General Didier
Gy-Hamelin was nestled inside the border mountains, within a large valley that created a massive 'bowl' between the surrounding high peaks. Though, originally it had been two towns, the fusion of the different countries had happened so long ago that there was no longer any distinguishing between what they had been.
Most of the town was within the valley itself, though there were piers on multiple different peaks, allowing for trade to come in from nearly any direction. There were three paths into town, one from Gascony, one from Vasconia, and the path that wound through the mountains itself. They were all footpaths though, not nearly big enough for an army.
Most of the piers had been closed and blockaded. All except for one that was on the Gascony side of the border mountains. That one was playing host to two massive war ships. Both of which were loaded down with ballistae, food, and supplies. Since the town was cut off from its other trade routes, they were now relying completely on what Gascony would bring them.
Neither ship was loaded down with soldiers though. The Gascony troops that they originally brought had been offloaded and were now inhabiting the town. Gy-Hamelin was solidly occupied and the soldiers firmly in place within the city.
All of that information had been brought to Colette by a scout that they had sent ahead through the mountain path to check out the situation.
From that, Colette devised her plan.
Nicolas protested. Vehemently.
She overruled him. A tad smugly.
Her troops agreed with her. Excitedly.
Turns out, a group of hotheaded young people who had hyped themselves up about to going to war were more than eager to do any sort of stupid thing that she requested of them. No matter how ill-advised or reckless it might have been.
So, the helmsman began taking them up towards the clouds.
Nicolas watched the ground get further away as he stood next to Colette near the prow.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her again.
She chuckled excitedly, clapping his back. "Where's your sense of fun and adventure?"
"I left it on the earth," he grumbled, crossing his arms.
She laughed again, walking around the deck. The only other people up there with them was the crew of the ship itself. All of her troops were below deck, waiting for deployment. Preparing for their moment of glory, as it were.
"I just think there are better ways of going about this," Nicolas said, following after her.
"You weren't coming up with any plans when we were strategizing."
"Which I regret."
Colette smirked. "Did you send off my message to Sybille?"
"I did," he nodded. "I imagine she'll have the same opinion on this plan of yours as I do."
"And by the time she voices her displeasure, it will be too late."
The air was beginning to get thinner the higher up they went. Colette took a deep breath, letting the bracing coolness fill her lungs. They were beginning to come around the peaks of the lower mountains, and the machine on the base of the ship kept running.
"Captain, we're in your hands," Colette waved to him where he stood with the helmsman. He gave her one in return with a smirk.
Even the crew didn't seem to mind this insane maneuver she had dreamed up. It worked with small airships, she had told Nicolas after he first protested. To which he returned that an enormous war vessel like the Cloud Gazer was a far cry from a personal airship.
Down below, her army was standing around. Armed and armored and prepared. They let out a loud cry at the sight of her coming down from above.
She returned it with a fist in the air.
"We're almost below the clouds!" She announced to another bellow of excitement.
She gave Nicolas a smile that he rolled his eyes at. However, he didn't hesitate to follow her around as she made her way to the center hatch that would be lowered to allow deployment. The soldiers around her began making room for the two of them.
Half of the gathered troops were from Nicolas's ranks. A few knights, mostly his common men. Most of them had been with him for years. All of them were held to high standards of training and were equipped with the best money could buy.
The other half of the troops were already calling themselves Colette's soldiers. There were a few knights, less than he had though, and therefore more foot soldiers. They were equally well equipped and trained, hand-picked by Nina and Cyrille before leaving the city. And every single one of them was a female that had volunteered for active combat from the female units.
Nicolas had known the first moment he had seen the women boarding the ship that Colette was making a point just for him.
He chose to deliberately never mention it just to drive her crazy.
They stood side by side, tense and ready. His hand was on his sword, anxiously gripping the pommel as he waited for them to reach the zenith of their climb.
The airship machinery down below began complaining as the captain pushed them further into the sky, past the point where they would normally cruise. Nicolas grimaced uncomfortably as his ears popped and he saw Colette working her jaw as she tried to banish the sensation.
She reached up and began scratching at her ear, displeased with the odd feeling. He could watch her for a moment without her realizing she was doing it.
She looked silly. Her mouth open, finger in one ear, eyes tightly shut.
Silly and reckless and annoying. And brave and loyal and unabashedly happy.
It was that happiness that gave him pause. It was so easy to think that she was naive and dismiss her smile as flighty and foolish.
Yet he had seen that smile gone and replaced by anger and fear and determination. He had seen her flighty childishness banished in exchange for seriousness and understanding.
That made the smile more beautiful. That made her happiness more real.
And more difficult for him to understand.
She lowered her hand, making a slight pout when her ears continued to feel stuffed with cotton. She caught his gaze out of the corner of his eye. She turned and beamed at him.
"Scared?" She asked. It wasn't mocking. It was curious. As though she would be perfectly accepting if he were scared.
"I suppose I am," he replied softly. His fingers were clenching and unclenching the hilt of Griever.
"Of dying?"
He thought about it for a moment. Seriously considered that, when he left this airship, he might not live to see another sunrise.
And he wasn't afraid of that.
"No."
"Then what?"
"I suppose... of failure."
Her smiled widened. "Yeah? Me, too."
"Yeah?" He looked to her.
She nodded. "Which is why I never lose."
He smirked. "I don't believe you can continue to make that claim after yesterday."
The pained expression that came over her face as she quickly turned away from him confirmed that she had been trying to not think about the incident. She wanted to pretend that it hadn't happened and so was refusing to acknowledge it as a thing.
He would have to remind her again that she very was capable of losing. Drive the lesson home, as it were, before she could forget it.
That was for later though.
Before they could say another word, one of the crew poked his head below deck and announced they had reached the maximum altitude that the airship could sustain flight. They were going to begin their maneuver and the army needed to be ready to disembark, and fast.
Six different soldiers ran to either side of the three hatches on the starboard side. They grabbed the latches holding them up and in place and readied themselves for the fall.
Up on deck, the helmsman grabbed for the controls. He cut the power to the engine that kept them aloft. It took a moment for all of the processes to cease. Cloud Gazer just sort of hovered in place in that time, the high winds whipping at the sails.
"Thrusters!" The captain ordered as the last of the engine sounds died off.
