Kyandi: Hello everyone!
Alair: We have returned.
Kyandi: Yes, we have!
Alair: This chapter turned out a little longer than you had planned, did it not?
Kyandi: Yeah, it did. I hadn't expected it to be this long, but I'm not going to complain.
Alair: I do not believe your readers will either.
Kyandi: No, I don't think they will.
Alair: Shall we proceed then?
Kyandi: Yes, we shall. Everyone enjoy and review.
Alair: Kyandi-sama does not own The Heroic Legend of Arslan.
Chapter 13 Sneaky Wolves
The next morning found them all gathered in one room, Daryun sitting next to Alair. He had been wrong. A good night's sleep didn't produce an answer. And he couldn't bring himself to question Alair about the meaning of the little kiss. For her it might have been nothing more than a display of thanks. For that reason he wasn't sure he wanted to ask.
He was broken out of his thoughts when Elam ran into the room, making everyone look up at him. Lunarwind raised her head from where she lay at Arslan's feet, her ears perking up.
"Have we received word?" Arslan asked Elam.
"Yes. Sir. Gadevi has left Uraiyur. He's leading their war elephants." Elam reported.
"How shall we respond?" Daryun asked.
"War elephants. I do not like the sound of that." Alair remarked.
"They will not be easily defeated." Narsus agreed. "Even King Andragoras never dared face the elephants in direct conflict."
"There is more." Elam said.
Arslan looked up at him. Alair leaned back in her seat to turn her eyes to Elam as well.
"What is it?" Arslan asked.
"Our reports indicate that Rajendra has circled his army behind Gadevi's." Elam reported.
Alair raised a hand, biting down lightly on a finger as she thought. She nibbled lightly at her finger as she ran several scenarios through her head.
"This could be to our advantage, but it could also be used against us." she remarked.
"You have a point there, Alair. Out of all the possibilities I had considered, we face the one that requires the greatest creativity." Narsus replied.
"Creativity seems to be your strong point, Narsus." Alair told him.
Narsus bowed his head in acknowledgement of her comment. He stood and set up a map on the table in front of Arslan, setting up pieces to represent the armies.
"This is our ten thousand Parsian troops" Narsus said, pointing out the red pieces. "Here are Gadevi's one hundred and fifty thousand. And finally, Rajendra's fifty thousand."
"We have them caught between us. Ordinarily that would be a tactical advantage." Arslan said, looking at the map.
"Yes, but when the enemy out numbers us so severely, it's of no significance." Narsus said, picking up two of the white pieces representing Gadevi's people. "Gadevi could easily send twenty thousand of his men against our forces, keeping us neatly pinned down. His remaining one hundred and thirty thousand men would be free to strike at Rajendra. In which case we would certainly be defeated."
"This battle is beginning to seem unwinnable." Daryun remarked.
"No. Nothing is unwinnable. It just depends on how we work with what we have." Alair remarked, her eyes on the board.
"You are right, Alair. Any ideas?" Narsus asked, amused by the overly thoughtful look on the girl's face.
"Sadly, that is not my area of expertise. My forte is in psychological war fair where I can work on an opponent's morale and nerves over a period of time. We do not have time on our side in this." Alair replied, though she was still staring at the board.
"I thought as much. Your skills will be useful in the future, Alair, no worries. For now, we do not have time on our side." Narsus said in agreement. "But we will have a plan. Until then, I would ask a favor of you and your wolves, Alair."
Alair looked up in surprise, blinking in confusion. Around the room, all three of her wolves raised their heads, their ears perking up at the mention of them.
"I would like you and your wolves to act as scouts. Wolves and a lone person would stand out less then men on horses." Narsus said.
Alair didn't really even stop to think. She nodded almost instantly. When it came to helping Arslan in any way, she never hesitated.
"That, I can do." she replied.
"Hold on!" Daryun said, laying a hand on Alair's shoulder.
Everyone turned to Daryun. Alair even twisted around in surprise to stare at him. Daryun had his eyes fixed firmly on Narsus.
"What is it, Daryun?" Arslan asked.
"Sending her out there like that on her own is dangerous. We cannot afford to lose her." Daryun protested.
Alair's eyes widened in surprise. She had never had someone vocalize their concern for her like this. Not really. It was new and surprising...and she liked it. But that wouldn't stop her from doing her duty. She was an Alhirian. They did their duty, no matter the risks involved.
