War? Law? Let me entertain you?
‘“There are enemies all around us and you attack each other! Why?” “They’re closer”’
– The Carpet People
Mara loved this assignment. After marching a legion across half a continent, she felt invigorated. Fresh air made her violent.
“Yah!” she cried, standing in the saddle and flailing the beast’s butt.
She grinned to goad the other two leaders.
Across the grasslands clomped a Border Prince Lieutenant on a white horse. He rode solemnly and soberly, not deigning to look at the unseemly display. Farther on, an official from Ergradas met with a barbarian chieftain, who whirled at the clamour and drew his great sword.
No sense of humour. Typical. This was just a parley. Did everyone have to be so damned serious?
Mara charged up the hill where the barbarian and the Ergradasian diplomat stood. She reined in and leaped of her horses back.
The barbarian kept his sword trained on her. “Where is your flag of parley?”
“My earrings,” replied Mara, flipping her hair to show the small white triangles that hung from her earlobes.
The chieftains scowl deepened. “You can’t wear a flag of parley on your ears!”
“Maybe you can’t,” Mara said. “They’d clash with your scalp tattoo. By the way, there are treatments for baldness.”
The man’s eyes seemed to boil, and he brandished his sword.
“There are treatments for impudence!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” said the Lieutenant as he rode placidly up. He was lean and pale, with a nose so big he could have passed as a goblin. “Waving a sword while holding a flag of parley…”
The chieftain trembled but sheathed the blade.
“Thanks, Whitey” said Mara.
The lieutenant said nothing, though his nostrils flared as though he smelled a bad odour.
“Enough of this” said the fourth person there, a haggard man in a stained jacket, his hair standing on end. “Let’s get down to business”
Mara grinned. “Are you the mayor or a beggar?”
“Governor,” corrected the man with a cough, and his eyes flashed. “And I am not a beggar. Forgive my appearance. I am Governor Voltz”
“Who’re they?” asked Mara, pointing at a pair of white sheets who bounced aback two ragged beasts. “Are they beggars?”
Dereg tried to suppress a smile, and Mara decided she liked him. “Those are the Angel’s prophets”
“Prophets, eh?”
“Let me save everyone some time” the governor said. “I know why you are here, and I don’t blame you for coming. I understand exactly what draws you…”
“Why are we wasting time?” broke in the chieftain, shoving past Dereg. “The prophets of the Angel are right here” He held welcoming arms toward the two robbed men as they rode up. “O Great Prophets, where is She? Only tell us, and we will attack. We will kill this sop, raze Ergradas, and slaughter everyone in it.”
“Where is who?” asked the fat prophet.
“The Angel?”
“Right there,” the fat prophet said, pointing at the city. “Who’d you say you’d kill to get at her?”
“This man, her captor!” the chief answered, indicating Governor Voltz.
The fat prophet shook his head. “Aw, he’s not a bad guy.”
“We will kill anyone who stands between us and the Angel. She arose from the mountains, and she belongs to us. No man will remain alive; no wall will remain untoppled…”
“No sheep will remain unraped,” elaborated Mara. “Yeah, yeah, we know how your mountain threats go. You can’t have Her. She belongs to me.”
Every mouth on that hilltop gaped. “What?”
“She’s the biggest attraction since the goblin invasion. We missed out on that one, but we’re getting in on the ground floor here. She comes back to the coliseum with us or you all die.”
“Absurd,” sneered the lieutenant. His voice was so nasal; it shook the hairs inside his voluminous nostrils. “These miscreants gaze on a glorious being and see only war and sport. Surrender Her to me and be sure she will be honoured and revered.”
Governor Dereg shoved his way back into the conversation. “None of you know what you are talking about. We didn’t choose Her. She chose us. She’s not our captive. We are Her captives. She has taken our city as Her home and we couldn’t be happier, but I have no power to surrender her to you or anyone.”
“This means war!” bellowed the chief.
Dereg shouted back, “You would dare attack the City of the New Angel!”
The delegates all fell to shamed silence. It did sound ludicrous when put that way.
“For that matter, how dare you try to twist Her to your purposes! She’s not about war or entertainment or law”
“Then what’s She about?” Mara asked. “Why is She here?”
Dereg shrugged, holding out empty hands.
The thin prophet muttered. “It’s just one of those things”
“You see!” the chieftain said. “From the prophets own mouth. Her purpose is just one of the things we‘ve said.”
“No!” Dereg responded. “Not one of those things, just one of those things.”
“Ask the prophet,” replied the lieutenant. “What did you mean?”
The thin prophet took a calming breath and slurred something.
“He said serendipity,” Dereg replied. “Its just serendipity.”
“No.” the lieutenant responded “He said, ‘Sigmar deputy’ she is a servant of the God Sigmar!”
The chief growled. “He said, ‘Surer then pity!’ She is here for war!”
Dereg turned to Mara, “What did you think he said?”
With a laugh she replied, “‘Sharing pooty.’ She’s an entertainer.”
“What did you say?” the others chorused.
The thin prophet leaned back in consideration, his eyes awash with drink. He opened his mouth and fell spectacularly from the horse. Landing on his face beside the horse’s hooves, he began to snore.
The chief roared “War!”
“Law!”
“Let me entertain you…”
Is there something you're not telling us silas? Are you a writer because that was excellent :D Apart from a few speiiling errors great story!
I only write for myself and others. Usually whatever comes into my head at the time. Most of it isnt warhammer related so i wont post it here for ye.
Could you point out the spelling mistakes? I'm pretty sure there arnt any...
About 9 lines down there is 'of' instead of off otherwise its incorrect english anyways. I think there was 2 more but i cant find em so they might not be there?
Lets see...
9 lines down would be
| QUOTE |
| The barbarian kept his sword trained on her. “Where is your flag of parley?” |
I dont think the 'of' in that sentance should be 'off'. It wouldnt make sense then.