#omw to retrieve my wife

[nextwarden]

Brungen the guard

Usually, when things went down, Brungen had the good fortune to be posted elsewhere in the city. He'd been with the dock inspectors during the assault on the remparts by a battalion of assassins sent by the enemy to end the royal family's life, and on holiday with his family in the countryside during the days of fog when the third legions of Doomguard had come to a standoff with the Holy Paladins. Today, however, he immediately knew he had no such luck. When something crashed in the woods bordering the great forest he still had hope it might have been a meteor but before they could send out a squad to investigate, a cloaked silhouette walked out of between the younger trees, headed straight towards them. They stopped at the gate at a sufficient distance to be seen and heard but not too close to be immediately attacked, as if they knew the exact threshold with eerie precision. He realized this after the fact but it had been the first sign of what was to come. The second one had been the fact that the cloaked individual seemed relaxed enough and waited to be addressed to speak.

"Stop right there!" yelled their division leader, a man he'd only ever addressed as Captain, who'd been called to the remparts as soon as the individual had appeared. "State your business!"

The third sign had been when the individual replied in a calm and clear voice despite the distance. They did not shout yet Brungen had heard everything as clearly as if he'd been standing beside them.

"I have come to ask of the Citadel to release the prisoner they are currently holding below, in the dungeons."

"What prisoner may that be, exactly? And who are you to make such a request of their Highness?", the division leader had shot back with a scoff.

In ordinary circumstances such a type of request would surely be treated with more reverence yet this mysterious person had not followed any of the traditional politeness, neither coming closer to have a face to face talk, nor revealing their identity and their face. They did not show any deference in their way of addressing the guards either. This carelessness was either the mark of an affront by an opposing force or a sign of unimportant business. All good statemen and their aids or envoys knew of this. To add insult to injury, the individual returned the scoff in kind.

"My ask is not a request but a demand, make no mistake. I am here to have the prisoner you are holding in the dungeons of the Citadel - you must know which, there is only one of importance - released, and I shall see to it," now this had felt like a threat. Not so smart on their part, thought Brungen. Still, the individual continued. "As for my identity, it matters not."

As peculiar as that may seem, that attitude was not one that was foreign to the forces of the Capital whom were tasked with the guarding of the main gates. Many came and went with high and mighty attitudes, it was part of the job to know how to deal with them. Whether that was with patience, flattery, intimidation or simple yet efficiently measured violence. From the frown on the leader's face, Brungen knew this called for the latter option. Subdue the inconvenient fellow and ask questions later, that was both the quickest and the most satisfying solution to this problem. 

"Very well then."

The leader gave the word to his second and soon one of the two large doors sealing the entry to the Capital opened by a fraction. Five men walked out, following the leader's second in command and went towards the individual. All of them were in armour and armed, two had large dogs with them, and the second in command was on horseback. They encircled him without resistance, the cloaked individual did not seem to mind. A shiver ran down Brungen's spine as he saw the scene unfold. He was tense, as usual. Maeria often told him to relax or he would live to barely half her age, he rarely was able to remain at ease in such situations, unfortunately. This time, however, he sensed something was different. His knees were weakening by the second and sweat was collecting on his brow.

Before he was able to notify the leader, the second in command shot the man with the large black dog carved on his plastron standing atop the remparts a questioning look, to which he replied with a nod. No, this was a bad decision, he could sense it, he had to warn them! Too late, the second in command gave the order and, all as one, the five men drew their sword and took a step forward, the two that were holding the dogs' leashes barked a word and the hounds pounced. They'd attack the legs, maiming slightly if one was unlucky, to immobilize while the rest of the guards fell on top of them, rendering them unable to resist in a flash. At least that's how it should have happened. Brungen did not see exactly what transpired but he felt the wave of cold that followed the loud bang.

Suddenly, the hounds were running back to the gate, howling their fear away, the five guards were sprawled on their back on the ground a dozen feet away from the cloaked individual, unmoving, and the second in command had the tip of a spear to his neck. The cloaked man seemed to mutter a few words which did not please the second in command. He drew his sword but as soon as it was out of its scabbard, the blade was flying in pieces and the tip of the spear was pointed against his neck once more, slightly deeper than before. Once again the cloaked individual seemed to speak. This time the horse rider nodded and slowly steered his mount backwards towards the gate. The cloaked individual planted their spear in the ground and once again waited patiently.

