Savage Betrayal

by Anni Antoni

  Despite everything, a ray of hope surfaced through my gloom. In desperation, I clutched at it. Perhaps Pelle and his family, Rachel, her parents and I could form a break-away group. Even without tools, a cart and a horse we would survive. I would make sure of it. It may be a blessing in disguise. Hope flared in my heart.

  **********

  The Arbiter hurried across the courtyard bringing another messenger to face the Prince. At least this one was not bringing dire news. He was from the South, from King Juf, the Prince’s father.

  “Your gracious Eminence,” called the Arbiter as he sank to his knees.

  The Prince walked across the room from where he'd been talking to his guards and sat on his throne.

  “What is it this time Arbiter? I trust you bring something interesting to share with me.” Prince Evrat was in a good mood. Talking to his personal guards was always something he enjoyed.

  “It is good news, your wondrous Majesty. King Juf, his court and servants are well underway. They are within three days of our fort and we can soon welcome them.”

  “Yes, good news indeed. I will enjoy seeing my family. Find out how many extra mouths we need to provide for. That is important. I’ll leave it with you to make sure we can feed them well.”

  “Yes, your Eminence. I will prepare immediately.” The Arbiter and the messenger left the Prince, without informing him about the growing cloud of smoke on the horizon.

  **********

  From where I worked with Pelle, I watched as two messengers from the north came to see the Arbiter within a short time. They stayed in his quarters for a long time, I noticed, and he did not take them to see the Prince until later. After talking with the messengers, the Arbiter walked slowly across to the Prince’s quarters, hustling the two messengers before him. I could only imagine what was said. The news did not look good.

  **********

  The Arbiter took a deep breath, walked before the Prince on his throne, fell on his knees and put his head on the ground. “Your gracious, brilliant Majesty, I bear bad news that I can't keep from you.” He said it slowly and deliberately, giving the Prince the signal this was a prelude to something that must be kept secret between them.

  He waved to the two messengers who fell to their knees and put their heads on the ground as well.

  The Prince sat up straight, the blood rushing from his face, as his mean eyes narrowed in understanding. Fear constricted his throat. The Arbiter had signaled a crisis was happening. He must keep his head – his life could depend on it.

  “What? More bad news? I thought I told you to deal with it Arbiter,” said the Prince.

  “Yes, you did your Eminence. I'm sorry. I have ideas of what to do but I need your authority.” The Arbiter stammered, as if worried the Prince had forgotten their arrangement.

  The Prince stood and paced in front of his throne. “Indeed? You need my authority?” He turned to his guards. “Leave us. Go to the guards’ room and wait for me to summon you. As my trusted bodyguards, you will be the first to hear if this news concerns you.”

  “There, are you satisfied? I trust this news is serious enough to warrant the dismissal of my bodyguard.” Prince Evrat glared at him, although his hands shook. The secret code was for dire emergencies only.

  Arbiter Berkant raised his head, his face white and drawn. “Please your Worship, I beseech you, listen to these messengers.”

  The Prince glared at the messengers, fighting to maintain his equilibrium. “Who came first?”

  “I did your worship.” said one.

  “Out with it man. What is your bad news?"

  “The burning of crops and slaughter of animals continues, your Worship. We are desperately trying to stop it, but it has taken hold. We captured one of the farmers, a ringleader. After some persuasion, he told us they realize they have no hope of survival against our disciplined soldiers and so they burn their crops and slay their animals, hoping to disadvantage us. They believe they have a better chance of survival hunting game in the wilderness than facing your army.” The messenger bowed his head.

  “I see,” said the Prince, his face impassive, although his complexion paled.

  He turned his attention to the second messenger. “Do you wish to add to this news?”

  “No, my news is the same, from further along the front. The burning of crops and the killing of livestock continues and we are powerless to stop it your Eminence.”

  The Prince’s breathing grew noisy and irregular. Although his complexion grew white, he stood, squared his shoulders and spoke in a dignified manner, as befitted his position and the seriousness of the situation.