The helmsman slammed on the lever, throwing them up to full blast. The airship shot forward, but without any lift it was just racing steadily forwards and downwards. Gliding quickly as the helmsman made micro adjustments to the rudder to keep them from hitting any of the oncoming mountain faces that they began rushing past.
The wind was blowing against them, but the experienced crew had tied themselves off to their posts in preparation for the dive. Each of them had done something similar on smaller vessels, but it was the first time they had scaled it up to a full ship.
Gy-Hamelin was settled down for the night. The cloudy sky had put a damper on a town already made depressed by occupation. The soldiers that remained up for night watch were scouring the skies for approaching airships. With the docks all closed off, there would be no way for one to land, but they were prepared for their arrival. They were trying to keep their occupation secret, but their general would see them flogged if he discovered them slacking in their duties.
The soldiers on rotation overlooking the mountain path were focused on the actual path. They were waiting for scouts to come creeping in closer to the city. Unaware that one had already come in as close as he needed and left without being spotted.
Because they were focused on the ground, they didn't immediately notice the large black dot rushing towards them out of the sky.
When one of them finally spotted it, he didn't immediately recognize what was coming. He narrowed his eyes, confused because it was dark as all the lights on the airship had been extinguished so as not to announce their presence.
The airship veered slightly left, avoiding one of the mountain peaks. It was almost following the path below it perfectly.
"Incoming!" The soldier yelled, running towards the warning horns.
The airship, screaming down out of the sky, blew past him. The wind knocked him off of his feet and sent him and a few others sprawling. The ship was obvious now and he heard more cries being let out as people rushed for the warning horns.
Too late, the airship was already directly overhead.
The helmsman grabbed the brake and jerked it backwards, at the same time using his other hand to spin the helm.
The ship groaned and the contents inside that weren't tied down went crashing to the ground. As the ship was jerking to a halt, from inside, the soldiers all threw the latches on the doors at the same moment. The momentum of the stop forced the hatches open without assistance. It also threw the soldiers forward at the same time. They didn't resist the motion.
Colette, with a loud whoop, used the momentum the rush out, Nicolas right on her heels. She jumped from the airship and fell with a laugh of elation. She fell nearly two stories before landing, rolling with the force of it, and jumping back up again.
Without looking behind her to make sure the others were coming, she began running through the empty streets. The soldiers were on the walls or sleeping in homes that they had forced their way into. Only a few were patrolling the streets to enforce the new curfew.
None of those men got in her way as she raced for the wall. The soldiers were prepared for an attack from the outside, not the inside. As the Cloud Gazer hemorrhaged soldiers out into the middle of the streets, they had no way of turning their anti-airship ballistae around to face them.
On the steps to the wall, Colette finally met her first opposition.
They were downed quickly and her progress barely impeded. Nicolas remained just behind her, guarding her back and dealing finishing blows to men that might get back up to hurt either of them. She was focused on her task.
As she reached the top of the wall, one of the soldiers had succeeded in reaching the warning horns. The loud, monotonous drone of the call rang out loudly over the city. A moment later, she heard cries as soldiers that had been fast asleep began rushing out into the streets in their underwear with hastily grabbed weapons-
-only to meet her fully armed, wide awake army and their ready swords.
Colette wasn't paying attention to them. She trusted her men to be able to take on a regiment of soldiers just woken from sleep. She and Nicolas continued along the wall, killing and beating their way through whomever came their way.
When they approached the entrance to the pier leading to the two Gascony ships, Colette put her hand on the top of the low gate and vaulted over in one smooth move. What few troops that had been aboard the ships instead of staying in town were already running for them.
Nicolas landed beside her, Griever at the ready.
"I cannot believe this is actually working," Nicolas grumbled.
"Right, or left?" Colette snickered, pointing her sword tip between them.
He sighed. "I'll take right."
She made a soft aw of pleasure as she cupped her own cheek. The right ship was the larger of the two and would be more difficult to deal with.
"You're such a gentleman."
"Unfortunately," he grumbled.
Then the rampaging soldiers were upon them.
Colette killed the first man without mercy, her sword cutting across his throat before she spun away from where his body would fall and pierced the chest of the second man.
Beside her, Nicolas lifted his sword up and brought it down across the chest of the first man to meet him. Before he could collapse forward, Nicolas planted his boot to his chest and kicked him backwards, sending the two men immediately behind him sprawling.
Nicolas ran over the corpse, crushing the two men under him further. He jumped forward and impaled the man behind him. He threw him into another man and sent both of them falling off of the pier towards the long drop outside of the walls below.
Colette was using her sword to block three simultaneous attackers that were trying and failing to beat at her defenses. When one man, in anger, finally reared up too high, she jumped forward and grabbed his hand. She pushed it away and used his weapon to kill the man beside him. The third man jumped backwards into Nicolas's sword.
Colette jerked the hand she still had captured backwards past its normal range of motion causing the man to cry out in pain as his knees buckled. She kicked him in the throat and sent him sprawling, choking and sputtering.
Colette ran around him and through two more men that both tried to kill her. She ignored them both in favor of racing towards the gangplank of the ship that no one had bothered to lift. She heard Nicolas behind her, his boots echoing hollowly on the wooden beams.
One of the crew on the right ship saw his approach and began rapidly trying to pull up the gangplank. He cursed and stowed Griever away in its sheath. He ran towards the edge and leapt upwards, hands extended into the air. He barely caught the edge of the rising hatch.
Colette diverted from her own path for a moment to grab his foot. She pushed upwards as he pulled until he was able to pull his torso over the edge. He rolled down inside and landed on all fours. He was up again in a flash and running through the ship.
Just outside, Colette turned on her heel and blocked the attacks from the two men she had dodged. She ducked under a second swing and tackled one of the men. They rolled dangerously close to the edge and Colette kicked upwards to knock him off and down below. Then she rolled oppositely to avoid being struck by the oncoming sword from the second man.
His blade got stuck into the wooden pier. She rolled right over his legs, grabbing his knee, and jerked it quickly to send him sprawling-
-onto her sword.
Grunting, she pushed his lifeless body up and off of her. She wiggled out from underneath him and got back to her feet. She ran to the gangplank of the left ship and started up, sheathing her sword. At the top, she saw one of the crew running for the pulleys to try and lift the gangplank up far too late. She planted her fist into his jaw as she passed, sending him to the ground.
