Young Writers Society

You are in a party of hunters, near the border of Galadhor and Otia. You are ambushed by Galadhorians and dragged back to Glottenham Hold. When the word reaches Otiatown, the capitol of Otia, an elite task force is set out to rescue the hunters. But why is it that the hunters are so important?

The SB will start out with the hunters in the woods, and will proceed with them to get captured. So the prisoners will still have stuff going on, even once in the Hold.

Outline of Glottenham Hold It is a round castle with thirty-foot wall, numerous towers, and hundreds of guards. It is set on a grassy plain, constantly burnt down so that no high grass grows there. There are three moats built around the hold, and a large picket line and keep at each bridge. You are placed in the very middle of the Hold, two hundred feet up in The Great Tower. There are twenty levels to the tower, numerous guards and locked doors.

Characters
Humans- Strong and sturdy, smart and athletic. They use swords, bows, and axes and spears. They generally travel on horses. The Galadhorians and Otians are both at war.

Animals- Hawks, panthers, wolves, and lizards (think Kommodo dragon) They are all fast, very agile and swift in running through forests, fierce fighters. Their weapons are their claws, talons, teeth, and fangs. They are neutral to humans

Unknown beasts- The Galadhorians own Unknown beasts kept down in their dungeons. They are used only at night, and no one knows exactly what they look like. Many believe they to be dragons.



Animals and humans can converse, no one is sure of the Unknown beasts though. You will be either Animal or human. H stands for human, A stands for animal, P stands for prisoner, R stands for rescuer. Here are the spots:
Character 1(Hunter) : HP @Craz
Character 2 (Hunter) : HP @Messenger
Character 3(Hunter ): HP @kat13254
Character 1(Archer): HR @SubtleSanity
Character 2(Warrior): HR @EllaBliss
Character 3(Healer: HR @BasiltheCat
Character 3 (Assassin): HR @Dante
Character 1(Viper): A @buggiedude2340
Character 2(Polar Bear): A @Shadowlight
Character 3 (Coyote): A @TimmyJake


Archers: Skilled in archery, stealth, and accuracy. Besides bows and arrows they generally carry long daggers. Dressed in forest colors. They usually wear light leather armor.

Warriors: Armed with either swords, battle axes, or spears. They are dressed in armor, heavy or light, and may have a shield and helmet. They are fierce fighters, good for hand-to-hand combat.

Healer: Nimble fast, uses small arms like daggers and short swords. Light armor is used, and the Healer has several pouches which contains his/her potions, herbs, and ingredients. The Healer is the group cook and can survive on little rations for many days. The Healer can also carry a crossbow.

Hunter: They are very similar to archers. They are fast and stealthy, quick on their feet. They use bows, and also an atlatl (an atlatl is a three-foot long dart that you hook onto a stick about the same length. You then thrust it. It can be thrown about seventy feet accurately.) They wear forest-colored clothing. They also have knives for skinning animals. They can survive by themselves for many days, just like the healer.

Assassin: The Assassin is very similar to the archer and the healer. A hybrid I suppose you would calm him. He uses stealth and distractions as his main weapons. He uses only two hidden blades and a sling as his weapons. He is the most secretive of the group. He wears clothes to fit the surroundings he is in.


Character Template



Remember to make comments in the DT and make your character on the right side where it says to!

Liam Tippet- Hunter

Liam watched with admiration as Bear, his huge red-bearded friend placed a heavy metal trap on the forest floor, and then hid it from view with snow and dead leaves. Ella stood back from them both, watching the trees for possible birds or squirrels to shoot down with her bow.

Bear stood from his knees and dusted off his brown pants. Liam smiled. "Well done as always Bear. Now, let's see if we can find some more food."

Liam led the group through the light snow, silently. Although both Liam and Bear were huge men -well over six feet apiece- they both moved with the silence of a cat. Ella was even quieter. They trekked on, hoping to spot a deer or some such animal. They were on a hunting party, sent out to gather food for the troops back at the Army Camp.

But there was hardly any game to be found. Bears were in hibernation, birds had flown south, squirrels were burrowed in their homes. But the trio pressed on. Liam pulled his warm wool coat tighter and felt a clump of snow plop on his arm. Before he could move, Ella was firing her bow upwards.

A squirrel thumped to the ground. "good shot Ella," Bear complimented, picking up the animal, taking the arrow out and handing it back to Ella, and dropping it in a small white pouch.

