I don't own Aladdin or any of the characters mentioned in this story. Disney owns everything, as usual.
A BARBARIAN'S LIFE FOR ME
Chapter 5
When Runtar turned fifteen, he had grown to realise what his position in the Odiferian society would be. He wasn't strong enough to carry a sword or an axe, or to handle a bow. He was too small to ride or take care of the yaks and was unable to participate in any physical labour. Even if something he did was an accomplishment for someone his size, it was always compared to what other barbarians could do and therefore worthless.
Nobody ever said it to his face, but Runtar was certain that they all hated him and only wanted to get rid of him. He knew everyone thought he was nothing, and that only helped to feed his hatred for them.
"They're all idiots," he said to himself. "I'm more intelligent than them and if they could think past their bulging muscles, I could rule this kingdom. Everywhere else, I'd be respected and important."
Thankfully for him, nobody ever realised Runtar's true feelings about them. The barbarians were so used to the loyalty between every member of the community that the mere idea of someone feeling like an outsider and hating the rest was entirely alien to them. Even those who were uncertain about Runtar could often be heard making remarks such as, "Well, he may be weak and a little odd, but he's still one of us!"
His parents were the only people who didn't make comments about his size or weakness, so he preferred their company. Osred was usually out hunting, which Runtar couldn't and didn't want to have a part of, so he was mostly left to his mother. He helped her out as much as he could, and she taught him everything she knew.
That was something his father didn't really like. "Runtar will be a man in a few years. He doesn't need to know how to cook and clean," he said.
"Every skill is useful. You can never know when you might need something," Mildburh always said back, to which Osred just grunted unhappily.
Runtar didn't particularly enjoy housework, but he got a great sense of satisfaction from being able to do something well. It was the only thing that he could say he was better at than any boy his age. Of course, he couldn't go and tell that to them, but he cherished the thought in privacy.
One evening, he was sitting inside and idly staring at the ceiling when his father entered. Osred took one glance at his son before he put his bow away.
"What are you doing here? You should be outside," he said.
"Doing what?" Runtar asked, not bothering to even look at his father.
"Whatever the other boys are up to. You don't have to be better than them to enjoy their company," Osred pointed out.
Runtar snorted at that. That wasn't the problem and his father knew it.
"Don't be disrespectful towards your father," Mildburh commented from her cooking.
"I don't want to go there to be mocked. Nothing I do is ever good enough," Runtar said.
"That's nonsense. When a man starts wallowing in self-pity, he has no hope left. We both know that you aren't stupid or worthless, so get up and do something to change the way others feel about you instead of moping here at home," Osred said harshly.
Runtar slit his eyes. What was his father getting at? They both knew there was nothing he could do to rise up in the society. Sometimes he wished his father were angry and told him that he was no good. He hated the way his father put hope on him when there was no way to live up to those expectations. It would have been so much easier if Osred had simply judged him and let him be.
"Fine!" he snapped and got up. He'd go outside and watch others play their stupid games again. What it would prove, he didn't know, but at least he'd show that his father was wrong again.
"Don't you think you're being too harsh with him?" Mildburh asked when Runtar had gone.
Osred shook his head. "He's not a baby anymore. He may not become a warrior or a hunter, but he will never get anyone to respect him if he doesn't learn to earn it some other way," he said.
"But what could he do?" Mildburh asked. She had watched her son grow older and seen the change in him. Runtar was bitter, and lacking a better object, had started lashing out against the Odiferian society. She hated herself for thinking it, but sometimes she thought she saw a malicious gleam in his eyes. She wanted badly to make the world a better place for her son, but she was at loss at what to do.
"He has to grow up and realise that he himself is the only one who can help him. The Odiferian society won't make it easy, but blaming others for every problem is only going to make him miserable," her husband said.
Runtar kicked a little stone out of his way as he walked. Why did his father have to be so stubborn? They both knew well enough that he'd never be anything as long as physical power was everything that mattered in Odiferous. If things changed, he might have a chance, but that wasn't about to happen any time soon.
He stopped to look around when he arrived at the field where everyone was usually gathered. The other boys had long since stopped playing innocent games and were now more interested in practising fighting, but today nobody was around. It was odd.
I wonder where everyone went, he thought to himself. He spotted two little girls on the other side of the field, playing with dolls in the grass. He ran over to them, and they stopped their play when they noticed him.
"Hey, do you know where everyone is today?" he asked.
The smaller of the girls, one with long reddish hair, nodded. She pointed to the mountains.
"They're hunting with Prince Uncouthma," she said.
"Hunting?" Runtar repeated in surprise. Either the others had improved greatly since he had last seen them, or they were even stupider and more arrogant than he had thought. Everyone knew that they weren't strong or skilled enough to hunt on their own.
