Kingsley Family/Alyssa/The Price of Revenge
Content Warnings: References to Genocide
Kingsley
The Queen sat at a small table upon one of Riverwatch castle's balconies with a cup of warm tea and a little pot next to it. The castle, sitting right on the river, looked over the water and the land to the North. She had often taken to this spot to reflect, watching the land beyond hoping it would tell her what she could do to find peace. The other bank itself was little different than the one the castle was built into on this side of the great river. Its trees matched those that grew on this side. Its hills rolled gently over the land, just like those on this side. How then could such differences take root. Alyssa knew the answer, but it was not one that answered the real question eating at her. She fiddled idly with the collar of her shirt, her gaze still cast over the river for answer that had yet to come.
"Your Majesty." Her aide, Thea called gently to her from the study.
Alyssa turned to the study to see her.
"Thea." Alyssa acknowledged, her attention snapped back and focused on the person in front of her.
"The knight you wished to see has arrived in Bescanon."
Alyssa nodded once. "Please send him to me."
"It shall be as you say, Your Majesty."
"And please fetch that letter as well, the one I mentioned previously."
"It shall be as you say, Your Majesty."
"Thank you Thea. Did you wish to come see the hills later with with the knights?"
"I'm sorry Your Majesty." Thea replied fidgeting a little. "The boy is a bit sick, the doctor said he'll recover in a few days but I should be with him."
"Indeed you should." The Queen replied sagely. She waved her hand idly. "Once you've brought me my knight, please go see to your son. I will manage without you for today."
"It shall be as you say, Your Majesty." Thea said and departed.
Alyssa looked back out over the balcony across the river. She fiddled idly with the collar of her shirt.
Dixon
Sean rode into the city of Bescanon, alone, as he had taken up the order of Priest of the Aspect of the Flame, and had sent his men off to guard the city of Perdan. As he arrived, he made his way to the Riverwatch Castle the Queen had instructed him to be at.
It had been a long ride from the Altar of Flames to Bescanon, and he was glad that he had the opportunity to freshen himself quickly the night before at his estate in Perdan, before coming the last leg to Bescanon.
Sean arrived at the castle, and announced his presence to the Queen’s Guards there. He was ushered upstairs, past many guards, and finally through a set of full length doors leading out to a balcony, where the Queen sat, back facing him.
In front of them lay a beautiful scene of the river Bescanon, and the rolling fields and plains of the land here and across to Troyes. An aide announced his presence quietly to the Queen, and Sean bowed deeply before the Queen.
”Your Highness, Queen Kingsley, I am Sir Sean Dixon, presenting myself your humble servant, at your request.”
The aide showed Sean to a seat at the table, and left.
Kingsley
The Queen's arm twitched slightly as the door opened, but she did not look up as the knight was announced and took his seat at the table across from her. The sound of the water was serene and gentle, the lazy river flowing idyllically down out of sight. To hold that moment in her mind. For one moment of peace in the storm of war and duty to last just a little bit longer.
She gave a small sigh and took a sip of tea, looking over at the knight across from her. She had seen many young knights rise in Perdan. She had seen some of them die on the fields of battle. This one came from Eponllyn and had seemed full of resolve in his letters. But such confidence she knew could often lead to danger. Are you truly dangerous, Sir? She asked herself as sharp blue eyes met his, scanning his intentions. We will see who you are.
"Would you like tea, Sir Sean?" She asked. She didn't wait for an answer before pouring him a cup from the simple teapot on the tray between them. The cup sat within his reach; she set the teapot back down on the tray.
Her voice was stern, but gentle, and she regarded him with consideration and curiousity. "Do you know already why I have asked you here, Sir?"
Dixon
Sir Sean sat down, and said, "Yes, please. Thank you." He looked surprised that the aide had left, and the Queen was pouring the tea herself. Shouldn't these tasks be more befitting a commoner?
Sir Sean doesn't touch his tea, but his gaze is met by the piercing blue eyes of the Queen. He was slightly flustered, as she asked, "Do you know already why I have asked you here, Sir?"
