by JF Smith
Gully shrugged and said, “There is much that can go wrong, prince. But my Roald is a very skilled soldier and leader, despite his modesty regarding his talents. He has taught me much over the years, and you will not be disappointed to trust him to lead our forces.”
“I believe you share his modest nature, Bayle. You and your brother Roald share more than you realize, I think,” said Thaybrill. “You are lucky to have each other. He is a very... ah... well, he is very...”
Thaybrill stopped speaking and Gully prompted, “Very what, prince?”
Prince Thaybrill shifted around and faced away from Gully. “Oh, well, I was just saying that Roald is... very determined. Yes, determined,” he said.
Gully felt so proud of Roald. He knew that with a plan in place, his brother would astound everyone involved with his skills. He laughed lightly to himself yet again. If there ever came a day when he was dragged in front of King Thaybrill for being a thief, he would be proud for it to be Roald that did so.
As they sat in silence with the clear night sky overhead, the laughing moon was beginning to show her bright face over Kitemount’s crest and washing the city in her blue light. Gully’s pride in Roald contrasted with his own dour feelings that he was now betraying the prince the very same way he had betrayed Gallun and Gellen. He had betrayed them by allowing them to think he was someone better than he was, and now he was repeating the mistake out of cowardice with the prince.
Gully sat up more stiffly and decided that it was time to rectify that, even if it complicated what they needed to do together. At least he wouldn’t have to hide how he would know how to sneak into the Folly grounds, which would be critical to their success. Whatever his fate would be after his debt of conscience to the prince had been settled would then be sealed, and he could have a lighter heart in the meantime.
Before he could begin his admission to the prince, though, he heard horses in the street below stopping at the apartment. He walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down to see Roald returning with his squad and several horses.
Already, the prince had stood to go and meet the returning Roald and his fellow guards. Gully looked up at the shining blue moon, its light showing the sum of all the guilts and doubts storming inside him so that all the stars from east to west could see them there. His shoulders slumped and he decided that his confession would have to wait for a better time.
Chapter 23 — The Plan Into Play
Gully sat in the darkest corner of the apartment, allowing Roald to put everything into motion. Partly, he was pleased to see his brother lead men the way he knew Roald was born to do. But another part of him was skittish about being in a closed room that was now crowded with so many swordsmen of the Kingdom Guard. It had been chaotic at first when they found their crown prince in the room with them, alive and well, but Roald brought them to order quickly and began to explain the true situation, and the role they would play in trying to save the kingdom.
As Roald explained the situation to them fully, their initial joy at finding the prince safe gave way to the reality of the tasks ahead of them and the enormity of the challenge. There was shock, and fury, and amazement, and concern for families and loved ones, but each one of the guards accepted their tasks bravely and gladly.
Gully watched them silently, thankful none of the guards were ones he had ever had direct confrontations with, ones who might recognize him for whom he was.
Roald had introduced Gallun and Gellen as representatives of the gypsy clan, which had set off a nervous reaction from the swordsmen, who had heard the stories like so many other Iisenors that had been told of these notorious vagabonds. Roald reassured them of the two fighter’s good intentions and told them that the gypsy clan was going to help repel the invading army. He chose to leave out exactly how they were going to join with the Iisenors to help for the time being, though, since he was personally going to seek the assistance of the Merchers.
When everything had been explained and everyone’s orders made clear, one of the soldiers asked whom the man hidden under the hood in the corner was.
Roald replied, “That is my foster brother, Bayle. He will help with the arrests in the Folly itself,” and gave no more information than that. Roald gave Gully a questioning glance as he answered this way, and Gully wordlessly nodded his approval of the brief answer.