"Uhhuh. They said they'll bring back a real wild goat!" the other girl said enthusiastically, and her friend giggled. They were too young to understand what a dangerous game their big brothers were playing.
Runtar couldn't believe Prince Uncouthma would be so irresponsible and lead his friends to such a stupid adventure. All that power must have gone to everyone's head and now they thought they were grown men.
"Do you want to play with us?" one of the girls added and brought Runtar back to reality.
"No," he muttered, not even bothering to look at the duo anymore. He realised that he was curious to see how the other boys were doing. I must see if they really are as good as they think, he decided to himself. Another, quieter part of him also wanted to be there in case they failed.
He left the girls alone and started climbing the mountain path. He had been up there a few times with his father, learning how to track, so he knew the way. This time he didn't have a yak to ride on, and the trip would take a lot longer and demand more from him, but he was determined to see what was going on.
When he had been climbing the rocky road for a little over fifteen minutes, he saw two boys coming running towards him. Even at a distance, he could see that they were Barnak and his friend Torin. When they got closer, Runtar saw that their faces were flushed and they were panting so hard he thought their lungs would collapse. It was obvious that they had ran the whole way down and were not about to stop until they reached the town.
"What's going on?" he asked when the two passed him.
"There was an accident! Prince Uncouthma… We're going to get help!" Barnak shouted over his shoulder, not stopping for a moment.
"An accident?" Runtar repeated to himself. Now he was curious. He picked up his speed and struggled onwards, not caring that his chest hurt and he couldn't feel his legs anymore. He had to get up and see everything!
Thankfully, the other boys hadn't reached the top of the mountain in their adventure. After a while, Runtar could see all of them gathered on a rocky platform, looking grim and muttering nervously to each other. He stopped and frowned. Uncouthma wasn't with the others.
Someone heard him come and turned around, but the expression on their face turned to disappointment.
"Oh, it's you. I thought help had arrived already," the boy said.
"What happened? Where's Uncouthma?" Runtar asked. He had reached the others now and was looking around, but there was no sign of the Prince anywhere.
"Over there," one of the boys said and pointed at a pile of rocks and stones that was lying near them. Runtar could only gape. Some of the stones were bigger than him! If Uncouthma was under them, there was no way he could be alive.
The boy who had talked earlier saw the surprise and shock on his face and continued, "A goat went into a cave and Uncouthma followed it, but the walls weren't steady and the cave fell on him! We think he's alive in there, but we don't know how to get to him!"
Another boy turned his sharp glare at them. "I still think we should try moving the boulders!" he snapped.
"No, the rocks could collapse on Uncouthma! We have to wait for the adults. They'll know what to do!" one boy said.
"Yeah, we don't want to kill Uncouthma!" another one added.
"But we're going to be in so much trouble! If we saved Uncouthma, maybe our fathers wouldn't punish us!" someone piped up.
"Who cares about punishments? Is saving your butt more important than Uncouthma's life?"
Orim, the boy who had mentioned moving the boulders, snorted at them all. "You're cowards! A real warrior wouldn't waste time talking but would save his companions! If one of us was there, Uncouthma would do everything to help! Right?" he asked.
The other boys looked at each other uncertainly. Some obviously agreed with the proposal, but others didn't know what to do and didn't want to make such important decisions.
"I think he has a point," Orim's younger brother, Gouda, said finally.
"Hey, Runtar, what do you think?" a boy asked suddenly.
Runtar, who had been observing the argument in silence, was startled with surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to even notice that he was there, much less ask his opinion regarding something important.
"I think he's right. That's exactly what Uncouthma would do," he said carefully, nodding at the boy who wanted to save Uncouthma. "However, I think we should wait for the adults." Being heroic but reckless would only result in a catastrophe, he was sure of it.
"Bah, you're a coward too! I'm not about to wait here until Uncouthma dies!" Orim snapped. He walked over to the pile of rocks and grabbed a big one, trying to pull it out.
"Don't do that, Orim!"
"You'll kill Uncouthma!"
Orim, certain that he was doing the right thing, didn't listen to the objections of the other boys. His brow was furrowed in concentration and he took a deep breath, starting to pull the large rock. It shifted, only a little at first, but somehow he managed to find the strength to remove the stone.
The effect was instant. There was a low rumbling sound as stones fell and rolled over, making the pile lower and rising up dust everywhere. Everyone stood frozen and watched the scene, holding their breath and anticipating what would happen.
After a while, it became apparent that the cave hadn't collapsed a second time, but it had been close. One more wrong move and the stones would fall and crush everything that was inside.
"Now look what you did! We told you to wait for the adults!" someone snapped.
Orim looked pale and shaken, and he swallowed nervously. "I had no idea that would happen!" he tried to defend himself, but his voice was meek and scared. He had lost all of his previous arrogance and looked ready to go home and cry.