"Thanks," she replied, wiping the arrow head off with her brown jacket.

Liam hooked a dart to his atlatl and held it at the ready as they worked their way deeper into the woods. A light dusting of snow made everything seem sugar-coated, and the trees and leaves and sticks looked like shavings of chocolate.

Liam was alert for any movement, while moving quietly with his fur boots which kept his feet extremely warm. The came over a rise and stopped. Through the scattered tress Liam made out a pool of water.

"this is a good spot," he said. A water hole -especially one that had not frozen- was an ideal place for hunting. Sure enough, soon came a deer. A large buck, fattened up for the winter. The wind was blowing into Liam's face, meaning that the deer would not smell him. A simple, but important fact to know.

Liam raised his arm and flung it forward, releasing the dart. The extra power of the stick behind the dart propelled it forward, the full sixty feet, straight into the deer's heart.

Bear laughed. "well done lad, that'll make the troops happy."

Liam was grinning himself. He had throw a perfect throw after all. Even an expert would be happy. And he in no way called himself an expert.

They ran to the deer and Bear took the duty of hefting it onto his broad shoulders. Ella spoke as Liam retrieved the dart from the animal.

"do you think this is enough? We've got three squirrels, a rabbit, and this fine deer."

Liam nodded. "yes. besides, this wind is picking up and the sun is going to be sinking fast." As if in response a heavy gust of wind whipped through the woods. Even though they were all dressed in heavy fur jackets, leggings, boots, and caps, it still felt chilling. And being out in the cold when the sun went down would be very dangerous.

The trio turned to go when, Ella held up her hand. Liam had already reloaded his weapon. He had heard something. It had just been a crunch, like someone snapping a twig or breaking through ice.

Liam closed his eyes and listened. The sound seemed to come from behind. He heard another sound. Barely noticeable. someone was sneaking up on them. Liam opened his eyes, spun around, and flung the dart, just as he spotted a flash of brown behind a fallen log. The dart landed just behind it, and everyone heard the scream that followed.

Two soldiers, dressed in light armor and brown shirts and pants jumped from behind the log, crossbows aimed. Liam dropped his weapon and plowed into Ella, knocking her into the ground. A split second later an arrow whizzed above.

Liam heard another arrow strike something heavy. Fearful that it may have hit Bear he stood up. the arrow had struck the deer, which Bear had now dropped on the ground. Bear had drawn his axe and was hacking down two more soldiers. At least twelve more appeared as if out of thin air.

Liam drew his saxe and charged into the fray. Ella followed, taking a man down with her bow. They were surround by eleven soldiers. Obviously Galadhorians. Two of them had bows trained on Bear. But they didn't shoot. It appeared they wanted to take their prey alive.

Liam wasn't planning on that. He jumped forward at the first soldier, armed with a spear, and plunged his saxe into the man's chest. The heavy and sharp blade cut through, reaching all the way to the man's heart. He screamed and released his spear and blood gushed out, staining the pure white snow crimson.

A second soldier came at Liam, this one armed with a sword. The blade whizzed By Liam as he rolled to one side, landing behind the soldier. He stabbed forward with all his might, running the man through from behind. Blood poured out in a river as the man stumbled to the ground in writhing pain.

Ella had taken down two more soldiers with her bow and had swiftly climbed a tree. She sent an arrow into the first archer's throat ,the only weak point for an arrow to penetrate. The man choked as he clutched the arrow, trying in vain to stop the blood flow.

Bear was swinging his axe like the true warrior that he had been before he had retired form fighting. The massive blade cleaved through a soldier's helmet, killing the man instantly. He nearly tore the second soldier in half. Blood and guts poured out.

There were only a few soldiers left, and Liam was sure they could escape, when he heard a rush of wind above him. He glanced up to late and thought he spotted something black. A wing? Then he heard several branches crash behind him and he was driven to the ground a something powerful smashed into him. The snow and mud were driven up his nose and mouth and he choked and spluttered. Then something crashed into the back of his head and everything was gone. He was spiraling down a long black tunnel that faded into . . .

Michelle

We've been walking for what feels like forever. I have no clue where we are right now, but maybe Bear or Liam does. Why would I ask the guards. They out numbered us and captured us. I wouldn't mind starting another fight. We killed a lot of the guards during the fight. We are weaker though too.I'll ask the guys, but not loud enough for them to hear us.

