Chapter 34 The Message
AN: ok, I've changed something. I kno, bad Kristen, bad! lol. When Kally left Chris they were a couple days away from Galla, but now I have decided that Kally needed time to get to Tortall and win a few battles, so they were actually 3 weeks south of Cria. Kally has been in Tortall for about a week.
Disclaimer: See last chapter.
When Chris and the others reached the palace in Cria they were met by the king, Chris's father. He dismissed Jen and Izzy and led the men to one of his war rooms. On the wall was a map of the Eastern Lands. On the table was a huge map of Galla, including territory that once belonged to Scanra but was now in Gallan possession, and Tortall. Little figures on the map represented the location of both Gallan and Tortallan armies. X's portrayed battles won and O's represented battles lost. Chris felt sick to his stomach when he saw the little silver tigress figurine moving around the map, leaving O's behind her.
"As you can see, we are at war with Tortall," the king said. "We were actually winning too! But then King Jonathon asked that tramp who calls herself the Tigress to help them and she's been defeating us at every damn battle!"
"She's not a tramp," Chris said. 'Well, now I know why she left. She could have told me about this though,' he thought.
"Of course she is! Now, I know you must feel some loyalty to her because she is a Shang as well, but even you must admit, women can't fight. In war, their only duty is to take care of the home and tend the wounded." the stupid king said, not seeing the fury on his son's face.
Jake saw it and put a restraining hand on his cousin's arm. "No offense Uncle, but, um, if women can't fight, why is the Tigress beating your armies?"
The king slammed his fist on the table. "Because those fools who call themselves soldiers are too afraid to take a swing at her! The cowards!"
"You would be too," Robbie muttered. The King glared at him.
"What did you say?"
"Forgive me father, but once again, I disagree with you," Chris said, bringing the king's attention towards him instead of Robbie. "Those soldiers have seen her in battle. The fact that they're still following your orders and fighting against her shows that they are very brave. You won't understand because you haven't seen her, but I have. If the sound of her war cry doesn't get to you, the sight of her surely will. She's always beautiful, but in battle it's in a cold and ruthless sort of way. She gets this evil glint in her eyes. Her horse can be one of the most vicious creatures in the Mortal Realm if you get near it and it decides it doesn't like you. Her weapons are always sharpened and shined so that the sun and the blood around her are reflected. Going against her is like committing suicide unless she feels a trace of respect for you. If she does respect you, for what ever reason, she'll actually give you a chance to defeat her before she cuts off your head with her sword. The worst part is that she's smart and has amazing instincts. If something doesn't feel right, she won't go and usually that means that an army planning to ambush her didn't get to. No, instead she takes half of her army and goes behind the enemy, blocking every escape route. Then, she gives her battle cry and attacks, leaving behind no survivors."
"Well, you seem to know a lot about her, Chris. This is why you're the only one good enough to lead the army that will defeat the Tigress once and for all. With her gone, Tortall doesn't stand a chance. We'll conquer all of it by the time winter sets in!"
"Father, I can't-"
"You can and you will. Jake, Jordan, you two are his second-in-commands. If he refuses to follow my orders, you will do it for him."
"Father-"
"If, for some reason, the Tigress is not defeated, you all, yes, including you Chris, will be charged of treason and your bodies will be left in Traitors' Forest for the birds. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." they answered.
"Now then, Sirs Bobert and Robert, I understand you two are the Leopard and Falcon of Shang. Would you do Galla the honor of fighting for us?"
The twins looked at each other. Bobbie was elected spokesperson.
"Forgive us Your Majesty, but Shang Warriors aren't really supposed to fight in a war between two countries unless they are from one of those countries. Therefore, being Marenite, we would be unable to fight for you without shaming ourselves, our family, our friends, and the rest of Shang."
"Ah, well, I understand. Your loyalties are in the right place. I find that admirable. Christopher, you may stay, but the rest of you are dismissed."
Chris met Jake, Jen, Alfredo, Bobbie, and Robbie in one of the libraries a couple hours later. Jake told Chris that Jen had something to say to him concerning the war with Tortall. Chris plopped down in one of the overly-stuffed armchairs and looked at his nervous cousin expectantly.
