Jane's Arquebus

Mira responded, "I think that we can take care of ourselves, but if you insist on guards, will it take long to summon them?"

"No, not at all, my lady. And my apologies, but I do not remember a Lady Elizabeth as being someone who was invited to the ball. Yet I thought that I saw you earlier, if just for a few seconds."

"Lady Elizabeth is a courtesy title. I am likely on the register as Princess Mira of Suffex-in-Allaria. To be honest, I was a little tired of the formality that is attached to being a princess."

"I respect your wishes, your grace. You can stay here if you wish, or come back with me. I will insist that the other five accompany me back to the castle. It will not take long."

"So it is more dangerous to be out of doors in Gully than I thought? This insistence on being guarded would be most irregular in Suffex. But I will conform with the custom of the country, and come back with you."

There was an uneasy silence as they headed back to the castle, with Ulfric at the back of the group. Mira was somewhat offended at the restrictions on her freedom, but from what little she knew, Princess Jane was volatile not afraid to enforce her will, even on her equals. Mira glanced at each sister's face. Erementrude and Hannah's faces were pale with fear. Katrina's and Marigold's were red with anger. Isabella, on the other hand, looked like she was thinking of something, and she spoke up. As she was a history nerd [115451], she knew the theory of the guns of her time, but had not seen one in real life. She did remember Princess Jane shooting the troll. Was this some sort of magic? If so, how much control did Princess Jane have over it? (Isabella did not know that Fred's transformation was the first major spell that Jane had gotten right [116331], but suspected that Jane's grasp on her magical powers, as well as possibly some other things, might be shaky.) Or was it just a military engine that a blacksmith with sufficient skill could forge? If it was that, was it of the same make and quality as that of Allaria, or was it some secret weapon that was far more powerful than anything in Allaria's arsenel? And if it was, what other inventions might they have in Gully? Princess Katrina seemed to have the memory of the practical warrior Fred, and she might have some insight.

"Katrina, do you remember, when Princess Jane had an unusual weapon that fired little rocks with a tongue of flame, like a dragon? [17842]"

Katrina relaxed just a touch, as the discussion now centered matters of the military art. "Yes, it was a sort of arquebus. Some armies have auxiliaries that will fire them, in order to break the courage of the rabble."

"Yes, yes, thank you! Now I remember that is what they were called. Do you ever remember using one yourself?"

"Of course not! I would be on the front lines. Give me a trusty broadsword. An arquebus is an impractical weapon. It has a role - give it to some unskilled peasant, so that they can scare the cowards in the battle with the noise, but it is a waste for a true warrior. With an arquebus, I would be just as likely to get killed when the thing blows up too soon than I would at hitting the enemy. It also takes a long time to reload. And by that time, the enemy would be closing with his blade and the arquebus would only be useful as a club."

"I have read about them - the Ganese use them for hunting as well in battle - but Princess Jane's arquebus seems to be a much more potent weapon than the ones that I have read about."

Katrina hesitated, and replied, "Now that you mention it, yes, there was something odd about that arquebus. I must admit, that I was too stunned by all that happened to ponder it."

Isabella said, "I would be curious to know more about it. And don't you think that Princess Jane would be happy to show off for us?"

Hannah broke in. "Maybe she would, but why would that be a good idea?"

Isabella replied, "It is obvious that Princess Jane wants us to stay for a while. It would be good to learn more about her."

The group had by now reached the castle.

1. Princess Jane was at the front, demanding to know why her new sisters had left the grounds.
2. Ulfric summonded some guards, and the group went back to the caravan.

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree