Aftermath of the collapse

[Willow]

Zelda helped Willow to her feet. "Are you all right?" Willow replied, "Yes, I think so. You?" "Fine, except for some bumps and bruises." They turned to look at Loch. He appeared dazed, blood trickling down his forehead. The counted noses, realizing that Moon, errr.....Buffy, and Arcon were missing. Looking at the pile of rubble, Zelda became frantic. "ARCON!" She began to claw at the mountain of debris. Willow grabbed her, saying, "Zelda, NO! It might be unstable and you might bring more of the walls down. We need help. We can't do this without knowing what we are doing."

Zelda screamed at her, "But, my husband is there! I HAVE to get to him. Moon may attempt to KILL him." Willow didn't want to do this, but she had no other recourse. She slapped Zelda across the face. Both women looked startled. Zelda took a deep breath and said, "Ok, why did you do that?" "My Queen, you were hysterical. We need help before we attempt a rescue. We need more guards, and we need the castle architects. We want to make sure they are ALIVE. Arcon can take care of himself. Maybe Moon got a blow to her head that would take the spell off. I don't know. But I do know that Loch is hurt and needs help, as well." Zelda, a tear trickling down her cheek, said, "Yes, I know you are right. We can't do this alone."

Zelda turned her attention to Loch. She tore off part of her shirt, wrapping it around his head to staunch the flow of blood. Willow turned, recalling that someone had been running for Arcon before the walls had collapsed. She saw a figure in a black cloak, laying still upon the floor. She approached him, kneeling down on the ground. Readying the wrist sheath, prepared to use the dagger if she needed it, she removed the cloak from his head. Shock and astonishment registered in her face. "You?!"

[Lord Tellurine]

Meekal the Daft, Prince of Muu smiled up at Willow, then gave Zelda a nasty glare that was barely visible through the settling dust. He asked, "Why did you hit so hard?"

"Meekal!" Zelda said through clenched teeth. "What were you DOING attacking the King like that?!?"

"I wasn't attacking," explained the young prince. "I found the spell I used on Lady Moon! It had been stuck to Wooden Bob's leg!"

As soon as Meekal had discovered this he had abandoned Moon's plan to rescue Zarcon. Lady Moon had thought the plan was fool-proof, but she had enlsted the help of the biggest fools in Arconia. Meekal, Kliff, Wooden Bob, and Lord Tellurine were all supposed to dress in black cloaks, go running through the castle causing havoc, and allow Moon the chance to release Zarcon without being caught. Kliff and Wooden Bob caused havoc up to the point where they reached the bar. Then they took off their cloaks and had a drink. Lord Tellurine entered the castle through one door and then quickly exited through another as soon as a guard had spotted him. Meekal the Daft made a beeline for the royal chambers to tell the King and Queen of his discovery. When they weren't there he made his way to the dungeon, forgetting to uncloak himself in the meanwhile. "I was going to turn her back into her old self!" He began rummaging around his dust-covered vest pocket and pulled out a dusty piece of paper. "Here it is!"

"Let me see," said Willow, grabbing the paper. She examined it for a moment. She looked up at Meekal quizzically and asked, "Is there cheese on this?"

"Just a little," replied Meekal.

Willow studied the paper thoroughly. "It's hard to make out," she said, "but it's all here." She shifted her focus onto the wall of stone debris in front of them. "Of course, we rather needed Moon to be on this side of the collapse for this to be useful."

Zelda said in a determined voice, "The sooner we get some help down here the sooner we can do what we need to do."

Meekal looked at the wall of rock that stood between him and the Lady Moon. He turned his head back towards Queen Zelda and gave her a dusty wink. "I dig."

[ 09-14-2001: Message edited by: Lord Tellurine ]

[Zelda]

"You Dig??" Zelda looked confused.

"I dig!" Meekal replied, "Rocks are my friends, they wont hurt me....."

Zelda sighed. "Meekal, Willow just told me I shouldnt dig. I think it would also apply to you."

Meekal looked down at his feet and started to draw circles in the sand with his foot.

"But the rocks are my friends......they wouldnt hurt me!"

