The Storm (Daniel)

Daniel swore he had drifted off only briefly, but the battle had well begun. He could already hear the fighting outside the castle walls. The Undien were at the gates. They had already breached the Town Wall and pushed the defenders back to the Castle Walls. They had lost so many already. They would lose many more before the day was through. 

Frenchie had tasked Daniel with guarding the town's women and children, helping them escape through the labyrinthine tunnels in the hill. Daniel had insisted that he be allowed to help fortify the castle. Frenchie had said that he could, but at the first sign of breach, he had to get to the tunnels and make sure everyone was ready to retreat. Frenchie was to send the signal via the bell in the tower above. He could relay all kinds of secret messages to Daniel and his other knights from the bell tower. 

Frenchie was no warrior, built like a scarecrow. Daniel wasn't a warrior either. He wasn't much bigger. He had trained with Lance and Luci and some of the other knights. He had sparred with Sato a few times and lost miserably. He had learned to swing a sword, though Bruno saw better to equip him with a big shield and a long spear. A dirk and a swordsword were sheathed around his hip. Only if he needed them. 

No surprise, Bruno the spearmaster recommended the weapon. Daniel had seen firsthand what the brute could do with a spear. He didn't envy the men who went up against the Green Serpent.

Beneath his big shield, Daniel was clad in mail, leathers, and a heavy breastplate. He had a kettle helm too, though he couldn't quite remember where he had left it. He looked up and saw it atop his head. He had been awoken from his sleep and had no time to put in his emergency contacts. His glasses rattled loosely under the helm on his undersized nose. 

Daniel looked like a proper warrior, save for the glasses, but he didn't feel like one. He was surrounded by knights and guards, all ready to give their lives. And his job was to run. He felt like a coward.

They had barred and blocked the gate with wagons and barrels filled with water, sand, and stone. As of yet, it was ominously unmoving. Daniel paced the yard. Captain Whitley had given the command to Sire Dorin, one of the few dwarviks in the castle garrison. He was a short and stout man. Extremely muscular of arm. He hefted a great big warhammer over his shoulder like it was a parasol. He was similarly unmoving, silent, and attent on the unmoving gate. 

The archers up on the walls were knocking and loosing and knocking and loosing again faster than Daniel had ever seen. Their captain was shouting commands, most of which were simply fire. The sounds of balista and catapults, and other warmachines filled the air. Most of the Clockers had already retreated, save for the weapons engineers and operators. All the sounds melded together to create a cacophony that was deafening. 

Yet one sound always broke through the chorus. That was the sound of someone dying. The sound of the last breath leaving their throats. An archer, not 15 feet from him, was hit and fell off the wall and down besides him. Daniel was the first one to reach him. The man was trying to say something to him, but all that came out was blood. The arrow in his chest had penetrated a lung. Dan whispered a prayer for him. For all of them. To what, he did not know. But he prayed.

Daniel paced some more. He stopped when he heard it. The rattling of the gate. The captain on the wall called out, "Ram at the gate! Prepare for breach!" 

Daniel saw the wood of the gate reverberate with such speed and force that he saw it in several places at once. Then it stopped. For a moment, it was quiet. Then the gate shook even harder than before; this time, splinters of wood shot out. One struck a guard in the cheek, just below his eye. 

Captain Dorin began calling out orders. "Form up, men. This is it." The men formed up in tight lines. Most also had shields and spears. They encircled the gate, spears out, shields planted."Boy, now's your time. See our boys and girls safe. Begone with you. We'll be braver for it." 

Daniel froze, but only for a moment. He heard it. The bell tolled twice, three times. Two squared, squared again. Eight. He knew what he must do. He had done all he would here. They were ready, and he was needed elsewhere. Daniel handed his shield and spear to a rearguard with only a shortsword, who was grateful for it. Daniel sprinted towards the tower, weighed down by his armour. 

Daniel heard from behind him Command Dorif's warcry. "Be brave, men. Be bold. Die well or live better. For Kelton! For Castle Hill. For Prince Leo!"

"For Prince Leo!" the men replied in a brave chorus. The last thing Daniel heard was the gate give way. 

Daniel reached the door of the bell tower and slammed it shut. He dug for the trapdoor, found the latch, and swung it open. Only then did he realize he had forgotten to bar the door. It was imperative he did. With Frenchie above their best chance to get out alive. He quickly barred the door twice. 

