Heima: Challenge to the Crown

by S. W. Gunn

  Daell smiled curtly and said, “You have my word, let us march to Hellir.”

  They all turned and began riding for the leid towards Hellir.

  Chapter 29

  Astir could barely believe the man’s words. These people actually sent a force over Nordanverdir Bay and were attempting to capture her, here in her own home. She turned to her mother, who looked just as upset about his words.

  “Show me.” She instructed the guard.

  He nodded and then began to run towards the doors of the palace. Astir ran after him. Her mother followed behind them, however she was still wearing a dress she could not run very fast. Astir and the guard quickly made it throught the palace and to the front doors of the palace. Astir could see Bygod below them. The dock had four ships that she did not recognize sitting there. She looked to the small village below and she could see the flaming blades of her guards swinging wildly. There were fires slowly spreading onto the buildings of the village. The sounds of combat and the sounds of terror coming from her people within the village was loud enough to hear clearly.

  She turned to the guard. “Call all of the guards, we must fortify ourselves and aid the men below.”

  He nodded and ran off again.

  As her mother caught up she asked, “By Modira herself, what has gotten into these people?”

  Astir had no idea but she grimly replied, “Mother, we might need to be prepared ourselves to forge into the battle. We cannot allow these villians to take the palace.”

  Her mother seemed very upset about the idea but her face hardened as he stated, “ I might not have had the adventures that you have, but I will not allow my Queen to fall into their hands. Let me go change into something more appropriate for the forthcoming battle. I believe my dress might hinder me quite a bit.”

  She turned and ran back into the palace. Astir was already wearing her evening clothing, a simple cloth tunic and trousers. Her feet were still bare from her attempt to contact the earth earlier. She sighed heavily as she continued to watch the battle. It was obvious that the enemy was slowly pushing the Aldarnari guards back towards the palace. The numbers of flaming swords were also decreasing in number as the battle continued. She doubted that a single guard gave even a hand of space without bringing forth death on the enemy. About fifty guards raced from the palace with their swords drawn. They stopped and began to form into a solid line between the village and the palace. The sounds of terrified Jordling villagers began to strengthen. Astir believed that they were running to the palace for protection. She was proven correct as she began to recognize the Jordlings that began ran towards them.

  “Let them pass.” Astir commanded.

  The formation loosened in the middle to allow the Jordlings to pass. Astir watched them carefully to ensure that each person passing was one of her loyal citizens. Eventually the numbers of Jordlings trickled until no more continued to climb the pathway to the palace. Soon the sounds of combat began to strengthen. Her father suddenly appeared.

  He said, “Your Majesty, you should retreat back through the palace and to the schoolhouse. We have formed a group of fifty warriors from the Hamarr to serve as our final stand against these scum.”

  She did not wish to leave, she wanted to face the people who challenged her rule directly.

  “Father I wish to stay and fight.”

  “No my sweet daughter, you must be with the last vanguard. If the enemy makes it to you, then you must fight. We cannot risk losing you here if we can weaken them to force either retreat or into numbers our last vanguard can handle.”

  Astir had known her father was right. She looked into his eyes and saw that he had feared for her safety. In the end she knew she could not disobey his desires.

  “Very well father, but what about you?”

  “I am to fight with the final vangard outside the doors of the schoolhouse, as ordered by the Premier. Come with me.”

  He took her hand and led her through the palace. They made their way out to the garden, where Astir stopped long enough to grab her slippers before they continued to the schoolhouse. Her father was correct. Standing in front of the schoolhouse was fifty men, along with several of the Aldarnari who served within the palace itself in various positions. Her mother stood proudly beside Ofriki in front of the the men of the Hamarr.

  Her father spoke as soon as they approached her mother, “Drottni, you and the Premier best enter the schoolhouse with the Queen while we deal with these interlopers.”

  Her mother shook her head as she angrily said, “No husband, I will stay here and help fend off these men.”

  Ofriki added, “I too will stay. I might not be able to swing a sword, but I can fend off any water attacks that would be sent at you.”

  Astir then finally commanded, “Get me a sword father. I will deal with these wretches myself.”

  He looked shocked by her words as he stuttered out, “But Your Majesty, you are the reason for this. We must protect you at all costs.”

  Astir looked at him and in the same firm tone she asked for her husband’s sword several turns ago she said, “Father, get me a sword.”

  She could tell he was taken aback by her strong words.

  “Very well Your Majesty.” He replied before turning to one of the Aldarnari nearby and commanding him, “Fetch a sword for the Queen, something small and light.”

  The man nodded and disappeared for a moment. He returned with a small sword which he passed it to her father. His father examined it for a moment and then handed it to her.

  “Here is your sword, Your Majesty.”

  Astir took the sword from him. It was much smaller and lighter than the one her husband had. She suspected it might have been a training sword for younger Aldarnari boys.

  She turned to her mother and ordered, “Mother, you and Ofriki should go within the schoolhouse.”

  Her mother started to object but Astir interrupted her, “I want you and every capable being to go to the windows of the schoolhouse facing us. Your goal will to provide projectiles into our foe as they attempt to approach us. Weaken them greatly before they arrive at our feet.”