Before anyone else could start arguing with Daryun, she laid a hand on the hand resting on her shoulder. She smiled at Daryun when he looked at her and swept his hand off her shoulder so she could stand.
"Thank you for your concern, Daryun, but I will be fine. This kind of recon is a specialty of mine. And I won't be alone. I will have Wolfsbane and Greyback with me. I will be back soon." Alair told him.
She turned to Arslan and gave him a bow of her head before leaving. Daryun watched her go, Wolfsbane and Greyback joining her.
"You worry too much, my friend." Narsus told Daryun.
Daryun shot him a glare that only had Narsus smiling. So what if he was concerned for Alair. When even the girl herself wasn't concerned for her well being, someone had to be. He just hoped Alair didn't do anything to get herself hurt.
-0-0-0-0-
The Shindran camp was a buzz with soldiers and the trumpeting calls of elephants. On a rock ridge over looking the camp, Alair peered over Wolfsbane's shoulder, watching the men below. From this distance, she had no problem seeing each individual man. With her wolf cloak on, the hood pulled up, she was harder to see than if she had left her flaming red hair out. Greyback was further behind them, keeping an ear and an eye out for enemies.
"There's the prince's tent." Alair remarked lowly to herself.
Alair watched the tent, waiting for someone to go in or come out. Soon a man stepped out of the tent. All of the men around him instantly came to a stop, knelt, and bowed to the man as he walked past them.
"That would be the prince himself then." Alair mused, watching the men.
She remained in place as Gadevi addressed his men, giving orders to them on how they were going to proceed. Just as Narsus predicted, Gadevi had his forces split in two, sending the large force, lead by himself, against Rajendra while leaving a general to lead the smaller force against the Parisans.
"We must send word back to Narsus telling him that he was correct." Alair told Wolfsbane, tapping his shoulder.
Wolfsbane eased back from the ridge edge and stood once they were out of sight of the men below. He carried Alair back to where Greyback waited for them, surveying the area. Greyback approached them when he saw them, carrying Alair's bag. Alair slid from Wolfsbane's back and took the bag. Charging the two wolves with guard duty, she sat herself beneath a tree and wrote out a letter back to Narsus, stating her findings. She let the ink dry, rolled up the paper, and sealed it, using a seal that Narsus had made with the Alhirian royal crest while they were still at Peshawar.
"Greyback." she called.
The wolf appeared, eager to please. Alair slung a small bag around his neck and secured the report safely inside the bag. Greyback, out of the three wolves, was the fastest. One would have thought that, as the smallest, that title would fall to Lunarwind, but Greyback simply bested her every time. And his stamina was the best too. He would be able to keep running long after Wolfsbane, as the largest, would have had to stop for a rest.
"Alright, my old friend, take this to Narsus. Move as quickly as you can, but remain safe." Alair told the wolf, capturing his face in her hands to meet his eyes.
The wolf huffed his agreement. Alair scratched behind his ears.
"Good. Be swift, be safe, and may the gods guide you." Alair told him.
Greyback licked one of her cheeks before taking off. He vanished quickly, heading back to the fortress. Alair and Wolfsbane would head back at a slower pace. Alair grabbed her bag and found Wolfsbane, hiding in bushes above a trail. She sat beside the large wolf and dug some food out of her bag, giving some to the wolf, before eating herself.
"After this, we must return ourselves." Alair told the wolf.
Wolfsbane sneezed his agreement. From where they sat, Alair watched the men beyond the trail as they went about their work, preparing the army for it's split and march. When she was done eating, she slid back onto Wolfsbane's back, pulling her hood up over her hair and the wolf set out. They had just cleared the trail when they ran into trouble.
When they had first arrived, there had been no guards at the head of the trail, and now, there was. Being down wind from Alair and Wolfsbane, they didn't smell the soldiers until it was too late. The soldiers saw them at the same time Alair and Wolfsbane saw them. Alair grit her teeth. This was going to be a problem.
"Kill and dispose, Wolfsbane. We cannot let them take word back to their commanders." Alair ordered, laying a hand on the staff of her glaive.
Wolfsbane bared his fangs in a snarl at the soldiers before surging forward, snapping his jaws. Alair pushed herself up, drawing her glaive. The first two soldiers panicked, trying to back up and tripped. Alair cut them both down and pushed herself from Wolfsbane's back just before he jumped for the leader of the small group of soldiers. Wolfsbane took the man down and Alair cut down two of the last four.
