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Thread: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

  1. #81

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part One

    “You court death like lassies aren’t good enough, my lord,” said Mael Snechta.

    The King grimaced. “I court no-one, General. I savor being away from my wife no more than you do.”

    Ruarcc looked away and wished he was with his own wife in Dun Foither. It had been a month since they had chased King Sigurd back to Fortriu territory and put his army down once and for all. Ruarcc led the charge, but it was King Aed and Mael Snechta who delivered the killing blow. King to king, the men dueled, while Snechta held off the guard almost to a man.

    Orkneyar was broken without its king, and their hold on old Fortriu was forfeit. The rest of the foreign army disintegrated and the sons of Circenn were relieved to return to their farms in time for the next harvest.

    Ruarcc, Mael Snechta, and their guards were not so lucky.

    King Aed had retained his best men to undertake the final leg of his quest to gather Alba under Circenn Sovereignty.

    The band of Cavalry veterans had passed into Gallgoidel lands through a mountain pass west of Dun Duirn. The Gallgoidel army was still preoccupied with the lands they had seized in Strat Clut, and Aed’s company was able to slip into the country undetected.

    The Gaels were not identified outright, for most of the people seized in the Sea Kings’ victory in the West remained Gaels themselves. Those that integrated into Norse society did so unintentionally, and those that resisted did so with every intention.

    The few Norse farmers that saw the party up close eyed them suspiciously. King Aed ordered his men not to speak when they passed and not to look directly at them. It was too late, however, and the mysterious band of well-armed, well-fed cavalry was reported to the local Chieftain.

    The Chieftain had presumed the farmer was mistaken in his impression of what was likely just a new group of mercenaries fresh from the home country. He took his Hearthguard and two units of archers in case the strangers turned out to be a real threat, though.

    They saw the healthy, hearty horses from across the river and they could tell they weren’t simply a lost mercenary company.

    The archers ran to the river’s edge and drew their arrows. The Hearthguard braced against each side of the bridge, well aware of how outnumbered they were. The horsemen had spotted them, and it looked like they were going to flee. The Chieftain gave the call to fire at will and the arrows were let loose.

    “Fly, lads!” Aed cried.

    The horses broke into a gallop and rounded the bend as fast as they could. Arrows cut through the air, severing locks of hair and piercing saddlebags as the band made their escape. They disappeared behind the trees and left the Vikings’ line of sight. The Chieftain ordered the archers to send missiles over the forest before they ran back to the village and reported their encounter up the chain of command.

    “So much for in-and-out, sire!” Snechta shouted over the torrents of hoof beats over the sod.

    Ruarcc pounded past and checked the way ahead for the rest of the band.

    “You expected an empty coast, General? Ride!” he heard the King call out. The arrows sank into tree trunks and the dirt around their horses’ hooves until they broke into the forest proper.

    Mael Snechta laughed and looked over his shoulder at the arrow-riddled shield on his back.

    Last edited by DreamKing; December 21, 2019 at 04:13 AM.

  2. #82
    Turkafinwë's Avatar The Sick Baby Jester
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    A very immersing start to the Lost Chapter! Great stuff!

  3. #83
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Nicely done, you convey well the urgency of being an archer running from horsemen, and the bravado of Mael Snechta!

  4. #84

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Thank you, Alwyn and Turk. How does the change in the form of storytelling feel so far? I feel the next entry is very good, but this one is a fine beginning.

  5. #85

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part Two

    “This mission’s been ordained by God himself, lads, nothing can stop us,” Snechta bellowed over his shoulder.

    The other horsemen grunted and pulled on their reins to slow their mounts’ charge. General Ruarcc had returned to the front of the column and matched King Aed’s trot. The King leaned into the man’s words and nodded once.

    “Settle down, men. We’re stopping here for the night. Water the horses and then set camp in these trees.”

    The riders looked at each other and grumbled in disbelief. Mael Snechta’s smile faded and he was the first to jump down from his horse.

    “Here? Now?” he asked, gesturing to the natural declination of the earth into a crater ringed by trees beside the path they had veered off of.

    General Ruarcc stepped down from his horse and gazed through the treetops into the sky just beginning to show hints of the lateness to come. “They know we’re all mounted, on fine horses with a road right to Dun Att. They’d expect us to be far along with so much day left. If we stop here, we can stay behind whoever’s looking for us.”

    The King nodded once more to lend his approval to the man’s rationale.

    Mael Snechta’s lower lip pressed against his top lip in a rare display of respect. “Smart, Ruarcc. I see why the King likes you now.”

    The men snickered and dismounted, already at peace with the arrows that broke through the canopy in their attempt to stake them to the ground. Ruarcc paid it no mind and lashed his horse to a tree, He held his bearing and ignored the surly general. As always, this only engendered more salt within the big man’s blood.

    “Tell us, wise Ruarcc, what will the Stone of Destiny provide our dear king?”

    Ruarcc set down his gear and removed his helmet. Snechta grinned like a hungry bear and lumbered over to the perturbed general. He squatted down beside him, allowing his arsenal of weapons and armor strapped to his massive form to brush against Ruarcc. He looked over to Snechta, slowly, but turned back to his bedroll in the end.

    Snechta breathed deeply, in, and then out. He watched Ruarcc set up his roll and dig his latrine hole like he was watching a baker make bread. When Ruarcc realized he had no more busy work to attend to, he turned to the instigating man.

