by MJ Schutte
‘I am glad to hear that our queen has good protection. Once I am finished talking to Queen Ashley, I would like to discuss this with you. I’ve learnt some valuable lessons about combat on the other side of the boundary and would like to share them with you,’ Brighton said to Donic.
‘Later,’ Ashley interjected, ‘I want to see these horses now.’
‘As you wish, my queen,’ Donic said.
Brighton walked over, untied one horse from the tree and brought it to Ashley.
‘Stroke it,’ he said to her.
Gently, carefully, she touched the horse.
‘Would you like to ride it?’ Brighton asked.
Ashley nodded her head enthusiastically. Brighton helped her into the saddle, took the reins and led the horse in a large circle. Ashley giggled behind her hand.
‘This is better than walking!’ she exclaimed excitedly.
‘Yes, it is,’ Brighton agreed.
He helped her off the horse.
‘Tell me about your plan,’ Ashley asked.
Brighton explained his idea of establishing a farm and entering into trade with people from the Mountain Kingdom. When he finished, she thought about the idea for just a moment before saying, ‘We can provide workers. I see countless people everyday begging for food. They could work on the farm in exchange for food and shelter.’
Brighton smiled. He was hoping she would suggest something like that. It was going to take far too long for him and Brac to get the farm going all on their own.
‘Thank you, Queen Ashley,’ he accepted the offer.
The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing details like food supply until such time as the farm became self sufficient, housing and appointing supervisors to oversee the work. Ashley also suggested posting at least twenty soldiers at the farm for protection and peacekeeping purposes.
When the conversation finally ended, Brighton said to Donic, ‘Let’s talk about The Royal Protectors.’
‘We are the best fighters in Mendin,’ Donic repeated his earlier statement.
‘I don’t doubt that, but would you like to put it to the test?’ Brighton smiled.
‘Fine, I will get ten regular soldiers to spar against the five of us. You will see that I am not simply boasting, I am speaking the truth,’ Donic said irritably.
‘Why don’t I just fight against you?’ Brighton asked casually.
Queen Ashley clapped her hands and said, ‘I think it’s a marvellous idea.’
She had seen what Brighton could do with his gift but did not know how good a fighter he was. She found a smooth rock and sat down to watch.
‘Fine, I will go first,’ Donic said as he drew his sword.
Brighton casually held the walking stick in his right hand. Donic took a wild swing at him that he dodged easily. A few more wild swings from the commander followed, but he simply could not make contact.
‘You’re only staying clear of my sword. You pose no threat to me or the queen,’ Donic commented.
‘True. Let’s try something else. Pretend I mean the queen harm. What would you do?’ Brighton replied.
All five men immediately placed themselves between Brighton and their queen in a straight line.
‘You will have to kill every single one of us to get to our queen,’ Donic growled.
Brighton jumped forward, walking stick flashing through the air. The soldiers never knew what hit them. In the blink of an eye, all five were on the ground, clutching at their elbows, knees and heads. Brighton stood behind Ashley with the cane lightly pressed to her throat.
A small whimper escaped her lips.
‘I won’t hurt you,’ he quickly reassured her.
Donic and the other four men got up, but before they could charge forward, Brighton said, ‘Wait! Think about this. If I wanted to kill Queen Ashley, she would be dead already.’
He walked back to the five men.
‘Angry men make mistakes. Never get angry in battle,’ he said to them.
As he walked past the one soldier, he lightly slapped the man in the face. The soldier immediately took a wild swing at Brighton and promptly found himself flat on his back with a cane pressing down on his throat.
‘What did I just say?’ Brighton admonished the man.
‘Not to get angry,’ the man replied in a shaky voice.
Brighton stepped back and said, ‘Let’s try this again. I’m an assailant. Stop me before I can get to Queen Ashley.’
The exercise had the same result as previously.
Donic slapped the ground and screamed, ‘Again!’
For a third time the Royal Protectors tried to stop Brighton from reaching Ashley and again they failed.
‘Again!’ came the command from Donic.
Brighton stepped back to his starting point. Donic had a quick, quiet word with the other four soldiers. As soon as Brighton started his assault, two of them fell back. The remaining three attacked Brighton instead of defending. The attacks were not coordinated and again Brighton put all three to the ground easily. His focus shifted to the other two. Only one man attacked. He, too, found himself on the ground in no time. Brighton quickly dispatched the last man and sat down next to Ashley on the rock.
‘You’re humiliating them,’ she accused.
‘That’s not the intention. I simply want to make sure nobody can get to you,’ Brighton answered.
The soldiers got up slowly. Although Brighton did not use much force, the repeated blows to their bodies were starting to hurt. He got up and went back to his starting point. Over and over they repeated the exercise, every time with the same result.
Eventually one man threw his arms up in the air and shouted, ‘I’ve had enough. What is the point of this?’
Donic immediately said, ‘Go back to your squad. You are no longer a part of the Royal Protectors.’
He watched the man walk off and then turned to the other three.
‘Anybody else?’ he growled.
