Ambushed! - 3941.03.19 - Fort/Ruatha Holds - Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:01 pm
Loraine, her children, Aren, and a dozen of their armsmen had made it halfway from Fort Sea Hold to Ruatha Sea Hold before stopping for the night. They rose early the next morning and proceeded to harness their horses to the wagons to resume their trip. Loraine and Aren were especially alert, although Erhom and Lorler continued to sleep in the back of the wagon.
Midmorning saw them approaching the waterfall gully that Learyam had proposed for the ambush site: the roadway was narrow and rocky, preventing the wagons from moving very quickly, and the trees pressed in close to either side. The gully widened not far from where the road crossed above the waterfall, but that widening was not visible beyond the trees and the omnipresent mist from the cascading waters. Men on foot could travel faster and more safely than even those on horseback. Loraine and Aren tensed further as they rocked slowly out onto the dike that spanned the headwaters. As they approached the midpoint, her armsmen loosened their weapons in their sheaths, and a whistle from behind the wagon informed those ahead that the way back was blocked.
Shouts echoed across the water as her armsmen drew their weapons. Thuds heralded the approach of riders, and Loraine reined in the wagon. Loraine drew her bow, more for show than anything, expecting the riders to swarm the wagon, attempt to grab the children, and then flee.
Instead, she heard a shriek as one of her armsmen and his horse were shoved over the waterfall, and the clash of steel on steel. The riders had said they would be going unarmed! Why--? Three men surged up out of the water next to the wagon, surprising her and Aren, and causing her horse to buck in his harness. The boys screamed and Loraine flinched as she dove from the seat to calm the gelding.
The move likely saved her life. A knife thudded into the wagon frame behind where she had been sitting, and Aren yelped, scrambling off the box seat. Two of the attackers jumped into the back of the wagon, triggering additional screams from Erhom and Lorler. The third sprang onto the driver's seat that Loraine had just vacated and jabbed the horse's hindquarters with the point of his sword. Rearing and squealing, the horse leaped forward, and Loraine dove into the lake to avoid being crushed by the wagon wheels. Aren shouted for help from her armsmen, but they had little choice in the matter, engaged as they were with the attackers. Those ahead of the wagon suddenly found themselves disengaged with a runaway wagon bearing down on them, with their only option to run or to jump into the lake. One was felled by an arrow, which made the decision for the rest, who drove their horses into the headwaters of the waterfall. The four armsmen who had been behind the wagon attempted to pursue, but two had had their horses cut out from under them, and the other two were driven back by the bowmen.
Loraine screamed after the vanishing wagon and started to chase after it on foot, until one of her guards pulled her to the ground, shielding her from the barrage of arrows loosed in their direction from both sides of the gully, at the cost of his own life. Then, it was silent, except for the excited breathing of the remaining horses and the panting and moans of the armsmen. A final clatter heralded the disappearance of the wagon.
Aren crept forward, nursing an arrow in one shoulder, and rolled the dead bodyguard off of Loraine. The woman clutched at his arms. "What happened?!" she wailed, and Aren could only shake his head. She sobbed her sons' names as her friend wrapped his uninjured arm around her and held her.
It wasn't long after that when her remaining armsmen shouted angrily, drawing their weapons again and taking defensive positions around the pair. Half a dozen figures materialized out of the mist, then hesitated. "Lady Loraine?" a familiar voice rang out.
The woman's head came up and she looked for the lanky bronzerider. One of the skulking figures in the mist straightened up, gaining several inches of height, and strode forward. Her guard growled a warning. "Hold!" she shouted hoarsely, stopping her men. "I thought we had an arrangement!" she cried angrily.
"We do! What's going on?"
"You took them! That wasn't the agreement!"
There was a moment of shocked silence. "We...we didn't take them. What do you mean, they were taken?!" the bronzerider's voice took on an alarmed edge.
Loraine started to charge forward, intending to beat the man with whatever came to her hand. Aren caught her arm. "He's speaking the truth. It...it wasn't them," he whispered. She stopped. Her armsmen looked back and forth, between her and the strangers.
"My Lady, I don't understand. What happened?"
Loraine waved her men to stand down, and the one who had been tending Aren's arm cautiously resumed that task. T'lon approached the group warily, keeping his hands out to his sides where they could see them. He took in the dead men wrapped in their cloaks on one side, the dead horses, and the various cuts and arrow wounds. "Shards and shells, what happened?!" he demanded.
One of the guardsmen spoke up after a moment. "We were ambushed. I thought I saw Mordyn's colors on one, but I couldn't be sure. They got the wagon with the boys." The man had the grace to look ashamed at failing in his duty.
T'lon stared at him. "What are the odds...?" he muttered, turning his gaze to Aren and Loraine. The Lady Holder was a mess, sopping wet from her jump in the lake and grief reddening her face and eyes. Aren was in marginally better shape, if you discounted the arrow in his shoulder.
Loraine reached for his arm, clutching at it. "You have to save them! You can find them before they can get away, it hasn't been more than a quarter hour!" The Weyrleader stared at her, trying to make a decision. Shard it all, but those boys were in danger! But it was a huge risk for them to be seen. "Please!"