Sir Sean answered, "No, I do not, Your Highness."
He felt concerned, and also a little anxious and awed to be so close to Royalty. He was but a boy of eighteen, and never come so close to Royalty. Never in Eponllyn - and now he sat an arm's length away from the Queen. He thought he could now boast he had had a private meeting and tea with the Queen herself.
Sean felt a knot in his stomach as he gazed upon the land of Bescanon - the bridge to Troyes - reminiscent of so many battles over the past few weeks and months.
Kingsley
Alyssa could see the young knight seemed a little on edge, his eyes casting out across the river, hers remained focused entirely upon him. And he did not move for his tea. It would probably help with the nerves. The Queen thought idly.
"No, I do not, Your Highness."
Is Lorelai referred to as Your Highness? The thought passed in a moment and she set her teacup down on the table.
I asked you to come here because I wanted to show you something, two things, actually. The first..." She trailed off as she stood up and purposefully walked a few paces back into the room, the scabbard of the sword at her hip sliding for a second against the balcony chair. She picked up a folded piece of parchment from a desk and sitting back down at the table. Gently, she handed the paper to the knight, watching patiently as he read the likely familiar writing.
To all nobles,
Well done Sir Vilhelm on capturing that infiltrator Zelgius Godfrey. I am appalled he would try to sneak into your camp and try to assassinate you.
It is a time of war, and as Priest, I suggest Zelgius should be punished as harshly as possible to beat him with many blows and ask him repent of his sins and evil. If not, then he should be kept alive, but in a state where he could never infiltrate anymore, for example, removal of the use of his fingers or legs. That may be a state worse than death, but it would be a kindness and mercy to one such as him.
Sean Dixon Knight of Perdan Priest of Aspects of the Flame
She gave him a few moments to read it before addressing him again. Her voice was soft and serene, though her eyes held him firm in her icy gaze.
"I would like to ask you, Sir, why you feel this way?"
Dixon
Sean read the letter handed to him, and blood rushed to his face. That name, Zelgius Godfrey, brought anger and rage to him.
Composing himself, Sean answered the Queen.
"My Queen, I must admit that my tone must have seemed rather harsh, but I trust after my explanation, you may understand."
Sean finally took a sip of his tea and gazed off towards Eponllyn for some time before answering.
"Sir Zelgius was my general when I served in Eponllyn's army. I was terribly dissatisfied with his leadership, as he was violent, abusive, and one to harbor grudges."
"Many nobles there protested against him, and he abruptly relinquished his role as General. What happened next, many could not expect. He disbanded his men, and he faded into the shadows, promising that he would bring true horror to any and everyone who he hated."
Sean poured out some more tea, and drank it quickly.
"My Queen, then as you know I joined our noble realm of Perdan. And just 2 weeks ago, I received a letter from Zelgius."
"His message was simple: Sean, I'm coming for you."
Sean paused. He remembered the fear he experienced then.
"And when I heard of Zelgius' presence from my scouts, and then his attempt to kill Sir Villhelm, I knew simply that he wanted to kill me, but could not find me in the heavily guarded city of Perdan. Besides he may not have known I had taken on the Priesthood."
"As such, out of fear for my life, I wrote a letter to all our realm, calling for the swiftest and sternest punishment for Zelgius. I knew he wanted to kill me. And I wanted him to suffer!"
Kingsley
The Queen sighed softly. "Sir," She said stiffly "Please know that you have nothing to fear from any man, for you are a knight of Perdan and are thus under my protection." She delivered the final phrase with a determined, stoic expression. Her eyes focused intently on the young man across from her. "And with my shield comes the shield of every knight, lord, and soldier that stands against wickedness. Words born of fear, your life is in the hands of us all, and in our unity we shall have the strength to overcome any evil."
With a nod, she leaned back in her chair.
"You want him to suffer..." She trailed off, looking back out over the river. "You have not seen suffering Sir Sean Dixon." She turned her gaze back to the young knight across from her. "But if you wish, I will show you."
