Legend of Adeline

[JudeRodney]

Sir Terrence Gibsby, young Paladin of the Order of the Holy Lance, knelt in prayer, all the while drenched in blood. Fortunately for him, none of it was his. Around were the remains of over a dozen men who were wanted for raiding the nearby villages of Hopetree and Turner's Pass, as well as several merchant caravans on the surrounding roads. It was Sir Terrence's duty to put them all to the sword, a task he had nearly completed.

With over half of the raiders dead, there was more to be done, but first, he prayed to the Goddess of Light for the wisdom to find their hideout and for the strength to continue the fight once he did. After he finished, he adjusted his and continued onward.

Anyone who saw him would make no mistake of what kind of man he was. Armor made of the finest steel (and mildly enchanted for extra protection) was afforded to any knight of his rank, as well as a sword made incredibly sharp and magically enhanced to never break. Over his breastplate, he had a cloth tabard bearing the mark of his order - a mounted knight, lance and shield in hand, silhouetted by the sun.

It was the middle of this crisp autumn day as he searched the surrounding hills on his palomino steed. None of the dead men's cohort could be seen. Perhaps they ran after finding out the fate of their friends. Still, as long as the sun was in the sky he would keep searching.

As the sun started to set, Terrence found a small cave opening in one of the hills. Maybe he had found the raiders' hideout. Dismounting, he went inside, sword drawn and ready. The cave twisted and turned for what seemed to be miles, but there was no sign that anyone had ever been inside. Still the brave paladin pressed.

Eventually he found an open area and...

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Old, rusted armor pieces were scattered along the way after quite a bit of travel, no longer of use to anyone and strange. It was as if they had simply fallen off their wearer as he or she walked. A circular shield bore a faded image of a lion rearing up in a bed of roses and thorns.

Once through the tunnel, past the odd disarray of armor, one could see the untouched beauty of the lake. The dazzling, icy water reflected light across the walls, a shimmering sword sheathed in the rock at one side, the clear glass orb on the end of the pommel reflecting that shimmering light. The sword could not be lifted from the rock-it seemed impossibly heavy, strange yet pretty elven scroll work down the length of the blade. It was a beautiful weapon, but attempting to dislodge it was for not. It felt immensely heavy, and seemed to be tightly encased. Odd.

Not far from it, visible in the crystal clear water of the lake-one might be startled to see what appeared to be a woman caught in stone, her serene face just beneath the shallow surface. The owner of the sword perhaps? She looked for all the world as if she were merely resting.

The rock had somehow grown around her slender form, a solid band of it across her slender waist, branching so that it also crossed over one shoulder to trap her against the slab of stone on the lake bottom. Her arms rested lightly on the stone across her chest, almost as if it were a blanket. The hem of her light blue, simple silk dress fluttering lightly around her ankles and bare feet. What magic was this?

She was beautiful, muted skin and fringed lashes, her small nose and full lips, the prominent cheek bones and the slightest, barest hints of points to her ears lending to the notion she was of elven ancestry, even if she herself were not full blooded. A silvery inked tattoo delicately curved around one almond shaped eye, the curves and curly cues seeming exotic all their own. Dark, midnight hued tresses framed her face, the loose braid flowing with the small currents.

The sight was mesmerizing. One could almost imagine her alive...

Who was this woman, and what magic resided in the sword? Was this a strange burial or a curse? A means of preservation...? And...was she alive?

There was a tale, a legend from long ago. A paladin, right hand to her king in a land called Lionheart, had been universally loved by the people, and served loyally and religiously. She was wise, skilled with her sword and it's inherent magics, and led her soldiers valiantly. But the king had, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, begun to be gripped by a lingering darkness. He became suspicious of his subjects, and eventually, paranoid and suspicious even against his great general. He began to embrace the dark whisperings in his mind, making a deal with a malignant entity to rid himself of his own servant.

He sent her on a mission to retrieve a relic of some kind. Only she could be trusted to carry out the task, he had assured, as the knight was reluctant to leave his side. And so she had set off, venturing into a dark trap set for her. Never to return. In the lady knight's absence King Rionheart began to torture and murder his own people, waging a war within his own lands where many suffered and died. After several horrific years, Roland finally died of pestilence, and the fate of the knight was unknown.

Some say she was sealed away by foul magics, doomed by the man she so loyally served. Deep in the dark reaches of the earth, never to be seen again.

Adeline Songsword, paladin of Rionheart, had been found.

 

[JudeRodney]

Who was this woman? How did she get here? Was she even alive? Dozens of questions ran through Terrence's mind as he gazed in wonder at the beautiful form in front of him. Why underwater? Why

His gaze shifted to the ornate sword nearby. Was that hers? It looked familiar. Maybe the sword was the key to...

