Vicodin-Fuelled Blindwriting
Slept through the worst of the migraine--well, knocked myself out with vicodin, which comes to about the same thing. After that, I woke up, and was bored. I wanted to write the scene I'd had been planning for the past couple of days, but it hurt too much to look at the screen.
So, I did the trick that people have mentioned for escaping the internal editor, namely, leave the screen off. In my case, of course, it was to keep my head from hurting.
So I wrote. I wasn't able to keep from backspacing, which made things even more interesting cuz I didn't always know what to backspace. And here it is, not edited in the slightest for either coherency or grammatical correctness.
When the evening was over for the night, Badere escorted Vedanji back to her rooms. There they said goodnight.
"Thani you for dinner, " Vedanji said. "I enjoyed it. Very much."
"I"m glad you did, the King said. "It's not often I get to enternain guests simply for the pleasure of their company."
Vedanji arched an eyevrow. "Surely, as King, you could have your coice of guests."
"NO, alas. Duty is a far harsher mistress than my wife could ever have been."
"Then do you expect Duty to try and kill you?"
"Oh, I expect her to succeed, in the end," Badere said. "Vut I manage to escape for a few hours, at least, thanks to you."
Vedanji found herslef un accountably blushing. "Badere," she said, "I think youI
BLUSHING< and speechless.
"In any case, Badere said. "We are likely to have a busy day to morrow, so I would choose an early sleep."
"A big day?"
"Yes," he said. "I have been putting this of long enough, but I must learn the truth about Hyalene. "I must send for all of my Barons, and ask them to tame the Oath of fealty."
"SOmehow, I do not think that mere words would suffice."
"Neither do I," Badere said. "But it will be interesting to see the reactions of my barons, at least.."
"Brues."
"But that is a problem for tomorrow. Sleep well."
"You, too."
She closed the door behind her, not without some relief. Though she enjoyed Badere's company, there was a hint of something more. Something she couldn't put her finger on.
Was it his offer of employment, she wondered? Though she had not accepted it, could he be hoping she would change her mind?
She shook her head, suddenly tired. It was all too much to think about.
Suddenly, she found herself longing for the simplicity of the forest, and for Zherrren's company.
Zherren. Where was he? Was he all right?"
* * *
ZHE
* * *
SAFter making sure that she was ready for bed, Vedanji went to lie down. She sblew out the candle, and closed her eyes. It did not take her long to fall asleep.
She was jolted awayke by a burst of pain that had her sitting upright. Another jolt hit her, and she doubled over, dhuddling against the bed. She grabbed a pillow and curled up around it, trying hard to maintain enough compusure not to scream.Dark magic. Someone was using dark magic, for the second time in as many nights.
She had to warn Badere.
If only she could get to the door.
She rolled sloly to side of the bed, and fell, rather than eased, off. She barely managed to grab the edge of the bed in itme to keep herself from falling flat on her face.
For a moment she huddled there, clutching the befdcovers. Dimly, she became aware of someone pounding at the door. Funny-- she'd thought she'd managed not to scream...
She pushed herself off from the side of the bed, staggering to her feet to hit against the door. She fumbled to bar back from the door,--and it slammed open, hitting her in the face hard enough to stun her. She staggered back and collapsed.
She gazed up, to see a big man with a crescent-shaped scar olooming over her. She gazed dumbly up at him, and he reached down and grabbed her. "Sweetcakes," he muttered. There was a frightening blankness in her his pale eyes. "Sweetcakes!"
She landed hard, but a twinge of her wrist barely registered bayond the pain that was radiating from her belly.
SBut the man was approaching her, moving far too quickly across the room, com/ SVedanji scrabbled herself to her feet and hurrried beyond the bned. There had to be somewhere to hide.
Pain dropped her to her knees, gasping and crying. For the moment, she didn't have the strength to move. But then she moved again, . Down here, she could see that there was a crack of room under the bed. Not big enough for her attacker, but maybe...must...enough room for her.
