Lanius returned home after a trying day, exhausted. He entered and found that Diana had prepared a lavish and romantic dinner date at their dining room table. There were candles set out and a bottle of wine set out to breathe. Places were set for each of them with gorgeous, rare steaks and baked potatoes and asparagus with sliced almonds. As a special treat she had brought up the female they kept downstairs so they could take sustenance together. For vampires, drinking from the same person is intimate in nature. The food, however, is for pleasure only. Vampires can taste the food.
Understanding that Diana was attempting to disarm his endeavor of making her end their relationship, he decided the best way to deal with this is to avoid it. He greeted her gruffly.
"Hello, I trust your day was pleasant. I appreciate your effort in the romantic dinner but I am very tired. I just want a shower and to go to bed."
Completely dejected and dumbfounded she looked around at her diligent preparations and thought of all of the time and effort. Consciously stifling the urge to scream in a rage, she centered herself.
"What is the problem, my lord? It has been weeks since you have shown any interest in me or shown me any affection."
"I'm just preoccupied. There is much going on and my days have been long and tiresome."
"No, there is something else. Please talk with me? We can get through whatever is truly bothering you, together. Are you attracted to someone else? Have you been seeing someone else?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I'm just tired. Good night." He disappeared into the bedroom leaving her standing alone amongst her meticulously planned romantic dinner. Rage bubbled up within her like she has seldom known.
Bullshit! She thought but she restrained herself. If I push him too hard I will only push him further away. And through the tears of
anguish, heartbreak, sadness, naked anger welling up. I will have to let him come to me.
She turned and took the woman by her shoulders and bit into her. She had not fed in anticipation of feeding with Lanius and was famished. I do not feel like taking nourishment but if I do not do it now I will surely be weak later. She drank deeply, too deeply. She nearly drained the woman dry. When the woman collapsed in her arms she had to stop herself.
She carried the woman down into the basement and put her back in her cell. Stopping on the stairs on her way back up she could fend off the tears no more and she cried. Am I losing him? was the thought that kept repeating in her head. She was very frightened by that notion.
In the shower Lanius could not hold back his tears, either. He cried deeply and without sound for fear of Diana hearing. He knew that his actions were surely hurting her and that caused him great pain. He hated to think of her being anything but happy. It truly hurt him to know that she was in pain but he also knew that it was for the best. Likewise it occurred to him that it was coming to a point at which he would have to break it off. She was not going to do it. She's going to keep trying to bring romance back into our relationship. I know that she will not give up on us. I'm going to have to end it, for her own safety.
Now, both of them having cried separately and secretly over their relationship, sleep was on their minds. Diana finished cleaning up the dinner she had laid out and entered the bedroom finding Lanius propped up, reading by just the light of the lamp on his nightstand. Silently she went about readying herself for bed and returning in one of her sexiest nightgowns. A last effort to gain his interest on this night. Reaching over and clicking off the lamp, "Good night" was all that he said and rolled over away from her. Leaving her still wondering if she had lost him already.
~ ~ ~
In the morning he awoke before her and snuck out without waking her. He had decided that it was time to bring this to an end. He went to another of their properties in the city and started readying it for habitation. Most of it was in order as they kept several properties ready for them to stay in from time to time. All he really had to do was capture a couple border jumpers to stock the basement cells.
Diana awoke to find him gone already. Caressing his side of the bed she was swallowed up by her grief. She cried. This time loudly and completely out of control. Her pain was deep and awful. She had never loved as deeply as she loved Lanius and could not imagine her, or any, life without him.
By the time he returned she had composed herself and was sitting in their living room reading.
He came in and sat across from her in a large chair. She looked up from her book and saw the dire look on his face. Something was amiss.
This is the end. She was terrified of his words.
"Diana" he said gravely "I believe that our time together has come to an end."
