Greenland Map

Greyland Map

Elgaboth, the Kidnapping: Chapter 2

Lucy sat perfectly still in the group of prisoners. She did not understand why everyone else seemed to suddenly be struggling with all their might to simply breathe; she felt nothing. She reached over to do what she could for Cassie who was on her knees gasping for breath. The guards were similarly struck dumb but they at least seemed to be able to breathe. She looked up. The man with the white-blond hair stood over them. His piercing mismatched eyes searched the ranks of assembled prisoners. They lighted on Lianna and Elwin, Judy's half-sisters. They were Identifiable not just by the fact that they were identical but by their hair. When Judy, who shared a name with her daughter, left Pinkland she had not left all its traditions behind, at least with her oldest daughters. Their pale blond hair had never been cut and now Lianna's single braid fell past her knees and Elwin's lose hair hit the ground.

The man grabbed Elwin by the hair and dragged her forward. "I want your sister, I want Judy. Now Judy will step forward or her sister will be the one who suffers." He began to hack away at Elwin's hair; the pale strands fell all around her. "Next it will be her fingers."

Lianna stood. She showed no sign of the paralysis that gripped everyone else. Her pale hair glinted in the moonlight, and her face, so like Elwin's but so different, was set.

"You should know better than to play with the daughters of the North." Lianna's voice and her eyes were filled with ice and darkness. It seemed to Lucy that black mist began to surround Judy's half-sister.

The man looked straight at her but she did not even flinch. His eyes widened then be began to smile.

"Does your mother know about this I wonder? If so she must never have told you."

He stepped back and signaled to two of his men. One of them slammed his spear butt towards Lianna's head. She Cried out in a voice not her own and fire surrounded her. The other soldier came at her from behind and a dark something flew from her had toward him. “ENOUGH,” The mans voice was much more powerful this time and he made an odd gesture with his hands toward Lianna. She cried out again and the fire around her went out as she fell unconscious towards the ground. One of the soldiers caught her as she fell. The black mist seemed to cling to Lianna and the men holding her.

Something exploded from the back of the crowd. The twin blueland princes and a few other boys had taken advantage of the man’s distraction and thrown themselves at the nearest guards. “HALT,” The powerful voice came again and almost all the boys froze and were easily over powered. All except Jon. He continued to wrestle unabated with the guard he had selected. The man looked startled  and flicked his head towards Jon but Jon was ready and he spun around and smashed both his fists into the lackey who was trying to knock him out. The silver bracers around his wrists seemed to change in the air and cover his hands like gloves. The man with the spear fell boneless to the ground. The man did not this time try to use magic. He nodded at several more soldiers and soon Jon was brought down by force of numbers.

“To the cages and make sure he had no opportunity of escaping.”

The man grabbed Elwin by the arm. “What I said still stands. Give me Judy or I take her fingers.”

Someone had to step forward thought Lucy. But Judy wasn’t here. Then a thought struck her. She and Judy were about the same size and if he truly didn’t know what Judy looked like he might take her white blond hair for Judy’s golden-blond braid and her pale blue eyes for Judy’s dark blue ones. She didn’t let herself think about anything but the knife over Elwin’s fingers as she stood.

“I am Judy, Princess of this land and I ask you why you have invaded this neutral ground.”

The man turned slowly toward her and smiled. “Now we are getting somewhere.” He motioned toward the two men holding Lianna. “Take that and the double to the cages. And I want you to take off your clothes and burn them. I also don’t want anyone going near either one. Is that clear?” The men nodded and hurried away.

“Why are you taking my sisters away?” Lucy did not flinch under his gaze.

“What are you girl?” he said almost to himself.

“I am a princess and it would behoove you to remember that. I asked you a question.” Lucy did not know where the words came from but somehow the reserve that kepter her so quiet most of the time was gone.

“Well you see little princess, your mother’s first husband had a dirty little secret, I would guess about his mother. And that renders it important that they be kept safe. They will not be unduly harmed.”

“Know this fiend; any harm to them will incur a blood debt far beyond your ability to pay.”

Her light blue eyes met his mismatched ones and they held each other for a long moment.

“After tonight there will be enough blood to go around,” said the man. “Come, we have wasted enough time.” He strode forward, took Lucy’s wrist in his powerful hand and motioned to his men. Thick ropes were brought out and laced around wrists and necks until the entire school was strung out across the courtyard in two long lines. The teachers and remaining guards were tied hand and foot and carried into the teacher’s hall.