  Her mother nodded at her before she turned and entered the schoolhouse. Ofriki and several others followed her. Astir turned to face towards the palace. She could hear the sounds of the battle raging between opposing forces on the other side of the palace. Her men were no doubt fighting to the last man and taking as many of their foes with them as they could. The sounds of suffering was quite evident from the screams that made their way over the clashing of blades. Astir was upset to hear it all happening, she still had no reason as to what the cause of the whole conflict was. The only new policy that she had instituted was a rebuilding project for all of the leids. She shook her head. The sounds of multiple windows from the schoolhouse opening caused her to look backwards. As she looked into the windows, she could see faces of people that she recognized. Her mother, Ofriki, and Fregna were among them. She glanced to each one of them and nodded at them when they locked eyes with her. Even though Fregna was a Vindiri, it was clear that she was loyal exclusively to Astir and the crown. Astir smiled as she surveyed her true allies. Even as they faced their deaths they stood noblely by her side.

  Eventually the battle outside the palace ceased. Astir suspected that her men had finally fallen, which caused her to feel both anger and sadness. She could only hope that they were effective in eliminating enough of the enemy to force a retreat or to weaken them enough to allow her and the men here to defeat them. The sounds of people running through the palace began to replace the silence. Astir now knew that her men had indeed lost and that the enemy was searching the palace for her. It would not be long until they completed their search and made their way to the palace gardens. Once in the gardens they would be visible to each other.

  Finally a Vindiri man looked into the garden and spotted them. He turned back and ran into the palace. She could hear voices yelling, but from the distance they were at she could not understan
d the words they spoke. The yelling stopped and one Vindiri man exited the palace through the back doors that led into the palace. He slowly walked towards them. As he walked the others of his party began to exit into the palace gardens. Astir could see that they were a mix of both Vindiri and Vatune men. All of them had a variety of swords within their hands. They had the signs of battle on them with blood splattered on their clothing and swords. They continued to file out and form into a general group just outside the doors of the palace. It took them some time but eventually they had all exited the palace. Astir could only guess, but she thought that they numbered around two hundred. It would be a close fight she was certain.

  The single man who had first left the palace alone, whom she was left to believe was their leader, slowly strolled closer to them. He stopped about fifteen paces from her and her remaining guards. He was a middle aged Vindiri man. Astir guessed he might be a close to forty harvests old. He wore the same mykjask tunic and trousers of his people. His clothing was a light red in color. The emblem embroidered on his tunic was the two moons Tungil and Mani. He wore his black hair short. The look on his face was one of a smug surety, as though victory was already complete.

  He assessed them for a moment and then finally spoke directly to her, “My name is Fuinn Kyllsson, I am the leader of the First Expedition. I have been sent by the combined forces of Kunnadi and Hellir to arrest you. You are woefully outnumbered and we have already eliminated most of your forces. Surrender and we shall simply leave with you. We will leave the remainder of your men unharmed.”

  Astir was infuriated by his words. He had no authority to arrest her for anything.

  She spoke angrily, “By whose authority do you act. I tire of hearing the generic term of Kunnadi and Hellir forces. I wish to know the name of the men who have dared to challenge my god-given authority to rule Heima.”

  The man paused for a moment before saying, “I suppose since you will be arrested soon, it is of no matter. I act under the authority of President Skyansam Smidasson of Kunnadi and Head of the Malstefna, Gildura Slitasson. Both men serve as leaders of their respective cities and they have ordered you arrested, so step forth now and accept your fate.”

  Astir could not understand the motivations of these men. They rose immediately to leadership positions within their own cities, even after losing the Kostir, and yet they chose to betray her.

  “What is the charge that I am being arrested for?” She asked.

  The man paused for a moment as though unsure of her question.

  Her voice laced with sarcasm she took advantage of his uncertainty to say, “Certainly these men told you the motivations as to why you had to come all the way to Bygod and assault your Queen? It would seem foolish of you to follow such a command without question.”

  “I know the charge.” He replied sharply and then said, “They have proclaimed you guilty of treason against Heima by installing a false king on the throne.”

  Astir was flabbergasted by his words. They were mad because they lost the Kostir and had started this whole thing because of it. She could not believe what she had heard.

  She said angrily to the man, “Surely you know how the Kostir works, do you not? The man who wins the event becomes the next King. I did not install him, he won the event.”

  At this point Astir had developed a new plan. Instead of fighting the whole group, she would cut down their leader. It should be enough to shake his men from their course of action. Slowly she slid her sword behind herself and through the loop of her trousers. The weight of the sword was so much that it barely held in place. She could feel it tugging at her trousers threatening to pull them downwards.

  The man spoke again, “My opinion is irrelevant, I am to arrest you and bring you to Kunnadi, and from there the decision of your fate will be decided by the President of Kunnadi.”

  Astir knew that he could not be dissuaded, so she decided to place her plan into action. She turned slightly to face her father and then winked at him. He looked confused by her wink.

