* * *
They arrived a few hours later. Sophia had chosen to meet them in a small grotto close to her home. The townspeople had respectfully left it to her.
Yannick noticed Muda grow more anxious as they approached the city. He rode higher on his horse and fidgeted with the reins as they rode. But from the moment he saw Sophia, his anxiety disappeared.
The Sikeran were not overly formal people, and Muda had fallen into their habits. He approached Sophia with no more than a smile, which was of course not returned. But this did not seem to bother him. Muda walked slightly faster, reaching Sophia before Yannick.
"You look well.” Muda said, stopping before her.
"My Lady." Yannick said when he arrived.
Sophia looked them both over.
"I did not expect you to arrive together."
"War meetings." Muda replied. "You were right about the refugees. They fight well enough, and are learning quickly."
"I am pleased to hear it," she responded, "But we have other matters to discuss. A messenger has come from Yaloran. They have requested that I visit. They claim they would like to negotiate an alliance."
"This is not overly strange, lady," Yannick said, "Your own mother visited, I believe, when she first came to power."
"So I've heard. We do not have time, however, for court pleasantries. No formal alliance has ever existed between Yaloran and Sikeran, as you know. We are small, but our armies have been effective in defending our borders thus far, and Sikeran has little of value to be worth conquering or establishing serious trade."
"They are growing weaker," Muda said, "They also know what comes, and they are not prepared."
"Possibly," replied Sophia, "But I expect it is more complicated than that. Yaloran's army is the most powerful in the known world. Unless they have learned of our recent efforts, there is no reason to believe that we would be of much help."
"Perhaps," Yannick ventured, "What they crave is information. Debra has grown weak over the years, and paranoid. Perhaps she fears us without knowing why."
"Another possibility," said Sophia, "But we must know for sure. I cannot go myself, and so I must send another in my stead, with apologies."
As she spoke the words, her gaze shifted to Yannick.
"It must be you."
Yannick did not react, processing her statement. Finally, he answered. "I am a traitor and an exile, my lady. I do not think that a wise approach."
"None of my people know the city, or the culture. None of my people have friends in Yaloran."
"It has been more than a decade since I left, lady. Any friends I once have would no longer trust me, if they even recognized me. Not to mention the fact Debra would kill me the moment I passed through the gates."
"It is a possibility." Sophia answered coldly. "But I do not think it likely. You will be under my standards, and will be afforded all the protections that my people have."
"I do not think that will matter...Debra was never one to conform to tradition when it interfered with what she wanted."
Muda, who had been silently shocked the entire time, finally spoke up. "I will go. She will not recognize me."
Yannick looked at him with pity, but before he could speak Sophia interjected. "That is impossible, and you know it. We barely have an army as it is, and their general wandering off on missions of peace would demoralize them beyond repair."
"My soldiers are not as weak as that, and as much as I hate to say it, Yannick still far surpasses me as a tactician." He looked glum as he spoke the words.
"You still do not understand what it is to be a leader." Sophia explained. "Your abilities as a tactician matter, but it is your presence that fuels their passion. It is watching you in battle, hearing you speak. You are needed here."
She turned to Yannick before Muda could argue. "You will leave in ten days’ time. I have prepared a special guard for you, as well as a gift for the people of Yaloran. You will be gone for quite a while, I suggest you prepare."
Yannick nodded.
"It is a soldier's lot to die." He said simply, then turned and left.
After he had gone, Muda turned to Sophia.
"You are so cold, sometimes." He said.
"I am what I must be." She softened for a moment. "It is good to see you. It has been difficult, here..."
Muda noticed that Sophia looked very tired.
"I hope you can stay for a couple of days. Yannick will likely have much to explain to you before he goes." She said, and then she, too, turned and walked away.
Gloria, Diablos, Solaris
Gloria hopped over then path. Then she hopped back. Forward. Back. Hop, hop, hop, hop.
"Would you please stop doing that?" Solaris said.
Gloria made the final hop into the tear, then bowed deeply.
"Apologies Lady Sun. It's just such a strange sensation. Infinitely far, infinitely close. Like dinner time."
"Come, my love, the insane prophetess has arrived to taunt us." Solaris said to her husband.
Diablos rose and looked at Gloria.
"You look well. I had thought you would be joining us sooner. The goddess really did offer her protections." He said.
Gloria curtsied.
"You seem more...stable than last time we met." Solaris observed.
"No time to be crazy. We're busy busy. Your boys have been bad bad bad. They've been hurt hurt hurt hurting...four times is no fun... hurting people."
"We are aware." Diablos said.
"Oh no," replied Gloria, "Here is a safe place. If Yaros gets his way...kaboom!"
"Ibalize, you mean. I suppose that is why Yaros placed us here. I expect Ibalize would not care much if his parents were destroyed, but Yaros has always had a tender heart." Diablos said.
"You have the strangest view of our sons." Solaris replied musingly. "Well, then, semi-sane prophetess, why have you come?"
"No time for safety. Time for risks. Time for adventure!"
"You need the shard." They replied at the same time.