  “Your messages are honest. Now, take this message back. The burning must stop. We must capture food for the fort. No soldier is permitted to return here unless he has a cart full to the brim with food.”

  Prince Evrat paused and turned frightened eyes to the Arbiter. “Do you have anything you wish to add to the message?”

  The Arbiter shook his head. “You have said all that is necessary your Eminence.”

  “Messengers, you are dismissed. Get out of my sight. Arbiter, have them escorted to the gate by the soldiers. They must not speak to anyone. Come back when you have arranged it.”

  By the time the Arbiter returned, Prince Evrat was pacing the floor, his trembling hands tearing at his hair.

  “Arbiter help me. This is a disaster, out of control. Tell me you know what to do. Without food coming from the front, and with the king and his court coming to stay, we face a crisis. We will not be able to feed ourselves, let alone the returning soldiers. My father will despise me if I fail him. What can I do? Tell me!” Prince Evrat’s eyes bulged. He ran to his throne and sat rocking himself.

  “Praise be, you had the wisdom to dismiss the guards and speak openly your most gracious Eminence,” said the Arbiter. “I had every confidence you would remember our secret code. This is a grave situation we must endure, but please don’t distress yourself, I had to bring it to your attention and, as you suspected, I have the answer. It is not pleasant, but you and your family must survive the coming winter. I will tell you how to do it and you will save face in front of your father, the King.” The Arbiter smiled indulgently at the Prince, as if emboldened by his helpless show of fear.

  “We have enough food on hand to feed you, your court, your father, his family and all the staff he brings. The last messenger from him detailed how many people he brings and what supplies he has, and I checked our food stores. We will survive the winter with what we have. However, we cannot have the young soldiers return and we cannot sustain the population we now have here as well.”

  The Prince stood and clutched at the Arbiter’s tunic front. “But Arbiter, if we try to put the population of the whole fort out we could face an uprising. Our lives could be at risk.”

  “I thought of that too. Don't worry your gracious Eminence. My loyalty is with you and I will do all in my power to see you and your family survive.”

  The Prince groaned, his pallor increasing. “Tell me what to do!” He kept clutching at the Arbiter’s tunic.

  “A radical solution is necessary. The craftsmen and their families are now expendable. We can always add new people like them to the fort when we replenish our food stocks. Surviving the winter is our foremost concern. I propose more than just putting them out. We must cull the population. Only the regular soldiers, their women and all those within your quarters are to be saved. We cannot support more.”

  The Prince drew himself up to his full height and sucked in a deep breath. “So be it. How do you propose to do this?”

  “We must take the guards into our confidence. What we will do is announce at an assembly that King Juf is coming to winter here. Distribute a strong honey wine for everyone to drink as a celebration. Lace it with a sleeping potion and send them to bed. The potion is strong enough to kill some. But most will just sleep heavily.”

  “Have our regular soldiers come in and kill them as they sleep. Then we’ll
have an empty fort apart from our regular soldiers and our women. We can build again when food supplies are more stable. The fort will be clear by the time the King arrives to stay with you. He will have ample room and food will be plentiful.”

  The Prince drew in a huge breath and sighed heavily. “A good plan. Your good thinking has saved us again. You are worth your weight in gold Arbiter.” His color returned, and he sat once more on his throne, leaning back, relaxed. “Can you arrange for this to happen tonight?”

  “Yes, your Eminence.” The Arbiter stood in front of the Prince wearing a satisfied smirk on his face. “The sooner it is done, the less risk there is of any of the fort’s population finding out. Swiftness and secrecy are essential now. Don’t worry, I will make all arrangements…”

  Chapter 25.

  False Hopes

  Hear ye, hear ye.” The Arbiter walked out into the center of the courtyard and stopped, shouting in a loud ringing voice. “Prince Evrat will make an important announcement soon, so gather around everyone. Your attention is required.”