Alyssa stood up, her hand resting idly in its usual place on the pommel of her sword. She took brisk steps towards the study door and knocked. An armoured knight draped in a white cloak and a broad smile, also bright white opened it.
"Your Majesty!" He said jovially.
"Sir Julian." she acknowledged without affect. "I am ready to visit the Hills, and I have asked Sir Sean," she paused turning to the young knight on the balcony. "to join us."
"Splendid! I shall go retrieve the other new knights at once!"
Alyssa nodded once and the knight dutifully marched off down the corridor. He was replaced by another knight in the doorframe, a tall blonde dame who stood stiffly at attention before the Queen of Perdan. She spared a glanced over to Sir Sean, but said nothing.
The Queen turned her head back once more. "Will you join us, then? The ride is not long."
Dixon
Sir Sean listened attentively as the Queen said emphatically,
”Please know that you have nothing to fear from any many, for you are a knight of Perdan and are thus under my protection."
He was glad and thankful for those words, and had a slight smile of relief. He felt courage and pride as a thought entered his mind - This is a Queen and a Realm I would give my life for.
Sean watched then as the Queen got up and spoke to one Sir Julian, about riding to the Hills. And then the appearance of a tall blonde dame that had a quiet, serious look about her.
“Will you join us?” The Queen asked.
Sean nodded, and said, “Yes my Queen, it would be my honor to do so.” He wondered what suffering the Queen intended to show him. He with quick strides, called his squire to ready his horse.
Kingsley
The skies overhead were gray and cloudy as the Queen's little band of knights crossed the fields of Bescanon towards the border with Meuse and Brive. The ride was not long, only about an hour away with the small band of six: The Queen, her sworn bodyguard Kira Verall, veteran Whiteguard Sir Julian, and two other young knights freshly granted the white cloak of the Queen's personal guard, Dame Elene and Sir Michel. Alongside the Queen and the little group of Whiteguard was Sir Sean Dixon, whom the Queen had invited personally to accompany them. Sir Julian had kept the young knights entertained with jokes and lighthearted conversation, while the Queen said very little and Kira made no sound at all.
Alyssa took a deep breath as they approached their destination, the humid air washing through her lungs and catching in remembrance. She closed her eyes as old memories flooded back, and pushed them away as she had learned to do after all this time. They approached a small knoll, not large but climbable, this particular one more wide and green rising up from the earth and pointing at the dim skies above. The Queen stopped them and dismounted, each knight following in turn. The Queen of Perdan approached the little hill with a steadfast determination, the rest of the knights following close behind, Dame Kira wore a grim expression, and even the normally jovial Sir Julian's face held an uncharacteristic seriousness. The other two Whiteguards seemed a little nervous sensing a serious shift in tone.
At its base, Alyssa turned to face the group, pausing for a moment to let them settle in.
"Do you know what this is?" She asked with little intonation. Sir Julian sighed and the other two glanced at each other before Sir Michel spoke.
"It's... a hill? Your Majesty?" He said hesitantly.
"This is a mass grave." She answered flatly.
The space was silent as weight of Michel's wrongness set in. After a moment the Queen continued, her face in a controlled expression, her voice carefully measured as she explained.
"During the North-South war, there was a village here. And after we were sent retreating from a nearby battlefield, Sirion and Redwing Eponlli soldiers came into that town and murdered every single person in it. When we returned after they left, we found the bodies still there, butchered, mangled, burned. 978 was the what the tax books said. The enemy was on its way back by then and we had no time to bury each of them. So here is their grave, butchered together, suddenly and now in death they remain together."
The Queen paused a moment again.
"When they came back, we fought them as best we could, but in the end were overwhelmed by numbers. Upon our retreat, the enemy travelled to another nearby village, near the waterfront. They killed 764 people, according to the tax logs. Their grave is over there."
The Queen pointed off behind the group towards the river. In the distance near the river, the faint outline of another little hill on the horizon could be seen.
