A Interruption

"Prince Donald! Prince Donald! We require your assistance!" A frantic voice cries, as a harried, exhausted peasant limps into the feasthall.

He's almost ignored by the revellers at first, until Donald stands and calls for quiet.

"What is it, man?" the prince asks, ignoring the peasant's interruption.

"I'm from Bennoch, a small village in the mountains, Your Grace." the peasant explains, kneeling before the royal. "Two days ago, a rockslide the like of which hasn't been seen in any of our elders' times struck our village. Many buildings destroyed, many dead. The Ealdorman of Bennoch sent me to beg assistance, relief."

"Spirits preserve us." Donald says, his sentiments echoed by many of the feasters. In fact, the atmosphere has gone rather quickly from raucous to funereal.

"You'll have your aid, good messenger." the prince pronounces. "Someone find this lad a bed and some food."

The news of the dire event sours the rest of the evening. In fact, it isn't long before the feast is concluded early, as Donald, Kara and some of the Beathan lords excuse themselves to plan the relief effort.

You yourself head back to your tent.

-

"Your Majesty, I wasn't expecting you back so soon." Vanessa smiles, welcoming you into your tent. "Perhaps you'd care to celebrate the Contests' conclusion with me, instead?"

"Not now, Vanessa." You say, holding up your hand to stop her advances, before explaining the situation to her.

"By all the Gods, how awful!" The whore cries. "I thought the mountains in this kingdom were beautiful, in their own fearful way. But a rockslide..."

You have Vanessa pour you some wine, swiftly downing it, you try not to think about the disaster. Though the redhead's reference to Beatha's imposing topography rather makes it difficult. Ever since the peasant mentioned the village's mountainous location, and the rockslide, your mind has been unable to think of anything but the trip you'd taken with Donald, and the Spirit you encountered in the temple near the peak. Surely, the two things were unrelated? This catastrophe wasn't the Lady of the Mountain's retribution for your aggressive actions, was it? You sip your wine and do your best to **** the thought from your mind. It's not quite that easy.

-

Several hours later, Donald enters your tent. Daena is at his side, though there's little trace of the debauched carouser you'd spent so much time with recently.

"Vanessa, would you give Donald and I some privacy?" You slur. The redheaded whore obliges with little fuss, despite the late hour. You sense the Beathan heir desires to speak to you and you alone.

"By the Spirits, Edward!" Donald exclaims, clutching at his face. "What have we done?"

"Y-you don't know if this rockslide is related to what we did. Natural disasters have been known to happen..."

"Bullshit, it's the Lady's ****. How could we have been so foolish?" Donald says despairingly.

"We don't know that." You insist again, scarcely believing your own words. "No demon, or-or magical creature has that kind of power!"

"Aye, but a Spirit would!" Donald counters. "I can't believe I let you talk me into..."

"Edward! Edward! Have y'seen my brother?" Kara's voice sounds from outside your tent, the princess' breathing erratic, her voice flustered. Quickly, you invite her in.

"There you are." Kara says grimly, seizing her brother by the shoulder. "A scout's just shown up, from the Unholy Spring."

Pure alarm flashes in Donald's eyes, before he's able to muster a little restraint.

"All in that camp are unharmed, but they've had messengers from other villages. It would seem Easkirk and Garranby have suffered similar disasters."

The news seems to light a fire under the soon to be King.

"Fucking hell." He curses.

"Three rockslides, removed enough in distance, within a week of each other." Kara grimly assesses. "Spirits only know what's happened to raise the Mountain's ire."

With that, Donald turns on his heel, giving you one last furious look.

"Come on, Kara." He insists. "Let's rally the lords. We ride out tonight, not in the morning, to see what aid we can provide."

Kara looks back at you, with a great deal more sympathy, then jogs after her brother.