    “What is it, Mael?”

    “Ah! Just waiting for your answer, Hand,” he replied pleasantly.

    Ruarcc scoffed and stood to his full height. He realized the men were watching the uncomfortable spectacle unfold. Then, Snechta rose and he saw only the man he was trying with all his might not to indulge.

    His patience was through, and he wouldn’t stand being intimidated in front of the men.

    “There are only two things I believe hold power, Snechta. The Lord, and King Aed. If he finds his Stone, he will be better for it, and we can go home.”

    “Aye, all the better,” Snechta said through bared fangs. “You want to know what I believe in, Ruarcc?”

    Ruarcc said nothing but took the step that remained between the two old soldiers. The spectators closed in as well, silent with anticipation.

    “Tell us, Mael Snechta. What do you believe in?” a voice spoke from the trees.

    The soldiers turned to the voice and saw the King emerge from the shadow of the trees. They started to spread out but the King spoke again.

    “I know you believe in harming men whose fates belong to me.”

    Snechta backed away from Ruarcc and bent toward the King slightly. “My lord, you were going to put those men to death anyway. I saw no harm in delivering my own punishment to traitors of the realm.”

    The King hopped down into the crater and stood up to the big man.

    “I killed those men, Snechta, not you. It was my punishment to dole; a legal response to an illegal act. We do forsaken things in war, but in the end, he was a Christian, and a Gael, not some heathen Norseman to abuse and slay. Think well on this.” He broke the smoldering stare he had affixed on Snechta and scanned the faces of the men offering their solemn attention.

    “Think well on it, all of you. We are the kingdom’s law, its sword, its arm. We lead the people to a future safe and secure from filthy Sea King beasts and brigands at home. If we don’t uphold the standard, all that we’ve built is vulnerable to rot and collapse. Think of your part in our country’s future, as we work to attain it in these Godless lands.”

    “Aye, lord,” Ruarcc called out quietly, raising the voices of the men along with him.

    “Bed down, lads, set the watch, and be ready to ride come morning.” The King looked to Snechta and Ruarcc plainly, free of any scorn, praise, or further judgement. He set his things down amongst the men and the troops resumed setting up camp.

    Quiet chatter returned and the tension was washed away by the King’s authority. Snechta shook his head slightly at Ruarcc but bit his lip. He went back to his horse and Ruarcc sank back into his spot. A small fire was built in the center of the crater and supper was cooked for an early meal while they waited for their enemy to leave them behind in the old wood south of Dun Ollaig.


  6. #86

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part Three

    Despite his loud protest, Mael Snechta slept soundly against his tree. His snore made the watch-standers uneasy in the otherwise dead night. The fire was put out and the embers distributed amongst the men for warmth at sundown. Ruarcc wrapped his in his cloak and held it close to his heart. The King was startled by this when he came to wake the general for his turn on patrol.

    “Gray man, your heart still smolders in your chest.”

    Ruarcc started and blinked up at him. “My liege. My heart… you said?” he murmured, getting to his feet.

    “Belay it, General. Your shift, now.”

    “Right, sire. Only half the night remains, looks like.”

    “Yes,” the King said, glancing at the stars. “I believe we’ll get away with this sleight after all.”

    The night sounded, all the creatures of darkness crept and stalked in the forest around them. Both men peered into the blackness and envisioned the Norsemen hunting for them.

    “Though the night prowls on,” Ruarcc stated, addressing what lay frightening, unsaid between them.

    Ruarcc stepped carefully through camp, checking the state of the sleeping soldiers and ensuring there was no possibility of an assassin lying in wait. He visited the watch-standers and received their report of a still, eerie night.

    “We’re not used to things turning our way so often,” a sentry explained.

    “Noone deserves it more than us. Keep your eye out.”

    The clouds rolled on ahead, silver and mysterious under the light of the moon. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance. Ruarcc ignored the call, preoccupied with the hope his wife could be looking up at that same moon, back home. He shook his head. Home waited as distantly as the moon, until the Stone was attained, and the King was satisfied.

    The moon waxed. A third of the night remained. The watch was relieved, a different set of groggy men taking the previous’ place. Ruarcc went to wake Snechta for his turn on overwatch but found him already waiting for him, as impatient as it suited him.

    He considered Ruarc and said, “Anything to report?”

    Ruarcc glanced at the woods and shook his head.

    “Fine,” the big man said, making to leave him.

    “Mael.”

    “What is it, Ruarcc?”

    “What do you believe in?”

    A pause.

    Big teeth shone in the darkness in an amused smile that Snechta couldn’t help but indulge.

    “I believe,” he began, stepping close to Ruarcc, “that my brothers are dead. And until this kingdom nonsense is settled, my clans will not be able to mourn for them.”

    His smile twisted into a sneer and he gestured toward the King’s sleeping form. “Once this king is happy and back in Scoan where he belongs, I will be able to let loose this madness that boils within me every moment I have to serve a man that wears a crown on his head instead of a helmet like the rest of us.”

    “What will you do back home, Mael?” Ruarcc asked as quietly as the breeze that waited with bated breath to hear what curse Snechta would utter.

    The smile hardened, the eyes narrowed.

    “I don’t believe you’d be able to stop me. Goodnight, Ruarcc.”

    Ruarcc felt cold for the first time that night. He had crushed the ember to cinders against his breast.