Wolfsbane growled a warning then.
Alair turned and barely ducked in time to save herself from losing her head, literally. The blade of the soldier's sword still passed too closely and cut a gash open just above her right eye. Alair closed the eye as blood spilled down her face. She couldn't see to wield her glaive properly, so she dropped it and reached for her sword instead. She had only had one of the sword lessons the morning after her impromptu birthday party, that Narsus offered her, but he had managed to correct her stance and handling of her sword. It was enough that she actually managed to cut the man before her from navel to throat.
Wolfsbane took down the last man before hurrying to her side, whimpering when he looked at her face.
"I'll be fine, my old friend. Lets hide all traces of them and be on our way." Alair told the wolf.
Wolfsbane helped her drag the dead men into the bushes. While Alair offered a prayer for them, Wolfsbane dragged a tree branch over the trail, covering the pools of blood with sand and dirt. Alair gathered her glaive and climbed on Wolfsbane's back, pressing a handkerchief to the cut over her eye.
"Lets hurry and get back." Alair told the wolf.
Wolfsbane took off quickly. Alair wasn't sure how this whole war would turn out, didn't know if she truly was of help. She only knew one thing at the present moment.
Daryun wasn't going to be happy when he saw her face.
-0-0-0-0-
"Lord Narsus!"
Everyone looked up as Elam ran into the room.
"What is it, Elam?" Narsus asked.
"Greyback is back with a report from Alair." Elam said.
The wolf came in behind Elam at a slower pace and collapsed almost instantly, his mightily chest heaving. He looked exhausted, as if he had ran the whole way to them. And he probably had. Narsus walked up to the wolf, knelling next to him and petting his head.
"You did well, Greyback. Thank you. Elam, fetch him some water." Narsus ordered as he removed the bag from around the wolf's neck.
Elam took off to do as told while Narsus opened the bag and removed the sealed report. He broke the seal and unrolled the paper to read the report.
"What does she say?" Arslan asked.
"She writes that it is as we feared. Gadevi has divided his forces. She also says that she and Wolfsbane will be returning at a slower pace, so not to wear down Wolfsbane. She should be arriving later today." Narsus said.
Arlsan nodded. With the information, Narsus devised a plan and set people to work. Elam was set the task of overseeing the work while Narsus watched to make sure everything was going as they planned. Alfreed decided to stay on the catwalk over the fortress gate, to keep an eye out for Alair. Daryun, unable to sit still until he knew Alair was alright, went in search of Narsus, finding him overseeing work.
"Alair's information, along with that of other scouts, tells us that Gadevi has indeed divided his army. One group is heading in our direction, while the other has been sent against Rajendra's army. Once again things are progressing as you predicted." Daryun remarked.
"The enemy is following standard tactical practice. However, Gadevi is mistaken if he thinks Pars is a standard opponent." Narsus replied.
"To be honest, I find the conflict between Gadevi and Rajendra feels distressingly familiar." Daryun admitted.
"I'm assuming it puts you in mind of the struggle between Prince Arslan and Prince Hilmes." Narsus replied.
"How could it not? In time, his highness will have to confront Prince Hilmes. What path will he take? What will that confrontation look like?" Daryun replied.
"Will he be up to the challenge?" Narsus added in.
"Exactly. And with Alair caught in the middle." Daryun said, the last part seeming to upset him more than anything.
Narsus nodded in understanding. He was starting to see that his friend might care for Alair more than he wanted to admit. Whether Daryun realized his feelings or not, Narsus didn't know.
"When that time comes, his highness' fitness to rule will be scrutinized. As for Alair...she knows where she stands in this war, Daryun. She is firmly loyal to his highness and isn't the kind of woman to be easily swayed. Do not concern yourself so. Remember, my friend, she is of the Alhirian royal line. She was born for the battlefield, her loyalty absolute." Narsus told him.
Daryun nodded. He knew Alair wasn't a person to swear her loyalty and then turn her back. If Hilmes ended up with her at his side, it would be through force.
"Narsus!"
The two turned as Alfreed ran towards them. She came to a stop near them.
"Alair's back. But...you need to come look." Alfreed said.
The way she said it was enough to send Daryun running. Narsus and Alfreed followed him. They could hear Alair, Farangis, and Arslan before they ever reached them. Alair was standing in the grand hall, her back to Daryun and Narsus. Wolfsbane was sprawled out on the floor, taking a breather. Gieve stood beside Farangis, shaking his head while Arslan worried over Alair.
