them fight, are we?" Roland hissed urgently.
"There's just the two of us, Roland. It is imperative we don't make our move too early." Thomas whispered back.

Then, it happened. It was as if wind passed them by gently. Roland wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he'd seen something. One of the knights staggered, his shield ringing out as if it had been struck hard. Quickly, he regained his position. They were distracted now, and the killing was going to begin soon.

"Are you ready, Roland? Ready to take a man's life?" Sir Thomas growled.
"As ready as anyone can be..." Roland replied, slightly uncertain. He didn't take the idea of killing lightly, even though he knew this time would come. There was no negotiating with the King's inquisition. Sir Thomas removed his helmet, taking a deep breath. Roland followed suit, almost wanting to sigh in relief as the cool air hit his sweaty forehead. That helmet had been so stuffy...

"Now." Sir Thomas went into action first, swinging the polearm around and hooking the neck of the knight next to him. He yanked the shocked man violently to the ground via his head, and Roland swallowed hard as he leapt at the man's partner. He thrust the spike of the bill at his unprotected underarm, but the knight was quick enough to raise his shield. Roland's arms shook with the jarring of the impact, the spike skidding off the shield and sliding upwards. Thinking quickly, he hooked the bill behind the shield and yanked down. He saw only the flash of sunlight reflecting off the spike of the Knight's own bill as it suddenly thrust towards his face.

Roland ducked to the side just barely in time, feeling cold steel scrape across his cheek, leaving a tiny furrow that burned hot.Roland thrust his bill upwards on instinct, putting all his power behind it. The spike punched through the thin plate covering the knight's throat, piercing his neck. He gurgled, thrusting his weapon at Roland again in desperation. Roland yanked the bill free, blooding pouring from under the knight's armor. The knight clutched at his throat, his shield and weapon forgotten as he realized death was upon him. Roland gaped, mouth slightly open as he watched the man die. He did that. He didn't know what it would be like.

"Roland!" Sir Thomas roared, having flipped up the visor of his own foe and buried his dagger through his eye socket. Roland turned slowly to look at his mentor, and saw him pointing. Roland turned, and saw Griffin himself marching towards him, fire in his eyes. He seemed immune to fear, to the danger. Even as it became more apparent the Fae were on the attack.

"Traitorous heretics!" he roared, piercing Roland's horrified reverie. He dropped his bill, drawing the sword at his side. He was more familiar with this weapon, its reassuring weight in his hand making him feel a bit more confident. Not by much, however. Sir Thomas was by his side suddenly, the point of his bill at Griffin's chest, forcing him to back up and re-engage.

"For the Joined Blade! We cannot allow this brazen incursion into the Fae's lands!" Sir Thomas yelled, his voice echoing through the chaos.

"For the Joined Blade! We stand with the Fae, for they are of the same life as we!" Roland growled, feeling braver as he broadcast his convictions.

"I am the instrument of the Creator's justice. You will fall before me." Sir Griffin stated simply, dropping the bill and drawing his own blade. "FOCUS ON THE FAE! DON'T LOWER YOUR SHIELDS!" He roared back to his men.

Red.
Their blood was red. She'd hear the tales, that mortals blood was as red as a cherry. It was why their skin has a slight pink huge, no matter the color of the skin, there could always be red found hidden in the color.

It wasn't as fascinating now that it spilled over the forest floor. Anansi hung back, she had to. The Guard was already on the attack. The Dryads had began, firing wooden barbs from their trees, giving the Guard the perfect opening for an attack but surely they did not notice two of them spilling red blood of their own. She turned, her back against the tree trying to decide what to do next. Was it Fae trickery that caused confusion, perhaps the dryads were emitting a toxic, to daze them? She couldn't run into that, surely she would be killed.

"For the Joined Blade! We stand with the Fae, for they are of the same life as we!"

Anansi's eyes went wide. They were Joined Blade, the rumors were true. Severyn would kill them all, she couldn't let that happen, they were on their side. She almost smiled until she heard the unmistakable sound of Severyn's bow string pull. To a Fae of her caste, her senses were high, she was able to hear the most subtlest of sounds, even in a battle. Crunching of bone, severing of limbs, rushes of blood. She could see as well, the mortals couldn't see the fae, hidden behind their glamour, unless they were Sighted but she could see them and she could see Severyn nearly three hundred meters away, he prepped his bow, the string pulled taut and he aimed, right at the head of the youngest one.

Anansi moved, darting between the trees, speed faster then the Elven Guard or Mortal Knights could see. She opened her hands her fingers splayed and white webs sprang from between her fingers, extending like her own hands before wrapping around the young lad's shoulders, and pulling him free from Severyn's arrow, sending it right toward the armorless man with the fiery hair and blazen eyes. She could hear Severyn's groans of disappointment and confusion. He did not know she was there, and if he found out, he would not be pleased. He went on the fire again, this time his arrow striking his target true, the man that had been beside the boy.

Meanwhile, she drew the boy back, right to her feet, she released her glamour so that he could see her, causing him to look up at her, and her down at him, while she cocked her head, curiously. She said nothing, but rose her fingers to her lips, and pursed her lips in an almost haunting. "Shh.."

