The Challenge

by the Crisses

Celeglas, the future Sidhe king of Kerri, was a warrior by then, and fought in the army in the North of Kerri. Xaron's puppets would specifically go after Sidhe warriors and Celee thought that the puppet was the leader of the army. The queen's champion, Sednil, thought it was appropriate to challenge the dark rider to a one-on-one duel which would hopefully end the war but Celee was heir to the throne and thought it would be more appropriate for him to issue the challenge himself. The Sidhe misunderstood the war; although it had become a personal vendetta against the Sidhe, it originally started as a personal slight by a small elvish woman who had deliberately forsaken full sentience in favor of escaping several millennia of torment at the hands of Xaron.

The day that Celee rode against the dark rider, he ate breakfast with Drendel, and the beautiful sunny day seemed to be a good omen. Drendel had no fear of Celee dying. While her ability to prophecy had suffered greatly after the Unmaking, she could see that he would live through the day. And she thought she was with child. She and Celee had started an intimate relationship some months earlier, and as the queen, her possible pregnancy was a fair omen. She was planning to marry Celee in some months, at the same time officially passing the crown over to him, even though the two events were technically unrelated. She was simply weary of being responsible for the lives and deaths of her people, she loved midwifery and would gladly see Sidhe and elvish children into the world, and advise Celee in affairs of state while raising their child, and be done with the responsibility. Having buried several of her friends and advisors was taking a deep toll on her. She wanted the war over, and while she could take up the sword and ride to battle, it was not her calling.

Celee and Drendel went to the battlefield, which was in a field right outside the Kerri magical borderline, with Sednil and other of the Sidhe and elvish generals, with the army nearby in case of problems, and the archers in the trees. When it came time for Celee to meet with the dark rider for their dual, he rode down to the center of the battlefield on a fine Sidhe steed. The dark rider rode on a black steed and as per the terms of the dual, they would first dual from horseback as they met in the middle of the battlefield.

The dark rider and Celee swept past each other in the first pass, and Celee spun his steed around, now on the enemy's side of the battlefield expecting the dark rider to be spinning his horse around at the same time. The dark rider did not turn around for a second pass across the battlefield as agreed; instead he was bearing down on the group of Sidhe onlookers. Celee had already urged his steed to haste when he realized that Drendel was in that group. Drendel was distractedly thinking about her pregnancy, consulting with Nightwind who was visiting her head and as a healer could tell her if it were true, as the dark rider sped down the hill towards her. Sednil was scrambling to intercept him, people were crying out, and Drendel looked up as the rider bore down at her, unarmored, unprotected.

Celee and several onlookers screamed, one voice, as the dark rider rode full up to Drendel and slashed her across the abdomen. She collapsed and Sednil and several generals attacked the dark rider. Celee leaped off his steed and took Drendel into his arms, already dead, unable to say goodbye, and went very quickly insane, as well as suddenly being the king of his people. Nightwind awaken her camp, screaming, having just died with Drendel in her odd waking dream.

Nightwind

Brenhani