Kingsley Family/Alyssa/The Lion (Part 1)

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This story is ongoing as of 11/26/2019. It began on 9/14/2019. The story relates Alyssa's experience leading the realm's armies after being chosen as Imperatrix (general) of Perdan. The story covers several parts. The first part ended on 10/11/2019

Imperatrix of Perdan

(9/14/2019)

Alyssa lowered her hood as she lead her troop towards the gate. As she approached, the soldiers manning the palisade saluted her in the Perdanese style. She rode past them as they stood at attention. As she studied their faces she saw the same looks of uncertainty on all of them They see a child she thought. I will have to prove that I am more. She hoped that she could.

As the gates opened she saw crowds of people gathered she saw crowds of people gathered near the gates, behind rows of soldiers lining the street, holding bright yellow shields with lions and their spears pointed upwards forming an arc above her. Surprised she stopped her horse, her troop halting behind her. Alyssa's elderly squire Graham quickly rode to her side, as well as her portly quartermaster Call Reed, and followed by the singer Maron who had been following her troop for weeks.

Expecting some concern from her squire he instead looked at her with what she guessed was paternal pride, the looks she earned from her uncle when she recited her histories correctly.

Maron smiled gleefully at the scene. "Oh this is the perfect introduction, my darling lady. What a marvelous welcome!"

Reed and Graham both turned to the bard at once. "She is not your darling!" They answered for her at once. Alyssa said nothing keeping her eyes down the road, half-heartedly waving a hand of dismissal in their direction. She watched uncertainly as a well-dressed courtier walked quickly to her position.

She studied the middle-aged man as he smiled warmly. "The Lady in White herself." He said softly. Alyssa could see from the corner of her eye Maron reach in the direction of his lute, before Graham grabbed his hand with a scowl. Alyssa ignored them keeping her eyes on the courtier.

"Who are you, my lord?" She called out to him.

He answered with a bow and replied, "I am Darren Davenport my lady and we are the duke's men, men of the city. We wished to welcome you home."

Davenport turned to the crowd and shouted: "Alyssa Kingsley of the White Lodge, Imperatrix of Perdan!"

The crowd cheered and shouted for her calling her name and cheers of "Perdan! Perdan!" and "Imperatrix!"

Alyssa was somewhat taken aback as the crowd cheered for her. Davenport took a step up to her mare and offered his hand. "Duke Smiddich is hosting a party aboard his barge Lady Imperatrix, he has invited all the nobles of Perdan. Shall we escort you to the palace?"

She looked at him holding her reins. "You may, my lord."

He quickly glanced to the reins in her hand and smiled. "This way my lady." He said taking a step back. She rode along side him as he led her towards the Duke's grand palace.


The Walls of the North

(9/16/2019)

The battle was lost. Alyssa knew it as soon as the Eponllyn army behind the hill overlooking town appeared and fell upon them. Alyssa had sworn as her army broke and she was forced to retreat. The enemy cavalry pursued, the games horses of the north riding down the Perdanese.

The Imperatrix herself had managed to escape the melee and so far the patrols that followed her, but she was all alone in a wooded copse outside an abandoned hovel by a tiny stream. Not even Starlight, safe in a stable in Perdan, was here to carry her to safety. She touched her forehead, where she felt blood trickling down. She quickly smeared it off with her palm, fearful that she had suffered a head wound after losing her helmet. Fortunately the blood was not hers. She wondered whose it was, a common soldiers to be sure, but Perdanese or Eponli she could not say. Blood looks the same. she thought as the exhaustion began setting in.

She figured the patrols must have already passed through, as several dead Perdanese soldiers littered the ground in the little woods with the stream. As she spotted them she saw the corpses of her former soldiers. A young boy named Karl, Ebben the flutist, gentle Fat Father, and all the others whose bones now littered the ground in Bescanon, overgrown and forgotten by all but her.

I failed them again... She thought to herself. They're all dead and it's my fault. The whole realm put their faith in me and I failed them. She had seen Sir Lucius and Lord Joreb struck in the melee, unsure if they survived. Her mind went to gentle-minded Isabel. She shook her head as a few tears began to form. Then a wave of anger struck her. She kicked a nearby helmet that had belonged to one of the dead men before her.