She jumped over his body and ran for the ladder leading to the deck. She climbed up quickly, having to stop once to kick downwards towards another member of the crew that tried to yank her back below. Once he was dealt with, she pulled herself up on deck.
She grabbed for the hatch to close the opening and slammed it shut, catching the fingers and face of the next guy to try and come up after her. She battened it down in place and heard someone beating on it from the other side uselessly.
Lifting her eyes, she quickly took stock of her surroundings. There were lights on in the captain's cabin, but the man himself wasn't coming out to investigate. She realized his windows were facing away from the pier, he hadn't seen her coming. There was another room, like there was on Cloud Gazer, for the commander of the army. She could see through the open hallway that the door to that room was open and the man in question already missing.
She ran towards the helm, her progress now unimpeded. Aside from the captain, no one slept up here and there was no one to stop her. The helmsman of Cloud Gazer had given her a quick idea of what she would see and what she would need to do.
The engine down below came to life with a low, rumbling growl as she slowly rose the lever from its dormant position to full throttle. As it was coming slowly to life, she pulled on the quick release for the anchor. Put there for emergencies if the anchor ever got caught and left the ship immobile. She heard the massive chain sliding loudly against wood before crashing down below.
The ship began inching forward. The engine wasn't meant to be brought so quickly to life, but it was doing its best to follow the orders she gave it. She only needed it to move, she didn't need it to be quick about it.
She grabbed the lever for the throttle just as she heard a similar growl coming from across the pier as Nicolas brought his ship to life. She yanked it backwards, hearing the wood groan inside of its metal socket.
She turned around and, while still pulling, slammed her foot against the spot where it entered into its base. It took two hits before the wood cracked and splintered, then a third to finally break it free completely.
Smirking, Colette drew back and threw it far overboard. The ship was getting faster now as the engine began warming up.
She turned and started running for the railing. The pier was beginning to fall behind. She jumped up onto the wide rails and ran along them for a few steps, matching her speed to the ship's.
Then she leapt into the air. She braced herself but it still hurt her knees and ankles when she landed against the pier. She rolled to dissipate her momentum. When she came up, tossing back her braid away from her eyes, she could see the crew trying to rush from the gangplank and abandon the ship before the last of the pier rushed away from them.
A few of them made it. Not all of them could span the jump.
Colette got slowly to her feet, wincing from the dull ache that came with putting her weight down onto them. She watched as the ship pulled away from the pier and headed right for the side of the mountain. It couldn't be stopped and, with no way up on deck, it couldn't be turned. Even if they could get up there, without the lever she had removed, they had no way of halting the massive vessel.
The larger right ship began moving as well. Colette drew her sword, ready for the crew to come rushing her, but they weren't soldiers. They didn't want to fight. All of them remained at the far end of the pier, those that had made the jump, and just stood there watching as their ship raced for the mountainside.
Colette looked up as she saw something move on the right ship. Nicolas hadn't had the chance to batten down the hatches and he was being chased by the crew of their ship. As she watched, he threw the helm that he had hacked off with his sword overboard. It landed against the pier and Colette watched it roll off and land far below.
She turned her gaze upwards again just as Nicolas was coming back around, this time with one of the levers controlling the engine in his hands. He threw it high into the sky. A moment later, he put his foot to the rail and launched himself up after it.
The crew hit the rail, unwilling to follow. Their hesitation would cost them.
Colette took a few, quick steps back, giving Nicolas plenty of room to land. Like her, he hit and rolled to diffuse his momentum. He landed on his back, hissing from the pain. Colette rushed forward and leaned down beside him.
"You okay?" She asked, smiling.
He opened his eyes narrowed with pain and grimaced. "I'm never letting you plan things again. You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"
Colette chuckled as she lowered his hand and helped him up. Like her, he initially flinched at putting weight on his feet, but nothing had broken and the pain dulled quickly.
The two of them looked over and watched the fruits of their handiwork.
The warships were out of control, getting faster, and had only an abrupt stop in their future. Nicolas had made sure that the people left on his ship couldn't turn it. A few, realizing their fate, tried to jump to the pier. Like those on the left, only a few made it.
The left ship hit the mountain first. The loud crunch of wood and machinery echoed throughout the valley. The engine was in the back of the ship and it just kept pushing forward until it too was crushed against the rocks. The second ship hit a moment later.
Nicolas turned away, unwilling to watch.
Colette turned away, curious as to how the rest of their attack was going. She walked over towards the near end of the pier and looked down into the town.
Her plan and their element of surprise had worked flawlessly. The unprepared soldiers were being driven towards the town gates that had been opened by Guilbert and his team. Those Gascony troops that were refusing to leave were being ruthlessly cut down. A few stragglers continued to put up a fight, but they were slowly being overwhelmed and driven away.
"I'll be damned," Nicolas whispered, watching it all unfold. "Are you sure you're not clairvoyant?"
Colette grinned. "Recklessly optimistic."
"Ridiculous understatement."
She laughed. "Shall we go help clean up?"
He sighed, rolling his shoulder. "Think I banged up my elbow on that last jump."
She pulled on his arm, urging him forward. She still had enough energy to run, but he insisted on actually opening the gate this time instead of vaulting over it.
They had driven the Gascony troops from the city. However, as the large city gates were closing behind them, they weren't leaving. Their ships were destroyed and they had nowhere to go. Colette watched from above to see what they would do. When they sent a messenger bird out to alert their own commanders of the changes here, she wasn't able to stop it in time. It flew away and she knew it would eventually bring reinforcements.
But Cloud Gazer took over the newly opened port and the others were opened again so that trade could flow freely once more. Colette sent another message to Sybille, detailing the events and the new status of Gy-Hamelin. Then she sought out the mayor of the town.
Nicolas remained at her side, helping relay her orders and seeing to finishing setting the city back to rights. As the people of Gy-Hamelin realized what had occurred, they began leaving their homes in droves to help clean and to celebrate their, at least partial, liberation.
It was the people of the city that had truly suffered from the attack. The trade embargo placed over them for the last three weeks since Gascony had begun their assault had drastically limited their resources, stretching their coffers thin. There was no way to farm in the valley, they relied on trade to get their food and materials. When Gascony had taken over, they had cut off all trade but their own, then dramatically increased the taxes to help pay for the very war that had taken over the people.