“What will happen to them?” Lucy asked.

“They will be left for your families to find.”

He stepped forward dragging her along behind him. Her foot hit a root in the dark and pain shot through her knee so intensely that she could not breathe for a moment. He turned in annoyance.

“What is it?”

“My knee,” Lucy gasped when she could speak. There was no point hiding what he would find out as soon as they began moving.

He made a grunt of annoyance and lifted he petty coat. She noticed that he placed his body between her and his men. Once her leg was exposed the ugly metal brace which had entombed her fragile leg since childhood and had followed her every step like an unwanted dog eager for a master.

He met her eyes again. “A cripple?” and recovered her leg.

She met his eyes. “To family, yes. To marriageable men I am whole and unblemished.”

“And how pray tell did a princess lose use of her knee.”

“Doubtless you know of the Arnes Caren sickness.”

He nodded but showed no sign that he knew, as everyone did, that Arnes Caren was the Opus Magnus of the dark magicians of his country. That it had been unleashed on a small outpost of Mixupland soldiers and had quickly gotten out of hand infecting more than half of the population in a one hundred mile radius. It would have spread further had not the Toram, a secret brotherhood dedicated to the study and cure of disease quarantined the area.

“I was five years old,” Said Lucy, reverting to the truth. “Do you even understand the atrocities your country has committed?”

He did not answer her but straightened up, seeing that his men had finished with the prisoners. “We move out now.” He looked back at Lucy. “Can you ride, your highness?”

She nodded stone-faced.

He took the bridle of a large black horse which had just appeared behind him. He lifted Lucy easily onto the horse and led them forward. The men had been waiting for such a sign and began to prod the lines of prisoners into motion. She caught sight of Lianna, Elwin and Jon looking no worse than before in cages on a cart. She searched desperately with her eyes for Kurt or Anna but could see neither. She did find and hold Cassandaline’s eyes for a long moment before she was prodded onward by spear butts.

The procession set off at a surprisingly fast pace with Lucy at their head. A jolt of pain snaked its way up her leg with every motion of the horse.

Mixupland Dating

This is how Mixupland Dates work:
Most of the stories happen 800 something AGF which is "After the Glorious Founders". This dating starts from when the founders landed on the shores of Mixupland as year 1. From the release of the demons until the arrival of the founders dates are YDE for "Years the Demons have Eaten". The year the demons were released is year 1. Before that it goes backwards like BC and the dates are TOG for "Time of the Old God". The number in parenthesis next to the stories is the date the story takes place. At some point I might make a timeline.

Taken by the Wind: Chapter I

            The spirits of those in the Capitol of Orangeland, Artaria, were high. The Wine flowed freely and the feast was raging. It had been 60 years since the Ovic Wars. The southern Lands had reached a peace accord and held a feast to celebrate every 5 years. The celebrations were legendary and many from all over the continent came to join in the festivities. Feasting lasted 3 whole days. Jehu, heir to the Brownlandese throne, was one of the few in attendance that was not happy. He had finally evaded the flock of boys who called themselves his "friends." Jehu enjoyed the company of 5 of these boys but everyone else seemed to want to hangout with him because he was heir to the throne. Because of this he resented them. Jehu strolled in the massive gardens of Orangeland, thankful that finally he was alone.

             Alas, this did not last for long, he spotted a bright head of long fiery hair reflected in the pool of Thramgar the Great. Jehu approached the girl, she pretended to take no notice. Jehu, seeing her hair guessed, correctly, that she was from Orangeland. Her dressed was made from the finest silk which menat she must be from royalty.

           "ahem, Princess Emily of Orangeland?" Jehu said.

           "Jehu of Brownland, my friends call me Emi, you can call me Emily" she retorted rather boldly,

           "Hey Jehu!" crowed some of Jehu's "friends"

Jehu was not in the mood for his friends to interrupt his introduction to Emily. He turned around hurriedly to make the boys disperse. Then, all of a sudden, he couldn't stand up straight, he felt woozy, he collapsed to the ground as three hooded figures emerged from the bushes. Then, he passed out.