"I have feared this for weeks!" she exclaimed struggling with the tears again. "Please, my lord, whatever is bothering you I'm certain that we can work it out. If you'll just talk with me I know our love will endure" she pleaded.
"No. I'm sorry. The last thing in the world I would want to do is to hurt you but I must leave. I will take up residence in our property in the city. You may stay here for as long as you like but I will no longer share a bed with you. We must part."
"You say you do not want to hurt me but leaving me is the most hurt that you can inflict upon me. Please!" she begged "stay with me. I know that our love can endure any challenge." She was now crying uncontrollably and her words were slurred. Lanius felt the tears welling up in him as well but he steeled himself against it. If he showed how much this was hurting him he could not make it stick. He knew that if he dragged it out that she would convince him to stay. It would not take much convincing.
"No, Diana. It's over. We can no longer be together. I must be alone. I hope that you can understand."
"No! Of course I do not understand. Have we not been happy together these past millennia? We have not been apart for more than a few hours in such a long time I cannot imagine life without you. I do not even remember a life outside of our being together. I will never understand this. Is there another? Answer me truthfully. Have you found comfort in another woman's arms?"
"No, I have been faithful to you. I just know that, at least for now, I must be alone. Those close to me are in constant danger and I could not live with myself if you were harmed."
"We are stronger than any adversary. No harm will come to me if we are together but if you leave me who will be there to protect me from the harm you fear?"
"I'm sorry Diana. We are done. You must figure out your life without me in it."
She sobbed openly. Pleading with her eyes for him to reconsider and take it all back. Her eyes said that they could pretend this conversation had not happened if only he would embrace her. He could not bring himself to leave while needing to be gone. He wanted to go to her. He wanted to hold her close and tell her that all would be okay. He wanted to comfort her and see the end to her tears but he knew that this must be done. After some time she began to compose herself.
"Will you drink with me, one last time, together? I can fetch the man from downstairs and we can feed together, one last time."
Reluctance washed over him and was prominent on his face for her to see. Sharing blood was such an intimate act for two vampires. The rush of fresh blood and the intimacy of the act often led to other intimate activities up to and including making love. It was a natural progression. Finally, he agreed.
"Yes. One last time, we can feed together but feed is all that we will do. There will be nothing else that comes of this action. And then I must go."
A serene smile enveloped her face. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and headed downstairs. He remained in the living room. He sat, uncomfortably, thinking that it was a mistake. He feared his love for her would rush up on him while they were feeding and he would not be able to control his love and would embrace her. I must be strong. This is for her own safety. He told himself as he waited. But it was uneasiness that he felt. He felt he should leave before she returned.
She returned with their male prisoner and pushed him close in between them. She reached out to caress his cheek and he retreated. The tears welled up in her again. This time she controlled them, with effort. She began to feed first and he joined. He felt the blood rush fresh nourishment into his cells and felt his love for her welling up. Desperate desire to take her into his arms and kiss her deeply threatened to overwhelm him. Memories of nights together filled his mind and he wanted to take her, right then and there. To make love to her and tell her he wasn't going anywhere. Tell her that he would be a fool to leave her.
Then into his mind crept the memory of her being taken. He saw the two vampires holding short swords against her skin and he pulled back.
She sensed him disengage and so she did as well. She searched his eyes for the love that she felt for him to be returned but he had steeled himself. He was leaving. She knew that now. She could see that he had set his mind to it and she knew that meant that he was already gone.
Finally, through the tears she wept openly she slurred "Good bye my darling, I will love you, always."
"And I will love you, Diana. Take good care of yourself."
Hearing that she rushed into the bedroom and threw herself on the bed. Her cries of pain were loud and stuttering with the breath she struggled to inhale. He stood for a moment listening to her cry so openly.
This pain is required to make her safe. While we will be apart she will be safe from harm. This is for the best.