"It's fine, kingling." Alair was assuring Arslan when Daryun, Narsus, and Alfreed neared them.
"What is the matter?" Narsus asked.
Alair turned and Daryun came to a halt, his eyes widening. Blood, both dried and new, covered the right side of Alair's face, making strands of her hair stick to her skin and crusting over her right eye. The moment her left eye landed on Daryun she instantly raised her hands.
"Your face!" Daryun exclaimed, charging forward to take a hold of her face.
"I am fine, I swear it. It is nothing more than a gash. A few soldiers took us by surprised. We dealt with the situation and hid the evidence that we had been there." Alair told him as he tilted her face to look.
With all the blood, he could not pinpoint where it was coming from. His concern though was that this "gash" might be worse than she was letting on or that it might be her eye.
"Your eye?" Daryun asked.
"Untouched. The gash was above the eye. I really need to wash away the blood, but I was more in a hurry to return." Alair told him.
Daryun seemed displeased by this. She should have focused more on her injury than anything. Not that she would listen to him about it.
"You should sit down and allow Farangis to examine it, Alair." Arslan told her.
Farangis didn't leave her time to argue. She took a hold of Alair's arm, pulling her away from Daryun and to another room. Alfreed fetched warm water, a rag, and bandages. Farangis gently cleaned Alair's face. Daryun and Arslan both were relieved, when the blood was cleaned away, that it was nothing more than a three inch gash above her right eyebrow. It would probably leave a scar but her bangs would cover it. It required a few stitches, which Alair sat through calmly, and then Farangis bandaged it. When it was all done, her bangs hid the bandaged gash perfectly, but they had remove the silver band around her head. The band had probably been what kept the sword from cutting any further than it did.
"This is a crown." Arslan said in surprise, turning the band over.
A tear drop shaped sapphire hung from the thin band, teeny-tiny wolves carved into the thin metal all the way around.
"It is. My brother sent it with me when he got me out of the palace." Alair told him.
She took the crown from him and, with a little rearranging, placed it back on her head.
"Was there any other issues on your scouting trip?" Narsus asked.
"No. Thankfully. If a small group of soldiers had not been blocking the trails we used, we would have gone and come back without incident." Alair replied.
"Perhaps we would be better served getting you a helmet as well as arm guards." Daryun remarked dryly.
"If we added a new piece of armor to me every time I was injured, I'd never be able to move. No. I will go without the helmet." Alair replied.
Daryun heaved a sigh. He would feel better if she would use a helmet, but he knew it was a waste of breath to argue with her. She would never give up. He was just glad she was alright. Tomorrow would be another battle and she was to ride in at his side. He couldn't keep worrying himself like this. If he did, he would be more concerned with her than fighting every time they went into battle. Alair was capable of taking care of herself.
He just had to remember that.
Or she'd make him remember it.
-0-0-0-0-
When Gadevi and his forces finally met Rajendra and his in battle, the Parsian army had already set their plan in motion, tricking Gadevi's second fortress with an empty fortress.
Not that Rajendra or Gadevi knew that.
Gadevi brought his war elephants in almost instantly, the crazed animals trampling Rajendra's men under their feet. Arrows could not pierce the elephants' hides and thus, did nothing to slow them down or stop them.
"Impossible! Elephants are warm weather creatures. They shouldn't be fighting so well in the cold." Rajendra said.
"They must be drugged. There are compounds that will send the beasts into a mad frenzy and make them fight." one of his men replied.
"Damn! If we at least had Pars' calvary, or the Alhirian's glaive wielders. Have they not yet arrived?" Rajendra asked.
A soldier rode up then, sliding off his horse's back to drop into a kneel before Rajendra.
"A report, highness. Sir, the Parsian and Alhirians are detained at the fortress Gujarat. They've been surrounded." the soldier reported.
The report shocked Rajendra who had been counting on the supporting help of the Arslan and his forces to help him win the war with his brother.
"This means we can no longer expect the Parsian and Alhirians to reinforce us." Rajendra said, dread coursing through him.
How was he suppose to fight of his brother's superior forces without the help promised him? His men were dying in a slaughter before him. The sense of loss was just becoming too much and he was just about to declare a surrender when he heard the loud calling of the Parsian horns.
