The High King: A Tale of Alus

by Wigboldy, Donald

  Quickly apologizing to the head smith with whom he had been discussing the production of new pirate style cannons, the giant led his brother away from the noise. Finding a nearby saloon, Gerid sat him down to talk. Finneas had left them to their discussion at the smithy and returned to business as usual at their office. To Gerid, nothing could be considered usual after the return of his brother. He jumped straight to the most important question on his mind, "Simon how did get here and find me? I was beginning to believe that I would never see you again."

  The elder sibling was suddenly shy in the presence of this man before him. This was indeed a man, and no longer a boy despite his age, who had gone through many trials since they had last been together. Simon noted the faint crease of a scar upon Gerid's left cheek. Other scars were noticeable as well where they appeared in faint relief against the darkened skin surrounding them on his well muscled arms. Even the younger man's eyes seemed different to the brother that had known him so well only a few years before. Though his younger brother was happy enough to see him again, there was pain lying in the depths of those orbs and in the creases of his mouth. There were many emotional scars to go with the physical ones now, Simon could see. "I hadn't expected to find you so soon either, Gerid, let alone to find you as the most talked about man in the country. In only a little over two years, you seem to have gone from slave to soldier to wealthy privateer. I had heard about you almost a year ago while living with my former master just from your soldier exploits. Your sword arm and leadership in the mercenary corps were spoken throughout the nation. It was hard to miss that it was you, but it wasn't until you became a pirate hunter that I was able to finally come track you down."

  Gerid nodded. "I think I made it easy enough for you. You can probably even guess how I managed to free myself from my master. He is still my business partner even now. That's my story, but what of you? What have you been doing all this time? I couldn't find any trace of you though I had begun sending word and men in search of you and Janus months ago."

  Simon shrugged, "I was never the warrior that you were, of course. I was purchased by a farmer named Yleth Molein to the east of Camerton. I told him that I could make him rich, if he would free me early for a set price. Needless to say, Yleth is doing well enough now and was satisfied with our deal. I was released from slavery only a few weeks ago officially and set off to find you."

  The two men sat a moment watching each other as they drank as one from their tankards of ale. Simon spoke first, as Gerid appeared intent on the golden liquid swirling in his metal mug. "Your captain told me that you have a son named after me." The strangest of looks appeared in his brother's eyes at the mention of his son. Simon thought that a mixed look of joy and sadness rose from those depths he had noted in his brother's eyes earlier.

  Gerid didn't raise his face from his staring as he answered, "Yes, we named him after you this past fall when my wife gave birth."

  Simon could guess within two chances where his brother's sadness lay with those words. Gerid's voice held a certain longing and his elder brother asked, "When did she die?"

  "Tabitha died while I was at sea only a little over a week ago. The illness came from nowhere and took her before I could return."

  Nodding, the brother placed a hand over the other's to convey his strength. "That left a lot unsaid then, didn't it?" he asked quietly.

  The younger man shook his head, "No, not really. I just wish that I had been there for her. Even if there was nothing else that I could do to save her, I would have liked to have given her my support.

  "I didn't have anything truly unsaid to her. I loved Tabitha with all my heart and I freed her when I was released from slavery. In time, I would have brought both her and my son with me. After Merrick was destroyed, it would have been a fine life for us all. She knew all this. I left none of my plans hidden from her. I spent nearly every hour of my shore leaves with her and little Simon." He sighed, "But it is harder when you wish that you had been there and not lost so much time being away."

  After a small silence, Simon asked, "You still work towards getting back at Merrick then?"

  "It's one of the reasons that have kept me going all these years."

  "Even now that your wife has died?"

  "Especially now," he answered grimly. "I wouldn't be where I am now, if not for him. Maybe Tabitha could have lived longer..."

