07-23-2014, 12:56 AM
Renata only nodded at Cecily's reprimand; she obviously had no place to presume anything. Such a tricky thing, meaning to hint at her lady's intellect but instead accidentally offending her. Of course this wasn't step /one/ of the plan... That's the last slip-up out of me, she decided.
How terribly wrong she was.
"Yes, the Icewind Den," Renata confirmed the liege-lady's deduction as she hurried alongside her... but then her heart sank as she turned the corner to an alley at the side of the inn and saw what was waiting in the horse-hitching area.
"This is quite a lovely horse you have here," said a priest who stood by Renata's horse, which already looked more stupidly gaudy than she had remembered, shining white with a gilded saddle. "I am assuming you are its owner? I heard there was a sister in town, arrived several days ago."
"Why yes, Father, that's correct," Renata replied as she drew closer. "Unfortunately, I have no time to chat. Official business and all..."
"Forgive my curiosity, Sister, but why is a valkyrie in Laus?"
Renata froze. That damned valkyrie horse. She had thought that it would give her influence back when she'd taken it, the most impressive-looking horse that she could find, but it was now becoming her undoing. "I— I suppose it is strange for a valkyrie to be in town and not on the battlefield, yes. But I have no place to question orders."
"Which valkyrie regiment are you a part of, Sister? Again, curiosity: I've never met one so young. A prodigy, perchance?"
"Um— the fourth regiment, obviously. Now if you'll please step aside—"
"Do all valkyries of the fourth regiment have a '3' embossed on the saddle of their horse?"
Renata's eyes widened as she examined the horse's saddle, and sure enough there was a small number 3 on its side. She hadn't even noticed it— she'd thought that it was just decoration on the saddle. The number blended into the embellishments back then, but now it was unmistakable.
"I need to go," Renata said sternly as she took the priest's shoulder to nudge him aside. "As I said, I have—"
"... time to show me the documents confirming your summons to Laus and ownership of this animal," the priest finished, grabbing Renata in return.
Renata wriggled out of the man's grasp easily, dodging toward the horse— but she was stopped: not by the priest again, but by an impossible amount of light radiating out of a single invisible point and completely surrounding her, blinding her for a moment and forcing her to stumble to the ground. The spell was a show of force meant to intimidate, but it was no lowly man of the cloth who commanded a Divine tome.
"I do not care about your mission. You are under arrest, Sister."
"... No!" Renata cried as she righted herself and unstrapped the Lightning tome from her holstered pouch. "I refuse!" she said before opening the book and whispering the incantation. An arc of brilliant novae flashed into existence in front of her— but it was pitiful in comparison to the priest's spell. Knowing that the priest would be unimpressed, she immediately followed her spell with a kick.
The robed man knocked to the cobbles for a second, Renata's hands were already at work untying the horse, her tome tucked under an arm.
"Neigh!" The horse was free, albeït startled by the impromptu light show.
"Milady!" Renata ran out of the alley toward Cecily holding the horse by the rope that had been used to hitch it previously. "I have the hors—"
"Well, what have we here?" The priest had finally re-gained his footing, following Renata out of the alley. "A divine little band of criminals, it seems!" He chuckled and nonchalantly loosed another incantation, the light washing over the people in the streets and even knocking aside a few townspeople, many of whom immediately started panicking.
How terribly wrong she was.
"Yes, the Icewind Den," Renata confirmed the liege-lady's deduction as she hurried alongside her... but then her heart sank as she turned the corner to an alley at the side of the inn and saw what was waiting in the horse-hitching area.
"This is quite a lovely horse you have here," said a priest who stood by Renata's horse, which already looked more stupidly gaudy than she had remembered, shining white with a gilded saddle. "I am assuming you are its owner? I heard there was a sister in town, arrived several days ago."
"Why yes, Father, that's correct," Renata replied as she drew closer. "Unfortunately, I have no time to chat. Official business and all..."
"Forgive my curiosity, Sister, but why is a valkyrie in Laus?"
Renata froze. That damned valkyrie horse. She had thought that it would give her influence back when she'd taken it, the most impressive-looking horse that she could find, but it was now becoming her undoing. "I— I suppose it is strange for a valkyrie to be in town and not on the battlefield, yes. But I have no place to question orders."
"Which valkyrie regiment are you a part of, Sister? Again, curiosity: I've never met one so young. A prodigy, perchance?"
"Um— the fourth regiment, obviously. Now if you'll please step aside—"
"Do all valkyries of the fourth regiment have a '3' embossed on the saddle of their horse?"
Renata's eyes widened as she examined the horse's saddle, and sure enough there was a small number 3 on its side. She hadn't even noticed it— she'd thought that it was just decoration on the saddle. The number blended into the embellishments back then, but now it was unmistakable.
"I need to go," Renata said sternly as she took the priest's shoulder to nudge him aside. "As I said, I have—"
"... time to show me the documents confirming your summons to Laus and ownership of this animal," the priest finished, grabbing Renata in return.
Renata wriggled out of the man's grasp easily, dodging toward the horse— but she was stopped: not by the priest again, but by an impossible amount of light radiating out of a single invisible point and completely surrounding her, blinding her for a moment and forcing her to stumble to the ground. The spell was a show of force meant to intimidate, but it was no lowly man of the cloth who commanded a Divine tome.
"I do not care about your mission. You are under arrest, Sister."
"... No!" Renata cried as she righted herself and unstrapped the Lightning tome from her holstered pouch. "I refuse!" she said before opening the book and whispering the incantation. An arc of brilliant novae flashed into existence in front of her— but it was pitiful in comparison to the priest's spell. Knowing that the priest would be unimpressed, she immediately followed her spell with a kick.
The robed man knocked to the cobbles for a second, Renata's hands were already at work untying the horse, her tome tucked under an arm.
"Neigh!" The horse was free, albeït startled by the impromptu light show.
"Milady!" Renata ran out of the alley toward Cecily holding the horse by the rope that had been used to hitch it previously. "I have the hors—"
"Well, what have we here?" The priest had finally re-gained his footing, following Renata out of the alley. "A divine little band of criminals, it seems!" He chuckled and nonchalantly loosed another incantation, the light washing over the people in the streets and even knocking aside a few townspeople, many of whom immediately started panicking.