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News » History of Mardon Castle - 15A
History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Fifteen
Part 1
...
The voice of Captain Norlurg brought her away from any peaceful thoughts even as it had the men around her begin moving with alarm. “Stay alert! This water is too calm, and it has been too calm. I know that the pirate waits for us, so I don’t want any of you slacking in your duties.â€
The mate at the wheel asked, “Where should we head, Captain?â€
Terniff saw the master of the vessel look to her as he replied, “Widdershins around the lake.â€
She locked her gaze upon the captain. Instead of making any statement, she saw his eyes make subtle movements. While he wanted to give the impression that he was waiting for her to speak, Terniff could clearly make out that he was waiting for any grumble or other response from the crew about his orders. Only when the eyes of Captain Norlurg truly lock on hers in an indication that he felt the crew were presently accepting his authority did she speak.
Preparations are made to take the fight to the curse.
History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Fifteen
Part 1
After watching the lake for a couple of days, Terniff held a position to study the water as the ship moved onto the lake. She had wanted to dress in her armor, but surrounded by so many men wearing their protective garments she decided to stay wearing a gown. She had worn her metal attire during the war, but the threat was real and the expanse of the trouble could have everyone active. While Terniff assumed that the ghost ship could be a danger, she felt that the men around her could keep her and the regular sailors safe.
The featureless expanse of smooth water bothered her and those around her. The weather had not been calm. The usual winds had been felt, and a good fall of rain made everyone uncomfortable for a time. The water of the lake showed no ripple. All watching gained the feeling that the flat surface was a level smoothed expanse of distant mountain rock and not a vast holding of regular water.
Those keeping a watch up in the crow’s nest had not seen the ghost ship or anything that appeared eerie. While all stayed tensed for battle, Terniff saw many of the men look to her with expressions of wonder as if in not donning her armor she knew nothing was going to happen. She knew that in appearing to have one answer, they wondered how much more she knew. While she did not speak, Terniff hoped that the men understood that she trusted them to handle whatever troubled them.
The voice of Captain Norlurg brought her away from any peaceful thoughts even as it had the men around her begin moving with alarm. “Stay alert! This water is too calm, and it has been too calm. I know that the pirate waits for us, so I don’t want any of you slacking in your duties.â€
The mate at the wheel asked, “Where should we head, Captain?â€
Terniff saw the master of the vessel look to her as he replied, “Widdershins around the lake.â€
She locked her gaze upon the captain. Instead of making any statement, she saw his eyes make subtle movements. While he wanted to give the impression that he was waiting for her to speak, Terniff could clearly make out that he was waiting for any grumble or other response from the crew about his orders. Only when the eyes of Captain Norlurg truly lock on hers in an indication that he felt the crew were presently accepting his authority did she speak.
“Do you believe that he will attack before dark?â€
“If not, it will be his loss. We have been studying this lake for over a day. Now allowing us to sail around will deny him any advantage.â€
The mate up in the crow’s nest called down, “There might have once been rocks along the shore, Captain, but that was ages ago. The mud just appears to get thicker.â€
“He will come from deep water. He might be a pirate, but he cannot fool us. I care not what flag he flies. We will not consider him friendly. We should thus expect him to attack from an advantage.†The captain lowered his voice and began moving among his crew as he continued, “But we will be moving towards deep water while he rushes toward the shore. I am trusting you men to make effective strikes, as I am not going to run or attempt subtle tactics. The lake is only so big. If he wants this to be the place for battle, we will take it to him!â€
Terniff had been listening, although a shocked expression crossed her face when Captain Norlurg suddenly asked, “Are you going to counter my order, Lady Terniff?â€
She knew how to be the center of attention, so moved to pat the metal covered chest of her husband as she replied, “Men, just don’t rush to make the attack upon his ground. You cannot swim with these heavy outer skins. Wait for the ghosts to come to you.â€
“Aye,†the captain said. “We have watched for over a day how the waters act unnaturally. Don’t you go trusting in your ability to swim. They are pirates. They are the ones that need to close to gain what we have. We don’t want what they have, so have the luxury of being able to attack from afar.â€
While the men shouted words of confidence, the serene nature of the landscape as the ship moved around the lake worked against their mood. Terniff watched as their initial agitation upon being in the troublesome body of water became a physical weariness over the hours. She however found that her presence in a dress helped keep the men active. As they looked to her, she gave them glances or harshly spoken words to cause them to focus back on their jobs. Expressions of shock crossed the features of the sailors to hear her say some of the things she did. The soldiers however smiled with a couple mentioning to her that they remembered once being surprised to hear such language from her, but now found it comforting in that they remembered being led to victory by her urging. Terniff would smile back to them, even as she growled for them to stay alert. Seeing them check again the quality of their weapons and the placement of their projectiles, she felt able to let the pirate pick his moment.