"Need, no, want yes. No shard is good. One shard is great. One shard for seven shards, then sweet sweet peace. No shard means small kablamy."
"We may have taxed her a bit too much." Solaris told her husband.
"Perhaps, but the goddess has put her trust in Gloria. And she's never been wrong before." Diablos responded.
"She's never predicted anything more thrilling than a thunderstorm before." Solaris retorted.
"That was a good storm. Lots of lightning. Very pretty."
They stared at Gloria again.
"What proof do we have that you will succeed?" Diablos asked.
Gloria smiled, then started to dance towards Diablos, chanting "Get the shard, stop the boys" over and over again.
After a few moments, Solaris grew tired of this.
"Go back to your hopping, young one." She told Gloria. "My wife and I will talk."
Gloria danced away from Diablos, and back towards the path.
Solaris turned towards her husband.
"The goddess tests us." He said to her.
"Tests our patience, perhaps," she said coolly, "If we were to do this..."
"They chose their paths. We warned them. We pleaded. We have done everything we could to prevent this, but they would not listen. The other gods will not come to our aid, and so... so we must deal with our children. As we should have done long ago.” Diablos said.
"Our siblings will not intervene, but if the opportunity presents itself they will judge."
"Then we will have to temper their judgments. Come, wife, what other choice do we have? Ibalize will find the shard eventually, and I do not know what he will do with it."
Solaris drew close to her husband, and he wrapped his arms around her. They stood there while Gloria, who had stopped her hopping, stared at them. Finally, Solaris softly pushed her husband away, and turned to the prophetess.
"We will help you," she said, "We will show you how to find the
shard. Show us how to leave this place."
A childish grin overtook Gloria's face. "It's as simple as hop, hop, hop, hop."
Muda, Sophie, Yannick
Yannick and Muda stood together, staring down at the crowds that had gathered below them. They were divided into groups of twenty to fifty people, each representing a family. Each family had constructed a mobile shrine, which was carried on the shoulders of their strongest men and women. The shrines bore their family sigils - boars, bears, poppies, princes, origins, and oaths. They had made them to honor the union between their champion and their leader. When the moon was at its highest point they would gather outside the city walls, and the shrines would be ignited. It was said that many spirits gathered for the union, and they would choose their favorite, causing it to burn bright. That family would have a generation of good fortune, and be favored by the newlyweds.
Of course, most people would be far too drunk to accurately remember who's was the brightest by the end of the evening. Muda was glad Yannick was not amongst them.
"The ceremony is extremely specific." Yannick advised. "Do you remember the steps?"
"I am about to marry the woman who I have loved since I was a child, and all for her political advantage. I have much more pressing concerns than the details of a ceremony I've seen a dozen times." Muda spat back.
Yannick felt his anger rise but calmed himself. The boy was not wrong. But he was also not right.
"Let me tell you a secret that most cannot figure out for themselves. The ceremony exists to distract anxious men for the awkwardness of their situation. Also, if you fail in one single step they will banish you with nothing more than your underclothes." Yannick informed him.
Muda gawked, and Yannick smiled. "Not really." He continued. "But they are a ceremonious people. Getting it right will honor them, and they will honor you in turn. Now recite the steps to me, please."
Muda took a deep breath. "She will already be waiting for me at the top of the stairs. I am to walk halfway, then draw my sword. I will stand battle-ready, but lower my head. She will walk down to me, then draw her own weapon. We will cross blades three times, then step back, and bow our heads. Each will then offer their weapon to the other. We will cross blades three more times, then trade weapons again in the same manner. We will bow to one another, then I will grasp her right hand with my left and we will climb the stairs together. The priest will bless us, we will bow to each other again, and then I can finally go back to eating meat."
Yannick chuckled. "It's only been a month, Muda. A month of vegetables and beans is good for a young man every once in a while."
Muda shook his head. "She does not love me."
Yannick was silent for a moment. "I was very bad to you for many years." He said finally. Muda looked up, surprised and slightly angered.
"Let me continue," Yannick asked softly. Muda said nothing, and so Yannick went on. "I thought you a coward, and gave up on you. I drowned my shame in drink, and left you to fend for yourself."
Muda tensed but continued his silence. Yannick could not help but be impressed. "For your successes. For your education, and skill with a blade, I have Sophia to thank. It was her that made sure you had lessons, and it was her that made sure I was sober for at least a few hours a day so that I could train you with the blade and books. Even then I saw your skill, but I was as poisoned by the poison as you."
"I abandoned my duty, and it nearly destroyed me. Sophia is so much stronger than I ever was. As are you."
Muda softened. He had never seen anything like this from Yannick before.
"Love is not always what the stories would tell us. It is not always heroes and rides into the sunset. It is hard and complicated. It is painful. It is riddled with mistakes, and selfishness, and doubt. But it can survive all of this because it is what binds us."
"She may not love you like a brainless farm girl, but she cares for you at least as much as every other one of her people. And she would do anything for her people."
A thunderous cheer rose up from the crowd. Sophia had begun her ascent.
Wartune Page 21