"Why did you think you could do this you dumb stupid girl!" She shouted into the stream.

As the tears started to flow she sat on the ground and buried her face into her knees crying. A moment later she heard the clip of hooves. Instinctively she pulled her sword from it's scabbard and leaped up, eyes still watering.

The last man she expected was Maron, the relentless, foppish singer that had followed her for weeks.

"You should have run, singer." She said wiping her eyes with her off hand.

"Graham rallied us." He said without his usual jaunt. " We were looking for you, my lady. We were afraid you were wounded.". He dismounted and approached her.

"They're happy to sacrifice for Perdan, my lady." He said gently as she sheathed her sword. He put a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off and she sighed. "Are you going to write about finding the Imperatrix of Perdan crying alone in retreat?"

He laughed. "I might. So long as the story doesn't end here my lady. Not a fitting end for my heroine."

"Perhaps it is." She offered looking sadly at the fallen soldiers.

"No, my lady. I think there is much more to tell. Come." He said motioning to the horse he rode in on.


Lady's Lament

(10/1/2019)

Alyssa sighed as she read through report after report. The sunlight was beginning to wane outside her large window in the Imperator's Tower solar. The place still didn't feel like hers; the bedroom was bigger than any she ever had, and she never had a solar. The tower itself was bigger than the one she grew up in so far away in The Hollow and that little tower of course was not attached to a palace. She had her own support staff, both military and domestic, barracks for her guards; anything she asked for she recieved. But despite all the bustle around her corner of the palace, she felt more alone than ever. Ever since she had returned to the capital, they had been stuck here besieged as the northerners slaughtered and stole from the people of the outskirts. Her people.

Alyssa shook her head, running her fingers through her hair and then pulling it up into a ponytail. She grabbed her cloak and the little wolf brooch her old squire Graham had given her. Wrapping it around her she headed out into the halls. As she headed down the steps she passed some of her own guard on duty, the black wolf on their white shields. They saluted her as she passed and she continued down into the lower chambers of the tower, were most of her support staff lived and worked. Many of the cooks and servants were gathered around in the kitchen eating what was left of the supper they had served not long ago. She watched them for a moment as they joked with each other, one of the serving girls flicking flour into the face of one of the cooks who turned red as he laughed. When they saw her they stopped and fell silent looking at each other and her.

"M'lady Imperatrix?" One of the cooks asked eyeing her uncertainly. Alyssa said nothing as she continued down the hall. So many strangers. She thought. As she continued her walk she heard the soft sounds of music from behind a door to one of the equipment storerooms. She slowly pushed the door open and saw by lantern light, the singer Maron who had followed her for the past weeks, sitting on the floor leaning against a crate while strumming idly on his lute, humming a forlorn melody.

The song was sad and yet somewhat hopeful. It felt lonely but warm, distant but familiar. She relaxed against the doorway as the song continued, until he noticed her standing there watching. Quickly he stopped and stood up, taking a low sweeping bow.

"Oh a blessed day indeed that the most beautiful woman in the world has sought me out. My lady, oh darling of my heart, what bringeth you to this humble bard?"

She had begun to ignore his overtures rather than chastise him, as the latter did no good. Instead she replied quietly, unmoved.

"I came to listen." she said softly.

"Then you have come to the right place my dear lady. Shall I play The Lady in White for you? I've changed the verses, it will sound good as new to your precious ears. In fact-"

"Play that song again. What you were just playing." She said before he could finish.

"Oh that is not a song suitable for a woman of your stature. And the song is not finished yet, it has no words."

"I want to hear it." She said with a hint of command in her voice.

He nodded once with a slight smirk Alyssa could not read. "As you wish my lady."

Alyssa entered the room proper and sat down, straight and poised on one of the crates of supplies. Maron sat on the floor across from her, near the lantern and he began to play again. She closed her eyes as she listened to the calm and floating melody. Finally he finished and leaned the lute up against a crate. He took a flask from his coat pocket and took a drink, before holding it out to her. Alyssa shook her head in refusal. She had reports to read and decisions to make tonight.

"You really are immune to cheer, aren't you." He said taking another drink before setting it back in his pocket.

"I suppose it is said." She replied idly.

"Well, did you like my song, my lady?"