"Heh, well, um, I, that is, She, um…"
"Just tell him what you told us Jen, he won't murder you or anything, maybe…" Jake said.
Jen gulped. "KallytoldmeboutthewarthenightbeforesheleftbutshesaidIcouldn'ttellyousoIdidn'tandI'msorry." She took a deep breath and glanced nervously at Chris.
"Um, ok." He turned to Jake and whispered, "What did she just say?"
"Well, apparently, the night before she left, Kally slept in Jen's room."
"Yeah, I knew that. She had her stuff moved in there while we were eating dinner downstairs."
"Right. Well, Kally told Jen everything her father told her and while we were all wondering about Kally's abrupt departure, Jen knew about the war, why it started, where Kally was going, andwhy she broke it off with you, yet she didn't say a word."
Chris looked at Jen. "You knew?! And you didn't tell me. I'm your cousin!"
"She didn't tell me either, and I'm her twin!"
"I couldn't. I wanted to though, really, I did. But Kally made me swear not to until you found out from your father."
"Why did you swear in the first place?" Chris asked.
"She was so miserable. When she came to the room, she was bawling her eyes out and she wouldn't stop. I thought that if I did what she wanted she would stop."
"Did she?"
"No. She loves you Chris, she really does. She even told her father to give uncle the Dominion Jewel! She had to go back, she had no other choice."
"She could have told me."
"It wouldn't have made a difference. If anything, it would have made it worse."
"I guess."
"When are you heading out?" Robbie asked.
"A week from today. I'm supposed to go over plans with my second-in-commands tonight," he glanced at Jake. "Meet me here at seven. Tell Jordan. I'm going to clear my head." He left the room.
For two weeks the Tortallan Army had fought a war that no one wanted. Moral was low and there was no end in sight. Then the Tigress came. She led her soldiers into battle and defeated all who came across her. Tortallans rejoiced, maybe they would win this after all. The soldiers no longer went into battle reluctantly. They put there hearts into fighting. The tide had turned and now it was the Gallans who were running away, not the Tortallans. Even the most conservative knights grudgingly admitted that the Tigress was responsible for it. Now, one month after her arrival, the Gallans were pushed back almost all the way to their own border. King Jonathon IV (?) of Conte was sure of victory. His most trusted advisers, however, weren't. Spies had told them that the Prince of Galla, the Shang Griffin, was now in charge of a large force whose sole purpose was to defeat the Tigress. The Lioness and the Giant Killer tried to warn the king, but he just blew them off.
"He's the Griffin, my daughter is the Tigress. She'll kick his ass and send him crying back to daddy."
Princess Kalasin, the Shang Tigress, had heard of these rumors as well. She knew battle between them would be inevitable if the war lasted much longer. There had to be a way to end it. She did not want to lead an army against the man she loved, even if he was the enemy.
Her soldiers were camped above a large valley in the Tusaine Mountains; they had just defeated a large group of Gallans under the command of the Duke of Ducalonia, Jordan's father. Her men were celebrating their victory and getting a bit drunk. Kally was in her tent thinking up ways to stop this war before a battle between Chris and herself was arranged when Keladry of Mindelan walked in, dragging a Gallan soldier behind her. Kally looked up, wanting to know why she had been disturbed.
"I took some of the men out to scout the area and we found him. He was carrying no weapons, just this," she handed Kally a folded piece of paper with a wax seal that showed a rearing Griffin. "He said he was ordered to give it to you. Neal checked it for poison, there was none."
Kally took the paper, willing her hand not to shake. It didn't work. She had a feeling she knew what was in it and she didn't want o find out if she was right. She reluctantly broke the seal and found that she was. She closed her eyes and the hand holding the message opened, dropping its contents on the ground. The mighty Tigress had fainted.
AN: oooo, what did it say. I think u all kno. it's not that hard to figure out. lol. The next chapter should be up tomorrow. I want to say thanks to Clair-a-net, Imogenhm, and Dracorium. You guys rock my socks! Bye.