He left their house for the last time. He got into his truck and drove to the property in the city. There he could hold back the tears no more and he, too, wept uncontrollably. The love that he loved so deeply had to be set aside for her safety. He knew this to be true but it did not do anything to assuage his pain. He knew that he could never love anyone as much as he loved Diana. That he could never love so completely again. It's for the best.
`
Oberon's apartment was fairly typical, even humble. His living room and dining room were plush but he spent most of his time in his bedroom. The door entered into the living room with a grand red sofa with velvet pillows and a thick marble topped coffee table of dark stained teak wood. The carpet was berber and white. In the corner stood a tall curio cabinet with several crystal spiders in it of various poses and types. Arachnids being a fancy of his he kept a, not inexpensive, collection for his own liking and as conversation pieces.
Passing through the dining room one sees a large ornate chandelier hanging above a grand oak table with six high backed armchairs with red cushioned seats. He was on the phone walking across the shimmering hardwood floor.
"No, you need to recruit more." he said with a sense of urgency and patronization in his voice. "There must be many in order to overwhelm the elder vampires. We must have more numbers."
He passed into the bedroom and there was a plain oak headboard atop a queen mattress and unmade sheets.
The television whispered local news in the background. He sat on the edge of the bed.
"Kimberly, you don't understand. It will take dozens at once to overwhelm one elder. You must recruit many more or we will certainly perish with those new vampires as we will be undone"
A noise in the kitchen grabbed his attention. In his paranoid state he wondered if it may be an elder spying on him and he slowly slunk toward the noise. Quietly, he peeked around the corner and saw nothing but his clean kitchen. Everything in order. Don't let the stress get to you, old man he thought before continuing.
"Kimberly, he wants you to recruit many more. Period. Is that clear enough for you? Perhaps you don't fear me but I know that you fear him and those are his orders. Now, execute them as you have sworn to do."
He hung up. Letting out an exasperated sigh he went back into his bedroom and threw himself on the bed in a reclined position to watch the news. He liked the happenings of the humans. It entertained him to see them and their society, running as if they, the vampires, didn't exist. He felt power over them knowing that he can kill any one of them were it his whim. His only fear was of older vampires who could dispatch him as easily as he would dispatch a human. Then a smug grin appeared on his face after thinking of the plot to make him one of the oldest vampires in existence. If their coup worked, he would be made Governor of Arizona. It was sworn to him. But now it was about time to feed.
~ ~ ~
Oberon did not do as The Council he served demanded of him, to only eat people who don't deserve to live. He just picked at random the easiest target he could find. Tonight that happened to be a single mother of two who was doing the grocery shopping when he drove by.
He saw her struggling to put the bags in the trunk of her Subaru.
"May I help you with that?" he asked sidling up next to her.
"Oh would you? I just need help with the cat food and litter, it's so heavy" she giggled, thankful for the help.
He snatched her, into his sleek black Lexus and then they were roaring down the street. She had all but fainted at the activity and was struggling to comprehend how she could be in a car being sped away when less than a second had elapsed when he pulled her close and sunk his teeth into her. She tried to pull away but he was much too strong. She felt herself getting weaker. Or, was he getting stronger? And then, just blackness as she passed out from loss of blood.
He had drained her dry and let her body go limp to the floor of his car. Feeling the blood rush fresh nutrients to all of his cells he felt so alive. He also felt the power over these humans. He could take anyone that he wanted.
The elders tell me that I must eat only humans who deserve death. Who are unworthy of their lives. Who are they to tell me what to eat? Soon they will be gone and I will have power. Then I will feast on whomever I want and damned be the consequences. If the human police come for me I'll just eat them, too.
He pulled behind a small strip mall and up next to one of the dumpsters. Looking around he saw that he was alone. He took the corpse from the floor of his front seat and slung her into the dumpster. He half-heartedly threw a couple of bags of garbage over top of her so the casual observer would not see her but it was a cursory effort. Looking around one last time, satisfied with his crime covered up, he slunk away in his sleek black car, sucking his teeth.