"What the hell was that, Jorak?!" the leader spat at his subordinate once he had dismounted and scaled the stairs leading atop the remparts.

The one named Jorak sighed, his face was pale, he seemed to have lost all his earlier vitality.

"I… I don't really know sir. He moved faster than I could follow. Must be a user."

The leader's frown grew deeper. He returned his gaze towards the mysterious man standing a distance from the gates.

"What did he say?"

"First he… asked to drop my weapon quietly. As you saw I tried to correct him but…", Jorak shook his head weakly, "then he told me..."

Brungen did not hear the rest of the sentence, Jorak had inched closer and was whispering into the leader's ear. The older soldier's battered face grew darker and his frown deeper. He let out a grunt, whether it was of frustration, outrage, or acknowledgement, or perhaps yet all three, Brungen knew not, but his feeling of unease became more palpable by the second. he couldn't say a word now, of course, that would probably be seen as cowardice and there was a very real probability of him getting court-martialled for it. But it didn't mean he wanted to stay there.

"Call the Spada and find someone to go fetch the Minister, he's the one in charge."

Brungen noticed the battalion leader's teeth did not part he seethed the order more than he spoke it and he saw the relief on Jorak's face as he was given momentary leave from this place. Then he turned towards Brungen.

"And go fetch me those idiots!"

Ah fuck. Brungen couldn't help the look he exchanged with his colleague, a burly woman by the name of Banna the young, or so he thought he remembered, as they descended the stairs and hurried towards the cart. He saw the indifference in her eyes and was glad to find that she did not care about his discomfort as she too was not entirely happy with the task. They had no room to refuse, however, the leader was many times their superior and it was a direct order given to them at a critical moment. They could only clench their cheeks and get on with it as quickly as possible. The men lying on the field before the gates had seemed unconscious rather than dead, which probably meant that they would be fine. Probably.

He eyes the individual wearily as he approached along with Banna. He would have not let his eyes stray from them for fear of being done in in a similar way had he not felt the oppressive aura that poured out from them. Definitely a user. Quickly and as efficiently as possible, he and Banna gathered the unconscious bodies and loaded them in the cart before dragging them back inside the remparts. The individual did not move more than his eyes to follow them as they did. He couldn't see them but he could feel their weight on his shoulders, one he had not felt since the battle of Urnath when they'd attempted to drive back the Ashen Legions to the northern border. Oh how spending the day with the in-laws in the countryside was infinitely more appealing in that moment… But noooo, Mary, you don't understand, Mary, I have a responsibility, I can't just go and take days off like this, what if I'm needed? He groaned both at the effort and at his own idiocy as they dragged it to a halt behind the gates. He was about to offer to help unload them in the medical bay but a quick order from the healers to leave them alone sent Banna and him back to the top of the remparts. He'd almost protested but found himself content to have followed the woman's movement back to their original spot when the Spada arrived, bringing four of the ground guards with them to meet the stranger.

They were six, half of the squadron, the best of the best of the keep's soldiers, and along with them he recognized distinctive silhouette of Thigam and the lanky one belonging to Vanesh If two of the former Hero's party were there, it meant the Minister had received the news and had deemed it serious enough to send them to deal with it but not enough to preoccupy himself personally. And assuredly, a few instants later, before the Captain had any time to comment on the situation, a messenger came with a missive. Brungen watched his brows scrunch and his shoulders relax. Good news, apparently. He let out a silent sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding. He'd done enough grunt work for the day and was plenty happy letting more competent individuals take over. Perhaps he'd relaxed too much, so much that he missed something. That would certainly explain the surprise at the force field crackling under before him as if some inhumane pressure was being applied to it. He'd felt the sudden need to let out a yawn - his saving grace, an aura theorist would probably have explained had he asked afterward. It had been speculated that the release of pressure in one's eardrums in the exact moment a spell was received reduced the impact on the skull and the rattling of the brain. Years worth of practice had shown some truth to this yet more research was necessary.