"Hey guys, do you know where we are?" I ask not loud enough for the guards to hear. Just loud enough for Liam to hear.

"None. Maybe Bear knows. Hey Bear, do you know where we are?" The guards must have heard that.

"Not too far from Glottenham Hold." The guard reply's. Now would be the time to rebel if we're going to. They took our weapons, of course. I'll tell Bear and Liam before I probably get us killed.

"Hey, guys. Follow me. We're gonna rebel." I turn and start a fight. Liam and Bear follows me. Liam slides over to a tree and sneaks back and grabs out weapons and pass them to us.

We take out about half the guards before more come. The battle lasts for awhile and we take down a lot of the guards, but were still out numbered. While more and more come Bear steps up and takes control of the battle. When were about to give up one of the guards take Bear's eye out. I want to help him, but if me and Liam stop fighting we'll all be killed.

Not long after, we have to give up. Bear still can't fight, and there's over 30 guards here.

"Liam, just stop were not gonna win!" I can tell he doesn't want to accept defeat. I don't either but we have too if we want to live.

They stop as soon as we stop, and take out weapons away again. Were venerable from this point. The good part in this is they still take Bear with us rather than leaving him in the forest to die.

They were right about not being far from Glottenham Hold. Were there within 20 minutes at the longest. They put us in jail, and I know there's no escape from this place.

"I don't think there's gonna be any escaping from here. "

Bear | Hunter

The pain was immediate, and like something he had never felt before.

Bear had been gripped by the intoxication of battle. He no longer was the boy holding up his first killed rabbit, or the stiff young lad awkwardly handling the brute of a battleaxe for his family to see, or the untroubled man aging wholeheartedly. He was the bloodthirsty beast that had torn into rebels for the well-being of his country, war paint stinging his eyes, bellicose howls on his lips. He had switched back to what he had feared about himself so quickly, so effortlessly.

He had immersed himself so thoroughly in nothing but the thought of striking down that he had made a fatal mistake he often used to warn the younger cadets about; in his desperate attempt to bring the man in front of him down, he had created a blind spot for himself.

He only had time to see the unmarked, strikingly silver blade, the young cadet's eyes behind the sword filled with panicked terror. Bear felt nothing as it sliced down the side of his face, glancing off his cheekbone and into his eye. He didn't feel it as he stumbled onto one knee, or as an older Galadhorian screamed They are to be left alive! He also didn't feel it as his great battleaxe, slick with crimson, thumped down next to him.

But he felt it after that, and the pain mauled him into a slow unconsciousness, where even there it followed.

*****

Bear woke to a change in smell and density, and a sudden thump down. His instinct was to open his eyes, and he cried out as a rabid torment tore into the left side of his face, and he grit his teeth. Slowly, he peeled open his right eye, thick with crust. He was lying down on a stretcher, two Galadhorian soldiers struggling to hold him straight. He jerked down left, and then right as they walked down slick stone steps. He was tipping dangerously forward, and he struggled to grip the splintered wood in a pitiful attempt of staying on the cheap fabric.

He could scarcely see over the soldier's shoulders, but it was enough to glimpse Liam and the lass Ella, unharmed enough to walk on their own. He could only think of how pathetic he looked, only able to leave the skirmish with the enemy's help.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, but was jerked back to reality when he was dropped to the ground, cold metal encircling his wrists. His head lolled forward, and an angry murmur of voices ensued until his hunting mates were forced to the ground and shackled on either side of him. He tipped his head to glare into the faces of their captors, moist fabric that must have been keeping the other side of his face together tickling his thick nose. The only light originated from a lone oil lantern, held haphazardly by one of the soldiers. Their faces were sneering black masks.

Michelle jerked forward, sending a wad of spit towards one of the half obscured figures, where it plopped on the Galadhorian's shoe. With a flick of the wrist the Galadhorian sent her head snapping to the side, slanting towards Bear, where she disappeared from his working eye. A slow bit of chuckles slithered around the destitute cell, lingering as the soldiers left with the only light source, and utter darkness gutted any hopes of escape. Something scampered over his bare feet, but he was too weak to shiver.

"What do you think they want with us?" Liam questioned out loud, but Bear was already closing his eye, submitting to the upcoming of a fever.

Slide | Animal

Heat.

She could feel it, the blood in her veins stirring with heat. It churned, waking up a growling stomach that needed food. Her jaw slacked, and her tongue caught the taste of fur, of something delicious.

