Meriel and her mother sat together in their shared jail cell. Jessai had called it their “quarters” but the tight cramped space and the single window that looked out to the northern mountains was simply not idea for any living creature. She slept on the floor while her mother slept on the bed.
When the changes hit her family, Meriel’s entire family became elves. Meriel had counted their family fortunate…fortunate at least that they had not become monsterous. But when Jessai and his Orcs had taken over, Meriel realized how cursed they were. Elves are easily the most beautiful and refined of all the races. They can live for three centuries (hypothetically, as the New Epoch has not reached that number of years), and they are all blessed with youthful appearances. Even Meriel’s elderly grandmother of 84 years old now looks nearly in her 30’s. Elves are also blessed with the gift of high magic and sorcerey, with an intellect to rival humans. Indeed, around the world at this time, being and elf was a great blessing. Were it not for the Inquisition deeming the elves the arbiters of Vanity and Pride, they might have even be held on equal footing as humans in the public eye.
But where one sees beauty and grace, there are those who will despise it. Orcs loathe the elves almost as much as they detest ogres. But unlike ogres, who they tend to slaughter on sight, some orcs will make elves their slaves or servants. Such was the fate of Meriel and her mother. When her father attempted to protect them, Meriel was made to watch his brutal murder at the hands of Jessai and his orcs. Now she kept her mother and herself alive only through her talents as a bard. Most nights she’d play a song for her and her mother to sleep to…but not for the past few evenings. No…not with the plan in motion.
“Do you know when he’s coming?” Meriel’s mother asked.
“Grognor said he had to think of a way for us to get out…but I’m sure he’ll find a way soon. I can’t imagine he’d waste time on this.” Meriel remarked. Her mother frowned and sat up in bed, her long ears twitching as she brushed golden hair behind her shoulder.
“It won’t work, dear.”
“Huh?”
“Just think about it,” she explained, “how fast did Jessai take over these lands? She swept the nation so hard and so fast, that Orcshire fell to her dominion in less than a year. The Orcs are completely loyal to him…even ogre parties don’t come near Orcshire for fear of sparking his ire. Even if Grognor found a way to free us…how would we escape this land? Jessai would find out and have us captured and killed swiftly.”
“Maybe, but it’s still worth trying! I can’t spend my whole life under that tyrants thumb.”
“…Meriel…you sound like your father.” She replied. A dark cloud seemed to fall over the two as the memories returned to them.
“Good.” Meriel grumbled. Her mother started to speak, but then closed her mouth again, as if not wanting to dredge up old wounds or pains. Meriel was proud of her father…no matter what happened to him. Her mother was proud of Meriel for this, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that her devotion and admiration of him was…somewhat foolish. The two maintained this silence for a while, only the sound of a Orc guard moving slowly by could be heard. Meriel didn’t dare speak as he walked by. To speak would rouse suspicion. As the Orc lumbered by, he simply smirked at the two of them before moving past. Meriel just glared ahead, unwilling to acknowledge him.
Suddenly there was a grunt and a collapse. Meriel stood up fast at the sound and hurried to the caged door, looking out to see what she could. The orc that had been walking by was on the floor, bleeding from the head. A figure stood over him. He was lean and appeared to be wearing some kind of armor. A strange hat sat upon his head, further covering his face, which was already guarded by a mask. In his hand, he had a short ninjato sword, and in the other a combat knife. He was standing over the orc, but wasn’t likely to linger, as he was cleaning his sword and started to walk on.
“Wait!” Meriel called. “Hold on!” The figure paused and looked back at her curiously. “Did you do that? You killed him?”
“…” He didn’t answer but simply walked a little closer, interested but wary.
“Please, he has the key to our cell! Let us out!”
“Meriel, what’re you doing?” Her mother hissed. “He’s dangerous!”
“He killed an orc, Mom!”
“Which is exactly why he’s dangerous. If he makes an enemy out of Jessai, and we’re associated with him w-”
“Where is Jessai the Devourer?” The figure asked. His voice was low and gruff; distorted by the odd mask.
“If I tell you, will you let us go?” Meriel asked. He glanced down at the guard and knelt, searching the corpses pockets. He found the keys, but before using them, he held them out of reach.
“Last time,” he growled, “where’s Jessai?”
“Asleep. He’s probably drunk himself into a stupor. He sleeps on the third level, last chamber to the right.” He nodded and tossed her the keys before turning on his heel to leave.
“Will you kill him?” She called back. He didn’t answer her but kept on walking. Meriel didn’t waste time working on the lock to their cell.
“Who the hell was that!?” Her mother asked.
“An assassin! I’ll bet he’s the one we heard about. He’s come to kill Jessai for us!” Meriel beamed.
“He looks awful young to be a skilled assassin…” She whispered.
“We can worry about that later, c’mon lets get out of here!” Meriel tugged her mothers arm and the two hurried out of the doorway and out of the dungeon. No sooner had they escaped the dungeon than suddenly a great cry rang out through the citadel.
