21 - Grand Entrances and Playing Rough

*Characters: Stone, West, Brooks, Michael, Willow*

Most of the Chaos Fam was enjoying a late night off in a staff room when the sound of small wings was heard. Brooks got up from her seat as there were soft taps on the door, and opened it  to find Jesper standing on the other side: a note tied lightly to his leg. “Oh hey Jesper, where's Stone?” She asked as she picked up the crow, bringing him over to the others. Once Brooks sat down, Jesper held out his leg and cawed at whoever was closest: which happened to be Michael.

Michael opened the note, reading it “So, what’s on it?” Brooks asked, stroking Jesper’s head. “It’s from Stone, and it's asking us to meet her at her court” Brooks saw West look up from the game of cards her and Willow were playing “The Court of Thorns?” Michael nodded “yeah, and she also stated to be careful and to tell the guards something but I can’t make understand it”

~West~

“Let me see,” West asked, holding out her hand. Michael passed her the paper, and she quickly read through it, finding the section he was talking about “A farith deriv” West stated, looking up from the note. “And that means what?” Willow questioned setting down her cards “A cold chase, if I remember correctly”  West stood, stretching her wings “Well we should get going, Stone probably wants us for reason”

The others nodded and West turned towards the crow “Lead the way Jesper” the bird cawed and took flight, guiding them out of the site and along a well hidden path. After about half an hour, they finally reached the main entrance of Stone’s court, walking up to the two fae standing guard.

One of the guards blocked the large wooden doors and stated something West nor the others could make out, but the message was still clear: State your reason. West stood tall, adjusting her wings “A farith deriv” she stated, and it worked: upon hearing this both of the fae nodded and opened the doors, allowing them access.

As the four made their way along the underground passage the sounds of music starting to play grew louder.

~Stone~

As she adjusted her armour, there was a knock at the door. She turned to see a guard standing in the doorway, he bowed as she acknowledged him before stating that her friends had just arrived. Stone thanked him as he nodded and left, glancing in the mirror one final time “Showtime” she stated to open air.

The sounds of music alerted Stone it was time.

~Willow~

As Willow followed the others along the passage, she glanced around noticing how large plant roots hung from the ceiling. As they reached the end of the tunnel, the music quieted. Willow glanced at West, silently asking what the fuck was going on, but West simply shrugged as voices sudden echoed throughout the room.

“Born of cold and winter air, and mountain rain combining” the fae of the court turned towards the throne that was known to be Stone’s, as guards appeared from the sides of the raised platform. “This icy force: both foul and fair, has a frozen heart”  the sound of instruments joined the voices of the court, adding to the echo. “So cut through the heart, cold and clear”

The guards standing on either side of the throne banged the ends of their weapons, keeping the beat steady. Willow and others were ushered closer to the throne by one of the court members next to them.

~Stone~

Stone moved quickly towards the throne, her step in time with the sounds of her court.

“Strike for love, and strike for fear!”

Her head was raised high and her armor clinked faintly as she walked.

“See the beauty sharp, and cheer!”

~Michael~

“Split the ice apart, and break the frozen heart!” He felt a shiver run down his spine, as the voices of the fae grew louder. “Watch your step, let it go”  The fae seemed to be growing more cheerful as they sang. “Beautiful, powerful, dangerous, cold” the voices of about four fae rang out louder than the rest. “She has a magic, can’t be controlled”

There was a split second of just the sound of a violin, when suddenly Michael saw someone step out onto the throne’s dias: They were wearing a set of shining black armor with a pattern engraved similar to that of a thorn bush. It took him a second to recognize Stone’s horns and by the gasps of both Brooks and West, so had they.

As Stone made her way to the throne, her hooves clicked -in time with the music- against the wooden floor. When Stone stood in front of her throne facing the crowd, he watched as one of the guards moved towards her, Stone bowing with one knee as the guard placed a circlet of black metal over the fauns hair.

As the guard stepped away, Stone rose slowly: her expression that of a leader ready for a battle. The loud cheer from the court made him jump slightly as the music grew louder and faster.