Slide's eyes snapped open. Trying to pinpoint the source of heat, she flicked her tongue in and out, and her eyes were black pits that soaked up light. But everything she saw was white.

No. Not this. Slide whipped her head around, trying to see if she could escape the white death. No. It was everywhere, covering the ground and the leaves. And yet still, she felt warmth creeping under her scales.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said a deep voice. It was so loud and so close that Slide nearly went deaf. She buried her head back into her coiled self.

"Um, I didn't mean to wake you. I'm just lost."

Slide rose her head slowly, her pits sensing the heat that pressed against her. A bear. Her eyes searched the white death for a brown spot, for black shadows on dark fur, but found none. Under her coils, her tail rattled noiselessly. What had she done? Why was there a spirit bear here?

"Oh great spirit bear!" she cried, "spare me my life! Save me from the white death, for I repent of whatever heinous crime I have committed!"

"Um..." the spirit bear said, "what are you hissing about? I'm afraid I don't know the languages of the animals here."

Blinking, Slide turned her eyes upwards. A pair of black-brown ones stared down at her, confused about whatever had happened. It was a real bear, just a strangely white one.

"Oh," she said, hissing in the human tongues, "I'm sorry. I thought you were a spirit bear, one of the forest guardians. You're just a white bear, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just a regular bear. I noticed I'm bigger than a lot of the ones here though, and they think I speak their kind of bear talk, but I don't."

"You said you were lost?" Slide reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. It's really warm here, and I was wondering if you could tell me where it's colder." His giant jaws curled into something like a smile, but slide guessed that her smile would be stranger. Snakes didn't smile to show happiness unless they had to be courteous to humans.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there," Slide said, remembering her stomach. "And would you happen to have something to eat?"

"Why?"

"The white death," she said, waving her tail at the scenery behind her, "it kills snakes who wake up before it leaves. But they say that if you can eat something before you get too cold, and then return to the deep sleep, you'll live until spring."

Standing up, the white bear shook his giant head. "I don't have anything now, but if it's the cold you're worried about, why don't you just join me until we catch something? You can stay in my fur. Plus it's my fault you woke up early. Come on, climb up."

She obliged him, winding her body around his front paw and slithering up until she felt like she had a good grip.

"You're holding on too tight," he complained, "and before we leave, what can I call you?"

"Slide, and you?" she asked, loosening slightly.

"Tige."

As her white bear friend set off, Slide plotted, tasting the air for food. Now she only had to come up with a way to stick with Tige. Then she could stay awake during the entire death season and brag to her mother.

Kei Glassden - Archer

Kei glanced around the shadowed canopy, shallow streams of moonlight streamed through and landed like moths on his darken outfit. He took another few steps, silently and swift. He had long ago learnt the secret of how to step on a carpet of fallen leaves without a single sound; you had to exert the precise amount of force and where to place your foot. He glanced at the trio behind him, and nodded once. Using short hand gestures that told them to proceed forward but with caution, there was a certain air in the forest tonight he didn’t like at all. It was an ominous air, but he could detect no enemies nearby.

The air tonight was windy, but not windy enough to stir strands of hair or the dry leaves. It was a silken wind that reminded him of his childhood, nights spent under the night sky with nothing but the stars and his young animal friends. Days that were spent running and creeping through the forest, the scent of earth imprinted and engraved into his very blood. A sudden soft cough snapped him back into reality and he shook away the remanets of the memory, this was not a time for nostalgia. Nor was he a nostalgic man, but sometimes. Things just rise without warning. Those he dreaded, for almost always. He is often vulnerable to them.


A sudden shift in the air made him stopped; the night was silent, almost eerie but nothing out of the ordinary. But right then, just then. Something shifted in the atmosphere, something wasn’t right. In fact, he was almost sure there was something, or somebody out there. Predators hunting prey, it was that unmistakeable sense of human survival.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Lita stalked through the forest with the only grace that an assassin could have. He quickly gestured to the front, and then his right and lift. She gave a brisk nod and ventured off silently, a figure of shadow that has come to life. He halted the rest of the ground for her to return, and waited as the feeling sank and gripped onto his heart with a sickening thud.

Arrien | Animal(Coyote)

Arrien crept along the forest floor quietly, like coyotes do, trying to get as close as he could to the humans. Unlike other coyotes, he had never felt the natural fear of humans as the other creatures did. Perhaps that was why the other coyotes had thrust him out. He was an endangerment to them all.

