The snare had worked perfectly, the prey had taken the bait and not seen the noose tightening around it's neck until it was already as good as dead. As easy as that. A gloriously ignoble death for a thoroughly unscrupulous man. She had had a word with the men that did the deed, something about shortening the rope a little so his neck didn't snap from the drop, letting him choke out his final minutes in agony. Skandrick Garth was many things, chief amongst them a liar and a murderous bastard. The Guard had been on his rolls for years prior to this conflict, waylaying rivals and burning homesteads to ash to keep the good Lord's hands clean of any wrongdoing during his quest for power. Daria was glad to see him dance from a length of hempen justice.<br/><br/>Yet now it was done. Their little diversion was over and she had again been relegated to the shadows, where a good sellsword should be, always ready to spill some blood for the ones paying her. It was King Thorin doing so now or, more correctly, delivering the promise of paying her. The man had sworn profuse awards and compensation for removing such a thorn in his side and doing the Alliance a major service to boot. Not a word of thanks though, just business. Even Barth's commendation seemed more like a 'well done' than a 'thank you'. It almost hurt, on a personal level at least, to be so ignored, to be seen as a living tool. But the rational side of her demanded focus and told her that was what she must be, for the time being, to remain here and in some control of her fate. The realisation stung, but not too much.<br/><br/>The speech was nice too, an admission of fault. That was something she had yet to see any commander she had ever served with do. They had admitted mistakes, yes, but never this publicly and never quite so abruptly. By Rune's beard this man was something else. Whether that was a good thing or a distastrously bad one remained to be seen. At least House Garth was no more. That was most certainly a good thing.<br/><br/>As the army broke away into it's lines, Daria found herself walking alone, hand on hilt, head tilted pensively to one side. She suddenly had no idea what to do with herself. She was almost at liberty. Well, not quite. But close enough. She finally declared her intentions to the open air, garnering a few confused looks and quite a few more conspirational grins.<br/><br/>"I guess I'll go and tour the wounded. And then after that I'm going to go and get fucking pissed."<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/>Daria's head ached.<br/><br/>Which should surpise no-one, least of all her. She had never had a good head for liquor at the best of times, doubly so when tired from battle and travel with little chance for rest. Her neck also ached from where she had fallen awkwardly asleep at the camp desk in her tent, as did her righ foot from where it had been smothered beneath it's companion, which in turn...<br/><br/>Suffice to say she was at less than peak efficiency, mentally or physically.<br/><br/>Not one for lounging around and waiting for the splitting headache to recede, she began, or at least attempted to begin, looking over today's writtent reports from her junior officers. It was slow going. Lists and numbers don't work very well with a hangover, but she persevered, eventually making it to the notes section of the first report of many. This was less interesting and, beyond a few vaguely intriguing rumours surrounding the remnants of House Garth, was quickly put aside. Hopefully the second would not be as much of a marathon.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">The strong and determined steps of the maiden carried to the tent of the Captain of the Heart Guard. A glare from her caused those on guard to flinch, but to their credit their held their ground and refused to move aside so that she could enter without accostment. "TELL THAT BITCH OF A CAPTAIN TO GET HER ASS OUT HERE! OR I SHALL BE FORCED TO GUT YOU FIRST AND THEN HER!"<br/><br/>The threat was as plain as day, especially when her hand causally when to rest atop the hilt of her blade. A silent word was exchanged between the two before one dared to enter Daria's tent to deliver the message from the maiden.</span><br/><br/>Daria could not have missed the shout, even though she very much wanted to be deaf right about now. The Duty Sergeant that entered her tent found her, leant back in the rickety chair, hands planted over her eyes trying desperately to alleviate some of the fresh pounding that Ausan's unintentional acoustic assault had brought.<br/><br/>"Ma'am? Lady Benthey is outside. You may want to see her, before she kills poor Endrick." He was a solid man, not easily shaken, but here was a veteran of twenty years looking very nervous indeed. Daria raised a hand to indicate that she had heard him. With a slightly stop-start motion she stood and reached for her sheathed sword, hand resting comfortably on it for a moment as she contemplated what lay before her. After two seconds or so she tossed the sword to the Sergeant, who caught it neatly despite his unpreparedness. At his quizzical look, she explained.<br/><br/>"I'm not looking for a fight right now. Only if I need it." She swept the tent flap aside and stepped outside to face down the furious Maiden.<br/><br/>"I understand you asked for me? Well, what is it you need, Miss Benthey?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">Just as she thought to pummel the fool before her, the one she sought appeared and she narrowed her eyes at the other woman with a glare that had made many a man shit themselves. "I need you to explain yourself," the overly unprofessional means with which she had been addressed ignored. "What in all the circles made you think, for even a single second that I would allow how this whole plan to go unaddressed? That I would not storm here and shove me fist so far down your throat you will be tasting the armpit hair of whatever descendants I happen to have for the next 100 years." <br/><br/>A single step she took forward and the man on guard tensed though was smart enough to not draw his blade on the furious woman before him. "Explain to me why you even had to punch his sorry ass when she was so drunk Cameron could have handled him?"</span><br/><br/>Ah, so that's what this was about. She might have guessed, but she hadn't. And therefore she didn't have a truly satisfactory explanation ready to go. This was one of those times when you had to wing it and hope for the best. Oh if only her head didn't feel like it had been stuffed with cotton woll wrapped in nettles.<br/><br/>"I knew nothing about him, save what is commonly said. That is not enough to go on, I'm sure you agree. I had hoped to persuade him, along with voice my displeasure at your actions to do with the late Borim Garth, but alas he was drunk and I saw no other alternative open to me." The word displeasure dripped with disgust. The Maiden's actions had elicited more than displeasure in her, but that was an argument for another time. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. That was about as inflammatory statement as she could have made. She was mentally scrambling for something to diffuse the situation.<br/><br/>"Perhaps, instead of causing a scene out here, we could step into my tent for some privacy? I have some leftover wine if you want some and we could further our... discussion in comfort, of a sort."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">At the tone of disgust, the hand on her sword tightened in a white knuckle grasp and her jaw tightened to the point of pain but she resisted the urge to lash out and instead, merely stated. "I do not drink," her next steps carried her past the guards there and the captain into the tent where she strode away from the entrance before she turned to face the other woman. "So, displeasure?" she cut right to the chase. "Tell, what was so displeasing about my actions that you felt the need to speak with the Prince?"</span><br/><br/>The Maiden's sword hand tightened, that did not escape her, but the blade stayed away, something Daria was very thankful for. With that extra step she had taken, the Maiden was well within a distance where she could strike before Daria had her sword in hand from the Sergeant. As she brushed past them, Daria retreived her blade from the confused man and waved the pair of guards back to their posts. Hopefully they would not be needed.<br/><br/>Leaning her sword against the camp desk, she motioned the seething Lindenian to take a seat on her bed, before sinking gratefully into the chair she had occupied but a mintue ago, rubbing at her temple to try and lessen some of the throbbing.<br/><br/>"My... displeasure... came from the fact that Borim was murdered, in cold blood, in a very public spectacle with no due process. I do not disagree that he had to die. In fact given what I have learned of him over the years the Guard served his father, I would have killed him myself quite happily. But it was the WAY in which he died that I disapproved of. We have our ways of military justice and we must stick to them, lest we become no better than the beasts we fight, proving worthiness to lead and command by virtue of who can hit hardest." She sat up straight and squared her shoulders, staring directly at Ausan's face.<br/><br/>"That's it. No more, no less."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">The offer to sit was refused, though her hand on her sword did finally drop as she listened to the captain explain herself. "Have you ever loved someone?" Ausan asked rather than reply directly. "What I and Verana shared was something that could not be explained in terms of words either now or in another life," a moment was taken as her words faltered at the mention of her beloved friend's name brought back the still-fresh pain of her death. Lip pulled between her teeth she chewed on it a moment to gather her thoughts before she continued, "She was like a sister to me. A true relative beyond blood but of the soul. I felt her death as before I even heard the news. It felt like a part of me had died." <br/><br/>Silent tears welled up in her eyes, though they dared not fall before a woman who was no more than a stranger at the moment. A stranger that she was still pissed at to boot. After a few quick blinks, the tears were gone, "I do not regret what I did. Not entirely. I regret how it made Barth look, how it made our army look, but I will say that I would have done it again the exact same way had I had a chance to do it over again. There is no crime or punishment that he did not deserve and even the pain that I visited upon him does not even come close to the crime that he did to a person that I loved and cared for. Verana saw me as more than just a sword and shield to kill when ordered."<br/><br/>A sigh left the lips of the maiden who closed her eyes and shrugged, "In this war I doubt many of us will survive beyond becoming monsters. I expect that some of us..." her eyes opened once more to hold the gaze of Daria. "Will become monsters sooner than others," a sad smile then took hold of her lips. While Barth had said otherwise to her, she still felt like that was her mission in life to kill or be killed. Even with the thought and silent promise to herself and Verana, she could not see so far into the future. Beyond the world of blood, pain and death. It was what she had been born and conditioned to do. What else was she to be?</span><br/><br/>Daria listened, drinking in the words, and remembered her father. Not her Father, not the man who had truly raised her, but her birth father, the man who had sent her out into the world to die. The man she had killed.<span style="font-style: italic">You stinking hypocrite</span>, she thought to herself,<span style="font-style: italic">you would have done the exact same, HAVE done the exact same.</span>She shook her head. That was for different reasons. That was personal.<span style="font-style: italic">But was this any less?</span><br/><br/>"I understand how you feel. At least I think I do. We have both faced loss before. That doesn't mean I agree with you mind, but I'm not going to preach morals at you. Not any more." She did raise an admonishing finger however.<br/><br/>"Do keep in mind that it was your actions that lead Skandrick to seek me out for his plan to kill Barth and you. It's your luck I at least have some morals. Be mindful of your actions. You can't just punch your way through life, monster or not. Otherwise the nobles will be lining up to pay me to do something about you and I doubt Barth would like that." That seemed to be the best place to put some pressure. She seemed to think very highly of the Prince and his opinion.<br/><br/>"In any case, I think we have made some progress here. Same time next week?" The jest was weak and poorly delivered, but she hoped Ausan laughed. It might mean something.<br/><br/>"Either way, I think we've reached an understand of sorts" Daria stood and raised her hand to shake.<br/><br/>"Peace?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">"You might try to do something to me," she said with a smirk. "But I would have killed you and a good portion of your men before I was taken down. I might not be able to punch my way through life forever, but I can do it for long enough," a small laugh left her lips and she shook her head. "If there is a next week I rather not come back to your tent. Your poor guard out there might actually shit himself next time," she gave the smallest of nods before she turned to exit the tent. "Take care, Miss Daria." Then she was gone off to muddle over the words spoken today. Not like Daria had not said anything she had not already known and still, even now she would kill any and all who got in the way of her loved ones. It was what she did. It was how she was a monster.</span>