by Jane Merkley
“So I raced back to Blindvar. I had put my family in a safe place but I worried for them even there. I had to fight this enemy to get to them and fight them again to get out and then fled here. I… I am not fit to protect you.” He swallowed deeply. “Upon Gildeon’s grace you made it here but the god does not give fools like me twice luck. I would be afraid of forgetting myself again, untried as I am, and putting you in danger a second time.” He sat for a moment with his eyes to the table. Then he slid the cuff off his wrist which designated him as a member of her guard and set it on the table between them. Wordlessly, he stood and stepped away from his chair.
Altarn caught his arm firmly. “Sit,” she commanded darkly.
Jasper hesitated, then obeyed.
Altarn eyed the cuff on the table. “We are all untried, Jasper. We’ve never been put into this situation before. A situation that came without any warning, catching us where we lacked in training. I can’t abandon my people in this coming war because I don’t feel confident in leading them into a battle I haven’t experienced myself. Anyone who replaces me will be as untried as I. The difference with you, is you’ve been tried already. That was the first time, but you were tried nonetheless. You have that to build from over anyone else. If you leave, you will be replacing yourself with someone who has less experience than yourself, which would be putting me in greater need. So you will stay, and you will learn, and you will do it right next time.” She smiled. “Put it back on.”
Jasper sighed, and he rubbed his palms into his eyes before sliding the cuff back up his arm, helping himself to the cheese and sausage in front of him with an air of rebirth. “How did you get out?” he asked before he stuffed the food into his mouth.
Altarn busied herself with getting food so he might not notice her body language telling a lie.
“I got cut off after I saw you enter the ally, so I had to go a different way. I managed to get out of the city, but I was without a horse and so started to walk. I didn’t dare follow the road because they were still arresting Blindvarns and Ruids and it was just as dangerous to hide out in a Luthsinian town. So I took to the woods and got lost. I knew enough wood lore to find food and fresh water, but the deeper I came into Ruidenthall – I found out later that is where I was – the harder it was to find the wild foods I was familiar with in Blindvar and Luthsinia. But some hunters found me and I told them I was a citizen of Blindvar, and they said that Blindvarns were running into Ruidenthall where Byrone had set up a refugee camp and so they brought me here. Of course I went straight to Byrone so he knew that I was alive and well and ask for his help in this war.” She could see all the holes in her lie but Jasper wasn’t about to question. What other answer would he expect her to give?
“I am glad to hear your family is safe,” Altarn said after taking a drink of her cider. “What of the refugee camp?”
“Lord Byrone made me in charge of commanding order and keeping track of everyone in it. More Blindvarns wander across every day. But Byrone has allowed us to hunt and gather and there are many fresh water springs so things are relatively fine and everyone is doing well.”
“Good to hear. Since you were in Blindvar, what do you know of this enemy?”
“Nothing much.” Jasper finished off his cider and a servant promptly set down another steaming one. A smile lit up his face at the treat. “They carried a banner that looked like a disconnected five pronged star, with one of the prongs a blood red color while the others were white on a black background.” He shrugged. “They landed on the Anglmar Bay in ships so they must have come from the land beyond ours. I’ve heard reports that they shouted the word ‘forlorn’ as they ran through the towns, though I never heard it myself. Most people had good warning that they were coming and so they armed themselves, bunkered down, or left. Those not so quick were cut down.” He shrugged again, a little more heavy. “From my discoveries, no one knows what they want.”
“Byrone suggested they were looking for something.”
“A hundred of them did swarm the temple, still shouting that word forlorn, but the priestesses did a damn good job keeping them out. Apparently that temple has the capacity to become a mini fortress. If I had to guess, I’d say they are zealots intent on destroying everything about Gildeon. I do not know what happened to the temple. I had to flee.”
She drummed her fingers on the white table cloth sprinkled with crumbs of cheese. “I’ll find out more tomorrow how we are going to handle this. He left scouts at the border to gather information as they get it. I will be relying on you in the days to come, Jasper. I’m already fortunate to have relied on you in taking care of our people in my absence. I will see to your promotion very soon. Your wife and children will love the extra pay.”
His smile was gentle but his words deceived his expression. “If there is a state left to fund a humble captain’s pension.”
And that was the unfortunate reality.
Blindvar’s Princess
The dress Altarn had fashioned for herself through the castle’s seamstress was an elaborate flow of cream silk and ivory lace for long sleeves, typical of what she would wear at her own house for court. The dress was long enough that it covered her servant slippers she had been given. She would appear before Byrone as the Lady of the State and not some slum servant he had traveled with then treated her as one during her incarceration. He was doing his best to show her why she was not fit to rule. She would prove him wrong.
She dressed her hair out of her usual plain braid and curled it on rods of iron heated in the embers of the fire, loaned to her from the castle storage. She pulled the curled mass across one shoulder.
She felt terribly out of place, like a new recruit among seasoned soldiers, but she understood one must look the part as well as play it.
