The three Sul'dam sat there in silence for a bit. The captain could not help but to stare at the one in the middle. She had golden blonde hair to mid waist. The purest blue eyes that could belong to anyone and a very full bosom that filled her low cut dress. To her he pointed and asked, "If you may I'll start with you."
She took a bit to answer." My name is Zarai al'Macly. As you already know, I am a sul'dam." She paused, no doubt to try to win favor, "I or none of my fellow sul'dams will say a word of any military information to you. We were going to play you, but you are too smart of a man to do that." With that said all three sat up as if in defiance.
Shaking his head, the captain laughed a little. He even let the three hear him. Will, I was right. Not going to be easy. "Very well, don't" they still was playing stubborn." If you won't prove to me that what you do is not wrong then. Champion." In a flash he was by his side, "Tell me what choice I have?" The champion looked over the three sul'dam. All of which deflated in their pride as he begun to speak. "If they do not speak to receive the Light. Then I say hang them and be done with them. After all Captain, we do have that foolish captain that got his men slaughtered and got these fine looking lasses in this mess. After my men give that man a good work over, I am sure he'll sing."
With the hit to there view of importance Zarai spoke up again, "Well, maybe our views are not so different. The one power is dark; anything that kills as it can has to be. Like I said I will tell anything about us, just not or military secrets." Taking a step closer, the champion then flatly stated, "Then what use you are to us? Captain, I say be done with them. They will only slow us down."
The captain slowly shook his head. They all know the same thing, but it was the sul'dam on the left that had the nerve to speak up first," I know that we are useless when it comes to war, but certainly there must be other ways that we can be of service?"
Once again the captain shook his head. Just what service are you talking about woman? Are you that scared of death that you are willing to sell yourself? Captain Ivowan looked toward the woman that had just had spoke. She wasn't exactly beauty, but more homely. Still none-the-less easy on the eyes, and that got a man just as well as beauty did.
"What is your name?" He asked setting his stare on her.
Breathing in deep she answered," My name is Surela…" She paused as one of his men came though the tents door. A middle size man he really had that type of face that you could see and forget about the moment he left. As he walked up to the chair the captain was sitting in he saluted the captain then the champion and made his report," The Second wishes to see the Champion. The dinner is done, sir, and the scouts have report nothing with in three miles. Sergeant Wil has sent another couple of teams out again."
As the captain thought over the report he stole a glance at the three women. They were exchanging looks between themselves. Well, nothing to worry there. He turned to the soldier and gave his orders, "Bring in the food. Champion, go to the Second. Tell Sergeant Wil that he is to recall the patrol then sent it up with four teams at different intervals. You got that Child?"
The young soldier with a firm tone that was certain that he understood said, "Yes Sir," The captain smiled while he waved him away said over his shoulder, "Be fast about it, son. Don't want to lose out on sleep do you?" The soldier already mostly out the door yelled back, "No Sir, I do not."
The look in the sul'dams was that of worry. They know if the Seanchan captain would talk then the information they knew was a just a small bit compared to him. This was their lot. Zarai knew that she had to act quickly if she wanted to survive. Sure, she was scared who would not be? She notice one thing though, this Captain Ivowan though he acted like he knew what he was doing. She could tell in his eyes he hated every moment of this. Call it woman initiation, this man finds this harder then killing another man. What types of people are here across the seas?
Zarai stand up. If there was any time to show off your body, it will be now. Trying to muster up all the courage, she had she glared in to the eyes of the captain as he the silly smirk on his face. Nearly yelling at him she said," Captain Ivowan, if you have any honor then you would not try to make us reveal our side's military's formations." Pausing to plant her fist on her hips she gave the champion a glare for safety. Continuing she puffed out her chest enlarging an already well shaped bosom, "We told you we will explain the Seanchan to you and that's it. We will see that as a merely teaching the ignorant then anything else."
Still glaring into those unnatural dark blue eyes she saw wrath. O that was not what he was inspecting. She turned to the champion with her look that would have made any sane man run for the hills, but he already gone. Seeing that he had gone she turn her look once again to the captain. When her gaze meant his eyes she knew she had lost whatever her glare could have done. That fool of a man was surpassing a laugh. She tried her glare again but when his eyes meant her ice cool stare, any hope of surpassing that laugh failed too.
