by Clark Graham
“Why is King Cazz getting involved in our dispute?” Feldinor asked.
“King Mortimur was wanting him to take sides in your dispute, and he didn’t want to. He had already fought two battles with the forces of Gregor. So to keep from choosing sides and getting more of the Dwarves killed, he has decided to help end this.”
Feldinor stared out into the night. “It finally makes sense. Do you think that there is a solution to all this?”
Fawn smiled, “You do ask a lot of questions. I don’t have an answer to that one, but you have a better chance now that you have come with us then you did sitting in your ramshackle fort.”
Feldinor laughed, “You are right. I really should have built a proper fort, outside the city. When the forces of King Mortimur were spotted coming down the King’s road, we threw together what we could in the amount of time that we thought we had.”
“I hope, for all of our sakes, that this is resolved. If the Dwarves choose a side, we will also choose that same side,” Fawn said it in a way that Feldinor could understand how important to him these negations were going to be to him and his cause.
He thought for a minute and said, “I understand.” Then he went back into the encampment.
The next day they made it as far as the point of the mountain. Not having to go as far south as the Lost City was saving them a lot of time.
The day was dawning but it was overcast and a light rain was falling, making the ride that much more miserable for the men who were already sore from the day before. The Valkyrie had no mercy, but were riding hard to get to the fort and out of the rain. Feldinor had wanted to stay an extra day and shelter down, but Fawn would not hear of it. The sooner she could get these men to the fort the sooner she could see Sarchise. She also didn’t care that much for being on the road. It had become wilder and wilder during the past few months as King Mortimur was gathering all his strength and leaving the highways unprotected.
It was early afternoon when the stone walls of the fort came into view. It was a very welcome sight indeed for the weary travelers.
When they approached, the gates swung open to let them in.
Feldinor studied the fort in awe. He had never seen it before. It was amazing to him, with its stone walls and iron reinforced thick wood gates. Watch towers on every corner. No wonder Fawn had made fun of his feeble attempts in the town square. If he was to win a war against the Dwarves he would have to knock down forts like this and he knew he did not have the men to do it. In his opinion, there were not enough men in all of the Four Kingdoms to do it. He thought that if this fort was so protected, how much better the entrances to the mountains were going to be protected.
Oswin was there to greet the group, “Fawn, how are you doing, you have accomplished your mission. Who have you brought with you?” He did not acknowledge Tannic as he did not wish to make the others aware that he knew him.
Feldinor spoke for the others. “We are the men of freedom, coming to negotiate with your King.”
“You are most welcome. I will show you to your quarters,” Oswin led them to the guardhouse. “It will be a little cramped; we were only expecting one man.”
“We will make do,” Feldinor said.
When they entered the guard house, they lit a fire in the fireplace and stripped off their outer layers of clothing to let them dry against the fire. Feldinor took the cot and the others spread out bedrolls against the walls.
Across the courtyard, through a window, King Cazz and Sarchise sat watching the movements of the newly arrived group. “She did it,” Cazz said.
“Yes, but why is Tannic here? Something must have gone wrong,” commented Sarchise, “I hope that Feldinor was not forced to come.”
“No matter,” Cazz replied, “He is here.”
A Chance for Peace
In the morning Feldinor and his men woke up and made their way out to the fire pit where the Dwarves served them a hearty breakfast. Feldinor was then ushered into the commanders’ building to meet with the king. When he entered, King Cazz and Sarchise were already sitting at the large table in the room and they bid Feldinor to sit down also. He was still very nervous and theking sensed that.
“ Feldinor, I thank you for coming,” King Cazz said. “I have disappointed King Mortimur by not taking his side in the dispute between him and the lower Kingdoms. I asked to serve as an intermediary instead.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, for not taking the side of the King of Ril. All we want is to live in peace and not have a king over us any longer. Our own kings died off long ago and the King of Ril was never was a ruler of the lower Kingdoms. He wants to put himself in that position now,’ Feldinor replied.