A thought came to Terniff’s mind, and she moved to whisper her concern to her husband. While he did reach to hold her, she found that he did listen to what she had to say. The tone of his whispered words had a playful cadence, but what he said did speak on the proper topic.
“Don’t worry, Terniff. The sailors might not have the experiences of the war, but I see in these men the fear that we felt. They don’t want to fight the magic, and really don’t believe that they know how, but understand that the fight is coming to them.â€
“Would it help if I changed into my armor?â€
The next words came out in a growl as if he had been saving them. “Terniff, you aren’t fooling me, and you need to stop fooling yourself. You are going to fight. Yes, go change.â€
She had actually felt proud of herself for acting as a lady should, so tried to rebut his words, “But, my lord, I…â€
“No, Terniff. I know who I married. You are woman. I could not deny that during the war, and now that you are mine I definitely do not deny it. You are still the one that led the company into the castle where I was next to death. You are also the one that fought to give me a place of respect in the company of those of Mardon while I was still recovering from my wounds. I thus know that you can fight, Terniff. There is a fight coming, and you, my wife, are the only one aboard this vessel not prepared. So, go prepare yourself.â€
She felt the strong arms of her husband release her, and seeing the serious expression on his face she could only reply, “Yes, my lord.â€
Terniff did not put on her entire armor. In learning that she would represent the nobility in this fight, she had sought some leather garments knowing that her metal armor would not be appropriate in a water battle. She had not been given time to commission any leatherworker or tailor, and with Tasbirn’s castle being inland the merchants did not have any clothes for sea travel. Nalisha had allowed her to look through the storerooms of clothes set aside by the previous ruling ladies. While a few dresses had been found, almost no indication of the previous ruling ladies being anything but pretty damsels had been discovered. Only one ancient chest provided clothes of something other than silk, linen, and lace. Cracks in the leather pieces showed, but even after centuries the artistry in the work had even won the praise of Nalisha. The outfits however were for a lady of smaller size than Terniff, so she had folded them to put them back in the chest. The viscountess however mentioned her maids and how they had done things to keep her appropriately attired during the war. Terniff thus looked at the leather skirt and a blouse of thick material while considering her armor. Hoping that the mismatched pieces would come together to give her a respectable appearance, Terniff began changing her clothes.
Coming back on deck, she saw a number of men look at her strangely. In wondering how to respond, she noticed her husband draw his sword and advance. She deflected his thrust, then spent some time attempting to get through his own guard. When he finally stepped back to salute her, she found herself smile in hearing his words.
“I must approve of the change in wardrobe.â€
“The leather pieces are very old, my lord. They have been recently oiled, but I am still afraid that they might fall apart when put under stress.â€
“Just remember, we let the fight come to us. We don’t rush aboard the ghost ship.â€
She felt uncertain about the words, but simply replied, “Of course, my lord.â€
Something in the man’s eyes declared that he was being playful even as his voice growled, “So, if you need to make a garment change during combat, your room is below. We men can handle things while you are gone.â€
No, Terniff was not going to allow those words to go unchallenged. “I was dressed as I was, my lord, because I did believe that you men could handle the battle. It was you that stated otherwise by commanding me to change my clothes.â€
“Commanded? I wouldn’t say that I commanded you, but I am glad that my wife is so eager to please.â€
A surge of anger passed through Terniff. She however looked again at her husband’s eyes and saw what she suspected was a desire to laugh. She thus cooled any desire to erupt and formed a reasonable reply.
“We both only know success, my lord, but each victory came from us fighting together.â€
Renwyn rushed to wrap an arm around her as he declared, “Do you hear that men? We fight together!â€
An eruption of male voices cheering sounded around Terniff. She kissed her husband to show that she would be there for him. His lips moved to meet hers, and she felt his other arm come around her. Feeling that she would never grow tired of his presence, she did nothing to cause him to break the embrace.
No break in this chapter. In the next installment, the battle begins.
Posted by TerishD on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 (12:47:39) (247 reads)
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