Trident

Battle

There’s a battle that will be fought right outside the King’s Citadel late that evening. All Storm has to do is stay alive till then, and she will get away.

Not an easy feat for the destroyer of the Trident about to be tried for her crime. Not easy at all.

Storm is brought before the King and his court shortly after noon. So many hours between this and the battle to come.

The Royal Constable of the Greenseen district prances about so proud in his fancy costume. He’s explaining all he has heard about her crime, followed by how heroically he himself has brought this dangerous villain all this distance from the ends of the Greeseen district to the King’s Capital to stand trial before the King himself!

This is his moment. His time to shine.

He does good enough a job of it to be liked by some. He is thoroughly disliked by others.

His career at court will be short. Ending with a knife between his ribs.

Before then he’ll be happy for a while. Imagining he has made it. He is on his way at last.

Now it is time for Storm herself to be addressed, and by the King himself, no less.

“What have you to say for yourself, girl?” the King asks. “You’ve destroyed an ancient and sacred item. An item no one was ever supposed to touch. How do you excuse such reprehensible action?”

The King… He does not know what the Trident is. Some fool has left him in the dark... Ah, yes, his father died before did tell him… No matter. He will find out.

“I have not destroyed it. The Trident cannot be destroyed,” Storm replies.

Storm stands brave before the King. She does not bow, nor shiver in fear. She does not cower. He may be a King, but she is so much more now.

The Storm she used to be is experiencing terror. “The King can kill me any moment and no one will care at all but my family at home,” she thinks to herself. The Storm that she is now laughs inside her mind. “The king may try. He might even succeed at killing this vessel, but the Trident will survive.”

“I am this vessel!” the Storm she was protests. “You are so much more,” replies the Trident. “You have always been so much more. You only did not know it until now.”

The battle inside her rages on between the Storm she was and the Storm she has become. The Trident. Even as she awaits the battle that will be her chance to live. Even as the King laughs, incredulous.

“You claim you’ve not destroyed it?” he asks. “Well, where is it then? Do present it to us, by all means.”

The whole entire court laughs together with the King, while Storm considers doing exactly that.