  The sun hung low in the sky as Pelle and I put our tools away, finishing work for the afternoon. We exchanged surprised looks. “This must be about King Juf coming,” said Pelle.

  We stopped what we were doing and walked to the front of the Prince’s quarters. Bronwyn and the children joined us and people gathered, packed tightly together, waiting for the announced news.

  Rachel sidled up and put her hand in mine. I bent down and put my head briefly on hers, hoping the news was not as dire as I was expecting.

  Before long the Prince came out in full regalia, wearing a bronze and gold crown and a long fur coat. He made a grand spectacle.

  “My loyal subjects, I'm glad to see you all gathered here,” the Prince began. “I must share important news with you.”

  My mouth dried and a heavy sense of doom hung over me. I couldn't think what the Prince would announce to the whole fort. My mind raced.

  Drawing himself up to his full height and beckoning the Arbiter to his side, the Prince spoke. “My revered father King Juf has fallen on hard times. Floods have devastated the farmlands around his fort. When the floodwaters receded, crops were useless -- destroyed. Now he has little food, and can't survive the winter without our help. The King and his court are coming here to winter with us. It is a happy time, for we can share our bounty with my father and I am pleased to do this. We must celebrate this momentous occasion.”

  The Arbiter spoke up. “Praise King Juf,” he shouted, waving his hands in the air encouraging us to praise the king. A chorus of “praise King Juf” erupted dutifully from the gathered population.

  “Your gracious Prince has provided honey wine for our celebration of this momentous event, to be distributed later in the evening. What I ask of you now is to hurry with your evening meal. Eat sparingly, lightly and quickly. For we have much to do tomorrow. Temporarily our accommodation will be stretched and we will need to share with other families. I know you will not mind doing this for the approaching winter. I stress, it will only be temporary. Go to your quarters, eat your evening meal and come out when you've finished. Then we will celebrate this wonderful occasion.”

  Pelle and I exchanged looks of amazement. Had the Arbiter and the Prince solved the problem? There was no mention of putting anyone out of the fort. This was too good to be true. Sharing our accommodation for a short time would be no hardship.

  “What does this mean for us?” whispered Rachel, a frown marring her pretty face.

  “I don't know,” I said smiling at her. “a short delay in getting our own quarters, perhaps. Tomorrow I’ll see the Arbiter and request you and your parents move in with us temporarily.”

  She smiled her approval, her eyes shining. “Yes, oh please do so. That would be wonderful.”

  I still couldn't shake the sense of doom that hung over me. How could I have been so wrong? Perhaps I was growing too suspicious.

  “Come,” said Pelle. “Let’s go home and eat so we can return for the celebration. I’m looking forward to that honey wine.” We walked back with Bronwyn and the children to our quarters and Rachel followed her parents to theirs. We would meet again at the celebration.

  Pelle and I helped Bronwyn prepare a quick evening meal, and soon we were back outside in the courtyard. Everyone gathered around chattering and laughing, the mood light and happy.

  “I can't believe this, Pelle. Things seem to be working out fine.” I shook my head, puzzled at how things had changed so quickly.

  “Yes,” he said. “You worried about nothing. The Arbiter must have worked things out. I’m glad we don’t have to worry about anyone being put out.”

  The sun hung low on the horizon, heralding dusk when the Prince, the Arbiter and several soldiers appeared from the Prince’s quarters.

  The soldiers carried three large vats and stood them in front of the Prince’s quarters. They stood, stirring the contents of the vats with long wooden spoons. Other soldiers set up two long trestle tables and placed wooden drinking vessels upon them as we watched.

  The soldiers ladled the drinking vessels full of honey wine from the vats. Once that had been done the Arbiter thumped his stick on the ground.

  “Now come and take your wine, one full cup for each person, children included,” he said in his loud ringing voice. “Wait until everyone is served. Then we will all drink together and toast the good fortune of having our King come to stay.”

  “What does honey wine taste like?” I asked Pelle, eager for the new experience.