Roald had the foresight to fetch parchment, quills, ink and sealing wax for the prince while he had been out gathering his squad. Prince Thaybrill wrote letters to both noblemen, Brythe veOusthendan in Wilch’s Post and Ionor veKinn in Kindern, explaining the situation, that he was safe but that Iisen was not. He named the Domo Regent and the Lord Marshal as traitors and he ordered every member of the Kingdom Guard under their governance to go to the Maqaran Pass and to report to Lieutenant Roald Delescer to fight against the invasion. He finished by signing the letters for the guards to take with them and sealing the orders with his signet ring.
Roald gave special orders to the two guards selected to go to arrest veBasstrolle, to not take the nobleman to the gaol in East End. He warned them that soldiers working the slave trade for veBasstrolle may try to free him and flee to Maqara with him, so they were to bring the nobleman directly back to Lohrdanwuld without delay. The room grew very quiet when Roald gave the order to kill any fellow guard that tried to interfere with their orders. The dire implications of having traitors in their midst hit their hearts closely upon hearing this, and the prince himself had to agree with Roald that such measures were necessary.
The mood in the room was cheerless but determined as Roald sent the first four soldiers on their way to carry out their orders.
“Eyes true, my good friends,” he said as he clapped the men grimly on the shoulders one by one. “Keep your eyes as keen as the hawks of Kitemount. Some of our fellow swordsmen have already betrayed us and will do so again to save themselves from justice. May your family stars speed you on your way this night! Eyes true!”
The four soldiers filed out to mount the swift horses they had left hitched to the post on the street and begin their missions.
For the remaining two soldiers, Gallun and Gellen, and the prince himself, Roald eyed them seriously and said with a deep breath, “So, the pieces are now put into play. I would like a moment to pray to my parents for conviction and wisdom to see me through the next days. And then, Gallun and Gellen, we will be on our way, too, yes?”
Gallun and Gellen nodded their readiness to lead Roald to the Mercher camp.
Gully’s insides felt like they were starting to knot up at the thought of what these men were setting out to do, all because of what he had set into motion. Worst of all, he had put Roald right into the front of it, to face the Maqarans as they tried to enter Iisen.
Roald strode past him to take what would be his last opportunity to pray in peace for days, and Gully almost reached out to grab his arm, to tell him to send one of the other guards instead. The fear of what might happen shot through him like a rusted pike, but his brother was focused on his duty and out the door before he realized he had passed. Gully pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped himself up into a ball, fraught with worry over how deadly wrong every decision he had made along the way could end.
When Roald returned a short time later, Gully felt ill over the peril in which he was placing so many people, and the count would go much higher before all was finished. In stark contrast, Roald seemed energized and fortified for what lay ahead.
“Bayle, if you would accompany me downstairs, along with Gallun and Gellen, we will leave for the heart of the Ghellerweald. Highness, you should stay hidden here until you are ready to leave for the Folly,” said Roald with authority. He turned to the remaining guards. “Dunnhem, Krissain, remain here as well so as to not draw the curiosity of passers-by out on the street. Once I’m gone, you obey His Highness and Bayle as if their words were coming from me, understand?”
The last two guards nodded their assent as Roald took hold of a pack for his travel
. Gallun and Gellen followed closely behind him and they left the apartment.
Gully felt sure he was going to be unable to move. He slowly unfolded himself from the chair in which he had taken refuge and unsteadily made his way downstairs and out onto the darkened and almost deserted street where Roald was checking that his swift horse was at the ready. The horse, smaller and much faster than the large Belders, snorted anxiously and stamped his hoof a time or two as Roald secured his pack and stroked the horse’s neck to reassure it.
Gully stood silently off to the side, wishing that everything were different.
Roald said as he prepared his horse, “Forgive me for being so selfish since you returned today. I should have asked earlier if you found any sign of your father while gathering up so many others in the Ghellerweald. Any hint of him on your most recent journey?”
Gully felt at the pendant he wore, the strange crystal sign that seemed to weigh more than it ever had around his neck. He nodded and cleared his throat, “More... more than I bargained for. But yet, no... nothing about where my father is or what happened to him.”