Brungen had heard less of the exchange than the first time, the individuals on the ground exchanging in more close quartered yet no less tense tones. The people of the Spada had spread to form a half circle around the individual, while Thigam had stepped forward and Vanesh remained a few steps behind. They hadn't seemed to want to engage yet, simply  They'd asked for a name once again and required a reason for the individual's presence. The reply had been similar to that of the first round of question, only slightly more exasperated. Some of it reached Brungen's ears due to the wind picking up slightly.

"So you will neither name nor reason, then?"

"None matter here. Either release the prisoner you hold or I will retrieve them myself."

"And you believe an envoy of the Ashen…", part of the sentence slipped by him as the wind faltered, "no claim here", again the wind changed direction. "... back to the shadows."

He heard not the rest but saw the individual shift position, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. The eight down on the ground seemed to tense at that. Then another command was issued by Thigam, surely an order to surrender to the powers at be. Had he followed the discussion more closely, Brungen might have frowned as Banna had at that moment, as the Captain had too. He might have noticed the subtle shift in the shadows around the men, lengthening and leering towards the individual. He might have, too, noted the way Thigam dug the fore of his foot in the earth. Perhaps he might have even noticed the shift in the air, the sudden drop in temperature. Unfortunately Brungen had chosen that exact moment to turn his head around and let out a silent yet jaw-cracking yawn. He closed his eyes and let out all the fatigue and the tension that had built until then flow out, or at least he tried. Despite the Spada finally arriving to take care of the individual, and Thigam the Ox being there to take them down if anything happened, he couldn't quite settle back into his carefree routine. Not only had he to keep appearances up for the Captain, but the situation had not been resolved yet and despite all his flaws he was nothing if not thorough in his job when it was required of him. Vanesh's presence, although welcome, also put him on edge. Both of the former members of the Hero's party were undoubtedly strong, but Vanesh's ways with the somber side of the arts was not something he enjoyed in experiencing, not from the audience, nor from first hand experience, which he'd had both of. His stomach almost churned at the memory and it took all the blanching he had in him not to give back to the remparts what belonged to the remparts. Then he turned around and immediately knew he could kiss his quiet afternoon goodbye.

Three of the six spada had been encased in ice, two were nowhere to be seen - late rto be found near the edge of the forest, still unconscious - and the last one lay sprawled near the individual, unmoving. Unknown individual who held a strange fist stance which he understood the nature of when he literally felt the whole of the force field shake and sizzle. He barely had time to look down and see Thigam slide from the half wall height at which he splattered himself to the ground below him, unconscious. The situation, already graver than grave, became alarmingly alarming when Brungen realized his coworkers also laid sprawled atop the remparts, and Vanesh was eyeing the individual but not moving. There was a second of silence, during which the court sorcerer eyed his crumpled comrade, before he moved again. His hands raised, thin fingers deftly manipulating strands of litteral shadows - at least that's what Brungen swore he saw each time - and rousing two puppets of the same unreal substance. It was as if the Sun had cast away its gaze from the two spots where now full grown armoured silhouettes stood. Brungen almost sighed in relief, almost. And he immediately felt gratification in not doing so when he saw the unknown individual gather his spear with a motion of the hand and a crack. Regret followed suit upon the realization that being right did not always feel right, something Mary had made abundantly clear over the years. The spear cut through the two puppets he was positive he'd seen deflect a literal dragon's breath before, as if they were nothing but one of those flimsy arguments he gave to justify being up and about in the kitchen at three in the morning. Then, as Vanesh stepped back to cast the spell he'd apparently been brewing in backup, he was tripped and rendered unable to retaliate by a well-placed hit to the back of the neck. Not enough to kill, Brungen hoped despite himself.

Then came the actual worst thing of the day - yet, worst thing of the day yet, echoed a voice deep inside his unhinged mind. The individual collected his spear and without another look at his opponents, walked up to the front gate unhindered. The party sent his way had been neutralized and none of the few guards left on the top of the remparts were up for the task of following up to that.