  "...but you two would never have met either, Gerid," Simon finished the other's sentence with his own beliefs. "Fate and the gods have strange ways of bringing us both the best and worst of times. Don't confuse what I'm saying. I can see you ready to argue with me like old times. No, I still think that Merrick needs to be overthrown, but in some ways aren't you also better off today. You have wealth. You've had love. You still have a son that you must show his uncle as well by the way," he added with a sharp finger to the other's chest and a smile.

  The two men laughed briefly before Gerid winked at him. "I hate to admit it, brother, but I still have love as well. I feel guilt over being so quick to find it, but it is there already."

  Simon was slightly taken aback, "So soon?"

  "Yes, now finish your ale so that I can bring you to your nephew and my other love."

  Chapter 24- Knight’s Folly

  With the onset of another cold, northern winter, Merrick had returned home to Castle Grimnal and he had received surprisingly good news almost immediately upon his arrival.

  A messenger from King Kabros of Staron had come seeking an alliance with the conqueror. The terms of the agreement would be sealed by a show of good faith by Kabros. An entire legion, a full third of the kingdom's forces, would be lent in the following year's campaigns. Merrick promptly agreed. If nothing else, it would mean one less thorn in his side as he turned to finish the king of Sileoth and his allies in Maris. The additional forces would, of course, be an added bonus that would conserve on casualties for the rest of his troops, especially if he felt like placing them on harder fronts.

  To further seal the agreement, Merrick had offered to give a banquet in Kabros' honor. The king had agreed, but fearing possible treachery, nearly four hundred horse had ridden in with him.

  Merrick ignored the effrontery to their new sense of cooperation and did nothing to jeopardize his new ally. It wasn't that he necessarily feared any reprisals, but he knew that, should treachery be performed, Kabros' death would most likely become a rallying cry to possibly Staron and other nations against him. Lastly, a second country threatening his borders, even one as small as this, would still prove a distraction and, as such, a nuisance to his plans for conquest of the western portion of the continent.

  The night of the great banquet came after the afternoon's signing of the treaty. Inviting four of his generals and several of the lesser nobility to join in the celebration, Merrick looked over the gathering and considered his future happily. His wife, Alyanna, looked incredible at his side dressed in a deep blue gown and decked out in necklaces, bracelets and rings all bejeweled as the two entered the great hall. All of those gathered watched the woman in awe and that was all that Merrick cared about her. She was nothing more than his prize to display to foreign dignitaries and his easily impressed servitors.

  Alyanna knew this as well, though she hid it well for a time. But after too many glasses of wine, her attitude of feigned bliss was quickly falling away before those gathered to pay homage. The High King watched the queen carefully to ensure that the woman wouldn't prove too troublesome.

  Finally, he caught Alyanna starting to flirt with one of his nobles and called forth a pair of his more trusted personal guards. Led by the king, the three of them walked up to the queen from behind. Taking the woman by an elbow, Merrick led her firmly away from the noble. "It grows late, my dear," he proclaimed just loud enough for those nearest him to believe that the High King meant his words. "Come let us guide you to your room for the night."

  Alyanna pulled away from him indignantly. "The night is still young. I have many duties to pe
rform here yet tonight, my love," she rebuked pronouncing the final two words with undisguised disgust. Her intent was plain, as several of the guests began to make secret glances at the growing spectacle. The woman was most definitely trying to cause him lasting embarrassment before these people.

  Knowing her purpose angered him all the more. Merrick was seething inside, though he tried his best to hide it with a calm exterior. Gripping her painfully around her arm, the High King of the North ordered, "Say goodnight, Alyanna. It's time for bed." He pulled her towards the hallway leading away from the ballroom. The stairs leading to her room were almost in sight when the woman set her feet strongly to pull free of the lord's grasp.

  Rubbing her injured arm, she asked him sarcastically, "What is the matter, husband? Surely you are not stupid enough to believe that your people can not see our marriage for what it is? I was the price for my family's lives and those in my kingdom. Love was never part of the agreement and you have made sure that it never will be, haven't you?

