The Mercian Rose: A Bluestreak Side Story
Written by TheInfamousMan
Art by SmacoArts
Kriemhild Rose yawned into her right hand as she stepped forward, her massive war hammer slung over her left shoulder. Her pink quills were matted with sweat and dust. The ruins of the castle she stood in the midst of were abuzz with activity as the king’s knights sifted through the wreckage of battle for anything that might be of value. The former snake and reptile civilians, as well as the nobles who once called this place their home, wept as the Royal Knights divided up the spoils or pushed prisoners to hurry up. If they were lucky, they would merely be sent to the dungeons.
Kriemhild had been around those stuck-up nobles wearing armor long enough to know what they thought about the “scaled freaks”.
The pink hedgehog stepped forward and watched as the fox draped in purple robes, gold necklaces, and jeweled golden rings along each of his fingers read from a piece of paper.
“Hrm. Kiremhild Rose…” the so-called General who had stayed far behind the lines of the mercenaries under his command muttered as he reached below the table and brought out two small pouches. When it touched the wooden table she heard the familiar sound of metal coins bumping and brushing against one another. “As promised, ten silver coins for your services and five gold coins for opening the front gate of Snottingham Castle single-handedly.”
Oh yeah, that had been a smart move on her part. During the siege on the castle, the mercenaries manning the battering rams had been taken out by some really good archers. The general had been freaking out, offering two gold coins for any group of six who could take one of the rams and bring the doors to the castle down.
Kriemhild said she could do it herself, but only if she got five gold coins. The fool thought she was joking and agreed.
Needless to say, the fact she was able to smash apart the castle gate made of steel reinforced oak with a single swing of her hammer was why the coward was paying her now.
“Snottingham… That’s what they’re calling it now, huh?” Well, who was she to judge what some stupid nobles decided to call a castle?
“Hrm.” Opening the smaller pouch with her right hand she fished out one of the gold coins and bit into it hard. Then she took it up and held it to the light. The hedgehog saw the smallest sign of her bite and she nodded in satisfaction. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
She pocketed the two pouches, turned on her heel and began to walk away.
“WAIT!” The fox shouted, causing her to stop. “I did not dismiss you!”
Kriemhild looked over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised. “Yes? What do you want? I’m in a hurry.”
The fox coughed before composing himself. He looked at the piece of paper, grimaced as if he were swallowing a revolting bug, and said, “His Highness, Prince Robert O’Hedge was impressed by your… beautiful destruction in the battle. By his own words, it would be a waste for you to simply leave and rob the Kingdom of Mercia of your radiant skills. He offers you a chance to become a…” he fought a gag. “…member of his personal knight guard.”
The mercenaries next to her began to mutter amongst themselves.
“You think she and the prince…?”
“Guess the Prince has a thing for commoners. Ones with muscles an’ scars too!”
“I was wonderin’ where Rose got that new armor of ‘ers.”
The aforementioned armor was not only smudged, but dented and scratched. A shame, but she needed the armor since her last set was on its last legs.
But really, did Robert expect her to wear it just to look pretty in front of him?
He had been trying to court her, saying that he had never met such an elegant rose in the wild and stuff like that. It had been flattering, and the gifts were more than a little nice, but…
…He was also a complete snob. There was an air of condescension whenever he talked about the commoners, and the same disgust for the reptiles was in his eyes whenever one crossed their path.
Kriemhild smiled at the fox. “Sorry, but you’ll have to tell his Highness that this rose doesn’t want to be plucked just yet.”
The pink hedgehog narrowed her eyes, lifted her hammer, and gripped it in her hand. The general took a step back while his guard got in front of him. The other mercenaries were tensing, probably mentally calculating how much money they could make by personally stopping her if she moved to attack the nobleman.
“I can. I will. I’m a mercenary. Not your prince’s woman.” She turned on her heel and continued her walk. “There isn’t money to be made here now that the king has laid claim to this territory. So I’m seeking opportunities elsewhere.”
“But why?! You’ve caught our prince’s eye! You could be safe and treated like royalty!”
She grinned and winked at him. “Because I’m still looking for the man who shall set my heart ablaze with love, and that boy isn’t the one! I wouldn’t trade true love for mere trinkets!”
Before the noble could respond to that she walked away from him.
Kriemhild knew she had the soul of a romantic. Most would even call her foolish for seeking one man when so many laid themselves before her feet showering her with affection. But she did not care.
Eventually she would find the one who was tied to her soul, and she would use the money she had saved from her mercenary work to pay for the construction of a house where they would raise their children. They would want for nothing and would simply bask in each other's company with love…
“Damn it! Move it ya scaled freaks!”
Kriemhild frowned as she looked to see one of the so-called Royal Knights, a deer, grabbing a snake woman and dragging her out of a house while her children cried.
“”Please!” The woman begged. “Sir! This has been my family’s home for generations! You can’t just..!”
“It is now the property of the Kingdom of Mercia, and I have been granted this land by the king himself!” The deer narrowed his eyes. “And the last thing I need is for some snake to just continue slithering around where they don’t belong!”
“Please!” She hugged her children and looked up with tear-filled eyes. “D-Do not put us on the street! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything you say…” The deer seemed to think for a moment. “Well, I suppose I could use a few servants…”
Kriemhild sighed and shook her head.
“That’s going to be a problem somewhere down the line.”
It sucked that the snakes had been so cheap. If they weren’t she would’ve fought for them and maybe knocked around a few of those smug Mercian fools.
She continued her walk and left the gates she had smashed open. Patting her coin pouches, Kriemhild began whistling to herself as she continued her journey.
If memory serves her right, there was another wannabe kingdom run by an Acorn family that would be in need of her services.
It might take her a bit to get there, but with luck they would pay well!
Perhaps there she might find her true love!
A fair maiden could dream, after all.
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