The War of Nations.
-Dew
Prolouge - A Warrior Princess.
____________________________________________________________________________
Sweaty and dirty, Makoto swung her wooden staff with confidence,
feeling the familiar jolt reverberate up the bone in her arm, and into
her shoulder, as she cracked the side of her staff against a man's skull.
He crumpled to her feet, and, before he had even hit the ground, Makoto
was twisting her head, looking for more enemies that needed her attention.
A cry to the west, carried upon the breeze, caught her attention.
Under a sky streaked with pink and purple from the setting sun, two groups
of soldiers, one group with silver helmets, and the other group with black,
were battling fiercely against each other. Makoto didn't have to look closer
to know that her soldiers, with the light from the setting sun glinting
against their tarnished silver caps, were losing, and losing badly. And no
wonder. This skirmish had drawn on longer than anyone had anticipated and her
soldiers were tired. Who would have thought that these soldiers from the land
of Danu would have proven to be such stubborn warriors, still fighting when
they were so obviously beaten?
The armies of Arduinna were sizeable, and their training overseen by
the infamous Makoto herself. Easily outnumbering this band of petty rebels,
they thought a swift victory was assured. Now, after two days of arduous
fighting, most of Danu's army was dead, except for this small group. Normally,
the woman Commander of the most powerful nation in the known world would have not
concerned herself with this scuffle,
as sure of her soldier's training as she was. However, the group of her
soldiers that were fighting the group from Danu were the most novice members
of the army, kept near the back to watch and learn about battle, but not to
engage. That and, what every leader knew, a wounded beast is the most dangerous
type of beast - and Danu's army was on their last legs. This group of novice
Arduinna soldiers would not last long.
Shouting a wordless cry, Makoto hoisted her large wooden staff above
her head and twirled it. The soldiers around her knew her call to arms and
were instantly running with her towards the west. They joined quickly joined
the amateur soldiers and clashed into the band of Danu with the familiar singing
of blade against blade, along with the grunts and cries of battle. Makoto swung
her staff easily, despite the heavy awkwardness of it, and those with black
helmets fell before it.
Before the moon had fully risen, the battle was over. Makoto leaned
against the staff that was almost as tall as she was, and caught her breath as
she surveyed the damage. The ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen.
Amongst the soldiers of Danu lay a number of Arduinna soldiers… A large number,
in fact.
A sudden force clapped her on the shoulder and Makoto turned her gaze
to an soldier with a long rivulet of blood cutting a path through his grimy face.
He grinned at her and nodded his head. "Looks like Arduinna has gained victory
once again."
Makoto turned her attention to the remaining band of her soldiers, some
tending to the horses, others picking their way through the dead. "Victory? No,
Lieutenant Mager, I wouldn't call this victory. We may be the last one's standing,
but it looks to me as if they have been the ones victorious. They had half our
number and yet only a few dozen of us remain. A few dozen out of two hundred.
That's no victory."
The soldier removed his hand from Makoto's shoulder and looked down at
his feet, ashamed.
"I want numbers. Find out who and how many were killed - on both sides."
"Yes, M'Lady."
"M'Lady!"
Makoto snapped her head towards the soldier that was calling her. Standing
among the bodies was one of her soldiers, pulling a man to his knees by the hair.
Makoto made her way to them immediately. When she came closer, the soldier pulled
a knife from its sheath at his waist and yanked the hair of his captive back so he
could place the blade against his straining neck.
"I found one of them alive, M'lady."
Makoto leaned in close. "What's your name soldier?"
No answer.
"I said, what's your name, soldier?"
The Danu soldier spit in Makoto's face. She drew her hand back
and slapped him across the face before wiping the spittle on her cheek off
with the back of her hand. Enraged, her soldier pressed the blade deeper
into the fragile flesh of the captive's neck.
"You answer M'Lady Makoto when she asks you a question, Peasant!"
"I will never give you the honor of knowing my name, Bitch leader
of a pack dogs! This is not the last of us! Our prince will defeat you!
Defeat - !"
Makoto turned her back on the captive as he continued to spout
obscenities. A grizzled man well past middle age, Captain Brigin, joined her
then to make inquiries about what he should do with the captive.
"You think your country is so great," came the voice of the Danu soldier
from behind her. "But the prince of Danu knows better! The abuse of authority
has gone on for far too long! We will not bow down to the power of your
tyrannical queen or her slut of a daughter!"
Makoto's command to free the man died on her lips. Her fists clenched
in anger as she shared a look with Brigin in an unspoken command. He nodded and
raised his hand to signal the Arduinna soldier behind them. Makoto walked away
as the Danu soldier's ranting was cut off with a gurgle, and then silence.
