Wildfire Riders

Threnn wrote:((Waitwaitwait, Fells is baking cookies for Uthas?

...HAND OVER THAT TABARD, YOUNG LADY.

((No, Fells is baking cookies for all the lucky guards her husband didn't kill this year. Kind of a "Hey so sorry about that bloodshed will chocolate chips halp?" kind of thing.

Shad has been studiously avoiding Stormwind since he learned that the Plaguefather's there, and I hadn't thought he'd go since he wouldn't believe a word out of Uthas's mouth anyway, but if there's spare time, I might stick him in near the end iff'n I can. Because the man's got his mom's loyalty, and he wants to know how.))

((If I did not have a raid tonght, I would actually bring Pill in to listen out of curiosity.

But, I r tanking.))

Word had spread faster than his plague. Uthas was home.

Weeks before people would have cleared the road for him. Bricu would flash a glare or a grin and his neighbors would give him enough room to stride straight to the Stockade. Not today. This morning, when word had reached him, Bricu slogged it out with the multitudes who marched towards the jail. Bricu shoved and elbowed his way through the crowd until reached the nearest guard. His ponytail gave him away.

"Pomeroy! OI!" Bricu shouted.

The guardsman turned around, his hands clearly drifting towards his sword.

"What do you want, Bricu?"

"Is it true?" he asked.

Bricu saw, from the corner of his eye, people pool around the two of them.

<i>They think I'm startin' a fight. Fer fucks sake...</i>

Bricu put his arms out--palms up--to calm the situation. It didn't work.

"I was, as always, just doing my job," he said with forced calm. Pomeroy's hand was grasping the hilt of his sword. He was one swift motion from pointing it at Bricu's unarmored neck.

"OI. I don't give a fuck what yer job is. Is it really HIM in the stocks."

"Aye, it is." Pomeroy said. Bricu saw the changes in Pomeroy's posture immediately. His hand moved from the hilt of his sword to the pommel. His shoulders slackened, and he had unclenched his teeth. He started to to turn back towards the stockade when Bricu called out again.

"OI! I'm not finished yet. Yer takin' me to 'im."

"I'm what?" Pomeroy snapped back.

"Yer gonna take me too 'im. I'm the only kin he's got. That means I've a right t'see the fuckin' wanker 'for yeh build his gods damned gibbet?"

"I'll drag your no-good ass to the stocks in chains!" Pomeroy shouted.

"Squire, there's no need fer that. Bricu said softly. Already Pomeroy was close to an offensive posture. "But if yeh want me t'walk in front o'yeh as yeh march towards the stocks, I'll comply."

"Hand me your weapons." He said harshly.

"The only steel I got is straight from Stratholme. Yeh sure yeh want t'be carryin' that with yeh?" Bricu pulled his service dagger from his boot sheath.

"Just hand it over Bittertongue."

Bricu slammed the hilt of the dagger into Pomeroy's waiting palm. "Now then, can yeh take me to 'im?"

Pomeroy nodded. "March. And stay three paces a ahead of me."

"Fair 'nough." Bricu said.

Bricu marched towards the stocks, with Pomeroy at his back. When Pomeroy called out, the crowds parted for both men.

"More people than last time yeh walked me here, eh squire?" Bricu said grinning.

"Just shut your gods damned mouth Bricu." Pomeroy snapped.

Bricu did as he was told, and kept his mouth shut as they walked towards the Stockade. Guardsmen from all over Stormwind, including dwarven snipers on loan from Ironforge, were placed around the Stormwind's ever growing jail. The Watch established a checkpoint in front of the wrought iron portcullis that served as the last line of defense for the Stocks. Staffing the checkpoint was Knight Lieutenant Haylie Dannis. Bricu felt his stomach clench at the site of her, but he forced himself to smile.

"Are you arresting Bittertongue, Officer Pomeroy?" She asked.

"No ma'am. The bastard in question is demanding right of kin to visit the prisoner."