"I did."

"And yet not even a smile." Maron chuckled.

"It wasn't a happy song." Alyssa replied.

"No I suppose it's not, but it would have been nice to see regardless. You don't have to shoulder all your burdens alone. Or if for whatever fool reason you decide to anyway, just remember that Perdan needs you, but you also need Perdan. We are at your service my lady."

She studied him for a moment before replying. "You are wiser than you act."

"And you are more scared than you act."

That was true she knew. If the singer could see through her, she wondered how many others knew she had no idea how to stop the North and save Perdan. They sat in silence as she worried.

"I won't play that song for anyone else, my lady. Lady in White is growing quite popular anyway. I must say I prefer it at least."

A hint of a smile came over her. "Thank you, Maron." She said standing back up and heading towards the door.

"Have a good night, my lady." He replied, and she shut the door and headed back up the stairs.


Gods of the North and South

(10/11/2019)

Alyssa trotted behind the main column after inspecting the rear-guard. She could not see the rest of the supply groups, but knew they were not far ahead. With her rode her captain, Tanner, a man she trusted without doubt. She had left her squire Graham in charge of the unit while she rode with back of the army. The roads were crumbly and devastated, the villages and hamlets burned to the ground and destroyed by war. Alyssa hated the sight.

"My lady," Tanner asked. "Some of the men are uncertain about you. There have been some... grumblings about whether you are a coward or not."

Alyssa did not want to have this conversation, but she knew Tanner brought it up out of concern, so she decided to indulge him. "Do you believe that, captain?"

"No my lady..." he muttered. Alyssa glared at him challengingly. He cleared his throat and continued. "It has been a while since we have engaged the enemy. The men are itching to fight. Perdan's of warriors they say, not of hiders."

"The living are hiders." Alyssa replied coldly, before relenting with a sigh. "The rest are dead in Bescanon. Their lives are the price of my recklessness."

Tanner bit his lip as if he wanted to say something but hesitated before saying: "It won't be an issue my lady. Just mumblings is all." Alyssa had a feeling that was not what he wanted to say but she did not prod him. As they continued in silence, a strange sound began to fill the road as they trotted through the burnt village. As they approached she recognized it as music from some stringed instrument, a lute perhaps, she thought. The music was twangy and hard, yet it sounded searching in a way. As the source came into view she spotted an old man sitting alone on the steps of a burned down hovel. He was alone, playing to no one, what little hair he had was on his chin, and his clothes were rags. As the Lady and her captain passed he began to sing, his voice deep and croaky a purposeful, yet somewhat haunting melody escaped:

Gods ain't gonna help you none You'll be sorry for what you done Them gods gonna hurt you, girl When you play with fire for fun When you play with fire for fun

Alyssa stopped her horse as she watched the old man play. Closer now she could see that he was blind, yet his hands moved with an expert quickness as he strummed the instrument. Tanner leaned over. "Something wrong my lady?"

She held her hand up to quiet him, not taking her eyes off the strange, sad old man singing.

They ain't gonna catch ya when you fall

You'll be pleading while you're bleeding

She heard Tanner shift uncomfortably in his saddle as the man continued his grim tune. She reached into her purse and pulled a gold coin from it, tossing it towards the player, as it clinked off the cobblestone steps leading up the the burned hovel. His head turned towards where the coin rolled near his boot and he nodded once in Alyssa's direction. Still, he continued his song.

They ain't gonna hear ya none Don't care about what you done They ain't gonna help you girl You'll be sorry for what you done Be sorry for what you done

"My lady," Tanner noted softly. "The army is getting ahead of us, we should not tarry."

Alyssa hmmed as she turned back to her captain. She shook her head once, her focus turning away from the singer. "Yes, I'm sorry. She looked at the singer once more who continued his song as if she weren't even there. Alyssa sighed and gave him one last look before she began to trot off down the road towards the army. The old man's voice echoed down the lane, and she made out the next bits of the song

Lion, pulls his claws out He'll rip you up for what you done Phoenix, will burn your world down Leave you ashes for what you done Raven, will peck your eyes out You're blinded by what you've done Mother, lonely old gal She'll tear your heart out for what you've done She'll tear your heart out for what you've done

Something about the words made her shiver. She pulled her snow-white cloak tighter around her as the music faded in the distance, the only sound between the two was the clopping of hooves against the cobblestone road.


