Glinda turned her back to Princess Nastoya. Bending over, she lifted Duran's eyes to meet her own. In those brown eyes she saw rage, pain, determination, and strangely enough, fear. She did not know what this man might be afraid of.
"Duran, please calm down. I am going to ask you some questions. If you answer it will all be over sooner." she put on her best soothing voice.
Duran strained against his magical bonds again, and Glinda could hear the slight sizzle of his skin burning. Glinda searched his eyes for some form of recognition, but did not find any. Something had overtaken his mind; some sort of unnatural defense built in against magical compulsion perhaps. Glinda wondered again what horrors had been inflicted on this man. Glinda put on her most dazzling smile and sweetest voice, and wove her compulsion spell behind it.
"Duran…" she said slowly, softly, sweetly. "Do you know who I am?"
The man relaxed a little bit, but not completely. Glinda smiled more and went to speak.
"What did you say?" Nastoya interrupted her. Duran instantly surged upward against his bonds again. Glinda spun and shot a harsh look at Nastoya.
"Keep quiet!" she snapped.
"Do not speak to me that way!" Nastoya rumbled back. "I deserve respect."
"You need lessons in sorcery." was Glinda's reply. "You are skilled, but bluntly. You see the magic upon him, but did not think there would be some on his mind? You triggered them, and now he is stuck in that loop."
"A maddened beast should be put down." Nastoya hissed. The room inhaled as Glinda leveled her staff at her. The crystal atop it shone bright.
"You'll do, or say, no such thing. What you shall do is sit there in silence so I may coax the answers out of him."
Nastoya let out a deep gurgle of indignant rage. Glinda raised her eyebrows, but Nastoya said or did nothing further. Finally, she said,
"I need answers."
Glinda turned back around to look at Duran.
"And you shall get them. I am a true leader, and I do not break my word once given."
The reproach was not missed by any. Elphaba noticed the guards gripping their weapons tightly. She silently prepared herself for one of them to break discipline and make a move on them. However, none did. After a moment, Glinda took a deep breath and tossed her hair. Elphaba could see a gentle glow come over her. She did not know what spell Glinda was using, but trusted her.
Glinda for her part was using a spell she created over the last few months from a combination of spells that she found in the back of the book Duran had given them, and Elphaba had left with her. It enhanced her beauty, attractiveness, and charisma to boost her already well developed charm and emanated a calming aura. All she hoped would work on Duran.
Leaning down again, she spoke gently,
"Duran, do you know who I am?"
He relaxed, but did not answer. Glinda dripped the honey of the compulsion spell into her voice.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Glinda...Arduenna...Upland." he said slowly. His breathing labored. "Do...I have to...say all of the titles?"
"You do not." Glinda smiled in relief. She did not know if he was going to be too far gone to reach.
"Brilliant...sorceress." he continued. Glinda frowned slightly as that was not compelled. "Getting around...the guards…but...still fighting."
Glinda's frown deepened. That confirmed it. His mind was magically altered to protect against spells. But the fact that the spells were still being triggered meant highly advanced magic. Realizing her face, she put on her smile again.
"Just relax. We'll not ask difficult questions." Glinda soothed. "What is your name?"
"Names are for people… from somewhere or have a title." he answered. Glinda rolled her eyes.
"Incorrigible as always." she said. "Is a name you've introduced yourself by Duran?"
"Yes, though it is shortened."
"Shortened from?" Glidna asked without thinking.
"Durandal."
That was new information, Glinda thought.
"Durandal." she paused. "I quite like it."
Duran chuckled.
"Now, Durandal, the next question: how old are you?"
Duran did not answer. He flexed his muscles slightly in the magical chains of light, but did not struggle. Glinda started her questioning over again.
"Durandal, do you know who I am?"
"Glinda."
"And what is your name?"
"Durandal."
"And how old are you?"
"How...long...since...Wizard...left?" he strained out. Glinda started back at the top.
"Durandal, do you know who I am?"
"What is she doing?" Nastoya grumbled out. She was startled when Elphaba walked over to her and answered.
"Layering." Elphaba stated. "The compulsion charms cannot break through the magical defenses without harming him. So Glinda first soothed him, and asked an easy question to get an easy answer. When resisted, she starts again. The answers become easier, and she can slip through the defenses."