----------------------------------------------------------
When the moon had reached its pinnacle overhead, the soldiers had
finally returned and settled into camp nestled in a small clearing and
surrounded by trees.Several tents stood empty, for there was no one to return
to them. It was as she had guessed. She had taken 218 men into battle, and
now there were 43 left.
Makoto sat by herself in front of a small fire and was quiet and
withdrawn as she stared into the flames. Arduinna was such a peaceful, law
abiding nation that,except for once almost three years ago, her skills as a
fighter were rarely ever needed. But when they were… She shook her head as
she thought about all the lives lost in the past two days.
They had been sent to the outskirts of Arduinna land by their Queen
to suppress a band of rebels who had been rumored to be creating havoc in the
country side, only to find out they weren't rebels at all - but a small army of
extremely well trained Danu soldiers. And, if that soldier was correct, there
would be more. A lot more. An invasion, perhaps?
Makoto frowned at the logic of Danu invading the heavily fortified
Arduinna. Arduinna may be a peaceful country, but it wasn't naive. There were
those who envied the prosperous nation with its powerful Queen, and Arduinna's
borders were always carefully watched. Despite dozens of attempted negotiations
between them and the less prosperous neighboring country of Danu in recent
months, each one has failed. Danu, poor but relatively quiet, had taken a dramatic
turn in the last year. The once peaceful ruling family had born a son twenty three
years ago and has grown, by all reports, to have become a tyrannical war lord.
"M'Lady?"
"Captain Brigin, the men aren't around and the battle is over, there is
no needfor formalities between us."
"Then why are you calling me Captain?" He motioned to a spot on the
ground to herleft. "Is this seat taken?"
Makoto shook her head and Brigin sat down a few feet from her to
study her face. Despite the dirt and smears of blood, in the light of the fire,
he was once more remindedof how young this girl beside him was.
Makoto tossed a twig into the fire. "How long have we known each other,
John?"
"I'd say about two and a half years now, ever since some sixteen year
old bratof a girl took control of my army under orders of the Queen, and demoted
me during the war with Sycere." There was a lightness in his voicethat made Makoto
smile. "But, she did win the war for us though."
"Not without your help."
The two sat in silence for a long while. John reflected on his initial
reaction when the Queen announced that one of Princess Usagi's young guards
was to be made Commander of the Arduinnan army - the highest rank that there was.
His rank. Words could not describe the furyhe had in his first battle under Commander
Makoto. At fourty two years of age, John Brigin had worked hard at attaining his
position. But, soon, his anger turned into curiousity,and his curiousity turned to
respect the more he served under her. Despite her young age, she had an ingenious
grasp of war strategy and fought more fiercely than men twice her age.
"What are you thinking about?" Makoto asked quietly.
"I'm thinking that you should be attending balls and flirting with young men,
not commanding an army."
Makoto smirked. Her height and unusual strength never did make her popular
with boys,after all. Upset about being slighted at balls, she decided to earn respect
another way, and at something she was good at. She started her training on her tenth
birthday.
"Make sure the men are prepared to leave in the morning."
Surprised at the turn in conversation, John turned his attention from the
fire to Makoto's face. "So soon? But, Makoto, many are wounded; we must give them
time to rest…"
Makoto stared into the flames for a long time. She longed to be home, to see
her friends and her princess. She longed to put the trauma of soldiering behind her and
stand in front of her hearth again, burying the torment of the male characteristics
being a Commander has given her into her private joy of culinary arts.
"Makoto?"
"These are my orders: separate the army into two groups. In the first group -
a dozen of our fastest riders and all of those whose wounds will prove to be fatal if
they do not receive the necessary medical attention. Then, in the second group I want
all those whose wounds are not as severe, along with the rest of the healthy soldiers.
The first group will make their way to the white castle as fast as they can, while the
second group will pace themselves and only go as fast as their wounds will allow. I'll...
I'll join the second group to make sure they keep in line."
John Brigin did not fail to notice the sadness in Makoto's eyes.
"With all due respect, Commander, but I think you will be needed more in
the first group so you can make sure they don't run their horses into the ground.
I'll stay with the second and oversee them, if you wish."
The lame excuse was not lost on Makoto, but she smiled gratefully anyway.
"Go see to it, then."
Captain Brigin stood, bowed quickly to his Commander, and walked back to the tents.
Makoto frowned in the direction of Arduinna's castle, a good two days hard ride to the east.
Two days until she can see home again.
She had a lot of new information to tell her Queen.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Dew_drop@myself.com
(A note: Arduinna and Danu are words I have used for each nation. For clarification purposes,
Arduinna and Danu are both names in Celtic mythology - Arduinna is the name of the Gallic goddess
of the moon, and Danu is the Gallic goddess of the earth. (Understandably, there are other names
for these goddesses depending on the area and time period - for this story these are the names I
am using for the warring lands.))