“I am Sarchise. I will represent King Mortimur in these proceedings, until these discussions get to a point where he needs to take over.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard so much about you, both as a Royal Scout and a Warrior for the Dwarves,” Feldinor said.
“Thank you,” Sarchise said, “I do have a concern. The Four Kingdoms had a habit of fighting each other and drawing both the Dwarf and Elf into their conflicts. We do not see it as a good idea for there to be so many kingdoms of men.”
“Both of the lower kingdoms will be under one government. King Mortimur will have control over the kingdoms of Ril and Zor,” Feldinor said.
“We have already fought two battles with the man who wished to be the King of Zor. How do we know that more will not try to claim the kingdom of that country?” Sarchise asked.
“I do not know about the Kingdom of Zor. I am only concerned about the lower kingdoms,” Feldinor responded.
“Fair enough,” Sarchise said. “What gives you the right to rule two kingdoms?”
Feldinor thought for a minute. “I have the will of the people; if they want another one in my stead, they can turn me out and put another in, the same as they do in South Fort.”
Sarchise had grown up in South Fort and knew their government worked very well. He was now having a hard time arguing against it, but he continued, “We do not want a war that the Dwarves may be dragged into. It worries me to have multiple kingdoms of men. My proposal is to peacefully go back to the rule of King Mortimur, but be granted certain rights, the right to elect a sheriff for each of your cities to uphold the laws of Ril.”
“That is unacceptable to us,” Feldinor said. He was angry and thinking about walking out
“What would be acceptable?” Cazz asked.
“Total freedom to choose our own rulers and laws.” Feldinor answered.
“Then we are at an impasse,” Sarchise said. “How do you think you will fare against the armies of King Mortimur in battle? He is camped two days journey from here. He would be half way to the crossroads if we had not stopped him.”
“If the Dwarves do not join the fight, we may prevail,” Feldinor responded.
“And how many of you will be left to tell the tale, even if you do win the war, which is highly doubtful?” Sarchise asked.
“Many will perish,” Feldinor responded.
“Mark your words carefully this day; you can save thousands by what you speak,” Sarchise said.
Cazz interrupted, “Would you consider a lesser proposal than full freedom?”
“I have not thought about that.”
Sarchise fidgeted in his chair and said, “If you held free elections, made your own laws to govern your lands, but still were ruled by the Kingdom of Ril. The Kingdom will maintain the army and oversee your kingdoms. The Kingdoms of Zor, Myr and the Middle Kingdom all will be allowed this honor. Each kingdom will be remaining separate from the other two. All will have the right to enact their own laws and govern like South Fort does, but the army of men will be maintained by the Kingdom of Ril, and all the kingdoms will give men and money for its maintenance.”
Feldinor looked at Sarchise. It was less than he wanted, but more than he expected. He waited for Sarchise to add to his comments but Sarchise did not say another word. King Cazz was wai
ting for Feldinor’s response also. He finally thought of an opportunity to put this in King Mortimur’s lap, “I will agree to that if King Mortimur does, but I doubt he will.”
Cazz got up from his seat and said, “He already has. I will go tell him the good news.”
“King Mortimur is here?” Feldinor said in a startled voice.
Cazz made his way to the door and opened it and King Mortimur came through it. He gave held out his hand to Feldinor. “I agree, you will see that we can get along, but with only one army to fight the foes of man, like we had during the last Gremlin war, instead of four.”
Feldinor arose and shook the hand of the King. “I am glad to avoid war with you, King Mortimur. I am pleased to bring peace back to my people too.”
“Go in peace, I will send a proclamation through the land with the details of what we have agreed to here today,” King Mortimur said.
“I will ask the Valkyrie to take you back to your Kingdom,” King Cazz said.
“No, we will walk, I find that my body is not accustomed to horses,” Feldinor said.
“As you wish.” King Cazz said. “Will you and your men join us for a feast to celebrate the peace tonight around the bonfire?”