Glinda smiled, and asked again,
"And how old are you?"
"How long since the Wizard left?"
"Seven years." Glinda answered.
He flexed again, but did not tell her a number. Glinda started over.
"Seven years." she prompted again.
Duran cocked his head to the side and she could see him counting in his head.
"Two hundred and twenty-six, give or take a decade or two." he answered.
"Two twenty-six?" Glidna squeaked out in surprise.
"I know, I don't look a day over one twenty-five." was the response. Glinda looked at Duran, and through the haze of pain there was a familiar twinkle in his eyes.
"And how long have you been waiting to use that joke?" Glinda retorted.
"At least a hundred years."
"How?"
Duran dropped his eyes and struggled against his bonds. Glinda bit back a sigh and started over again.
"How?" she asked for a second time.
"Dubious...magic." he strained out. Glinda did not push, but restarted her questioning. Then,
"Dubious magical practices."
"You came up with these yourself?"
"No, the Warrior Monks of the Makelea, in the region of Raelen, to start with."
"Raelen?" Elphaba pondered. "Raelen was an old territory in what is now Fliaan, before it unified."
"The bookworm gets it." Duran laughed. "But Nastoya already knew that."
The witches turned the Elephant.
"The Makelean Knights were an Order in Fliaan that ended over two hundred years ago." she rumbled. "They were supported directly by the State. They made superb warriors, absolutely loyal to the Monarchy. Unfortunately, the Monarchy lost a Civil War, and the Makelean Knights were deemed too much of a threat to the new Monarchy to continue. They were purged shortly after."
"It was a glorious battle." Duran interjected. Glinda saw his eyes shine at the memory. "They besieged the Keep. We were low in numbers, of course, just having lost so many in the war. They brought siege engines, but we burned those early. They could not retreat, you see, as we would make our escape. They tried to wait us out, but the Keep was well stocked, and we picked off squads every night. Given a year, they would not have had an army left. So they marched into the teeth of our defenses, launching fire arrows and burning pots. We fired back, and met them on the causeway. Their numbers meant nothing there, and we threw them back a dozen times. I shattered no less than six swords in that battle. But numbers tell, and we still lost brothers. They pushed us back, and back, and back. We kept fighting, Gods of War all. My closest compatriot, Mikel, was to my right wielding a spear that cut many a throat. My rival Dorian on my left, two handed sword cleaving through warriors. I had two maces at that point, little more than steel bars, as all our shields had been split and my swords bent and broken."
Duran laughed in joy at the memory. His story held them all in rapt attention. They could almost see it, a group of warriors without peers holding off a tide of others.
"It was then they retreated, and the cream of their new army thundered up on horse. A smart tactical decision; waste our strength on the masses, and crush us with the expensive and well protected horse when we were tired."
He gave a feral smile.
"Of course, it was also predictable. Nobles hate fair fights. We fled before them, and they had thought our will had broken. Broken! Us! The finest warriors in Nonesetica." Duran laughed again. "They chased us into the keep, and never saw the spiked pits we dug just beyond the gate until it was too late. Their horses fell, and dragged them all down. Now, with so much time to prepare, we of course filled the pits with water and filth taller than any man could stand. Their gleaming knights in plate drowned in filth. A very poetic end, I did think."
He sighed.
"Either way, we had given up hope of keeping the Keep. Not all their knights died, of course, but we were down to just a handful. And there was too much loss for them not to press on. So when they attacked the next day, we were gone. Disappeared down the secret tunnels they never knew about."
"And what happened to the King?" asked Glinda.
"He had trouble keeping his kingdoms with so many of his elite cadre lost. The noble families were not happy with him, nor were the peasantry. Few years later he was found one morning mounted over his own fireplace."
"You?" Glinda asked. Duran shook his head.
"No; there were seven of us at that point. That was Samus. He was always the shock and terror one. Not that we disagreed, just that none of us cared enough to do it. Samus was already slipping into his madness then, though."
"Madness?" Glinda asked. Duran's words were flowing easier, and she wanted to keep him talking for the spell to reinforce itself.