Zelda started to develop a look of intense frustation on her face. She took a deep breath and started....."MEEKAL, Rocks CAN NOT talk, they are innanamate objects with no feelings, they cant hear you, much less answer you...."

Meekals eyes started to well with tears.

Willow intervened... "Meekal, we need someone to good find the Royal engineers and some more guards...could you go please? But leave that bit of paper with me!"

Meekal scampered off, looking relived at getting out of a Zelda rant.

"Was that really necessary?" Willow enquired as she squinted at the piece of paper Meekal had left with her.

"No, but I feel better because of it." Zelda replied.

"It wasnt very nice you know..."

"I know, but I'm SOOOOOO sick of him and his rocks......"

"Now you sound like Lady Moon!" Willow laughed.

"THATS PRINCESS BUFFY TO YOU!" a muffled voice from teh other side of the rock wall yelled.

"ARCON? ARCON SWEETIE are you ok???" The Queen scrabled at the pile of rocks, trying to break through. For the second time in as many minutes Willow slapped her.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" the Queen turned to face Willow her eyes blazing.

"Get a GRIP, you are only making things worse by making the structure unstable."

The queen turned and ran down the passage, trying desperately to hid the tears which streamed down her cheeks.

Willow came after her, and put an arm around her.

"Sorry bout that, but you needed it. You really care for him dont you?" The Queen nodded through her tears.

"I'm worried sick about him, trapped with that...that....that.... MADWOMAN."

[DamedEscrime]

Carrying a small lantern, Jo wandered through the dark empty palace searching for her friends. No one was about. Where could they all be? She passed the chambers of the royals. The door left unusaully open as if they left in a hurry. Likewise, Serana's door and Lochinvar's. What is this?
She padded on, her weapon now at the ready. A queer feeling of disaster came round her.

Through the winding corridors she went her sense of urgencey growing. Then she saw it. A door that she had not previously taken note of. Instinctively she headed into the bekoning orifice. Lucky she had thought to bring the lanter for the torches had long ago gone out.

Inside stairs descended steeply. She stepped carefully, listening for familiar sounds. In the distance she could hear muffled urgent voices. A thick dust permeated the air. She quickened her pace until she got quite close and then stopped to size up the situation. She certainly did not wish to be pommeled again. Then she sneezed.

[ 09-15-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[arcon]

Wellcome back Willow....

arcon

[Lord Tellurine]

As soon as Jo sneezed she heard someone say, “Stupid horse.”

It wasn’t what she had expected. Matter of fact, she was so startled by the odd statement it made her freeze where she stood.

Suddenly, a man she had never met came around the corner wearing a black cloak. He was modestly tall, thin, and his facial features had a foreboding look that was multiplied by the dungeon shadows. He wasn’t carrying a lantern, which seemed odd to Jo, as you would have to be pretty familiar with the dungeons to be walking around them in the dark. He seemed surprised too. He said, “Sorry, I thought you were Hayfever for a moment.”

Jo was able to squeak out, “Excuse me?”

He smiled awkwardly, like it was something he didn’t do too often. “My horse. His name is Hayfever. …Because he sneezes a lot.”

“Oh,” she said back as if she understood. The flame in her lantern flickered. She felt as if it was her turn to explain herself. “I was just coming down here to find someone. I couldn’t find anyone upstairs.”

“You found me,” the man said with another awkward smile.

“Yes,” said Jo with a laugh. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”

The man thought a moment and then said, “Kliff. Kliff Fauldergraft.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kliff. I am the Dame d'Escrime. Most call me Jo.”

The man bowed to her and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you… Jo.”

The way the man said her name gave her a chill. She wondered if talking to a strange man in the castle dungeon was the best thing she could do. She wished there were other people present. People she knew.

The man said, “I heard some voices coming from that direction.” He pointed down a darkened dungeon hall. “It may be the people you’re looking for. I can accompany you.”

“That’s not necessary,” said Jo.

“I couldn’t let a helpless woman such as yourself try to navigate these dark dungeon halls. And as you can see, I have no lantern so you can help me find the people I’m looking for.”

“I suppose,” she relented.

“This way then, Jo,” he said as he led her down a dungeon hall.

