Chapter 35
Day 16 of the Verdant Rain Moon, Year 1176 (Fódlan Calendar)
Khalid prodded at the flame within his sitting room's small fireplace. His door was latched shut to ensure his privacy. He had work to do.
Abbas and James were both in Istakhr for the day, but Shahid had arrived the prior night for a week-long celebration of their successful campaign against the pirates on the northern coast. It promised to be a tortuous experience for the youngest prince. Living with Abbas was bad enough; adding Shahid was simply intolerable. Even the awful Qadir al-Hakimi was apparently going to make a visit.
Khalid thankfully had new tools to defend himself. The poison he used on Abbas and James the prior month had worked well, but its acute effects would wear off too quickly to be of use here. He needed something that could last the full week. After some research, he finally found his ideal toxin- poppy's malison.
Poppy flowers were very common in Almyra, and their extract bore some toxic properties. However, when treated with magic from Morfis, these properties were magnified and stabilized. Depending on the chosen dilution, the resulting symptoms ranged anywhere from urinary tract and respiratory annoyances to seizures and comas. There was a known spell that could expose its presence in a liquid, but thanks to the poison's obscurity and the lack of qualified mages in Almyra, the toxin would be nearly untraceable for his purposes. As soon as Shahid risked becoming a threat, Khalid would have a fairly forgiving dilution ready for him- one that would knock Shahid on his back for a week but loosen its hold quickly once he returned to the Tabarzin.
Poppy's malison did have its downsides, however. The extract was expensive and difficult to procure, and the magical infusion degraded quickly when in concentrated form. Consequently, it was only practical to produce the poison in large batches. The final formulation had longevity, and Khalid could find other applications for the remainder even after Shahid left. However, it would be difficult to keep such a cumbersome flask hidden.
The extract was homogenized in solution with application of heat and a bit of stirring. Khalid was nearing the end of the procedure when his door abruptly rattled against its lock.
"What the… Khalid, are you in there?" Shahid's voice asked harshly.
The youngest prince considered not responding, but the locked door and smoke from the chimney were obvious giveaways. "Y-yes," he replied with a fake cough.
"Your big brother has come to pay you a visit. Open the door."
"Sorry, Shahid… I'm not feeling well. Whatever our relationship, I don't want to give you the plague."
"The plague? Absurd. It certainly hasn't affected that mouth of yours. Let me in, and I'll give my diagnosis, alright?"
Khalid had intended to let the solution incubate for a few minutes longer, but this was headed in a bad direction. He pulled the flask off the flame and set it on the floor as he tried to find a suitable hiding place. He stalled by replying, "I don't think tha-."
Shahid refused to accept "no" for an answer. He abruptly kicked in Khalid's door, causing the younger brother to stumble onto the floor in shock as the door swung heavily against the wall. Shahid quickly leapt to the exposed flask before Khalid could retrieve it. He rolled the flask along the floor under his foot, watching as the contents sloshed about.
"Well, well… What might this be, little brother? It looks awfully like a batch of poison to me. Who could it be meant for, I wonder?"
"Shahid, I-."
"Abbas warned me about you, but I thought he might have been exaggerating how vile you've become. But no! We've hardly spent any time together, and you're already plotting against me! You really are a little wretch, aren't you?"
"It was only precautionary," Khalid justified hopelessly.
"Precautionary, huh? Do it again…" Shahid began as he brought his foot down and crushed the flask into bits. "… And this will be your bones next time."
Shahid presumably thought this would look intimidating, but he mostly looked like an idiot when his leg was cut by the shattered glass. He did his best to cover up the mistake, which only amused the younger brother even more.
The eldest prince did not find it as funny. He turned red upon seeing Khalid's face, a face that looked far too much like his own, prompting him to kick Khalid onto his back with his good leg and then slam his foot against Khalid's chest.
Khalid screamed from both pain and surprise. He writhed on the floor as he futilely tried to find a position from which he could breathe without an agonizing struggle.
"What a shame… looks like you've broken a couple ribs," Shahid told him. "That's what happens when you aren't careful while out riding."