Runtar had to suppress a disgusted snort. Anyone could have seen that the pile wasn't steady and touching it would be dangerous. Even most of the other boys hadn't thought it was a good idea, so he couldn't understand how Orim could be so stupid and careless.
"Hey, everyone! Look at this!" someone exclaimed suddenly and drew everybody's attention back to the pile. The boys swarmed over to take a look, even Runtar, though he had a hard time seeing anything behind the others' backs.
Two stones had collided with each other when they both had fallen to the spot where Orim had taken one, and instead of filling the hole, they had blocked each other. Now there was a tiny opening leading to darkness.
Gouda knelt next to the hole and peered in. "Uncouthma! Can you hear me?" he asked.
"I'm here!" came the distant reply, and everyone sighed in relief. As long as Uncouthma was alive, they had a chance.
"Are you okay?" Gouda asked next.
"Yeah, no problem!" Uncouthma replied cheerfully. "But don't try to move the boulders! They're really shaky. They almost fell on me just now!" he continued, at which everyone turned to glare at the poor Orim.
"I think I know what we have to do," one boy said suddenly. "My father is good at building houses and he's always saying that the first thing you have to make sure is that the building doesn't collapse on you. I think that if we make the cave stronger from the inside, we should be able to move enough boulders to get Uncouthma out."
"But how are we going to do that? We can't get inside without moving the stones first!" Orim pointed out. Then he obviously got an idea and turned to Runtar, who could guess what the other boy was thinking about.
"You can fit inside through that hole! Go on and take a look!" Orim said.
"What? Me?" Runtar asked. It was the last thing he wanted to do. The cave was a death trap and one wrong move would send tons of stone falling on him. Someone like Uncouthma might survive that, but he'd be gone in a second.
He was just about to tell the others what an insane idea this was, but one look at their serious eyes told him that if he did that, they would never again even speak to him. This was a matter of life and death and it was his time to decide where his loyalties were.
"Yeah, you! Are you scared? Or don't you care about Uncouthma?" Orim challenged.
"Hey, I can do that!" Runtar snapped. One thing was for sure, he wasn't going to let the others think he was a coward to top all the other things they thought of him. He clenched his jaw shut and marched over to the fallen cave.
The opening looked small, even for him. He got down on all fours and peered into the darkness. He couldn't see a thing, but he knew he wouldn't be able to bring any light into the cave before he was in. He'd have to feel his way around.
"Can you do it?" one of the boys asked.
Runtar wanted to say that he didn't want to even try, but he forced himself to nod. Knowing that everyone's eyes were on him, he silenced the warning bells in his mind and started crawling inside. The first few steps were easy because he still had a little light, but after that it got difficult. The cavern was so tight that boulders on either side scratched his shoulders and he was unable to lift his head at all. The idea that he was completely surrounded by stone that could crush him any moment was terrifying, and he had to hold back the desire to stop and lie still.
Every movement brought sand and little stones falling on him, and every scratch made him fear for his life. He had never before felt that scared and he cursed himself for letting the others trick him into this mess. It wasn't even his fault in the first place! He was certain that they had made him do this just because they thought he could be spared in an idiotic attempt like this.
Damn them all, he thought to himself. Everything was their fault!
Suddenly, he could no longer feel the stones in front of him and he realised that he had a lot more room to move. He had to have reached a part of the cave that hadn't collapsed.
"Prince Uncouthma?" he called out.
"Who's there?" came the surprised reply from somewhere to his left.
"It's me, Runtar," Runtar said. He stood up and tried to feel his way around the cave. Now he really wished he had some light with him. For all he knew, he could accidentally knock over a boulder and kill them both.
"What are you doing here?" Uncouthma asked. There was a scratching sound, as if someone was trying to get up, and then a hiss of pain.
"They sent me here to help you. Are you hurt?" Runtar asked.
"I think I've broken my leg, but that's okay," Uncouthma replied. Runtar couldn't believe how casually the Prince talked about such an injury. He had even had to nerve to lie and say he was alright!
"It's going to be really difficult to get you out of here," he muttered.
"Don't worry, my friend! We can always figure out something!" Uncouthma assured him happily. Even in the darkness, Runtar was certain that the Prince was wearing an idiotic grin on his face. One really had to lack a brain if they could be this happy in a deadly situation and with a painful injury.
"Hey, what's going on? Did you find him?" came a shout from the outside. Runtar turned back towards the little tunnel and knelt down to reply.
"He's here, but we need light!" he shouted back.
There was a moment of silence during which Runtar pondered just what he had got himself into. The fear that had taken over him hadn't let go and sitting in the pitch black cave only made it worse. It was getting cold and he had never been able to relax in darkness.
"We have a lantern. We'll try to give it to you, but you'll have to come and get it" someone shouted from the outside.
