Summary: General Amaya is a woman of action, not lying around idly while others do the work for her! Having fought many foes and endured torture, at the hands of quite a few of them, she also prides herself for her perseverance. However, throw into the mix: Ezran, a horse, an overbearing Harrow and a smug arch mage and you get a General at the end of her rope. Enjoy.
A/N: This is my very late contribution to @tdpweek with the prompt ‘car accident’. Seeing as this is a fantasy show I decided a horse accident is more befitting and resumed to torture our loved General Amaya.
My other two imagines for tdpweek are: The Pastry Assassination (featuring Viren x Amaya, Harrow, Claudia, Ezran and Callum) and Regret.(Claudia, Soren and Viren)
A stark breeze ruffled trees, fall had already painted them in various color schemes. Their falling leaves posed an invitation to get lost in the forest's tranquil embrace. Marking the retreat of summer, the last rays of a setting sun left warm traces on the approaching rider's faces. The clacker of hooves was muffled by thick earth and left the serene mood undisturbed.
Amaya closed her eyes and breathed it all in; the thick earthy scent and the oncoming crisp whisper of winter was carried as a promise by the wind. Here she felt complete: Horseback and on an uncharted trail only she knew. Her muscles uncoiled as she relaxed for the first time in weeks. No disturbances, mortal danger, or recruits clanking around in their heavy armor... just this.
"Hey, aunt Amaya look what I can do!"
Well, it had been relaxing as long as it lasted. The General turned around just to stare at her nephew Callum sitting on his horse grinning over both ears. Next to him Ezran's gelding was... showcasing a disturbing lack of Ezran. Her eyes widened in panic, while her hands began whipping through the air in hectic movements. Callum’s hands rose as well. "Don't worry, he's right there." Amaya shifted her weight in the saddle to peer to the mentioned side of Ezran's steed. Sure enough, the future ruler of the kingdom was clawed to the side of the saddle like a spider, his white teeth gleaming in triumph.
The reprimanding brisk moves of his aunt's hands did little to dampen his enthusiasm. "It's alright, Hector won’t let me fall. Right?" The small boy crawled further up the animal’s neck and peered lovingly into it's warm brown eyes. However, Hector seemingly wasn't prepared for the massive squirrel suddenly flashing onto the road.
It took Hector about three seconds to determine that: Yes, he was in mortal danger and no: a Prince clawing at his neck did little to boost his confidence in being able to battle this outlandish fiend. So, he did the only sensible thing: Whickering and kicking, while he turned around galloping down the dirt road.
"Ezran!" Callum was frozen to the spot, all he was able to do was scream for his little brother who hung onto his steed's neck for dear life.
With each massive jump of the animal the thought of 'This is it!' whipped through Ezran's head with the speed of the trees blurring by. His hands ached and lost more and more of their death grip on Hector's mane. Surely, this was his end. He would be crushed under the heavy hooves and trampled, if not he would break his neck on impact. He closed his eyes while he felt the last of his strength slip and gravity’s inevitable pull take hold.
Suddenly, a new pair of trapping hooves led the boy to snap his eyes open again. Just in time to see his aunt launch like a tiger from her own horse, still running at break neck speed and snatch him out of the air. Her big frame engulfed his tiny figure in midflight and then-
They crashed, very hard. The scrapping of armor on stone and the horrifying breaking of bones was followed by an even more unsettling silence.
The next thing Amaya's fuzzy brain registered was pain. A lot of it. It was followed by the face of Viren looming over her prone form - as if the physical pain wasn't enough.
"Congratulations General, you managed to break your leg and quite a few of your ribs. Not counting the really impressive consortium of bruises and scrapes. I'd say this deserves at least a place under your top three injuries. Wouldn’t you agree?" Lord Viren's face was a mixture between smug and annoyed. Amaya's answer came in swift movements. "She's saying that-" Callum’s translation was briskly interrupted by the mage himself: "'If you're so ecstatic about treating my wounds, perhaps you should send in one of your other mages?' Yes, I know!" Now, the annoyed expression definitely took over his features.
"And miss prescribing the General Amaya bed rest and forbidding her from attending her duty for the next weeks? I think not." At the woman's horrified face a smirk stretched his thin lips. 'You're enjoying this far too much.' Amaya signed furiously. "You're quite mistaken, for I am but a humble servant." His mocking bow brought rise to the General's notorious scowl. However, Viren seemed immune to it’s effect. "Do enjoy your time with your family my dear." A mischievous and knowing gleam filled his eyes as he opened the door to her certain doom.
In stumbled a crying Ezran "Aunt Amaya, I am so sorry!”, a concerned Gren "How are you General? Is there anything I can do?" and worst of all: A very, very deeply worried brother in law: King Harrow. "I'll tell the servants to make your room better accessible at once and... and to carry you there. Wait! I'll carry you myself!" The former quiet room was filled by a jumble of voices: Apologies, suggestions and plans flew through the air and Amaya felt like she was caught in a Hurricane of epic proportions. The door, her only escape route, was blocked by a highly amused Lord Viren. Although, she supposed in her current state any escape attempt would be cut short by this pack of hungry wolves calling themselves family.