"Wh-what?"
"What else are you going to tell father? That I did it? You can, but he'll be just as upset when I inform him you were plotting to poison me. Say you fell down the stairs or something if that sounds more believable, but I think it's best for both of us if you leave it at that."
When Khalid failed to respond, Shahid shook his head in disappointment. "This is for your own good, Khalid. You'll never be king. Your very existence is a mistake. The sooner you realize that, the better. Abbas told me he'd be a warrior if not a king. James said he'd try to become a physician. What will a brat like you do with yourself? Now stop crying as if your mother's family raised you and find something better to do with your time."
Tears streamed down Khalid's face as Shahid left him there. All the time, effort, and resources he spent on his work… it was all for nothing. Shahid was fortunate that his cuts would not be tainted with enough poison to do him much harm.
Where was Khalid supposed to go for help in his state? There was a time he would go to his parents, but after all those lessons on self-reliance… he couldn't let them see him like this.
Nader… at least he could always count on Nader. Khalid wheezed in pain as he crawled towards the contorted door for salvation.
In the Grasp of the Abyss – Day 30 of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1187 (Fódlan Calendar)
Failure was not a new experience for Khalid by any means. However, he usually had a decent idea of where he went wrong and what the fallout would be.
That was not the case that day as he stood on the banks of the Maritsa River. The leaders of the main army commanded by Queen Tiana were still debating the full intent of Aurelian's plan. The occasional peel of cannon fire tracked the passing of time, seemingly counting down to someone's unhappy fate.
"We now know what those cannons are for. They're covering up any sounds from a distant battle that would tip off their army's location," Farjad observed.
James rationalized, "We don't know their target, but it surely isn't to attack our division. We're cut off from reinforcements, but they still need bridges to get here, too. That means it has to be either Nader or Demetrius they're after."
"That's surely correct," Senusret said. "We still must decide which direction to go, though. If we cross the Maritsa here, we can reinforce Nader. We can otherwise cross back over the Vardar and help Demetrius. We don't have the numbers to split into two groups and still match up against the Meteoran army."
"It has to be Demetrius, right?" Theodora hazarded. "The Meteorans have no way of knowing where Nader's division is. With the time they have available, though, they can wipe out Demetrius's contingent and return to their camp before we get back. It's an easy victory at no cost."
Khalid groaned, "At this point, I'm not comfortable making any assumptions about what the Meteorans are or aren't capable of right now. Is anyone else?"
When he was met with silence, Khalid sighed and continued, "Let me lay it out. There's four main scenarios to consider. The scenarios in which we reinforce the correct contingent aren't that different- in either case, we might be able to save our friends and rout the Meteoran army. Where it diverges is if we're wrong. If we incorrectly reinforce Demetrius, we at least take control of their fortified camp but will lose Nader's much larger division. The opposite is true if we mistakenly help Nader- our larger division is safe, but the Meteorans will probably have time to return to their camp and put us right back where we started."
"We can't allow that last scenario," James declared. "We did all of this to avoid a costly battle for that base. Even if helping Demetrius ends up being a mistake, we'd at least walk away with a consolation prize."
Khatereh mused, "This all seems like too much effort for them to just take out Demetrius. The sluice gate trick was clever, but it won't work again. They're surely looking for a bigger prize today."
"They still don't know just how few soldiers we left with Demetrius. If they don't know about Nader, they probably are estimating a substantial prize," James contended.
Everyone's attention turned to Queen Tiana. She deliberated for a few seconds before concluding, "This war is won by soldiers, not soil. The loss of Demetrius's division would be unfortunate. Losing Nader's would be unacceptable. We have to ensure its safety."
"If I may interject… I must agree with Prince James," Senusret advised gently. "I know General Nader is a friend of yours, Your Majesty, but I caution against letting emotions drive this decision. Philemon let it happen at Pyli Kyma, and he died for it. The larger fleet didn't win; it was the side that knew how to use the battlefield to their advantage that carried the day. The Meteorans won't find a better location for a battle than that stronghold they put together. We must rob them of a second opportunity to use it."