~ ~ ~
Lanius awoke and reached for Diana. His hand searched her side of the bed and found nothing but a cold, empty pillow. He awoke fully and sat up.
Oh yeah he thought absently scratching his arm. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes and he stifled them with the back of his hand and a strong will. It is for the best He told himself yet again and got up from the bed and flipped on the tv for background noise. He began to lay out his suit for the day when the news in the background caught his ear.
"The young mother was found in a dumpster behind the FYE game store. She, not unlike the several unsolved murders in San Francisco, was drained of her blood from two punctures in her neck. Police are asking for anyone who may have seen anything to please contact them ..." the pleasing baritone droned on. Lanius had heard all that he needed to hear. This was very bad. Someone was hunting here in Chandler and they weren't covering their tracks. Not to mention she was a mother. She doesn't fit the profile. This is very bad.
He skipped the shower and hurriedly dressed. He must convene with the Governor of Arizona and find out who this rogue is before more bodies turn up. Still adjusting his tie he was out the door and headed for his truck, phone in hand.
Well, at least i'm not thinking about Diana
As he drove he called Basalt, Governor of Arizona, to set an emergency meeting.
"Governor, we must meet at once to discuss a course of action to find this rogue who has murdered a single mother and left her in a dumpster. If the police should find him or her first we may have difficulty keeping it quiet.
"Yes, my Lord, come to my office now. I will make time."
"Summon the Magistrate, we must include him in our plans. I will be there in ten minutes"
Lanius hung up and sped his way toward the office of the Governor. Even in this time of racing thoughts he kept seeing Diana's face. He saw flashes in his mind of her in pain, the pain he had caused, and it distracted him. He was not thinking clearly.
Entering the office Lanius saw the two men already talking.
"Thank you, Magistrate Bruno, for joining us on short notice. Surely you have heard of the discovery of a woman in a dumpster on the news?"
"Yes, my Lord. I have already assigned two capable investigators from my office to the case."
"I don't have to explain to you the gravity of this situation, Magistrate. If the human police find a way to track down a vampire we may be discovered"
"Of course, I understand. My two investigators have contacts with the police and are right now trying to discover what they know. I also dispatched our own forensic team to the crime scene to see if they can find anything of help."
Lanius turned to Governor Basalt.
"Governor, please be sure to provide any resources that are needed and report to me any findings as soon as possible. We must handle this situation quickly and quietly."
"Yes, my Lord, I will assign Oberon to assist the Magistrate and the investigation.
"Let's get Sarasoto on the phone to see how this relates to San Francisco." Lanius dialed the phone and put it on speaker for all to hear.
"Yes my Lord." Sarasoto answered seeing Lanius on the ID.
"Sarasoto, what have you been able to ascertain in your time there so far. Please report."
"Well, my Lord I have found a young girl who was victimized by a pair of vampires; one male, one female. The male vampire drained the girl's friend while the female attacked their young girl, Ashley. The friend is deceased and Ashley was left to turn and to her own devices. We have a description of the two vampires but not yet a positive ID. Acting on information gleaned from the police reports we are searching the surrounding abandoned buildings in an area called The Tenderloin. It is where the dregs congregate. We have no results from that search right now but it is only in its infancy." Sarasoto replied quite professionally, especially for him.
"Well," Lanius began "Your work there has become more urgent. We have had a copy cat here in Chandler. A woman found by the human police in a dumpster, she was drained dry."
"We will redouble our efforts here, sir. Can we expect more help?"
"I will call the Governor of California and have him supply you with whatever you need. We must find these culprits before the humans do! Perhaps we will need the task force after all. Thank you Sarasoto, keep me apprised."
He hung up the phone and turned to the men in the room.
"Very well" said Lanius turning to leave.
"I leave this matter in your capable hands, gentlemen. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of service. And keep me apprised of any findings."