T'lon sighed, and cursed. Taking the woman's shoulders, he met her gaze. "You have my word!" Then he turned and ran. Two of the others fell in beside him and they vanished into the mist. The remaining three came forward to join the armsmen and began helping the beleaguered group make their way across the dike to solid ground.
#Site-Mini-Plot
Midmorning saw them approaching the waterfall gully that Learyam had proposed for the ambush site: the roadway was narrow and rocky, preventing the wagons from moving very quickly, and the trees pressed in close to either side. The gully widened not far from where the road crossed above the waterfall, but that widening was not visible beyond the trees and the omnipresent mist from the cascading waters. Men on foot could travel faster and more safely than even those on horseback. Loraine and Aren tensed further as they rocked slowly out onto the dike that spanned the headwaters. As they approached the midpoint, her armsmen loosened their weapons in their sheaths, and a whistle from behind the wagon informed those ahead that the way back was blocked.
Shouts echoed across the water as her armsmen drew their weapons. Thuds heralded the approach of riders, and Loraine reined in the wagon. Loraine drew her bow, more for show than anything, expecting the riders to swarm the wagon, attempt to grab the children, and then flee.
Instead, she heard a shriek as one of her armsmen and his horse were shoved over the waterfall, and the clash of steel on steel. The riders had said they would be going unarmed! Why--? Three men surged up out of the water next to the wagon, surprising her and Aren, and causing her horse to buck in his harness. The boys screamed and Loraine flinched as she dove from the seat to calm the gelding.
The move likely saved her life. A knife thudded into the wagon frame behind where she had been sitting, and Aren yelped, scrambling off the box seat. Two of the attackers jumped into the back of the wagon, triggering additional screams from Erhom and Lorler. The third sprang onto the driver's seat that Loraine had just vacated and jabbed the horse's hindquarters with the point of his sword. Rearing and squealing, the horse leaped forward, and Loraine dove into the lake to avoid being crushed by the wagon wheels. Aren shouted for help from her armsmen, but they had little choice in the matter, engaged as they were with the attackers. Those ahead of the wagon suddenly found themselves disengaged with a runaway wagon bearing down on them, with their only option to run or to jump into the lake. One was felled by an arrow, which made the decision for the rest, who drove their horses into the headwaters of the waterfall. The four armsmen who had been behind the wagon attempted to pursue, but two had had their horses cut out from under them, and the other two were driven back by the bowmen.
Loraine screamed after the vanishing wagon and started to chase after it on foot, until one of her guards pulled her to the ground, shielding her from the barrage of arrows loosed in their direction from both sides of the gully, at the cost of his own life. Then, it was silent, except for the excited breathing of the remaining horses and the panting and moans of the armsmen. A final clatter heralded the disappearance of the wagon.
Aren crept forward, nursing an arrow in one shoulder, and rolled the dead bodyguard off of Loraine. The woman clutched at his arms. "What happened?!" she wailed, and Aren could only shake his head. She sobbed her sons' names as her friend wrapped his uninjured arm around her and held her.
It wasn't long after that when her remaining armsmen shouted angrily, drawing their weapons again and taking defensive positions around the pair. Half a dozen figures materialized out of the mist, then hesitated. "Lady Loraine?" a familiar voice rang out.
The woman's head came up and she looked for the lanky bronzerider. One of the skulking figures in the mist straightened up, gaining several inches of height, and strode forward. Her guard growled a warning. "Hold!" she shouted hoarsely, stopping her men. "I thought we had an arrangement!" she cried angrily.
"We do! What's going on?"
"You took them! That wasn't the agreement!"
There was a moment of shocked silence. "We...we didn't take them. What do you mean, they were taken?!" the bronzerider's voice took on an alarmed edge.
Loraine started to charge forward, intending to beat the man with whatever came to her hand. Aren caught her arm. "He's speaking the truth. It...it wasn't them," he whispered. She stopped. Her armsmen looked back and forth, between her and the strangers.
"My Lady, I don't understand. What happened?"
Loraine waved her men to stand down, and the one who had been tending Aren's arm cautiously resumed that task. T'lon approached the group warily, keeping his hands out to his sides where they could see them. He took in the dead men wrapped in their cloaks on one side, the dead horses, and the various cuts and arrow wounds. "Shards and shells, what happened?!" he demanded.
One of the guardsmen spoke up after a moment. "We were ambushed. I thought I saw Mordyn's colors on one, but I couldn't be sure. They got the wagon with the boys." The man had the grace to look ashamed at failing in his duty.
T'lon stared at him. "What are the odds...?" he muttered, turning his gaze to Aren and Loraine. The Lady Holder was a mess, sopping wet from her jump in the lake and grief reddening her face and eyes. Aren was in marginally better shape, if you discounted the arrow in his shoulder.
Loraine reached for his arm, clutching at it. "You have to save them! You can find them before they can get away, it hasn't been more than a quarter hour!" The Weyrleader stared at her, trying to make a decision. Shard it all, but those boys were in danger! But it was a huge risk for them to be seen. "Please!"
T'lon sighed, and cursed. Taking the woman's shoulders, he met her gaze. "You have my word!" Then he turned and ran. Two of the others fell in beside him and they vanished into the mist. The remaining three came forward to join the armsmen and began helping the beleaguered group make their way across the dike to solid ground.
#Site-Mini-Plot