    ********************
    Merry xmas if you celebrate!



  7. #87
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    I'm enjoying the style of storytelling you're using. The King's authority comes across well and I like the way that he and Ruarcc responded to Mael Sanechta. Making the reader wait for Mael's answer to Ruarcc's question, because of the arrival of the King, added to the tension nicely. I can see why Ruarcc felt cold!

  8. #88

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Ah I'm very glad what I want to convey is making it across clearly. I really don't want to let the characters down by failing to give them voices appropriate to the vague prose of the main story. Thanks for the monthly competition as well, Alwynn. I forgot about it so it was a very nice surprise!

  9. #89

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part Four

    The morning came peacefully. The sun thawed their cold bones and helped wake them for the day of travel that awaited them.

    “Mount up!” the King ordered.

    The little campsite was demolished in minutes, leaving hardly a trace of the deception of the Circenn riders. The horses were saddled and untied from their tree posts. Ruarcc glanced at Snechta but the man was sullen, as his mood often soured. He said not a word during the whole evolution. Ruarcc had to give up looking for any sign of what Snechta had intoned the night before. He had no intention of going mad, yet.

    “Mind the flanks. We should be behind whoever is out searching for us. Ride fast, and don't look back. They’ll shoot at us to let us know they’ve found us,” the King said to his men. They grumbled a little, some chuckled, as only a hardened soldier could at the thought of death.

    “General Ruarcc?”

    “Yes, sire?”

    “Lead us to victory,” the King said, casually, as if they were merely out on a hunt together.

    “Yah!” he shouted, kicking his horse’s sides and spurring it forth in a gallop. The rest of the cavalrymen cried out and followed him out of the forest, back onto the road they had abandoned the day before.

    They rode for hours before they saw anyone, keeping to the paths out of the way and bordering the woods that spanned south. Jagged coastline lay ahead of them, the ancient docks and harbors sitting on its edge like forgotten firewood on a porch step. Small fishing boats loitered in the bays, out into the rising sun.

    “There,” the King pointed, “that’s Dun Att. The Stone of Destiny lies at the bottom of its harbor.”

    The men with the best eyes stooped low and shielded their faces as they searched for any sign of a military presence. Beside the road, just outside the harbor town, a large stable sat.

    “Can’t see any horses, sire, but there has to be someone waiting down there.”

    The King braced a fist against his lip as he considered the treasure he had journeyed far and fought so hard to obtain. It lay within his grasp if he extended his hand around the bay. If only it was as easy as closing his fist around the harbor. He considered his fist, he gauged his men’s capabilities, he looked at Mael Snechta.

    “General Mael, take a third of the men and ride hard for their Moot Hall. Slay any who get in your way, but make sure your bark is mightier than your bite. You need only secure the Hall, and we will come after you.”

    Mael Snechta looked from King Aed to the harbor, and back, as if finally shaken awake from his sulking haze.

    “May I inquire as to the aim of this operation, my lord?” he grumbled.

    “The element of surprise, General. Do you suppose many of my subjects know what I look like?”

    “No, sire. They recognize you by your badges of office and your command.”

    “Exactly. I believe the common Norseman will be just the same. Ride, General.”

    Mael Snechta let loose a cry and ran his horse down the road, his personal guard right at his back. The rest of the men lined up, and timed the charging general’s advance. Once they heard the screams begin to rise from the harbor, they rode hard down the road after him. Men lay scattered, bleeding at the wayside. Women and their children cowered all the same at their approach. Ruarcc hoped it was not because the people recognized a common likeness between the parties.

    The King’s group charged down the main road, holding their swords aloft to convey their avenging intention. Corpses gripping swords appeared at the junction of the road and the party arrived at the Moot Hall. General Mael’s horses stood in a row beside the solemn building, nervous but content to wait together while their masters raided the Hall.

    The King’s men jumped down from their horses and barreled through the great Hall doors. The people outside tentatively peeked around corners and listened to the melee transpire inside. The clatter of metal on metal rang throughout the great building, and drew a murmur from the people outside. Wood cracked, men shouted, bodies thudded onto the floor. Then, a silence. The people crept closer and tried to listen for any sign of the conclusion to the rapid, violent interruption of their day.

    Silence, and then faint voices.

    “Ready?”

    “Let’s get it over with!”

    “Hush, Mael.”

    The people could only stare at the ajar doors and wait for the victorious party to emerge. With a great crash, the big man who had rode at the head of invaders burst through the doors. He stumbled a couple steps, as the man who had led the pursuit after him had forced him out of the building at sword-point. He held his weapon straight and steady, ready to pierce the man through the middle.

    Ruarcc and the others of the victorious warriors filed out after the King, and took up positions along the walls. They stood ready to repel the uneasy crowd that was forming around the front of the Moot Hall, should their act fail. Snechta got down on his knees, facing the crowd, as he would not have been able to control his temper at being at the mercy of the King, mock or otherwise.

    “Fear not! Your lord has restored law and brought the beast who tramped through Dun Att to heel!”

    The people said nothing, at first. They were so shaken by the sudden excitement that rushed through their town by Mael Snechta’s charge they cowered still.

    “He poses no threat to you now, have no fear. Approach your king!”

    “King?” someone asked aloud in their kindred tongue.

    “Yes, man, King Anund! King of Gallgoidel and descendant of the Sea Kings.”