"The Parsians and Alhirian have arrived!" one man called, the ranks of the Arslan's forces appearing on a rise over looking the battle field.
At the lead was Arslan with Narsus to his left. Daryun and Alair, leading their separate forces, appeared over the rise, Alair's male wolves charging forward on either side of them. Alair gave Daryun a nod and with a raised fist, split her forces off from his. Hers were the ones that met Gadevi's forces first. Alair rose in her stirrups, her glaive a silver streak in the air as she slashed her enemies down. Wolfsbane and Greyback kept most men away from her.
Daryun's forces hit the men next. Both Alair and Daryun broke through to the other side. Farangis covered them with arrows, shooting men down left and right. Alfreed acted as a guard for Farangis, keeping soldiers off her while she fired her bow. Gieve followed close behind Farangis, fighting off soldiers. Rajendra, glad to see Arslan and his people, rode up to the princes side.
"How have you come here? I had word that you, Princess Alair, and your men were trapped in the fortress. I though we'd lost our reinforcements." Rajendra told Arslan.
"We were not as trapped as we seemed." Arslan replied.
"I would wager that the soldiers who breached the fortress walls are feeling more than a little disappointed. They'll most likely know by now that they were tricked into guarding a harmless pile of stones." Narsus added.
Rajendra laughed when Narsus explained what they had done to trick the forces Gadevi had sent to the fortress.
"I should have expected this of you. You're a masterful schemer indeed." Rajendra said.
"You honor me with such praise, your highness. Still the most critical part of the plan remains. We must find a way to neutralize Gadevi's war elephants." Narsus said.
"Yes." Rajendra agreed.
"I promise, it can be done. As you'll see, the true worth of our calvery lies in their mobility and tactical flexibility. And Alair is skilled with weaving her way through a strong force." Arslan told him.
They watched as Gadevi ordered the charge of the elephants. Alair rode up beside Daryun, Feng snorting when he saw the large creatures heading their way.
"They will really try charging targets as small as we are with such inflexible creatures as elephants?" Alair asked.
"Narsus is rarely wrong." Daryun replied.
"So it would seem." Alair said.
The two looked at each other and nodded. They knew what to do. Alair nudged Feng in the side, causing the roan to wheel around.
"Now men!" Daryun yelled.
Alair urged Feng forward along side Daryun, their combined men, following. As they neared the line of elephants, Daryun nodded to Alair and she gave the order for their men to close ranks. The men formed a tight line behind them, giving the elephants a harder target to hit. Just before they reached the elephants, Daryun signaled a turn to the left. The forces turned, following Daryun and Alair. The elephants were now chasing their tails. To the enemy it would look like they were retreating. They wouldn't think it for long though.
It made Gadevi so confident that he rode into the charge as well. Alair glanced back letting out a curt laugh when she saw the prince's elephant surge forward into the charge.
"He is on the move. This is where I part from you, Daryun." Alair called.
"Be careful." Daryun called back.
"As much so as can be."
With that from Alair, she, Feng, and her wolves broke away from the group, riding to the side. A single rider with wolves following it, didn't even register to the elephants. Alair secured her glaive to her back before perilously balancing herself on her knees in her saddle. Feng took care not to jostle her too much as he ran. With a whistle, Wolfsbane drew even with Feng. He lagged behind slightly, so it looked like he was chasing Feng's flank. Alair timed it as well as she could, jumping from her saddle. She had a moment of weightlessness before she landed on Wolfsbane's back, barely grabbing hold of his massive shoulders to save herself from falling off.
"Go back to the kingling, Feng, and be swift and careful." Alair called to the horse, who threw his head in agreement before heading for the ridge where Arslan sat waiting.
Wolfsbane wheeled around. On a wolf it would be easier to avoid the elephant, even scale them. Any elephants that escaped Narsus' trap would lose their riders to her.
Jaswant could tell something was wrong. He could feel it and tried to warn Gadevi, but the prince wouldn't listen, adding his elephant to the charge. When it was proven that the Parsians had led them into a charge heading for a trap and only Gadevi's elephant escaped the trap, Gadevi and his elephant's handler were confronted with Daryun.
"Prince Gadevi, your highness, it's Pars' black knight!" the handler called to Gadevi.
"You should be focusing on me, soldier!"