   

Elgaboth, the Kidnapping: Chapter 1

A scream rent the night, the last act of a dying man before his air was cut off forever. no friendly ear would have marked his passing had not fate conspired. Years ago a soldier, staying in the Satum's garrison had slammed his fellow into a certain wind which could never afterwards be closed completely. It was due to this circumstance that despite a very cold fall evening a window in what had long since become the boy's dormitory was open.

Kurt was a light sleeper and could go from unconsciousness to full alertness in a matter of seconds so he heard the scream. Not that he had any idea of what the sound signified but it pulled him out of his dreams and into his bed. Some sixth sense compelled him to glance out the window.

Panic and fear flowed through his veins as he saw the dark shapes climbing down the inside of the wall. In a few seconds they were displaced, if not replaced, by a surge of adrenaline. He had only two thoughts, first to warn everyone and second to find and protect his sister and... Lucy.

There was nothing he could do that would stop the attack, but never the less he started yelling. Few people could hear his actual words but it roused them. And by that time they could smell the smoke. The attackers, possibly having studied the methods of beekeepers, had lit a fire on the right side of the building.

Kurt's mind quickly processed the meaning of the smoke and he instinctively moved left. He, however, stopped a few seconds later. His father's words came back to him, well not the words but the general idea. If the enemy wants you to go one way, go the other. It was obvious which way they wanted him to go, it was the way he, himself, wanted. But instead he slowly moved to his right. The smoke thickened but he kept moving and finally made it to a window.

The fire was much smaller than the smoke had led him to believe and looking out the window he thought he could clear it. He jumped.

In his short life Kurt had never com really close to death. It is not the par of a rich Lords to dance with demons. But that night he came within centimeters of it. The flames licked him as he flew but somehow they could not catch hold of him or pull him into their blistering oblivion.

He hit the ground hard and instinctively rolled forward. There was a sharp pain in his ankle but he forced himself to ignore it as the one man left to guard the fire was in pursuit.

The main building  included the classrooms as well as the girl's dormitories. Once it had housed twenty kings and their retinues. Now it held at least that many princesses. It loomed ahead of him in all its imposing Majesty.

Kurt was fast but the pain in his ankle and his assailant's speed conspired to force a confrontation. He knew that if he didn't turn soon he would be attacked from behind so he spun on his heel and struck out with his fist at the same moment. The element of surprise was enough to sway the first moments of the fight to his advantage. The initial blow pushed him off balance and Kurt took full advantage of that, throwing himself at the man. It was only then that Kurt noticed the other figure.

The man’s hair was so blond it was almost white, even lighter than Lucy or John’s hair. He wore a thin mustache and his face was even thinner. His clothes were the same as those his men wore but no one could doubt that he was to be obeyed. He leaned his face close to Kurt and one of the men forced Kurt’s head up with the hilt of a sword only then did Kurt notice that he had mismatched eyes. One was very Light blue and the other was so dark that Kurt couldn’t locate the pupil.

“I know your father,” His voice came as a low whisper. Kurt’s body shook slightly as if a force beyond himself compelled his actions, “And I don’t mean that in a good way.” His hand went to a thin scar on his cheek.

Kurt wanted to spit in his face, that was what his father or brother would have done but his mouth was strangely bereft of saliva. There was a presence about the man that made even breathing difficult.

“So you’re not going to beg for your life?”

That thought had entered Kurt’s head but he knew instinctively that with a man like this it would do no good.

“Good, you really are your father’s son.” He stood and started to leave but then turned offered Kurt an ironic smile. “Of course he would have spit in my face by now.”

White hot rag engulfed Kurt but he held it in and pretended that he was still immobilized by the man's powerful stare. The man holding him took about a minute to shake off that hold. Then one rushed off after his master and the other jerked Kurt upright. Kurt didn't wait. He catapulted his whole body upwards catching the man's jaw with the top of his head. Then he ran, the anger dulling the pain in his ankle.

He slowed when he came close to the girl's dormitory and threw himself behind a bush. He watched as the girls were dragged out screaming, often in their night clothes. But he didn't move. There was no way he could fight all of them and he had to find Cassie. A hand covered his mouth and a surge of terror shot through him. He struggled silently until his assailant hissed in his ear.

"Eh, It's me, John."

Kurt turned and found himself staring into his friend's ice blue eyes.

"We find the girls?"

Kurt nodded though he knew for John there was only one girl.

"If we climb the west side we can get in their window. Maybe they're still there."

"You've thought about this have you?" whispered Kurt smiling.