    The crowd began to murmur and the man was now put on the spot. “I didn’t know King Anund knew the language of the Gaels,” he said.

    Ruarcc stepped forward before the King could reply. “Have you heard of the King’s dealings with the Hand of the King of the Gaels?”

    “We have, the gold the Gaelic kingdom provided was sent here to fund new ships for the fleet.”

    “And how do you think he accomplished such a deal? He mastered the language of our rivals!”

    The crowd was impressed by this, and the outspoken man said no more. Mael almost felt forgotten, and groaned under the weight of the absurd turn he felt the plan had culminated in. The King smiled and laid a hand on the man’s tremendous bicep.

    “We can’t forget our foes,” the King began. “For they will take advantage of any gaps, like this creature has today. I say we teach him a lesson he will never forget!”

    The masses gave a cry of assent.

    “Let us through, my poor people. Let us avenge our slain by drowning this wretch in the harbor!”

    The crowd rejoiced and cleared a path for the procession to push the belligerent Snechta forward. All the fervor prevented the people from noticing the King’s party had increased by a third as they marched toward the harbor. Validated by the soldiers and show of support by the common folk accompanying them, the dockmaster yielded the finest longship in the bay to the King. He had joked with the King that he would need it just to hold the weight of such a massive captive, to Snechta’s irritation.

    The people helped cast the boat off and watched it drift into the center of the harbor. They called out their support and condemned the murderer’s life, but they could not make out any proceedings of an execution. They saw the towering figure of the prisoner stand and the King’s blade flash but the soldiers blocked what happened next. Most of the crowd, especially those in the back, presumed that he had been dropped overboard and gave weak cheers before slowly dissipating back into town to clean up the mess the raiders had stirred.

    “Don’t stand, Mael. They won’t be able to tell you’re the behemoth at this distance.”

    “I’ll sit but I won’t row. I’ve done more for this country than you ever will, Ruarcc. I swear to God as my witness.”

    “Enough. Thank you for an excellent display, General,” said the King. “Now, all of you watch, as Destiny finally returns to Circenn’s yoke.”

    The men watched. And waited. They peered into the dark water of Dun Att Harbor, but no glittering jewel did shine through the murky depths. The King said nothing, so the rest of the men uttered not a word. They began to rationalize their initial expectation of how a mystical relic would behave.

    Generally, every man in the company was superstitious, as soldiers tend, and a good number of them had experienced happenings they considered magical, or miraculous. It was likely the Stone of Destiny, a treasure of inconceivable power that the King had pursued for years, would require a bit more ceremony than being startled by the Water Horse while you were up for a pee on the Loch.

    So the King waited. He said prayers and recited old songs regaling the legend of the Stone. An hour passed, and the masses truly disappeared, the realities of their daily routine having regained precedence over the King and his strange activities.

    What was even stranger, however, was the sudden appearance of a second king. A second King Anund, at that. This one spoke the language of his kingdom, and spared no time for an explanation as to why there were two simultaneous monarchs of Gallgoidel. He pushed the townsfolk out of the way, leading his men on a charge to the dock. The people regrouped once again into their throng of starving eyes, hardly blinking to take in as much of the confrontation as possible. The new Anund, that is, the most recent Anund, peered over the harbor at his impostor’s boat while his men wrangled a longship to carry him out to meet the other. He said nothing, but worked out the furrow of his brow. His scowl faded, as the boat pulled up to the plank. A clever smile replaced it, and his brow was eased of burden, and uplifted with the clairvoyance of a spectacular opportunity.

    He boarded the craft after his steward. The guard was puzzled by the queer glee that came over their liege. None but the steward recognized the look. He had seen it before the King rode over the border and extorted the Hand of Circenn’s king, and he realized the sure look had taken to his face, and soon enough, to all the men aboard, as the rowers chuckled to each other in their tear across the harbor.


  10. #90

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part Five


    The king of Circenn watched the king of Gallgoidel come closer and closer on his ship. His eyes didn’t drift from Aed, and neither did his gruesome smile leave his face. Aed stayed his men’s hands, for Anund gave no order to his men to take any action save carefully steer the craft into place beside the other.

    The two boats of soldiers glared at each other and waited like hounds to dive upon the other. Oars were utterly abandoned, the hands preferring to hold their swords and axes steady instead.

    “You are a king, sir, but just not of my kingdom,” was Anund’s greeting. He did not ask for permission to come aboard, for it was his longship, and his harbor. King Aed recognized this, and raised his arms to stop his men who rose to redress the offense.

    “No, I cannot hope to be as crafty as you, King Anund. I come only to retrieve what is Circenn’s.”

    Anund only arched his eyebrows, as if this cause appealed to him. He remained composed, strolling on the deck, past the multitude of eyes that stared distrustfully. He looked over the bow of the ship, and turned to Aed as if he had been reminded of a joke by what he saw in the choppy water. The Viking party took to their lord’s side of the ship, and the Gaels took to their own at the stern.

    “My King, I have come to give it to you.”


  11. #91

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Aed, Circenn, and the Sea:
    The Lost Chapter: Part Six

    The two parties sat on either side of the ship and began to row further out of the harbor. The kings stood together at the bow, their attendants at their shoulders. The Steward of Gallgoidel eyed the two grisly looking generals with concern. He had tried to persuade his lord to stand his guard around him, but Anund only told him to be quiet.