So, the gaunt populace that came out to meet her army looked ill-cared for. However, the smiles that broke over their faces to realize the king had sent aid banished so much of it. Colette, who would be getting a shipment of supplies herself soon - for her troops and Gy-Hamelin - had no problems sharing her remaining stock of supplies with the people.
Her people got less as a result, but it was more than what Gy-Hamelin had.
The Gascony troops outside the gates retreated down the mountain path towards Gascony. She wasn't fool enough to think they had withdrawn for good. They were retreating to regroup and come at them again.
The mayor of Gy-Hamelin found her right around the time that the sun was coming up. She was more than tired and was walking back towards Cloud Gazer to get some sleep, Nicolas still right with her because he refused to sleep if she wasn't going to do so as well.
The mayor, a pudgy older man that looked as though he had lost too much weight too quickly came rushing towards her as the pair silently walked through Gy-Hamelin. The city was wide awake now, getting back into their old routines, but the soldiers she had brought were now tired, seeking rest.
"Lady Paladin!" The mayor called out, surprising her.
For a second, she actually thought that maybe Nina or one of the others had suddenly appeared. No one yet had tried to address her as 'Lady Paladin' and she wasn't prepared for the formality. When the realization finally came over, she looked back at the man as he stopped before her.
He was panting, but smiling, and he gave her a low bow.
"Lady Paladin, sir knight," he greeted them both. "I am Lord Mayor Patrice. It is an honor that you two have come here. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to you both."
Colette beamed, waving away his words. "My soldiers deserve your praise more, they did far more than I. Did you need something, Lord Mayor?"
"Well, I first wanted to thank you," he nodded gratefully again. "I also would like to express concern over our lack of supplies. I, uh, can't think that we will survive only on the contents of your hull. You were at the end of your voyage, you had little left as well."
"Lady Alard knows that," Nicolas interjected. "Supplies have already left Gwenael. They'll be here by tomorrow at the latest. For both our ship and your town."
"And you can re-open trade now," Colette beamed.
"Yes, of course," he wiped at his brow. "It will take time though, my lady. My people, they need something soon. Not that I expect you to solve all of our problems, of course, it's just-"
"Lord Mayor, I understand," Colette chuckled, cupping his hand between hers. "It's all being taken care of. Let my people handle it. We're going to remain with you for at least the next few days as we re-fortify the city and prepare for Gascony's counter attack."
"Now that it is ours again," Nicolas added, "Lady Benoite will be sending reinforcements to secure the town in our place so that we may move on to other towns in need. I'm given to understand that every town this side of the border was hit."
"Ah, yes," Patrice nodded sadly. "I had heard that from the general myself."
"The general?" Colette asked, head tilting curiously.
"The general?" Nicolas repeated, frowning. "You don't mean General Firmin Didier?"
"You know him?" Patrice asked.
Nicolas looked to Colette. "That's not good. General Didier is Queen Sabine's right hand. He was in position before she ever married King Robert, and he's only gotten closer to the crown since his death. They say he's in charge of the only prince's education and training and that he near helps her rule. There's no one Queen Sabine trusts more. If he's leading the war, then Queen Sabine is really serious this time."
Colette frowned, looking thoughtful. "This man was here?"
Patrice nodded. "He was in charge of the occupation, my lady. I saw him being chased out with his soldiers. He didn't go quietly."
She hummed. "I'll send another message to Sybille. But, please, Lord Mayor Patrice, you must allow me to excuse myself. I've been up the entire night and I must get some sleep."
Patrice looked horrified. "Oh! Of course, my lady. Please, forgive my crassness."
She waved his apology away just as she had his thanks. "Nicolas and I will deal with it. Concern yourself with your people, Lord Mayor, and how best to re-start trade."
"I'm already working on it, my lady. Thank you again. Please, seek your beds."
Colette and Nicolas nodded to him before turning and continuing their trek.
"Is General Didier really such a threat?" She asked him.
"He was with us... that final night in Petrus Landebert," Nicolas told her softly, thinking back. "I didn't see him when the attack began, but he had cornered and killed four other assassins in the courtyard. He had taken them on single-handedly and won, and I wasn't even able to defeat one of them."
"That was five years ago. Surely your skill has improved since then."
"Yes, but I was still a member of the royal guard. I was already skilled. He was far greater than me. I only really met him face-to-face twice, and both times he didn't speak a word to me. He liked to whisper to his queen, but he didn't talk to anyone else that he didn't have to."
Colette made a face. "Well, he sounds terrible."
Nicolas nodded. "He's a rather anti-social person."
"And I thought you were bad," she snickered nudging him playfully.
He gave her a slight grin. "I should give you credit. Your plan worked without flaw."
She pretended to gasp exaggeratedly. "Praise? From you?"
"It's rare, so enjoy it while it lasts."
She laughed, tempted to wrap her arm around his. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to do, considering the circumstances around them so she resisted. "Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of determination and stupidity to get something done."
"It's rather sad how true that statement is," Nicolas made a face.
~~~~~~
As promised, a large shipping vessel arrived the next day with rations for the town and the army. The mayor had already sent out messengers to his closest trading partners requesting that they again begin sending ships their way. Commerce returned to the markets the day after that. It was hardly the bustling streets that Gy-Hamelin was famous for, but it was something. The sense of returning normalcy seemed to ease a great many worried hearts in the town.
Three days after that, the first of the trade ships arrived. It, too, brought food and much needed supplies that eased a great many more worries. There was something of a celebration that night that Colette couldn't attend because that day she also had a return message from Sybille.
"She actually approved of your plan?!" Nicolas gasped in shock as he looked at the tiny words written onto the paper. "What is wrong with you two?!"
Colette had laughed until she cried. Which felt marvelous after so many serious days of preparing for another battle that would soon be coming.
She had scouts searching for the return of the Gascony troops, but they had not, as yet, come back. The airship docks were open again, so they could try to sneak in troops with the trade ships, but Nicolas already was having each one searched as it landed.
It was an uncertain, unsteady sort of life. Every day brought Colette new reports from the scouts, news from Gwenael and the other border towns, and the constant threat of retaliation. In seeing the drastic change that came over the people as they had their freedom returned to them really made her that much more determined to keep them safe.