She'd never seen one up close before. She wanted to touch it, he didn't look that much different, his ears were round where hers was long and pointed, extending out from her head. Her eyes were sharp where his was round. She knelled down, placing a hand over his mouth, "You must run, if they catch you, they will kill you." She whispered like wind moving through trees.

"I'm going to lay your bleeding corpses upon the alter." Sir Griffin growled, smiling insanely. Roland slid his feet into a combat ready position, curling his hands around the grip of the longsword. Sir Thomas blinked sweat from his eyes, grasping his own longsword. This wasn't good. Thomas had seen Griffin in action many times before. The stories that he was a match for four men at once weren't far from the truth. Before he was exiled, he had witnessed Griffin capture a Fae mid-stride, sling it to the ground, and drive his blade through the poor being's heart.

Several things happened at once. Thomas glanced at Roland, and saw the strange combination of fear and determination in his eyes. He saw Griffin's smile falter, his head turning to face the treeline, almost as if he sensed something. Then he felt that strange breeze again. That breeze he had felt earlier. Fae. It meant the Fae were on the move. He snapped around to look at it, and thought he could almost see something blaze past. Then Roland was gone.

"What?" He asked, then felt something slam into him. Two things. Something heavy forced him aside, and then he felt something clang off his armor, deflected off the angled plate just below his jaw. He looked, and saw an arrow laying splintered on the ground besides him. Then he glanced up to see Griffin standing over him. He'd pushed him down and aside. Thomas realized the arrow would have split his skull otherwise.

"Do not think I forget my debts, Sir Thomas. We're even now. It will be I who takes your life, not these Godless creatures." He said. Thomas saw his pommel come down towards his head, and then blackness. Griffin straightened up, glancing towards where the arrow had come from. His eyes burned fiercely, and to the Elven being in the trees, it was if Griffin was staring straight at him. This feeling only intensified when the man lifted his blade and pointed it in his general direction.

"Stand tall! Line up, shields high! Advance!" Griffin roared, striding fearlessly to the front of the group. He picked up the shield of one of his fallen knights, hoisting it in front of him, but allowing his eyes to peek over the top. They swiveled all around, and an observant Fae would notice he was tracking almost every movement one of their kind made. What was this man? The knights advanced swiftly, staggering slightly in a way that created the illusion of openings. Their armor and shields positioned to deflect arrows and other projectiles. They dared the Fae to try and close in, made it clear that was the only way to create an opening. Griffin grinned sadistically.

Roland struggled fiercely. He was confused, had no idea how he'd wound up on the ground. All he knew is that he was one place, and now he was another. Sir Thomas! His mentor, his friend. He needed his help.

"You must run, if they catch you, they will kill you." A voice like nature itself came to him. He looked up, and his struggles momentarily ceased. His eyes opened wide, as he gazed at what he felt had to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life. Slowly, he sat up, his eyes noticing her eyes, her nose, her ears. He gently took her wrist, freeing his mouth from her binding.

"You're... one of the Fae." He said slowly, awe crossing his face. He didn't seem to realize he was speaking out loud as he said, "You're... beautiful." Then reality came back to him. "Sir Thomas!" He yelped, leaping back to his feet. He started trying to head back.

There was a moment, as their eyes locked, where everything went silent. He watched her, as she watched him, noting the differences yet similarities. They were different, yet alike.

"You're...one of the Fae." he spoke, after gently removing her hand from his mouth. She smiled, soft and brief. "You're....beautiful." He said, and her smile widened bashfully until, suddenly he leaped to his feet, "Sir Thomas!" he cried as he started back to the battle.

"No!" She called, too loudly, and she knew that if Severyn were paying attention, he would have heard her. "You mustn't." She begged him, her eyes watching the fight, her voice lowered. "They will kill you...." She warned him, she wanted to reach for him but his armor, it would burn her so she couldn't touch him. It was then that Severyn's vanguard moved forward, clearly realizing that his bows did not work, a full fight would commence.

"Too much blood, red and silver, please....come with me." She begged him. She didn't know what she was doing at this point but beyond trying to save just this one, if she could.

"Princess!" Anansi stiffened. She was spotted, she turned to see that the boy was blocked by a tree so the Guard didn't see him. if they did, he would have been dead. She turned back to him. "Do not die, please." was all she could say before she called her glamour and disappeared before his eyes and toward the one that called her.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ma'thi, a large Fae man with white skin and black eyes. "Do you know what they will do to you if they caught you. I'll take you back to the palace." He said and she nodded, playing along but not before looking back to see if the boy yet lived.


Meanwhile, Severyn, moving through the trees, this Guard up in arms, yelling and hollering, knowing most could only hear them, not see them. All expect one. The ginger, naked of armor, had seen him, hidden in the trees, he seen him.

The mortal was Sighted.

"Kill the Sighted!" Severyn called, unafraid of this development, he guided his men toward the Sighted man, they could not let this one live.

