Earnest had taken a stamina break and was on his way back to the battlefield when he heard the horn sound three long piercing blasts - the battle was over. Corvintheus and his army were defeated by the Castle Angels and friends. Rather than continue on his way to the fighting, Earnest changed direction and went to his tavern, The Diova Gruss. It was always the first place the Angels would stop on their way back to their homes and he felt he should prepare for his patrons’ arrival. They always lingered over a pint of cool ale while they regale the others of tales from the battlefield, compare wounds, and brag about how many of the enemy fell by their swords. It was a place to laugh and unwind with friends who understood the hardships of battle. But most of all, the tavern was a place for the Angels to gather and check who was alive – a roll call of battle survivors.
As Earnest predicted, the Angels began arriving in small groups. The Diova Gruss started filling up with battle-worn Angels; some with bandages, some with crutches, some with blood-stained clothing but all with the weary relief of victory. Those that had been injured sat at the tables and others stood around talking. As Earnest filled order after order for food and drinks, the laughter became freer and the noise level inside the tavern increased. He liked seeing the place like this. Not that he liked battles because of the toll it took on the warriors, but that they felt comfortable to stay, mingle, and share. THAT was always good for business!
He took a quick look around him as he kept pace with the demands. Deamon was here and was sitting with his twin brothers, Deamon666 and Bone Face. They were sitting along the back wall by the hepzabilas and keeping to themselves although it looked as if Kathryn was hobbling towards their table to join their group. Deamon saw her coming on her crutches, her right leg bandaged tightly, and offered his chair to her. She had sustained a nasty wound and Larien had told her to not put her weight on it. Caro and Cat sat two tables to the left from them and were chatting with Bernardo and Susana. Bernardo had his left arm in a sling. King Sylvain was at the table in the corner and it looked like he, Tian and Yiel were in deep conversation already. Miro and Jovan were at the end of the bar already enjoying their drinks, laughing loudly, and slapping each other on the back. Stefan, Monah and Iva came through the tavern door. Jovan glanced up and saw them approaching. He waved them over to join Miro and himself. Stefan had his head wrapped in bandages, the blood still seeping in a small pool through the gauze. Iva was favoring her left foot and slowly limped over, leaning heavily on the single crutch under her arm. Actually, the Angels had fared well in their fight with only small injuries and no deaths.
“Hey, Earnest, can we get a pint all around for our table?” Poul was sitting at the closest front table with Alina, Becky and Russ. All four had varying amounts of blood spattered on their clothes. Russ’s left sleeve was torn close to the shoulder and a pink stain could be seen underneath. He didn’t seem to be bothered with any discomfort by the wound, although it probably needed to be dressed before the end of the night.
“Sure, I’ll bring them right over, Poul!” Earnest shouted back. He turned and started filling tankards with fresh ale.
As he carried the four mugs over to Poul’s table, the door open and Carl, Butch and Zigaroth came in. All three men had a look of seriousness about them and not the jovial back-slapping and laughter of the other patrons. They headed for the corner table on the right side of the dining area, the furthest from any of the other occupied ones.
As they started to pass the counter, Jovan raised his glass and shouted for all in the place to hear, “Corvintheus and his army are dead! Cheers to the Castle Angels! Another strong victory for us all!”
Those within the tavern looked up from their various conversations at Jovan’s toast, raised their glasses, and yelled back almost in unison, “Here, here!!”
With everyone in the Diova Gruss yelling their toasts from table to table, they did not hear the arrival of Larien Arcamenel, the Angels’ Elf Queen. Earnest was wiping down the counter and happened to look up because the breeze from the door opening wafted over him. Larien looked at him and smiled a weary smile. He nodded back at her weak greeting. He thought she looked tired and worn, as if she was carrying the weight of the Angels on her shoulders. Earnest watched as she took stock of those already celebrating, her eyes focused on Russ’s arm. She stopped at his table.
Larien knew that Russ had not come into the tent to have his wound dressed. It didn’t look too bad from here, but it still needed to be cleansed. She put her small hand on Russ’s good shoulder to get his attention.
Startled, Russ looked up at her and smiled, “Hello, my Queen. Would you like to sit and celebrate with us?”
“I really should look at your wound, Russ. As a cleric, you know how quickly infection can set in. Let me at least clean it.”
“Oh, I will be alright,” Russ replied, excitement over the victory still strong in his voice. “Come, sit down with us. You have been very busy these last few nights. I don’t think that you slept more than a couple of hours as you were always awake when I left for a few hours and you were still awake when I woke up. We cannot have you falling ill!”
Larien briefly closed her eyes and when they opened she quietly agreed, “Thank you, Russ. I think I will sit as you suggest.” She smiled. Russ noticed that her smile did not reach her eyes.
Russ gave her his chair as he left to borrow one from another table. He had known Larien for a long time and knew that there was more on her mind than just weariness from healing, something about the battle – maybe about Corvintheus. If she were true to form, she would tell them about it before the night was over. He would place bets on it if he could get any takers. He chuckled under his breath, like anyone really would! They knew her just as well as he did!
Earnest brought another glass to the table, placing it in front of Larien. After a couple of sips, she started talking softly.
“Do any of you know who we just battled?” As she looked around the faces of those at her table, she could read the confusion her words brought. “Corvintheus, the leader of the army we just defeated, is a demi-god.”
Poul exclaimed, “Corvintheus was a demi-god?” His voice increased in volume – his facial expression shocked, “You mean to tell me that WE, the Castle Angels, just defeated a demi-god?” His animated actions attracted the attention of the other Angels. They ceased talking, one table at a time, and all turned to the table with Poul and Larien. Larien could feel their eyes swivel towards her; a look of puzzled amazement and confusion could be found on their faces.
“Yes, one of his army caught hold of my ankle on the battlefield. I gave him aid to ease his pain. Before he died, he told me about his leader, Corvintheus. Corvintheus’s quest was to rule this land with absolute righteousness and power. He also felt that kingdoms are built on sacrifices and that those sacrifices would be made by anyone who would not follow HIS path. He is no longer the man that people worship for THAT Corvintheus would not oppress those that strive for their own form of righteousness. The demi-god has, in his impatience with us mortals, turned to oppression and tyranny in his attempt to unite the land.” Larien’s voice became quieter as the Angels leaned closer. “You know the blinding white light that we saw on the battlefield?” she continued after several nodded their heads that they had indeed seen the flash of light. “That was Corvintheus disappearing. There wasn’t any trace of Aurelius either. I searched for their bodies but couldn’t find them. Both of them left their army behind to fall to our swords. All those we just killed were sacrificed for Corvintheus’ misguided righteousness and greed.”
Larien continued, her voice weary from the stress and strain of the last few days, “Even demi-gods can become evil under the guise of helping people. The Castle Angels will need to continue to prevail against these injustices and overcome these evils. We need to continue to fight for those that are oppressed. We need to bring light and truth so it will overcome the darkness that may encompass our world. We need to continue to fight with our convictions against those whom we feel will destroy us. Let THIS be our pledge and our toast this night.”
The tavern was quiet and those Angels within its walls could still hear Larien’s words echoing in their minds as she stood and slowly made her way out the door and into the dark night.
created originally 1 June 2011
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