"No, the queen is right," Kamran contended. "Not just from a logistical perspective, but a from a social one as well. Demetrius's defeat can be brushed aside, but Nader's would permanently shatter morale. That may sound coldhearted, but that's the reality of the situation."
James shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't agree. Saving Nader sounds great, but our army will be just as demoralized when we order them to crack that stronghold with brute force because we ran out of other ideas."
When Senusret similarly indicated that he was unmoved, Kamran observed, "That's two votes for each side, then."
Khalid scoffed, "This isn't a vote. Her Majesty has the final say."
Tiana surprisingly perked up and declared, "Maybe it should be a vote. Two-two, then. That means you'll have to break the tie, Khalid."
Khalid had stayed quiet on his opinion because he had not yet formed one. Everyone had valid points, and he had tried to consider them all before making a verdict. Once he took a stance, it would be difficult to treat any new arguments impartially.
The cost of being wrong would be dire. The lives of Nader, Dimitri, Ariella, and many others hung in the balance. Dimitri and Nader stood a better chance in a battle, but Ariella at least had the opportunity to flee into the caves… assuming she was conscious and capable of climbing when the attack arrived. Realistically, if he made the wrong choice, someone important to him would die.
No… Senusret was right. He could not let his concerns for his friends drive any decision-making. In fact, it probably did not even matter.
Khalid slowly answered, "The Meteorans easily have numerical superiority over both contingents. Demetrius's division could last longer by hiding in the caves, but Nader's had no such fallback. Even if we do try to help the strike force, there's a very high chance they'll already be dead by the time we get there." The prince tapped his forehead with a clenched fist to indicate his frustration with the situation. "… I vote in favor of helping Demetrius. I'm not sure they're the more likely target, but we do have higher odds of actually achieving something there."
"Then that settles it," Tiana concluded, doing a fine job of hiding her annoyance at being outvoted. "We'll cross back over the Vardar and follow up the valley, just like we had originally intended. We'll secure their camp and then proceed through the Pinnacula towards Demetrius. If the Meteorans went after him, we'll be in a good position for a victory."
Khalid reminded, "We obviously need to think about the best way to actually get across, assuming that the sluice was reopened. There should be a bridge not too far away, right? I know it's been destroyed, but any surviving ruins might be the easiest starting point for us."
Tiana nodded and tossed her son the map. "Lead the way, Khalid."
The army had thankfully packed up the camp and was ready to leave by the time the debate was resolved. The journey back to the Vardar felt much shorter than it had the night before. Not only did they have a better idea of what to expect, but they were also travelling with much more haste.
As expected, the empty channel they crossed the prior night was now filled with running water. The bridge's span had been fully demolished, but the abutments on both banks were still structurally sound. Khalid originally hoped to find nearby trees that could be felled to bridge the gap. Options nearby were limited, however.
Farjad asked, "Hey, Marianne… I don't suppose you can freeze this river over thick enough to support us and our horses, could you?"
"Not over running water like this, no. We must try something else," Marianne confirmed.
"There's not much to use other than rocks and blasted debris. The river's too deep for us to try building a makeshift dam to walk over," Senusret noted.
He was right- there was not enough material to fill in a crossing. There was probably enough to cobble together repairs for the bridge, though that was of course impossible without mortar.
Unless…
Khalid turned to his friend from the academy. "Marianne, you've been teaching your students here ice spells, right?"
"Yes… that's correct."
Khalid grinned proudly. "Then I have a plan. We have enough stone here to bridge the gap. All we're missing is some kind of cementing agent. In leu of something more official, we can pour water over our work and then freeze it to fuse the repairs in place. Is that feasible, Marianne?"
Marianne hesitated before answering, "W-well… yes, I suppose so. It will be very draining on us to keep it up that long, though. I don't think we'll be of much use in any battle."
Khalid nodded. "I understand, but I think it's worth the tradeoff. We have the numbers to beat the Meteorans even without your help; what we don't have is time."
