With a snarl she dropped the fairy.
"You trust far too easily. I could easily disembowel you where you stand, yet you even block your companions from coming to your aid..." she said. Her voice was full of seeming contempt, but she came from a culture that hailed courage as one of the greatest virtues one could posess, and she couldn't deny the girl had courage.
"Why the hell are you here?"
"As I said, I want to help you. I know the centaur that was sent as the messanger is....well, let's just say I have no idea why anyone would try to send him on anything diplomatic. And first of all, I wanted to apologize for his behavior. He should not have been so disrespectful."
Morgule merely snorted. She went to inspect the barrier over the door, and found it quite secure.
"And yet despite your apologies I am still here. What good to they do me if I am still held against my will" she snarled.
The girl's wings drooped a little. "Because I am not in charge of your captivity or your release."
"Oh? and who is?"
"My mother. Queen Galoriane."
Morgule paused before drawing herself full up on her hind legs and stood in front of the princess. It was an odd image, the fairy girl gazing up and the upright sphinx who looked down at her.
Morgule moved her claws under Alambil's chin to get a better look at her.
So this is the White Queen's daughter... She thought almost indifferently. She had heard of Alambil, of course, but had never really expected to run into her.
"And what of the other intruder? He was a sphinx, don't tell me he was expecting me to submit to him when he came upon me in fully ready to attack?"
"His name is Geren. He attacked you under the assumption that Hambor had been courteous and respectful, and that you had attacked him with no regard for his status as a royal messanger. Though I don't think he knew it was Hambor, otherwise he would have reconsidered...he planned to fight you in hand-to-hand combat, so that you would allow the army to pass through..."
"Well, that's certainly not the way things turned out, now is it?" the sphinx said coldly. "
"No" replied Alambil softly. "What it does mean though....it means you are being kept here because the official story is that you knowingly and without reason attacked first a party under protection of diplomacy, then fought one of the bodyguards of the heir to the throne with the intent of killing him." She paused, not entirely sure of how much the sphinx knew of the laws. "In our books, the only reason for attempting to kill one of the royal Guardians is so as to clear a path to attack the royal personage that Guardian is protecting" she said softly. "which, for a citizen, means treason."
Morgule was inspecting her wing to see how badly the feathers had been damaged. "And if they are not citizens?" she said cooly, as though her life wasn't hanging in the balance.
"It is still viewed as a direct attack against the throne. If the situation is as it's believed to be by most of the court, it means you attacked with deliberate harm to the throne in mind. THe end result would be the same as treason."
"And though the situation is not as it is believed to be by "most of the court"? Though I was unaware he was a Guardian, and only saw him intruding and acted as I have every right to under such a situation?"
"That's why I want to help you. Because my testimony can reverse that image."
The sphinx snarled. "There is a reason my kind remains neutral and away from these so called "civilizations". We do not like these underhand dealings and words full of second-meanings that seem to thrive in the cities. I don't know what these politics are that your kingdoms seemed to be built on, only that I want no part of it."
"I don't want to see you die because of a stupid misunderstanding and a pompous centaur!" said Alambil, her composure starting to break for the first time since she had entered the cell.
Morgule whirled to face her.
"Do you think I fear death!!??" she exclaimed, her eyes glowing dangerously. "I will stand by my story as I saw it, and if they decide I am lying, then they can all go to hell, whatever it may cost me. If you are as close to sphinxes as you are reputed to be, then you should believe me when I say I have no fear of dying. We are raised to overcome such fears. And furthermore, I will not be indebted to someone who is of their shady world no one can understand...nor of one who has insulted me already." she snarled, referring to Geren. SHe would have turned away, but there wasn't anywhere else for her to go.
"I see" said Alambil sadly. She moved as if to leave, then turned back. She cast out her hand....
Morgule's world went black.
***
To Xiao and Oniba's immense relief, Alambil finally emerged, unscathed except for a few small cuts.
"Alambil, are you craz...." Oniba started to ask, but was silenced by the look on Ally's face.
Ally turned to the guards and ordered "Have her moved up to one of the decend holding cells...one of the large ones where she can move around, and that had air and light. Don't worry, she'll be out for a while, just move her as soon as you can."
She turned back to her two Guardians.
"We need to go see Geren. I'm not going to watch her be executed because of Hambor...."
Sphinxfeather Community Member 
|
|