But he didn't really care. Humans were a strange creature. For some reason, they chose to put material and skins over themselves, which was ridiculous. Why put skins on? They only slowed them down, but humans had their ways.

They were smart creatures. Arrien was constantly amazed at their ability to make objects. The group of humans he was following carried many objects on belts and carried them in their hands. One of these objects he admired the most was one that a friend of his name flying spears. He had already seen many tasty deer fall to those flying spears and knew that more was to come that day.

The humans were creeping along slowly, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Humans were so hopeless. They thought they were quiet and smart, creeping along, envisioning themselves as ninjas. The truth was quite the opposite. He had heard them creeping in the forest long before he ever saw them. He was surprised they even came close to game! But not all creatures were as intelligent as Arrien. Deer were some of the worst. And squirrels? Oh, squirrels were hopeless. He couldn't even count the number of squirrels that had fallen to his bite.

Then his thought was interrupted when the forest became a place of war and mayhem. People were flying everywhere, down to the ground for safety, and some onto the ground in death. He couldn't understand why, though. Why would humans kill their own kind?

In the animal world, you strived to protect those in your pack. To keep them alive, even at the cost of your own. Obviously, humans saw the world in a different light.

He watched for a minute longer, and then slipped back into the safety of the dark forest. Humans were killing humans. It wasn't anything unusual.

Besides, a few less humans wasn't a bad thing to him. It meant one less hunter out there in the woods, trying to kill him.

Siobahn - Healer

Mally jerks her head back in annoyance, almost smacking me in the nose. I tug lightly on the reins, trying to calm the horse, but she picks up her feet and starts dancing to the side, shying away from the man walking passed us. He casts a sneer my way before walking on.
"Mal, cut the crap, ok?" I bark.
The golden mare stops almost at once. I tuck a blue-grey curl behind my ear, and readjust my body weight on the skittish horse's back. It's moments like these where I wish she could speak to me using my language. It would be far easier than having to read her body language. Although, it isn't hard, and I'm not complaining ... much.
With a soft nudge of my heels, Mal trots down the road, her smooth gait barely making my insides roil. It stills makes my bladder feel like it'll explode, though. I try not to think of it as I rise and fall in the saddle, just like Jasson, my older brother, taught me.
I've decided I want to take a break from having so many requests from people to heal them, or a family member, or someone. Not like I can stay away from injured people for long, but it's worth a try, right?
As we near the next town, Mally calms some more, allowing me to get a full grasp of her head. I think I've been too kind to her lately. Or maybe she's being too rebellious. I'll have to figure out what''s wrong with her when I stop.
"Hey Mal, look over there," I point out a large stall where horses are being stabled. "I wonder if they'll let -"
"Are you Miss Jacobson?" A timid voice asks from below.
I tug on Mally's reins to stop her and look down to see a man staringt at me with a red face and wide, frightened brown eyes. I smile calmy at him and nod.
"Yes, I am. Who's asking?" I chirp.
"I-I-I n-need your h-help," the timid man stammers.
I dismount from Mally's back and smile at him, wiping travel dust from my thighs. I find that I stand at least two heads over the man, which only makes him cower and cringe even more.
"What do you need?" So much for a holiday!
"My sister ... she's ill," the man murmurs.
"Take me to her," I command, and the man yelps. He takes me to a small hut, where Mally has to squeeze between buildings. He stops in front of one that's almost falling over, held up by the small hut beside it. "Is this it?" I ask the man.
He nods and pushes open the door. I tie Mally's reins to a post, though it's more so that no one takes her, and follow the small man into the hut. He takes me over to a bed on the floor with a pale woman lying there, sweating profusely, her breathing ragged.
"What's wrong with her?" I ask the man.
"I w-w-was h-h-hoping y-you c-could t-t-tell me," he stammers.
I nod and kneel down beside the sickly woman, a hand over my face. I feel for the woman's pulse and find it feeble and dull. Her skin is clammy to the touch, and sticky with sweat. I peel the blanket away from her to find her in a soaking grey gown, her body thin and bony. I stand up and frown.
"She needs dry clothes and needs to be on higher ground, with new blankets. I'll get my kit and see what I can do," I tell the man, and go outside to fetch my kit from Mally's saddle.
It takes a good four hours to treat the sick woman, who is suffering a bad case of the flu, and just needs to be kept warm and dry, and woken to feed and water. That done, the man tries to press some coins into my hands, but I refuse them and leave.
Today just got better!

