The roads thinned as they ascended up the first mountain and by the time they passed the first rocky outcrop, the two hundred strong keshig force had adjusted their formation. While the path was wide enough to accommodate two carriages side-by-side, Pina understood the extensive caution Komadai abided by. Everyone rode in threes with individual persons of importance sandwiched between the keshigs.
Pina clutched the thick fur-lined overcoat given to her closer to herself as the winds began pelting her face with flakes of snow. Lavridia prodded slowly forward, at the same pace as her escorts. They mostly paid her no mind, allowing her to chance glances at their equipment: the bows, the arrows, the sabers, the trinkets, and the rifles wrapped in cloth. How differently the Imperial Saderan Army would function if they were similarly equipped, she mused.
They stopped at an outpost near the summit. Despite the size of the camp, there seemed to be more than enough supplies to replenish half a legion. While perched on the side of the mountain, the view stretched over much of the rugged terrain. Pina could see a set of structures built atop a high plateau. It was intricately walled and boasted the same architecture from Goryeo.
"It's a monastery," Lelei said.
"It looks beautiful," Hamilton breathed.
"Amazing how they could build so high up here," Bozes added, "with these types of roads. Imagine hauling the materials from the plains."
The mage slid off her saddle and led her mount into the stables. "It is where we will be staying for the next two nights."
"Why is that?" Pina asked.
Lelei pointed to the pale shafts sifting atop the distant uneven aiguilles. Thick gray clouds thundered behind. "Weather. Komadai says we should hurry lest we get caught in a blizzard."
"It's winter here already?" Beofetra queried.
"Not just yet," Tuka added, tucking her bow in her rucksack as she carefully bobbed out of the cubicle where her horse rested. The heavy overcoat and the fur lining made the petite wood elf appear bloated but the warmth on her cheeks contrasted against the outside pallor. "While this the earth here is mostly stone, I can feel the natural energies flowing. One of many snowstorms is going to pass over us very soon."
Neither the princess nor her knights had much communication with the timid elf but she sounded very reassuring. Pina suspected she might trust her more than the Mongols.
"We're stopping at a monastery. It looks comfortable, don't you think, your highness?" Tuka said cheerily.
Pina cracked a small smile while tightening the bushy hide around her body. "It looks warm."
For a humble monastery, the facilities provided would have catered to high nobility. Warm baths, comfortable lodgings, and a well-disciplined monastic order keeping things tidy redefined Pina's understanding of modesty. These laconic clean-shaven monks adhered to strict protocols that reminded her so much of the diviners tending the shrines back home. They functioned as mechanically as a siege tower with each one diligently doing their task without nary a word.
Pina settled beside her fellow Saderans in the dining hall of the monastery. Komadai and some of his men occupied the other side of the long table.
"These monks are fickle but they keep to themselves, which is a good thing," Lelei translated for Komadai who sipped on the tea that was being served. He made another remark that the mage decided not to communicate. Probably because it was a joke that made him laugh haughtily.
"We will be snowed in, right?" Pina asked.
The cherbi nodded. "Two or three days at best."
"I see." The princess twisted her head at the commotion across the hall. A few oblates stood nearby while Tami tried his best to wiggle himself out of the Oracle's embrace. It bothered her that the disciple of Emroy fancied the soldier; she could neither understood nor wanted to comprehend their interesting relationship. It also did not help that the Oracle was blessed with a youthful immortality while Tami would have easily passed as her father.
Komadai chuckled at the sight. "Our boy has made many friends among your people it seems."
Pina offered a weak smile. Then a thought crossed her mind. "I hope you would not mind me asking."
"Go ahead."
The princess chanced another glance at Tami before leaning over the table. "I have heard that Tami was one of your men. Does this mean that he served as a personal bodyguard to the Khagan?"
Komadai appeared thoughtful for a moment before replying, "Yes, he did. He was not the best but he did his duty without fail. In fact, he even saved the previous Khagan from danger."
Upon hearing this, the whole Saderan entourage (barring the Oracle who was smothering a deeply and visibly mortified Tami in the far corner of the room much to the chagrin of his subordinates) fell silent.
"How?" Lelei asked before the princess could.