`
Diana awoke reaching for Lanius on his side of the bed. Coming fully awake and remembering that he was gone sent new shockwaves of grief through her and she cried hard, barely catching breath between sobs. She cried in bed for several minutes before it began to subside and she was able to inhale and exhale regularly. With her cheeks wet with streaming tears and her throat hoarse with calling for him she headed for the bathroom.
She felt more normal in a shower but still occasional sobs snuck in. By the time she was drying off she felt a little better and found she was actually thirsty. She hadn't felt the thirst for days, not since Lanius had left. Now it was imperative.
She went down to the basement, opening the door in time to catch the male trying to pick the lock with what looked like a part of the television. All her grief came out in a rage as she whipped open the cell door and ripped the man into pieces, starting with his arms. Blood flew everywhere and the man's screams of pain were barely audible over Diana's screams of rage and love.
Why did he leave me? He knows we are too strong together for anything to hurt us! How could he do this to me?!? She thrashed the man this way and that, tearing him to pieces. The woman in the other cell screamed in horror, and in fear, while Diana ripped the man to shreds of bloody gore dripping from every surface in the small cell and around it.
Diana stood in the center of the little cell, drenched in the man's blood, screaming toward the ceiling and feeling all of her love turn to rage. She was filled with it, consumed by it. Now she wanted to feed. She jerked around suddenly and set her eyes upon the woman.
She had ceased screaming when Diana had stopped moving but she was cowering in the corner of her cell flanked by her cot, offering measly protection. Diana moved swiftly, too fast for the woman to see. To the woman she appeared to move faster than light. She was in the other cell, just standing there staring and suddenly she was in front of her, there appeared to be no movement. It was instantaneous.
Diana drank deeply from the woman, feeling the fresh blood bring her strength and energy. Yes, I have waited too long to feed. I am starving. Diana thought draining the woman dry. She dropped the bloodless corpse to the floor and it collapsed in ashes. Diana could think of only one thing, to feed*. I must drink more.*
She leapt to her feet and, still smothered with the blood and gore from the man she tore apart with her bare hands, she went hunting. She burst out into the street in broad daylight still dripping blood and gore. She spotted a jogger and pounced, taking him from behind.
She sunk her teeth into his neck and fresh blood gushed from the bite. She drank deeply, suckling on the life giving blood as if she had never taken nourishment before. She drained the jogger dry and dropped him, glaring around the street she searched for more but the street was deserted.
She darted to the corner finding an old man on his porch, just sipping lemonade and staring at traffic. She leapt up onto the porch and clutched him in her iron grip. She bit into him and sucked him dry, letting the corpse drop to the battered wooden floor with a dull thud.
`
The year is 1066 in England. Lanius sits at the head of a long wooden table. Around it sits the men he keeps company with. They are warriors one and all. Today they sit comfortably and talk of past battles. Today they have no foe. The threat from Normandy which had kept the fyrd called out on the southern coast had passed with the season and they had all been dismissed to return to their needed duties in their villages.
They had stayed a full six weeks beyond the two months their King required of them each year. Lord Lanius is in the employ of the King. He leads an elite group of warriors called The Patriots. They are the King's personal housecarls. They are called upon whenever an enemy may be near and are at a constant state of ready. Lady Diana acts as matron to the men. She cooks and runs errands to the blacksmith for weapons and armor repairs. She cares for all of them as a mother does her children. Lanius leads by word and example. He charges first into any battle and leaves the battlefield last, never leaving a man behind, living or dead.
He is a great warrior for the King and is rewarded handsomely, as are they all, with lands and riches.
Lanius watches Diana as she moves from man to man making sure the plates and cups are filled. He can imagine no better woman, be her human or vampire. When it is possible, Diana disguises herself as a man and fights. And fiercely does she fight. Many men have fallen at the blade of her sword. Her strength and courage only add to her beauty. And when she cares for the men like this, she seems the dutiful wife and he loves her even more.