"Is that so, Master Bittertongue."

"It is lass." Bricu said politely. "That it is. So yeh gonna let us in an' t'see 'im? More importantly, are yeh gonna let me out?"

Haylie gave a curt shake of her head.

"My orders are to prevent any and all visitors from seeing the prisoner. You can sign on the ledger and request a time to visit him once he has been vetted and processed."

She pointed to an oversized, leather bound book that was held by a fully armored knight of Stormwind. He--or She--was a full head taller than Bricu. The Knight was at full attention, which was no mean feat given the amount of metal around his or her body. The Knight's acknowledged Bricu by opening the ledger to a page that was already full of names. The quill was lodged between the pages.

"Who're these folk?" Bricu asked.

"Petitioners who want to see the Prisoner, victims of his plague or of his march Northward." Haylie replied.

Bricu nodded.

"If I put an X o'er there names..."

"Then you are willfully damaging the King's property and I will have to arrest you."

"Well we wouldn't want that." Bricu said quickly. He signed his name in terribly small print on the top line of the ledger.

"There we go lass. I've signed it. Now I'm number one on the list."

Dannis narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"Why do you have to keep pushing me?"

"Cause yer the only one o'this lot who wasn't on the take lass. Besides, I'm not defacin'. I'm goin' inbetween the lines. Isn't that what the clever folk always do?"

"Just get the hell away from here. The doors will open again at three. You'll be first?"

"I've always been there for that bastard. Should be the first one t'see him back in stormwind, eh?"

"Very well" Haylie said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Just get away from me before I lock you up."

"I'll bring scones at three." Bricu said over his shoulder.

"Bugger off!" She shouted after him.

---

The line to see Uthas wrapped around the canals. Street vendors, preachers and beggars walked up and down the length of the line, hawking wares and retelling Uthas' sermons. Knight Lieutenant Haylie Dannis struggled to identify and sort the masses with her ledger, while still keeping a watchful eye on the ever growing crowd.

Haylie scanned the crowd. Some of the faces were easy to place with their names. The Black and Red were throughout the crowd, so were common pick pockets and cut-purses from Old Town. The Riders were easy to find: Wherever the Riders stood, they were given a wide berth by street folk and petitioners alike.

Bricu wasn't among them.


--


Shortly before three, a squire riding a horse in the colors of the Crusade navigated his way towards the checkpoint. The rider was barely old enough to shave. A thin line of peach fuzz marked the beginnings of a beard. He had heavy brows and dark blue eyes. Some in the Guard nodded their heads in recognition.

"Knight Lieutnant Dannis?" The child squeaked.

Haylie shot the squire a well-practiced look, "Yes?"

"Master Bittertongue sends his regards and these scones. He will not be here today." He lowered a basket full of still-warm scones. Haylie could see the steam rise through their tea-towel cover. Haylie gestured to the basket and a guardsmen took it from the squire's hands.

"Did he make them himself?" She asked.

"No ma'am. I bought them from Baker Owen. Master Bittertongue is letting me keep the change!"

"Good Lad." She said, "Dismissed."

The squire saluted the assembled Watch and trotted off back towards the street vendors.

"All talk and no follow through, eh ma'am?" one of the guardsman said.

"Stow it private." Dannis said. She raised her voice for the crowd to hear. "Get these people in line and let them in to see the prisoner."

Dannis took one scone from the basket before setting the remainder of them on the cobble stones. She grimaced as she took her first, and only, bite of the pastry. She threw the remainder into canal.

"Bitter thing." She muttered. She turned her attention to the line before her. In her most authoritative voice, she shouted, "Let the first visitors through!"

(( Shaila will be stopping by))

((Bell will be there, to ask a question she doesn't think she'll get the answer to.))

(( This went well enough that I'll be doing it again on Saturday the 28th, same time frame, so if you didn't get to come the first time, here's your chance! ))