A servant arrived to inform her breakfast was ready and Altarn’s heart thrummed with unreliable nerves as she stood and followed her out.
She was going to breakfast with men of war in a place she was not familiar – much like she felt in her own house, surrounded by men of her court who thought her incapable of most things and she had no chance to prove otherwise.
Until now, she hoped.
The servant took her into a dining room dueling as a war room by tell of a huge map of Endendre on the wall, puckered with round headed colored pins stuck into the map in clusters, mirroring the map she had seen yesterday.
War never took time to eat so why should the players of it?
She noted the presence of three of her own men she had summoned yesterday for this session; Jasper, and two men from her court. She had left Jasper in charge of locating as many court members as he could find, and came up with two. One of them, to Altarn’s dark dismay, was Perseth, his hand in constant waiting to push his glasses back up his nose as they had a habit of sliding down, especially now because a thicker than usual sheen of sweat glistened on his face. Altarn wondered how he made it out of Blindvar, but then he was probably the first one here. The other member of her court she recognized as the Baron of Leshnigh, but she couldn’t remember his name.
She turned her attention to find Byrone staring at her with an expression she could only decipher as disapproval at her choice of clothing as his eyes slid languidly up and down her before looking away.
Her cheeks flamed at his brief surveillance and wished she knew exactly why he disapproved, but she quickly forced the thought away. There was much he didn’t approve of her but that was not her concern. She forced herself to sit next to him at the head of the table as was proper for her position, though she would not look at him.
Two more men filed into the room, completing the mass Byrone wished present. He stood.
“Lady Altarn,” he said without looking at her, and the foulness her title left in his mouth was obvious but necessary for the additional men present who, looking at their expressions, told that Byrone had to fess what he did and they did not approve. Certainly, take her land, their eyes said, but don’t not call her Lady and kidna
p her. “What members from your court have you called?”
What members? You mean the ones who scowl at my ‘feministic’ ideas and run me over completely with their arguments?
Altarn stood. “I have called Lieutenant Jasper, Lord Byrone.” She slathered the word Lord with as many niceties as she could, because that seemed to burn him more at her subtle mock at his title than simply not saying it. She indicated Jasper who had managed to come in a clean and nice guard uniform, and her two court members as well in their respected attires, which surprised her given their half destitute living options in the refugee camp. He sat up prouder as she pointed him out. “He is a member of my personal guard and has since taken over commanding the refugees in my absence. I also have Perseth, Baron of the City of Fellsbarren, and Icnar,” she remembered his name just in time, “Baron of the City of Leshnigh.” She sat.
“We also have here,” Byrone continued, his fists balled and supporting his weight on the table top, “Captain Torren.” The man with an arm in the sling raised his good arm, briefly looking at Altarn before looking away again. “Rinder and Bois from my court and my strategists, Bilden and Shen.”
Each man raised his hand briefly upon his name, nodding politely to Altarn who smiled back.
“We will enlighten the Lady and her court on what we have discovered so far.” Byrone went to the map on the wall. “It is clear that they are headed straight at Greatmar. They attacked Niesh and Ashnar so it only makes sense to attack Ruidenthall’s capital, too. I wonder why they are not heading toward Athenya first? But I suppose we are the greatest threat. We are a step ahead because we know mostly for certain they are heading this way. The scouts I left behind have sent birds verifying as much. The only question is, when will they get here?” He spun so fast his coat tail spun outward from him as he faced Altarn. “What we need from you,” he said looking at her, his blue eyes stormy, “is to enlighten us on the size and skills of your army.”
The door to the room opened and three older male servants entered, pushing wheeled tables laden with steaming food.
Altarn didn’t recognize any of these servants. In fact, she had seen a great number of servants in his house. Did he really need so many?
Food was set in front of her and she folded her napkin in her lap and began to eat, if a little shyly, watching the men carelessly fork bacon and eggs into their mouths as if they were being timed, mashing loudly, elbows akimbo about their space. It made Altarn feel as if she was the uncivilized one. But given Greatmar’s constant issues with pirates along their coast, these men were always strategizing and often didn’t have the luxury of spending five minutes to eat.
She caught Byrone staring at her for just one second before he looked away again, and she found her anger renewed that his gaze was one of continued disagreement.
The meal was concluded and the servants standing by whisked the platters away again. Silence followed and she found them all looking at her. Then she remembered they had left off with her needing to talk about the strength of her army.
She stood, smoothing the silk gown across her thighs. “I have twenty thousand active members in my army and another ten thousand on passive statues that can be drafted into active at my summons.”
“What weapons do you train your army?” asked Shen.
To this, Altarn smiled, already preparing for their laughs. “Twenty thousand are shredders, five thousand duel wield, three thousand grapple, one thousand five hundred bowman, and five hundred musicians.” She saved the best for last.
The men before her snorted on unexpected laughs they failed at holding in, hiding their smiles and looking ashamed at the same time. Altarn smiled too, reassuring them that she understood how absurd it sounded.