No one objected to Khalid's plan, so orders were quickly given out. There was no getting the horses over the river, but many of their soldiers swam across so work could proceed from both abutments. People were assigned to one of three primary roles- transporting stone, hauling water with their helmets, and freezing their progress as they advanced. A few mages trained in fire magic were used to keep the very top surface of the bridge clear of ice to keep it from getting too slippery.
Everyone worked with efficiency and dedication. Even so, it took at least an hour before the two sides conjoined over the center of the river. Their work was an ungainly construct that would surely collapse shortly after the mages stopped applying their spells, but it held strong when they sent over their first horses as a test. Everyone cheered and hugged with delight at their success. Khalid and his mother shared relieved smiles as their army scaled the passage over the river in full, obviously taking care to not overload their tenuous product.
It was the first positive development they had in a long time. Unfortunately, it did not last long. About half of the division had crossed over to the left bank of the Vardar when a small group of wyverns were spotted as they approached from the south. After finding the banners of the royal family, this group landed near the queen's retinue. Their leader quickly dismounted her wyvern and ran up to the queen.
"Your Majesty! Thank goodness!" the newcomer gasped. She would have collapsed from exhaustion had Khalid not caught her.
"What is it? What's happening out there?" Tiana asked anxiously.
The messenger conveyed the story between gasps. "I… we just came from General Nader's division… The Meteoran army came in full to destroy them. Our first messengers must have been intercepted. The enemy has wyverns of their own, and our main group drew them away so we could get here. When… when I left, General Nader was about to be forced from the field. They planned to take refuge at the nearby basilica to buy time, though. We have to get there as soon as possible!"
Khalid's vision clouded before the woman even finished the story. The ground beneath him felt unstable as his feet wobbled. He only snapped back to attention when his mother turned away and loosed a torrent of expletives.
The messenger was unsure how to respond. "… Your Majesty? There's still time to ge-."
"If the bridges were still up, sure," Tiana interrupted. "Maybe even if we crossed the other damn river to begin with. But I'm sure the Meteorans blew the bridge at their camp, which means we'll have to do this all over again. You have no idea how much effort this first crossing has taken us. No… Aurelian will strike a deal with the bishop to take the survivors captive before we even get there."
No one made a counterpoint, as they all knew she was right. Khalid watched as soldiers continued to pour water over the bridge, blissfully unaware of just how bad things had gotten.
Senusret was the most levelheaded about the situation, which was not surprising since Shomal's army would avoid the brunt of the failure. He told everyone, "Panic or despair won't accomplish anything. The prudent strategy is to finish what we started. We cross here, follow along this river until we reach their former camp, and then try crossing back over from there. Even if that bridge is now destroyed, the remains will still be our best option across the Maritsa."
"He's right," Tiana agreed after steadying some. She told the messenger, "Take your wyverns and find Demetrius. Tell him that the enemy's camp has been emptied and that he needs to meet us there. Instruct him to start gathering any stone and woodwork that can be carried and take it all to the bridge if he gets there first."
Khalid sensed that an argument was brewing once the wyverns left- Kamran was clearly about to complain about being outvoted, and Theodora was ready to argue in James's defense. Marianne was on the verge of tears, but Farjad looked prepared speak on Khalid's behalf.
Queen Tiana thankfully nipped the showdown in the bud when she ordered, "I don't want to hear one word about who to blame right now. We've already embarrassed ourselves enough without adding juvenile tantrums into the mix. Now come on, and let's get back to that camp."
There was no official announcement of their mistake, but Khalid watched as the news slowly spread across the army as they marched. He shared in everyone's frustration; doubly so, in fact, since he knew he was at fault.
The much-feared fortifications at the Meteoran stronghold were completely abandoned when the queen's army arrived, although they still had to waste time navigating around several series of defensive trenches. It was a blessing that the complex systems of dugouts, abatis, and earthen ramparts would never see battle; however, that was an inadequate consolation given the circumstances. The Meteorans had abandoned some of their supplies, but they effectively took anything of major value with them.
Demetrius and his team of around one hundred soldiers were already at the center of the camp gathering materials. When Khalid and his companions arrived, Ariella ran out to meet them. She hugged Marianne after her friend dismounted Dorte.
