When the 'servant' Branch and Vye had flipped and rocketed up to the ceiling, Marrin realized what the former Heirling had been talking about. The small warning gave him enough to time move out of the way of Frank's attack. The Shadow Warbler on one side, Frank on the other, Marrin realized how much danger he was in.

Marrin had a moment where he found himself back to back with the Great Gravity Mage Ezra, the legendary warrior mage who was credited with great and amazing works, such as restoring the Cloud City in the West, Finding the Ever Ilosize Needle in a Haystack, and working in tandem with the Red Circle and sealing the Smot Dragon back to its questionably eternal slumber. That great figure was standing, shoulder to shoulder, with Marrin.

"What is next?" Marrin asked, painfully wincing as the Mage shifted and accidently poked Marrin's wound with an elbow. He moved so that he could see the Great Mage's face...and so the very tall and lanky fae couldn't accidentally poke him again.

Above, Marrin caught glimpses of the fighting on the ceiling as the former Lordling Elswith contended and idly moved around 'Vie's' attacks. He was realizing that that was not Vie. Whoever it was, she was much more skilled than the lazy Vye had been. Elswith dodged and fainted and clashed expertly, and if Marrin had not seen and felt with his own senses the sheer ocean of difference in their power levels, he would have sworn Elswith had been the one with more power.

But they do say Lordlings were built different. And Elswith had been the Heirling of one of the Swords.

"Welp." Said the great Mage, surely drawing on his great wisdom and understanding to find the perfect advise that would aid Marrin. "I think Spikes is going to have to talk to his ex girl friend."

What? Spikes? Who was Spikes? Was Elswith 'Spikes'? And who was his 'ex-girl friend'? Forget about that. How did that help them in their current situation, where Marrin was honor bound to find and stop the danger inside the O'Tells estate? "What do we do about this?" he gestured wildly at the Shadow Warbler and Frank.

"Honestly, I'm bad at strategy games. It's not even turned based." Said the Great and Powerful Ezra. "I say...we smash Frank and push the iky monster thing back into the trap thingy?"

"You are a Wizard, one of the wise? Surely you have some advice." Marrin said, huffing.

The Great One shrugged again, and grinned in much too 'devil may care' way for Marrin's comfort.

"Oh, no. Wizards need to study to understand the laws of nature. They spend years, if not decades, in study. Mages are just...given random cosmic power. I am trying to be a wizard, I go to classes and do experiments and everything, but um...it's not going so great right now, ya now? I'll get it eventually, I believe in myself, and I am told from very reliable sources that is the way to start."

Was...the great Mage...an idiot? "But you survived all those battles?!!"

"I don't even realize I'm in battle most of the time." He said. "The other times, I just go with it. Smash my way in, and just go with the flow."

At least that red haired servant girl had been helpful and aware. Marrin wished he wasn't left alone with someone oblivious enough to either not realize the danger or crazy enough to not care.

"Smash Frank and push the iky monster thing back into the trap thingy it is." Marrin said, and leapt into action. At least he could fight with his left hand now that his right was injured.

So that is what Marrin tried to do. Ezra the...not as Great as advertised Mage, was at least good at preventing Frank from attacking from behind.

Marrin wanted to live.

He really really did.

The gravity Mage worked unseen power and a scattering of debris pelted the Shadow Warbler. A few missed their mark, and he winced as they struck his wounded back. But Marrin did not stop, because Frank seized the moment the Shadow Warbler was distracted and tried to hurt him again.

Married had tried his best to live. He had made good choices. So to have everything go the other way for him had been somewhat extremely discouraging. That is why the last several years, months, weeks, and days, and last 24 hours was very dismaying for him.

The Sky Court. The Court of the Angered Clouds of Hue of Green as the Whirlwind of the Sky Descends to Uproot the Lands Beneath and Above was the official name. It was not a very happy Court.

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Marrin knew his history. The last several centuries had seen a reduction in the Court's power. They had lost much of their external holdings and lands to the ever encroaching Hordes. If not for several Senators joining the Sky Court (of Hue of Green), they would have lost all their power.

Marrin's own line was in fact a direct descendant of the original Sky Court's Lord. Had things not changed, he may have even been in line for their Great Sword. The Sword of Storm.

But that was impossible.

Because his great grandfather had been...coup'ed out? Kicked out? Out maneuvered? Marrin didn't know. He had nothing of the education his forefathers did. He barely had any at all, in fact. Gaining power to be Middling had been the work of his father and all his aunts and uncles as well as his own dedicated pursuit of power.