She flattened herself, and slid under the bed. She'd gobarely gotten there and hidden, when her body arched in pain. She kicked her feet and pounded her hands, This time, she didn't even try tnot to scream, dignity be damned, maybe someone would hear her! Maybe someone would come to her rescue...
The big man was lying down toon, now, and reaching out for her. ShHe reached under ang grabbed her, getting a grip on her shift and dragging her oveback toward heim.
She twisted her head down, and sunk her teeth into his hand. He let out a yowl, and backed away. And stood up.
That was too easy," she thought. She was confirmed, of course, when his hands locked under the frame of the bed. He heaved, and the bed came up ooff the floor. He pushed it back. and tossed it. It went ocver with a massive thud.
Surely, someone must have heard that!
She scrabbled away and clawed her way ovcer the overturned bed, and toward the door.
She almost made it.
But the big man grabbed her by the back of the shirt. She grabbed the doorjamb, and felt the shift rip.She pulled free, and began a limping run down the corridor. But after only a few steps, pain dropped her to her knees, screaming. She was aware of the big man behind her--when someone hit him, throwing him to the side.
The pain reached a crescendo, pushing everyo ther thought out of her mind.
* * *
Finally, the pain ebbed a bit. She sat up, leaving the tattered mremmnants of her shift behind her. She rolled over, to see a trio of guardsman restraining the big man. He was still hollering, "Sweetcakes, Sweetcakes!"
Then, the pain stopped entirely. As it did so, the fury ebbed out of the big man's face. He slumped in the mens' grasp, still repeating "Sweetcakes," but in a sob, now.
One of the guardsmen, the one with the most braid, turned to Vedanji. She trealized, now, what she must look like; half-naked, with blood on her face. She pulled the tattered fabric ocer her breasts. "I'll I'll[[." She took a deep breath. "Let me get some clothes."
"Let me walk you."
"NO. You need to tell the King that Dark magic has been used again>"
"Are you sure?"
Ne nodded.
The guardsman inclined his head. Then turned to the other two. "Take him to the dungeaon."
"Don't be too rough with him," Vedanji said." THey looked at her, surprised. "THe's a victim," she said. "As much as I am." The dark magic was used on him."
"I'll--tell his Majesty."
"PLease do."
Vedanji went and pulled on her clothes, dressing hastily. The King looked like he'd dressed in a hurry, too, robes thrown on, on, barefoot. "Vedanji. Thank the light you're alive!"
She nodded. "Be careful, please. There's dark magic going on.""
He nodded. "That's what the guardsman said."
She looked over at where teh big man had been taken. "He was talking about Sweetcakes."
"Who attacked you?"
"IT was Erec,, Your Majesty," said one of the other gurardsman."
Badere was about t say something, when a man hurried around the corner. Vedanji was surpriesd to recognize the Ostler. He dropped to his knees before Badere. "Please, your Majesty, don't kill him! He's never been done anything like that before."
"Relax," he King said, holding out his hand to the young man. "I have no intention of being hasty."
He looked over at the guardsman. "Take him to see his son."
The man nodded, and the King went with edanji back to Vedanji's room. He looked at hher room, the bed lying on the back r. "We'll find you another room."
"I"No hurry," she said. "I think I'll be a while before I'll be able to go back to sleep."
He laughed. "All right."
"Right." He let out a laugh, which she supposed was meant to be reassuring. Though she wasn't."
And he must have realized it, because he turned serious. "Vedanji--perhaps you should leave. If this is going to continuse, ."
"The Dark magic, you mean?"
"I know it causes you pain."
"The Light wmust have given me this ability for a reason," she said. "I shouldn't run from it. No matter how much it hurts."
I don't knowthat I could be so brave."
Vedanji shrugged. "I don't know that I have much of a choice, now , do I?"
"No. I suppose not."
Suddenly, htough, she was very, overwhelmingly tired. She couldn't keep back a yawn, and Badere nodded. "Perhapse I should have them find you a place, maybe I should find you something else. to sleep."
"Yes," she said. "Maybe so." She looked over at him, and the said, "But let's not make it common knowledge."