As Stone stood- her armor and circlet shining under the lantern light- Michael heard the voices of her court echo once again: only this time louder. “Born of cold and winter air, and mountain rain combining” Stone must have seen them, as she nodded in their direction before placing a hand on a holster strapped to her side.

~West~

She felt a gentle push against her wings, and she looked over her shoulder to see a fae motioning for them to move closer yet again. She nodded and alerted the others as she made her way closer towards the dias. “This icy force both foul and fair, has a frozen heart”  as they reached the front of the crowd, West looked up to see Stone draw the sword that had been at her side.

From where the four were standing West could hear Stone join the voices of her court “Strike for love and strike for fear!” Stone’s voice rang clearer the rest “There’s beauty and there danger here” The faun turned towards her and the others, seething her sword before offering a hand “Beware the Frozen heart”

West grabbed a hold and climbed up onto the wooden platform, standing beside Stone as she helped the others up. Once Brooks managed onto the dias, Stone leant towards West “How was that for an entrance?” She asked with a hidden smirk, before turning towards the court “very much you style” West whispered back.

~Stone~

She gave an amused huff at West’s response before gazing over The Court of Thorns, her expression falling back to the seriousness she had prior. “As you know, threats have been made against our court, and some have been acted upon as well” Out of the corner of her eye, Stone saw the others’ expressions change from awe to surprise.  “Some of our members have even been killed because of this, almost including me..” Stone glanced at the only visible part of a long scar that ran along her right arm.

She glanced back up at The Court of Thorns, standing tall “In light of this, I have decided that we will be going to war with The Court of Violets” her pride of the court grew as she watched them cheer in response, Stone continued “Preparations will begin to three days time, use this time to decide where you wish to help, you may not fight if you wish but you must help”

Stone turned to one of the guards at her side and nodded, before making her way back towards the armory: Glancing at the others as a quick sign to follow. “You never told us about the threats, nor about you nearly dying for like the third time..” West half asked and half scolded, Stone shrugged focused on the task at hand “You never asked”

~Willow~

Brooks was the one to reply “We shouldn’t have to..” Stone sighed as they reached the large door of the armory, turning on her heel to face them “Look, what goes on in The Court of Thorns stays in The Court of Thorns, and as the ruler I have to respect that”  She saw Willow fold her arms a slightly judging expression on her face “But we’re your friends, and we could be able to help but not if you never tell us”

Stone ran her hands over her face, letting out a shaky breath “I- We don’t have time for this, we can talk about this later” Stone placed a hand on the knob of the door and twisted, pushing it open “Right now, I think you should all take look at these” The gasps of surprise from West and  the others made Stone grin, she stepped out of the way so that they could enter the room.

~Michael~

He couldn’t help but stare at what Stone revealed: there in the center of the room, stood four armor stands, each with beautifully crafted armor that matched the set Stone wore. One of them was clearly for West as it had a pair of linked wing covers, and it was noticeable which one was for Willow since the helm had holes for the second teen’s small horns.

Michael saw Stone nod: allowing them to get closer, as West, Willow and Brooks all hurried towards the armor, Michael glanced at his: thoughts rushing around his head. As he stood in front of shining Black armor, Stone appeared beside him. “Like it?” the faun asked as she brushed off a piece of tree root on the shoulder of the body plate.

“Of course, but are you sure?” He asked, knowing that while the teen had made it clear they were friends, it was still only technically recent: having only been roughly nine months prior.

Stone turned to face him, looking confused “sure about what?”

“The armor, won’t your court need it more?”

“Michael, look I know I haven’t been the nicest even after the whole incident” For the first time, Michael saw how young Stone was, the stress and pressure she was under clear in her eyes. “But I really do see you as part of the Chaos Fam”

Before Michael could reply, an out of breath voice came from the door frame behind them “You're majesty, The Court of Violets are attacking” Stone’s expression changed instantly as she swiftly closed the gap between them, drawing her sword in one fluid motion “Help these four get their armor on, then lead them to the south side of the throne room”

~West~

West watched as Stone paused for the briefest moment, making eye contact with her before charging down the hall: hooves thumping against packed dirt floor. The fae who had alerted Stone rushed towards them, helping each with their armor before quickly passing them a weapon. “Come on, her majesty needs us to block the exit” was all they said as they took off down the hall.