Roland took a deep breath, his heart beating in chest. She'd just... disappeared. Right in front of his eyes. She said they'd kill him if they saw him. For a moment, he wondered why. Couldn't they tell they were on their side? Of course, they wouldn't trust anyone. He wouldn't either, if an entire kingdom was trying to kill him and everyone he knew. He took a look around, trying to see if the coast was clear. Then he realized he likely wouldn't see them in time, anyway. So he just took off, doing his best to stay low.

The first Fae had already fallen. Griffin bashed it out of the air mid-jump, battering the being's body with the steel of his shield. His reaction speed was amazing, fearsome. He drove the spike of his bill down into their chest, skewering their heart cruelly. He laughed, pleasure flooding his body at the squirming, dying being who pawed up at him fruitlessly. He twisted the spike cruelly, sensing the rapid approach of another. He let go of the bill, drawing his sword in one hand and spinning to take the impact of whatever weapon the Fae was weilding on his shield.

The force of the impact rang out through the din, he felt his arm nearly give way at the force of it, knocking him backwards several feet. Somehow, the prodigy kept his feet, setting them down and facing the Fae with a grin on his face. The Fae was tall, his white hair streaming down his back.

"Elf. You look fierce. Hopefully you're a better challenge than your friend over there." Griffin watched a look of anger cross the being's face, and he raised his blade. "Good, a sword. Glad to see even a savage can appreciate a duel." Griffin stated, dumping his shield and taking the longsword in both hands. Behind them the battle raged on. Their line staggered, the knights pushed back hard, attempting to retake ground.

One found his helmet ripped from his head. He turned, swiping out with instinct and scoring a large gash across one Fae's back. Several darts pierced the back of his skull and neck, and then a small blade punched through his throat, sending him twitching to the ground. Two more knights managed to knock a Fae off stride, battering the being with their shields, driving it to the ground and stomping upon it with their boots. The Fae twitched their last under the cruel men's boots and shields, body broken and bloodied.

Screams echoed out from both sides, wounds suffered, armor stripped, magic deflected. Griffin and his foe faced off, Griffin assuming a solid stance, blade held over his shoulder. They stared into each other's eyes, the fight playing out in their heads. The Fae moved first. He darted at Griffin faster than he anticipated, leaving him only time to react. A glint of silver, and with expert movement of his wrists, Griffin brought his blade down into the bind.

The Fae was flighty, trying to step artfully out of the bind. Griffin saw it coming, pressing the advantage and stepping out to the side. Leveraging his blade around, the pommel of the longsword smashed into the Fae's jaw as he pulled away. Two teeth were shattered inside the Fae's jaw, and a third by the follow up boot that Griffin snapped up instantly, meeting the doubled over Fae midway. The steel toe crashed into his face, splitting the Fae's lip viciously. The Fae's head snapped back, and he responded with blinding speed, closing around Griffin's guard and striking him with a vicious fist to the jaw that rocked him. The Fae's blade shot out at his chest, but Griffin spun away from it.

The move cost him. His footing and ground lost, the bleeding Fae pressed the advantage with his speed. He closed in again, lashing out over his shoulder and scoring a gash that Griffin took across his back. He seized Griffin from behind, attempting to drive his blade up into his kidneys. Griffin responded with astounding speed, perhaps out of pure instinct. He threw his elbow back into the Fae's busted face, flattening his nose in a spray of crimson. His head snapped back, and Griffin turned into him, driving the point of his sword into the Fae's foot.

He cried out, and Griffin snapped his toe up into his gut. Wrenching his blade free, Griffin wound it up over his shoulder and snapped both wrists down, slicing into the back of the Fae's leg. The being dropped to his knees, and Griffin drove one of his own up into the being's bleeding and broken face.

"Severyn!" Griffin heard someone call out. He spun, both hands on the blade, ducking and whipping the blade forward and up. The Fae's speed carried it through his blade, severing its own leg with the sheer velocity. The Fae that had rushed to save their comrade slammed into the ground at full speed, tumbling over themselves horrifically again and again.

"No..." Severyn groaned. Griffin kicked him in the jaw as he passed, and Severyn's vision snapped white. Walking calmly over to the downed Fae, clutching at their ruined stump, he swung the blade up and then down. As Severyn came to, he felt something set upon his chest. He blinked his eyes, and was looking into the eyes of a severed head. The battle. There was no noise anymore. It was over, and Griffin stood above him. That meant... All of them. They were all dead. He had been saved for last.

Roland reached the scene of the massacre, watching from the tree line in horror. All of them... The Fae had been slaughtered, although at a cost to the Knights. Most of their number were dead as well, those remaining wounded. All save for Griffin, who stood over a downed Fae, holding a severed head. Wanting to vomit, he crept over to where Sir Thomas had been. He was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had escaped?

"Something to remember me by, Fae." He heard Griffin say. He turned to see one of the Knight's handing him a broken bill. He shoved the spike into the ground, and forced the Fae's severed head down onto the splintered shaft."Go back to your people, and tell them nothing will save you from my wrath. Not your armies, not your magic, and not even the Joined Blade, who fight us on our own turf. Men! We can do nothing for the fallen, save pray for their souls. We need to fall back from enemy territory and regroup!"