Even in the dark street, Roald looked curious and asked, “Yes?”
“Let us save all that for when this is over,” said Gully with a shake of his head. “You’d laugh me off the street if I tried to convince you of the lot of it right now. You may hear of it, anyway.”
Roald stood still, his arm upon the horse’s saddle as he considered whether to press him on the matter, but Gully changed the subject. “Err... when you arrive in the camp with Gallun and Gellen, you should spend time with the patriarch’s son, Exoutur, and the fighter, Raybb. Get to know them. You will find you share much in common with them!”
“Yes, I will,” agreed Roald. “If they come recommended by you, and are half as fascinating as Gallun and Gellen are, then I have no doubt as to their character!”
Roald's eyes glanced up at his apartment window so that Gully would see. “Not the man I expected, but he seems a good man nonetheless. I know you dislike those of wealth and power, but I do believe you've allowed a weak spot for this one,” said Roald of the prince with a grin.
Gully bristled at the comment and straightened up in the dark street. “I dislike these abductions, and I despise with all that is in me the men that would sell all of us, including the prince, into slavery. And if bringing these snakes to justice means helping one of wealth and power, then so be it,” he snapped.
Roald raised his eyebrows at Gully in an amused challenge.
“But yes,” added Gully grudgingly, “I will concede that he has a far better heart than I expected to find, nobler than one would expect of a noble. And especially for royalty. It is quite odd, Roald, but I think of royalty, a crown prince, as someone bigger than the rest of us, different in fundamental ways, but Thaybrill is similar enough to me that it is easy to forget whom he really is. Do not let that deceive you, though... I fully expect his memory for all of this assistance to be lamentably short once his coddled posterior is seated firmly on the throne. You mark my words!”
Roald chuckled. “Perhaps! I suppose I hold a more charitable view of him than you. Betwixt our four ears alone, Gully,” said Roald, leaning in and lowering his voice a little, “he will need you desperately tonight. He could not do this without you. Dunnhem and Krissain are good men, too, but you will need to be the one providing leadership for all of them for what lies ahead.”
“I have already assumed as much. The prince may be a good man, but yes, he is as blown about by this crisis as a butterfly in a galing storm.”
“He is lucky to have you at his side. Getting into the Folly grounds without being noticed will be a challenge,” said Roald. “Many of the guards have been sent off searching as was my squad, but those that remain will be guarding the gate.”
“It will not be an issue,” said Gully, offhand.
“I have been trying to figure out a way for you to sneak in, perhaps disguised. But this time of night, any who call at the gate will undergo much scrutiny, especially after the abduction of the crown prince. Those at the gate, remaining behind while every other guard is off searching, will likely be traitor swordsmen hand-chosen by the Domo Regent to remain behind. If they recognize the prince, it will be fatal,” warned Roald.
Gully repeated, “It will not be an issue.”
Roald looked at him suspiciously and paused. He realized what Gully was really saying. “You've done this before! You know a way to steal your way into the Folly unseen! Oh Gully, is there any law of Iisen that you treat as more than just a weak suggestion? There is no rule or proscription you will not happily ignore, is there?
Gully grumbled, “You don't like to hear my stories, so I do not tell them to you!”
Roald took a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes for a moment.
“If it makes you feel any better,” said Gully, “I've never stolen anything from your precious Folly, so there. I'd hate for you to think me a rat nibbling away at all the belders, half-crowns, and crowns piled up in there like they were the oat harvest for the year!”
Roald shook his head and rubbed his forehead. “For once I am glad of your poor choice of careers if it can get you inside unnoticed tonight! But just this once!”
Gully shifted his boots uncomfortably and looked down at them.
“I'm sorry, Roald. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. You know I do not handle... losing people... well. The thought is even now eating at me like hungry crows in the fallow fields. I would never have put you in this position if there was any other way to avoid the catastrophe that may consume all of us.” Gully shook his head in regret. “I’m sorry for this, and... sorry for more than I have time to relate.”