"Marianne, Khalid! Thank goodness you're alright! We had no idea what was going on out there!" Ariella cried with relief.
"Yeah, we weren't exactly well versed on the situation, either. But… I'm glad to see you're safe," Khalid said. He patted Ariella on the shoulder to acknowledge her and then left his reunited retainers to join his mother. She was already speaking with Demetrius.
"I'm assuming they destroyed the bridge here?" Tiana asked her general.
Demetrius nodded. "They didn't leave much intact, but they did leave an awful lot of other junk behind. We've already started a large pile down by the river. I'm assuming you plan to somehow use the debris to bridge it?"
"Just so. Khalid, gather our mages and get to work immediately."
The wider availability of materials at the camp did help speed up this latest project, but they were also hampered by diminished morale. Everyone seemed to believe that saving Nader's division was a lost cause, even if no one was willing to say it out loud.
The bridge was nearing completion when their wyverns returned from yet another scouting mission. Khalid was hauling water, but he ran up the hill to his mother as she received the news.
"You deserve to know what to expect," the familiar messenger began. "It's… not good. There are piles of bodies both at the original battlefield and outside of the basilica. They… might all be dead, Your Majesty."
Khalid felt sick again, but Tiana was well-prepared for the news. She asked calmly, "And did you find the Meteoran army?"
"They were headed eastward. It's difficult to speculate their destination. They might stay on the right side of the river, or they could be aiming for the next bridge. They must have commandeered a lot of our mounts because everyone was on horseback. We won't be able to catch up."
"I understand. On another note, you said before that the rest of our wyverns were acting as a distraction. Where exactly are they now?" Tiana inquired.
The messenger answered nervously, "I wasn't given the precise details. My understanding is that they were drawing the enemy wyverns towards Saba. General Nousha gave the impression that we might not see them again for several days."
"I… see…" Tiana said through gritted teeth. Before she could lose her temper, she told the messenger, "Thank you for the report. Now go get some rest."
Khalid left his mother to seethe alone and followed the messenger during her quick escape. He grabbed her arm and asked, "It sounds like Nousha was fine when you left. Can you tell me anything about Satiah, Shomal's commander? I have people who are worried about her."
The woman nodded. "Satiah was alive last I saw. You won't find her body in either of those piles, but I can't speak to anything that happened after their departure."
"That's good enough. And thank you… you did well today. What happened wasn't your fault, or the fault of anyone else in the wyvern corps. We should have advised you to account for the risk of unexpected enemy aerial units. We didn't see it coming, either."
The messenger wiped at her eyes, which had just begun to water. It was probably her first opportunity to stop and reflect all day. "I appreciate you saying that, Prince Khalid. Truly."
There was no celebration when the second bridge was completed, as confirmation of the disaster had already been conveyed to everyone present. The army split in half to survey both sites disclosed by the messengers. Rather than organizing who went where, Tiana instead allowed people to freely search for missing friends wherever they felt led. Khalid and his mother proceeded to the main battlefield, while Marianne and Ariella diverted to the basilica.
He could always ask the wyvern riders later, but Khalid instinctively tried to piece together the story of what happened. It was clear that the fighting had been centered atop a hill overlooking a grove. Nader's division had likely sheltered within the trees the prior night. An unusually high percentage of the corpses were pierced with arrows, suggesting that Nader's army had struggled to counter enemy archers. Perhaps they were assembled below the cliffs?
Though the messenger had described two piles of bodies, the dead on this battlefield were not actually organized that well. The Meteorans had made some effort to gather the dead, but they had clearly run out of time to deal with so many corpses. Their own dead had been stacked, but many of Elam's fallen were still scattered about the field.
It did not take long to find one of the bodies that Khalid had dreaded. Queen Tiana was staring at a stack of dead; more specifically, she was staring at a corpse that rested against it in a sitting position.
The man could have been mistaken for being asleep were it not for the countless wounds gouged into his torso.
It was the body of the grand agha. The best friend of the king. Khalid's mentor. Nader.