"Stay safe, Frenchie. You saved me back there. I didn't know what to do. I froze," Daniel shouted skyward. No reply returned. Frenchie was focused on the fight. 

Daniel descended the ladder into the dimly lit room that led to the spiraling stone stairwell that led to the tunnels. He descended deeper with great haste. He studied the study and burst in. There, he found the other Generals. Queen Anne, as regal and cool as ever, in a short, simple blue dress that was much more movable than her usual attire. Princess Sam, fully decked in lightweight plate and leathers, with her rapier drawn, pointing at something on the map table. Rebe, his dear friend, looking like a warrior monk, clad in a green and brown robe with her newly red hair braided in a high knot asymmetrically, exposing one ear. Finally, Luci, in her smart black suit, with her pink hair tied up in two pigtails. She looked at him as he entered and smiled as sweet as anything he'd ever tasted. 

He had to tell her how he felt after the battle. If he survived it, that is. The Queen looked at him, cold as ice, eliciting an opposite emotion.

"Daniel. If you are already here, that means they must be through the castle gate by now?" The Queen questioned. She already knew the answer. 

The big bell in the tower was connected by hidden wires to a tiny bell within this very room. When Frenchie sounded the bell above, it triggered that below. There was also a tiny bell above that allowed him to receive secret communications. It was his secret messaging system. Daniel and the Clockers had finished it not days before the Festival.

"Yes, Queen Anne. I'm afraid so," Daniel confirmed. 

"Very well. Earl prepared the people to retreat at a moment's notice. " Earl, it seems, was there as well. Dan hadn't noticed. She was lurking in the shadows. He wore a suit of incredibly lightweight plate over his normal noble ensemble. He also had his rapier drawn. 

"Yes, my Queen." Earl bowed deeply and left the room in a rush.

"We shall wait for the bell to sound the retreat. Luci, you shall guard our escape," the Queen declared. Daniel didn't like that one bit. Why should Luci stay and risk her life while he runs away?

"Yes, my Queen," Luci curtsied. She began to fiddle with her fingers like someone who doesn't know how to crack their knuckles but thought it looked really cool. It did look really cool. 

"I shall stay with her and support her, Queen Anne," Rebe interjected.

"... if you wish, darling. I can't say that boyfriend of yours will be all too pleased. Not that I much care," the Queen permitted.  Rebe packs brightly across her freckled cheeks but said nothing in reply.

"Me too..." Princess Sam began before...

"Absolutely not. I will hear none more of this foolishness. I let you wear that ridiculous armour. I even allowed you to be my bodyguard. Let that be enough," the Queen cut her off. Sam relented, begrudgingly.

"If Rebe and Luci stay, I should as well," Daniel declared. 

"No, darling, without Luci, you are the only one who knows how to guide us all safely through the tunnels," the Queen insisted. It was true. Daniel and Luci had spent weeks together mapping the tunnels for Frenchie with just such an escape in mind. Only they knew the way.

"If that's the case, I should stay, and Luci should go. I am the man after all," Daniel declared. For the first time, everyone in the room was unified on something. None of them liked that comment at all.

"And what a man you are..." the Queen mocked. "No, you are my guest. I shall not let you die here today. Not if I can help it. Luci is a soldier, and a good one at that. Some of us women are capable of such, believe it or not..." Daniel felt flustered. He hadn't meant it like that... only. Then he saw Luci. She was none too impressed. She trudged up to him, footsteps heavy as komodon claws.

"After everything, you really think I can't handle myself. I could break every bone in your body if I wanted to. But I don't." Luci stomped out of the room. 

"I'm gonna check on her. You'd better think up a really good apology for when all this is over," Rebe replied, resting an arm on his shoulder. She was also not impressed. Rebe followed Luci out.

The regret resonated for what felt like an eternity. Then Daniel snapped out of it when he heard the sound. At first, he thought the ringing was in his head, but then the Queen and Princess looked in horror at the little bell buzzing in the back of the room.

"Time to go," Daniel declared. He led them to the door. Luci and Rebb were already outside."They are coming," he told them. The girls' faces changed immediately. He could see that they were ready for battle. He was not. The shame was too much to bear.

"Come on, Daniel, we need you," Princess Sam called out from further down the stairs. He took his shame, bottled it up, and pushed it deep down inside. He looked one more time at his friends, readying to fight, and he took flight.