To his side sits Lucas. At the moment Lucas is in the midst of riotous laughter as he catches Cinnin in an exaggeration. Lucas wears long blonde hair and a goatee. He smiles easily and his smile is disarming. He is skilled at lightening the mood with jokes and can always make the ladies laugh. He dazzles them with his smile and makes them giddy with humor. Had any of them seen his intensity in battle they would be afraid of him. Even Lanius found it unsettling at times. He wouldn't stop smiling but the smile went from
charming to maniacal as he twisted his blade into foe after foe. "There were but ten of those men, Cinnin. And you say fifty? I fought that day beside you and there were no more than a dozen. We didn't even break a sweat dispatching those untrained fools."
"What do you know Lucas? You are always too busy joking to count the men you've slain." Cinnin returned trying to cover his shame at being caught in a lie.
"This isn't the first time you've exaggerated, Cinnin" chimed Severin, a wiry but strong vampire. He had a chiseled face and gaunt cheeks. He wore a full beard because he believed it bulked him up. His eyes were grey hazel and caught the eye of more than one woman in his time.
"Whenever you regale us of your time in battle we divide the number of foes you claim to have dispatched by at least five. We are all wise to your story telling."
"Well, if you do not believe me then you are the fools, not me. I may miscount but I do not exaggerate. Counting isn't my main talent."
"What are our orders tomorrow, Lord Lanius?" inquired Sarosoto, a large vampire, nearly as big as Cinnin who chooses to wield a two handed axe in battle just like Cinnin. He wields it with such accuracy from his mount that he can take two men down in one swing. That axe has saved Lanius more than once. He is an honest vampire, who always thinks of the greater good.
"Tomorrow we attend to our new King as he wishes. With the threat of invasion by William gone for the season, I am uncertain what duties he may have for us.
"I will take that as a queue to take my leave, with your permission my Lord?" asked Reaver. An average size man when he was changed, he wears heavy armor to make himself appear larger and has a Praetorian adornment on his helmet like Achilles of old to make him appear taller to his enemies. A hard vampire that has killed many men in his service to The Patriots. All of these vampires are loyal to Lanius, and to the Crown. A dozen vampires plus Diana, and they are the King's elite force.
~ ~ ~
Diana awoke and found Lanius sitting across from her in their quarters. "What are you looking at?" she asked sleepily and stretched.
"I was just watching you sleep. You are an angel. Your beauty is rivaled by none. And you are the strongest woman I have ever known; physically, and in mind."
"Please stop my Lord, you know how your words can embarrass me." She said blushing.
"Very well, I will stop. Today we must report to our new King and receive his orders. Rouse the men, they should be ready for anything our King desires of us."
"Yes, my liege." she replied and was off to do as she was bid.
`
Lanius strode into the room and bent before his King. "What orders have you for me and my Patriots, sire?" he asked on bended knee.
"We have received word that Norsemen invaders have come down the coast of Scotland to our soil and sacked the city of York in the north." Said King Harold. "We must recall the fyrd and ride north to meet these invaders in battle and defend our country. I will need you and your Patriots to do as you always do in battle, slay more men than the rest of the fyrd combined. I will lead you personally as the invading force is not only King Haardraade of Norway but he is allied with my own exiled brother, Tostig."
"Does Tostig seek revenge upon you for his exile or does he seek the Crown for himself?" asked Lanius.
"Likely both, I should think, but in order to get the support of the King of Norway he must have promised much to his ally. We shall depart at first light for the long trip north. We shall follow the old Roman road as it is the best route possible. We have been informed that the city of York has surrendered and have made arrangements to meet their conquerors at Stamford Bridge for an exchange of hostages and peace. Ready your Patriots for a fight and call out the fyrd. Then, get your rest. It will be a hard ride north and we have little time to cover it."
"Yes, sire. I shall do as you bid. Should you require anything else of me at this time?"