The mere idea of going back to the tunnel made Runtar shiver, but he realised that it was the only thing he could do. Otherwise he'd be stuck in the cave with Uncouthma forever.
"Okay, I'm coming," he said, hoping that nobody could hear the fear in his voice.
The tunnel didn't feel that bad the second time around, but the idea of it collapsing on him caught his breath in his throat. When he finally reached the end and saw light, he thought he had never seen anything that beautiful in his life.
"Here," one of the other boys said and gave him the end of a rope. "We tied the lantern to the other end. You can pull it inside when you get back there."
"Alright. Thanks," Runtar replied and tied the rope around his wrist.
"Are you okay? You don't sound too good."
"I think I got dust in my throat," Runtar said. He retreated quickly back to the tunnel because he didn't want anyone to see how pale his face had to be. He was also certain that if he spent anymore time in the light, he wouldn't be able to make himself go back to the cave.
He sighed in relied when he got back to the open cave and could sit up. He tugged at the rope and could feel the lantern weighing down on the other end. With care, he pulled it into the cave and felt around until he found the two sticks that were attached to it.
"We'll have light soon," he said, though it was mostly to reassure himself, not Uncouthma.
"You worry too much, Runtar. Everything's going to be fine," the Prince commented from the other side of the cave.
After a few attempts, Runtar managed to light a fire to the lantern. He lifted it up to take a look at their surroundings.
Most of the cave was gone because of the collapse and stones of different sizes surrounded them from every direction. What had once been a long cave leading into the mountain was now but a mere hole with enough room for only a few barbarians. Everything looked stable for now, but Orim's earlier performance had convinced Runtar that they shouldn't try anything risky.
He turned around to look for Uncouthma. The Prince was lying on the ground a few metres from him with his left leg caught between two boulders. Uncouthma looked sickly pale and his face was covered in sweat, but despite the obvious pain, he was smiling brightly.
"Great work, Runtar!" he congratulated him. "It's really useful to have someone so small around."
Runtar frowned and put down the lantern. He was just about to ask the Prince what their next move would be when they both heard new voices outside. The adults had finally arrived.
"What is going on in here? Where is my son?" a very angry voiced bellowed. Runtar froze when he realised it was their ruler, Prince Ondothma. Legends said that it was bad luck if the ruler was self-centred, so nobody wanted to be called the king in Odiferous. He had never met Uncouthma's father in his life, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
"They're in the cave," came a timid reply from one of the boys.
"They? Are there more boys trapped in there?" the Prince asked.
"No, just Uncouthma. Runtar went in there to help him," the boys replied.
"Runtar? My son is in there?" Osred's voice asked and Runtar realised that his father was along the help that had arrived. He groaned mentally to himself; the last thing he wanted was his father to witness how useless he could be.
The boys quickly told the adults everything about the situation and what their plan was. Prince Ondothma said that he wasn't happy with it, but also added that it was the only thing they could do. Somehow they had to move the boulders, but it would be idiotic to try without strengthening the walls from the inside.
"It's all up to this Runtar," he said. "He's the only one who can move in and out of the cave. He's our only hope."
Runtar felt ready to faint when he heard that, but at the same time a strange flame of satisfaction sparked inside him. Who could have thought that he, the mocked weakling, would be the only one who could save Prince Uncouthma? Slowly but surely, his nervousness faded away and was replaced with smugness. He was the key player here, nobody else.
"What do I have to do?" he called out to the adults.
"Ah, so you can hear us? Good. We'll tie some logs to a rope and you can pull them in, just like you did with the lantern. Then you can support the roof and ceilings with them so that they don't collapse when we start to remove the boulders. Uncouthma can help you if he's not too badly hurt," Ondothma instructed.
"I'm fine, dad!" Uncouthma exclaimed.
They got to work. Runtar had to crawl back and forth the small tunnel to give the end of the rope back to the adults every time he had pulled a log into the cave. Soon enough his clothes were covered in dirt and sand and he had got scratches all over his face and hands, but he barely noticed any of that. All he could think about was that for the first time in his life, he was useful for the other barbarians.
I bet they're surprised, he thought smugly to himself. I showed them all that I can be useful!
It took over an hour, but finally they had enough logs in the cave. Now was time for the more difficult task, supporting the boulders with them. Runtar didn't know anything about construction work, so he was uncertain if he would be able to place the logs in the right spots. On top of that, the logs were many times larger than him, and just moving them around was almost impossible.
"I'll help you," Uncouthma offered. "I can't move that much because of my leg, but I can show you where to put them, and I'll help you move those that are near me."
Normally, Runtar hated it when someone tried to help him, but now he was more than happy to accept it. He was beyond exhausted and the worst part was still ahead. He knew he would never survive without Uncouthma's help.
