Chapter 141: Chapter 141 - Rebellion or Justice ( Part 2 )
The first beams of light stretched far into the west where the mountains lay asleep. The village of Ashvale was illuminated by the gentle rays of the rising sun.
For many years now, Ashvale was waking up fearing for its safety.
But today was different.
Now the villagers stood in a square, determined and ready.
No one of them carried arms and hoped to take vengeance.
Instead, they brought ropes, bandages, provisions, and hope.
Jennie stood before them, silver hair flowing gracefully in the mountain breeze. Two simple sheaths could be seen at her waist. They looked like mere holders for two well-finished swords.
Only she and her companions knew better.
In those sheaths two divine swords slumbered:
Excalibur - The Sword of Kings.
And Leviathan - The Sword of Oceans.
Their holy presence was perfectly masked.
By her side stood Roxy with a firmly held stick in her hands. No more was there an insecure witch who could not control her power. Now there stood a powerful mage, strong because she protects other people.
Snow yawned widely and stretched himself lazily. His fluffy white tail waved behind his body.
"So..."
Yawn.
"We’re finally going to climb up that ugly mountain."
Jennie smiled weakly.
"It looks like it."
Harold stepped closer to Jennie and leaned on his wooden cane.
"We will go with you."
Jennie looked into the eyes of the old village chief.
"You don’t have to."
Harold shook his head.
"For many years now, we were waiting for some else to save us."
His tired eyes slowly moved from villager to villager.
"But..."
"Today we walk next to those who gave us the courage to fight."
One villager after another stepped forward.
Blacksmiths.
Farmers.
Miners.
Mothers.
Even the elderly.
None of them were warriors.
Yet none of them stepped back.
Roxy felt the sting of tears in her eyes.
"They are actually coming..."
Jennie nodded.
"No to fight."
"They come for their future."
The group slowly started moving away from the village.
The path towards the mountain went up through deep forests and cliffs.
Songs of birds were heard around the cedar trees.
Pleasant wind bore the smell of pine.
Above the heads of the travelers...
The castle of Greymane loomed above the valley like an iron crown.
White stone walls of the castle shined with the early morning sunlight.
Tall towers pierced the clouds.
Red banners fluttered proudly.
For many generations now that castle symbolized terror.
But today...
It faced people who finally remembered hope.
Snow looked to Jennie.
"Are you nervous?"
She told the truth.
"Yes."
Snow blinked.
"And you?"
Jennie chuckled.
"I’d prefer to solve problems without fights."
Roxy smiled.
"That’s the best Jennie’s answer possible."
Halfway up the mountain road...
The first barrier appeared.
Enormous wooden gates were fortified with iron spikes blocked the narrow passage.
There were dozens of heavily armored guardsmen waiting behind them.
Captain Roland stood in front of them.
Unlike last time...
He had a cautious look instead of arrogant.
He raised his right hand.
"Halt."
The villagers stopped.
Ron looked at Jennie directly.
"I know who defeated my soldiers."
"I don’t want any unnecessary bloodshed."
Jennie stepped forward.
"Neither do I."
"Then go back."
"The Lord will show mercy."
Behind Jennie a few villagers laughed sarcastically.
"Mercy?"
"And when was Barthus showing mercy?"
Ron lowered his eyes.
He had no answer to that.
Jennie said quietly.
"We’re here to end suffering."
"Not to cause it."
The captain sighed.
"I can’t let you through."
Jennie nodded.
"I understand."
She looked at Snow.
Snow grinned widely.
"My turn?"
Jennie smiled.
"Pleasantly not to destroy the mountain."
"I’ll try my best."
Snow started walking towards the enormous gate.
The guards laughed.
"That tiny wolf?"
"What can it do?"
Snow dramatically sighed.
"They always say that."
Bright white light exploded around him.
The ground trembled.
Villagers shielded their eyes.
The tiny wolf disappeared.
In its place appeared an ancient Divine Beast whose head almost touched the tops of trees around.
Nine great tails flowed behind him like snowy clouds.
Crystalline ice wings opened on its back.
The temperature in the air dropped a little.
Every soldier was frozen.
One whispered,
"...Divine Beast..."
Snow lowered one huge paw.
"I warned you."
BOOM!
The wooden gates were destroyed into millions of pieces.
The iron chains broke like threads.
Heavy barrier fell harmlessly to the ground.
Snow looked back proudly.
"The door is opened."
Jennie smiled.
"Thank you."
The alarm bells of the castle immediately started ringing.
Elite Greymane Knights came rushing down from the walls in perfect order.