Roland rose and sprinted away from there then, as fast as he could. Thomas. He had to find Sir Thomas.

"Fool Girl!" Her mother shouting, her voice shaking the leaves of the hamadryad trees, that made up the throne room of the Day Queen, canopying the room just so that the sun would bask the Queen in sunlight and whoever was unfortunate enough to be where Anansi knelled now.

The Day Queen as she glared at her daughter, from her high golden throne. "Do you have any idea the things these mortals are capable of?"
Anansi was silent. Her mind having wandered to the young mortal with the grey eyes, how he stared at her in wonder, called her beautiful. That was his first time seeing the so called enemy as well.

"Are you listening to me, child?" Anansi looked up, snapping back to her present situation. "Away with the pixies, as usual." The Day Queen huffed and Anansi looked at her knees. "I was-- I was following the sounds..." She said, not untrue but she knew what was happening, but if she told her mother that, she would probably have a better time with the Elvenslaga.

"I never seen one before....I wanted to see one."

"did you want it to see you, because that what was going to happen next, and you know what would happen then?"

Anansi looked up defiantly. "No, mother I do not, Two of them where Joined Blade."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Please not this again, Surely they are dead now, only two with an vanguard of Elvenslaga, do you know what that word means?"

"I do, Mother, you do not need to remind me, but the Joined Blade means something too." She said and her mother clicked her teeth.

"Something inconsquential, that's what they mean, we do not want them, we do not need them."

"They tried to stop the Elvenslaga, we do need them." Anansi said and her mother narrowed her eyes. "If we leave them alone, they'll weither and die, just as they've done for centuries." She said dimissively.

"You can't possibly believe that, Sister."

It was then that the Night Queen in all of her dark glory strode in. Her midnight train flowing behind her like the shadows, she lingered in the dark, keeping to her shadows. "What are you doing here, Morrigan." The Day Queen said standing, Anansi in between them.

"I just got word from the front." the Night Queen said, her voice rang like a song. " And?"

"The Day Guard has been destroyed, apparently, done by one mortal man, rumor has it, he was Sighted." She said with a smirk and Anansi's eyes went wide.

"Severyn?"

"The fair one yet lives." She said, looking over to her with a smile. "He was the only one, to send us a message."

"Where is he? I must see him."

"Well, My UnSeelie as retrieving him now, and killing any of the injured."

Anansi's mind when to the young mortal. Her heart raced. "I must go"

"You will not." The Day Queen said. "Oh Let her go, Sister, she needs to see the truth of things, does she not?"

Anansi looked at her aunt. She knew a few things about her aunt. One, she hated the Seelie, all of them, including Anansi herself, and two, she loved to annoy her sister by going completely against whatever she wanted. It was clear that she loved that more then she hated the Seelie.

Normally, Anansi would back down, but not now, not when this was in her favor. "There should be a Seelie there, Mother, she said Severyn is alive, but if we leave it to the UnSeelie, who knows how long that will be." She said, shooting a glare at her aunt, who only smile in response.

"Fine, Go to him, see that he is safe, I will send Seelie as well, but you and I are not finished." She said and Anansi smiled, bowed and dashed off.

----
It didn't take long for Anansi to reach the creek, and follow her footsteps. There was red and silver blood everywhere, the red smelled of copper and the silver of nickel.

It was so quiet now, the UnSeelie hadn't made it here yet, they were slow, compared the spider princess, so she had time to search for---

"Ngghhh." She heard a pained cry and shuffling. She knew whose voice it was. " Severyn!" She called and darted in his direction. She may have gotten to him before her words did. There he was, covered in silver, and his leg, just a mess of flesh and blood. He was on his stomach, pulling himself toward home by his hands. He looked up at her. "P--Princess?" He managed before turning over on his back, with an exhausted gasp.

She dropped to her knees beside him, tears in her eyes. She pulled his head into her lap. "Why---Why are you here?"

"The Night Queen, she told us, the Day Queen and I, the battle it was...."

"The Mortal....he is....He is--"

"Shh, Sighted, we know. Your leg." She told him and he nodded meekly. " I know,"

"If I can find it, then....We can heal you...." She said and he nodded, reaching for her, shimmery red and silver blood smeared from his fingers on to her tawny cheeks. "The UnSeelie are coming..." She said and he nodded again, he was smiling but he wasn't focused on her or anything, his eyes drifted, he was losing so much blood. "The Seelie are right behind them, you'll be alright, just stay awake." She said and clasped his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles but it was too late for that, he was breathing, that was all she could hope for at that moment.

"Princess." Ma'thi's deep voice came from behind her. He was a Sidhe, a ghostly Fae who could move nearly as fast as she could.

"Severyn, his leg, " She told him and he nodded and was gone in the wind, searching for the missing limb. It didn't take him long to find it. "If I may, Mi'Lady." he said and Anansi shifted so that he might carry the Elven Guard home.

Anansi stood and took a breath, before it was snatched again by the head of a Fae, on a pike not a little ways away. She walked up to it, and brushed her soft fingers over the poor creature's eyes, still twisted in pain and fear.

