The Great Escape (and the ensuing Epic Chase)
Location: a random medieval world
Time:not in the present (yay backstory)
Characters: Sir Edward Pellew, James Norrington (aka Lord Exmouth of the many titles, and Sir James)
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
Summary: Knight captures outlaw. Knight loses said outlaw. Knight proceeds to go on a cross-country chase to recapture outlaw. Chief Justice brought along for the ride. Both get hopelessly lost. (Basically, a whole bunch of backstory.)
The day had barely begun, and already he was bored.
Lord Exmouth, Chief Justice (and acting magistrate/judge for Smallbridge), sighed as he flicked listlessly through the very large pile of parchment on his desk. If there was one thing he strongly disliked about this appointment, it was the large amount of reports he and Lord Hornblower were constantly having to send back to the capital.
As if the bench didn't have enough to deal with (in having to deal with the constant bickering from Justices Hammond and Foster) without adding to the workload...but that was another story.
He glanced to the pack of cards sitting neatly on the desk. If things got any worse, he might be sorely tempted to start a game. With himself.
Luckily, things never got that far.
It was the smell that tipped him off first. “Begone, Sir James, and don’t come back until you have washed,” he said, without even looking up from his attempts at writing yet another report.
“I think you will want to see this, my Lord,” came the reply.
That made Sir Edward look up. He could catch more than a hint of excitement in his normally unflappable sheriff’s voice. “What is it, Sir James?”
“The Dragon Lord, sir.” Sir James was practically grinning from ear to ear now - a rather disconcerting look from him. “We’ve got him.”
“What?” They’d been trying to find the notorious outlaw (and Sir James’ predecessor) for months now. Lord Horatio and himself had received orders from His Majesty himself that the outlaw was to be brought directly to the capital for immediate trial, if he happened to be caught. Which would be a highly fascinating case for the bench to get it's head around, no doubt.
“He was, I have to admit, exceedingly clever,” Sir James said, as he headed out the door. Lord Exmouth followed not that far behind, curious to see this notorious outlaw for himself. “Obviously he knows all the tricks, from his….previous occupation.”
“But I wager he was no match for Sir James, notorious scourge of outlaws, eh?” Sir Edward said, teasingly.
Sir James looked away. “If you want to know,” he said, “we, ah, came across him quite by accident. Murtogg was answering the, ah, ‘call of nature’, and…” he shrugged. “…just happened to answer it not far from where the outlaw made camp.”
Sir Edward laughed. “Well, I suppose the main thing is, we have him.” He grinned. “Do you suppose His Highness will want to give Murtogg a medal?”
Any reponse to that was stopped, once the two men entered the courtyard. It was absolute chaos. Sir James’ men were lying about unconscious. And there was no sign of the Dragon Lord.
“Damnit,” was all Sir Edward could manage to say.
Sir James let out a few more choice words (which would be impolite to reproduce), and rushed down to where his men were slowly starting to stir. “Groves!” he demanded. “Gillette! What in heaven’s name happened here?”
Groves held a hand to his head. “He’s gone,” he said weakly. No need to ask who ‘he’ was.
“He knocked us out,” Gillette said from his other side. “All of us. Said he wasn’t going to be hauled before His Majesty like some trussed turkey.”
“Did you happen to see which way he went, by any chance?” Sir Edward asked. He was running through a few things in his mind. He would have to probably send a couple of guard patrols after him, and damnitall, the Crown would have to be notified, and…
The lieutenant raised his arm and pointed. “That way I think, my lord.”
And Lord Exmouth found himself with no time to do anything, as he was roughly grabbed by the arm by Sir James.
“Come on, my Lord,” the knight was saying. “There’s still time! He couldn’t have left that long ago.”
“But…” Sir Edward protested. “Would it not be wiser to wait and send a larger patrol of men after him?”
“Can’t wait,” Sir James said simply. “I’m not letting myself be beaten by a blasted outlaw. Least of all not him.”
“Then what do you need me for?” Edward protested. “I’d only slow you down, most likely.” They had reached the stables now, and Sir James let go of his arm, and hurried to where his horse was kept - still bridled.
“Official,” was all he said, as he threw the saddle on, and buckled the girth. “Don’t just stand there, my Lord,” he said, without a backwards glance. “The more we dawdle in here, the more distance that damned outlaw gains.”
In any other time, he could be reprimanded for speaking to his superior (in occupation and in peerage) like an inferior officer. But Sir James was a man with a mission now. Edward shuddered to think of what might happen when they finally did catch up with the outlaw.
Perhaps that was why his presence was needed, after all. The royal decree did state that the Dragon Lord was to be brought to the capital alive and whole, after all. Not in pieces.
Wondering what he had gotten himself into (and indeed, why he had agreed to go along with this whole escapade in the first place.), Lord Exmouth grabbed his tack, and
hastily started saddling.
