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Piece 10: Prince and the Dahak
Exhausted and drained of strength by the surging sun, staring down on the dry lands, it took a while before a green pasture and tall grasses decorated our path. A couple more hours of horse-back riding, my eyes feasted upon the portable town known to many as Raftfleet. A traveling boat merchant of some sort, I would not have believed if I have not seen it on my own. Boats aligned to one another with only a small wooden bridge dancing along with the river, connecting them to one another, and the crazy number of people roaming around the village of boats completed the Raftfleet.
Lyon answered 'no' when asked if it was her first time to visit Raftfleet, apparently she came to this place before when it was stationed near Sol-Falena. Aunt Sialeeds did give us a quick tour and a brief history about Raftfleet, but we didn't enter any of the boats to get something, nor did we receive any greetings aside from the people who recognized the two figures being dragged by Georg.
"Hey! Logg, wha da f*ck did yo do his time? Kisara wel hav yo head fo' sho…" asked by what seemed to be a fisherman of sort with a towel wrapped around his head. Logg waved his hand, shying his head away, docking below to the armpit he didn't reach. It did not amuse Lun at all and gave his father a knee before hammering the fault to him.
"Wah! Why did I listen to you? Guh! Mom will surely kill us…" she realized.
"Keh! Fancy friends yo have there Logg," added by the old fat guy standing next to a rundown boat. Amazing that it was able to withstand the wave despite the bruises and old woods that kept it intact for who knows how long.
Brushing through the folks of Raftfleet, and after crossing a number of bridges, a short, wide and red pass perfect to what Aunt called the dragon tail waved a welcome for us. In the middle of the pass, there stood a lady with a turban and overlay of clothes that wrapped her huge potential which she didn't seem shy to hide. Her warm greeting, motherly figure and fine approach showed her gracious background and position.
"Welcome to Dahak Your Highness. If you would please…Admiral Raja is expecting you." She openly invited. She seemed to know both the captives, her piercing gaze ignited flame and could almost kill. She adamantly ignored them both and led us all inside of what she called the Dahak after introducing herself first of which she almost forgot after throwing a gaze at Logg. "Please pardon me, Your Highness. I am Kisara, assistant to the admiral. Please come in…"
Kisara introduced a woman seating in the middle of the meeting room. Admiral Raja of the Raftfleet breezed us with a grin stuck on her face at the sight of me. Hard to believe that she was already past her golden age, information casually spilled by Aunt Sialeeds after she opened the door. They completed an exchange of greeting before her attention jumped over me, "Oh, it has been a long time since I last saw you, Your Highness…what a fine young man you've grown to…"
A simple detour opened up the pages of history during the Armes invasion where the Admiral played an integral part in halting the advances of the enemy nation. Excited and curious to hear the adventures of my father, King Ferid, my ears were wide all throughout the exchange. Absolutely worth all my time until Admiral Raja cut the chase and introduced her subordinate, Kisara, formally as her aide and second-in-command.
"I am pleased to meet you, Your Highness. As the admiral said, I am at your service…I hope that my husband and daughter did not do something so stupid that would require His Highness to come visit us in this place personally." She inquired. Lun and Logg were shaking the whole time, probably expecting something horrible that they couldn't even dare speak for themselves. It was actually a fact that they didn't spill a word since reaching Dahak.
Aunt Sialeeds explained. With legerity, she noted that it was I, the Prince of Falenas, has decided to spare the lives of these two ignoramuses and didn't divulge their crimes for public consumption. Defiling a sacred place was punishable by death, and there was no way the law of Falena would allow any punishment aside from death by hanging them in public.
"You, did you know what you just did?" bawled Kisara to her husband. "Your Highness, I am in your debt. I will make sure to repay your kindness in the future…women of Raftfleet repay their debts twice over. "
"Well said Kisara," confirmed by Admiral Raja. Released to their custody, Logg and Lun were taken to the back room, behind Admiral Raja, and aside from the painful howls and agonizing cries, nothing else escaped the cramped area.
It was painful just to listen to their cries. In preparation of a long talk, Admiral Raja took us and sat down comfortably for a much regal matter, "…actually you came at a very crucial time. Tell me Prince, how long have you been out of the castle?"
It has been more than a week now counting the days we spent traveling to Raftfleet. The journey would have been short if there was no business about Belcoot and the unknown man, Lyon explained. A calm face of Raja responded. "That means, you don't know yet…no, I guess no one In Falena knows about it?"
Dark cloud wrote a line on her forehead, and her hesitation only managed to make us worry. She took out a letter below her table, the only one in the room, and showed it for a read, it was a letter demanding a complete and unconditional surrender of all Raftfleet. The day before yesterday, when the letter came, she immediately dispatched men to investigate what was happening in Sol-Falena and bring light to the confusion.
Confident that this was all just a misunderstanding, Raja accepted my offer to clear the details on my return to Sol-Falena. She has no one to depend on and appreciated all the assistance her prince could offer. Aunt Sialeeds affirmed and assured the Raftfleet commander that Falena hasn't forgotten her heroics during the Armes invasion.