"When we asked them, 'Why?! Why would you do this?', their answer was simple. 'You did this to us. You hurt us; you made us suffer. And so now we will hurt you.' And they were right. In response to some transgression in the past, Perdan did make them suffer, and before that some other transgression upon Perdan; so far back as you can imagine we have hurt each other."
She motioned to the others to follow her as she began ascending the hill.
Reaching the top of the mound, the Queen and the little band of knights that followed her looked out over the horizon, into the Kingdom of Perdan, the golden fields of Brive and the wooded lowlands of Meuse beyond. Dotted across the land beyond were dozens of little hills, just like the one they stood on. Each representing hundreds of lives ripped away through violence and spite. The Queen closed her eyes, allowing herself to remember the horrific scenes she normally kept at bay. Her hand twitched subtly as her knights looked over the barrows of all the people she had failed to protect.
She glanced down at the little memorial at the top of the hill, a simple stone with the name of a village and a number: 978.
"This. Is suffering. This is the price of our pride, our hatred, our desire for vengeance. All of us here upon this hill are warriors. It is our duty to protect, and in that duty, you will see the most terrible things that humanity is. The most terrible things that we can become. What we can and will do to each other when we allow our spite and our hatred and our desires for inflicting pain upon others." She gestured for all the knights assembled to look out to the hills beyond.
"Witness them, Knights of Perdan!" She cried out, eyes of icy blue fire casting long shadows behind them. "Look upon all the dead souls! See them. See the hatred that built these hills. The hatred that lies buried inside of us all, clawing grasping to be released!"
The Queen took a deep breath, her voice calming slightly as she continued. "This is who we will be, if we allow that hatred, that spite, that desire for revenge or watch another suffer even deservedly to be released into the world. The infliction of violence, revenge, pain. That path leads only here, to these hills and the memories of those beneath them."
She looked at each of the knights in turn, the young Whiteguards did not meet her gaze, Julian gave her a sorrowful look. Kira stood at ease, eyes scanning the horizon.
"When you feel the desire for revenge," Alyssa concluded gently. "when you feel the bile of hatred or spite, or disdain rise within you. Think of the people here and ask their ghosts what that desire for suffering will achieve for you. Then hear their silent reply across the winds."
Dixon
Sir Sean rode on his horse, curious as the little band approached the border of Meuse and Brive. This area was quiet, unoccupied, serene and all he could see were little knolls and hills stretching towards the forests in the south.
They came to a trot, and dismounted in front of one such knoll, where Queen Alyssa asked, “Do you know what this is?” To which one young knight replied, “A hill?”
The Queen answered, “This is a mass grave.” Sean felt surprise, and his stomach knotted slightly. He flinched as he heard of the hundreds, even thousands of peasants who had been killed mercilessly and cruelly in the North-South war.
Growing up a boy in Ashforth, he had heard stories from great-grandfather, grandfather and father who had participated in many epic battles. But they told stories of triumph and loss, but never mentioning the many who died in the midst of battle.
Queen Alyssa guided their attention to the many more mass graves that lay before them. Each knoll a silent testament of cruelty and needless death.
"This. Is suffering. This is the price of our pride, our hatred, our desire for vengeance. All of us here upon this hill are warriors. It is our duty to protect, and in that duty, you will see the most terrible things that humanity is. The most terrible things that we can become. What we can and will do to each other when we allow our spite and our hatred and our desires for inflicting pain upon others."
Sean was lost in thought for a while, thinking of many lives of his men who he had seen die in battle. And those who enemies he had seen killed in battle. When he regained his line of thought, he heard Alyssa say, “Think of the people here and ask their ghosts what that desire for suffering will achieve for you. Then hear their silent reply across the winds."
Sir Sean nodded, while mouthing a silent prayer for the dead souls.
“Queen Alyssa, you are right. This is suffering - and it achieves nothing. I pray that Zelgius Godfrey may have a change of heart even as we choose to show him mercy.”