“I only hope you know where you’re going.”
Time:not in the present (yay backstory)
Characters: Sir Edward Pellew, James Norrington (aka Lord Exmouth of the many titles, and Sir James)
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
Summary: Knight captures outlaw. Knight loses said outlaw. Knight proceeds to go on a cross-country chase to recapture outlaw. Chief Justice brought along for the ride. Both get hopelessly lost. (Basically, a whole bunch of backstory.)
The day had barely begun, and already he was bored.
Lord Exmouth, Chief Justice (and acting magistrate/judge for Smallbridge), sighed as he flicked listlessly through the very large pile of parchment on his desk. If there was one thing he strongly disliked about this appointment, it was the large amount of reports he and Lord Hornblower were constantly having to send back to the capital.
As if the bench didn't have enough to deal with (in having to deal with the constant bickering from Justices Hammond and Foster) without adding to the workload...but that was another story.
He glanced to the pack of cards sitting neatly on the desk. If things got any worse, he might be sorely tempted to start a game. With himself.
Luckily, things never got that far.
It was the smell that tipped him off first. “Begone, Sir James, and don’t come back until you have washed,” he said, without even looking up from his attempts at writing yet another report.
“I think you will want to see this, my Lord,” came the reply.
That made Sir Edward look up. He could catch more than a hint of excitement in his normally unflappable sheriff’s voice. “What is it, Sir James?”
“The Dragon Lord, sir.” Sir James was practically grinning from ear to ear now - a rather disconcerting look from him. “We’ve got him.”
“What?” They’d been trying to find the notorious outlaw (and Sir James’ predecessor) for months now. Lord Horatio and himself had received orders from His Majesty himself that the outlaw was to be brought directly to the capital for immediate trial, if he happened to be caught. Which would be a highly fascinating case for the bench to get it's head around, no doubt.
“He was, I have to admit, exceedingly clever,” Sir James said, as he headed out the door. Lord Exmouth followed not that far behind, curious to see this notorious outlaw for himself. “Obviously he knows all the tricks, from his….previous occupation.”
“But I wager he was no match for Sir James, notorious scourge of outlaws, eh?” Sir Edward said, teasingly.
Sir James looked away. “If you want to know,” he said, “we, ah, came across him quite by accident. Murtogg was answering the, ah, ‘call of nature’, and…” he shrugged. “…just happened to answer it not far from where the outlaw made camp.”
Sir Edward laughed. “Well, I suppose the main thing is, we have him.” He grinned. “Do you suppose His Highness will want to give Murtogg a medal?”
Any reponse to that was stopped, once the two men entered the courtyard. It was absolute chaos. Sir James’ men were lying about unconscious. And there was no sign of the Dragon Lord.
“Damnit,” was all Sir Edward could manage to say.
Sir James let out a few more choice words (which would be impolite to reproduce), and rushed down to where his men were slowly starting to stir. “Groves!” he demanded. “Gillette! What in heaven’s name happened here?”
Groves held a hand to his head. “He’s gone,” he said weakly. No need to ask who ‘he’ was.
“He knocked us out,” Gillette said from his other side. “All of us. Said he wasn’t going to be hauled before His Majesty like some trussed turkey.”
“Did you happen to see which way he went, by any chance?” Sir Edward asked. He was running through a few things in his mind. He would have to probably send a couple of guard patrols after him, and damnitall, the Crown would have to be notified, and…
The lieutenant raised his arm and pointed. “That way I think, my lord.”
And Lord Exmouth found himself with no time to do anything, as he was roughly grabbed by the arm by Sir James.
“Come on, my Lord,” the knight was saying. “There’s still time! He couldn’t have left that long ago.”
“But…” Sir Edward protested. “Would it not be wiser to wait and send a larger patrol of men after him?”
“Can’t wait,” Sir James said simply. “I’m not letting myself be beaten by a blasted outlaw. Least of all not him.”
“Then what do you need me for?” Edward protested. “I’d only slow you down, most likely.” They had reached the stables now, and Sir James let go of his arm, and hurried to where his horse was kept - still bridled.
“Official,” was all he said, as he threw the saddle on, and buckled the girth. “Don’t just stand there, my Lord,” he said, without a backwards glance. “The more we dawdle in here, the more distance that damned outlaw gains.”
In any other time, he could be reprimanded for speaking to his superior (in occupation and in peerage) like an inferior officer. But Sir James was a man with a mission now. Edward shuddered to think of what might happen when they finally did catch up with the outlaw.
Perhaps that was why his presence was needed, after all. The royal decree did state that the Dragon Lord was to be brought to the capital alive and whole, after all. Not in pieces.
Wondering what he had gotten himself into (and indeed, why he had agreed to go along with this whole escapade in the first place.), Lord Exmouth grabbed his tack, and
hastily started saddling.
“I only hope you know where you’re going.”