Unlike ordinary soldiers...
They moved with discipline.
Every of them was wearing enchanted armor engraved with protective runes.
The captain unsheathed his sword.
"Defend the castle!"
Dozens of men charged.
Jennie slowly rested her hand on the hilt of Excalibur.
Then...
She stopped.
Instead...
She picked up a fallen wooden staff.
Snow blinked.
"Again?"
Jennie smiled.
"They’re just performing their duty."
"They shouldn’t die for it."
Knights surrounded her.
The captain yelled.
"Kill her!"
Steel flashed in their hands.
Jennie moved.
Not quickly.
Gracefully.
Each step was a graceful dance.
Her sword met the blade of one man.
A light strike against his wrist.
Knight’s sword flew away harmlessly.
A light touch of another knight’s helmet.
The knight sat down dizzy.
Another attacked her.
Jennie easily avoided his blow and swept his legs out of the ground with a wooden staff.
He landed on the grass with surprised yelp.
The villagers watched silently.
She wasn’t overwhelming them with her strength.
She just perfectly predicted each move.
As if she performed these moves thousand times.
Indeed...
She did.
Long time ago.
As the Sword King.
One of the knights tried to hit her from behind.
Without turning to face him Jennie lightly tapped his armor.
The enchanted plate stopped his movements making him paralyzed.
"W-What happened?"
"I...can’t move!"
Jennie looked sincerely apologetic.
"It’ll go away soon."
Roxy hid her laugh behind her hand.
"You apologized to somebody trying to attack you."
Jennie looked truly confused.
"It was polite."
Snow barked loud.
"You are hopeless."
Within minutes the courtyard of the castle became silent.
Elites were laying on the ground tired, unarmed, or dazed.
Nobody died.
Nobody was seriously injured.
Jennie gently placed the wooden staff on the remains of the gate.
"It took longer than I expected."
The captain slowly stood up from the ground.
He looked around at his defeated comrades.
Then at the silver-haired maiden standing peacefully before them.
"...Who are you?"
Jennie smiled warmly.
"I’m just a traveler."
High above the castle courtyard, behind the balcony of the main keep, Lord Barthus was watching all of that.
His face was impossible to read.
Then he silently turned and disappeared inside the castle.
Deep in the dungeons of the castle something ancient woke up.
A pulse of green light was echoing through the ancient halls.
The relic of Tempest had awakened.
The giant doors of Greymane Castle creaked open.
They groaned under the weight as they moved aside to reveal the magnificent audience hall with rows of marble pillars and crimson banners bearing the crest of Greymane Family.
It was the hall of luxury and affluence.
The affluence derived from the sufferings of Ashvale.
Jennie went first, taking slow but confident steps.
Snow followed close behind her, in his small wolf form, eyes constantly analyzing everything around him.
Next to them, Roxy followed.
She was gripping her staff so hard that her hands had gone pale.
Each step she took resounded in the empty hall.
Each step brought her closer to the man who had taken everything from her.
Lord Barthus Greymane was sitting on a golden throne at the end of the hall.
No matter how frightened he was, he still showed only arrogance.
"So..."
He said in his intimidating voice.
"The little girl is here."
Roxy froze.
Her breathing was suddenly uneven.
Barthus leant back in his chair lazily.
"I almost couldn’t recognize you."
"You’ve grown."
His arrogant smile spread wide.
"But you still have your mother’s eyes."
Roxy felt herself hit by the blow that was stronger than any magic.
Her heart was beating fast.
"You..."
Her voice was trembling.
"You remember them?"
He laughed.
"Of course."
"They were troublesome people."
"They refused a simple request."
"I offered your parents to serve me."
"They refused."
"They chose death."
Her vision was blurring.
Flashbacks started pouring back.
A cozy house.
Her father’s laughter.
Her mother’s tender hands brushing her hair.
Then...
Flames.
Screams.
Smoke smell.
"Run..."
Her mother’s last words were repeating in her head.
"Live."
Mana pressure erupted all around Roxy.
The torches hanging in the hall were shaking.
The floor was cracking under her feet.
Snow instantly stood up.
"...Jennie."
"I know."
Mana of Roxy was spreading like storm around her body.
Winds were blowing in the throne room.
The windows broke with a sound of cracking glass.
The nobles were screaming in terror.
One of the court mages of Barthus stepped forward.
"I’ll stop her!"
Before he even had time to use magic...
Mana pressure alone was enough to make him fall into a pillar.
He fainted.
Confident smile of Barthus finally disappeared.
