Seeds of Rebellion

Short Story by Lawrence Henry

The Kingdom of Polarsice is in peril, and has been for some time. Princess Aleah is the only remaining member of the house of Bardel. The king, Arnau XIV was assassinated while leading a military campaign against rebels from the southern part of the country.

Awakening, Princess Aleah noticed the blood-soaked paper, upon which a letter addressed to her had been hurriedly scribbled. As she rose, she snatched it from its place on her night stand and began to read it, "My precious daughter," it read, "I'm terribly sorry for what is transpiring. If you find and read this, it means my worst fears are true and that my wounds have brought upon me the death of a king. I have found the source of the rebels in the Forest d' Anjou, but be prepared. There is dissention among the soldiers, and they are beginning to join the rebels. Beware of the guile of General Carlos Laxlord, for it seems that he leads the rebellion against the kingdom. My darling Aleah, as you are hereby acting regent of the Kingdom of Polarsice, you must stop him." She frowned heavily, "This treason must be dealt with. But how shall I? How can I redeem my fathers' country? And by what means did I come into possession of this letter?"

Immediately, Aleah called together all of the captains and generals of the kingdom. There were five generals in all: There was Kaine Lorell, the bravest Paladin in the country; John de Aleçon, whose weapon of choice was the Halberd; Javier de Niclaas, whose archery was of no comparison; Ya Saibara, the vagabond swordsman from the kingdom of Squall to the north; and lastly Carlos Laxlord, one of the greatest fencers ever to be born to such a country as Polarsice. In this emergency meeting, Aleah conducted herself, as she should, furnishing the declaration signed by her father. Standing, she stated, "I have received word that my father has been killed. By decree of our beloved King Arnau XIV, I am now acting regent for the Kingdom of Polarsice. I intend to have this rebellion dealt with immediately." All of the men nodded, "This mission may cost you your lives, sires, but in order to revive this kingdom to what it was before, we must stop this threat here and now. There are spies among us…you must sniff them out. There are members within your ranks that wish to see our fair kingdom fall…eliminate them." The solemnity of this speech caused the men to wonder. Finally, Javier spoke, "What will you have us do, your highness?"

"Here are your assignments," said Aleah, "Kaine and Saibara, you will circle the Forest d' Anjou until you reach where the rebels are hiding. Flush them toward the Eastern clearing using diversionary tactics, killing as many as you can along the way. Javier and John, you will then take your forces to the Eastern clearing and wait for the enemy to come out of the forest, at which point you will ambush the remainder. Carlos, your job is to stay and protect my throne. You're all dismissed now, God be with you." She sighed shortly, "And please," she added, "return safely." They returned the farewell, and all except for Carlos left. "Carlos," she said, "Join me in the throne room, please." Bowing politely, Carlos said, "Yes, your highness."

Once within the throne room, the noble figure of Carlos Laxlord knelt before the Princess. "Laxlord," said Aleah, sitting on the now all-too-empty throne of her father, "I know that you wish to have my father's throne, and I know what you've done to try and get it. But as long as there is breath in my body, and I am regent of this country, you will not have it." Grinning mischievously, Carlos drew his rapier from its scabbard. Shaking her head, "Are you sure you want to do this?" said Aleah, rising from the throne and revealing the short sword from above it. "To be honest," said Carlos Laxlord, "I'm quite annoyed. But I'll enjoy watching you squirm. Time to die, wench!" Rushing forward, Carlos thrust his blade toward the Princess' heart. In a graceful motion, she parried the sword, and with a wicked stab pierced his left thigh, dropping him to his knees. Placing her blade on his throat, she said, "Just because I'm a woman means nothing. I'm just as skilled as the rest of you. And, as I told you before, infidel, you will not have the crown! Now that you've attempted to take my life as you did my fathers', however, your rebellion must be dealt with. Your life…is now forfeit in absolution." Carlos, never satisfied with defeat, drove his dagger through the flesh of her forearm, causing blood to gush. Still clutching the short sword, Aleah let out a short yell, quickly stepped back and then brought her blade down, completely severing the ties between the head and body of Carlos Laxlord. "Father," she said, as guards burst into the room, "I've done it. I've avenged you."

Having been treated for her wound, Aleah presently gathered the remaining troops of her countries' army, and said, "Today, men! Today is the day you fight for your King! Today is the day you fight for your Princess! Today is the day you fight for your country!" the resounding huzzah was all but drowned out by the beating of hooves upon the stony road that lead south out of the walled city of Polarsice. Arriving at the Eastern clearing, she told Javier and John of Laxlord's betrayal and death. Not too soon after, were the sounds of fighting heard coming through the woods. Into the clearing poured hundreds of men, a vast mingling of soldiers and rebels. The soldiers then dispersed, and John and Javier sent down a rain of arrows and spears upon the surviving rebels. At the end of this four remained alive, and ready to fight like the cornered rats they were. The largest man Aleah had ever seen stepped forward and shouted, "This is not the end! For I am Kolbin the Great, and my employer will surely pay you in full, your majesty!" given the order, Javiers' troops sent three arrows into all but the man called Kolbin. With the next order, arrows were loosed, hitting his shoulders and knees, rendering even that tower of a man helpless. Aleah rode forward on her horse, and watched Kaine tie the miscreant to the back of her saddle. They rode back to the city, entering the walls thereof once again. Kolbin, dragging behind, sent curses up toward the princess, who replied, "Kolbin, you are a knave, and you shall die for your crime. It is not your place now to throw vain curses to the wind, but to ask God for forgiveness before you die." After the horse stopped, and two soldiers helped carry him to the stocks, he said sincerely, "I have but one question; would you have ever forgiven me?" looking into his eyes, Aleah said, "The truth is, ruthless one, I already have. However, because your crime spilled the blood of our king, an equal dealing of blood must now be spilled in turn for the retribution of that crime. This is as it should be."

The public execution was held later that day. Aleah, and her four trusted generals rose from their seats, as was the custom, and nodded to the executioner. Kolbin was tied down to a stone pillar, designed only for the decapitation of criminals. When asked what for last words, he yelled into the crowd, "I am not the last! As long as there remains government, there will always remain rebellion!" And when the sharp axe was brought down upon his neck, dropping his head to the dusty ground, none noticed the hooded figure standing silently atop one of the battlements but Aleah. Heaving a large sigh, she already knew. The other man must be another. He must have somehow escaped the wrath. What to do about him, she did not know, but the answers to many questions do not appear as soon as provoked.