The House Of Ellis, Episode 3

Lady Madison awoke to the smell of breakfast.  Her servants were hard at work, even though she was off.  Maybe she'd give them some time off after they finished their duties today.  They deserved it and she could manage.

She continued to lay in bed, pondering various things.  Eventually, there was a knock on her bedroom door.  Breakfast must have been ready.  "Enter."

In came a young woman with a plate of food.  "I have brought breakfast for you, Lady Madison."  It was a simple plate of toast, bacon, home fries, orange juice, as well as butter and jam for her toast.  The servant set it down on an end table at the side of the bed.  "I hope it's to your liking.  Is there anything else you need, milady?"

She'd pull the trigger now.  "Tell the other servants to take a few days off.  Don't forget to take a few days for yourself?"

The servants eyes widened.  "Are you sure, milady?"

"Yes," Lady Madison said.  "Anyone who doesn't take time off will be fired.  Understood?"

"Yes," the servant said, smiling.  "Thank you.  I'll inform everyone right away."  She hurried out of the room.

With the servant gone, Lady Madison took her time with breakfast.  Afterwards, she felt light and energetic.  She was ready to start her day.

She hopped out of bed, wandered over to her closet, and opened the door.  Inside, there were a number of lightly worn dresses.  Some of them had never been worn.  She'd finally get to wear some of them.  There was also footwear in the closet, mainly comprised of boots.

In the end, she decided to go with a long-sleeved brown dress that fell to halfway down the shin.  She paired it with knee-length, mid-heel brown boots.  She also decided to wear a sheathed short sword on her hip, because being relaxed didn't have to mean being unprepared.  She was still a warrior.  After checking herself out in the mirror, she set out for the city.

Once she arrived in town, she started receiving looks almost immediately.  Men sighed dreamily and a few even fainted.  Women saw a woman they wanted to be and men saw a woman they wanted to be with.

Then, as she walked into a park, she saw Hensley sitting on a bench.  She decided to plop down next to him.  "Hello, Hensley."

The look on his face was a mix of charmed and confused.  "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we met...have we?"

"It's me, Lady Madison," she said, trying not to laugh.

His eyes widened as he looked her over.  "It really is you.  I didn't recognize you without your armor.  So, what's the occasion."

"Just out and about," Lady Madison said.  "Perhaps a few meet-and-greets, maybe some shopping.  Simple stuff."

He looked down at her hip.  "And the sword is for...?"

She smiled.  "It never hurts to be prepared."

After talking with him, she left the park and stopped to pet a cat.  After doing that for a few minutes, she went back to her walk.

Eventually, she came to the Shopping District.  There, she saw a woman in a chainmail bikini come from a store.  "Hey, you're Lady Madison, right?  This store sells sexy armor.  It's perfect for a fantasy warrior like you."

"It looks...impractical," Lady Madison said.  "My best friend wears armor like that and I fear for her every time she takes the battlefield."

"See, it's effective," the woman said.  "Your friend wears it and she's still alive."

"She just happens to be a particularly skilled warrior," Lady Madison said.

"It only further proves my point," the woman said.  "A skilled warrior doesn't need a full suit of armor.  With armor like this you won't get hot, you'll look sexy, and you'll be sufficiently protected as long as you don't get hit anywhere.  That's three good reasons to wear it right there."

Lady Madison looked at the woman and imagined what she'd look like if she were to wear it.  "Hmm...I wouldn't wear it while I'm on duty, but if I was just at home training or fooling around...I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," the woman said.  "Oh, and the less coverage you have, to less you pay."  She turned around, looked back over her shoulder, and slapped her nearly bare buttocks.  "A set like this won't even cost you ten gold."

Lady Madison put her hands on her hips and smiled.  "That's not happening."

The woman turned back around.  "Fair enough."  She reached her hand out.  "By the way, my name is Shalista the Siren."

Lady Madison shook her hand.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shalista."

"I'm a traveler, but I'm going to be in town for a while," Shalista said.  "Maybe we come hang out sometime.  Perhaps, we could even have a sparring match."

It had been a while since Lady Madison had seen her best friend.  She could use the company during her time off.  "That sounds good to me."