By the time she finally sat back down declaring him mad, he won control over his laughter. Wiping the tears that were forming in his eyes, he finally was able to meet the stares. Still chuckling he manage to say, "Here I was just think to my self that you Mistress Zarai, that you a mighty fine looking gal. Then, I was just wondering if the Seanchan girls had those same glares that the women here do. Looks like all women are the same."
All that the three women could do was to shake their heads. Looks like all men on both sides of the seas are wool headed idiots. Finally, Surela spoke up, "So, Captain, what is going to happen to us?" The Captain shaking his head said, "Well to be honest, I have no plans to hang you all. I don't believe the One Power is the work of the Dark One, and I make it a point not to kill women when I can. What will happen is that you three will ride with me and be my guest. You will tell me everything about the Seanchan people. I am doing this cause I want to know my enemy. Since the meal is here I suggest we eat and you all can begin with my tutorage." They begun to eat and discuss the Seanchan.
The Captain was quick to learn the inside and outside of what the three former Sul'dam was telling him. They went over everything from the Blood; to the Empress may she live forever, to even the common folk of their lands. Something bothered Zarai though. The damane that read her future, she was told that she would find the man she would love forever in the old land. A man that had thrown his cause away for another, a man spent his live in the pursuit of truth and fought for right. Only to be betrayed by his own beliefs.
Later in the night the captain excuse himself from the presence of the sul'dams. He made his way to his command tent. At his approach to the tent the two guards at the entrance can to a position of attention and gave him a smart salute. He enters without returning it. He thought a curse to himself. It was always a High Captains responsibility to be the figure that men could look up to. He moved to the table with all the maps that his command element could muster. Giving the map that had their position marked with a coin he stood there in silence.
The Champion came into the tent right after him. The Champion knew that at times like these the chain of command had to be rock solid. He knew the man at the table for long years now. He knew that he would fellow him to the darkest regions of the world without a second thought. He also knew that the men under the good captain would fellow him as well.
This was his lot in life. Never per say to lead men to battle, no, that is the job of the officers to do. His was to make sure the men to stay with in the Children's guidelines. He likes to think that his good was to be the very stern dad. While the good captain was to be the loving mother, after all officers tend to be dumb like that. For the thousand time, he was glad he told the good captain those long years ago when the captain thought to make him an officer, to go and eat a trolloc, and be happy that that he was getting off light.
Lost in his thoughts the captain finally looked up to see the champion standing across the table. "Champion, how are the men doing?" The captain knew he would be on top of the situation one of the pluses of having a champion.
"Sir, morale is high after today. If I may dare say that even though things maybe dark in the Fortress right now, the men will fellow you. After all these men are mostly outcast from their old units for their relax views on the Aes Sedai. I am proud to say though they are good fighting men. They stay true to the truth of the threat of the real enemy."
"What is the real enemy, now?" The champion saw the despair in the captain's eyes. Before he could answer the captain handed him a letter. He quickly read its content. It would seem now that we are all traitors of the light. Things in the Fortress are very bad indeed. What is worse is we have a new High Commander.
"This changes nothing sir. The Seanchan are hunting us down. You have a duty to your men to keep them alive. By the reports from the scouts they are close."
The captain took this all in. He knew just as well as the champion that he was right. There are way too many actual enemies of the Light then pretending that the Aes Sedai was enemies too. He had too mach on his plate as it stood now. The Seanchan would pay for what they did to the Fortress. By the Light they would pay by his hand.
"Champion I have an idea" the captain said.
"About bloody time, Sir."
"Here's what we are going to do. The Seanchan have a force of five hundred, no sul'dam four leagues from us. You are going to take a small force hit them hard. And make like the Pit of Doom back here. Were small forces will be waiting inside the camp to fool them into believing they caught us off guard. The rest of us will hit them from their sides. Now, pick your men and move."
With that the champion about-faced and marched out of the tent. The captain begun to plan for the attack, when a small force with nothing to lose, just what can it do behind enemy lines.
That was chapter four. Forgive me I promise a year ago that this would involve a big battle. That would be in the next chapter. After things get settle down here I will go back to my other chapters and give them a good polish over. Enjoy review of all types.