Gadevi and his soldier turned as Wolfsbane came from the side, Alair, her red hair flying like a banner, brandishing her glaive. Wolfsbane jumped to the elephant's head with a snarl. Alair cut the soldier down, Wolfsbane carrying her through the motion to land on the other side of the elephant where they cut through more soldiers, Alair with her glaive, Wolfsbane with his claws and fangs. Greyback joined them as Daryun confronted Gadevi.
He would have won, if Jaswant had not interfered, carrying his prince away on horse back. Farangis would have taken Jaswant down with an arrow if Arslan had not stopped her.
"Hold fire!" Arslan called as he rode up to her, Alair not far from behind.
"Please stop. Put your bow down." Arslan commanded.
"As you wish, your highness, but this will now be the second time you have spared that man's life. Though you are merciful, I hope that mercy is repaid with gratitude, not with blood." Farangis told him.
Alair slid off Wolfsbane's back. Arslan had Feng's reins in his hand and handed them over to Alair. Alair thanked him and pat Feng's neck before swinging up into his saddle. She threw back her hood fully when she was settled.
"She has a point, kingling." Alair added.
Arslan nodded. He understood that, but he knew Alair, at least, would back him in an order of mercy. Even if she did argue that it could be harmful to him.
With Gadevi carried out of battle, the elephants were left to be wiped out while Gadevi's soldiers retreated. It resulted in their full victory. They rode back to Rajendra's camp, the man excited for having defeated his brother. Daryun rode up beside Alair.
"Are you well?" he asked.
Alair looked up at him, one eyebrow rocking up to vanish beneath her bangs. It kind of amused her to see him concerned for her well being, but it also confused her as to why he was so concerned with her. His only concern should be the prince and himself. Not her.
"I am fine, Daryun. It is rather difficult to strain a gash to the forehead." she told him.
Daryun opened his mouth to reply, but Rajendra rode up on her other side, then. Daryun's mouth snapped close with a click as the prince snagged Alair's attention away from Daryun.
"Ah! My lovely princess, it is good to see you again. What was this I heard of a gash to the head?" Rajendra asked.
Daryun fell back behind Alair, respecting the false position of royalty that Alair was having to put forth. Alair smiled faintly in greeting to Rajendra. Daryun knew, though, that she was uncomfortable.
"It is but a mere cut. An unfortunent result of facing guards I was not expecting to run into on a scouting mission." she told Rajendra.
"A scouting mission!? Surely you have men that could do such a thing for you." Rajendra replied.
"But of course, Prince Rajendra, but in Alhir, we of the royal line are raised to not expect our men to do something we, ourselves, would not be willing to do. And I am the only one my wolves will let ride on their backs. It was easier for I to go, not another." Alair told him.
Rajendra laughed. He really liked this princess. She was a one of a kind royal woman. One any prince would be blessed to have at his side. It was then that he spotted the large ring shining from her left thumb. Rajendra caught her hand before she noticed he had reached for it, making her turn her eyes to him as he examined the ring.
"I did not see this the last time we were in the same company." he remarked.
"That is because it was a birthday gift. I celebrated my twenty-second birthday while we were parted." she told him.
"A birthday, you say? Well then! I must find an appropriate gift for you, myself!" he declared with a large grin.
"That isn't necessary." Alair told him.
"No, no. I must show my gratitude for such a lovely woman being born and brought into my life." Rajendra told her, her hand still caught in his.
"That is so kind of you, Prince Rajendra, but I honestly do not require a material possession for such a thing. A simple merry wishing would be enough." Alair told him.
"Would you deny me the chance to celebrate the day of your birth with a gift when you accepted gifts from your comrades?" Rajendra asked.
Caught between a rock and a hard spot in this case, Alair had no choice but to accept his offer of a gift so not to appear rude and insult the Shindran prince.
"I shall look forward to it." she told him.
Rajendra smiled in victory. Alair glanced over her shoulder, casting Arslan and Narsus a pleading look. Arslan and Narsus laughed as Farangis went to Alair's rescue, pulling her away from Rajendra with the excuse of Alair's men looking for her. Alair excused herself from Rajendra and gladly followed Farangis away from him.
That night Rajendra made himself Alair's dinner companion. Alair kept him company, smiling and laughing with him while he drank himself silly. When he finally went to bed, Alair was happy to retreat to her own tent. She wished everyone a good night and went to bed.
The next night, Rajendra called a meeting with Arslan and his companions. Alair sat herself next to Daryun, Gieve idly tuning his instrument in the background. Rajendra told them how he had received word from the royal city that his father, the king, had issued that to decide the succession of the throne, a duel before the gods would take place between Rajendra and Gadevi.
