***
Unknown to Pulchra or her maids, that very same day her brother Fortis had led an armed group of townsmen into the forest. Intent on ridding the valley of the bandits they came upon the men from the east and fierce fighting broke out. The foreigners truly were brutal and lunged at Fortis’ men in a fury.
“Retreat!” Fortis yelled. “Back to town. Run, men, run!”
The easterners gave chase but Fortis stood his ground to give the others a chance to escape. Many fell to his blade and the pursuit lost momentum. Just when he believed the battle was done a spear was flung and caught him in the side between the plates of his armor.
“The commander is down!” one of the townsmen called turning back to help him.
“Don’t stop for me,” Fortis panted and pulled the spearhead from his body. “Keep going, they are still near.”
The townsmen dragged him from the battlefield but the wound was fatal and he expired on the trek back to Angustia. The men wailed in sorrow and wondered how they would be able to tell the magistrate the sad news of his son’s death. They continued toward the town and exited the forest just in time to see Aleckasia fly away. They then said to themselves:
“The magistrate will harshly punish us for allowing his only son to die while so many of us still live having fled from a battle against mere men. But if we say that we came upon such a beast as that, no one would blame us for fleeing in fright. Plus it would greatly please the magistrate to hear that his son stood bravely against such a foe. He may even reward us for our courage in recovering the body. No one will doubt us since a beast that size must have been seen from the town and there must already be tales of its ferocity circulating.”
So they all agreed to hide the truth of their cowardice. They took their own weapons to Fortis’ body, enlarging his wounds and bending his armor to have evidence of the fanciful duel with the monster. Then they entered Angustia bearing the mutilated corpse on their shoulders and crying out loudly. As they processed through the streets, a large crowd gathered around them and joined in their mourning so that a great multitude was present when they approached the magistrate’s house. The magistrate and his wife came out to meet the crowd and, seeing the body of their son, joined their cries with those of the crowd. They listened to the lies of the men and heard the testimony of those who had seen Aleckasia from the town. Soon the entire town had heard the false tale of Fortis’ death and all the citizens mourned at his funeral that night.
The magistrate and his family retired into their house to continue grieving together and were not seen for seven days during which their youngest daughter was forgotten. On the seventh day, Cara, the magistrate’s elder daughter, pulled her husband Telen aside.
“Though I loved my brother,” she told him. “This could be advantageous for us. With my brother dead and my sister disgraced, you, as my husband, will become my father’s heir.”
“I had considered that,” answered Telon. “But there are still many in town, including your mother, who love your sister more than you despite the rumors about her.”
“Which is why we have to move quickly to be rid of her for good,” Cara said. “Everyone who saw the creature said that it was in her camp. It was easy to convince father that she had married a bandit, now he will quickly believe that she is allied with monsters.”
So it was that Pulchra’s jealous sister and her ambitious husband blamed her for their brother’s death and the love the town once held for her disappeared entirely.
Pulchra And Akaru Page 14