"Okay," he agreed and they started working. They decided to begin from the area around Uncouthma and then proceed onwards. Runtar dragged a log to the Prince who then helped him to get it up at the right place. The work was slow and Runtar had to stop to rest every now and then, but overall they faced very little problems.
"I think that's about it," Uncouthma finally said. He was eying their work with pride, and even Runtar had to admit that they had done well. Neither of them certainly could have done it on their own.
"I only hope it works," he said.
"If it doesn't, we'll both be crushed, but at least it will be a heroic death." Uncouthma said.
"Alright, we're starting now! Be careful inside there!" came from the outside. Runtar wanted to suggest that he should come out in case their plan failed, but he had no time for that. The adults had got bored while waiting outside and were eager to get things rolling. Before Runtar even realised what was going on, they had started moving the boulders.
"This is not going to end well. They'll kill us!" he said to Uncouthma, who only smiled.
"Don't worry. I'm sure they know what they're doing," he said.
The first stone was removed and light started pouring into the cave. Despite the encouraging shouts coming from the outside, Runtar couldn't relax. He sat frozen next to Uncouthma and expected the roof to collapse on them any moment.
Eventually, the adults managed to create a hole big enough for one barbarian to crawl through. It was Uncouthma's father and he quickly freed his son from the two boulders, not bothering to be too gentle in the process. He then carried his son out, and Runtar followed after them. He could only sigh in relief when he got back to fresh air.
"Runtar!" his father exclaimed and picked him, placing him on his shoulders. At first Runtar was going to snap that he wasn't a baby anymore, but then he realised that this way he could see everything that was going on.
"I was so worried," his father continued.
"Oh, it was nothing," Runtar replied. He was so concentrated on watching Ondothma that he completely missed the amused and proud smile on his father's face.
"I am very disappointed in you, Uncouthma!" Ondothma was saying. "Your reckless adventure could have got everyone killed! We were lucky that only you got hurt and that should be a fine punishment for you," he said.
Uncouthma was looking down with shame. "I'm sorry, father. I wasn't thinking clearly," he said.
"That much is obvious. And the rest of you boys, you should have stopped him. Just because he's a prince doesn't mean that you have to follow his every stupid idea," Ondothma continued.
"Don't blame Runtar, dad. He had nothing to do with it," Uncouthma pointed out.
His father looked surprised to hear that. "Really? In that case we do have one bright head among our boys. You should all be a little more like Runtar. Without him, Uncouthma might have died today," he said.
Runtar could barely breathe. Suddenly, everyone was congratulating him, wanting to shake his hand and to hear about his adventure.
"Wow, Runtar! You don't look tough but you sure surprised me today!"
"Your father must be proud of you! Who would have thought that you could do that?"
"What luck that you're so small!"
Comments rained on him the entire time it took them to go back to the city. His father carried him on his shoulders because he was too exhausted to walk himself. He was half asleep most of the way and could barely hear the things people were saying to him. Despite that, he felt happier than ever before in his life. It felt like his small body was filled with glee and would burst if he didn't somehow let it all out. Nobody had ever paid this much attention to him. Right before he fell to a satisfied sleep, one tiny thought penetrated his mind.
He wanted so much more.
Daunus peered at the clear blue sky above him and took a deep breath. He was home, finally away from the stench that hung forever over Odiferous. He didn't think returning to the capital and homeland had ever been such a relief.
Gone were the harsh cottages and castles of the barbarians. Here everything was built of white marble and the towers and bridges that loomed over the massive city in swirling spirals were slender and beautiful; unlike anything any barbarian could even imagine.
Even plants seemed to follow this pattern of circles and almost every building was covered in vines that crawled along the stone to the heights. Trees were tall and spread their branches to every direction, creating vast areas of shade around every corner. The streets were filled with their leaves but that was something nobody cared about.
Chadrik had ordered him to go straight to the marketplace to get everything they needed, but Daunus had other plans. He was bound to the other man and would follow him to the grave, but there was something he had to do first now that he was back at home.
He headed straight to one of the highest towers and showed his pendant to the guard at the door. He was let in with no further questions and he didn't stop until he reached the small garden around the tall building.
A woman was sitting under a large tree with a thick book on her lap. Her skin was dark brown and her long, wavy hair blacker than midnight sky. She had covered her slim form in a white dress to keep the sun's scorching rays away.
"Asenia," Daunus called out to her.
She lifted her gaze in surprise and put her book away. "My brother," she whispered. "I didn't expect you back this soon."
Daunus nodded and walked over to her, but he didn't sit down. She was older than him and in their society the eldest sister was to be respected by all her siblings for all her life. He bowed slightly.
"Chadrik has sent me on errands," he replied.
This caused the smile on Asenia's face to turn into a bitter grimace. She gestured for him to sit down and pressed her hands between her knees.
"What does that fool want?" she asked.