"…that is what I hope Sialeeds." Raja whispered.
Gazing at the sun peeking on a new day was a moment I will never get tired of, Lyon found me in that state on the deck of Dahak, wasting my hours away simply bathing on the first ray of light of the day.
"Are you ready, Prince? The princess must have been waiting for our return…" a hint of concern echoed through her voice. If something was amiss in the capital, I should hurry to sister's side. I just hope that this was nothing but some sort of crap but with the letter having the seal of Her Majesty, only the worse things come to mind.
I gave a nod but remain silent. Lyon understood and quietly followed me down the hall, outside Dahak where my entire subject including aunt Sialeeds was waiting. Kisara was behind her Admiral, it was an honor to be sent this way, and even in castle this treatment doesn't come free. Admiral simply bid a warm farewell, and not a word regarding the letter, she was probably concern with the ears around us.
"Please be safe… your Highness." Raja smiled.
Kisara stood behind the Admiral and thanked me again for delivering her husband and daughter back to her, I can feel her passion in protecting her family and providing what was necessary. A few steps and were almost out the floating city, I was able to throw a last gaze and it amazes me to watch the omnium-gatherum of people coming from different background and diverse status.
A change of route led us closer to the East Palace, the soldiers and priests erupted into a callithump, unsure of what was happening, Georg volunteered to investigate, "…let me handle this."
Moon was absent tonight, the sunset lingering in the horizon when we arrived has long gone and it has been quite a while since Georg went out. Lyon and Sialeeds were getting impatient but there was no way I would allow us to separate at this time. Rustling leaves fighting against the wind from the east took me by surprised and almost alerted the roaming guards.
"Shh!... your Highness, its Georg!" Lyon hissed.
He saw it. A horde of Godwin soldiers marching to Lunas, all the suspicion was true and the letter in Raja's hand was perpetrated by that man. Sialeeds assured that it can only be the man holding that much hatred to the royal family and has the power to go against the might of the ruler of Falena. "…Marscal Godwin."
"Lym…she's in danger." There was no doubt that if the Godwin's target, nothing else but the throne, the princess holding the power to declare the future of Falena, definitely essential to all of their plans.
Racing with the wind, our forces went behind Lunas, hoping to have arrived earlier than the marching soldier who used a much better ground. As expected, the Godwin was able to reach Lunas ahead of us, and from where we are standing, Haswar and Isato were captured. Lym, please be safe.
"Don't worry Frey falenan women aren't so weak." Sialeeds cheered with a soft voice.
"This made it crystal clear that Godwin betrayed Her Majesty." Georg concluded but I wasn't satisfied.
"It was impossible for Sol-Falena to lose in strength against Godwin this easily, not with His Majesty, unless they gained allies inside Sol-Falena," it was only an assumption but both Georg and Sialeeds agreed.
"That man…" Lyon interrupted. "…he was from the Nether Gate."
"Assassins?" Calm and tender looking face, it was the same man waiting for the audience of Her Majesty before we left the capital days ago. Horrible thoughts clouded my mind, worried over the health of His Majesty and the Queen, upset of the unknown whereabouts of Princess Lymsleia.
"Don't move."
Suddenly, a blade was pointing at my neck, slowly my eyes followed the voice, and immediately on my left stood a familiar figure. He was no stranger to us; an easy-going and laid-back personality shaped his face. The short-blond hair he has on includes a calm and preserved feature.
"Uh, two beautiful ladies, a dangerous man with a patch on and a loving prince, I think I hit the jackpot this time…at last I found you Prince." sighed by the guy. He relaxed and sheathed his sword. It amazed me to meet a person with skills that may go at par against Georg, there was no room for me to counter and he was able to control my movement, ensuring that none of my friends have the time to provide assistance.
Rain of question poured out for him soon as his name was divulged. He hailed from the infamous Lindwurm Mercenary Brigade and has no recollection of what happened after joining the Sacred Games aside from meeting the Princess of Falena when he woke up.
"That means…the antidote worked." Lyon was relieved.
It pleases me to see Lyon delighted but the whereabouts of my sister takes priority so I asked him. In the midst of the mist protected by the shadow of the forest, the elves from Alseid protected her. The princess was waiting with old Galleon and her personal guard Miakis while Richard has been on a qui vive all this time, in wait for our return, eager to repay the debt of saving his life.
Betrayed by the Godwin, it can only mean disaster for Falena, it also means that the letter received by Admiral Raja did came from Sol-Falena, now, who knows what happened to the King and Her Majesty. Noise from the juxtaposed soldiers and arms crawled to our attention, and a shift of control introduced a colleague of Georg Prime. It was impossible to not notice with the Queen's Knight's armor boosting his authority over the Godwin soldiers.
"Tch! …Zahhak, that bastard, so he donned his true color," cursed by Georg.
"We need not do something here…I don't think they will hurt Haswar either, our priority should be to protect Lym. Let's go!" With legerity, Sialeeds was able to pinpoint the rightful solution to our current issue. Nothing else can be offered right now, aside from our prayers. Please be safe, Aunt Haswar.