Marrin was able to scratch Frank's hand as Frank was too clumsy in a guard. Watching his comrade pull back his hand in pain was satisfying. But because he was focused too much on Frank, the Shadow Warbler was able to advance further from the trap in the wall. Fighting was terrible and boring. Always looking, seeking, muscle's clenching and cold. His back screamed in pain, and the loss forever of wings something that seemed too painful to be real.

"Gravity Wave!" Esra yelled, and Marrin had to flee to escape several crates along the wall from crashing into him. He was panicked, but luckily there was nothing pulling him downward. He didn't think he'd move with the same grace as Servant Branch and the person wearing Vye's face. What had happened to Vye? Was she dead? Games of power were cruel to the weak. The two went from the ceiling to the wall with all the stain glass. Marrin held his breathe as Branch seemed the worst for wear in that exchange for a moment, but then he realized he had nothing to worry about as Branch casually maneuvered on the wall.

Marrin had lived his life in the shadow of such powerful beings. So much of his life was in the shadow of the new lineage. He didn't hate them. He didn't even know them. They were the members of the Sky Court who had worked with the Senate as they...helped the Sky Court.

The Sky Court did not fall.

That was to be celebrated.

But...almost none of the original members remained after it was saved...Some were driven out, others escaped to different courts, and some where just...vanished, the family stories went.

But Marrin had no hatred toward the branch family that took over.

He couldn't afford it.

He was just going to keep his head down.

Just keep it down and focus. Leaving the farm and joining the King's Enforcers had been a smart choice, because he had been sure he would be working for the King, and not the Senate and not the Courts.

He almost managed to avoid notice, he really really did.

But his size was unfortunate. Too large, not slender enough. It wasn't only his height, which was the extreme end of the Fae. Due to his manual labor without much in the way of power, he had packed on muscles as he toiled on one of the few remaining farms. So when he joined 'polite' society, as he started meeting the proper Fae of the Citadel, he could not hide from their rebuking gazes.

If he had been a nobody, then he surely would have done better. Eventually they would have moved on.

But someone with too much time on their hands had looked into his origin.

He wasn't hiding anything. He was still really bad about speaking half truths that all Fae with power needed to in order to avoid losing that power. But once the current ruling family of the Sky of Hue of Green found out that a direct descendant was working in the Enforcers, they had pulled some strings, and he found himself transferred to the Enforcers directly controlled by them.

"I have always done my best!" Marrin yelled, frustration boiling over. As soon as he made progress against the Shadow Warbler, Frank would try to strike him. If he drove Frank away, the Shadow Warbler would advance again. And if he should manage to do the impossible, somehow the Great Mage Ezra managed to hit him in the crossfire.

Ezra managed to align several crates and they smashed against the Shadow Warbler.

However, Marrin's bout with his comrade was not going as well. "Give it up, Marrin." Said Frank. "They don't care about you. We can give you an exemption for leaving your duty. I don't personally dislike you."

"Now exemptions exist? After all this? Why not before I was consigned to enter into what would have been my doom?" He spat, raising his sword in guard again.

Had he ever fought so hard for his life before?

"You would have let me come in here alone and unprepared." Marrin yelled. "If Heirling Elswith hadn't been moved with pity for me, you would have let me go in here alone!"

"It wasn't personal. Commander Kane was pretty sure he'd show up. He showed up much later than we thought, but...look, it's fine. You don't matter. In truth, you're the least of us anyway. Don't need to perish here."

Marrin wanted to clutch his lucky hat. He had been part of many campaigns. In regions where the various Courts neglected, the Enforcers were often sent to mop up the stragglers. The Enforcers were also the ones who "healed the land", if you could heal a land without its people. He didn't know if you could. But he knew what the leading Fae felt about those who were the Least. They were the least likely to receive protection. They were the least of worth. They were the least likely to be saved.

But with the strange shadowy creature on one side, and the enemy enforcer on the other, Marrin felt such deep and powerful rage that he had never felt before.

"Elswith did not abandon me! Least of all I may be, but I will not abandon him."

"GRAVITY WAVE!!!!" Ezra called, but nothing happened.

In truth, Marrin didn't even hear that.

Because he heard the roar of wind and storm. And his blade, though it be so plain and dull, changed.

Glass broke and rained down on them and the night wind blew in.

A storm blew in.

And Marrin felt, in his very core, that perhaps it was not so hopeless after all.