-Dew
Prolouge - A Warrior Princess.
____________________________________________________________________________
Sweaty and dirty, Makoto swung her wooden staff with confidence,
feeling the familiar jolt reverberate up the bone in her arm, and into
her shoulder, as she cracked the side of her staff against a man's skull.
He crumpled to her feet, and, before he had even hit the ground, Makoto
was twisting her head, looking for more enemies that needed her attention.
A cry to the west, carried upon the breeze, caught her attention.
Under a sky streaked with pink and purple from the setting sun, two groups
of soldiers, one group with silver helmets, and the other group with black,
were battling fiercely against each other. Makoto didn't have to look closer
to know that her soldiers, with the light from the setting sun glinting
against their tarnished silver caps, were losing, and losing badly. And no
wonder. This skirmish had drawn on longer than anyone had anticipated and her
soldiers were tired. Who would have thought that these soldiers from the land
of Danu would have proven to be such stubborn warriors, still fighting when
they were so obviously beaten?
The armies of Arduinna were sizeable, and their training overseen by
the infamous Makoto herself. Easily outnumbering this band of petty rebels,
they thought a swift victory was assured. Now, after two days of arduous
fighting, most of Danu's army was dead, except for this small group. Normally,
the woman Commander of the most powerful nation in the known world would have not
concerned herself with this scuffle,
as sure of her soldier's training as she was. However, the group of her
soldiers that were fighting the group from Danu were the most novice members
of the army, kept near the back to watch and learn about battle, but not to
engage. That and, what every leader knew, a wounded beast is the most dangerous
type of beast - and Danu's army was on their last legs. This group of novice
Arduinna soldiers would not last long.
Shouting a wordless cry, Makoto hoisted her large wooden staff above
her head and twirled it. The soldiers around her knew her call to arms and
were instantly running with her towards the west. They joined quickly joined
the amateur soldiers and clashed into the band of Danu with the familiar singing
of blade against blade, along with the grunts and cries of battle. Makoto swung
her staff easily, despite the heavy awkwardness of it, and those with black
helmets fell before it.
Before the moon had fully risen, the battle was over. Makoto leaned
against the staff that was almost as tall as she was, and caught her breath as
she surveyed the damage. The ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen.
Amongst the soldiers of Danu lay a number of Arduinna soldiers… A large number,
in fact.
A sudden force clapped her on the shoulder and Makoto turned her gaze
to an soldier with a long rivulet of blood cutting a path through his grimy face.
He grinned at her and nodded his head. "Looks like Arduinna has gained victory
once again."
Makoto turned her attention to the remaining band of her soldiers, some
tending to the horses, others picking their way through the dead. "Victory? No,
Lieutenant Mager, I wouldn't call this victory. We may be the last one's standing,
but it looks to me as if they have been the ones victorious. They had half our
number and yet only a few dozen of us remain. A few dozen out of two hundred.
That's no victory."
The soldier removed his hand from Makoto's shoulder and looked down at
his feet, ashamed.
"I want numbers. Find out who and how many were killed - on both sides."
"Yes, M'Lady."
"M'Lady!"
Makoto snapped her head towards the soldier that was calling her. Standing
among the bodies was one of her soldiers, pulling a man to his knees by the hair.
Makoto made her way to them immediately. When she came closer, the soldier pulled
a knife from its sheath at his waist and yanked the hair of his captive back so he
could place the blade against his straining neck.
"I found one of them alive, M'lady."
Makoto leaned in close. "What's your name soldier?"
No answer.
"I said, what's your name, soldier?"
The Danu soldier spit in Makoto's face. She drew her hand back
and slapped him across the face before wiping the spittle on her cheek off
with the back of her hand. Enraged, her soldier pressed the blade deeper
into the fragile flesh of the captive's neck.
"You answer M'Lady Makoto when she asks you a question, Peasant!"
"I will never give you the honor of knowing my name, Bitch leader
of a pack dogs! This is not the last of us! Our prince will defeat you!
Defeat - !"
Makoto turned her back on the captive as he continued to spout
obscenities. A grizzled man well past middle age, Captain Brigin, joined her
then to make inquiries about what he should do with the captive.
"You think your country is so great," came the voice of the Danu soldier
from behind her. "But the prince of Danu knows better! The abuse of authority
has gone on for far too long! We will not bow down to the power of your
tyrannical queen or her slut of a daughter!"
Makoto's command to free the man died on her lips. Her fists clenched
in anger as she shared a look with Brigin in an unspoken command. He nodded and
raised his hand to signal the Arduinna soldier behind them. Makoto walked away
as the Danu soldier's ranting was cut off with a gurgle, and then silence.