Then it hit him. He recognized the blade from the legendary stories he read. It belonged to perhaps the greatest paladin of all time. Could she be? No way. Not possible. Not after fifty years. But the sword said it all, only one person could be here.

Lady Adeline Songsword.

Sir Terrence knelt in shock and took off his helmet. A man in his twenties, short brown hair and icy blue eyes complemented his rugged but handsome look. Being late in the day some stubble had formed around his otherwise clean-shaven face. He looked around for any sign of anyone or anything else in the pool and found nothing. He found it difficult to believe he had found the Lady Adeline, but even this was someone else, he had to see if he could help. It was his duty as a paladin, after all.

It took a while to remove his armor; so many buckles and straps. It would take even longer to put it back on. Better that, however, than to have the armor rust. The armory would throw a fit if that happened!

Eventually, he was able to strip down to just his breeches. Well muscled and quite tall, he waded out into the lake to where the strange woman's body was resting. The water felt quite nice. If he was not trying to save someone, this would have been a great place for a bath. It had been a long day, and he was quite sweaty fighting those bandits.

When he reached the strange woman's body, he reached out a hand and touched her cheek. It was warm! She was alive! It must have been some potent magic to keep her here like this without drowning her. The paladin deduced there could be only two things keeping the spell in place: the sword lodged in the stone, or the stone holding her down. Not wanting to risk the stone breaking either his foot of her chest, he decided on the stone, first. Pull as he might, however, he was unable free the sword. He tried casting a strength spell on himself and pulled once more. Still nothing. It would take something other than brute force to free the sword.

With the spell still in effect, Terrence quickly waded over the the rock pinning her. There, he tried lift the thing as best he could with both hands. Hopefully it would be enough.

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Fingers curling over one edge of the stone, he would find the underside was smooth and less rough than the outer portion, the craggily surface biting-but not cutting-into his palms.

It would take considerable effort to release her, even with the strength spell active-straining, pulling at the rock, he would hear muted cracking as the stone broke away and seperated from the slab, pieces breaking apart within his hands.

He had freed her!

But yet she still did not stir. The icy water worked to numb his fingers and limbs, perhaps part of the spell? Were he to lift the peacefully resting woman from the water, then whatever magic cast over her began to relinquish its prize.

Water cascaded down her face and lithe form, her braid heavy with it, slipping off her shoulder as the woman's limp body was pulled from the lake. Beneath his finger tips, her slowed heart began to quicken, her eyes fluttering as she drew in a long, sudden drought of air-as if she had been holding her breath for the past fifty years.

Her chest rose and fell with the return of unhindered life, breathing in the chilled air and returning it warmed, those fringed lashes lifting to blearily blink at the ceiling. She had beautifully colored grey eyes, little light grey and silver striations in the irises that the delicate tattoo only emphasized.

They refocused, shifting to him and his state of unseemly dress, a flicker of concern as she surveyed whatever dried blood remained on him. Adeline looked away, her gaze drifting across the cavern, the smallest hint of a puzzled, confused frown.

"I...where....?" She spoke softly with a pretty, belle like voice that quietly broke the silence. Her head ached and she realized she was soaked and very, very cold, the two of them in the middle of a small lake beneath the ground somewhere.

She would make a slight movement to stand, either in the water itself or on dry ground if he had taken her that far. One graceful hand would rest on his shoulder as she steadied herself, seeming to be gathering her composure, the tall, graceful woman trying to make sense if her current surroundings, and her current company.

She removed her hand from his shoulder, politely choosing to ignore his shirtlessness-he must have disrobed partially to pluck her from the water she did not remember falling into.

Surely, he had rescued her from drowning. Her eyes had been on his as she pondered this quietly, her lips parting to speak once more.

"Might I...inquire who you are, good sir?"

A slight distraction as she saw her sword, a bit of her puzzled concern melted awayas a sense of relief reflected in her features. "Ah. By your leave-"

Gracefully, she would move towards the blade.

 

[JudeRodney]

"I..." Terrence was about to answer her questions, but she suddenly walked away from him right towards the sword. He just sat there on the bank of the lake as he saw how her wet dress just clung to every curve of her body. He gave a slight cough as he stood up and looked slightly away from her.

"I am Sir Terrence of the Order of the Holy Lance, my lady," he said. "I was sent to dispatch a band of hooligans who had been marauding the countryside when I found this cavern and... well you."

He was not exactly conscious of his state of dress, but seeing her, he decided he should be more decently dressed and quickly grabbed his linen shirt. He had intended to do the laces, but there were more pressing matter to attend to.

He turned to the strange woman to see if she had drawn the sword. "Excuse, my lady, but are you the Lady Adeline?"