  "All you really want me for is the chance to have a son and to look pretty for your guests." She bowed dramatically and drawled, "Well, I am so sorry that I have not lived up to your expectations, my lord." The woman turned to walk away dismissing him.

  "Don't take that tone with me, wench!" Merrick snarled and lunged after Alyanna. He wrenched her around by the arm to face him. "Your kingdom was indeed bought with your wedding, woman, and I have provided for you well enough since then. There are servants for your needs. You've been given the finest jewelry and clothes to wear. You eat the finest foods and live in one of the best rooms on all North Continent, and still you dare this! The least you owe me is respect, woman. I have earned that much, I am sure."

  Alyanna snorted in derision. Her hand snaked to the golden necklace around her throat and tore it to the stone floor. "If you think that your jewels and clothing have bought anyone's respect, then you are deluding yourself, Merrick. Your wealth comes from those you oppress. That is not respectable."

  "Humph," he snorted in retort. "And yet you wear them well, Alyanna. Admit it. You enjoy wearing such finery. If I were to take them back, you would cry for their return."

  The woman's face turned red with anger. She quickly unfastened the clasps of her beautiful blue dress letting it slip to the floor. Both of her earrings and the tiara in her hair joined the cloth where it lay and then all her bracelets were tossed there as well. Alyanna had not bothered to wear anything beneath the garment and stood defiantly before Merrick with hands on hips. "If you believe that I need these pieces earned from others' blood, then you were sorely mistaken." The woman started back towards the banquet room to prove her words.

  Eyes bulging in their sockets and the veins in his temples looking near to bursting in his fury, her husband snagged the woman by her hair and threw her to the ground. Her soft skin made a slapping sound as she met the stone floor. "Velm, Arok, take the queen to her room! Now! If she resists you, you have my permission to strike her. Now get this woman out of my sight!"

  Alyanna picked herself up refusing the guards offered hands of assistance. She strode up the stairs with as much dignity as she could muster despite her appearance and the pain from her injury. The queen would not allow herself to cry before these men, especially Merrick. She would wait until safe within the privacy of her room and never give him the luxury.

  The High King returned to the banquet and pretended that nothing had ever happened, but already his mind had begun pondering thoughts of revenge. Finally, the proper retaliation was decided. He called aside three of the four gathered generals. The fourth being Terris, the father of his current hatred, was left out.

  "Men," he began with his eyes wandering to where Terris spoke to one of the nobles across the room, "I have come to a decision. I think that the queen and her family need to be taught a lesson in humility."

  Terris rode through the city to return to the barracks. His new home lay on the far side of the city of Hala this winter. He contemplated how his daughter had looked at the banquet earlier. Her father worried over both her physical health as well as her mental well being. She didn't seem at all like she had been before the forced marriage. The girl looked much more haggard and worn from her time with Merrick despite her beauty. He could tell that she was near total depression.

  As a king, he had thought the alliance wise and in all their best interests. As a father, Terris knew that he had failed his daughter and condemned her to a loveless marriage with a despicable man.

  A cry for help in the night broke him from his reverie. A woman's voice had called out desperately and he quickly spied a huddle of at least half a dozen men. The general was outnumbered, but mounted atop his war stallion. Without fear, Terris turned his steed towards the trouble. Seeing his speeding approach, the thugs all ran into an alley dragging the woman screaming along with them. His sword was drawn as he entered the tight roadway behind the men.

  He never even saw the men who knocked him from his horse. Terris tried to fight off the gang of men who battered at him with clubs and fists until the man was nearly unconscious from the pain.

  As they dragged him from the alley, the former king knew himself to be a fool. The king of tricks had fallen for a simple ruse.

  The men hauled him through the alleys and streets of Hala. He was unable to cry for help as the woman had earlier having been gagged and bound. Terris was too injured and near senseless besides to try and struggle. When they were safely outside the capitol city's walls, they turned into the grasslands surrounding the city. In a field only a few hundred feet from the great wall, they beat him again. Leaving the general for dead, the gang returned to the city laughing.