"Yes, madness. See, a problem with a Makelea Knight is that we eventually all go insane. Byproduct of the magical process. The thought was what was done is so unnatural the mind and spirit rebel." Duran shrugged his shoulders. "No idea if that is true. Anyway, the only way to keep that from happening is to bind yourself to someone. The old Monks had bound themselves to each other, making them stable and loyal. However, they got greedy, and started binding some monks to Nobles and the like for favors. Eventually someone slipped how to do it to the Lord of Raelen, and he began to make his own. Bound to him, of course. The first charge of the Makelea Knights was the destruction of the Temple Monastery of the Monks."
He paused, then continued.
"Though that was a couple hundred years prior to my time. Anyway, the Knights took over the Monastery, and the line of Kings grew the realm of Raelen with the Knights as his elite. However, there was a known problem with the binding; it eats up the lifespan of Knight. A Makelea Knight does not physically age, and is always in top physical condition throughout their life. The madness if not bound sets in after about twenty years, and then they are usually killed. Traditionally sent in a last glorious charge. However, if bound, they can last for at least forty years before the body begins to break down. But the catch there is if the person they are bound to dies before that time, they also slip into madness. So it's madness one way or another, just if bound they can last longer."
"How terrible." Glinda gasped. Duran shrugged again.
"Life is. Anyway, those of us that escaped had all been unbound. The Order Master had seen which way the war was going for quite a few years, and had hoped to transition over to the new Lord. Mikel, Dorian, and I were all around the same age, late twenties, so we had at least a decade yet. One of us, Amon, was on the tail end of it. We had to kill him not a year out. Samus was next, though he slipped away from us. We ended up hunting him for six months straight before we found him in Ev having just massacred a convent."
"So why haven't you descended into madness?" Glinda asked.
"Because we figured out how to stave it off. We found it is because we don't sleep, as I'm sure you are aware." Duran answered with a slight smile. "So we figured out how to layer another spell on top of what we have to allow us to speed up the sleep process. Instead we only need about thirty minutes of meditation. It drastically dulls our senses, but it allows us to remain conscious of our surroundings, somewhat."
"Like in the warehouse in the Emerald City the night you guarded us." Glinda offered. Duran nodded.
"Still so observant. Yes, you caught me meditating. I usually do it while tending to my sword. However, I can do it while doing forms also."
"Which is why you didn't notice Elphaba." Glinda added.
"Right again. Though neither our spells for physicality or spells of the mind ensure us the long life. That is a spell of the spirit." he answered.
"And how did you find that one?" Glinda asked.
Duran dipped his head but did not speak. Glinda recognized now the flexing of his muscles meant the spell was fighting back. So once again, she returned to the beginning. After a few questions, she asked,
"If the Makelea Knights were so superior, why not make more of them?"
"Hard to do...starts pre-teen...also sterile."
Glinda blinked. The horror of his early life was becoming clearer. Repeating the ritual questions, she added,
"So how many of your compatriots are left?"
"Three…" he rasped out. Duran shook his head. "There are...three of us."
Glinda started over, and then asked another question,
"Which three are left?"
"Mikel...and...Dorian." he shook his head. "Neither...good."
Glinda started her questioning again, but shifted to another topic.
"Have you ever lied to me?" she asked.
"Never." he answered.
"How did you know to be in the places to help us?"
"Scrying...tea leaves...had you watched." he answered.
Glinda bit back a sigh, and went back over the repetition. She knew now she needed to avoid that topic. A thought came to her mind, and the words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Who was she?".
"Who?" Duran asked.
"The lady you regret having the affair with."
Duran struggled against his bonds, surging upward. Glinda stepped back, and sent a soothing aura over him. The man relaxed, but only slightly. She started over.
"Durandal, do you know who I am?" she asked.
"Glinda Arduenna Upland."
"Do you care for me, Durandal?" she asked; a new question. He started but did not struggle.
"Yes."
"Very much?" she asked, her voice lowering.
"Very...much." he answered.
"Do you know who I am, Durandal?"
"Glinda Arduenna Upland."
"Do you care for me, Durandal?"
"Yes."
"Very much?"
"Very much."
Glinda could not help it. Something in the back of her mind compelled her forward, forcing this path on her. It was not from the outside, but she was not in control of herself. Her next words were only loud enough for the two of them to hear.
"Do you love me, Durandal?"