Arrien | Coyote

Life was really boring. Wake up. Walk all day. Eat some food(if Arrien could find any) and then go to sleep. Boring. He wanted something that would spice it up. Something that would make his life seem less monotonous. More than just a life of a coyote. Unfortunately, he was a coyote. So his choices were limited. Very limited.

Being a twenty pound animal has its highs and also its lows, although he was convinced that the lows were more prominent and there were just more of them. The biggest nice thing about being small was his ability to stalk and walk without being seen. That was probably his greatest strength, since his others lacked tremendously.

He had once fought a mountain lion, having accidentally walked up behind it. That day he learned that he was physically lacking. And lacking a lot in that spectrum. His ear was still torn where the mountain lion had caught it just before Arrien slunk away in defeat. He didn't want to get in that situation again.

But of course those situations still pop up all the time. And why not? He wanted something more than the normal life of a coyote? So that was what he was given. Not exactly the right sort of spice he was looking for. Not at all.

After watching the Galadhorians just knock those men mercilessly about, and then take them away, he was burning with curiosity that would not leave. It lingered, growing stronger and stronger by the minute. He knew that eventually it would overcome him and he would take up the tracks of the men who had walked off carrying those prisoners.

Why had they fought? What was such a big deal that they all had to go at each other and try to kill each other off? They were all part of the same pack, right? Or were the Galadhorians different from the other two men? So many questions, and yet no answers.

He sighed and turned around in the forest. His curiosity couldn't be quenched. He had to know what was going on. He would probably be captured, tortured, and maybe even killed, but he didn't think of that.

The minute the hunter saw the group being led away b Galadhorian soldiers,he raced through the snowy woods at full speed. He hopped over a log and heard a yelp. He kept running but turned back in time to see a coyote on the ground where the hunter had landed. I must have landed on the creature.

The hunter kept up the frantic paced as the night began to darken. The sun sank away and the wind picked up, making the temperature freezing. The small and nimble hunter finally spotted the lights of campfires, and could smell the cooking stew and meat of rabbit and deer.

He dashed passed the picket fence and was tackled by an Otian patrolman dressed in black and white tunics with light leather armor.

"Hold it there sir! Don't move!"

The hunter was dragged to his feet and spun around staring at the point of a very sharp spearhead.

"Whoa!Just a minute! I'm an Otian hunter!"

The patrolman stepped back as he recognized the wiry lad."Jonas that was a dangerous thing you did. I could have run you through!"

Jonas took several deep breaths. "Yes I know, but I must speak with the general. I party of hunters was captured and it looks like they are being taken to Glottennham Hold."

"Follow me," the patrolman said, leading Jonas into the camp.



Three days later:

King Orlon was taking dinner in his room when the messenger entered and gave him the message. Three hunters had been captured and taken to Galadhorian prison.The king (he was recovering from recently healed fever) immediately summoned his good friend Marcus who was in charge of trade and commerce in Otia.

Orlon smiled when his tall, black-haired friend entered the expensively furnished bedchamber. Marcus was strongly built, as were most Otians. He wore a green vest with a purple cloak and tan breeches.

"Your Majesty,"he said bowing, "what is it you wish?"

The king frowned."It seems a party of hunters for our army was captured." As he spoke he quickly wrote down a letter.

Marcus shifted his feet."What does that have to do with us? Isn't that the nearest general's problem?"

"Generally yes, but it seems that the Galadhorians aren't responding. You understand of course that these hunters are not allowed to be imprisoned. They are not enlisted on either side as fighting men, and therefore should be released."

"And you wish for me to get involved and see if I can work something out? Perhaps a trade?"

The king shook his head. "The @Messenger (I couldn't resist) said that they aren't agreeing to any trade other than that of General Levithon."

Marcus's eyes grew wide. "You aren't thinking of agreeing to that demand?"

"No, no, no. But we can't let them hold these citizens as hostages or prisoners."

"What do you suggest, Your Majesty?"

"I am assigning you to get together a rescue party. This is more than just rescuing soldier.s This is a political problem. We must show the Galadhorians that they cannot make us submit to their threats."

Marcus nodded. "I understand Your Majesty. I'll do it at once!"

Thee king leaned forward. Here is a letter I have prepared. Show it to no one but those who you choose."

Marcus bowed. "Yes,Your Majesty!"