"The finest Anzarian food and wine for our victory feast," Daunus replied. He tried to keep his voice and expression controlled, but he couldn't quite keep a sad smile from playing on his lips. He knew how much these news would upset his sister.
"Victory feast? You can't mean that he actually succeeded?" Asenia almost shrieked. She looked panicked and sudden fear had appeared in her brown eyes. Daunus felt the sudden desire to protect her, and the fact that he was technically on an opposing side made his heart ache.
He nodded grimly. "He has taken over a distant kingdom called Odiferous. In theory, he could already claim what is his, but he is vain. He wants to have the entire kingdom under his control. Right now he's in power only because of my men," he said.
Asenia's lips formed a thin line. "Then you must leave him. As your sister, I command you to do that! Chadrik must fail!" she snapped.
"You know just as well as I do that I cannot do that. I am bound to him by my word, and everyone in father's hall heard of the agreement you had with him. If he is triumphant, you have no choice but to marry him if you don't want to ruin the family honour," her brother said. It was then that he noted the blue bracelet on Asenia's wrist.
"You're already engaged to someone?" he questioned in surprise.
"Yes. Thenzen of Nayan from the upper city," Asenia replied quietly.
"A fine choice. He'll be a powerful politician one day," Daunus said. He didn't know what to make of this. He had always known that his sister didn't love Chadrik and was merely toying with him, counting on that the poor fool would never be able to keep his promise.
"Yes, a fine choice indeed," his sister muttered. Her eyes were cast down and she was playing with the bracelet, obviously upset over the news Daunus had brought. He didn't blame her. Chadrik came from a poor family with no social status, so the mere fact that he had had the courage to ask for Asenia's hand in marriage was outrageous. They had all expected her to kick him out with the malicious laughter she was infamous for.
She had surprised them. With a sly smile splitting her face, she had challenged him. If Chadrik could take over a foreign kingdom, prove his worth and become someone important, she would marry him, no questions asked. She had been so certain of his failure that she had even given him a sacred pendant into which one could store spells. Anyone could use it, even without any magical talents.
"May this show my love for you," she had taunted him and kissed the pendant before pressing it into his hands.
Daunus shook his head to himself. "He thinks you're in love with him," he pointed out.
Asenia almost spat to the ground. "I could never love that pathetic weakling! He is nothing but dirt!" she snapped. Then she turned back to her brother, her eyes blazing with fury. "Somehow, you will have to make sure that he fails! No, I want him to die! See to that it happens!"
There was no point in arguing with her. They both knew that Daunus had vowed that he and his men would do everything to assist Chadrik in his attempt, and there was nothing they could do about that. If he betrayed his master now, he'd lose all his honour as a warrior and would not be allowed to lead an army anymore.
"I will see what I can do," he promised. "Now, if I may be allowed to leave, I would like to have a word with our father."
Asenia gave him the permission to go. She returned to reading her book, but when he glanced behind his shoulder, Daunus could see that she was staring blindly into space and not turning the pages.
He sighed to himself. His life had suddenly become an endless line of responsibilities he hadn't wanted for himself.
Maybe father can tell me what to do, he thought as he made his way into their family tower. After that he would have to buy everything Chadrik requested and then return. The magical pendant the man had loaned to him felt hot against his chest.
The temptation to lose it by accident and this way destroy all of Chadrik's dreams became very strong all of a sudden.
Runtar was in a foul mood. After sleeping over the night, it had become obvious to him that he had been fooled the previous day. Ulof's distraction had been a tad too convenient to be a coincidence.
"I can't believe I let him keep me that long," he muttered to himself as he walked down the street towards the royal castle. "I should have learnt not to meddle with these people after all these years."
He received nothing but suspicious glances on his way. Some barbarians looked even murderous, and Runtar wondered whether it was because of his earlier betrayal, or that he was socializing with the enemy now. In any case, they had no reason to complain. They had brought all this on themselves and had nobody else to blame.
Zebu was with the other yaks for a change. It was obvious that Chadrik didn't like the animal, and Runtar didn't want to keep his friend locked up in his house the entire day, so he had decided to let him out in the fields. He didn't need the yak for anything right now.
"How are things in the castle, Runtar?" someone asked him all of sudden.
Runtar stopped and looked around, but he could not see the source of the voice. Nobody looked suspicious and he had to give the person some credit. Few barbarians were clever enough to hide like that.
"Stupid bullies," he muttered. This was one other thing he hated in the Odiferian community. He had decided that enough was enough, and he wasn't going to stand for the brutal society anymore. It was his choice and it didn't give anyone the right to judge him.
He reached the castle and was shown in by two of the foreign warriors. Again he had to wonder their origin. He hadn't had the time to visit the library which, though small and in a serious need of an update, had some books about other cultures and nations.
Chadrik was sitting on the throne again, but this time he had covered it with a large red blanket. Runtar didn't like the change; it made the throne look like a common chair. All impressiveness was lost now that one couldn't see the bones and skulls.