“We will be honored.”
King Mortimur looked anxious at King Cazz. When Cazz noticed it, he said, “Of course you and your commanders are welcome too.”
“Thank you,” Mortimur said, greatly excited.
The bonfire roared that night with a feast that the great hall of the Mountains of Iron would have a hard time rivaling. Then hunters had been sent out and brought back venison and rabbit to go with the pigs and chickens from the fort. With the meat roasted and the ale poured it was time for the festivities. There was eating and drinking and toasts all around.
Around midnight, when he thought that everyone was too busy to notice, Sarchise slipped away from the bonfire. Fawn did notice him disappear in the darkness and went to see where he was going.
He was walking along the back wall when she caught up with him. When he looked down at her, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
He looked at her sadly and said, “I don’t know if I can be what you want me to be. I still have a hole in my heart.”
“I know, but you will never fill that hole in your solitude,” she said.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
An Angry Elf
King Mortimur talked Governor Feldinor into allowing ten of his soldiers into accompanying him back to the Middle Kingdom. Feldinor agreed, on the condition that the soldiers were dressed in plain clothes and not in their uniforms. The King's road was still a bad place to travel and the king did not want the governor hurt in any way. He did not want the people of the lower kingdoms accusing him of treachery. Feldinor and his men headed out early in the morning.
King Mortimur slept till midday, after the festivities of the night before. He then had Fawn take him to his camp. He was still feeling the effects of the ale when he left.
Sarchise and King Cazz had a wonderful breakfast together by the fire pit. Sarchise had decided to spend some time visiting the Elf, but King Cazz would not allow him to go alone, so he would wait there for Fawn's return, before venturing into the Westwood. King Cazz headed back to the gates of the Mountains of Iron where his army was formed up and ready.
Sarchise climbed up the ramparts and watched as the King's long line of Dwarves marched out onto the plains. He also watched Fawn and Mortimur ride off in the same direction later in the day. He was still having mixed feelings about what was happening. Conventional wisdom would state that one does not fall in love with a Valkyrie, because a Valkyrie will never fall in love with you, but conventional wisdom seemed to be thrown out the window. His feelings for Ammlee were still strong, but it didn't mean he would love her memory less if he had someone else to love.
Sarchise spent the night in the fort and enjoyed the company of Oswin and Hemlot. Hemlot was glad to get out of the mountains. His old war wound was troubling him more and more and the cool damp caves and tunnels of the Dwarfs' homeland didn't agree with it. He had asked King Cazz assign him as Oswin's under commander so he could do the rest of his service in the open air.
Fawn returned with two horses late the next evening. Sarchise came up to her and gave her a hug and asked, "You planning on trading off?"
She laughed and said, "No, I am going to teach you how to ride."
"How long will that take?"
"A few days," she said with a smile.
"I guess the Elf can wait," Sarchise replied.
The next few days were some of the happiest in Sarchise's life, except for missing his sons. His days were spent riding horses around the plains of Zor with Fawn and his nights were spent around the Dwarf's bonfire, talking old war stories.
It was about midday, the day before Fawn and Sarchise were going to the Ornamac tree to see the Elf, when a Dwarf runner from the fort of the Ornamac tree approached the gates. The gates swung open to allow him in. "The Elf is coming," was his short report.
"The Elf is coming here?" Sarchise asked.
"Yes, and he is not happy," reported the runner.
"Considering his normal demeanor," Sarchise replied, "that comes as no surprise to me."
Instead of going to the Elf, Sarshise and Fawn waited for the Elf to come to them. It was early afternoon when they saw the approach of Amlius and his Dwarf escort of two hundred warriors. They were looking tired from the march, but Amlius was just upset. When they marched into the fort, the first thing that Amlius said was," I need to continue onto the mountains. I need to speak to Sarchise."
Sarchise came up to him and said, "I am here, my friend."