She heard a crackling an stood straight, the UnSeelie hadn't arrived yet to deal with injured, she could hear their moans and groans. She scanned for the boy among the dead and injured but he wasn't there.

She couldn't forget his face. Not now, not ever, the way he looked at her, there was no fear.
She wondered along the river's edge, and she heard something. The unmistakable hiss of a kappa and a grunt of a mortal.

That would not be good. From where she was, she could only tell that it was a male and undoubtedly the kappa was trying to trick the mortal into the water.

Fearful that it might be the fiery man from before, she hung back and climbed a tree. "Bow to it." She called to the mortal, if it was it was her mortal, she would explain to him that the leaf shaped plate on the creatures head that was filled with water would spill, these creatures were oddly polite, and it would be compelled to return the bow, thus spilling the water, and being frozen until it dried out and died or, if he wanted to, he could save the kappa and it would be forever in it's debt.

"Bow to it, Quickly now."

Roland sighed, standing up from the rock he'd been sitting upon. Thomas' rest period was over, it was time to wake the old man. Stretching slightly and stifling his own yawn, he spun on his heel to walk towards his mentor when something stopped him. He felt an odd pull on the connection he now shared with his Fae friend. He had grown used to how it felt over the last two hours, having had time to really focus on it and come to terms with it. Now it tugged at him, and he thought he heard a distant voice. As he focused upon it, seemed to become louder, clearer.

"Roland?" He thought he heard. "Answer me?"
"Anansi?" He uttered outloud. It was her, her voice. He couldn't mistake it. He focused on her, thinking hard about her as uttering her name again.

"Anansi. Are you speaking to me? Can you hear me?" He took time, thinking his words as he said them, clearly forming them. He had no idea if this worked the way he was feeling it did, but he hoped so. If he could call to her, talk to her even from here... The thought made me smile slightly, despite the situation they were in, heading back into conflict. "Anansi, I am here."


Griffin grunted with effort. The Fae he drug behind him, secured by a length of rope, wasn't intent on coming peacefully. He looked towards the horizon as the sun rose higher. He had caught it in the night. The Fae of the night had found Griffin and his wounded knights as they trudged back to Westfall. Griffin had let his men die. They were expendable, and he didn't need them for such a small party of Fae. He'd slaughter them all, their shadows ceasing to shift in the moonlight as their life drained from their ruined bodies. His blade had dripped with their blood, staining the ground beneath the pale moonlight. All but one.

He'd spared the one he now pulled along behind him. It'd been an interesting specimen, one he wished to examine closer. First, he needed to get them back to his estate in Westfall. To that end, he'd cloaked them, covering their ears and head with a cloth hood. As the day grew, the Fae weakened, and Griffin's struggle was that much less. However, he celebrated not. He knew the Fae of the Day would be looking for him once more, possibly intent on revenge for the slaughter of their brethren. He had no interest in tangling with several more Fae after two exhausting battles. Not even he could soldier on forever with no rest between battles.

Still, his senses tingled in the back of his mind. He felt sure he would not make it from this forest before they found him once more, and so he dug deep within himself, summoning his inner reserves. He needed another subject, he would make it from this place with his prize. It was then he felt the wind singing at his back. It whipped over his head, and his combat senses immediately focused him, sharpening his senses to a level the likes of which few mortal men could match. His eyes caught movement, and he focused in on it. There were several of them. Grinning wolfishly as he continued to walk forward, he called out loudly to his prisoner.

"More of you kind, Fae?! I admit I have a certain curiosity, are all of your kind so eager for death?! Come then! Come down, and test your mettle beasts!"

"Anansi. Are --- speaking --- me? Can --- me?"

Anansi's hand flung to her chest, and the pendent around her neck. He heard her. This shouldn't happened, unless they were both sleeping, but it was clear she was exhausted and surely he must be too.

"Anansi, I am here."

Anansi smiled. "Roland?! Oh Roland....You must sleep, Sleep and we can speak in our dreams!" She told him with her mind, not speaking a word as best she could, but the excitement of it all was waking her up.

"Find me when you sleep." She told him as best she could before she turned from the Night Court and back toward the Day to get to her chambers. She locked the door and waited in bed, hoping she'd feel him slip into a dream.


Meanwhile,

The crunch of a mushroom ring under a metal boot, caused a shift in the air. They watched the Sighted one scream for them, but little did he know, he was trapped, trampling the circle also trapped him in it.

The Fae pinked from their hiding places, small and large, young and old in appearance. "Foolish mortal." said one, said all, the noise bouncing around his head. They all knew he had magic, they could sense it. " Changeling...."
"Halfling...."
"Abomination...."
The sound bouncing from all around him. "Make him Singgg"
"Make him Dancceee."
"Make him Bleeed" The voices hissed before they all appeared at once, running around him, scratching him, even though he swung, the world around him spun, round and round, fairy light flickered around his hand, flashing bright. The mortal was weak, Sighted or not. They bit him, scratched him, pinched him, pulled his hair, whipped him with switches, laughing all the while. "Dance Mortal, Dance."