“All right, Kliff,” she said, and she was led in the opposite direction of any voices by someone who was not named Kliff, but instead Lord Tellurine.

[DamedEscrime]

Oh my! Jo don't do it! I know you are impulsive, but........... I can't wait to see where this leads.

[ 09-16-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[lochinvar]

And in the dark, as Zelda, Meekal, and Willow argued, Lochinvar slowly leaked his lifeblood into the dusty earth.

His arm was slashed, where a sword had slipped inside his cuff and ridden up his forearm under the mail shirt; the back of his calf bore a stab-wound that might or might not be crippling; a large bruise purpled his ribs where a hard blow had driven the hard links of his mail into his side; the hair on one side of his head was singed by a near-miss with a torch; half his face showed signs of first-degree burns from the same incident; a knot was rising on the back of his head where the stone had struck; and, lastly, the lower half of his body was buried under half a ton of dirt--who knew what damage that might have done?

All in all, it hadn't turned out to be such a great day...

[Ed. note: Could someone please get a medic down here?]

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: lochinvar ]

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: lochinvar ]

[DamedEscrime]

Jo suddenly stopped."NO! I'm sorry I just can't go with you." Jo had the feeling that something was awry. Had't mother warned her about strangers as a child? Besides this ene of the corridor was much too quiet. A foreboding came over her as well as an urgency to run the other way.

"Oh, come now, you can trust me," teased Kliff, a wicked smile curling his lips.He thought it would be easy to lull this one into his trap. Now he needed to think fast for Jo was stalling.

Red flags went off! (Never trust a man who says you can trust him.) She tried to pull away from him, but he held her wrist firm. The twisting of which she could feel burn her skin. The lantern she held swung wildly as she struggled to free herself. Pulling away did no good, so she pulled her hand toward her. She had much more luck with this and was able to get her hand closer to herself, close enough to lean forward and sink her teeth into the back of her assailant's hand. (Didn't anyone warn you that she bites?) Kliff dropped her wrist, howled and rubbed his hand. The lantern flew to the foor and went out. Jo turned tail and ran back in the direction from which they had come. She heard loud cursings chasing after her.

Jo stumble along in the darkness, bumping into walls, scraping her hands and elbows. Her wrap was lost somewhere behind her and she maintained only one slipper. Becoming more sensible she slowed a bit and drew close to the wall. Hands outstreched she used the wall to guide her, feeling her way as blind. Soon she heard the voices that had attracted her in the first place. This time she didn't hesitate. Hoping that she had left Kliff in the dust she plowed ahead into what reamined of a once much larger chamber.

[Zelda]

[Ed note...Hadnt I already sent Meekal for an engineer???]

As the Queen sobbed quietly Willow slipped her arm around her. "Buck up... Meekal will be back shortly with someone to help. Until then lets see what we can do for Loch, he still seems to be bleeding from somewhere."

[DamedEscrime]

As Jo bound into the room she quickly sized up the situation. Willow and Queen Zelda were huddled together. The queen crying. Then she looked down and saw her evening's companion half burried in the rubble of that had been a ceiling.

(sorry, got called away before I could finish)

"Ladies!" she called as she rushed toward Lochinvar, "Help me! Now!"
The three women dug at the pile of rubble pushing, pulling and throwing bits of rock and timber unitl at last they could pull him free. Jo knelt by him and carefully palpated along his body and limbs, searching for broken bones while Willow applied pressure to a bleeding wound. Satisfied that he was in one piece, Jo cradled his head in her lap and called to him. "Lochinvar, hear me. Please wake. Don't leave. You have only just arrived."

[ 09-17-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[its_me_mango]

just a quick note to say, i found this very interesting, i can't contribute to it, but it has some real verbage in it.

[Moonitic]

Hey! (poking Arcon) Don't you have something better to do than welcome Willow back? ::Ahem:: We're stuck on the other side of this rubble you know!

[Lord Tellurine]

Meekal the Daft was upstairs in the castle. He made his way into the ballroom where the morning sun was shining through the windows onto the assembled guests who were impatiently waiting for the moment when the royal couple would return and the King would make his royal announcements and have his knighting ceremony. Meekal overheard a very tired and irritable Baron Von Schmect, a member of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Arconia complain, "King Arcon has gone too far this time. This is a slap in the face of the aristocratic families of Arconia." Meekal glanced at his face, but saw no slap mark.