"You," Amlius said, "You lied to me.You said that you would find Vil Loree."
"I did not lie. I have been up and down that tunnel fifty times. The map is wrong; there is no passageway there," Sarchise protested.
"I know that Vil Loree exists. My father in a solemn moment sat my brother and me down and told us that he had seen the most beautiful city, made of pure gold. He made us promise to find it one day and see if for ourselves. My brother believed the only way to get past the Dwarves to see the city was by brute force. I did not agree. When the Elves left and the Mountains of Iron were overrun by the Gremlins, I thought my promise to my father was impossible. Now that we have a map of where the city is and the Mountains of Iron, I will go with you to find the golden city of the Dwarves."
“We will go back with you to the Mountains of Iron and try and find this golden city so you can fulfill your promise to your father,” Sarchise said.
The Elf’s Dwarf guard marched out the next morning, back to the Ornamac tree fort. Sarchise, Fawn, and Amlius would ride to the mountains. Sarchise put his newly acquired riding skills to the test by riding his own horse. Amlius rode on the back of Fawn’s horse. They had a pleasant ride between the fort and the mountains. The weather cooperated, with blue skies and a warm sun shining down on them. When they arrived at the gate of the Mountains of Iron the guards were a little confused to see the Elf there. No Elf had ever entered the gates on friendly terms before. The gates swung open and the three of them rode in.
After leaving the horses to the care of Fawn, Sarchise rushed up the corridors to his quarters to see his sons. It had been far too long, in his opinion, since he had seen them. The nursemaids handed them both over and he held the two of them. It was not as easy now then when they were first born, because now they moved more and had wills of their own. He played with them for a few hours. A little later the Amlius stopped by with Fawn. Sarchise proudly showed Amlius the twins. They were both turning over and trying to crawl. Furs were laid across the hard rock floors so the twins could play safely.
That night, after the boys were asleep, Sarchise, Fawn and Amlius had a quiet dinner in his quarters. Then Sarchise brought out some of his best wine and they all went up to the old guard post to watch the stars.
“I thought that you were stuck
in a crack in the rock when I found out you were living in the Mountains of Iron. Nobody told me that you had this wonderful view of the plains of Zor,” Amlius said.
“It’s not the best kept secret of the mountain. When I try for some solitude, there is always someone who looks for me up here,” Sarchise said.
“Indeed, this is the first place that anyone looks for you, including me,” Fawn said." I do love it up here also. I have even come up here many times when you are not around.”
The three of them sat looking out at the plains and watching the stars and drinking wine. Eventually they heard footsteps up the passageway. Soon King Cazz was coming through the entrance to the watch post.
“It’s good to see you all,” he said. He was getting excited again, now that the Elf had said that his father had seen the Golden City. He had the map that Sarchise had given him in hand. Without asking, he spread it out on the floor of the guard post. “First thing in the morning, let’s meet here. And we will go up to this passageway. We will look at every crack and chip in the rock. If we have to chisel our way through, we will make sure this city does or does not exist once and for all.”
“I know it does exist, by the stories of my father and I am honored that you are letting me participate in this expedition,” Amlius said.
King Cazz looked at him, “You feeling good? This is not the same Amlius I have dealt with all these years.”
They all laughed, even Amlius.
King Cazz rolled up his map and headed back down the corridor saying, “See you in the morning.”
Amlius decided to sleep under the stars in the old guard post that night. Sarchise and Fawn retired to their quarters.
Vil Loree
In the morning the group studied the map one more time and then headed up to the corridor that showed on the map as intersecting the entrance to the Golden City. Amlius had brought special torches from the Westwood that burned very bright. He handed the torches out to all four of them. The corridor had blank walls from end to end and there was no door or entranceway that they could see. This time they paced out from both ends of the corridor, as the map showed the entrance right at the half way point. Sarchise and Amlius did the pacing as they were of a similar height. There they all stood looking at the place where the entrance should have been, but there was nothing there.