"A lot of these wounds would have been quickly fatal, so most of them were inflicted posthumously. If the Meteorans were that upset, he must have given them a lot of grief," Tiana said hoarsely.
"Sounds like Nader," Khalid agreed. "It's… good he died here. He got to believe he was accomplishing something… that the others could live. He didn't know how badly we'd muck it up."
Khalid was too exhausted to cry. Instead, he fell to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of Nader. He felt like a kid again, crawling up to his mentor in tears and gasping for help that could no longer be provided.
Though the grand agha's body had been disgraced with the extra wounds, someone in the Meteoran army felt that an Almyran legend deserved a measure of respect. Many of the other bodies had been looted of armor, weapons, and accessories, but all of Nader's belongings rested on his lap. Perhaps someone had tried to take them before being reprimanded.
Nader… he really did look like he could be sleeping. Khalid recollected a time when he dozed off on Nader's shoulder during a carriage ride back from Istakhr. On another occasion, he and his brothers found Nader snoring after they returned from a long training exercise, much to the annoyance of all three. They were ordinary memories that did not seem that important back then, but their value had become incalculable now that they could not be repeated.
Khalid had fled Gronder too quickly to mourn his friends. But after seeing Nader… he could understand why Dimitri always said that he feared forgetting the faces of the dead. He might never see Nader's face again… to look away would almost seem selfish.
Tiana knelt and hugged her son from behind. "Khalid… We should go," she said told him softly.
Khalid nodded and stood unaided. Scanning the battlefield with open eyes offered some sources of hope he had missed out on. Healers were attending to one of victims from Elam. The man had apparently fell unconscious from blood loss but had somehow refused to succumb. A woman was also being examined. Her eyes were vacant, but she was responding to the questions being offered. She had apparently survived by playing dead for hours.
Khalid wished he could stay and listen to a firsthand account of the battle, but with Nader's fate settled, his top priority was finding Dimitri. He told his mother he was leaving and mounted his horse.
The bodies at the basilica were much better organized. There were far fewer to handle, partially because Meteora's losses were relatively minor. It was clear that the local clergy had also helped. Their work was being rapidly undone as soldiers searched for friends and family. Ariella was aiding them, but Khalid noticed Marianne standing alone shaking in grave distress. To his surprise, she ran up, hugged him, and cried onto his shoulder. The pile of dead horses would have been enough to upset her, but he knew it was much worse than that.
"They executed Anthony!" she wailed. "He was so kind! How could anyone think he deserved that? A-and Dimitri…"
"Did you find him?" Khalid asked as he choked on a lump in his throat.
"N-no… It's… it's that we can't find him!" Marianne exclaimed. "We should have found him by now! What did they do with him? Take his body as a prize? I'm just… so…"
Khalid pulled away so he could look her in the eye. "Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. You keep looking if you feel up to it, and I'm going to do a bit of investigating myself, okay?"
"O-okay…"
Their conversation steadied Marianne enough for her to rejoin the search efforts. Instead of following suit, Khalid turned his attention to a group of church officials that were conversing with several of Elam's soldiers. One deacon was still dabbing at a wound on his forehead.
"I am Prince Khalid. Peace be upon you all," he announced to them. "I'm sorry for the trouble we've brought to your sanctuary."
As they put hands on their hearts in recognition of his status, a cantor grumbled, "It was not your friends who brought trouble to this place… it was the army that followed after them. They killed one of our own in their massacre."
"That's troubling to hear. I still feel we bear some responsibility for it," Khalid sympathized. "I'll apologize again for getting to the point so hastily, but I do have a question. I'm sure someone has already asked, but is there any chance at all for survivors among our troops?"
"It's very unlikely, with the exception of the prisoner they took."
"They took a prisoner? What details can you provide?" Khalid probed hopefully. His optimism was probably misplaced, but it was not too unreasonable to think that the Tempest of Fódlan might get special treatment.
The hosts looked between each other, unsure who among them was most knowledgeable. A young woman finally claimed, "I helped bandage the man's wounds. He was tall and with fair hair. Oh, and he only had one eye!"