    “I have missed my friend, Ruarcc,” he said, turning to the humble general.

    “My lord,” he mumbled with a respectful nod.

    Anund turned to Aed, his smirk almost glowing from under his raven beard. Aed’s mouth rested in an iron firm line that betrayed no emotion. The King was tense, but he could not let his rival know. He knew from the moment he saw Anund that he was up to something. There was something he knew, about the Stone, or Aed or Ruarcc, that they themselves didn’t know. Shipboard combat could make any great warrior equal, but against Vikings, and cunning Vikings, he could not be certain of his men’s survival, should it come to that.

    “I admire your pick of staff, King Aed. I can’t seem to find anyone trustworthy other than Leif, here, and he has no endurance for combat nor riding.”

    He mimicked the severe look that Snechta wore so contemptuously, for he had never allowed an enemy so close before without striking at him. This mocking elicited a barely restrained snarl from the general more beast than man. Anund was unphased, merely encouraged in his peculiar praise for Circenn’s best men.

    “I would trade him for a tame direwolf, if that were a fair deal.”

    King Aed laid a cautionary hand on Snechta’s shoulder, more for effect than an effort to physically calm. He added another pang of worry to his nerves in the form of a berzerk Snechta in close quarters.

    “Your compliments are gracious, King Anund. To speak of deals, however, is the course of action most favorable to us both.”

    “A deal? Oh, for the Stone. Your stone.” Anund waved his hand in a flippant gesture of a matter irrelevant. “There shall be no deal, you have earned it through blood spilled. It is only the matter of retrieving it, now.”

    Ruarcc looked away, to the sea ahead, to conceal his ill feeling about the Norse king. Ruarcc knew the King as only a man of his word, but the ones he spoke now made him wary.

    “Do you refer to the blood spilled of your people?” King Aed asked, the tinge of unease present in his voice.

    Anund’s smile turned genuine, before returning to a wicked grin reinforced with amusement.

    “Them! I had forgotten about them. No, you have earned your people’s relic through warfare, and the blood sacrificed by your people across Alba. It is my pleasure to be your guide in the final moments of your quest.”

    “God bless you, as he has blessed my people, sir.”

    The kings exchanged an embrace that lasted an eternity for Ruarcc, watching with his peripheral vision. They separated, for the affection was shallow, apparent to all.

    “Where is the Stone of Destiny, King Anund? And how shall we attain it? My sources tell me its sunken at the bottom, far too deep for a man to dive.”

    The Norseman rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder, a great secret making it all a game to him.

    “Indeed it is,” he said. “But there are ways around that.”

    The dark man left it at that and was quiet for the brief interim that remained until he gave the call for the rowers to stop. The longship drifted to a stop beside an ebony plank of driftwood. All the men peered over the side of the ship, searching for a mystical glow to penetrate the waves and beckon KIng Aed to receive his treasure. Anund ignored them, and reached over the side to pluck the dark wood from the water.

    “Here, bear, haul this piece up,” he said, gesturing for Snechta to take up the work. “Two more of you come help him,” he added, backing away from the side once the burly man had taken the wood from him.

    Two of the bigger Vikings had shuffled over and grabbed hold of the chain that was wrapped around the middle of the board. Snechta did the brunt of the heaving, while one man aided him and the third busied himself with the excess chain. The kings and their men watched them huff and curse as the chain coiled into a bigger and bigger pile on the deck.

    “How deep is the blasted thing?” Mael Snechta growled.

    “You’ve nearly got it, beast. Look as the chain rusts more and more. There, just haul the chest up, now.”

    Snechta grunted and with great exertion, lifted an ancient looking chest of black iron from the harbor. His partners lended their hands and the extremely heavy chest was dropped onto a rower’s bench with a solid thunk of metal on wood. The Vikings returned to their side of the ship but Mael only took a step back to preside over his King’s access to the box. The men watched with bated breath as the kings crossed the deck to stand over the chest.

    King Anund placed his hand on the top of the box, halting King Aed’s dreamlike reach for the lock.

    “Sir,” Anund said, meeting Aed’s eyes with serious measure. “The treasure is yours, but the chest… is ours.”

    Aed straightened, and crossed his arms. This was the lynchpin. Opening the chest would trigger whatever machinations Anund had planned to unleash.

    “Then it is your honor to present it to me,” he said, nodding at the box.

    Anund’s smile soured with irritation. His attempt to recover his imperious demeanor failed, and the men grasped their swords once again. Both kings noticed this, but Aed didn’t budge.

    Anund regained some dark composure and took a step away from the chest.

    “Leif,” he said, “open the chest. Use this dagger.” He handed his nervous steward a blade and pushed him to begin working on the lock.

    Even Ruarcc had a hand on his sword out of concern for what came next. He could tell only King Anund knew what his plan was, he trusted in his men and King Aed’s to react how he expected. The steward labored and groaned, prying the lock apart and staining his fine coat with rust and flakes of black metal. An awkward silence reigned over the ship, the warriors appearing foolish with their weapons at the ready and the kings like actors who had forgotten their lines. In an act that bumped the trajectory of the play from a tragedy to a comedy, King Anund lost his patience and wrested the knife from his embarrassed wreck of an aide and swept him out of the way. With a precise slam of the pommel, the lock was undone and clattered to the deck.