"A duel before the gods, you say? And what is that exactly?" Arslan asked.
"My understanding is that in Sindhura, such a duel is an alternative to holding a trial. The two who have a quarrel, fight one another. The victor is recognized as the righteous one, having been chosen by the gods. Is that right?" Farangis said.
"Yes. It is a good description. Essentially, Gadevi and I are to meet in single combat and whoever wins will be named the next king." Rajendra agreed.
"It seems to me, the king of Sindhura didn't care to take responsibility for succession upon his own shoulders, so instead, he simply folstered off the decision onto the gods." Gieve said.
"In Alhir, we have a similar custom, but we do not declare the winner to be the chosen of the gods. It is more of a way to settle disagreements on strength and wit, rather than things such as a succession. There is no claiming the winner righteous though, simply the victor." Alair replied.
"It is strange. A man wins a fight so his cause is righteous. I find that troubling." Arslan said.
"As you say. It is a rather flawed method of settling a dispute. However, for our purpose, it is not without merit." Narsus said.
"How so?" Arslan asked.
"It ends the need for our armies to keep slaughtering one another. A duel will settle everything with but a single causality." Narsus explained.
"There is another factor to consider." Rajendra said.
Everyone turned to focus on the prince.
"The combatants can name champions to fight for them. And though it wounds my pride, I have a great favor to ask. Brave Lord Daryun, I ask you to serve as my proxy in this duel." Rajendra said, bowing to Daryun.
This surprised everyone, even succeeding in jolting Alair with surprise. Her eyes went wide, only succeeding in pulling at the stitches above her eye and making her inwardly wince.
"Daryun!? You want Daryun to fight for you?" Alair asked, concern layering her tone.
Her friends looked at her in surprise. She didn't usually so easily show her emotions, especially if she was concerned for another person. Rajendra, still bowed, nodded.
"Prince Arslan, Princess Alair, Lord Daryun, I beg of you, please grant me this." Rajendra said.
"But..."
Alair trailed off, her eyes darting to Daryun and then to Arslan. They locked back in on Daryun, who turned his eyes to her, before she heaved a sigh, her eyes dropping to her hands gripped tightly in her lap, Daryun's ring shining from her thumb.
"Daryun is not my soldier. It is the kingling and Daryun that you must ask such a thing of." Alair said.
If it was up to her, Daryun would not agree to this. She would refuse to let him. But Arslan was the prince, he would decide how they went about it.
Didn't make her feel any better about it.
"I wish to entrust you, not only with my own fate, but with that of the whole kingdom of Sindhura. Are you willing to accept this task on my behalf?" Rajendra asked.
"I don't relish the thought." Daryun replied.
"Surely your nerve doesn't fail you. Or are you suggesting you are not confident you would triumph in a duel?" Rajendra asked, almost in a taunting manner.
Alair glanced at Daryun through her bangs, trying to judge his thoughts through his expression. A task that was proving to be as hard for her as it was for her friends to sometimes read hers.
"Interpret my words however you wish. I serve Prince Arslan and no other. I will accept no request to fight, save it come directly from him." Daryun said.
Alair was starting to feel a little hope in her chest. Hope that Daryun would not be sent into a fight that could possibly end in his death. Rajendra didn't shared her thoughts. Not that she expected him too, of course. It was his neck on the line. Not hers.
Rajendra got on his knees and bowed before Arslan and Daryun.
"I love my kingdom and cannot allow it to be ruled by a man such as Gadevi. I realize the gravity of my request, but Prince Arslan, will you not lend me your aid in this?" Rajendra basically begged.
Alair's eyes turned to Arslan as the prince raised his hands, a little awkward in this situation. She silently willed Arslan to turn Rajendra down.
"I...that is..." Arslan heaved a sigh. "You ask a great deal, but if this could advert a war and resolve the succession, then..."
Alair knew what that meant, her clasped hands tightening in her lap as she stared down at them. Daryun heaved a sigh. He knew what it meant as well, but would do as Arslan ordered.
"Daryun, might I ask you to do this?" Arslan asked.
"A duel to determine the throne...it strikes me as a last resort. King Karikala must be desperate." Narsus replied.
"I beg your help." Rajendra added.