"Yuo think it was direced at you?"
She looked over at him. "I kno't know what else could explain it," she said.
Still, it seems that there would be better ways to kill a Ranger than by sending someone like Eric after you. I don't know if there's what you know about him. But--did you see that scar?"
"The one on his forehead?"
The King nodded."He got kicked in his head when he was a young man."
"I see."
"But he's always been a gentle person."
"And he probably is, too." Vedanji admitted. "But if he was under the influence of Dark magic..."
B"ut whay him?"
"Because he was easy," Vedanji said. "Easy to influence, especially if they were playing on strong emotions, rather than reason. And who is Sweetcakes, anyway?"
"She's a pony."
They both turned, to see one of the ostler's assistants standing there. "She's Eric's favorite. Sweet-natured, and not so bright, it's easy to see they'd be a pair." He looked at the King, and said belatedly, "Forgive me for intruding, Your Majesty. I was loooking for ,.{
"He's down in the dungeons, with Eric." Before the young man could protest, the King said, "Don't worry. I'm not planning t o have him hanged before dawn. I'm sure there will be a solution."
"The young man nodded and walked away.
"Someone like that would be no match for a Ranger, though, fighting hand-to-hand."
"No match for me in full fighting strength," CVedanji said. "But I was crippled by the pain."
"But they couldn't have known that--"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Vedanji said. "Think about it--who did you tell how I sesned the Darkness...and who might THEY have told?"
The King's mouth dropped open, and he sat down on the overturned bed. "Litht, I didn't know..."
"Of course not." She sighed. "And nobody has ever been --that I am aware00able to use that against me. Usually they didn't know to."
"I...see.""No, perhapst not." He loked at her. "Still, I think it's more than possible that it got back to Hyalene."
"So it would seem."
And I think we should also assume that when they learn that they faidled, that they will try again, perhaps in a more direct way." He looked at her. "edanji, you may be in more adanger here than you ever were in the wilds."
She twisted hiermouth into a smile. "Who'd have thout it," she said.
Copyright Kit Russell 2004
Anyway, I did get 1899ish words out of it, even though it'll need a lot of editing.
So, I did the trick that people have mentioned for escaping the internal editor, namely, leave the screen off. In my case, of course, it was to keep my head from hurting.
So I wrote. I wasn't able to keep from backspacing, which made things even more interesting cuz I didn't always know what to backspace. And here it is, not edited in the slightest for either coherency or grammatical correctness.
When the evening was over for the night, Badere escorted Vedanji back to her rooms. There they said goodnight.
"Thani you for dinner, " Vedanji said. "I enjoyed it. Very much."
"I"m glad you did, the King said. "It's not often I get to enternain guests simply for the pleasure of their company."
Vedanji arched an eyevrow. "Surely, as King, you could have your coice of guests."
"NO, alas. Duty is a far harsher mistress than my wife could ever have been."
"Then do you expect Duty to try and kill you?"
"Oh, I expect her to succeed, in the end," Badere said. "Vut I manage to escape for a few hours, at least, thanks to you."
Vedanji found herslef un accountably blushing. "Badere," she said, "I think youI
BLUSHING< and speechless.
"In any case, Badere said. "We are likely to have a busy day to morrow, so I would choose an early sleep."
"A big day?"
"Yes," he said. "I have been putting this of long enough, but I must learn the truth about Hyalene. "I must send for all of my Barons, and ask them to tame the Oath of fealty."
"SOmehow, I do not think that mere words would suffice."
"Neither do I," Badere said. "But it will be interesting to see the reactions of my barons, at least.."
"Brues."
"But that is a problem for tomorrow. Sleep well."
"You, too."
She closed the door behind her, not without some relief. Though she enjoyed Badere's company, there was a hint of something more. Something she couldn't put her finger on.
Was it his offer of employment, she wondered? Though she had not accepted it, could he be hoping she would change her mind?
She shook her head, suddenly tired. It was all too much to think about.
Suddenly, she found herself longing for the simplicity of the forest, and for Zherrren's company.
