Black smoke and the pained shrieks of dying horses mingled above the burned and broken bones of the castle's gutted mews, eclipsing the ever more diminished sounds of struggle that still echoed into ear. King, castle and country all lay conquered, this knowledge pitted itself in Taula's gut as awareness flooded back into her prone form; a mote of clarity that urged the woman back to her feet. Ash and embers rushed to meet the Drungr as what little remained of the stable atop her groaned in protest against press of her back. With a single mighty shove the building knelt in on itself and collapsed, freeing the huntmaster of the smoldering rubble heaped against her. 
 
Still in the throes of a trance she was half way to where they had put King Erasmus the Indomitable's name to the test by the time the harsh bickering of enemy soldiers drew her gaze. Half of which had split off in pursuit of an unseen assailant as the rest grouped up ahead of their wounded. They were levies by the looks of them, Soven serfs and farmers offered up to the Yellow Raven's ambitions by their Queen. "Don't tell me how big she is, she's still just a woman!" a swordsman with the look of command barked out from behind a throng of men still shaken by a recent assault. "Do you even see a weapon? Damn dark-skin probably just mucked out the sties." he heckled, a line of pikes advancing as the hands that held them paled at the knuckle. She broke their charge with a roar that left her throat raw and seized a soldier that had fallen out of formation. He was powerless in her grip and Taula let the others see it, shouting past him and his desperate attempts to bring an overlong weapon to bear. 
 
"You think me flesh and blood? Conquerable?" she thundered, squeezing the chest of her captured foe against her own until his hammering heart fell silent and body bent back at an impossible angle. "Fools! You stand before a chasm! Step forward and fall!" she dared, ending the beot as one last tug emptied each half of the boy's crumpled body over the cold ground. It had bought her time, for though they still brandished their weapons of war it was an empty threat; not one among them could muster the courage to meet her challenge. As not to squander such an opening she backed them off enough to approach the muddied and mutilated remains of her monarch and meet his gaze one last time; eyes that had held such grandeur. Erasmus had long since passed, numb to death Taula knew that she was staring only at an empty vessel; she'd leave the mourning to Riven if she yet lived. Still, an Estengauk gives what is given and owes what is owed and such debts did not die with him. The King's colors slouched in the mire not far from the pulverized pig pen, its roost at the top of the tallest tower now usurped by the bolded yellow banner of Bernard of Ghant. With more care than the act required she made of it his shroud and offered the toppled ruler up to the ready pyre the burning mews provided. 
 
It was a small sympathy and it had cost her, given the crowd at her back time to scrabble together their resolve. Taula tensed, bucking off the urge to stand her ground; there were more important things to do than meet their march. Keeping her distance she made for the south side of the courtyard only to see her dalliance had come dearly, Ghantian, Thandonese and more Soven soldiers had already cut off any obvious escape routes. Left with little option save to go where none could follow she threw herself at the steep stone wall and hauled her heavy frame hand over hand atop its frigid fortifications. Arrow and spear clattered too close to their mark for comfort during the climb, a hail of hastily aimed projectiles that had nearly knocked her loose. The archers were relentless as she stole a farewell glance of the sacked castle Altranor, the focused fire of their volley driving her over the edge and plunging through the frozen surface of the moat. Shaft after shaft plinked in after her, pot shots loosed in hopes of a lucky hit while other bows stood drawn, waiting for the woman to emerge. When she didn't the Drungr found herself assumed dead for the second time that day.