She couldn't stay forever, she knew that. Sybille's message was already directing her towards the next town that needed her attention. There was another city that required assistance between Gy-Hamelin and Antonin Pass called Jorives. It was an agricultural mecca and it provided a great deal of the crops that were shipped across the entire kingdom. It needed her attention as soon as she had Gy-Hamelin stabilized and its walls secured.
Reinforcements, led by another high knight and set up for more permanent residence, was already on its way. She need only wait for them to arrive so she could move on.
The next day, the first church service since occupation ended was held. Colette was eager to go and the people paid a great many thanks to the Lord for their salvation from Gascony. Though half the town had once belonged to Gascony, that time was long since passed.
As the days flew by, Colette finally discovered a downside to being a paladin. She wouldn't have ever thought to be worried about this, because it wasn't something she had thought about before. However, she could no longer walk freely through the streets. People treated her with such deference and respect now that she felt like there was a wall between her and them.
She could no longer get people to call her just Colette. No matter how many times she insisted on it, they always reverted back to Lady Toinette or Lady Paladin. She had even seen parents chastising their children for being disrespectful even after she just asked them to call her Colette. They all wanted to meet her and thank her, but none of them felt like they were allowed to get close to her. She was a paladin, a servant and warrior of the Lord, she was beyond them.
Because of that, she spent more time aboard Cloud Gazer than she had thought she would have when first setting sail. She would stand at the stern of the ship, leaning against the rails, and watching the city living their life below her.
"It's odd to see you so withdrawn," Nicolas said when he caught her doing it.
She jumped, turning in surprise to see him walking towards her. He came to stand at her side, leaning against the railing as she did.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head, looking out over the city again. Another trade ship was landing and the dock workers were eagerly helping pull them down. "No, not at all. I'm happy. Look at everyone, so industrious, so busy. Like they're more determined to be happy."
"Yes, and I would have expected you to be down there with them," Nicolas said softly. "So, why are you up here watching from afar?"
She didn't reply immediately, frowning. "Nicolas... am I really so different now that I'm a paladin?"
"You were always a paladin, you just didn't know it until recently."
"That doesn't answer my question," she pouted.
"I thought it did. You're exactly the same as you were before. You just have the authority of the crown now. And you get paid a lot more."
She sighed. "Then why do people treat me so differently?"
A look of understanding came over his face. "Ah, I see..."
"You do?" She looked at him sadly.
He nodded. "I felt the same way when I became a high knight. Suddenly, everyone was deferring to me and treating me as though I were special. I absolutely hated it."
Colette stared at him for a second. There was no one to see them this time so she didn't hesitate before wrapping her arm through his. He started in surprise but didn't attempt to pull away. He looked down and gave her a soft smile as she leaned into his side.
"You didn't like it because you felt guilty. Which is still stupid. But it's not the same..."
"That doesn't mean I don't understand the emotion. Or you. You don't like it because you enjoy being close to everyone. You enjoy doing new things, meeting new people, and seeing new sights. That is rather difficult once those people have built that wall of respect and admiration around you."
She stared at him with wide eyes. He looked over as silence hung between them and stared back at her for a moment. He grinned.
"What? You think I'm incapable of understanding you?"
She blushed and looked away, confirming that she did, in fact, think just that. He chuckled as he nudged her gently.
"Sorry," she made a face.
He shook his head. "It's fine. To be honest, I probably don't make as much of an effort to get close to people as I should. I prefer my distance."
"Any particular reason?"
He didn't answer immediately. He frowned down at the way their arms were interlocked together and actually thought about it for a moment.
"I guess... since I became a high knight, the only other people I can consort with are those who are my rank or greater. Even knights treat me differently. So I'm forced to socialize with only other high knights, paladins, royalty, and a selection of lords and ladies that are near royalty themselves."
"Don't tell me you get shy around them? Especially King Cyrille! He's so friendly."
Nicolas shook his head. "I'm not really shy, per se. More... guilty, to use your word."
"Guilty?"
"I just feel like I don't really have the right to equal myself to them."
She smiled before resting her head gently on his shoulder. "You don't mind equaling yourself to me."
He blinked, staring off at nothing for a moment before his face relaxed and he leaned his head against hers.
"That's because you're annoying."
She couldn't help herself, she broke into loud peals of laughter. Her body rocked gently next to his as she let them take control over her. He just sort of smiled until she calmed down.
"Annoying, but you like it," she smirked.
"I should have my head examined."
She chuckled again, nuzzling in closer. "You're annoying too, you know. Grumpy and stodgy and you complain an awful lot."
"I would call it pointing out the obvious and being reasonable when I'm with you."
"You didn't deny grumpy."
"I will concede that one," he allowed regally. "So, long as you admit that you're overly happy.
Colette chuckled, pulling back so she could look him in the eyes. "There's no such thing as being too happy."
"Excessive happiness invites disaster to your door, you know."
"And I'll meet it with a smile when it gets there."
"Why am I not surprised to hear you say so?"
She laughed, turning around to put her back to the railing. She reached up and gently took his face in her hands, pulling her closer to him.
"You're quite the kisser for a grumpy curmudgeon," she purred gently.
Nicolas looked surprised before his eyes darted around to the empty ship deck. "Here? Now?"
"What's wrong with the here and now?"
"Anyone could come around and see us." He reached up to take her wrists but he made no efforts to pull her hands away from his cheeks.
"Have you a problem with someone seeing us?"
He looked at her, instantly cautious. He answered slowly and carefully. "I'm not ashamed of having kissed you, nor of anyone knowing that I did so, but I don't think that publicly displaying such affection is proper for a town that is in the middle of a war zone."
Colette started snickering. "Have you seen some of the people in the streets? Besides, we've survived the first battle of the war. I do believe we should celebrate."
"There was a celebration the other night, you missed it."
"I'll go to the next one," she promising, sliding her hands past his face to wrap her arms around his neck instead.
Once again, he didn't attempt to pull away from her. His own hands dropped from her wrists as they left his grasp and instead fell down around her to grip the railing on either side of her waist. She smiled at him peacefully as she just allowed herself to embrace him for a moment.
"If our troops see us-"
"Oh, please. Don't act like you don't know what some of them get up to below deck. They're hardly discreet about it. If I don't begrudge it of them, I don't think it fair if they begrudge it of me. Unless, you don't want to kiss me again."
She pouted. This time deliberately making the face. She even put out her bottom lip as though tempting him down to nibble on it.
"I didn't say I didn't want to, I just..." He trailed off as he looked over her head. Gy-Hamelin, down below, was sprawling and filled with people. There was just no way to know how many of them were looking up at this very moment. Watching like eager gossip traders as their savior paladin embraced her high knight and right hand on the stern of their ship.
Then he looked down and caught Colette looking up at him with those big, beautiful, gray of hers. Waiting, patiently, for him to give her what they both knew she wanted.
Nicolas cursed and pulled away before she had the chance to keep him in close. He snatched her wrist out of the air as it was falling to her side. He yanked her away from the railing, nearly tripping her in the process.
He only made it around to the front of the cabins before he pushed her back against the wall. A small sound of surprise popped from between her lips and was quickly swallowed as he covered them with a hot, demanding kiss.
Colette whimpered as she grabbed onto him, barely holding on as he ravaged her mouth. He nibbled on her pouty lip, before caressing the soft skin with his tongue. She trembled and moaned gently at the initial pain then immediate soothing caress.
"Did you really want to show this to an audience?" Nicolas whispered to her before licking along her ear, sending a delightful chill down her spine that lit her loins afire.
She was grateful his body was pushed up against hers. He was keeping her weak knees from releasing her down to the ground. She grabbed him by the back of his hair and jerked, forcing his lips from her ear so she could kiss him again.
He growled in approval as he pressed his torso harder against hers. Her breasts were crushed flat against his chest, her legs opened when he pressed his thigh between them. She refused to release his hair, keeping their lips locked together. Not that he was protesting.
When they finally separated, it was with a great, gasping breath. Her chest was heaving as his head fell, resting against her shoulder. Her heart raced out of control and he thought that he could see spots in his vision. Breathing just didn't seem so important when he was kissing her.
She started gently petting down the back of his scalp, smoothing hair that she had so roughly jerked out of place. The soft feeling of her fingers brushing his locks back and down was hypnotizing in its sweetness after such violence.
"I think I will need to send correspondence to your grandmother."
"Hm? Why?" She looked down at him just as he lifted his head from her shoulder.
He grinned. "Well, I'll have to ask her permission to court you properly."
She laughed at him as though he had made a joke. "You're so formal. Don't you think it's a bit late to begin thinking of such niceties?"
"It's never too late for proper manners and social contracts." He leaned forward and gently kissed the tip of her nose. "Besides, I'm going to be on the same ship as you for the foreseeable future. I think I should probably get that much permission before I outright steal your virtue."
Colette was giggling as he extracted himself from her arms. He took a moment to get himself in order, though his hair was still obviously mussed. She looked no better, her lips puffy from the force of his kiss and her cheeks bright pink from the rushing blood.
"By the way, the reason I came looking for you in the first place." He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a slip of paper from a messenger bird. "From Lady Benoite."
"What does it say?" Colette asked quickly even as she was reaching out to take it.
"Spies in Gascony tell her that three Gascony airships are heading this way. All of them armed with ballistae and soldiers."
Colette frowned as she looked over the words herself. "Three ships? They must really want Gy-Hamelin back."
"Whoever controls Gy-Hamelin controls all of the trade in this region, and most of the trade throughout Vasconia. We have, according to the spies, about four days before they arrive."
"And how long until our reinforcements arrive?"
"Not for another seven."
She frowned, folding the note. "We'll need a plan."
"I'm going to prematurely say 'no' to whatever you're about to suggest."
She laughed before patting his cheek. "Hey, the last one worked, didn't it?"
He grumbled something that she didn't quite understand. Rather than ask him to expand upon the grumpy thought, she leaned up and gave him a sweet kiss, almost over the corner of his mouth. His eyes closed as his fingers twitched on her hips with the desire to grab her and yank her closer. She grinned as she recognized the reflex.
She leaned away, but kept a hand on his arm. "I'm going to go find Lord Mayor Patrice. He should be able to help, and I bet he can help get Gy-Hamelin's people to fight as well."
"There aren't many here who could be considered soldiers," Nicolas frowned, crossing his arms. "Even if we adopt the city guards while we're here, that doesn't bolster our numbers by much."
"I wasn't talking about the trained fighters. I meant the normal people that can do normal things that might be able to help us."
"I don't know," Nicolas frowned.
"If your home was under attack, even if you had no formal training, wouldn't you want to do something to help protect it?"
He inclined his head in agreement. "I suppose when you put it that way..."
She nodded. "Are you coming with me?"
"I will. I'm not leaving you alone to plan."
"Don't you think Patrice would try to reign me in?"
"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Nicolas asked as they began walking towards the gangplank so they could go back into town. "He near worships you. He would do anything that you asked him to do."
She laughed. Once again, she didn't resist the urge to grab hold of his arm. Even as they walked down the pier and began heading towards the town. She expected Nicolas to pull away from her as they began passing people, but he did not.
Her beating heart felt so warm to know that he would allow her to hold onto him in public. It wasn't a soul searing kiss, but it was still a show of affection.
~~~~~~
The winds had favored Gascony. The afternoon of the third day, a full night before their scheduled arrival, Colette's scouts rushed to tell her that they had seen the ships on the horizon. They were going to arrive with the sundown, most likely. They had stopped only once to pick up the remains of the army that she had ejected from Gy-Hamelin.
"Any plans?" Nicolas asked her when they were informed.
"We make sure the civilians are safe first," she told him firmly.
There wasn't a cave system here like there was in South Gate. They did, however, build an underground bunker of sorts that they usually only utilized for severe storms and potential avalanches or mudslides that might come down from above.
Children, elders, and the infirm were hidden down below. Those that didn't wish to fight also sought refuge. A few of the braver men and women remained in the city itself, taking commands from Patrice who got his instructions from Colette. This time, the city would be ready for attack.
The Gascony troops had very kindly left behind their weapon cache, so there were ballistae at each port and plenty of bolts to fire from them. Those soldiers that knew how to operate them were each assigned one and given two civilians to help them reload and assist as needed.
As the day wore on, Patrice sent away the trade ships and Colette had Cloud Gazer ascend up towards sky where it would be off of the pier. Mostly to keep it from being within firing range while docked, but partially because she was hoping one of the three ships might be tempted to attack it. Then her soldiers and the crew could fight back and she would have to worry about one less ship. However, she planned like she would need to face all three.