"Ah, my friend," Chadrik greeted him. He seemed to be in a good mood and was smiling brightly.
"You wanted to see me," Runtar replied. He didn't like to be called every time this foreign idiot desired it, but he had decided to tolerate it for now. If he played his cards right, things would change in the future.
"Oh, yes. I need to go over some details of the party with you," Chadrik said.
"Ehe, yes, about that…" Runtar started with a small laugh. He wasn't that happy about having to tell Chadrik that he had no ideas at all. He was just about to mention their little problem, when the new ruler spoke again.
"But that can wait for now," he said. "I have talked to the horrible creature you call a woman, and she has told me some interesting stories about you."
"Me?" Runtar repeated in surprise. The woman had to be Brawnhilda, and he could just imagine what she would have to say about him.
"Mm, yes. It seems to me like you've forgotten to mention one little detail about your past. Namely, the one about trying to murder Uncouthma and taking over Odiferous," Chadrik said. His tone turned darker with each word and by the end of the sentence he was scowling in annoyance and playing with the tip of his dark hair.
"I didn't think that was important!" Runtar said quickly.
"And why not? You have already betrayed one ruler. How can I know that you won't do the same to me?" Chadrik asked.
Runtar's mind was racing to come up with a good answer. What could he say? There wasn't really anything to stop him from betraying Chadrik as well; he felt no loyalty for him and thought he was actually quite annoying. He had everything to gain if Chadrik died all of sudden. Or did he?
"That would be really stupid," he started, a plan forming slowly. "Everyone knows I betrayed Uncouthma, so I can never be safe here again. If it wasn't for you, I would go back to prison or worse."
He hadn't even realised that before he said it. Now that he thought about it, he felt like slapping himself. He was completely dependant on Chadrik and his men; without them the other barbarians would have no reason to hold back and would take their revenge on him. The idea that he would never again be able to walk the streets like a common man felt very final all of a sudden, scary even.
Chadrik smiled. "That is a good point," he admitted. He then leaned to his side and rested his chin on his hand. "But tell me, why did you betray Uncouthma in the first place? He seems like the kind of man that you barbarians would love to have as a ruler."
Runtar grimaced. "Uncouthma is a pathetic bully of a man whose thoughts never extend beyond his next meal, or the next fight. Having someone like him ruling anything is a disgrace," he said sourly.
"Sounds like someone was jealous," Chadrik commented.
"I could say the same about you. Why would you take over a kingdom if you weren't lacking something?" Runtar snapped before he could stop himself.
Chadrik's eyes slit dangerously. "I wouldn't use that tone with me if I were you. You have no idea what my reasons are," he growled.
"About the party?" Runtar reminded and tried to change the subject. He really wasn't that interested in talking about killing Uncouthma. He knew what his motives had been, and that was enough as far as he was concerned.
Chadrik stared at him for a while before he nodded. "Right. I have sent Daunus to retrieve wine and food from my homeland. They should make an impression on your people," he said.
"He will never be back in time," Runtar pointed out. If the name of the kingdom really was Anzara, he had never heard of it. It had to be somewhere far away, and it would take months before Daunus got there and back.
The man on the throne chuckled. "Fear not. I have sent him there with my magic. He will return later today," he said.
"Magic," Runtar repeated. The mere word left a sour taste to his mouth. If there was one thing he agreed on with the other barbarians, it was that magic was useless, unstable and dangerous. Using it always resulted in some sort of catastrophe. Naturally, the fact that Aladdin had had magic on his side hadn't improved his opinion.
"Yes, and now I would like to hear your ideas. What have you planned?"
"Well, there is this little problem… If you want to impress the barbarians, you need to have wrestling, cheese eating and yak throwing competitions, and traditional folk songs. Anything else and they will be bored or angry, but giving them old Odiferian entertainment is not going to change anyone's opinion about you," Runtar said.
Chadrik pondered that. "You're right. They would never buy that. Besides, all those brutal activities you mentioned disgust me. No, I will introduce some games from my homeland. They might like them," he said.
Runtar highly doubted that. "As you wish," he said instead. He was not going to get into trouble again by voicing his real opinion.
They talked about the party for the next hour, making plans and time tables and deciding where and when it would be held. Chadrik was impatient to get Odiferous under his control as soon as possible, so he decided that a few days were enough to organize anything. Runtar didn't agree because he knew he would be doing most of the work, but Chadrik's opinion was not to be changed.
When he was leaving, his thoughts drifted back to their earlier conversation. He recalled the time over three months ago when he had finally put his plan to motion and had tried to murder the man who had called him a friend. It hadn't bothered him back and it didn't bother him now, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about it.