In Brive

(10/29/2019)

Alyssa rode silently through the Brivan countryside surrounded by the army of Perdan, the finest warriors she had ever known. She sat stiff in her saddle, finger tapping nervously on the horn. This will work She told herself. It has to. Sirion was here and with their forces, the enemy host was larger than hers by a number. She wondered if Lyanna was among them, or if she had stayed behind to tend to her people she loved so dear. In truth Aly was nervous. The last time the enemy had scouted her advance and was able to escape. This time, they would meet in the field and she would strike them perfectly where their allies could not help them. If the plan worked...

"My Lady Imperatrix" she heard from her captain, Tanner, who rode alongside her. She appreciated Tanner a great deal. He was a loyal man, the loyalest of all her unit who had been with her since she had first been knighted over a year ago. /If this one's blood was noble and true he could make a fine knight./ She considered. "What is it captain."

Tanner pointed up to a hill around which the Western road winded. A lone horseman stood holding a banner atop the knoll. "They are here my lady." He said with a gulp. Alyssa studied the banner curiously for a moment as the soldiers began to ready their weapons when she realized what the lone rider was flying. Her face turned to horror before she looked back to her captain. "We must withdraw immediately." She ordered.

"My Lady?" Tanner asked as the distant sillouttes of a hundred men appeared over the crest of the Brivan gnoll. The sky was overcast, the bright gray clouds hanging over the Imperial army. And then the sky became dark as a hail of arrows were loosed from the hill.

Suddenly, like a flash, men began dying all around her. Her white mare reared as soldiers wailed and fell and died around her, somewhere she heard a shout calling to charge over the sudden din. As Starlight stood on her back two feat, Aly tried to hold on but the mare slipped on the blood that was now beginning to pool on the battlefield. The horse slipped and fell and Alyssa fell with it, she hit the ground with a thud and felt a crunch on her shield arm. Her pained yells were drowned out by the death surrounding her. Starlight, seemingly uninjured from the fall, leaped back up and began to run from the battlefield, the saddle hanging sideways off of her. Alyssa grunted as she tried to pull her foot loose from the stirrup before the beast could charge away but her kicks were useless and the great white beast began to pull her through the blood and grass of the battlefield. She could feel her armor scrape against the mail of fallen soldiers as she was dragged at speed over their corpses. After some fumbling she took the knife at her hip and cut through the leather strap holding her leg in place, freeing her as Starlight charged through the melee and out of sight.

Alyssa slipped on blood as she tried to stand, the burning pain in her left arm overwhelming her senses. As she got her bearings she hear the clank of steel on steel and the shouts and groans of men. She shook her head and pulled out her sword as a foe charged at her speartip pointed at her gut. Her instincts kicked in she sidestepped, the spearhead glancing off her side, as she lowered the pommel of her sword onto his head. As he stopped suddenly, stunned, she ran him through the stomach with a cry before pulling the blade back out, and leaving him on the ground to die. A sword came at her out of her periphery, and she her the old master-at-arms in her ear. "Back, then parry. Not too close girl." She took a step back and caught his blade with hers, He was stronger, but Alyssa had the advantage and she kicked him in the stomach. The man stumbled back and she brought her blade with a quick slash into his neck. He yelped in pain as blood oozed from the wound and he fell to his knees.

An onslaught of foes came battering her into her own soldiers, she killed several men before taking a mace to her stomach. Alyssa crumpled to the ground and vomitted as she felt another soldier's heel kick into her as he fell backwards over her. She swung her sword wildly and must have hit some man as blood fell across her face. The fallen man crawled away as Alyssa tried to stumble back onto her feet.

This spearman's thrust was true however, and she didn't even see him coming as he jammed his longspear into her side, where the mace had previously dented and battered her armour. She screamed in pain as it stabbed into her belly. He pulled it out and then she screamed again as the spearman's head was lopped off by another who vanished back into the melee. Alyssa fell to the ground again, bleeding as the battle raged around her. She looked up and watch as the clouds were beginning to part above her. She saw the blue skies and the sun beginning to peer through the overcast skies. It was beautiful.