    He threw the lid of the chest back and slid to the side, arms presenting the contents of the chest to the King and the rest of the ship. Noone said anything. Their faces were one collective dumbfounded expression. The King of Circenn scarcely drew breath as his numb legs shuffled him to the chest. He placed his hand upon the Stone of Destiny, hoping his effect would convince it to lower its defenses and reveal its true nature and power to its rightful owner.

    “That is a rock, not a stone!” bellowed General Mael Snechta. “My castle is built out of thousands of the same! You expect this to be the keystone of Circenn’s future?” The reddening behemoth of a man rose and drew his axe. He brushed away the men who stood to stop him without a glance. He crossed the deck and stood between the kings like an executioner from Hell.

    “What is the meaning of this, Gael?” Anund spat, devoid of color beside the blazing sun that was Snechta. He glanced at the Stone and did a double take, losing whatever pigment remained in the pallor of his face. “Aed, what is the meaning of this!” he hissed at the king.

    King Aed opened his mouth to reply but shut it just as quickly. He had paled as well, but only slightly due to the disconnect he felt to the ship around him and even his own old body.

    “Explain!” Snechta shouted. “My brothers are dead, all because of this slate, King?” His chest was heaving, well past the point of control over his temper. It was the vaulting level of rage that coursed through his enormous heart that gave him the power yet to speak. He pushed himself through the men to the chest and roughly handled the dull, oblong rectangle of sandstone that sat like a relic within the sturdy box. He could not comprehend its value stacking up to all he had heard, all the stories the King had insisted on reminding the men of at camp and on the road, which he had based his entire campaign across Alba upon.

    It was too much. Or rather, it wasn’t enough. Not for Isu, especially not for Muiredach. He shut his eyes, he knew the rage was upon him. It had finally come over him, and he was glad for it. His fists shook vehemently as untapped strength pumped its way to his muscles. His eyes rolled open, and he saw nothing. A world of red was no world at all, only an existence, a phase in a spectrum.

    A rumble straight from God’s Earth or Thor’s thundercloud was loosed upon the ship by the mad general. His roar forced even Aed to raise his hands in an instinctual reaction borne of self preservation. The man towered over him, and his axe seemed to judge him from Heaven itself above. The sun glinted off its dull sheen of red that coated its face before it began its swing downward to render judgement upon him. A failed king, an inept fool who led his people on death marches and hopeless sieges all to gain ownership of a common castle stone. He deserved the end Mael Snechta would give him. Causantín would make a fine king who would right his wrongs. He would place importance in his people’s bellies instead of the stones they swallowed to stave off hunger and the arrows that flew through the sky to pierce them, never to hold food for a living body again.

    Ruarcc only thought one thing, ‘NOW.’

    He dove across the deck, tackling his king out of the way of Snechta’s might axe. The murderous implement buried itself halfway down into the railing, sending splinters of wood everywhere and triggering the reflexes of every stunned man on board. Viking guards pushed their king behind them and took up positions at the stern of the ship. Aed’s men picked themselves up and rushed to the bow, their king and their general at the head of the packed party of Circenn soldiers. Both sides looked at each other for a heartbeat, the blink of an eye.

    Mael Snechta heaved his axe free of the railing and eyed both sides like a mad dog.

    “Attack!” King Anund cried out.

    His men roared a battle cry that seemed half hearted in the shadow of the one Snechta let loose that drowned out the cry of Circenn men in their reluctant charge forth. Snechta sweeped his axe through the legs of Viking and Gael alike as they crowded around him in a chaotic melee. The King slew Vikings and the Vikings pounced against the mad man again and again to no avail. Ruarcc saw Snechta’s axe come around from another destructive swing to arc toward his head. He shot backwards, missing the axe by an inch that tore through his beard easily as flesh.

    King Anund jumped up and swung himself over his men from the bottom of the sail, landing behind the mighty Mael on his rampage. He drew his dagger and sunk it into the brute’s back. Snechta screamed in pain and whipped his axe over his head, catching the King of Gallgoidel under his crown and flinging him overboard. The steward squealed and dove over the rail after him. The Vikings let out a furious cry and rushed against Mael to their last man.

    They were crushed and decapitated without quarter and only the few Circenn men remained. Aed held onto his bleeding shoulder, his sword still raised in defense. Ruarcc stood at the ready with the last capable soldiers in a loose ring beside him around their former ally. Snechta breathed deeply in and out, his mad, shifting dark eyes the only part of his body not soaked in blood.

    “Mael. Mael Snechta. Lay down your arms. Let us take you home, to Alba,” the King said hoarsely.

    Snechta laughed a heartless laugh but did not smile, his face did not shift one muscle from that pained look of murderous intent. “My home is ruined. Rebuild it with your stone, King.”

    His eyes were on the King, now. Ruarcc took a step forward, and then another.

    “I am as surprised as you are, Mael! I know this won’t save Circenn. I should have known better than to trust in old fairy tales.”

    Mael smashed his axe into the deck. He didn't speak. Ruarcc had wheeled almost behind him, his sword poised to strike. Only one step remained, one additional moment of frenzied oblivion.

    “Stop, for the sake of your brothers, Snechta. They acted in Circenn’s interests. They-”

    Mael’s face screwed up and a snarl cut through the tension. He tucked his shoulder and charged toward Aed, the sea his destination for both of them. Ruarcc saw his power as a man unveil in the tender spot in the man’s neck. At this moment, Ruarcc, and Aed, were everything, and nothing awaited the King and his kingdom at the bottom of the harbor.