"We were escorting the Khagan somewhere. A band of assassins attacked and Tami happened to be in the right place at the right time." Komadai shrugged and beamed pridefully. "Let's just say that an arrow struck the Khagan's horse. He was pinned underneath the beast but Tami rushed over, braving the hail of arrows, and dragged him free. The Khagan would have perished then and there had it not been for his actions."
"So what happened after? Why is he no longer a member of your imperial guard?"
The cherbi tittered while drinking more tea. "That is another story for another day."
Pina held her hand to keep from pressing the matter. She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for sharing it with us."
"If you want to learn more, you can ask him yourself," Komadai added before standing up and making for the exit. "That is, if you can convince him to tell you. Have a nice rest, princess. I will see you tomorrow."
Pina watched the man leave then saw the Oracle reclining unimpressed on one of the woven benches lining the walls being admonished by a flustered Tuka while Tami had retreated behind a small table in another corner of the hall, dining slowly on a modest meal. They briefly met each other's gaze and Pina could suspect that the soldier had heard everything.
"I know why you're here, your highness," Tami greeted without turning to look at her.
The princess reclined against the bannister. The view from this perch was breathtaking, the peaks highlighted by the moon above while winter howled over the rugged horizon. She nudged his arm but he stiffened and edged away, still looking down at the landscape.
"Tami, why did you leave the keshigs?" she enquired as innocently as she could.
"It was for the best," came the quick guarded reply.
"Best for who?"
The soldier looked at her. "You are very inquisitive."
"I'm curious."
"Why are you curious?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" It was not a good comeback but at least Pina saw that it got him thinking.
"Why do you want to know? I am not remarkable."
"You helped us in Italica. Your presence was requested by the Kurultai."
Tami gawked at her. He dipped his head and she could see his shoulders tremble slightly before he composed himself. "I joined the keshigs because they paid well."
Pina was slightly surprised. "What about your loyalty to—"
"I am loyal to whoever pays me and feeds me and takes care of my—" he stopped himself. "Whoever takes care of those under me."
"And yet you risked your life to save the Khagan."
Tami smarted. "It was my job. I care more about my own than the courts."
The princess did not mean it but she found herself rubbing his back. "I see. It's never easy taking up the mantle of a commander."
"I never wanted this, honestly."
"What did you want?"
"I just wanted a source of income. I did not want to farm, or peddle wares like most of the people I grew up with. I was not very adventurous and I had needs to fulfill. At the time, the Army had much to offer," Tami let out a bitter laugh at the evening sky. "I thought I would end up guarding some relay station somewhere."
"And here you are." Pina did not want to ask about all the looting and pillaging that came with it. Those questions would come a later time.
"Yeah. Funny how things can go so...differently."
"Your commander—I mean, your former superior... He..." How should she say this? Pina struggled to find the words.
"He told you. I know. Everyone knows the story."
"Your own troops apparently didn't."
The soldier laughed and the princess smirked. "They...they're a special bunch, I guess."
"So are mine. My knights—Hamilton, Bozes, Beofetra—they're family to me. I grew up with them. We trained together and...well, we always look out for each other." She did not mean to open up to him. In her mind, Pina rebuked herself for being forward.
Tami beamed at her. "I guess that is something we both have in common."
Pina caught his sideways glance before he flashed her a wide grin and said, "Good night, your highness. Maybe tomorrow we can chat more." Then he departed to his quarters, leaving her alone on the balcony.
For the rest of the hour that she spent admiring the view, she could not help but feel off. She was being watched but by who? The monastery itself was built on the top of a rugged mountain, terrain that would severely hamper the approach of an enemy from every flank. Pina shook her head, laughed at how silly she was being, and retired into her room for the night, completely ignoring Komadai peering through lit window two floors above at the band of observant mercenaries who had melded into the snowy shadows below.
ORIGINALLY DRAFTED: December 15, 2017
LAST EDITED: December 19, 2017
INITIALLY UPLOADED: December 19, 2017
NOTE: It's getting a bit difficult not to depart from Pina's perspective. Also, there will be some politics later on (after all, the real Mongol Empire fragmented because of politics, hidden agendas, and overambitious khans).
Anyway, leave a review to let me know what you think. Feedback helps. :)