The sword was a little heavy in her hands as she followed after the armored face, the sounds of fighting growing louder and louder with each step the group took. “W-who do we even fight?” West glanced over her shoulder as Brooks asked breathlessly “anyone in bronze armor, The Court of Violets will always wear bronze” the armored figure explained as they reached the battle, sounds of steel on steel ringing out and echoing in the room.

~Brooks~

Having never held a sword before, Brooks attempted to copy how the fae did and how she had seen Stone hold hers. Brooks yelped as a figure in bronze turned towards her and rushed at her, bringing the sword towards her chest Brooks managed to block the fae’s.

As Brooks held her sword, the bronze armored fae pushed down attempting to break her stance. “Knock his legs out from under him!” a voice called out to her, and Brooks did just that, sweeping her foot along the ground and colliding with her opponent’s leg. Seconds after the fae hit the floor, Willow appeared beside Brooks and brought her foot down on his chest: Brooks flinching at the loud crack that came from it.

As the fae laying on the floor gasped for air, Brooks heard a loud roar erupting from the other side of the throne room. She looked up to see Stone -sword in hand- racing towards the center of the room, leaping off the throne’s dais with a battle cry.

~Stone~

She raced down the hallway, her trusted sword in hand. As Stone reached the throne, she saw Willow and the others fending off The Court of Violets members surprisingly well for their first battle. Knowing that the others would be fine, Stone leapt off the wooden platform, sword raised high.

“OKIRE TELIS ZILAIR!” She called out as she landed on a figure in bronze armor, knocking both of them down. Stone managed to stand seconds before the Elil and brought the butt of her sword down on their head, a sickening crack informing Stone that she had broken the elil’s nose.

Suddenly Stone was knocked backwards as a foot slammed into her chest, and she stared up at another bronze armor elil “Kah Jaes, elsweyr” spat the figure as he brought his sword up, about to plunge it at Stone. Seconds before the sword could plummet, a gurgled sound emerged from its holder and she looked up to see the elil’s chest plate split open by a sword driven through his back and into his rib cage.

As the sword drew back through the elil, Stone stood and nodded to the guard who had saved her. She whipped around when she heard a loud cry from the south side of the room, and Stone instantly raced towards the sound as she witnessed Michael and the others be backed into a corner.

~Michael~

He held the sword out in front of him as he glanced around, a wall of bronze pushing him and the others back against a wall. Michael saw West take a swing at the advancing fae when got too close, forcing them to take a step back.

~Willow~

She attempted to mock charge The Court of Violet fae, but got roughly shoved back towards the wall instead. Willow glared at the one who had shoved her as the sound of hooves was suddenly heard. She turned as a grunt came from one of the fae in front of West and Michael, only to see that a sword had been driven through the enemy’s chest.

Willow’s eyes widened as she watched the sword suddenly and roughly moved downwards, and blood started to pour from the wound. As the sword drew backwards the enemy fell face first, having been gutted: the fae twitched once before going still.  As the fae fell they saw Stone standing behind The Court of Violets soldier, covered in a wide range of colors.

“You guys alright?” Stone asked as she swung at the other faeries surrounding them, Willow nodded and drove her sword towards a nearby bronze figure.

~Stone~

As her and the others drove back The Court of Violets, Stone’s ears perked when a voice called out over the sounds of swords striking each other “Your majesty, we have the general surrounded” She turned towards the throne and saw a group of her guards circled around the burly general of The Court of Violets.

Upon the sound of the general being held hostage, the surviving bronze armored fey surrendered, throwing down their arms. Stone nodded to the others before making her way to the throne’s dias, stepping up onto the wooden platform. Stone smirked at the general as she stood, towering over the kneeling fae.