    Ruarcc leaped, with all his strength he pushed himself off the deck and into the air, his sword tearing through the air toward Snechta’s throat. The lumbering man was stopped dead in his tracks. The blade sunk to the guard through his body, Ruarcc clinging to it against the side of the man’s stunned form. He slowly turned his head to Ruarcc, ignorant of the blood flowing from his mouth. He fell to his knees, he dropped his axe, and the last Mael brother was dead.

    Ruarcc didn’t bother withdrawing his sword from Mael. He picked himself up and looked at the carnage of the ship.

    “Ruarcc,” the King attempted, but neither man had anything to say about that.

    They turned the ship around and set sail back toward the harbor. The men still capable rowed the oars while the King and General Ruarcc policed the wounded and set them away from the remains of the battle. The crowd waiting on the pier could already see that something had gone wrong; more than half of the occupants were missing from their benches. The longship clumsily docked, and the peasants peered warily at the gore strewn ship.

    Aed and Ruarcc stood together before the open chest; untouched by the battle and still defiantly useless looking.

    “Lord, what shall we do now?”

    The King shook his head but caught himself, he thought better of it. “We will go home, Ruarcc, to our wives. I think the way to save the kingdom, is to live in it, and believe in it. So, we must go home. We must count on ourselves to lead the nation back to unity. I wouldn’t want my son to grow up in a kingdom dependent on magical artifacts anyway.” He turned to Ruarcc, and put his good arm around his back. “I want them to depend on men like you. Men who make a difference, and know where right and wrong belong.”

    Ruarcc laughed. He always thought the Stone of Destiny a silly tale, but his old friend Aed not believing in it truly tickled him. “Boys need stories. They don’t need cold old men.”

    King Aed considered his most trusted man, and smiled. “You’re right. Come, let’s tell our families the story of the Stone of Destiny.”

    The peasants reluctantly volunteered to pull bodies off the ship and tend the wounded. None noticed the Stone or its ebon box. They didn’t see it crack and shatter, leaving nothing but a bright pebble bluer than any sapphire sitting at the bottom of that ancient chest.


    THE END, ONCE AGAIN, BUT NOT FOR ALL.

    Last edited by DreamKing; January 01, 2020 at 04:40 PM.

  12. #92
    Turkafinwë's Avatar The Sick Baby Jester
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    A very enjoyable and fitting end to the story of the Stone of Destiny. The Lost Chapter has been my favourite part of this story, really well written.

  13. #93

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Quote Originally Posted by Turkafinwë View Post
    A very enjoyable and fitting end to the story of the Stone of Destiny. The Lost Chapter has been my favourite part of this story, really well written.
    Ah! This epilogue was your favorite??? I'm surprised, I was uncertain how it would come across, so I'm happy and proud they turned out ok. This is the end for ACS, I should begin on my next one soon. My approach will be different and more planned out, so it should take longer. Thanks for sticking with the story!

  14. #94
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    I agree with Turkafinwë, this is a suitably dramatic ending! I wonder if the King's change of attitude, when he talked of leading a nation back to unity without the kingdom relying on a magical artifact, was connected to what happened in the ancient chest, at the end.

  15. #95

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Quote Originally Posted by Alwyn View Post
    I agree with Turkafinwë, this is a suitably dramatic ending! I wonder if the King's change of attitude, when he talked of leading a nation back to unity without the kingdom relying on a magical artifact, was connected to what happened in the ancient chest, at the end.
    Thank you, Alwyn. From the beginning to the end, you've been here. That is definitely something to ponder. Alas, that is all we can do, for the next part of this saga is 900 years into the future. And here is the introductory part.

  16. #96

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    A few weeks ago I submitted A,C,S to Silver Pen just to roll the dice (I keep my eye out for places to submit writing to) just as it is in my docs, no titles between entries but +s. They said no, which is fine. They didn't want any fan fiction and I didn't mention that's what this kinda is. And I think its really interesting, that that context can make a story easier to understand or like. I wanted to share their feedback. Providing feedback to submissions is really rare, in my experience, so I was surprised and I appreciate that, but as you'll see, its not the best.

    Observations:
    Reade2 1: A "laborious" story to read. Details connect like dots being joined. "clueless" does not fit story style.

    - "King Aed rose to uplift his subjects’ sword arms." - arms are made of swords?

    - "Before the King could speak, the old man’s mouth fell open and a stream of words both lyrical and dead wafted through the King’s ears and out into the dining hall." - lyrical, yet dead.

    - "The salt soaked petty kingdom of Orkneyar had decided to try its luck against the weaker kingdom to the south." - salt soaked petty?

    - "His king prayed for one the same." - missing word?

    - "The arrowheads lodged themselves in the weak bodies of the rebels with ease, scarcely any armor amongst their ranks to protect them." - arrowheads are not living things.

    - "A man is more than a man. A man is nothing." - he is more than man, yet he is nothing. Confusing.

    - "Snechta clapped his hands and laughed a bone chime’s song that lodged itself in Ruarcc’s ears long after he left the Meeting Hall." - what is bone chime's song?