Khalid released the deepest sigh of relief in his memory. It was fortunate that Dimitri was so easy to identify.
"How badly was he hurt?" the prince asked.
"He was quite upset, but his wounds were not severe."
Khalid put a hand on his heart appreciatively. "I can't thank you enough. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that."
"It's the least we can do," the woman said sadly. "Your allies did far more to embody our teachings than the very army that claimed devotion to Nabataea. I wish I had more good news to offer because they deserved much better."
Khalid wasted no time seeking out his other retainers. Ariella and Marianne were double-checking the bodies at the time in case they somehow missed Dimitri. Khalid put his hands on their shoulders and shared, "You can stop looking. Dimitri's alive! The Meteoran army has him, but he's alive!"
Both women hugged him impulsively. They now cried freely from both sorrow and relief. Khalid was only somewhat better composed.
"Poor Dimitri… he's already been through so much," Marianne said between sobs.
"We're going to get him back, though… right, Khalid?" Ariella asked.
"That's right. Whatever it takes," the prince affirmed.
Once they broke away, the three looked back at the corpses that had been lined up. With their questions about Dimitri addressed, they could finally appreciate the full scope of the tragedy.
"General Nader is gone, isn't he?" Ariella asked with a frown.
Khalid nodded slowly. He noted in a voice worn thin from stress, "I don't want to ever imply that what happened to you was actually a good thing or even part of some greater plan. But today… you're probably only alive because of that last seizure. Weird how life works sometimes, huh?"
"Yeah… I know…" Ariella muttered, having already made the connection. "I… it's too much to think about right now."
Most of the bodies had been enumerated and identified by that time. As feared, there were no surprise survivors among this group. Khalid would have helped with the remaining work, but he was interrupted when James and Demetrius approached him. They pulled him aside for privacy, so it must have been a serious matter.
Before addressing anything else, the two men offered their condolences regarding Nader. James had also trained under the grand agha, and Demetrius was a long-time friend. Even so, they both recognized that Nader and Khalid shared a special bond.
Once that was settled, Demetrius began in earnest, "It's about the bodies… Her Majesty wants us to pursue the Meteoran army, but cleaning up here will consume a lot of valuable time."
James explicated, "We discussed a cremation to speed things up, but any Votaries in our army will balk if their faithful are burned. We could try identifying all known Votaries and only bury them, but even that will consume time and invite controversy. People will complain that some families get to collect the bodies of their loved ones once the war is over while other families are left with nothing."
Khalid thought of a quick answer when he noticed a cantor help move a corpse from the corner of his eye. He suggested, "How about we don't deal with the bodies? The clergy won't leave them as feast for the crows. They've already shown us a lot of sympathy. I'm certain they'll bury them."
"That… would actually work," James muttered. "But it does introduce new criticism. We'll be skewered in the court of public opinion once people hear we just abandoned our dead. The Meteorans had to withdraw quickly since our army was coming their way. We have no such excuse."
Khalid expounded, "We won't be abandoning them. I propose we offer a generous donation towards the basilica's refurbishment in exchange for the church's assistance. We'll just be contracting the work out so we can continue the campaign. Meteoran leadership will be upset with the locals, but we'll be burying their dead, too, and they frankly have bigger issues to deal with."
James and Demetrius looked at each other and nodded in unison. Demetrius said, "I'll discuss the plan with Her Majesty and take care of the rest. We should leave some form of identification with the bodies to avoid any confusion during exhumation."
"Good idea. Thank you, Demetrius. Though… I guess I should address you as the acting grand agha now, right?"
Demetrius frowned. "Guess so. Though based on my leadership at Sous River without Nader, maybe His Majesty should have given me a proper demotion when he had the chance."
"You'll do fine. I'm sure of it," Khalid encouraged before leaving.
It was not long before Queen Tiana arrived at the basilica. She and Demetrius quickly worked out an agreement with the bishop per Khalid's plan. The army therefore prepared to set out after Aurelian's forces, but before they left, Tiana waved to Khalid.
"Be kind and walk with your mother for a minute," she beckoned. Khalid silently agreed and followed her.