The three bruised, battered and bleeding men pulled themselves up straight and as one said, ‘Again!’
They took their position between Ashley and Brighton.
Brighton shook his head.
‘No, that is enough fighting for today. I must say, I am impressed with the four of you. I believe that each of you will give your life for our queen. Donic, you are a strong leader. You did not hesitate to expel a man from the squad when it looked like his dedication failed,’ Brighton said.
‘The men are ready. We will continue until we succeed,’ Donic replied.
‘There is no need. I believe you have seen your weaknesses. Go discuss what happened here today and formulate a plan to stop a real assailant,’ Brighton countered.
‘We have to stay with the queen,’ Donic protested.
‘I will protect her,’ Brighton answered.
Before Donic could argue further, Ashley said, ‘Go, do as Brighton suggests. I believe that I will be safe with him. Besides, what threat is there to protect me from?’
Donic and the others bowed deeply and set off towards the former prison camp, which had now been turned into barracks for the soldiers.
‘Donic is a good man,’ Ashley commented.
‘Yes, he is. He kept his anger in check and tried to change tactics a few times. He thinks on his feet,’ Brighton agreed.
Smiling at Brighton’s comment, Ashley asked, ‘Do you have accommodation for the night?’
‘No, I was just going to find a place in the woods to sleep,’ he replied.
‘You can have a room in my house. You promised Donic that you would protect me and I’m not sleeping in the woods,’ Ashley countered.
When she saw that Brighton looked very uncomfortable with this, she quickly added, ‘Relax. I know that you are married to Lilian and that you love her very much. I would never try to get between the two of you.’
‘That’s not what I thought,’ Brighton lied.
‘Yes, you did,’ Ashley smiled.
Embarrassed, Brighton
lowered his head and said, ‘As you wish, my queen. I will take a room in your house for the night.’
The next few days were spent gathering willing people to work on the farm and organising supplies for them. Brighton also visited the barracks often to see how Donic and his men were doing. Donic had decided that there should be two squads consisting of five men each protecting the queen. One squad would be on duty from sunset until sunrise and the other squad would relieve them during the day. Each man was carefully selected by Donic and Brighton. If there was even the slightest doubt about a candidate’s dedication, he was not selected. Donic also worked out a strict training program and appointed a man called Sal as commander of the second squad.
He wanted to stay in charge of the other squad but Ashley suggested he appoint another commander.
Donic argued but Ashley quickly promoted him to “General of the Royal Protectors”.
‘Now you have to appoint another commander,’ she winked at him.
‘Also make sure that at least two men in each squad know how to use a bow and arrow,’ Brighton commented.
When he got a quizzical look from both Ashley and Donic, he explained, ‘It gives you more options and adds another dimension to your ability to protect our queen.’
Turning to Ashley, he said, ‘We are ready to go. Every person has a rucksack with provisions. As soon as we get to the wagon, we will unload it and send it back here to fetch more. I will take the second horse to the Mountain Kingdom, purchase another two wagons and a few more horses and tools.’
‘Will one horse be able to pull the wagon?’ Donic asked.
‘Yes, the ground is fairly flat from here to the foot of the mountain,’ Brighton replied.
Donic stuck his hand out and said, ‘Have a good journey, Brighton.’
Brighton shook the man’s hand and replied, ‘If anything happens to our queen, I will come after you.’
Although it was said in a joking way, Donic knew Brighton was more than just a little serious.
Brighton gave Ashley a deep bow and led thirty-five men, twenty women and twenty-five soldiers out of Zedonia.
It took longer than Brighton had wanted to reach the foot of the western mountain. As soon as the travellers arrived, Brighton appointed three farm supervisors. Two men, who seemed to have a natural feeling for horses, were selected to take the wagon back to Zedonia. The men and women were divided into three groups according to their skills. The first group was tasked with building houses, the second with preparing the land for planting of the crops and the third with building enclosures for horses, goats and sheep.
The soldiers set about building barracks for themselves. Brighton stayed for another two days before he decided to go back to Fenton. A few shouts of, ‘Have a good journey,’ reached his ears as he took course to the west.
Chapter 9
BRIGHTON RODE INTO Fenton. He was anxious to see his friends and family. Nicky was busy sweeping the front porch as he approached the house. She looked up, noticed him and got a pained expression on her face. Brighton dismounted and went to greet her.
‘Hello Nicky,’ Brighton said cheerfully.
Nicky gently put her arms around Brighton and said, ‘Hello Brighton. Would you like something to drink?’
She still had a very worried look on her face.
‘Yes, thank you,’ Brighton answered and sat down.
Nicky quickly fetched a mug and filled it with lemon juice.
‘Undiluted, just as you like it,’ she said, trying to smile at him.
‘Nicky, is something wrong? Where is everybody?’ Brighton asked as he took the mug.
Nicky sat down next to him, took his hand in hers and said, ‘Brighton, I’m so sorry. I was hoping the others would be here to support you when you got back.’
‘Support me? What are you talking about?’ Brighton asked, concern creeping into his voice.