“Was it worth it? Losing so many members of your already small army?” Stone mocked as the general snarled, staring up at her. Stone looked up at The Court of Thorns “I would put you out of your misery” She glanced back down at the general “but it’d be more fun to humiliate you”  At this, the general attempted to stand, only to be forced back down by her guards.

Stone chuckled “hold on, let them up” one of the guards leaned towards her “Are you sure? They might draw a sword” Stone nodded, placing a hand on her own “that’s why, I wish to see if their reputation holds true”

~Brooks~

As she watched Stone as the teen stood near her throne, Brooks saw one of the guards whisper something to the faun but she was too far away to hear it. Brooks glanced at West and the others as the guards dragged the captured fey off the throne’s platform, and Stone stepped off it as well, drawing her sword in the process.

“Wait, what’s she doing?” Brooks asked as she saw Stone motion for the enemy faerie to draw their sword, and the guard from earlier who replied “she’s challenging them for their freedom”

~Stone~

“Since I’m feeling nice, I’ll let you have first swing” The Court of Violet’s general did not seem pleased by this and rushed at Stone, sword high. Stone’s laugh was laced with a faint sadistic edge as she raised her own and blocked the on coming blow, and as the sound of steel on steel rang through the room she pushed upwards breaking the elil’s stance.

The elil stumbled trying to regain their posture, Stone adjusted her circlet with an air of mockery “look what you did, you messed up my jewelry”  She grinned as a spark flared in the eyes of the elil, and Stone laughed loudly this time as they finally began trading blows “That’s much better, I was starting to think your reputation was all bark and no bite”

~West~

A slight chill ran down her back as she heard Stone laugh at her opponent, West knew Stone could be sadistic but the faun never really showed it often. West fought the urge to stop the fight when she saw the enemy’s sword cut across Stone’s leg, the fur splitting and a small line of silver trickled down it.

West’s eyes widened as Stone’s sword suddenly thrust forward, and as she looked away from the fight after realizing what just happened, West heard a gagging sound from Michael.

~Stone~

Stone flinched slightly as the elil general’s sword cut a small gash along her leg, and after deciding that this ‘fight’ was over Stone drove her sword forwards and into the chest of The Court of Violet’s excuse of a general.

“Th-this is no-nothing but a scra-” The elil was cut off as Stone quickly pushed her sword deeper into their chest: pausing only for the briefest of moments as ribs cracked, before suddenly down on it. A loud choked noise came from the throat of the other fae.

She knew she struck deep enough when blood began to flow from the entrance wound, and as the blood flowed down the bronze armor Stone drew her sword back towards her with another downward motion.  Stone felt a warm liquid run down her hand and she glanced down to see that the general’s blood had trickled down her sword and over her hand.

As her sword excited the wound, blood began to flow more rapidly and as the elil sank to their knees, their ribs now visible and chest carved wide open, it started to pool on the ground below them. Stone watched as the former Court of Violet’s faerie fell face first into the packed dirt floor, with  an expression on her face similar to that of a child who broke a toy and was now bored.

“Pity, guess I was a little too rough..” Stone sheathed her sword, still watching the now dead fey laying in front of her “Oh well! Fun while it lasted” she exclaimed with a shrug, and she nodded to her guards as she made her way back towards the others.

~Michael~

Michael didn’t see the fight end, but didn’t have to since he knew it was over as soon as he saw Stone drive her sword forwards. He gagged at the choked sound that came from in front of him as he looked away, and he gagged this time actually vomiting as the sound of a heavy thud was heard.

“You guys okay?” He glanced up as he heard Stone’s voice, Michael’s eyes widening slightly as the teen stood in front of them. Despite her bloodied appearance, Stone seemed to genuinely be concerned about them. Michael adjusted himself and nodded “Yeah, uh we’re good”

Stone raised an eyebrow as a green hair fey appeared out of nowhere, and said something he couldn’t understand. Stone turned towards the second fae and began speaking to him, after they talked for a few seconds the teen turned back towards them “Alright, let’s head back to the site”

“What about our armor?” Michael heard Willow ask, the second teen tilting her head “Don’t worry about it, just take it with you” Stone shrugged as she led them out the room, and out into the open air of the forest.