They would return. The moment the mages regained their strength and the monk was fully healed, they would storm his temple again. Garland feels foolish; he should not have cast the spell. The so-called Light Warriors had been woefully unprepared for this trial.
Behind him, the princess is weeping--but they are not tears of despair. She is angry; her own attempts at escape had been as pitiful as this rescue mission. Garland can hear the hopelessness in her sobs. Still, unleashing more than the Light Warriors could handle was only delaying his plan.
His gaze returns to the statue of the warrior woman. In this human form, his magic is not strong enough to last forever. Before long, the stone will become flesh and the Light Warrior will retreat to rejoin her friends. Or perhaps she will attack him immediately, still lose in the throes of her last battle.
She looks ready to attack right now, frozen in the ready stance that she is. Her armor is crudely basic and her weapon is laughable, but she makes up for it all with her strength and tenacity. Garland remembers that she had taken the spell for one of the mages; an admirable quality in a knight. However, her petrification had left her party without a solid offensive, and they'd had no choice but to retreat.
So now Garland must wait. For the spell to fade. For the other Warriors to return. For his journey through time to begin.
He strokes the warrior's face, gloves scraping a little over the smooth stone. He wonders if she is still conscious in there. Perhaps she wonders why he has not simply shattered her into a thousand pieces.
No. Not yet.
"Another time," he murmurs, kissing the dry, rough statue on the lips. "I will kill you all ... when the time is right." He kisses her again, smiling as he feels the enchantment begin to fade.
"Captive Audience" (FFI; Garland/Warrior; creep factor, PG13)
Behind him, the princess is weeping--but they are not tears of despair. She is angry; her own attempts at escape had been as pitiful as this rescue mission. Garland can hear the hopelessness in her sobs. Still, unleashing more than the Light Warriors could handle was only delaying his plan.
His gaze returns to the statue of the warrior woman. In this human form, his magic is not strong enough to last forever. Before long, the stone will become flesh and the Light Warrior will retreat to rejoin her friends. Or perhaps she will attack him immediately, still lose in the throes of her last battle.
She looks ready to attack right now, frozen in the ready stance that she is. Her armor is crudely basic and her weapon is laughable, but she makes up for it all with her strength and tenacity. Garland remembers that she had taken the spell for one of the mages; an admirable quality in a knight. However, her petrification had left her party without a solid offensive, and they'd had no choice but to retreat.
So now Garland must wait. For the spell to fade. For the other Warriors to return. For his journey through time to begin.
He strokes the warrior's face, gloves scraping a little over the smooth stone. He wonders if she is still conscious in there. Perhaps she wonders why he has not simply shattered her into a thousand pieces.
No. Not yet.
"Another time," he murmurs, kissing the dry, rough statue on the lips. "I will kill you all ... when the time is right." He kisses her again, smiling as he feels the enchantment begin to fade.