The man strained against his bonds slightly. Glinda whispered only to him now.
"Do you know who I am, Durandal?"
"Glinda Arduenna Upland."
"Do you care for me, Durandal?"
"Yes."
"Very much?"
"Very much."
"Do you love me, Durandal?"
"Y...e...s."
""Do you know who I am, Durandal?"
"Glinda Arduenna Upland."
"Do you care for me, Durandal?"
"Yes."
"Very much?"
"Very much."
"Do you love me, Durandal?"
"Yes."
Glinda got crouched down so she was face to face with him.
"Did you love the lady you regretted having an affair with?"
"Yes."
"What was her name?"
Duran bent his head low, but did not struggle. He did not seem to be fighting it; rather, he seemed resigned. Almost...broken. His lips moved, but Glinda did not hear it. Leaning forward, she whispered the question again. This time she heard the barest of whispers on his breath. It was there and then she caught a name.
Glinda shot straight up to her feet. She stared past the man at nothing, her breath racing.
"Glinda?" Elphaba asked. "What did he say? Glinda?"
"What did he say, Glinda?" rumbled Nastoya. "I need my answers."
When neither provoked a reaction out of the woman, they turned towards Duran.
"What did you say, Duran?" Elphaba berated. "What did you do?"
"What are you, beast?" asked Nastoya.
Duran said nothing, but began to struggle against the magic that held him. With so much cooperation, the magic bonds had faded into nothingness. Now they shone like the sun, and burned him as if had yet to break out of her reverie, and so the two continued to pepper Duran with questions. Coming to, Glinda saw the state he was in.
"Stop." she said evenly, if possibly weakly. When they did not hear her, she spoke more forcefully. "Stop."
"I need answers!" Nastoya hissed back. "What are you that your spirit is weak?"
"How did you achieve the binding of spirits?" Elphaba asked.
The smell of burning flesh, the shouted questions, the flicker of flames and darkness, the heat of the room all assaulted Glinda's senses. What cut through it all was the gasp of pain from Duran at her feet. The world cleared for her at that moment.
"I SAID STOP!" she commanded, and thrust her staff into the earth.
An explosion of light, sound and wind erupted from it. The guards were blown off their feet and sat dazed. The exits were torn from their ribbons and lay open. A trumpet of noise erupted followed by a crashing to earth. Nastoya's transformation was undone, and her true form was revealed. In the deafening silence, Glinda calmly added,
"And I meant, stop."
Duran glanced up at her, clear eyes now of the spells around them. He hesitated for a moment, and then sprinted from the tent. Glinda sighed. Nastoya glared at her, but the witch met her gaze.
"You have enough of your answers." Glinda levelled at her. "Neither you nor your people shall pursue this matter, nor Durandal, further. Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes." she rumbled after a moment.
"Good." Glinda answered. Pushing her hair back from her face, she continued. "Now, I'm going to find him. Your people shall stay away from him."
"I'll go with you." Elphaba said, and went to her. A firm hand held up stopped her.
"Thank you, but no. I shall deal with the matter on my own. I will collect his effects and go to him."
"Glinda you can't-"
"Can't what, Elphaba?" Glinda's hard voice cut her off. "You have no such say in my business."
Elphaba, for one of the few times in her life, bit her tongue. Glinda looked to have none of it, and pushing would not help. She had seen this Glinda before, usually in politics. Elphaba knew there would be nothing good come of trying to argue.
"You are right."
"Good. Now I go to collect his effects from the guards. I shall be back when I am."
Glinda stepped out of the tent. She turned to the guard standing there.
"Two questions sir: where are my friend's effects, and which direction did he go?"
Glinda found him sitting cross legged among the red-gold sea of grass. Dusk was near, inflaming the golden grass with the setting sun's light. She floated the pack and weapons down next to him, and crossed in front. His eyes were closed, and his hands folded in his lap. By his breathing, Glinda could tell he was focusing on meditating.
"Durandal." she said. He opened his eyes with a wane smile.
"Wynnessa always complained about me using her full name. I can see why." he joked.
Glinda kneeled in front of him. She took his hands into hers, and looked into his eyes.
"I remember." she said slowly. He nodded. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Tell me everything."
And in the waning light and deep into the night, he did.