  “Ah, honey wine tastes wonderful, sweet but with a wicked kick to it.” Pelle laughed. “It’s been years since I had any.”

  The heavy sense of doom would not leave me and I wondered why we were celebrating this evening. It seemed premature. “Wouldn't it be better to celebrate when the King has arrived?” I whispered to Pelle.

  “Yes.” He laughed. “Perhaps the Prince is saving wine by doing it this way. Or perhaps we’ll have another celebration when he gets here.”

  I laughed with him unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss.

  “Don't drink the wine yet,” said the Arbiter. “Wait until everyone is served. Then we will all toast the King together.”

  The whole population of the fort was in a good mood. Much laughter and chatting ensued as everyone bustled around the tables getting cups of wine.

  Pelle and I went together to get our wine, with Bronwyn and the children, among the last to get served. The crowd settled down, conversation slowed as everyone waited for all to be served.

  The Prince and the Arbiter raised their cups when everyone was served. “To King Juf,” they said in unison, and downed their wine.

  “King Juf.” A chorus of voices sounded from the people gathered in the courtyard. We all downed our wine together.

  The wine was sweet, but it had a burning taste to it and a kick, as Pelle had told me. Overall it was pleasant, especially the glow that came after drinking it.

  Rachel was nearby, and we drained our cups in unison, giving each other a silent toast with our eyes.

  A quietness descended upon the crowd as they drank.

  “Now, attention everyone.” said the Arbiter. “There is much to do tomorrow. and I will tell you our plans then. For now, I request you return the cups to the table and all go to your quarters to sleep. You will be grateful for the rest.”

  Like the well-trained property of the Prince that we were, we quietly obeyed.

  Rachel looked over her shoulder as she followed her parents home. On impulse, I ran to her, put my arm around her waist and gave her a kiss.

  She melted into my embrace. Reluctantly, I tore myself away. The courtyard was almost empty. Everyone was going home.

  “Tomorrow, I'll see you tomorrow and I'll speak to the Arbiter. We may be together sooner than you think.” I gave her a quick kiss and ran back to where Pelle, Bronwyn and the children were disappearing inside our home.

  I stumbled and laughed to myse
lf. It must be the wine, I thought. I had never been drunk before. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling but the need to lie down in my room, as soon as possible, was growing urgent.

  My head was swimming. As I walked into my room, I didn't even take my boots off before throwing myself onto my bedding. The need for sleep was overpowering…

  **********

  Joe stretched out on the grass next to his bike and took a long, deep breath. The presence in his mind, intensely aware of the story he was telling, felt impatient as he lapsed into silence. Joe folded his hands underneath his head and gazed up to the stars in the clear night sky.

  “Well you can guess what happened next. I shouldn’t need to spell it out to you.” he said.

  A sense of urgency, connected to the presence in his mind, tugged at him, as though impatient for more.

  “Surely, that's enough. The rest is not pretty.”

  The sense of impatience and urgency in his mind intensified.

  Joe laughed, a hard, cynical sound. “So, you want the rest of the story I take it.” The presence in his mind calmed as though satisfied. “Well you asked for it,” said Joe. “And I suppose I owe it to you. After all, I promised you my story and it doesn't end here. You've stuck with me the whole time and I'm grateful for your presence. I have found it oddly soothing.”

  Joe sat up and drew his knees towards him, taking deep breaths. “It’s not easy to tell this story, even now, after so much time has elapsed, and it won’t be easy to continue. Let me gather my thoughts.”

  Joe put his arms around his knees and leaned his head on them, curling himself into a ball. “Very well, I'll continue, until the end.”

  Chapter 26.

  Reality and Retribution

  Where was I? Ah yes, I staggered into my room to sleep. The children slept in the same room. Bronwyn and Pelle had put them to bed, and they were already fast asleep. The wine must have knocked them out, I remember thinking.

  I stumbled around for a few moments before collapsing, still dressed, onto my bedding. My head felt strange. I must have gone straight to sleep, for I remember nothing else.