Dodgy Vanity

Queen Arbil sats opposite her royal balcony. Flowers began to fall near her, including the rare Caroline which she personally sought as a hobby. It was a fortune to buy them from the four families. More so another fortune for her to meet the tip of the rebellion. Urness sent word by messenger that he would stall the upcoming battle for another three hours. She rested both her hands on her head, refusing to acknowledge the noise piercing through her balcony, the endless smoke flowing from the windfire district. The smoke had begun to overpower he incense, burning and choking her room into a polluted pocket.

A knock on her door. Her aide maiden came to greet her. She prostrated before her and said what no ruler would dare hear, "My Queen, I'm afraid Urness comes with dire news regarding our siege," Arbil visibly rose in anger. She tapped her feet in the crystal floor, her heels breaking the awkward silence. "I thought he said it would be three hours from now? Is my cousin trying to undermine me?" The aide didn't reply. She didn't have to wait, Urness himself barged through the door.

He came alongside six of his sworn guards, all wearing the heavy cuirass that uniquely marked them. They were the first to spread fear in the Regent's command but also to first to mark the first sign of defeat. He didn't care about protocol this time, not on the eve of defeat.

"Queen-cousin, I'm afraid your outer city has fallen. All districts have surrendered fully, though reports indicate extreme fighting at the Windfire. The inner walls now stand as our last meas..."

"You know, cousin, things would've been different had you trusted my instincts in the beginning of the war." Her hands now dug through her own scalp, losing part of the beauty that she worked hard for. "I know I said we should hunt and kill the regents in the early stages, where mercenaries of the Red Sabres helped the most. But you and my council had convinced me otherwise," Lord Urness replied as soft as he could, "Arbil, the Red Sabres have committed themselves to the rebels. Just moments ago, I've lost around four knights-in-command, alongside their entire regiments. We are lucky the inner walls held thus far" At his insistence around factual events, Arbil now taps both her feet rapidly on the floor, angered that her own cousin would speak back against her. "And whose fault is it? Urness! I stood up for my family, and look where that got us. The whole city celebrated my son's wedding and my daughter's birthday. We were seen and celebrated as the best rulers in history. When I rejoiced, the city rejoiced in spirit too."

"But I was offshore, I originally outflanked the rebels in equal..."

"I AM THE BOSS HERE! Your own family despises you except your own nephew. And even then, his death brought us nothing. That Regent cunt is at death's door, my death's door, Urness! Not yours!"

Urness stood in complete silence. His own men stood idly behind him, with their captain awkwardly staring down the remaining knights opposite them. Kevin surmised that the loss of Addie's loyal knights had mean that only five formally remained as the Queen's royal employ. Yet, he only saw two in her company. Meanwhile, her voice ranged from plain outbursts to righteous superstition, her messiah-complex appearing in between her lectures of family and vanity. "If you had been good to us, Urness, you wouldn't contradict me this whole time! I have the blood of my mother, Auqa, the legendary crusader who almost brought the Elder One, Undermaster Ghael, to his knees. Unlike your family, my blood comes from a long line of righteous rulers. This is why you listen, imagine what it would've been like if we had better chemistry throughout the war. I'm tired of offering alternative viewpoints when all you do is fail them."

Her rapid tapping stopped. Another silence ensues, the aide maiden having observed the altercation, moved in to balance their disagreement, "I think Urness has a siege to command, my queen. I'm sure he heard you loud and clear. I'm also very sure that he sees what you mean by your words. I think we can stop here." The lord simply gazed off, before shortly telling everyone, "we have an hour before they arrive."

In the Windfire district, blazes flared in the slums. The smell reeked of burnt plastic, and toxic fumes interspersed with black soot surrounded the entire district like a cloud. The Regent sent none of her men to quell the disorder, nor did she control entry and exit routes in and around it. Heavy fighting ensued in the streets, with visitors and their unnatural speed, jumping in between houses to reach their unarmed targets. The Red Sabres, present in sufficient force at the start of the siege, were now at half strength. Yet in the center of the Windfire, where fighting was at its thickest, Captain Brandon held true to his ground. The twin sabres of his shone like bright lights, ever dancing in the mist.

Brandon was in a state of bloodlust. The visitors tried overwhelming him with their claws, yet he dodged them with his own unnatural speed. He loved the natural feel of combat. He was at home where killing became both an adrenaline and a purpose. He saw himself as the top of the mountain, even with his own guards who, in spite of their courage, would occasionally be killed at the hands of a lucky visitor. Amidst the empty panic and mayhem, a visitor managed to claw its way into Brandon's thick robes. It tore just as he sped out of its reach, jumping himself on top of a roof before delivering an uppercut into its guts.

Blood foamed at his mouth, with his eyes in complete bliss. As he reveled further into his love for violence, the thatch roof began shaking under a weird gravity, almost becoming artificial to the touch. Blue aura engulfed it, before it broke and collapsed softly. He landed safely at the bottom, with his back being targeted not by another visitor. This time, his perpetrator carried a wand.

"So this is all there is to you!" She cried. He turned and saw Initiate Eza, the lone survivor of the Red Witches. He steered himself to normalcy when he saw the Traveler's Wand pointed at him. His pupils reversed itself in dilation in response.

"There is no-one else for you to fight for. Your archmistress is dead, as well as her entire cult. Look around you, girl, the fight is over. Only the Red Sabres will emerge victorious and when I do, I will take my rightful place as the Seer of Prophet Rae."

Eza scoffed. She took an even fiercer combat stance, reminisced of her mentor. With her second hand, she brandished the Trident. She held it horizontally before uttering words of damnation into its core. The Trident consumed itself into a fiery shield, expanding itself into a perimeter surrounding them both. With the traveler's wand at her side, she spoke with a melodramatic tone, "Here I am, the only woman left to ever grace her footsteps in defiance to someone as forbidden as you"

The captain laughed at her words, his teeth seething as he spoke, "Girl, your archmistress paid a heavy price. She played right into our hands. Look around you , your leader led a herd that congregated ever closer to the dream world. The Elder Second awaits her arrival. Rae will not tolerate any more interference. You're a girl with nothing to lose. Turn back around. Loot as many trinkets as you can and flee."

"Oh I'm not here for my archmistress. I'm only here as an answer to your depravity. I am here to seek your death, and end the suffering for which you are responsible. Perhaps I'll give a courtesy visit to this secret prophet one day, and do her the luxury of what I will do to you."

"How ambitious and melodramatic of you. To get to Rae, you would have to kill me before my ascension. And how do you propose to fight a full-bodied captain with so little experience at life?"

"That's the beauty of it. You said it yourself. if you're really a man and I'm just a girl then you would have no problem killing me. After all, what's a girl going to do if she has lost everything and has nothing to lose?"

(First Draft)