Said ships appeared on the horizon and sent everyone rushing to their posts. The Gascony vessels weren't even trying to be discreet. They were flying in full view, racing for the city. She could see their gold and red flag whipping wildly in the wind as it passed them by. As they came even closer, she could even see the soldiers and crew on deck, running around and getting ready for the assault.
"Take cover!" Colette yelled as the warning horn blasted the air.
She and Nicolas were standing at the highest point in the town, on top of the church. They raced for the stone archway leading into the bell tower and huddled together just inside.
The three airships swung around, slowing as they did so. They weren't performing her maneuver, they were circling around the perimeter of the city. The closed docks wouldn't allow them to land, but they didn't need to do so.
As one of the ships passed around in her line of vision, she could see soldiers readying the ballistae. The enormous bolts were pressed into place. The torch being pressed to the oil soaked tip, setting it afire, before the archer hit the release.
Three ships fired three flaming bolts each. Nine spears rained down over the town. They were powerful enough to punch through thick, wooden walls, crack stone barricades, and dent metal sheets. The fires caught hold of the wood and began spreading slowly.
"Great. They have fire," Nicolas grumbled. "Can we attack now?"
"Not yet," Colette held him back. Her eyes were narrowed and focused on each ship as it passed around into her line of view.
They were slowly circling the town. Another barrage of bolts came crashing down. She heard distant screams as people were either hurt or rushed to escape getting hurt. She turned her head around to watch one of the ships as long as possible, seeing the way the soldiers moved and watching how they worked together.
"Now?" Nicolas asked when yet another hailstorm fell over them.
"Stop asking, you're distracting me."
"The city is literally under attack, and I'm distracting you?"
"Sh!" She hissed, her eyes moving to the third ship as it came around their side of the church.
The third ship was nearly identical to the first two. Three ballistae, one with a tick that was probably going to damage the wood every time it was drawn back. Twelve crew members that she could see on deck, working the rigging and sails, plus the captain and the helmsman. There were also sixteen soldiers that she could see. Three for each ballistae and a few others with shields guarding them from a counterattack that had yet to come.
And one more man standing near the helm, near the captain. He was too far for even her eyes to make out specifics about his face or clothing, but just in the way that he held himself told her that this was the man who was in charge.
"Nicolas, what did General Didier look like?"
"Hm? Now? Really? Er, he had brown hair, sort of auburn. Green eyes. He was rather muscular, too. He had large arms and wide shoulders. The women considered him handsome, but he always had this perpetual scowl on his face.
"Really proud set to his shoulders?"
"Yeah. Do you see him?"
"That one there," Colette pointed to the ship about to escape from their line of sight. "He's aboard that one. He's not really commanding anything, he's just kind of standing there."
"That's him," Nicolas nodded once. He could still remember how Didier's soldiers always seemed to know exactly what to do without being told. It had impressed him once. Now, in looking back on it, the fact was rather terrifying.
What exactly had he done to them that they always moved with only a look? How rigorous was their training that they knew what he wanted without him needing to say a word? Even more than that, what happened to those that guessed wrong?
Colette nodded to Nicolas. "Okay, let's do this."
"Finally," he grumbled, running into the bell tower.
She walked forward until she was standing out in the middle of building, her feet on the flattened apex of the curved roof. The wind tugged gently on her braid, she remained still with one hand on the pommel of her sword. She didn't even flinch when one of the ballistae bolts flew past her face and broke through the roof of the church.
She frowned at the hole though. They were even attacking the church? Did they hold nothing sacred?
She turned her eyes around to see that another archer had taken aim at her. She delicately side stepped just as he let the bolt fly. Once again, it missed her.
Up in the high bell tower, the massive bronze instrument began tolling loudly as Nicolas grabbed hold of the rope and pulled it down.
The ringing could be heard all over the city, and it was normally used to call people to service. The range carried it past the city walls and the bowl-like shape of the valley made it echo and reverberate up through the air.
The crew of Cloud Gazer began yelling and moving at the signal.
"Get ready to dive!" Guilbert yelled out over the soldiers strewn across the deck.
The helmsmen once again grabbed for the throttle while killing the engine that was keeping them aloft. The soldiers all braced themselves for another fall.
Far below, Colette was attracting more and more attention. Each bolt that was fired in her direction was easily side-stepped, making the archers more determined to attack her. As a third, then a fourth man focused their aim on her, she began drawing eyes from the other soldiers and crew members who were trying to figure out why the ballistae were all turning towards the church.
Honestly, the ballistae bolts were so large and slow, avoiding them was easier than avoiding a conventional bow and arrow.
It was the calls of his men that had Firmin turning to find what they were staring at. A few of them ran towards the rails, all of them pointing. The general hadn't been focusing on anything in particular until he noticed their abnormal behavior.
He finally turned and looked out towards the middle of town. One of the other ships fired a bolt and he watched it arching over towards the church. Following the path that many bolts before it had made to come to land in a hole in the decimated roof.
He was almost angry. Not because they were hitting the church, but because they were so very focused on hitting only the church. It took another second for him to see the woman that was standing on the roof of the building.
Firmin frowned at her, confused. The third ship fired a bolt at her. She took a step forward and the bolt fell behind her, not even grazing her braid that was being bounced around by the wind. The bolt ended up sticking straight up out of the center wooden beam. She didn't even turn around to look at it. Her attention was focused on his ship.
No. Not his ship. Him.
Firmin frowned as he walked to the railing of the airship and looked out over the distance. There was no mistaking it, she was turning to follow him. Every so often, she would take a step to either side, avoiding more bolts fired at her from the other ships.
She was... familiar. Where had he seen her before?
As he was trying to remember, two of the ballistae aboard his ship took aim. They fired at the same time, hoping to cage her in with two bolts at once. A soldier called out a signal and both men fired. A moment later, the third man, having needed extra time to fire, released his bolt as well. All three, arched high into the sky.
The girl on the roof didn't move this time. She remained still, waiting.
At the last second possible, she finally reacted. She ducked slightly, grabbing her sword. She brought it up again in a wide arc, slicing it across the air before her. The first two bolts were cut clean in half, and the pieces clattered down the roof uselessly.
She turned around and slammed the point of her sword down into the roof, locking it in place. She came up again, this time reaching out her bare hand. She grabbed the third bolt out of the air and continued spinning, burning out the momentum of its fall. She completed the spin so that she was facing his ship once again, bolt in hand like a spear.
