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~*~ TDT2: The Blood Debt ~*~

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Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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“What do you mean, ‘it changes nothing’?” exploded Bond. He glared at Rivera angrily, leaning forward and clutching her wrist in his bony fingers, startling her so that she drew back. “If you want to bring Issavan down, you have to help us!”
“Help you put one of his illegitimate get on the throne? No!” Rivera snapped back. She jumped to her feet, eyes blazing with anger.
“Look, Rivera,” Bond rasped, trying to calm his tone. He offered an apologetic smile, but it looked eerie and out of place on his flushed, sweaty face. “We need your help. With the added strength of your outlaws we can reach his entire family so quickly – they’ll never know what hit them. You want to destroy Issavan, this is how to do it!”
“His entire family except for that one, special boy,” she hissed coldly.
He rolled his eyes. “If you’re worried about him being like his father – she chose him for a reason. And besides, it’s not like he’ll be able to rule right away. He’s six! He’ll be a puppet in our hands, we can still mold him, shape him, overrule any influence Issavan had on him. Corynn promised he showed differences from his father!”
“Corynn*yes, this goddess of yours. Tell me, prisoner, do you REALLY trust the judgment of this so-called goddess that spends her time devising plagues to wipe out our continent to protect her cannibalistic savages?”
“You want to tell me you have a better suggestion?” he snapped back, then leaned back on the pillows, writhing. The pain of talking, arguing, it was too much.
She glared at him, wordlessly watching him squirm. When the pain subsided in his silence and he lay still, she continued, “Yes, prisoner, I do.”
He grinned again. “This ought to be good – who?”
“Me.”

29-Sep-2007 19:28:05

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He burst out in raucous laughter. It was a hoarse, rattling noise like nails on a chalkboard, screeching through his chest. Moments later it subsided into moans of further pain. She glared at him still, seething inwardly. “Is that a problem?” she asked coldly.
“What claim do YOU have?” he croaked.
She crossed her arms and bent close to his face. “Every claim, prisoner! My great-great grandfather is the one that Issavan’s grandfather, Lord Igarov, unseated! You’re a bard, don’t you know any history?”
“Igarov unseated King Raegan and gained the title The Dark Usurper. Raegan’s wife Lannaria fled to Ardounge with her baby boy…Rinnald?” he finished uncertainly. “I know the tale of his takeover of the castle, not what happened after.”
“My great-grandfather Rinnald was raised secretly in a holding outside of Ardounge, under the protection of Lord Carus, who ruled the city. Rinnald married and had Reavan, my grandfather, and Reavan married to have Rathor – my father, who married and I was born. My mother died in childbirth. At that time, Lord Carus’ descendant Lord Beckett was protecting us, but another Lord who visited and discovered us sold him out. He was beheaded, we fled, and Duke Regis was put on the throne – thankfully, he was much like Beckett, so Ardounge did not suffer. But we were forced to flee back east, and ended up here. This is where I was raised and taught the history of my family, prisoner. I know what Issavan’s family did to mine, and I will have my revenge for that. I am the rightful heir to the throne.”

29-Sep-2007 19:28:20

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Bond blinked. “I thought Raegan’s family just died out…” he muttered.
“Well, they didn’t. So don’t expect me to help you keep Issavan’s line on the throne when it should be mine.”
”What do you know about ruling?” he shot back.
“What does a six year old boy? Or you and your warrior friends?” she retorted.
“Rivera, think about what it would look like,” he pressed. “Yes, Issavan gets unseated – that’s wonderful. But then this outlaw warrior-woman takes the throne because she claims its hers? I doubt the people will take you seriously, and we need a powerful hand to right this, someone who won’t be overthrown just as soon as they take control. When we destroy Issavan and his family, they will know that we did this to help them, they will know who we are what he did to us, and know that we want to help stabilize the Empire. They’ll respect our claim – his claim, and why we’re helping him, and trust us to do better than him after what we suffered! You’ll just look like a vengeful bandit.” He looked at her apologetically again.
“But I am the rightful heir!” she repeated angrily.
“People won’t care! You’ll look like your taking control because you want that power, and that would make you no better than Issavan! You have to want to help, Rivera!” He pounded his fist on the bed for emphasis.
“I do!”
“Then help us! What matters now is the plague, and stopping it! Maybe you don’t get out much, but we saw Port Sarim. I saw Draynor when I was a captive. The world is in ruins. Power and thrones can come later, this has to be stopped.”
She jabbed a furious finger in his face and hissed, “Don’t you dare claim that I don’t know what’s going on out there! We’ve suffered from it too. The plague destroys everything, prisoner.”

29-Sep-2007 19:28:36 - Last edited on 29-Sep-2007 19:28:57 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Exactly!” he roared, then paused to cough, gasping for air. When Rivera opened her mouth he held up a hand for her to wait and took a few slow breaths. “Don’t you see, that’* what counts now. Once Corynn is appeased, we can see about the throne. But she commanded us to leave him alive, and we have to bow to that. Don’t you see, Rivera?” he pleaded. “With your help, this can be over sooner, and then we can deal with your claim. Just please…please, let me go back to my friends. Help us storm the castle, help us destroy Issavan and his family.”
Rivera*s tone calmed as well, but still shook with anger and remembered hurt. “I was raised to know every detail of what Issavan’s family did to mine. If I allow his son to keep the throne, then I am allowing that evil to continue. I cannot do that, prisoner.”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t stop my friends – if you tried, you’d be allowing Issavan to remain alive, and that’s the biggest evil there is. You won’t let me go or help – fine. I’ll just sit back and wait, if that’* what you want. But either way, Issavan and his family are going to be destroyed. You can help in that, or you can be arrogant and proud and not fight because its not perfect.” Bond’s voice was level, calm, and sure. He held her gaze with his wild blue eyes and made sure every word hit home. “So now, Rivera, I’ve been honest with you. I’ve told you everything there is to know. So what are you going to do with me?”
She was silent for a long moment and paced back and forth in Bond’s small prison. The dim lights caught her fiery hair and made it sparkle, which seemed to lessen her enraged disposition, and added to her beauty. For many long minutes she was silent and Bond waited, eyes half-shut as he watched her steps back and forth across the dirt floor.

29-Sep-2007 19:29:19

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Finally, she stopped in front of his bed. “I can’t stop your friends*But I can let them do some of the work for us.” She smiled triumphantly. “We’ll let them do as they please, destroy Issavan and his family as they so desire…Meanwhile, you’ll stay with us. And when it’s all over…You’ll come watch as we unseat them and their precious new king, and I’ll take the throne and rule as is my right. So to answer your question…You stay here. Prisoner.”
With that, she spun on her heel and swept from the room, slamming shut the stone door behind her.
~*~*~*~ End of Chapter ~*~*~*~

29-Sep-2007 19:29:41

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30-Sep-2007 08:16:52

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