“Enlighten us,” Byrone said after his short share of chuckles.
“A shredder is what we call those who wield the shorn. A shorn is a fan looking blade. Is there paper?”
Byrone pointed to a table beside the map with sticks of soft charcoal wrapped in paper to keep charcoal off the user’s fingers. Altarn moved to the table, her dress swishing about her legs. Grabbing her utensils, she drew a picture of two long half circles with serrated edges on one side. It closely resembled wings.
She stood directly behind Torren to show the rest of the table her picture. Torren had to twist awkwardly around to see it. She relocated to her chair and remained standing as she drew another picture of a long whip with three tails and small grappling hooks at the ends of each.
“These are grapples.” She tucked a curl of black hair behind her ear. “The duel wielders and bowman are what you know them to be.”
“What of the musicians?” Bilden burst out with genuine curiosity, as if he had been waiting patiently for it to be answered already.
“My musicians make music.” Altarn grinned to make a small joke herself and then continued. “They play a very specific song to which my shredders dance.”
Again laughter and this time there was no effort to contain it, but a swift stroke of Byrone’s hand caused the laughter to stop abruptly.
“Dance?” Byrone asked incredulously. “Do you have soldiers to serve refreshments?” To this, laughter again ensued and Altarn smiled so as not to show that she’d been slighted.
“My soldiers are trained to keep their weapons near them at all times,” she continued over their chuckles. “So we are fortunate that when they fled Blindvar, they had their weapons and armor with them, so Lieutenant Jasper reports. So you will not need to supply thirty thousand arms and armor.” Altarn smiled sweetly to throw Byrone’s gaze laced with worry off of her. Swords he had. Whips and daggered wings?
“Shredders fight in the front, duel wielders directly behind, grapplers the rear of the enemy, and bowman high. And what of yours?” She directed her eyes at Byrone.
He smiled and stood. “I’m sure I’d just overwhelm you with talk of swords and shields. They must be foreign to you Blindvarns.” Complimentary chuckles from his men followed and Altarn joined in to show them she agreed it sounded ridiculous and to prove that they couldn’t best her with degrading comments.
“But I am fifty thousand active with non in reserves.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, twenty thousand of them are engaged on my shores dealing with pirates. So Totaling, we have sixty thousand and I don’t think that’s a bad number to start. So from here, notices will be sent out to our respective members of the army to summon them to the cause of their state.” He looked at Altarn. “Find out how many of your troops actually made it out with their arms and armor so I may get an order in to my smithies. And if you have any smithies of your own to help I will need them as I’ve never made steal wings before.”
“Titanium, actually. Steel of that size would be too heavy.”
His lip sneered gently before he looked away. “Get those numbers for me and we will convene again this day next week. We will officially announce our declaration of war and have an opening feast for our people.” He looked at her briefly. “To unify our people for this cause. Is there anything else anyone would like to discuss at this time, barring it cannot wait until we council again?”
Altarn stood. “I have a promotion order for Lieutenant Jasper.”
Jasper looked up sharply. Altarn motioned for Perseth to stand. The member of her court did so, pushing back his chair and moved, or rather waddled, to stand next to Byrone. He unrolled a piece of paper and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Lieutenant Cullen Jasper,” Perseth began in his nasally tone. “Report to the State Head.”
Jasper hesitated as he stood from his chair, though excited surprise warmed his cheeks. He stood in front of Altarn who had relocated to stand next to Perseth. She smiled warmly and unpinned his Lieutenant rank, tossing it casually away and fixed the Captain’s rank pin to the collar of his coat. She was lucky Ruidenthall and Blindvar shared the same rank system. She stole the rank off Torren’s coat draped over the back of his chair.
Perseth continued to read. “On twenty six M
idar, year 324 After the Rein of Kings, the Lady Altarn Shadheing of Blindvar has found Lieutenant Jasper to be trustworthy, honest, and selfless and has promoted him to Captain Cullen Jasper with a surety that he will continue in good faith those things that have been afore mentioned.”
“Leave the Lady of Blindvar behind, get promoted,” Jasper said in a quiet smile.
“If you find a way to leave Byrone behind, I’ll promote you again.”
Jasper chuckled quietly, well aware of the strained coexistence between both Heads of State.
“As god witnessed this promotion,” Perseth finished, “so will he also remind everyone of it.”
Seemingly dazed, Captain Jasper turned to the small assembly at the table. The men about smiled and applauded. Byrone too. Altarn, Jasper, and Perseth found their seats again.
“If there is nothing else, then we are dismissed. Thank you all for you attendance.”
The men mumbled as they stood, filing out. Altarn was furthest from the door and tried not to appear too eager to reach it as she stood and smoothed her skirt, falling in behind Bois.
She was startled when a calloused hand closed over her lacy arm. She looked to find Byrone watching the men file out. The warmth of his hand nearly burned her and she was starkly reminded of him pulling her out of her saddle to share his. She shook her head to jumble the thought. It disgusted her that he could pretend so well to be a decent man.