Zherren. Where was he? Was he all right?"
* * *
ZHE
* * *
SAFter making sure that she was ready for bed, Vedanji went to lie down. She sblew out the candle, and closed her eyes. It did not take her long to fall asleep.
She was jolted awayke by a burst of pain that had her sitting upright. Another jolt hit her, and she doubled over, dhuddling against the bed. She grabbed a pillow and curled up around it, trying hard to maintain enough compusure not to scream.Dark magic. Someone was using dark magic, for the second time in as many nights.
She had to warn Badere.
If only she could get to the door.
She rolled sloly to side of the bed, and fell, rather than eased, off. She barely managed to grab the edge of the bed in itme to keep herself from falling flat on her face.
For a moment she huddled there, clutching the befdcovers. Dimly, she became aware of someone pounding at the door. Funny-- she'd thought she'd managed not to scream...
She pushed herself off from the side of the bed, staggering to her feet to hit against the door. She fumbled to bar back from the door,--and it slammed open, hitting her in the face hard enough to stun her. She staggered back and collapsed.
She gazed up, to see a big man with a crescent-shaped scar olooming over her. She gazed dumbly up at him, and he reached down and grabbed her. "Sweetcakes," he muttered. There was a frightening blankness in her his pale eyes. "Sweetcakes!"
She landed hard, but a twinge of her wrist barely registered bayond the pain that was radiating from her belly.
SBut the man was approaching her, moving far too quickly across the room, com/ SVedanji scrabbled herself to her feet and hurrried beyond the bned. There had to be somewhere to hide.
Pain dropped her to her knees, gasping and crying. For the moment, she didn't have the strength to move. But then she moved again, . Down here, she could see that there was a crack of room under the bed. Not big enough for her attacker, but maybe...must...enough room for her.
She flattened herself, and slid under the bed. She'd gobarely gotten there and hidden, when her body arched in pain. She kicked her feet and pounded her hands, This time, she didn't even try tnot to scream, dignity be damned, maybe someone would hear her! Maybe someone would come to her rescue...
The big man was lying down toon, now, and reaching out for her. ShHe reached under ang grabbed her, getting a grip on her shift and dragging her oveback toward heim.
She twisted her head down, and sunk her teeth into his hand. He let out a yowl, and backed away. And stood up.
That was too easy," she thought. She was confirmed, of course, when his hands locked under the frame of the bed. He heaved, and the bed came up ooff the floor. He pushed it back. and tossed it. It went ocver with a massive thud.
Surely, someone must have heard that!
She scrabbled away and clawed her way ovcer the overturned bed, and toward the door.
She almost made it.
But the big man grabbed her by the back of the shirt. She grabbed the doorjamb, and felt the shift rip.She pulled free, and began a limping run down the corridor. But after only a few steps, pain dropped her to her knees, screaming. She was aware of the big man behind her--when someone hit him, throwing him to the side.
The pain reached a crescendo, pushing everyo ther thought out of her mind.
* * *
Finally, the pain ebbed a bit. She sat up, leaving the tattered mremmnants of her shift behind her. She rolled over, to see a trio of guardsman restraining the big man. He was still hollering, "Sweetcakes, Sweetcakes!"
Then, the pain stopped entirely. As it did so, the fury ebbed out of the big man's face. He slumped in the mens' grasp, still repeating "Sweetcakes," but in a sob, now.
One of the guardsmen, the one with the most braid, turned to Vedanji. She trealized, now, what she must look like; half-naked, with blood on her face. She pulled the tattered fabric ocer her breasts. "I'll I'll[[." She took a deep breath. "Let me get some clothes."
"Let me walk you."
"NO. You need to tell the King that Dark magic has been used again>"
"Are you sure?"
Ne nodded.
The guardsman inclined his head. Then turned to the other two. "Take him to the dungeaon."
"Don't be too rough with him," Vedanji said." THey looked at her, surprised. "THe's a victim," she said. "As much as I am." The dark magic was used on him."