The House Of Ellis, Episode 2

It was sunset as Lady Madison looked out at the horizon.  Nothing but open fields as far as the eye could see.  That was to be expected in times of peace.  She turned to a nearby subordinate.  "I shall retire for the night.  If an enemy approaches the gates, do not hesitate to find me."

The subordinate nodded.  "Yes, Lady Madison."

And with that, Lady Madison's vacation began.  She walked through the gate and into the city.  She wouldn't be active for the Emporan military again for another week.  Being Empora's mightiest warrior wasn't easy.  This was a chance for her to shed her armor, kick up her heels, and enjoy life.  She couldn't wait.  "Ah, the joys of peacetime."

The first thing she wanted to do was go to the library and see if they had any interesting books.  She'd been so busy with border and sentry patrol, she hadn't been able to do much.  Sometimes it sucked being so vigilant.

She walked down the street, greeting any who greeted her.  She'd have to spend time with some of them during her downtime.

Finally, she made it to the library.  The building a pillared, three-story structure that occupied its own block.  It featured one of the empire's finest collections.  In her travels, she'd been to many libraries in Empora and beyond, yet this particular one always felt like the best one.

She entered and was almost immediately greeted by Hensley, the head librarian.  He was an experienced wizard who'd been in a few battles alongside.  It didn't take many for him to realize he preferred education over killing, hence he settled down and became a librarian.  "Welcome, Lady Madison.  You are looking particularly radiant today."

"That's what being on vacation will do to you," she said.

"Oh, so you have free time, then?" he asked.

She knew where this was going.  He'd been trying to court her for quite some time.  "We're not going on a date.  It's relaxation for me...hopefully."

"Oh, come on, Maddy Baby," he said.  It'll be fun.

"Don't call me Maddy Baby," she scolded.

After talking with him a little more, she walked around browsing the shelves.  Then, a book caught her eye on the third floor.  It was about an armor-clad beauty who multiple men were trying to court.  She could relate to such a struggle.  Yes, she'd check this one out.

After getting everything squared away at the library, she began her trek home.  She exchanged greetings with a few more people and stopped to pet a cat before finishing her trip.  Then, she walked down a path in the southeast corner of the city for while and there it was.  Her birthright, the Ellis House.

The Ellis family was a family of proud Emporan knights and wizard knights with a long lineage.  The Ellis House was built by the emperor and given to Lady Madison's grandfather as a reward for her family's loyalty to the empire.  With her grandfather dead, relatives in other cities, no children, and her parents having been killed in battle when she was very young, the house was now all hers.

The Ellis House was huge and the Ellis family property was almost a self-contained village unto itself.  There was a small farm as well as residences for those farmers to stay.  There was a stable where she housed a Pegasus and a horse she'd ride on the occasion she had to travel great distances, as well as a home for their groomer to live.  There was also a flower garden, mill, a guest house, a training ground, and a small meeting room where she conferred with important people, such as the village mayor and her highest subordinates.

"I'm home," she sighed in relief.

Library Security, Episode 10

The man plopped down in the seat next to Colton's bed.  "See?  you do remember me.  We have so much catching up to do."

Colton could not escape from his restraint, no matter how hard he tried.  "If you're going to kill me, just do it already."

The man laugh.  "Kill you?  I've come to do no such thing.  No, my plan is far too devious to be wasted on simply killing you.  I want to watch as you cry in despair as the library you supposed to be watching over burns.  I want to steal your dream from you, just like you stole me dream from me twenty years ago."

"I didn't make you shoot the instructor," Colton said, the event playing in his head.  "You murdered a man of the law and thought you weren't going to go to jail?"

"Of course, I knew I was going to jail," the man said.  "But I thought you would put a bullet in my head, first.  You had the shot, right?  It was your duty, right?  Because you hesitated, I had to rot in prison for twenty years, watching as you rack up the trophies and awards.  I had to watch as you lived the life I should have been living."  He laughed maniacally.

"A piece of garbage like you could never have made it as a library security guard," Colton said.  "You sucked.  Everyone in the academy could see it.  Your observation skills were crap, your trigger finger was too fast, and you had no respect for the chain of command.  A person like you would scare the patrons and employees of the library, not make them feel secure."