John gave him a questioning look.

"How to get into the girl's dormitory."

John gave him a thin smile and shook his head. It was a lifelong goal of Kurt’s to instill a sense of humor into his icy friend.

They were silent and swift as they circled the building to the back. They decided that John would climb because of Kurt's ankle. There was plenty of Ivy and John pulled himself to the third floor like a spider and disappeared through a third floor window.

It seemed like an eternity for Kurt trying to ignore the now nearly unbearable pain in his ankle. The fire continued to consume the boy's dorm and dark shapes showed up against the flames, small struggles won and lost. Something fell to the right of him and he jumped.

He looked up and saw that John seemed to have tied a series of sheets together to make a rope. He considered making a joke about elopements but it was soon forgotten as he saw a cloaked female figure crawl out of the window and lower herself using the sheet rope. This took about three minutes and Kurt met her at the bottom. 

"Kurt," The voice was Judy's and disappointment threatened to drown him. He reminded himself that Judy was a princess of the realm his oaths to the king bound him to her, more than that she was his friend and he wanted her safe.

Another female figure climbed down the sheer wall. He waited again, breathless. Anna dropped into his arms and sent agony through his ankle but for the moment he didn't care. Anna hugged him tightly. They had been friends since childhood and she was almost a sister to him.

"They took them." She whispered, close to tears.

Terror flooded back into Kurt's body. "Cassie and Lucy?"

Anna only nodded.

"We need to get to the forest." said John sliding down beside them.

Kurt barely heard him. His blood was up and he was considering the possibility of running straight into the mist of the black clothed men. John saw what was in his friends mind and grabbed his shoulder.

"No Kurt."

Kurt nodded grudgingly as another wave of pain brought him back to reality. Limping he followed John and the two girls towards the forest. By the time they reached it he was leaning heavily on Anna for support.

"The wall is shorter over there," Anna pointed. "Maybe we can get out."

John nodded and they proceeded as quietly as possible through the trees.

The wall was in fact shorter. It had fallen down over the years and now it stood over them, only about ten feet all told.

John wasted no time; he gave Kurt a few short orders. They picked up Judy and she scrambled onto the top of the wall. Judy's golden head disappeared over the crumbled wall and they heard a plop as she reached the other side. The boys lifted Anna to the top of the wall where she perched to help with their accent. It was then that the difficulties began. Their flight up till then he'd been accomplished with almost surreal ease but now Kurt's wounded ankle began to tell. Kurt was not above average height but well-muscled and therefore he weighted a fair amount. John was only a few inches taller than his friend and a good deal thinner. With his ankle Kurt wouldn't climb up last so it was left for John to boost him over or try to. Hon could barely lift Kurt and not without intense pain in his ankle. They made three attempts and each time ended with Kurt sitting with his back to the wall desperately trying to breathe. Judy called something over the wall, her voice thick with terror. And they started hearing the shouts and footsteps of the men who were beginning to make a search of the forest.

After the third attempt Kurt grabbed John's shoulders and gave a few forceful words. John nodded reluctantly and pulled himself with Anna's help atop the wall. He eased himself down the other side. When he was safely on the other side Anna's face hardened and she slid back down to stand next to Kurt who had passed out.

John yelled over the wall. "What are you doing?

 "I'm not leaving him unconscious for them to pick up."

"Anna, I can't just…"

"There is nothing else you can do. Go get help. Run."

She heard the two sets of footsteps recede hesitantly at first then faster as they began to run.

Elgaboth, the Kidnaping: Prologue

A century ago the prospect of laying siege to the Satume would have been a formidable one but now it was all too easy. Then hundreds of soldiers would have been garrisoned, every crack in the twenty meter high wall vigilantly patched, every gate barred with steel. But time and relative peace had conspired to soften these defenses.

Now the former fort was guarded by a handful of sentries with all the urgency of a snake sunning itself on a warm afternoon. The walls had long ago been surrendered to ivy and the gates were slowly losing the fight against rot and rust.

Once the taking of the Satume would have been a challenge for a man like Aporum. It would have been a test of his mind and manhood. Strength pitted against strength and mind against mind but now it would be easy and quick. The Satum was surrounded as a leaf carried softly in the wind is caught in an instant by leaping flames. And Apocrum was determined that the Satum would fall, burn, and surrender to him the heart of more than one nation.