‘I have some bad news. The day after you left, Lilian took the children and left. She said that you are a danger to her and the twins and it would be better to be far away from you.’ Nicky said softly.
Brighton heard the words, but the meaning did not sink into his mind immediately.
‘Is this a joke?’ he asked Nicky.
She shook her head and said, ‘No, I would never make such a cruel joke. It is true. I’m very sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.’
Brighton sat back in his chair. The mug slipped out of his hand and tumbled to the floor. He did not notice. His mind was spinning.
How can it be?
Struggling to speak past the lump in his throat, he asked, ‘Where did they go?’
‘Lilian did not say,’ Nicky answered.
Brighton shook his head as he got up.
‘No, Lily loves me. She would never do this! You are making a mistake!’ he shouted.
Nicky just sat quietly. She knew there was nothing she could say to make this better for the young man. Brighton called his sense forth and spread it as far as he could. He concentrated on finding Lilian’s energy, but it was in vain. She and the twins were not anywhere near enough for him to feel.
Peter and Brac came walking up the road. Both smiled when they saw Brighton, but quickly remembered the bad news. Brighton did not bother to greet them.
‘Where are Lilian and the twins?’ he demanded before the two men had even reached the porch.
Keeping his voice as calm as possible, Peter said, ‘Lilian took the twins and left, Brighton.’
Brighton looked at Brac who nodded his head sympathetically.
‘Where?’ Brighton growled.
Both older men shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders.
‘What did Lilian say?’ Brighton asked.
Both Peter and Brac confirmed what Nicky had already told him. Brighton slumped back into the chair. The reality of what they were saying was starting to sink in.
A thought entered his head.
‘Where is Adri? She and Lily share everything. I need to talk to her,’ Brighton said.
‘She is in the woods, looking for berries,’ Brac answered.
Brighton called his sense forth again, this time looking for Adri’s energy.
He located her easily.
‘She is not far from here,’ he said as he rushed off the porch.
Brac started to follow, but Nicky stopped him.
‘Let him go. Maybe Adri can help him understand.’
‘Adri!’ Brighton shouted as he ran towards the young woman.
She turned and rushed to him.
‘Oh, Brighton, I’m so sorry!’ she exclaimed as she flew into his arms.
She hugged him tightly, but Brighton was not interested in being consoled. He took her by the shoulders and held her at arms length.
‘Tell me what happened,’ he demanded.
With tears in her eyes Adri said, ‘Lilian took the twins and left. She said that being around you was too dangerous.’
Brighton’s arms dropped to his side.
‘Did she tell you where she was going?’ he whispered.
Adri shook her head. Slowly they walked back to the house. When they got there, the others were still on the front porch. Nobody spoke; there was nothing to say. Brighton walked past without seeing them. He went to the room he and Lilian had shared and flopped down on the bed. A single tear dropped from his cheek onto the white sheet.
‘We should leave him alone,’ Nicky said heatedly.
‘No, he needs to get out. He has not come out of that room for two days,’ Peter argued.
‘He will come out when he is ready,’ Nicky countered.
Peter shook his head, but before he could speak, Brighton walked out of the house. He did not speak to anyone; he simply walked past them and took course to the woods.
Why?
Brighton stopped between two large trees. Slowly he spread his arms and touched both trees. The familiar, comfortable feeling of energy rushing into his body washed over him.
Why did she leave?
We were intimate only a few nights ago. How could she leave?
More energy rushed into his body. It calmed him down, soothed him.
A wagon slowly rolled past on the nearby road. In the distance he heard a voice calling out, ‘Please help me. I have no food to eat.’
Brighton frowned.
The wagon.
The beggar.
In your greatest need, trust Adri, the beggar’s gestures and words filled his mind.
The beggar had made one more hand signal that Brighton did not understand. He closed his eyes trying to recall that day. The beggar was just standing in the road. He was not begging. It looked like he was waiting for them. Concentrating hard, Brighton recalling every hand movement the elf made.
In your greatest need, trust Adri….
Brighton’s eyes snapped open.
Trust Adri’s gift.
That is what the beggar meant.
In your greatest need, trust Adri’s gift.
Brighton’s heart started beating a little faster. He started walking back to the house. Suddenly he stopped. Realisation hit him like a falling tree. He set off at a dead run towards the house.
‘Adri!’ Brighton shouted as he ran onto the porch.
‘Yes, Brighton,’ came the reply from the kitchen.
Brighton burst through the door, grabbed Adri by the shoulders and said, ‘Listen to me. Watch Peter, Brac and Nicky closely and tell me what you see.’
Turning to Peter, he asked, ‘Where is Lilian?’
Peter got a pained expression on his face as he said, ‘Do we have to go through this again?’
‘Answer the question!’ Brighton shouted.
Looking Brighton directly in the eyes Peter said, ‘Lilian left. She said that it was too dangerous being around you.’
Adri opened her mouth but Brighton held up his hand.
‘Nicky, where is Lilian?’ he asked.
Nicky repeated Peter’s words. Brighton asked Brac the same question and got the same answer.