They snapped at his feet, making him move his feet. " Dance, dance!" they laughed, scratching his ankles, biting him, prodding him. He swung, freeing his blade, but exhaustion had him in his grasp, he cut at the faeries, slicing wings, serving limbs, but there were too many, too many small cuts, too many bites, too much noise, lights, overwhelmed by his own high senses, the swarmed on him, taking him by his ankles, biting his skin with small sharp teeth, until he toppled to the ground, they clawed at him, but he still fought, but he was losing. "Red blooded faery." They hissed, as they continued on.

"Do not kill it!" came a loud voice, a dark haired woman shrouded in gold, shimmering with sun, loomed over him as his vision grew bleary.
"Bring him to the palace, place him in the cells...." She said all before the mortal lost his fight with consciousness/

Roland gasped. He'd heard her.

"You must... We can speak in our dreams!"

He didn't catch it all, but he had enough to figure it out. Speak in our dreams? So, if he slept, they could... talk? He wanted desperately to find out, to lay his head down upon the grass and let weariness take him. He bit his lip in consternation. He couldn't, and he knew he couldn't. Not yet. He closed his eyes, focusing on her until he could see her face clearly in his mind.

"I can't, not now Anansi. Wait for me. I'll come to you. You have that promise, and now this one. I'll dream soon." He thought hard. He hoped she got most of that. Sighing deeply, he shook Thomas' shoulder gently. Thomas woke instantly, his blue eyes focusing on Roland.

"Aye." He said, pushing himself up and groaning. He grabbed at his back, standing slowly and stretching. "Time to be on our way then, Roland. Thank you for keeping watch for me."
"Of course, Sir Thomas."

The two set off once more, heading towards Crownsport. From there they'd travel along the coastline up to Hawke, where they sought to stop a massacre, unaware of the current developments.


Griffin awoke with a low groan. Even upon regaining consciousness, he was fierce. His groan was not that of a stunned man, but of a bear coming out of hibernation. His vision swam in front of his face for a moment, before quickly clearing as his sharpened senses kicked into gear. He remembered the last moments before he'd passed out. He'd been taken to said cells. Well, he thought, this is an interesting development. His eyes cast about, taking the place in. It looked as one would think a cell normally did. The walls were dark, and solid bars separated him from freedom. However, it lacked the dankness that normally comprised human prisons.

He could also sense the magic. It would be impossible for the average Fae to break out with magic. He smirked, sitting upright. His sword was gone, and so was his armor. He was stripped of his surcoat, and left in his tunic and trousers. He supposed they would come to interrogate him soon, to intimidate him. Possibly even torture him, fit to see him suffer for the things he'd done to their kind. He merely shrugged and laid back against the cold stone, prompting himself to drift into a light sleep. He only needed a little to feel refreshed, and then he'd be ready when the opportunity came. Until then, he'd be a... good boy.

" You are an odd one, aren't you?" Came the voice of the Night Queen, sitting back against the wall, hidden by her shadows. She watched him as he lay back down, trying to sleep. "You could sense me." She said with a laugh like the echo of bat wings.

"I would say what most mortals would do in this situation, but you aren't exactly like most mortals or any mortal, are you?" she asked, all rhetorical, as he stood up, and crouched before him, sniffing the air around him like a cat toying with it's prey. "You have Fae, We all thought yo were a half ling, but no you are much more interesting then that?" She said with a wicked grin. When he moved, she didn't know if it was merely to get comfortable, or out of violence, but she opened her palm and closed her fist, although while her shadows reached out mimicking her hands, tendrils coiled around his neck, and held him still. "You needn't worry, you will not die this day, no, I like you too much already." She said, moved in close, tugging her shadows, pulling him to her, taking a deep breath, sucking in, pulling shadows from his lips to hers, like smoke. "There is such sweet darkness in you," She said, her voice as smooth as a rose's petal, and as wicked as it's thorns as her fingers curled up around his chin. "So young...." She whispered,"So dark, heart as black as pitch...." She said, eyeing him, in a way that would give the look as if she might take him then and there, or shove a blade into his heart. "Why so dark, Young one...?"

"You're an odd one, aren't you?"

Griffin lazily opened his eyes. He made no outward reaction to the suddenly increase in the magical intensity around him. Of course he had been being watched. Foolish to have not assumed that from the start. That almost made him grimace, but he didn't. Instead, he stood up. There was a chance they'd it as a threat, but he wasn't foolish enough to think he could make a move against this presence. He was too weak at the moment to even scratch them.

"I would say what most mortals would do in this situation, but you aren't exactly like most mortals or any mortal, are you?" Rhetorical. Typical. He watched her sniff the air around him, slowly straightening up to view him. A nerve twitched slightly in his jaw at the sudden sense of arousal he felt. As he gazed upon her, thoughts of what he'd do to such a magnificent specimen filled his head. He made no move tendrils of shadow wrapped around his neck. He merely gazed intensely into her eyes as she continued on.

So young.... So dark, heart black as pitch. Why so dark, Young one...?