----------------------------------------------------------
When the moon had reached its pinnacle overhead, the soldiers had
finally returned and settled into camp nestled in a small clearing and
surrounded by trees.Several tents stood empty, for there was no one to return
to them. It was as she had guessed. She had taken 218 men into battle, and
now there were 43 left.
Makoto sat by herself in front of a small fire and was quiet and
withdrawn as she stared into the flames. Arduinna was such a peaceful, law
abiding nation that,except for once almost three years ago, her skills as a
fighter were rarely ever needed. But when they were… She shook her head as
she thought about all the lives lost in the past two days.
They had been sent to the outskirts of Arduinna land by their Queen
to suppress a band of rebels who had been rumored to be creating havoc in the
country side, only to find out they weren't rebels at all - but a small army of
extremely well trained Danu soldiers. And, if that soldier was correct, there
would be more. A lot more. An invasion, perhaps?
Makoto frowned at the logic of Danu invading the heavily fortified
Arduinna. Arduinna may be a peaceful country, but it wasn't naive. There were
those who envied the prosperous nation with its powerful Queen, and Arduinna's
borders were always carefully watched. Despite dozens of attempted negotiations
between them and the less prosperous neighboring country of Danu in recent
months, each one has failed. Danu, poor but relatively quiet, had taken a dramatic
turn in the last year. The once peaceful ruling family had born a son twenty three
years ago and has grown, by all reports, to have become a tyrannical war lord.
"M'Lady?"
"Captain Brigin, the men aren't around and the battle is over, there is
no needfor formalities between us."
"Then why are you calling me Captain?" He motioned to a spot on the
ground to herleft. "Is this seat taken?"
Makoto shook her head and Brigin sat down a few feet from her to
study her face. Despite the dirt and smears of blood, in the light of the fire,
he was once more remindedof how young this girl beside him was.
Makoto tossed a twig into the fire. "How long have we known each other,
John?"
"I'd say about two and a half years now, ever since some sixteen year
old bratof a girl took control of my army under orders of the Queen, and demoted
me during the war with Sycere." There was a lightness in his voicethat made Makoto
smile. "But, she did win the war for us though."
"Not without your help."
The two sat in silence for a long while. John reflected on his initial
reaction when the Queen announced that one of Princess Usagi's young guards
was to be made Commander of the Arduinnan army - the highest rank that there was.
His rank. Words could not describe the furyhe had in his first battle under Commander
Makoto. At fourty two years of age, John Brigin had worked hard at attaining his
position. But, soon, his anger turned into curiousity,and his curiousity turned to
respect the more he served under her. Despite her young age, she had an ingenious
grasp of war strategy and fought more fiercely than men twice her age.
"What are you thinking about?" Makoto asked quietly.
"I'm thinking that you should be attending balls and flirting with young men,
not commanding an army."
Makoto smirked. Her height and unusual strength never did make her popular
with boys,after all. Upset about being slighted at balls, she decided to earn respect
another way, and at something she was good at. She started her training on her tenth
birthday.
"Make sure the men are prepared to leave in the morning."
Surprised at the turn in conversation, John turned his attention from the
fire to Makoto's face. "So soon? But, Makoto, many are wounded; we must give them
time to rest…"
Makoto stared into the flames for a long time. She longed to be home, to see
her friends and her princess. She longed to put the trauma of soldiering behind her and
stand in front of her hearth again, burying the torment of the male characteristics
being a Commander has given her into her private joy of culinary arts.
"Makoto?"
"These are my orders: separate the army into two groups. In the first group -
a dozen of our fastest riders and all of those whose wounds will prove to be fatal if
they do not receive the necessary medical attention. Then, in the second group I want
all those whose wounds are not as severe, along with the rest of the healthy soldiers.
The first group will make their way to the white castle as fast as they can, while the
second group will pace themselves and only go as fast as their wounds will allow. I'll...
I'll join the second group to make sure they keep in line."
John Brigin did not fail to notice the sadness in Makoto's eyes.
"With all due respect, Commander, but I think you will be needed more in
the first group so you can make sure they don't run their horses into the ground.
I'll stay with the second and oversee them, if you wish."
The lame excuse was not lost on Makoto, but she smiled gratefully anyway.
"Go see to it, then."
Captain Brigin stood, bowed quickly to his Commander, and walked back to the tents.
Makoto frowned in the direction of Arduinna's castle, a good two days hard ride to the east.
Two days until she can see home again.
She had a lot of new information to tell her Queen.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Dew_drop@myself.com
(A note: Arduinna and Danu are words I have used for each nation. For clarification purposes,
Arduinna and Danu are both names in Celtic mythology - Arduinna is the name of the Gallic goddess
of the moon, and Danu is the Gallic goddess of the earth. (Understandably, there are other names
for these goddesses depending on the area and time period - for this story these are the names I
am using for the warring lands.))