"I'll--tell his Majesty."
"PLease do."
Vedanji went and pulled on her clothes, dressing hastily. The King looked like he'd dressed in a hurry, too, robes thrown on, on, barefoot. "Vedanji. Thank the light you're alive!"
She nodded. "Be careful, please. There's dark magic going on.""
He nodded. "That's what the guardsman said."
She looked over at where teh big man had been taken. "He was talking about Sweetcakes."
"Who attacked you?"
"IT was Erec,, Your Majesty," said one of the other gurardsman."
Badere was about t say something, when a man hurried around the corner. Vedanji was surpriesd to recognize the Ostler. He dropped to his knees before Badere. "Please, your Majesty, don't kill him! He's never been done anything like that before."
"Relax," he King said, holding out his hand to the young man. "I have no intention of being hasty."
He looked over at the guardsman. "Take him to see his son."
The man nodded, and the King went with edanji back to Vedanji's room. He looked at hher room, the bed lying on the back r. "We'll find you another room."
"I"No hurry," she said. "I think I'll be a while before I'll be able to go back to sleep."
He laughed. "All right."
"Right." He let out a laugh, which she supposed was meant to be reassuring. Though she wasn't."
And he must have realized it, because he turned serious. "Vedanji--perhaps you should leave. If this is going to continuse, ."
"The Dark magic, you mean?"
"I know it causes you pain."
"The Light wmust have given me this ability for a reason," she said. "I shouldn't run from it. No matter how much it hurts."
I don't knowthat I could be so brave."
Vedanji shrugged. "I don't know that I have much of a choice, now , do I?"
"No. I suppose not."
Suddenly, htough, she was very, overwhelmingly tired. She couldn't keep back a yawn, and Badere nodded. "Perhapse I should have them find you a place, maybe I should find you something else. to sleep."
"Yes," she said. "Maybe so." She looked over at him, and the said, "But let's not make it common knowledge."
"Yuo think it was direced at you?"
She looked over at him. "I kno't know what else could explain it," she said.
Still, it seems that there would be better ways to kill a Ranger than by sending someone like Eric after you. I don't know if there's what you know about him. But--did you see that scar?"
"The one on his forehead?"
The King nodded."He got kicked in his head when he was a young man."
"I see."
"But he's always been a gentle person."
"And he probably is, too." Vedanji admitted. "But if he was under the influence of Dark magic..."
B"ut whay him?"
"Because he was easy," Vedanji said. "Easy to influence, especially if they were playing on strong emotions, rather than reason. And who is Sweetcakes, anyway?"
"She's a pony."
They both turned, to see one of the ostler's assistants standing there. "She's Eric's favorite. Sweet-natured, and not so bright, it's easy to see they'd be a pair." He looked at the King, and said belatedly, "Forgive me for intruding, Your Majesty. I was loooking for ,.{
"He's down in the dungeons, with Eric." Before the young man could protest, the King said, "Don't worry. I'm not planning t o have him hanged before dawn. I'm sure there will be a solution."
"The young man nodded and walked away.
"Someone like that would be no match for a Ranger, though, fighting hand-to-hand."
"No match for me in full fighting strength," CVedanji said. "But I was crippled by the pain."
"But they couldn't have known that--"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Vedanji said. "Think about it--who did you tell how I sesned the Darkness...and who might THEY have told?"
The King's mouth dropped open, and he sat down on the overturned bed. "Litht, I didn't know..."
"Of course not." She sighed. "And nobody has ever been --that I am aware00able to use that against me. Usually they didn't know to."
"I...see.""No, perhapst not." He loked at her. "Still, I think it's more than possible that it got back to Hyalene."
"So it would seem."
And I think we should also assume that when they learn that they faidled, that they will try again, perhaps in a more direct way." He looked at her. "edanji, you may be in more adanger here than you ever were in the wilds."
She twisted hiermouth into a smile. "Who'd have thout it," she said.
Copyright Kit Russell 2004
Anyway, I did get 1899ish words out of it, even though it'll need a lot of editing.