"You know nothing!" the man shot back angrily.  Then, he calmed down and laughed.  "I see what you did there.  What a clever maggot you are.  As clever as you may be, though, you're still merely a maggot.  One that I will crush beneath my heel."

"I don't know what you have planned, but you'll never get away with it," Colton said.

The man laughed.  "And who's going to stop me?  You?  How much can you do strapped to a hospital bed?  I think you'll find that I will get away with it, while you watch it happen.  I will undo everything you have done and watch your world burn in flame.  Perhaps I'll start by targeting that little cutie who just left a few hours ago."

Was he talking about Aisha?  "This is between me and you.  Don't involve innocent rookies."

The man laughed, standing up as he did.  "When you see what I do, you're going to wish I'd just kept it to her."  He laughed maniacally as he left.

Colton struggled with his restraints.  "You won't get away with this.  You won't get away with this!"  If only he could get loose.  "I recover and I'll stop you!"

Library Security, Episode 9

Colton opened his eyes and found himself looking at a white ceiling.  His body hurt all over to the point where he was having trouble moving.  He looked around, not recognizing his surrounding, yet they somehow looked familiar.  "A hospital..." he managed to groan.  Why did he feel so weak?

Then, he heard the door open.  He look and saw Aisha enter.  Maybe she'd be able to explain what was happening.  "What's going on here, Aisha?"

She looked at him, seeming surprised her was awake.  "Oh, Colton.  Are you alright?"

"Why am I in the hospital?"

"It was awful," she answered, sniffling before continuing.  "Your motorcycle exploded when you turned it on and you were sent flying into a car.  I...didn't think anyone could survive something like that."

The library manager came in.  "Huh?  Hey, Colton.  You're finally awake.  That was one heck of an explosion.  Surviving that is already amazing enough., but only needing five days to sleep it off...it kind of makes me wonder if you're even human."

"Five days?" Colton asked.  "The library!"  He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't let him.

"What are you doing, Colton?" the manager asked.

"I have to go to work.  The library needs me."  He forced himself out of bed and crashed to the floor.  That wouldn't stop him.  He'd crawl if he had to.  "I have to keep the library secure.  It won't be secure without me."

"Don't worry, Aisha's got it under control," the manager said.  You can take all the time you need to recover."

"She can't do it alone," Colton said.  "I have to be there."

"LSHQ sent us the finest person they could," the manager said.  "Aisha won't be alone.  They may or may not be as good as you, but we're in a pinch."

Colton started crawling toward the door.  "Must...protect...the library..."

The manager knelt down to meet him.  "Just.  Recover.  Right now that's the best thing you can do for us.  I mean, just how secure do you think you can keep the library in your condition.  Stay in bed and get healthy.  We wish you a speedy recovery."

Aisha went to get a few nurses, who lifted him back into bed.  They then strapped him to the bed so he couldn't fall out again.  Afterwards, the library manager and Aisha left, saying their goodbyes as they did.

Now he was alone.  He laid there for a while, wishing he could be at the library and wondering if he'd ever get back.  This led his mind down the another path.  "Who did this?  Who put me in this bed?"

Then, as if the universe heard his question and answered, a man walked into the room.  "Well, well, Colton.  It's been a long time."  Then, he let out a maniacal laugh.

Colton recognized that laugh pattern.  "You're the prick who was on the phone laughing.  I'm going to assume you were also the one who sent those weird letters."

The man let out another maniacal laugh.  "Yes, yes, it was all me.  As you can guess, I'm also the one who made your motorcycle explode.  The one you love most, indeed."

Now that all that was clear, Colton still some questions.  "Who are you and why did you do this?" he asked, trying in vain to shake himself loose from his restraints.

"That's why I'm here," the man said.  "I have so much stuff to talk to you about.  Twenty years worth, to be precise."

Twenty years?  What was the significance of twenty year.  He looked at the man and then he realized.  "You..."

The man let out yet another maniacal laugh.  "Yes.  Me, indeed."

To be continued...