    Reader 2: A long, rather tedious account of ancient history. There are some odd features in the writing"

    "had no choice" is too often invoked

    "...as many were want to do...s/b were wont to do

    "...The King mumbled to himself upon consuming the burdening document." ???burdening???

    "All his officers scrutinized the oblivious elder munch idly on his bread..." s/b munching

    "...confront the clueless trespasser..." clueless is modern lingo, inconsistent with the piece's general tone

    "...old man’s mouth fell open and a stream of words both lyrical and dead wafted through the King’s ears and out into the dining hall." garbled, and the content isn't clear
    Observations:
    Reade2 1: A "laborious" story to read. Details connect like dots being joined. "clueless" does not fit story style.

    - "King Aed rose to uplift his subjects’ sword arms." - arms are made of swords?

    - "Before the King could speak, the old man’s mouth fell open and a stream of words both lyrical and dead wafted through the King’s ears and out into the dining hall." - lyrical, yet dead.

    - "The salt soaked petty kingdom of Orkneyar had decided to try its luck against the weaker kingdom to the south." - salt soaked petty?

    - "His king prayed for one the same." - missing word?

    - "The arrowheads lodged themselves in the weak bodies of the rebels with ease, scarcely any armor amongst their ranks to protect them." - arrowheads are not living things.

    - "A man is more than a man. A man is nothing." - he is more than man, yet he is nothing. Confusing.

    - "Snechta clapped his hands and laughed a bone chime’s song that lodged itself in Ruarcc’s ears long after he left the Meeting Hall." - what is bone chime's song?

    Reader 2: A long, rather tedious account of ancient history. There are some odd features in the writing"

    "had no choice" is too often invoked

    "...as many were want to do...s/b were wont to do

    "...The King mumbled to himself upon consuming the burdening document." ???burdening???

    "All his officers scrutinized the oblivious elder munch idly on his bread..." s/b munching

    "...confront the clueless trespasser..." clueless is modern lingo, inconsistent with the piece's general tone

    "...old man’s mouth fell open and a stream of words both lyrical and dead wafted through the King’s ears and out into the dining hall." garbled, and the content isn't clear -

    I can totally respect that I've neglected grammatical regulations, like the munching thing, and burdening, and I can presume that's what the reader was displeased with regarding the arrowheads, but the tone seems blatantly out to zap, instead of build. That line drawn against using 'clueless' is odd to me and makes me laugh. I know 'lyrical and dead' and 'a man is more than a man and a man is nothing' aren't logical things but, its writing???? I can't help but think they just simply don't know some stuff. They don't know what a sword arm is? Or a bone chime? I know that isn't really a thing but just thinking of the words together must conjure something.

    I don't think my story is laborious, and I didn't get that impression from you guys. Are we just nerds, hahaha? Is it because we know its based upon TW and we can see it in our heads as we read it? I always wanted critique from you guys but getting it so shallowly doesn't do any good. I just laugh at someone disregarding arrows flying through the air because they aren't alive? I got more than enough positivity from you guys to last me forever, but to not get any recognition of things done right and no mention of what they thought of the story?

    Just wanted to share this. Want to know what you think.

  17. #97
    Welsh Dragon's Avatar Content Staff
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    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    I've finally had the chance to read the Lost Chapters through, and it's a brilliant addition to the story. The journey behind enemy lines in search of the Stone of Destiny. The clever subterfuge used by the Gaels, first in taking shelter a short way from the Viking ambush on the expectation that the Vikings will expect them to flee far and fast, and then in pretending to be their own King to allow access to the harbour. The flashes of humour and character moments. All very well done.

    Finally the ending, which is both brutal and beautiful, with Mael's bloodlust finally getting the better of him, Ruarcc and Aed's realisations that this fairy tale is just that (or is it?) and the final reveal that there is perhaps more to this rock than appears. But I cannot help but feel that Aed's wish to focus on building his kingdom for its people may be short lived. A King (Anund) is most likely dead after all, so the people of Circenn may all too soon have to take up the sword and defend their home's from the Vikings once more. But that is a quest for another day.

    Good luck with your new tale, which I look forward to reading.

    All the Best,

    Welsh Dragon.

  18. #98

    Default Re: Aed, Circenn, and the Sea [Circenn Narrative]

    Quote Originally Posted by Welsh Dragon View Post
    I've finally had the chance to read the Lost Chapters through, and it's a brilliant addition to the story. The journey behind enemy lines in search of the Stone of Destiny. The clever subterfuge used by the Gaels, first in taking shelter a short way from the Viking ambush on the expectation that the Vikings will expect them to flee far and fast, and then in pretending to be their own King to allow access to the harbour. The flashes of humour and character moments. All very well done.

    Finally the ending, which is both brutal and beautiful, with Mael's bloodlust finally getting the better of him, Ruarcc and Aed's realisations that this fairy tale is just that (or is it?) and the final reveal that there is perhaps more to this rock than appears. But I cannot help but feel that Aed's wish to focus on building his kingdom for its people may be short lived. A King (Anund) is most likely dead after all, so the people of Circenn may all too soon have to take up the sword and defend their home's from the Vikings once more. But that is a quest for another day.

    Good luck with your new tale, which I look forward to reading.

    All the Best,

    Welsh Dragon.
    Welsh, I was just thinking about you! I'm so glad you liked the Lost Chapter. This is all because of you, buddy. I thank you once more for leading me here. I look forward to reading on with your story as well!

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