"No, trusted Lanius, I think that these orders are enough to keep you busy today." replied the King and turned toward his bed chambers.
`
Lanius found that Diana had gathered the Patriots around the same table as they occupied the night before.
"Are all present and accounted for, my Patriots?" demanded Lanius as he reached the head of the table.
"All present and ready for orders, my Lord!" came the reply in unison from each of them.
"We have learned that a foreign invader, KingHaardraade of Norway, who has allied himself with our King's own brother, Tostig, have arrived in the north with an army of near 10,000 and have sacked York. We must summon the fyrd to prepare for march at first light to the north by the old Roman road to meet these invaders at Stamford Bridge where they are not expecting a fight but a peaceful transfer of hostages from a sacked city of York."
Each man sprang into action, each knowing their duties to call out the fyrd. Lanius spent the day preparing the men as they gathered and briefing them on the task at hand. He was the voice of the King to the troops in times of battle. It was a long and tiring day making preparations with blacksmiths for armor and weapons for the farmers who showed up carrying nothing in the form of a weapon besides a rock at the end of a rope.
At the finish of a trying day and finally alone in a bed chamber Lanius and Diana kissed passionately. Lanius did not allow for affection between them in front of others. Only in private were they allowed to show their feelings for each other.
The absence of her touch had made Lanius long for her. Lying naked and entwined afterward, in a sated mood, Lanius mused about the threat from the north.
"The good King has not spared a man for this action we are to be headed into. He believes it is our greatest point of failure. I sense he is concerned more about the outcome of this skirmish than the future threat from Normandy."
"We shall see when we arrive. We thirteen have never backed down from a fight before, should we start now?" asked Diana, half kidding.
"No, certainly not" Lanius laughed "We will most certainly be the killing machines that we always are in battle but we cannot win a war all on our own."
"We could if given adequate time" Diana kidded.
"Yes, I'm sure we could drink the Norsemen dry if we were given months to do it but we have but a couple of days to turn a battle in favor of the King's army."
"Are you concerned that we may not be victorious?"
"Not so much us as the King's army. If we are the last standing against thousands of Norsemen we have no choice but to surrender. We are uncertain of their numbers. The estimates were not from a veritable source."
"It will not come to that." stated Diana flatly. "You will lead us to victory yet again, my Lord," then lovingly "as always."
"I hope that you are right, my love." Lanius sighed and drifted off to sleep holding Diana tightly.
`
In the earliest moments of dawn the men appeared one by one from their tents and packed up their provisions. King Harold and his army were preparing for the march north and The Patriots were ready to join. They rode in front with the other horsemen and the fyrd walked, half ran, behind them. More and more joined their ranks as they marched. They covered the ground between London and the north in rapid fashion making the long distance in just a few days.
The September noonday sun glinted off of spears and swords as the army of King Harold approached Stamford Bridge. The Norsemen were caught by surprise. They were expecting a peaceful parley and were scattered about the area in leisure. Some on the bank of the river from which the English advanced and they were speared by the horsemen before they could scramble back across the river to join their compatriots.
The Norsemen formed a rough battle formation and defended the bridge savagely from the encroaching English. They were slowly forced back trying to defend the bridge long enough for Haardraade to form up a flank. As the Norsemen fell to English steel eventually one gargantuan man stood in defense of the bridge. His large axe took the lives of nearly forty men before Lucas outsmarted him.
He seized a small tub of a raft, likely used to cure meat in brine, and crept under the bridge. He drove his spear up through the holes in the bridge and into the unarmored underside of the lone soldier.
The English crossed the bridge to find that Haardraade had formed a shield wall bent to form a ring of two ranks, protecting his position.
Harold, carrying a red shield with a golden hawk upon it, led a truce party of twenty horsemen to meet Tostig.
"The King offers your former title and lands in return for peace." King Harold called across the distance between them, hiding his own identity from the Norseman's army. He held him no ill will. "I come to offer you reconciliation if you return allegiance to England."