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“TO ARMS! TO ARMS! ASSASSIN IN THE CITADEL!”
“Run!” Meriel hissed, as the two bolted for the backdoors that lead to the yard of the citadel. Orcs would train out there in combat, preparing for invasion. However, they would be mostly clear now, or so Meriel hoped. The sound of Orcs in battle resounded through the building. Meriel dared a look back…and there she saw him once again.
The stranger from before. In either hand he held a blade, a broad sword in his right hand and a short sword in his left. His hat masked his expression, but she could see that he was poised and on the defensive. He stood like a warrior statue upon the roof. Orcs began swarming up to meet him in combat. His blades rang against their axes and clubs, parrying and deflecting off them as best as he could; a phantom under a full moon.
“Don’t look back!” Meriel’s mother shouted. Meriel finally looked back to their path, but she saw the last thing that the assassin did: decapitate an orc soldier with a single swing of his sword, before turning to engage the one running behind him. Had he killed Jessai…or had he been discovered first? There was no time to ask or find out…they had to focus on their escape. “Where should we go?” Her mother asked.
“I have an idea…I just hope we make it before the orcs find us.” Meriel answered.
Grognor didn’t like waking up…even when he needed to. Maybe it was being so much physically older now than before, but he enjoyed his sleep. So now, as the sound of clamor and shouting from the citadel was all that filled the evening, he couldn’t bring himself to a restful sleep. But now, as he sat up in bed, scratching his face and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, another sound graced his unwanting ears.
*knock knock knock*
“Damn it, can’t a man sleep?”
*knock knock knock*
“Alright already! I’m com’n.” He grunted, getting up and throwing on a shirt to cover his round belly.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
“KEEP YER GODDAMN SHIRT ON!” He roared, finally slinging open the door to his modest lodge. “WHAT IN THE NAME O-MERIEL!?” His eyes fell on the heavy breathing and exhausted forms of Meriel and her mother, leaning against the sides of the door and looking positively terrified.
“Grognor, we need help!”
“Get inside!” He ordered, throwing open the door for them and slamming it shut to lock it. “Stay quiet and come with me.” Meriel took her mothers hand and the two followed the sleepy dwarf through the large lodging. Grognor didn’t have his own home…he lived in the Craftsmans Lodge just above the main hall. The lodge had three levels, the lower level was a forge and smithing room. Above that was the main hall where customers and visitors could come and do business or simply relax indoors. The upstairs was where Grognor lived…and where he was taking Meriel and her mother. Once they were inside the bedroom, he closed the door and inhaled deeply.
“What in the blazes are you doing here!? What’s happening at the citadel!?”
“It’s a long story,” Meriel’s mother explained, “we don’t have a lot of time before the assassin dies and then they find out we’re gone.”
“Assassin? So there really was an assassin!?” Grognor asked.
“Last we saw of him, he was fighting for his life on the roof of the main tower. I don’t know if he got Jessai or not.” Grognor turned and ran to his window to look out at the Citadel, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of the assassin himself.
“I’m sure he’s dead by now…he was surrounded by the Orcs.” Meriel muttered.
“I dunno.” Grognor answered. “I still hear a lot of shouting and anger. He might have gotten away.”
“Guess we won’t know for a while.”
“I’ll find out tomorrow when I go to meet Jessai…if he’s alive.” Grognor answered. “But first about you two…you were brave to come here…” He looked them both over and then sighed. “But I can’t hide you here. We need to get out of the city…get you to the forest. Titania can keep you safe.”
“The Ogress?” Meriel’s mother asked, with a snort. “Why would SHE help us?”
“Titania hates the Orcs as much as any of us. Plus, she and I go back a ways…well before the Cataclysm.”
“Mom, I told you,” Meriel snapped, “stop being so distrusting.”
“It’s not so easy.” She grumbled. “Your grandmother is safe now beyond Orcshire borders in Serindal, if we’d been able to get there with your father he might not have….we wouldn’t have fallen prey to these OTHER races.”
“MOM!”
“HUSH!” Grognor hissed, silencing them as an Orc patrol was running past, searching for the assassin. Once they were past, he finally grumbled. “Prejudices aside, you don’t have any other options. Titania is your safest option. She’s well outside the city, which means you’re out of the Orcs immediate searching area. Plus, even if they do try to find you there, she’d sooner kill the Orcs than hand you over.”
“How do we get to her?” Meriel asked. “Follow the yellow brick road?”
“No. I would take you there tonight, but if that assassin really is on the loose, the Orcs will be on high alert for anyone suspicious. We’ll wait till tomorrow, when things have settled down. You can sleep in my place tonight.”
“I’d rather not.” Meriel’s mother wrinkled her nose a little, noting the messy quality of Grognor’s room.
“It’s the only place with a bed. I’ll go to the forge. I have armor and weapons to make anyway…it’s going to be a long night. I urge you to get some rest.” He turned to the door and glanced back, a sad expression in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t promise anything will get better…but at the very least, that assassin helped you get out. It’s a start. Were we all so lucky…”