"You make me hungry." He replied simply staring into her eyes. "You make me want to feast. Your Day friends took my prize from me. I'll need a replacement, before I leave."

"You make me hungry."

To that The Night Queen laughed, his tone was simple, but his eyes. They spoke for him. "You make me want to feast. Your Day Friends took my prize from me. I'll need a replacement, before I leave."

"Don't you know you shouldn't take food from a Fae." she said, as she circled him, as her shadow form walked ahead of her. Her laugh echoing off of the stone walls as though there were more of her; her fingers slid from his shoulder to his back to the opposite shoulder as she went. "You'll never leave." She hissed into his ear before she paused on at his chest, her hand lingering where the heart should be. "I can feel you....I feel as if you and I are bound." She told him. His darkness, like liquid night, she took another breath before reaching with her shadow self, into him and pulling the darkness that swirled within him. "Your darkness and mine..." She looked at him, smiling before throwing her head back, her laughter echoing in his mind, against the walls and through the dark dungeon. "You little devil." She said, He'd consumed more UnSeelie then Seelie, that much was clear but there was more to it then that, something she couldn't quite place. "You've only stolen my darkness....but in doing so, you've bound yourself to me.... you've only a taste of my power where I can control yours." She said, her fingers worked like a marionettes puppet master, pulling on the tithers of his darkness, pulling on the power he'd consumed. Surely he could feel it, squirming within him. " You wish to eat? I will feed you, this I promise you...." She said, before freeing him from her shadows grip and backing away, one foot slowly behind the other. "Show me, show how you do it." It wasn't a request as she raised her arms, her shadows dancing around her like a shroud. "Show me."

"You cannot feed me what I seek, Queen of the Night." Griffin replied, seemingly unbothered with the feel of her reaching inside of him. Twisting his power, pulling at his strings. He seemed as unconcerned as if she were any other Fae. He turned to face her, shaking his head. He offered her a small smile, although it was disingenuous and his eyes were emotionless. He clearly wasn't sane. No mortal in his position, where he could be obliterated or manipulated in an instant, would be this calm.

"Show me, show me how you do it. Show me."

"I have no desire to consume you, Queen of the Night. If you want me to consume, then bring me a pretty little thing. Perhaps one of the Day, they are a rare delicacy." He licked his lips, approaching her and placing a hand on her chest, directly in the middle. He was fearless. "Look in me and find the answer, Queen of the Night. There is nothing I will hide from you in this cell, even if I tried."

Griffin focused hard, his pupils dilating as he fired flashes of his atrocities. Blood dripping, staining the stone floor. The screams of Night and Day alike, their blood upon his lips. More than that, his experiments, his own alchemical concoctions. He didn't give her everything, but he gave her enough to make her interested. A mortal that had delved further than any other. Not attempting to become more Fae-like, but to become something different entirely.

"You cannot control everything that I am, Night. I have nothing to be gained by having what you can ripped from me. Perhaps we could come to an... accord."

"I have no desire to consume you, Queen of the Night. If you want me to consume, then bring me a pretty little thing. Perhaps one of the Day, they are a rare delicacy." He spoke, licking his lips as he stepped close to her, and placed a hand on her chest. ""Look in me and find the answer, Queen of the Night. There is nothing I will hide from you in this cell, even if I tried."

It was then his mind called to hers, playing his darkness behind her eyes. Screams and silver blood. If he were fae, he would make the perfect consort for the Night Queen. He truly was darkness.

"You cannot control everything that I am, Night. I have nothing to be gained by having what you can ripped from me. Perhaps we could come to an...accord."

The Night Queen smiled, taking his hand, leaving it resting on her chest.

"An Accord..." She mused. "Odd, I thought the Evlenslaga, thought us to be demons, creatures of their Devil. Yet, you wasted no time, offering me a truce....You could care less for this war, or their propoganda...." She said, rhetorical again. "You just need an excuse to kill us...." She said and then it occurred to her. What she could use someone like him for.

She needed to take back the land for the mortals, but surely some mortals would survive. The Day Queen was much too corwardly to wipe them all out, but if she lost her foolhardy daughter to one of them...in such a manner as he liked to destroy Fae then that would send her right over the edge. Her grief would be such to destroy the mortals. The Day girl befriended a mortal, Joined Blade most likely, and surely he disliked them. Yes... this could work. ""What are you after, very little is without my power, perhaps if you tell me why you....are the way you are, then we can come to some sort of deal."

"Odd. I thought the Elvenslaga thought us to be demons. Creatures of their Devil. Yet, you wasted no time offering me a truce. You could care less for this war, their propaganda."

Griffin inwardly sneered. His true intentions were beyond anyone's comprehension. However, he wasn't about to reveal any more than he already had. He'd interested her, sparked her manipulative nature. Now he would play along. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was obvious he was fairly emotionless for the most part.

"I am the Elfenslaga. The true purpose of it is known only to myself."

What are you after? Very little is without my power, perhaps if you tell why you.. are the way you are, then we can come to sort of a deal."