As Firmin watched, she twisted it around her hand before planting it down, standing tall.
More shots were fired, coming from at least six of the ballistae.
She moved once again, twisting the bolt over her head. She turned around and began cutting the barrage of shots out of the air like she was swatting flies. She moved fast, her head always turning just a slight second before of her body.
The final three archers of his ballistae operators began assisting the others in trying to be the one that brought her down.
They didn't even appear to bother her. She knocked them away without a single misstep, causing the wasted bolts to fall down around the roof like confetti. She couldn't be hit, no matter how many of them fired at once.
Firmin growled, turning to his men.
"Enough!" He shouted angrily. They were just using up ammo on her. He didn't think she would tire before they ran out of bolts. They should focus on attacking the town, not focusing all of their fire on a single girl.
It almost looked like she was drawing their fire. Like a distraction...
Firmin turned quickly, his mane of auburn hair smacking around his face. It was too late for him to call out a warning. The Cloud Gazer was already closing in on the ship just behind his.
They had ballistae of their own, and they weren't wasting their shots. They were blowing holes in the bottom of the ship as they dove past, aiming for the heavy engine at the back and bottom. Firmin knew the exact moment that they hit it by the cloud of black smoke that exploded out from the vessel. The engine began to sputter and die.
As the Cloud Gazer was zooming past, from the back end, a series of grappling hooks were thrown over to grasp the rails. The momentum of Cloud Gazer rushing by jerked the ship out of its alignment. The busted engine could no longer keep it aloft and flying straight. Their jerk kept it from crashing into Gy-Hamelin.
Instead, it was falling straight down towards the ground.
Firmin bared his teeth in anger as it crashed down into a broken pile of rumble almost perfectly opposite of where the remains of his previous two ships still sat in the valley.
The Cloud Gazer's engine roared to life and it began escaping to the sky again.
Firmin looked back towards town, but the girl had finally abandoned her position on the roof. The ship being taken down had turned all eyes away from her and the bolt fire had stopped, giving the girl enough time to make her escape.
Another distraction, he realized angrily.
The church bell began tolling once again.
The second signal wasn't for Cloud Gazer. The ballistae archers in Gy-Hamelin that had all been hidden, ducking out of sight, leapt to their stations. Bolts began firing from the borders of the town, aiming for the final two ships.
Firmin's ballistae attempted to fire back, but only managed to free a few shots. They had wasted so much of their ammo on the girl that they began running out when it came time to return fire.
As one of the bolts ripped through the railing on Firmin's ship, he came to a new, horrifying realization. The bolts being fired back at them were the very same ones they had fired to begin with. To avoid wasting their own ammo, Gy-Hamelin was recycling Gascony's.
The second ship caught on fire as their engine was destroyed. Firmin growled angrily as the soldiers tried to douse the fire to no avail.
The Cloud Gazer came back around again, this time aiming for the doomed ship. They fired in passing again, but they needn't have bothered. The really important thing was that, like the other airship, they grappled it in passing and used their own velocity to yank it out of way of the city. They very nearly threw this one at the ground.
"Away!" Firmin barked to his people.
The crew was all too happy to obey. The lead ship didn't finish its final circle of the town. They began pulling up and out of harm's way. Launching into the air just as Cloud Gazer tried to make a third and final pass at them. They fired a few bolts, but they hit only wood.
Firmin growled down into the town.
The girl was back. Not on the church roof. She had climbed to the top of the bell tower and was staring at him from the peak of the steeple. Wind was pulling at her braid wildly now. As the last of the sun set behind the mountains, he could see the light reflecting off of the odd material of her shirt.
Firmin frowned, leaning closer.
Metallic shirt, blowing in the wind as though it were made of cloth. Worn by a girl with bright blonde hair trapped in a braid.
He knew her. Where did he know her from...?
The caves. Standing at the entrance of the tunnel. Smirking at his soldiers, daring them to chase her before taking them on a long distraction that had lost Firmin his prisoners and his leverage. Just like before, she was the bait in a trap that his soldiers had walked right into.
South Gate. That's what it was. The girl from South Gate that had stolen his victory. The captain had left that battle with a broken jaw from where she had punched him in the face. Now she was here in Gy-Hamelin, clearly leading this force.
She hadn't worn the pin of a high knight the last time Firmin had seen her. In fact, he did believe that she had been traveling with a high knight instead. A woman that led an army with a high knight at her side who was able catch ballistae bolts out of the air.
There was only one class of person who could do such a thing. She wasn't just a backwards hick from a tiny border town. That girl was a paladin.
Down in Gy-Hamelin, the soldiers and townspeople began cheering as the third and final ship began retreating back into the sky. The city had a few more holes and there were some fires that needed to be brought under control, but they weren't under enemy occupation this time. They much preferred this outcome to the alternative.
"Will you get down from there?!" Nicolas called up from the bell tower.
Colette didn't move immediately, watching the ship fly away for a moment longer before she finally agreed to come back inside.
She dangled from the edge, content to drop into the tower directly. Nicolas wasn't comfortable letting her do so and he reached out to wrap his arm around her thighs instead. He held on tight as she released the roof and allowed him to pull her inside.
She smiled. "We did it."
"For now," he growled, lowering her slowly. "I can't take my eyes off of you for a single second. What were you thinking, climbing out there?"
"I wanted to get a better look at General Didier."
Nicolas sighed, releasing her. "So? What did you think?"
"You were right. He was a very serious man."
He nodded. "They'll be back again. They won't want to give up on Gy-Hamelin so quickly."
She smiled. "No, but by the time they return, the city will be protected by a proper troop of soldiers, and we'll have moved on to the next town. Come on, we have to tell Sybille that my plan was successful. Again. That's two in a row, you, grumpy worrier."
"One of us has to maintain a level head," Nicolas sighed.
He felt his heart finally unclench to see her reaching for the ladder leading down into the church. It terrified him to think of her exposed on the roof. He knew that she could handle herself just fine, but he couldn't help but worry.
He cared about her entirely too much now. He didn't want to get attached, but, Lord help him, he was. She had just found a way to worm her way into his heart with that carefree smile and limitless confidence.
"You coming?" Her voice called up when he didn't immediately follow.
"Yeah. I'm coming." He followed after her. Just as he always did.