Once they were alone, she asked, "How are you managing?"
Khalid shrugged. "As well as could be expected. I'm still trying to make sense of it, honestly."
The queen mused, "I'd share a funny story about him, but I'm sure he already told you all of them. Modesty was never his strong suit, was it?" Khalid smiled weakly but said nothing. Tiana continued, "He loved you a lot, Khalid. I'm glad you got to know him. He was probably better for you than your father and I ever were."
Khalid stood up straight at that comment. "Wait, hold on a minute! We already talked about this. I don't begrudge you for anything."
"That's because you're a good son that doesn't want to admit our shortcomings. That's normal. But even now, I'm still trying to figure this parenting thing out. I began to worry I hadn't shown you enough attention, so I circled around and made the opposite mistake. I got too protective of you during the council yesterday."
Though she tried to project strength, her voice was clearly growing weary. It may have been the lighting, but Khalid noticed a gray hue in his mother's hair for the first time.
Khalid reminded, "You pushed me around a bit, but it was for good reason. I'd probably be dead right now had you not. It was my stupid plan that got us into this jam."
"No, it was my insistence for a battle that you knew was a mistake from the start that set everything into motion. Though…I suppose Nader shares some of the fault for that, too," When she noticed Khalid's bothered expression, she added, "If you aren't willing to recognize his responsibility for what happened, then you aren't truly looking at this impartially. We all had a part to play, and Nader wouldn't want you taking all the blame just so you could idolize him. You know that."
"Yeah… I know," Khalid admitted. "But you were right about which river to cross, and I was wrong. And because of that, Nader's final sacrifice was in vain."
"It was a tough call. It didn't go your way, but he wouldn't want you lingering on the mistake. Doing so is not your typical response, either."
Khalid chuckled dryly. "Come on, mother, it's still a little fresh in my memory. Moving on is easier said than done sometimes, especially on day one." His smile faded as he added, "My bigger concern is if there is an underlying cause for the error that I still need to root out. I tried to approach the vote rationally. I really did. I can't help but wonder, though, if I was biased against voting alongside you. That mistake could have forever ruined my future had James not also voted incorrectly."
Tiana frowned. "Let me guess… you're afraid that standing in my shadow is detrimental to your already fragile public image? It's a real concern, I agree. We'll have to work together judiciously to keep you from getting pigeonholed like that. That sounds… counterintuitive, I know, but it's not fair that you have to deal with the accusation to begin with. I can't make you king, but I want to you get your fair shot."
"Abbas and James will be terrified of our partnership. Not even trying to hide your favoritism, eh?" Khalid observed as his face brightened some again.
His mother smiled thinly. "That's a leap in logic, but… I'll allow it. I want what's best for you as a mother, and I want what's best for Almyra as a queen. Thankfully, the endpoint for both of those motivations involves you sitting on the throne. Abbas would be a terrible king, James would be a decent king, but you… you have the opportunity to be someone truly special." She stopped walking and held Khalid's hands. "Nader is gone. I can't rely on him to do my job for me. We should depend on each other, Khalid. I'll provide the wisdom of age, and you provide the inspiration of youth. That means we'll have to communicate better than we have been."
Khalid nodded. "That's fair. Nothing's worse than an avoidable mistake. Don't be afraid to tell me when I'm out of line, and I'll do the same for you."
"I like that idea. Can you think of any examples already?"
"Well… the whole 'dragging your kid behind a horse' thing seems a bit excessive in hindsight, wouldn't you say?"
"Ha! Well, umm… duly noted," she conceded, perhaps a little ashamed to still find the image amusing. "We don't have time to go through twenty-four years of grievances, however. We should get going."
"Yeah, sure thing," Khalid teased as they began the walk back. "But thanks for checking in on me. You're right… Nader wouldn't want me moping about or seeking revenge on his behalf. Make sure I don't fall into that trap."
"I promise. I love you, Khalid."
Khalid truly believed what he said. The past had its uses, but it too easily served as a prison.
The present and future were entirely different matters, however. Khalid was going to get Dimitri back, and he would kill as many of those bastards as it took.