He found his friends Kliff Fauldergraft, a retired geologist, and Wooden Bob, a one-legged fur trapper, at the bar. On the stools at either side of them were the black cloaks they wore earlier to cause a diversion allowing the evil Lady Moon to help Zarcon, Arcon's evil brother to escape.

"Guys," Meekal said, gasping for breath. "I need your help down in the dungeon. There's been a cave-in."

Kliff asked with interest, "A cave in? Is anyone hurt?"

"Yes," answered Meekal. "Matter of fact I need to find a doctor." He turned out towards the room and yelled, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Wooden Bob spun around on his stool and replied back, "I'm a doctor."

"You are?" asked Meekal with disbelief.

"Sure," he said with his usual slur. "You remember the great plague?"

"Yeah."

"I was the one who discovered how not to die from it."

"Really?" said Meekal, his eyes growing large.

"Yeah," said Wooden Bob. "It was easy... Just don't get it."

"Wooden Bob!" chided Meekal. "I don't have time for your silliness."

A man approached the trio and asked, "Did you want a doctor?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Meekal. "Are you one?"

"I certainly am." The man was well dressed as he was one of the party guests. He was in his forties, had thinning hair, small wire-framed glasses, and wasn't all that tall. He spoke in a soft, polite voice. "My name is Julius Abernathy. My first love is inventing, but medicine... heh heh... pays the bills, as it were."

Meekal grabbed him by the arm. "Come with me," he said. He said to Kliff and Wooden Bob, "You guys come too!"

As the two hopped off their barstools and staggered behind Meekal, Dr. Abernathy asked, "Where is it that you're taking me?"

Meekal answered, "The dungeon!"

As the four left the ballroom and entered the hall leading towards the dungeon stairwell Julius said with a snicker, "That's a switch. That's usually where I'm taken AFTER I send my bill."

[lochinvar]

Loch’s thoughts moved slowly, effort-laden, like a swimmer moving through viscous mud. He was confused, and vaguely alarmed; he had been doing something, something important…

A voice called from somewhere distant. A woman’s voice. For a moment, surprise mixed with another emotion stirred sluggishly. Ellen? …Ellen…?

Memory returned, briefly, and something which had not quite reached the level of hope faded away, sinking back without a ripple. No, not Ellen. She would never call him again.

Then, a century later, a question: Who…?

Curiosity waxed, dragging him up out of the unimaginable deep. His eyes opened slightly after another century of effort; a vaguely familiar face smeared liquidly across his sight. He struggled to focus; memory twitched …Lady Josephine…?

Why was she here? Calling him…? He bemusedly turned the idea, slowly, this way and that, examining it from various angles, like a strange and mysterious artifact from a distant land. Lady Josephine… An odd, ephemeral sense of feeling pleased infused him, faintly… like a lamp on a distant hilltop…or a star…he remembered something…something about stars…

What was she saying? Come back? But that was silly…he hadn’t gone anywhere, he was right here. He tried to speak, to tell her, but only a barely audible noise trickled from the corner of his slack mouth, unintelligeble, like a dribbling of thin gruel from his ungovernable tongue. It would not serve. But it was the best he could manage, for now. Perhaps later…

He was vaguely aware of several different parts of his body clamoring at him, screaming really, but he was too tired to pay them much attention.

Tired…so tired…sleep…just a little sleep, then he’d try again…

He drifted back down into the dark, slowly, like a dry leaf falls on a windless day.

[DamedEscrime]

"LOCHINVAR! Oh, come on. Wake up!" Jo was getting anxiuos. Her hand patted his stubbled cheek as she leaned over him and whispered in his ear. A single tear dropped, a crystal meniscus forming on his shirt.
"We have to get him out of here," she pleaded with Willow and Zelda.
"I know,dear,"replied Willow "But in my condition I can't lift him." She looked at Zelda. The queen, desperate herself in her separation from Arcon was lost in her own tragedy. She would be of no help.
Jo hugged Loch's head closer to her breasts, pushing back his thick dark hair. She began to cry uncontrollably no longer able to bear the situation. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "Loch, please don't die," she managed between breaths.

