[Once again, surprise is Alaric's second-best weapon and between that and his sword, he's able to take out one of the mercenaries before the real chaos starts. He clashes with a second and throws the dagger at a third (it doesn't even kill, damn) and then—
And then Blanche is yelling his name and there's something in that shout that chills him to the bone.
(Is that what he sounded like when he thought that lightning strike had killed her?)
He doesn't need to turn to look, he knows she's already rushed in after him. But she shouldn't be - she should be casting from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the fray so she can maneuver her way toward the door and out to safety - doesn't she get that this is the only way she'll survive? Isn't that the only solution to all of this?
Maeve is fast and Alaric's distracted, and in the brief moment it takes for him to shove this lancer back and finish him, those words ring out and Alaric turns just in time to watch that shot hit Blanche right between the eyes. She falls like a stone, and for a moment that feels like it lasts an eternity, Alaric simply stares.
(Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.)
He asked one of his fellow guards once what a knight does when their charge dies. He was told he'd better pray that never happened, and when he killed all of Blanche's siblings, he made sure to kill their guardians first. What would they have felt if he hadn't, if they'd been alive to witness the death of the person they were supposed to protect?
Did any of them see their charge the way he sees Blanche?
Does it even matter anymore?
The cry that leaves him is equal parts fury and anguish, and all rational thought stops. Perhaps, if he were the sort of person who had any restraint or self-preservation at all, he would try to find another solution that isn't throwing himself at Maeve. Maybe things could have turned out differently if he'd taken a moment to think before acting in the first place. But none of that matters now - and none of it matters very quickly, because between Maeve and the remaining mercenaries, Alaric can't possibly hope to last long. He leaves behind serious injuries on several of them, but blind rage isn't the best way to handle anything, and this is no exception.
It isn't Maeve that kills him. One of the lancers stabs him straight through the back. He barely has time to register it before an axe comes down on his neck.]
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And then Blanche is yelling his name and there's something in that shout that chills him to the bone.
(Is that what he sounded like when he thought that lightning strike had killed her?)
He doesn't need to turn to look, he knows she's already rushed in after him. But she shouldn't be - she should be casting from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the fray so she can maneuver her way toward the door and out to safety - doesn't she get that this is the only way she'll survive? Isn't that the only solution to all of this?
Maeve is fast and Alaric's distracted, and in the brief moment it takes for him to shove this lancer back and finish him, those words ring out and Alaric turns just in time to watch that shot hit Blanche right between the eyes. She falls like a stone, and for a moment that feels like it lasts an eternity, Alaric simply stares.
(Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.)
He asked one of his fellow guards once what a knight does when their charge dies. He was told he'd better pray that never happened, and when he killed all of Blanche's siblings, he made sure to kill their guardians first. What would they have felt if he hadn't, if they'd been alive to witness the death of the person they were supposed to protect?
Did any of them see their charge the way he sees Blanche?
Does it even matter anymore?
The cry that leaves him is equal parts fury and anguish, and all rational thought stops. Perhaps, if he were the sort of person who had any restraint or self-preservation at all, he would try to find another solution that isn't throwing himself at Maeve. Maybe things could have turned out differently if he'd taken a moment to think before acting in the first place. But none of that matters now - and none of it matters very quickly, because between Maeve and the remaining mercenaries, Alaric can't possibly hope to last long. He leaves behind serious injuries on several of them, but blind rage isn't the best way to handle anything, and this is no exception.
It isn't Maeve that kills him. One of the lancers stabs him straight through the back. He barely has time to register it before an axe comes down on his neck.]