"Upon what terms?" spat Tostig, not trusting his estranged brother.
"You shall be restored the earldom of Northumbria."
Tostig was suspicious and inquired further. "What of my ally, Haardraade? What terms do you offer him?"
King Harold studied the frame of the giant and replied, "Six feet of English earth, perhaps a bit more as he is something tall."
"We shall see." retorted Tostig and the parley party departed.
The English horsemen advanced upon the shield wall crouched low in their saddles again and again with little success while the bulk of the army, on foot, came up behind them. Lucas, as he did in battle, stayed close to Lanius and Diana who were never very far apart, even in the heat of battle.
The Norsemen, foolishly believing that the English would send only a flurry of light attacks allowed for the shield wall to split. It was then that Lanius gave the order for his Patriots to charge and they split the ranks of the Norsemen just in time for the remaining English army to pour in and massacre their enemies.
Haardraade rushed into the fray swinging his axe and clearing a path but he succumbed to his fury, not being wary of those around him, and Lanius pierced his neck with a spear.
The King fell to the earth dying but Tostig did not give up. He rallied the remaining soldiers and attempted a defense.
King Harold halted his army and offered another truce party to his brother. Tostig returned a defiant answer and the battle raged on. The shield wall now completely collapsed, Tostig fell dead in a hail of arrows. Thus ended the second stage of the Battle at Stamford Bridge.
Then the reinforcements first sent for by Haardraade, when seeing the English, arrived. They had rushed from their position miles away so quickly that they were exhausted and cut down by the English with ease. As dusk fell the victorious English chased the remaining Norsemen and cut them down as they fled.
King Harold, not one to be vindictive allowed for Haardraade's body to be taken back to his flagship as he was satisfied with his victory. With this last bit of business here in the north finished, Lanius approached his King.
"Sire, this victory is certainly worthy of celebration. Let us return to York where they have just received us as saviors and feast. Surely the Normans are not going to land this late in the season and the army we have gathered here can rest, bury the dead, and nurse their wounds."
The King agreed and to York they returned. It was there that they received the message, two days later, that William had landed in the south, at Peverley, and his army was laying waste to the villages between there and Hastings where William had already built a fort for defense of the English soil he had secured.
"Let us immediately make haste for the south, my Lord." Lanius suggested. "We must march quickly to prevent William from taking London while the army we have here is so far north."
The King once again agreed with Lanius but insisted on waiting for morning to depart.
"The army needs to be rested for the march south. We will have to make haste and if the army is exhausted at the beginning of the battle with the Normans we will surely fail. If William has in fact established a fort at Hastings he is awaiting a fight there and does not intend to march for London until that battle is won."
"As always, I acquiesce to you, my King. I will pass along the order that we depart at first light for a double time march south to meet William's army."
`
It is with this memory running through his mind that Lucas decides he wants to check in on Diana. It has been a few days since Lanius left and he is concerned about her. He thought that they would be together forever.
Learning of Lanius leaving her left him in shock. He can only imagine how it is for Diana and Lanius.
He takes the turn onto the street towards Diana and meets another shock. Diana, covered in blood and standing in the middle of the street. Standing in what can only be her bedclothes she has blood dripping from her chin and hands and her top is nearly covered in blood. She is a frightening sight.
For a moment, he scarcely believes his own eyes. After that moment, he snaps into action. He leaps from his Jeep and runs to her. He takes her up in his arms and in a flash he has her back safely in her home. She seems completely catatonic. He leaves her there and runs back outside. He finds the jogger and the old man but no other body. Gripping the two he runs into the nearby park and disposes of the bodies.
Upon returning he finds Diana still catatonic.
"What were you doing out there? ... Diana! Answer me! Anyone could have seen you out there. I don't know if anyone already did." Diana sat in the chair as he left her, staring blankly out into space and uttered not a word.