He could hear her, somewhere. He imagined her that was all. No, she was calling. He thought it was a dream. He'd had this dream before. What was that? Something rocked him. He felt himself rise and sink as if on a ship at sea. And her voice was on the air, sweet and mournful. Was she crying? What could trouble this lady?

The thought of a lady, this lady, being troubled stirred him. He had to get to her, but his wounded body would not repsond. He struggle and forced it, commanded it to move. Yet with all his might all he could manage, with great effort, was to gingerly raise his hand to grasp her elbow. Then he took a labored shallow breath an told her, "Lady, do not cry. I will live."

Jo was delighted. She squeezed him and rocked gently back and forth. "Yes, you will Yes you will . And we will get you out of here."

[ 09-19-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[Fencing Angel]

and a big congrats to the dame for getting to the 500 postes mark.... good for you.. :P:P

[Willow]

Willow smiled as she heard Loch whisper to Lady Jo. Ok, he was going to be fine, thankfully. He did have a head injury, which would have to be very closely watched, and many bumps and bruises and scrapes. Hopefully, it looked worse than it really was. Turning to Zelda, Willow realized that the situation was getting desperate. Arcon and Moon had been trapped in the cave-in for a good hour or two, now. Hopefully, they were getting enough oxygen. Hopefully they weren't trying to kill themselves. Hopefully they were getting along (and something was telling Willow that things were very..ummmm...interesting behind the rocks).

Just then, Wooden Bob and Dr. Abernathy arrived. Taking a look at Loch, the doctor realized that he had to get him out of the dungeon to do any real patching up of his patient. With the help of some guards, Wooden Bob and the doctor carried Loch up into the great hall, where the light was good and his injuries could be assessed. Lady Jo, after asking the Queen and Willow if they minded, went with them.

The other guards stayed and began to plan their strategy for removing the pile of rubble. The royal architect, not happy about having to leave the royal ball (not that anything much was happening at this hour, not after all the excitement), came down with a sullen look on his face. Queen Zelda wanted to knock that look off of it.

[Willow]

Meekal and Kliff decided to stay, lending a hand. Meekal felt that rocks would never hurt him, and Kliff...well, he SHOULD know a thing or two about them. The Royal Architect wasn't happy about them assisting him. But, one look from the Queen stopped him from making a comment. "My Queen," said the architect, "please, stand out of the way. We don't want another collapse to hurt you." Zelda glared at him. "If you had designed the dungeon the way you were supposed to, this wouldn't have happened! I think you used shoddy workmanship and labor. When Meekal hit the wall, it just collapsed. A properly designed wall wouldn't have fallen down."

The Royal Architect, knowing she was right, but not wanting to admit it, made a comment about the amount of water in the cistern, and the dampness, and rot. Zelda brushed him off, saying, "Get my King out alive or I'll skin you alive!" Gulping, he went over to the men, showing them where to dig and how.

[Zelda]

[Ed. note. Does this mean I am turning evil too???]

The Queen stood over the workers supervising every rock which was removed. She was nervous, and pacing. Her eyes were bright with tears, but none fell. She was cried out. All she wanted now was to see her King, to touch him, hold him, and tell him how much she loved him.

"CANT WE GO ANY FASTER?" she raged. "Time is life here!"

"We are trying your majesty, honestly. But if we go any faster we may have another collapse." The Royal architect looked very stressed as Zelda glared at him through lowered lids.

"I knew we should have checked your references before we employed you." The queen muttered, "But no, Arcon said, "He has a nice face and his degree seem legitimate enough. Lets give him a chance." I KNEW I should have trusted my gut instinct. That you really didnt know WHAT you were doing."

The royal architect (whose name was Archie Archetrave) was cowering in a corner, with Zelda looming over him, her face like death.

Willow grabbed her arm, and pulled her away.
"Now is NOT the time to be firing the architect. He is the only one who knows the structure of this tunnel."

Zelda shot another icey glare at Archie and moved away. She stood at the end of the tunnel, just watching with cat like eyes, and hoping that her King was ok.