Roald stepped over to him and placed a strong hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Bayle, this...” he said with excitement, “this is what I was born to do! This is why I became a swordsman in the Kingdom Guard — to protect and defend the realm from our enemies, be they from within or without!”
Gully felt better at hearing the strength and spirit in his foster brother’s voice. “I know, Roald. I know. You play your turnabout on me now, though, do you not? All the times you watched me leave, wondering if I would return, worrying for my safety from my own irresponsible and headstrong ways. Now you return the favor to me, and it is far harder to shoulder than I ever imagined,” he said.
“Don’t you dare go and get yourself killed, Roald!” he blurted, surprising his foster brother. “I’ve not prayed to stars before and I refuse to start now if you become one!”
Roald smiled, his eyes glinting in the faint light of the torch down the street. “Always full of piss and vinegar! More piss than vinegar, even now!”
Gully frowned. “Not tonight, Roald,” he said solemnly. “Not this night.”
Before he could no longer keep his worry and fears back, Gully stepped over to Gallun and Gellen. He had hoped his goodbye to them would be easier, but he found almost the same dread feelings for them, too.
He held out his left palm to them and they pressed their own to his in turn. “May you be as fleet as a shooting star once you’re out of the city and can lead in wolf form.”
He placed his hand behind Gallun’s neck and said, “Send my regards and my thanks to the patriarch for everything he has offered and all the kindness he has shown me. Tell Wyael that I will see him soon and tell him to keep safe!”
He moved to Gellen and placed his hand behind the other fighter’s neck. “Look after Roald for me, and look after each other! Strength and fortune to you both. Strength and fortune to all of us!”
Roald, trying to keep the moment from becoming too maudlin for his brother’s sake, said, “Oh ho! Now you decide to be made of morose treacle at the last moment?! At the precise moment when I cannot stay around to revel in it!” He smiled at Gully for a moment, and found he could not save even himself from it.
Roald stepped forward to Gully so that he was almost whispering in his ear. “You left me to find two men in an imposs
ibly large wood, and have returned with two wolves, the future king of the Iisendom, and proof of the vile Domo Regent’s complicity in the subjugation of all of us! No one but I knows just what a crafty bastard you are, Gully Snipe, but this is no longer the fun game you’ve enjoyed for so many years. This time, the entire kingdom hangs in the balance of our actions. You know my true feelings for you, and they’ve never once wavered, so play your game your very best tonight.”
Gully hugged Roald, thumping his back a few times. Roald, though, held his brother tight and close, his cheek against Gully’s, and refused to let go until he had made his feelings clear. When he stepped back, he put his hand on the side of Gully’s face and said, “It’s an argot reserved for soldiers in the line of duty, Bayle, but I’ll offer it to you as well tonight. Eyes true, my brother. Eyes true.”
Gully nodded and stepped back, unable to speak anymore and unwilling to respond for fear of losing what tiny bit of hold on himself he had left. Roald grabbed the cantle and hoisted himself up into the saddle on his horse and began guiding it down the road. Gallun and Gellen walked along with him, their steps growing quieter as they disappeared into the dark of the night.
Gully watched and wiped at his eye one time to dry it before turning back to his own responsibilities that were awaiting him.
~~~~~
“Bayle?” whispered Thaybrill.
“Hmm?” responded Gully distractedly as they walked down the dark street.
“How are we going to enter the Folly? The gates are locked at night, and if we ask for entrance, the guards will recognize me,” asked the prince softly.
Gully stopped walking for a moment and frowned, then resumed his walk. “Get in? Oh, well... hmmm...” he said, trying to make his doubt sound convincing. “Err... I’ve thought of something we might try. Of course, I have no idea if it will work or not. If it doesn’t, we shall think of something else. Perhaps Dunnhem or Krissain might have an idea on how to slip past their fellow swordsmen if needs be.”