Brungen almost acted upon his desire to make a dive for the stairs and warn the others, almost. Insead he felt his hairs stand on his forearms and the cold drop of ice that ran down his spine as he watched the hooded man (he was pretty sure, he'd noticed fair coloured stubble on their chin and they were too tall to be a dwarf) raise a hand, palm open and placed against the invisible barrier. Invisible until that moment at least. Something radiated out of said palm and rippled along the whole of the barrier. For an instant, Brungen almost had the thought that the man was trying to force his way inside. He saw the bluish hue expand from the tip of the fingers, along the invisible surface, and felt energy sizzle under the touch and the pressure that came with it. Then he had the thought that the man was, in fact, actually trying to force his way inside. On any other day he'd have scoffed at that, but he'd seen enough to only cough out half a lung as he swallowed the wrong way. There was a huge rumble, a flash of icy hue, and something like lightning ran through his bones. Then the barrier cracked, the man walked through, and Brungen wondered if this was the Gods' way of repaying him for all those missed opportunities of dying a hero.

—

PREVIOUSLY | NEXTLY

A Hero’s Retirement

[love-strawberry]

let's fall in love for the night

summary : in which it's a date for them and an occasion for their castmate to third wheel.

pairing : ben barnes x reader

warnings : language

author's note : i love this sm <3 i love ben barnes like it's not healthy anymore, n e ways, enjoy!! requests are open

tagged : @slut4benbarnes @mrs-brekker15

masterlist

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liked by tchalamet, freddycarter1, benbarnes and 3,688,872 others

y/n_ turns out that ben CAN cook

tagged benbarnes

74,519 comments

username awww

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benbarnes excuse you, you doubted my cooking skills?

-> y/n_ i'm sure everyone did darling

username they're my otp

freddycarter1 please don't eat the pesto pasta he makes, gave me food poisoning

-> y/n_ duly noted, thank u for the heads up

username LMAO BEN GIVING FREDDY FOOD POISONING

amitasuman_ pleased come back soon, we're gonna watch thor ragnarok

-> y/n_ omw baby

username her relationship with the cast>>>

username i'll never have this kinda love

tchalamet mom and dad on a date ooooo

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liked by jessie_mei_li, daniellegalligan_, y/n_ and 3,427,872 others

benbarnes you have my heart

📸 : kittheyounger

tagged y/n_

75,628 comments

username they're so precision

username my babies

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jacktwolfe please give me back my bag ben

kittheyounger 🔪 thank u for FINALLY giving me photo credit

-> benbarnes i wouldn't have to if you didn't come when i told you that it was a date

-> kittheyounger details details blah

username lmao kit crashing their date is hilarious

y/n_ you have mine

-> benbarnes 🤍

username hahahaha im so lonely hahaha

daniellegalligan_ my wife looks so good

jessie_mei_li ❤️

username them>>>

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username mom and dad

archierenaux3 hope you had fun mate! we really tried to stop kit but he escaped his trailer

username on my knees for them

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username they're THE superior couple

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liked by jacktwolfe, calahan.skogman, y/n_ and 3,628,927 others

y/n_ please stop being so cute, thank u

tagged benbarnes

79,427 comments

username he's so adorable

username 'bad guy' sir you're the epitome of a golden retriever

username AHHHHHHHHSHHSHSBXJXHXHZJ

benbarnes stop being so pretty then

-> y/n_ can't turn off default settings love

username hands 😩🥵

username gorgeous

freddycarter1 the most beautiful man

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archierenaux3 please tell him to return that cap

-> calahan.skogman and that jacket

-> jacktwolfe pretty sure that coffee was supposed to be mine

username 💦💦

tchalamet marry me sir benbarnes

-> benbarnes 💍🧎🏻‍♂️

username he's so pretty i wanna cry

username i don't know if i want to be y/n or ben

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liked by tchalamet, kittheyounger, freddycarter1 and 3,528,872 others

benbarnes date night but (unfortunately) with kit

tagged y/n_ kittheyounger

73,659 comments

username lmao kit always third wheeling them

username poor kit

username BAHAHAHA I CAN JUST IMAGINE KIT SCOWLING WHENEVER BEN AND Y/N ARE BEING CUTE

username 🤍🖤

y/n_ had the most amazing night, excluding kit ofc

-> benbarnes same, with the exception of kit

-> kittheyounger honestly, fuck you both

username HDUSKAKS THEM BULLYING KIT

kittheyounger 🔪

username 🤧

amitasuman_ so sorry, we failed to detain kit. again

username 😭😭

jacktwolfe i love those glasses

-> kittheyounger i stole one for you jk no i didn't

username this cast>>>

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username 🧡🧡🧡

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