"I am what I am, simply because I can. You will offer me a deal, because you need me. I can see inside the shadows of your twisted soul, Fae. You want the eradication of humanity. A race I no longer am a part of. I care not. Offer me your deal, and I shall wreck the havoc you seek. And you will grant me what I want in exchange."

"I am what I am, simply because I can. You will offer me a deal, because you need me. I can see inside the shadows of your twisted soul, Fae. You want the eradication of humanity. A race I no longer am a part of. I care not. Offer me your deal, and I shall wreck the havoc you seek. And you will grant me what I want in exchange."
The Night Queen laughed. "That much was obvious, Mortal." She said. "I do not need you, you've simply....progressed things...gave me an...idea if you will, so I'll bite." She said, grinned a bright white grin.

"I need the Day Queen to allow the extermination of the humans, and to do so, I would need her feel the mortals are dangerous, what you can do, is find your way into the heart of her young daughter, my niece, a curious little Day girl, befriend her, it shouldn't be hard, make trust you, love you, then....when she's all but given herself to you, heart, body and soul, ready to go against her mother, to be with you....kill her." She said. " The Day Queen's grief would be so great, that she herself may end all of humanity....and in return, I will give you what you want...." She said. "Which is....?"

"I need the Day Queen to allow the extermination of the humans, and to do so, I would need her feel the mortals are dangerous, what you can do, is find your way into the heart of her young daughter, my niece, a curious little Day girl, befriend her, it shouldn't be hard, make trust you, love you, then....when she's all but given herself to you, heart, body and soul, ready to go against her mother, to be with you....kill her."

The corner of Griffin's lips curled upwards. The daugher of the Day Queen. Yes, that was a more than suitable replacement. He smiled inwardly at her previous statement. She needed him more than she was willing to admit, of course. No Queen would ever admit to such a thing. To say he's progressed things, however. Now that was an understatement. He wondered how much she'd picked up from what little he'd let her see.

" The Day Queen's grief would be so great, that she herself may end all of humanity....and in return, I will give you what you want...." She said. "Which is....?"


Griffin considered his next words carefully. He smiled wolfishly, his eyes as always devoid of emotion.

"You. I think that would be fun. And, a bit of you to go on. It could be anything, really, although blood is often best. Oh, and of course... You'll need to get me out of this cell. That isn't really a demand, more of a caveat."

"You."
The Night Queen was rarely surprised, but that surprised her. "I think that would be fun. And, a bit of you to go on. It could be anything, really, although blood is often best. Oh, and of course....You'll need to get me out of this cell. That isn't really a demand, more of a caveat."

"You amuse me, Mortal." She said chuckling, her fingers resting on her chin. "You'll get out of this cell, but I won't be the one to do it. The Day Girl will, if you can convince her." She said. "But, as a show of good faith." She said, chuckling at the irony. "I'll give you a bit of blood." She said, and over a finger to her teeth and pressed, hard, piercing the flesh, causing a bead of silver to bubbling up from beneath the skin. She sauntered over to him. "Here, You can't have all of me, not now, nor after this is done, but I can give a little taste." She said with a grin. "Enjoy."

Griffin offered only a blank expression as he took her hand. He was gentle despite his intentions. The way in which he sucked the blood from her finger could only be justly defined as lewd. As he finished, he offered another wolfish smile. His pupils dilated wildly for a moment, and if she paid attention she would have felt a surge of hastily suppressed power. The likes of which no mortal human could have normally ever hoped to control.

"Perhaps you misunderstand, Queen." He said, walking back to the corner of the cell and sitting down once more. "I did not mean I want to consume all of you. By you, I had a bedchamber in mind." He smirked, shrugging. "I've never lain with the Queen of Darkness, after all. I would imagine it would put all your followers to shame..."

With that, he leaned his head back against the cold stone and closed his eyes once more.

Morrigan watched him as he took her hand, she'd prepared for a violent snatch of her wrist, but instead, he was gentle when he took her hand, bringing her finger to his lips, before curling them around her skin. She gave a small gasp of pleasure, as he suckling the blood from her, like if it was mother's milk, selfishly lapping the silver, taking her power into him, in turn, arousing the Night Queen. He finished and the Night Queen nearly took him then and there, but gave pause when his dark eyes dilated, like a feral animal, darkness surging within him, but he did his best to suppress it. He was mortal, but he certainly wasn't human.

"Perhaps you misunderstand, Queen." He said, sitting back against the wall of his cell. "I did not mean I want to consume all of you. By you, I had a bedchamber in mind." He said and she laughed. It was a rare thing for the Night Queen not find some sexual connotation most everything, but she'd honestly, did not expect that from him. "I've never lain with the Queen of Darkness, after all. I would imagine it would put all your followers to shame..." He said and she bit her lip, kittenishly.

"Of that, I am certain." She said, and and half a mind to take him up on the offer, but no, not now, he had to woo the Day girl.

"When all of this is over." She said, and her image faded into the shadows, twirling around like a wraith. "And you do your part, kill the Day and start the war, then we will indeed find that bed, perhaps I'll even let you have a drink while we're at it...."

It was in that moment the shadows snaked between the bars and floated down the hall.

The poor Day girl, she stood not a chance.