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Adeline was circling the stone outcropping, slightly dismayed her sword had been plunged into the stone. She knew the sword was near indestructable, but the mistreatment of her most prized possession left her at a loss.

Assuming it had been plunged-she saw no scratch marks or chipping around the blade itself, almost as if the stone had grown around her sword.

"And it was to my good fortune that you you did find me, Sir Terrence. I would be most disappointed were I to drown."

Though...how has she come to fall into the water? And her sword...surely she had only been seperated from it a moment? Who had sheathed it here if she had simply fallen into the water? Sir Terrence? Adeline frowned slightly, stepping up to the blade and lightly grasping the hilt.

Without a pause or any sign of struggle, she withdrew it from the stone and held it aloft with a flourish, taking in the shiny metal and delicate scroll work, the crystal orb on the pommel displaying a wisp of grey, whirling smoke within.

Her eyes shifted back to him as he made his inquiry, lowering her sword. It was not uncommon for people to know who she was within her own country, but he seemed to recognize either her or her blade, despite her having traveled beyond Rionheart's borders.

"So I am." She said with a graceful bow and warm smile. She straightened to slip the legendary sword into the loop sewn on her dress for that purpose. She left one graceful hand resting on it, feeling comforted to possess it again. "Lady Adeline of Rionheart, on a quest for my king."

Yes. But what was she doing down here? The cavern did not seem to lead anywhere but out. Adeline furrowed her brow, trying to remember. She remembered fighting, she thought...there had been ebony blades...

She grimaced, a hand coming to her temple as a throbbing headache took hold. "I believe I was attacked. Very dark...very malicious magic." She cast a glance around. "Perhaps I had already defeated it before I slipped into the water." Something didn't quite add up to her, but she would need to remember more for things to become clearer, no doubt. She must return and report to King Roland at once. If the artifact was not here, she must have either been beaten to it or it was hidden elsewhere.

 

[JudeRodney]

Terrence's heart leaped at her confirmation. It really has her! And by the way she drew her sword with ease... it must be hers. The young paladin was in total awe. The Legendary Lady Adeline - found - and by him of all people. Every order of knighthood had dreamed of finding her sword, and using it to bring peace, but... finding her? Songs would be sung of this day.

Then she spoke of King Roland and her quest for him. That was right! How could she have have known about Roland's madness?

Dare he tell her, however? Would she even believe him? For all she knew, Roland was still alive and a good king. Such knowledge would surely break her heart. Denial would probably grab hold. Still he was a paladin. He swore to speak the truth.

"Um.. my Lady," he said reluctantly, "I don't know how to say this, but...," he took a deep breath. "Where I found you... you weren't drowning. I-in fact, you may been under the water for years."

He tried to resolve himself to speak further, but decided it would be better for older, wiser men than he to let her know. "You should come with me to my order's chapterhouse. They can tell you more."

 

[Ambrosia_64]

"Um...my lady,"

Adeline's grey eyes came to him with a slight raise of her brows-he had her full attention.

"Years?" She repeated, a frown. "Why would you think this?" He had known of her, she remembered. "Have I been missing? I must hasten back and report to the king at once-I would hate to think I am lost to him. Your chapterhouse will have to wait, I'm afraid. I am sure I can venture out here again in the future, perhaps on a diplomatic mission. I'm sure you understand."

She moved towards the mouth of the cavern, almost talking to herself. "If so, my horse has hopefully found refuge. I should look for her."

 

[JudeRodney]

Terrence moved to gently take her arm. "My lady, not yet. The has most likely just gone down and it's going to be quite cold outside." He looked up and down at himself as well as her. "Especially considering how wet we are."

He looked around for firewood or anything that would burn. "We need to dry off and warm up before we can leave, here."

A thought came to him. "I did see some pieces of armor in the tunnel leading to this place. Maybe they're yours."

 

[Ambrosia_64]

She stilled when he took her arm, a frown and then a resigned nod. "Ah, yes, I suppose you are right." Adeline said, grasping the skirt of her gown and holding it out slightly. She didn't fancy freezing to death.

"Armor? Perhaps so. The pauldrons and chest plate bear a special design, I would recognize them at once."

 

[JudeRodney]

Terrence starting looking for something to start a fire with. Unfortunately most of it was within the lake. All he could find were a few dead sticks and leaves. He could maybe start a fire, but there was no way he could keep it going for long. Unless...

He noticed the roots of several trees coming out of the cave walls. Those would do nicely if he could chop them off. While his sword was a fine weapon, it was no axe. Still, he'd have to make do. It took a while, but he managed to hack off several pieces. Hopefully they would be enough for the night.

Soon, everything was ready. The young paladin took a flint from his belt and the fire had started. He finally started relaxing and invited the Lady Adeline over.