  As dawn began to light the early morning sky, Terris felt gentle hands lifting him. His eyes were swollen shut. He could see nothing of those taking him. A deep voice whispered, "Don't worry, m' lord. You're in the hands of friends now."

  Terris didn't respond as a carriage lurched forward to take him away from Hala. The Cadmene knight strode into the audience chamber two days after the banquet. High Lord Merrick, as he decided to call himself that day, sat with the queen beside him. The vizier noted the unusually thick make-up used to conceal Alyanna's blackened eye. He had also noticed that the girl seemed much more subdued since the banquet night. Krulir knew enough of Merrick's temper to know that it was a situation that he should stay well out of unless asked.

  He returned his gaze to the knight, who proclaimed, "High Lord, I have come with grave news."

  "Yes, what is it, man?" Merrick asked appearing uneasy with the knight's statement.

  "General Terris's horse appeared in camp without him last night. We fear that he has met with foul play. The general never returned the night of the banquet, sire."

  "Have you sent out men to search for him, captain?" the high lord questioned grimly.

  "Yes, sire."

  "And?"

  "There has been no other sign of him. If he is slain, the attackers may have buried him anywhere."

  A sob of fear brought all eyes onto Alyanna, who ignored them all. Slowly she turned to look at Merrick in horror.

  "Don't cry, my dear. We don't know that he is dead for sure, do we?" a malicious glint in his eye was shared with the woman though Krulir caught a glimpse of it as well. "Captain, continue your search. If he is dead, I want to know it for sure. If not, we still need to know what has happened to him."

  "Yes, m' lord," the captain gave a last brief look to the queen before leaving the throne room.

  "Don't worry yourself, Alyanna," Merrick said turning to his queen and trying to sound sincere. "I am sure that they will find your father soon."

  "If you'll excuse me... husband?" the queen whispered. "I do not feel too well right now."

  "Of course," he said patting her hand. The woman was too caught up in her worries to see the humor reflected in the lord's eyes, "go rest yourself, my dear."

  Krulir also noticed the look of hate come over the High Lord's face as she shu
ffled away. He knew, as certainly as Alyanna, that Terris would only be seen again as a corpse. Merrick's temper had vented itself in revenge and death once again. The vizier sighed. The elderly man would have felt sorry for the girl, if he hadn't known that having such a feeling would also incur a taste of Merrick's unkind attentions. Krulir could also pretty much rule out that Terris' line would soon become absolutely no threat to the conqueror. The prince would have to be fearful that such an occurrence might end his life now as well.

  "Krulir, who is next in line," Merrick asked forgetting the matter easily.

  Chapter 25- A King’s Order

  With the return of his brother Simon to his life, Gerid was renewed in spirit, if not fully, at least in part. Within days of their reunion, Simon had convinced his younger sibling to let him handle some of the office duties. Knowing his brother's innate talent for making money, Gerid was not hard to convince. The first thing the older brother did after looking over the shipping logs was to check out the latest haul. They had yet to have the dock masters look at the ships that were not of use for sea warfare. Knowing that they were not in need of their sales financially, Simon asked to keep only a pair of the merchants.

  Gerid had been slightly surprised at the request, but had heard his brother's idea out. Simon had decided that they should use the ships to make even more money by using them strictly for shipping. With the contacts that Simon had developed through Yleth Molein and those of his younger brother, he was quickly able to establish several contracts with the local merchants.

  With his brother thus occupied, Gerid left matters in his capable hands and took the Vengeance and her two comrades back out to sea. Heading straight into the thick of the Kloste shipping territory, he kept his fleet busy for most of the next month. On his return to Camerton, Gerid had two more merchant ships and a pair of mid-sized warships in his possession. He found the other half of his fleet in port as well. They had been nearly as successful as their commander. Another merchant and a mid-sized pirate laden with treasure were also added to his collection. He paid the crews handsomely from the takings.