Soon after Maric and his friends joined the fray at the Tor the others that had ridden after them joined the fray, attracted by the sound of Layla's roar. And with their help, the battle was soon won.<br/>Maric was not finished however. Far from finished. He would not rest until he found his love. Who knew what terrible things the barbarians could have done to her? The knight almost shuddered at the thought that Nimue may be hurt already.<br/>"Maric, thank you for the help." Varatt said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Without it, we may have been..."<br/>"I don't care!" Maric snapped, shocking his teacher. "I only came because that bloody dragon took me here! If it were up to me, I'd still be searching for Nimue, my wife!"<br/>"Maric, are you not well?" the old paladin asked.<br/>"Of course not! My wife has been taken by these damnable vikings!"<br/>"Master, please. The sword is..."<br/>"Be quiet Faren, and round up whoever is willing to chase after the bastards that took my wife. The moment they're ready, move out."<br/>Leaving two men behind him, bewildered by his sudden change in behavior, Maric ran from the Tor in chase of the fleeing attackers. He cared not whether others came to aid him or not. Time would be wasted reorganizing everyone. And as they sat wasting time, abhorrent things could be happening to Nimue in the meantime.<br/><br/>Just as he thought, the panicked vikings led him right to their camp. But there was no sign of Maric's reinforcements. Maric cursed as he snuck around the edge of the encampment. It was foolish of him to have run off like he did, he now realized. And he knew that Faren was right when he said it was the sword. The blasted thing seemed to make his own blood boil as much as it did his enemies.<br/>But now he was here, and he may as well use his head start to at least figure out the area Nimue was being held captive in.<br/>Before he could do so however, a group of knights from the Tor came riding in on horseback, alerting all that the camp was being attacked. With a sigh, Maric began to run through the camp himself, knowing that he couldn't very well be sneaky if everyone was alert. And heavy armor did little to mask one's self while hiding away.<br/>Just as he reached the center of the camp though, he was greeted with the sight of Nimue facing off with a viking, while another lay dead at her feet. There was little time for him to enjoy the pride of her swordsmanship though. He could easily see that the sword she was using was not easy for her to wield, while the larger man had years of practice with such a blade. And so as they fought, Maric charged in with a savage warcry. The viking was only able to turn in time to see the paladin's face in front of his, while the pulsing sword Maric wielded pierced his chest.<br/>"Nimue!" Maric cried, releasing his sword and shield, letting them fall to the ground while he scooped her up in his arms. "Nimue! Are you alright? Please tell me you are unharmed. They did not injure you did they? By the heavens, I was so worried for you! Please never leave me like that again! I swear, I will amend any wrongs I have done to you, now and for always! I would do anything to earn your forgiveness! Just please tell me you are unharmed!"