"Amaya is the cushion really comfortable enough?" Without waiting for a response Harrow dove into the next room like he was leading an army into battle. A few seconds later he emerged with about six new cushions in hand. An over eager Ezran lifted her feet in order to make room for the offending objects. Though, at the pained look on her face dropped her broken leg instantly, - which in turn led her to a silent howl. "I am so sorry! I'll get you something!"
There was simply no telling what the Prince would drag along this time. So far a tower of strawberry pastries, books- now sporting suspiciously red stains and a dagger was erected right next to her. Bait peering grumpily from the top at the commotion. It was just her luck that her brother in law had witnessed the scene unfold and was now franticly searching for a solution. By all the gods in this realm, what did she do to deserve this punishment!?
An unsuspecting Callum rounded the corner as he was suddenly seized and shaken by the King. "Callum, go get some more of the pain numbing potion from Viren. Be quick about it." And off was the last remaining sensible part of her family, oh joy.
With precise and swift moves Viren dropped the Corus fly’s wings into the cauldron and started a low incantation. "Naip feiler w..." Bam, bam. The rapping on his door let him to groan in frustration. No one informed you beforehand how much of a time consuming business being the father of a witch and a soldier could be.
However, when he opened the door there was no sign of an exasperated Soren or confused Claudia to be found, just the boy. With great effort he stopped his teeth from grinding. "Prince Callum, there is a reason why I am not to be disturbed while in my laboratory. Not even by the King himself!" The boy in turn just managed to drag the minimal amount of socially acceptable shame onto his pale face. "Yes, almost totally forgot... the big sign outside was just, eh... very hard to read?” He finished lamely. At Viren's raised eyebrow he continued: "I need a new potion for Aunt Amaya." "Ah" The mage made a knowing sound. "I take it, due to her family's loving care of her!?"
However, his skilled hands were quick to pour his recent potion into a flask and to press it into the boy’s hands. But instead of scuttling the annoyance eyes narrowed. "Wait, did you just brew this for her? I thought that was the job of the common mages downstairs!?"
"There are also other wounded people requiring my skills, not only the General. Brewing the potion just now was merely a coincidence." There was some light igniting in the Prince's green eyes as he leaned on the stone wall. "I'm curious, why exactly did you learn how to read sign language?" Lord Viren scoffed. „The arch mage and the General of the King’s guard not being able to understand each other in times of conflict? Well, that's certainly a sensible idea. However, as enjoyable as this discussion with you was - as always." the words where drenched in barely concealed annoyance, like one of Ezran's tarts in strawberry jam "I believe there is somewhere you need to be!"
The door banged shut right before Callum's nose, the sign reading ‘Do Not Disturb!’ in bold letters swinging hazardly from one side to the other.
Menacing shadows crept through the moonlit corridors while voices echoed on the cold stone walls, blending to a jumble of incoherent words: “She was just here..”, “Find her!”, “-always like this…”
Sweat shone on her forehead and Amaya needed to take deep breaths to calm herself, she was surrounded by the enemy. One wrong move could mean the end. Leaning heavily on the wooden crutches she tried to move as swiftly and silently across the corridor. The voices gained in volume, they were almost upon her now. Just around the corner. Her panicked gaze snapped back before her at the sound of a heavy door opening.
Out stepped Viren. The mage was astonished at the picture presenting itself. The runaway, searched by all of the court for the last hour, stood before him caught red-handed in escaping King Harrow and his guards. Amaya huffed in annoyance and defeat. Busted, back to the insanity that was Harrow’s understanding of loving care. Viren would never let her live this down. The voices drew even nearer.
A shift in the air made the fugitive look up. Viren had stepped aside, his robes billowing in the air, and mentioned with his raised arm to the open door behind him: Leading into his laboratory. Her brown eyes were torn open in equal amounts of astonishment and wariness. Lord Viren helping her? He always acted as if she was the bane of his existence. Arguing over every small decision or operation plan and more often than not sending her a smoldering glare behind Harrow’s back. This had to be a trick of his; the man did nothing without an ulterior motive in mind.
The man in question sighed, resignation coloring the tone. “Is it so hard to believe that I am capable of genuine sympathy?” Amaya’s hardened expression rendered every word unnecessary. Viren’s eyebrows shifted into his state of the art ‘I-am-not-amused’ mien. “Well then, let’s just wait for our King then. Shall we?”
With seconds to spare General Amaya grabbed her crutches and vanished into the open door.
When King Harrow rounded the corner all he saw was his trusted advisor calmly closing the door to his laboratory, the ‘Do not disturb!’ sign swinging and finally clattering to the ground.