Daryun glanced at Alair. She had her head tilted forward, her bangs hiding her face from his prying eyes. But the strong grip she had on her own hands went a long way to tell him how she felt about the whole situation. But Arslan had asked it of him. He turned to face Arslan.
"Your highness, what answer can I give you but this...I fight at your command." Daryun said.
The little bit of hope in Alair's chest went out like the flame of a burned down candle. Not that she should have expected anything different. Daryun was a knight, a warrior. He would fight for his prince no matter what. Even at the cost of his life.
"Then I suppose that is settle."
Everyone turned to Alair when she spoke. Her eyes were closed, her face composed.
"If you will excuse me, I must see to the care of my wolves and speak to my men." Alair said, bowing her head to the two princes before raising her to her feet.
Her tone was carefully blank, as was her face as she turned and left the tent. Daryun wasn't fooled. He knew she wasn't happy with this arrangement. If she was a normal woman, he would have bet she would avoid him for a while. But she wasn't normal. She would support whatever choice Arslan made, even if she didn't agree with it. She would just pretend that it didn't bother her and hope for the best outcome.
The meeting ended and Narsus and Daryun retreated to Narsus' tent. Daryun focused on sharping his sword while Narsus focused on strategies.
"Dueling before the gods. It is a grave responsibility." Narsus remarked.
"To be honest, I'm not very worried. I feel fairly confident that I can defeat any warrior they send against me." Daryun replied.
"I do not doubt your skill. Nor, though, do I doubt our opponent's willingness to cheat. Remain diligent." Narsus told him.
"We have a great task ahead of us. I find this detour irritating." Daryun remarked.
"I know you would rather continue our true mission, but there is another way to think of it." Narsus said, grabbing his cup and getting to his feet. "When this matter is resolved, word will spread of Prince Arslan's wisdom and honor. Not to mention the false tale of Prince Arslan combining forces with the once more growing kingdom of Alhir. Such renown can only be to our future advantage. Support will likely increase for our uprising against the Lusitians."
"Well in that case, I truly cannot afford to lose this duel, can I? The day Lord Bahman saved his highness, I thought upon my uncle's words and upon the oath I readily gave him. No matter what his parentage is, Prince Arslan will always command my loyalty." Daryun replied.
"And what would your thoughts be towards Alair?"
Daryun stopped in his sharpening of his sword and looked up at Narsus.
"What about her?" he asked.
"When this is done, and we succeed, Prince Rajendra has promised to take Alair to those Alhirians serving in the Shindran army. If those Alhirian residing in Sindhura decide to follow their former princess, Alair will start gathering her people to her once more. That is even more fighting force on our side. With those forces to her name, she will appear even more the princess we are having her claim to be." Narsus said.
"Are you sure Alair even wants to do such a thing? She has made it clear that it makes her uncomfortable and that she simply wants to see her people happy and safe." Daryun said.
"She has agreed."
"Because his highness asked it of her."
Narsus turned to look at Daryun as he returned to sharpening his sword.
"Alair will do what he ask of her even when it makes her uneasy and leaves her in a position of falsehood. I have seen how much she dislikes the reminder that her kingdom, her family, is lost to her. And that is exactly what this ploy is doing. Reminding her of all she has lost." Daryun added.
"Alair knows what is expected of her, knows where she stands in this war, Daryun. She has agreed to it for the sake of his highness. You are awfully observant of her to fail to see how overly concerned she is about you." Narsus replied.
Daryun stopped in his task to look at his old friend. He hadn't failed to see it. He knew she was concerned, as she would be with any of them.
"She would be the same if it had been you asked to take my position, or one of the others." Daryun responded.
Narsus chuckled in pure amusement, making Daryun look at him in confusion.
"For being passably intelligent and observant, you fail to realize quite a bit about Alair." Narsus told him.
Daryun questioned him, but Narsus refused to tell him anymore. What he had meant about that, Daryun didn't know. What could he have possibly failed to notice about Alair that Narsus hadn't? The question would trouble him for quite sometime.
END
Kyandi: Daryun, Daryun, Daryun. I must shake my head at thee.
Alair: Are all men so dense as he?
Kyandi: Not all. Just single minded men like Daryun. No fear, he'll figure it out...eventually.
Alair: Yes, please do be more vague.
Kyandi: I never said I'd give a direct answer.
Alair: So I have noticed.
Kyandi: Whatever. Anyway, that's enough of that. Everyone enjoy and review.
Alair: We shall return soon.
Kyandi: Bye bye!