  She turned back to the man and said, “Very well then, I would hate to see my friends harmed. Can I have your word that you will not harm them if I surrender?”

  “You have my word. Once you surrender we shall leave immediately.”

  “Very well.”

  She slowly began to walk towards the man.

  Her father spoke, “Your Majesty, do not surrender, my men and I can defeat these men in battle.”

  Astir glanced back at him before saying, “Sorry father, I must do what I must do.”

  She continued walking towards the man, making sure she walked slow enough that the sword behind her would not pull her trousers down in the back, or fall out. As soon as she was about four paces from the man, he pulled a rope from out of one of his pockets to secure her wrists with. Astir slowly reached behind her back and gripped the handle of the sword. She was now two paces away and the man began to reach for her with his rope in hand.

  In a swift motion Astir pulled the sword from behind her, called forth flames to surround her sword, and then jumped towards the man. She screamed out a guttural roar and then thrust the flaming sword as hard as she could into his chest. The man flinched and began to raise his arms to try and deflect the blow. He was too late as her sword struck true and penetrated into the center of his chest. His tunic began to catch aflame as he crumbled down to her feet. Astir snarled as the man died beneath her. This man would be the first to die by the hand of a Queen and she planned to send more with him, if she had to. She pulled the flaming sword from the man’s body. She stared into the crowd of the invaders. The confidence that she sensed they felt as they entered the garden had withered away. She could see fear splash on the faces of many of them. She now knew she could force them to surrender here and now.

  She yelled out in her fiercest voice, “I AM THE QUEEN OF HEIMA!”

  Her voice shook through the garden. She stared into the group of men in front of her.

  “Which of you wishes to continue this foolish assault on your own Queen? If you continue your course of action then you will suffer the same fate as the man beneath my feet.”

  There was silence from both sides. Finally one of the men in the group that assaulted them started to exit back through the doors of the palace. He had quit. Others of his group turned and followed him. Astir was angry about the whole situation. These men broke their oaths to Heima and had come to Bygod in order to either capture or maybe even kill her.

  Astir turned to her father and said, “Kill them, treason against the Queen is met with death.”

  Her words brought strength to the Aldarnari and fear from the group that was trying to escape. Blades of flame ignited and the Aldarnari warriors raced past her screaming out cries of battle. She turned away from the schoolhouse and just watched as the Aldarnari went to work. The fear that she instilled in her enemies was enough to cause a quick rout. In the final conflict only four Aldarnari men died, whereas all of the two hundred of the men who opposed them were dead.

  After the Aldarnari cleared away the bodies of their foes, Astir had them then sneak down to the ships at the docks. She had assumed that a small crew would have been stationed at each. She saw the attack of the Aldarnari from the front doors of her palace. It was over quickly and soon her father returned.

  He said, “Your Majesty we have won the turn.”

  “Indeed father we have. I fear that this is not over and there will be many more issues. I am still appalled by those who sent these men here. The winner of the Kostir was decided fairly and yet they took issue and started a war over it.”

  Her mother’s voice spoke from behind her, “Many men deal with failure at the Kostir in different ways. The Vindiri who lost to your father killed himself.”

  Astir turned and saw her mother standing just within the door frame.

  Ofriki walked up and said, “Your Majesty we have removed the corpses and had them burned.”

  Astir nodded at her. They stood quietl
y as they watched the activity down in the village. Her people had returned their homes and were working to extinguish the flames and begin their repairs. Astir felt badly for them as they were innocent and had suffered because of her. She heard that about a dozen of the Jordlings in the village below were killed.

  After standing there for some time quietly her father asked, “Astir, where in Heima did you learn to swing a blade like that?”

  They all laughed at his question.

  Chapter 30

  The long ride through the plains of Gjor took several turns before they finally arrived at the foothills that lead into the Eir Hills, and then Hellir. Anderskoti had the whole caravan stop at the foothills and set up camp for the evening. The next morning they would march on Hellir. Daell was very concerned about the whole prospect. He highly doubted that they would be able to succeed in the planned action without some people being injured or killed. It only compounded his concern after a courier had caught up with them shortly after they had left Heimili. Apparently the leadership of Hellir and Kunnadi had assembled a force that assaulted Bygod. Daell initially was stricken with fear when word was brought to him. He was greatly relieved when the courier recounted the entire event that had happened the night he had left.

  Word was only brought from Bygod after Kroptugir arrived back in Bygod and then returned to Heimili with news of the events. Apparently Astir had personally slain the leader of the group that assaulted Bygod. The exact description was that in the pretense of surrendering she drew a short sword, ignited it in flame and then pierced the sword directly through the man in a surprise attack. When Daell found out that his wife was safe and Bygod had been strongly reinforced afterward, he felt a wave of relief. He had hoped to deal with the two cities quickly and return back to her. Between the time in the saddle and various stops for setting up a camp, Daell found himself dreaming of her. He longed to hold her once again in his arms, to feel her soft skin and hear her joyful laugh. He was also quite concerned what affect these events would have on her personally, she was such a wonderful person and he desired that she not change.