"What..."
"What kind of monster..."
Roxy slowly lifted her staff.
Her eyes started glowing with bright blue.
Tears started falling from her face.
"You killed them..."
Her voice was sounding unnatural.
"You burned my home..."
"You destroyed my family..."
Mana pressure was increasing.
Even the air was starting to shake.
Magic circles started appearing on the ceiling of the throne room.
First one.
Then second one.
And third one.
Ten of them.
Dozens of circles started overlapping each other.
Jennie’s eyes widened.
"...Ancient Catastrophe Magic."
Even Excalibur warned her in her head.
"Her emotions are controlling her now."
Chunks of stones were rising from the floor.
Lightnings were connecting the pillars.
The castle was shaking.
In the sky above Greymane Castle, dark clouds were gathering.
Snow was looking upwards.
"...She is absorbing mana from the atmosphere."
Roxy was not hearing anything anymore.
She saw only one person.
Barthus.
The man whose cruelty made her suffer for ten years.
The man who was laughing when he spoke about her parents.
Barthus tried to move back.
"Protect me!"
The remaining knights were standing still.
None of them dared to come closer.
Even they could feel it.
One wrong move...
And everybody in the castle would die.
Roxy pointed her staff ahead.
Massive ball of compressed mana appeared at the tip of her staff.
Its light was illuminating the whole throne room.
The walls were cracking.
The windows were exploding.
Mana pressure was making breathing difficult.
Barthus fell on the ground.
"No..."
"No!"
"I am a lord!"
"You can’t—"
"You don’t deserve to live."
Cold, empty voice of Roxy was totally different from the joyful voice of the girl that was traveling with her before.
Jennie moved quietly ahead.
She didn’t draw her Excalibur.
She didn’t prepare for fight.
She just moved forward.
One step.
Another.
Until she found herself between Roxy and Barthus.
Roxy’s eyes widened.
"...Move."
Jennie shook her head gently.
"No."
"Jennie!"
"Move!"
Mana ball was growing bigger.
Unstable power was distorting the air.
Even Snow got ready to shield the villagers if Roxy would use that magic.
Mana tears of Roxy were falling freely.
"He killed them!"
"I know."
"He murdered my parents!"
"I know."
"He deserves to die!"
For a moment, Jennie remained silent.
Then she said softly.
"So did many people I’ve met."
Roxy looked at her.
Sadness was shining in Jennie’s eyes.
"I know someone who spent his life fighting those whom he thought deserved death."
"He won countless battles."
"But each victory meant new family lost their loved ones."
She moved closer.
Until the glowing tip of the staff was almost touching her shoulder.
"If you kill him because he deserves it..."
"I will understand."
Roxy trembled.
"But..."
Jennie’s voice was getting softer.
"If you kill him because hatred is ruling your actions..."
She put her hand on trembling fingers of Roxy.
"...he wins."
Roxy stopped breathing.
Jennie was looking straight into Roxy’s crying eyes.
"If you become the same as him..."
"...all your parents’ efforts were wasted."
Silence.
Those words echoed in the ruined throne room.
Roxy remembered her mother’s smiling face.
Not full of hatred.
Not seeking revenge.
Full of love.
"Live."
Not...
"Take revenge."
Her father had not died so she would spend her life in hate.
Her mother had not been killed so her life would become full of revenge.
All that effort they spent...
To make her live.
To smile.
To have a life that they will never have.
The giant mana ball was trembling.
And...
It started to decrease.
Mana storms became weaker.
Stones fell to the floor gently.
Dark clouds above the castle started dispersing.
Roxy’s staff fell to the ground.
It was falling without a sound.
She kneeled to the ground.
"I..."
She covered her face.
"I almost..."
Jennie kneeled to her.
"You stopped."
Roxy was trembling violently.
"I wanted him dead."
"I know."
"I am scared."
Jennie hugged her.
"That only means your heart is still good."
Roxy was crying in Jennie’s shoulder.
Not with anger.
Not anymore.
With relief.
For years of pain were flowing from her through her tears that were never going to stay imprisoned in her heart.
Snow quietly turned away, giving the girls some private time.
Even knights remained silent.
Seeing the girl who has every reason to hate...
And chooses another way.
At the end of the damaged throne room, Barthus was kneeling on the ground.
He had been spared.
Not by his power.
Not by his status.
By the mercy of the girl, daughter of those he wronged.
And for the first time in his life, Lord Barthus Greymane realized that real strength was not the power to defeat your enemy.
It was the power to restrain yourself from becoming one.