He had had two reasons to do that. The first was his thirst for power and fame and the second that he hadn't been able to get them any other way. Sure, he had been the royal advisor, but everyone had still treated him the same as always; calling him weak and making fun of him. It was obvious nobody had really thought that much of him, so he had taken what in his mind was the most natural course of action.
After all, they couldn't expect a man to simply sit back and watch how his entire life was wasted, right?
"I just had the most amusing conversation with someone you know," Chadrik said from the door.
Brawnhilda didn't turn around to face the man. As far as she was concerned, she had nothing to say to him.
Chadrik obviously didn't agree because he came to sit at the opposite side of the large wooden table. He placed his hands on it and casually pressed his fingertips together.
"That Runtar really is an interesting fellow," he continued and Brawnhilda couldn't stop the hot wave of anger that went through her at the name.
"Well, I'm not surprised you two are making friends," she said calmly.
Chadrik laughed, and the sound sent shivers down Brawnhilda's back. It wasn't that the man had a bad voice. Quite the contrary, his laughter was warm and happy, not at all fitting for a man that horrible.
"I asked him about the event you mentioned, and he said some really bad things about your husband. What was it again? Oh yes, he said that Uncouthma is a pathetic bully with nothing but food and violence in his head. I have to say, that sounds like quite a reasonable description," Chadrik continued.
"What do you think you know about Uncouthma? He is a fine man and the best ruler any barbarian could ever ask for!" Brawnhilda snapped. Just listening to Chadrik speak made her want to go down to the city and strangle that little traitor with her own hands. How could anyone be so ungrateful?
"Uncouthma gave Runtar everything a man could ask for; a high position in the society and his true friendship, but that little creep just had to have more! He's always been like that, lurking in the shadows and complaining about not having what he wants when he could just go and get it with a little effort. But no, he always had to blame it on someone else!" she ranted, feeling like a barrier had just been broken inside her.
She had never liked Runtar very much and had mostly tolerated him because Uncouthma trusted and liked him. She had known something was wrong with the little man, and the only thing she regretted was that she hadn't noticed it sooner.
"In his defence," Chadrik said, "he thought he would have been a better ruler than Uncouthma."
Brawnhilda felt like laughing at his face. "Better? What does he know? Better for him, maybe, but not for anyone else. My people love Uncouthma and he has always been fair and brave, two qualities that a good ruler needs but Runtar doesn't have. Uncouthma understands his people and is always doing things with their best interest in mind, and that is what makes him a better ruler than either of you two could ever be," she said.
Chadrik wasn't smiling anymore and his tone was far from amused when he said, "Watch what you're saying, woman. Soon, I will have these lands under my complete control, and then I no longer have any use for you, or your husband," he threatened.
He got up and strolled out of the room, leaving Brawnhilda alone with her thoughts. She pressed her hand protectively on her stomach and prayed that Gouda and others would free Uncouthma soon.
"Alright, how many men do we have?" Gouda asked as he tried to lift himself up from the bed.
"Everyone we have talked to has volunteered, so that means there are at least fifty barbarians ready to pick up their weapons and attack," Antav said.
Gouda grinned with pride. "Excellent! With so many men, we can easily take over the castle and free Uncouthma!" he said. To his annoyance, he noticed that nobody else looked very triumphant. "What is the problem?"
"Brawnhilda specifically requested that Uncouthma has to be free before we charge. If we attack openly, the enemy will have time to hurt either Uncouthma or Brawnhilda, or maybe both," Antav explained.
"Bah! That is a risk we have to take! How else can we expect to do anything?" Gouda asked. What had happened to his men? What had turned them into such cowards? Was he the only one who knew that the honourable course of action was to attack right now, not just talk about it?
"Well… I know this is unusual, but we have voted about it and agreed that Uncouthma probably wouldn't want us to risk Brawnhilda's life. We think we should send a spy into the castle to find out where Uncouthma is and how to get him out before anyone notices anything," Antav said with a grimace.
"A spy? What kind of plan is that? When did we turn into cowards who are afraid of a fair fight! Spies! Spies are for the weak!" Gouda snapped. In his anger, he completely forgot about his injury and jumped out of bed, then doubled over when the pain suddenly hit him. He fell back to the bed, panting but never letting the anger in his eyes subside.
"I'm sorry, Gouda, but we want to be careful. Nothing is worth having Uncouthma or Brawnhilda killed," Antav said. The older barbarian couldn't look at the General straight to the eyes, which told Gouda just how little Antav liked the plan as well.
"If I could get up, I would show all of you traitors…" he muttered, but this time he sounded more tired and frustrated than downright angry.
"I'm sorry," Antav said again.
"Well, I'm not!" Gouda snapped.
The other barbarian exited the room, leaving Gouda alone. He felt defeated all of sudden, for he knew his people had already lost the most important battle to their enemy. They had lost their courage and will to fight for what they believed in.
To be continued…