To Claim the Elvin Princess: Apprentice

by Jack Bessie

  “How did you feel about the Eridians after seeing our dead women and children?” she asked softly, stepping close.

  “I understood what you meant, about it being hard to resist the desire for vengeance. We have to do something, to punish them, so they will never touch any but a warrior!”

  “Good! I am inclined the same...now tell me...what is this thing you’ve spoken of...that thing called a guerilla war?” she demanded, clearly curious.

  39

  Shocara was still debating what to do about the Elvin captives when a worse bit of news reached her ears. One of her messengers had returned from a long transit to the east, relaying instructions and gathering information for her. She had been eating with many of the men, talking about potential targets for more raids, when Ashuta had come seeking her, bearing the news of his long transit.

  “How was it?” she wondered.

  “As well as ever...it is a long journey! The weather is getting worse too...much rain and cold!” he sighed, warming himself by they fire.

  “Have the other’s been reasonable or are they doing things I’d be displeased over?”

  Ashuta shrugged. “Most seem inclined to be patient, and wait for your word...but not all. The Kaderi attacked an Elvin village...” he replied.

  Shocara stared at him several moments considering this. “What did they do...raid for goods and valuables?”

  “No Princess...they took many women, and killed everyone that didn’t escape, then burned what they could...” he answered, expecting Shocara to explode.

  “Are they insane?!” she shrieked. “What do they think the Elvin will do about that?”

  “They seem unconcerned, and are quite proud of their effort. Their leader, Rumarin, suggests you would be more to their liking should all Eridians start trying to exterminate the Elvin!”

  “Do you know how many they killed?”

  “Nearly a hundred...they took three dozen captive, and have them in their village!”

  Shocara sat, considering this.

  “What might you be inclined to do regarding this?” Hacarim wondered.

  “Send word to they other villages nearby. I want a hundred flyers gathered in two days! The Kaderi need to select a new leader, one less stupid than Rumarin!” she cried, her anger visible.

  “You think to persuade him to step aside?” Hacarim wondered, frowning.

  “I intend to take his head off, to express my disapproval!” Shocara suggested. “If the Kaderi aren’t inclined to listen to my words, we will burn their village to the ground also! We shall also take the Elvin with us!”

  “But what if the Elvin attack them, intending to recover their women?” someone asked. Shocara grinned.

  “That will be the Kaderi’s problem, won’t it?” she said simply. “I won’t be ignored, on something this important!”

  “Why do you seem so concerned about what the Elvin might do?” Hacarim wondered. Shocara looked tired and annoyed.

  “Understand this...the Elvin out number us beyond your ability to even count! Their sorcery is such that they might wipe us from the very world! We walk a very thin line between pushing them to give in to us, and them simply ridding the world of us! Should we become too great a problem, we would doom our people. We want more for our people, not an end to us!”

  “I should wish the world was less hard and complex than it seems,” Hacarim complained.

  “Then you should have been born on a world where no Elvin live!” Shocara suggested. “If one might even exist...” she muttered, remembering what the young Elf had told her.

  Before she left with her warriors, Shocara went to see her father. Telling him what had been done by the Kaderi and what she intended to do about it didn’t please him.

  “You should honor them for their efforts! They can’t kill enough of the Elvin!” he grumbled.

  “You have no more sense than the Kaderi! Do you not understand what a power the Elvin are?”

  “Should I prevail, we will have a way to wipe them out! Your concern for them will look foolish, when that day comes!” he wheezed.

  “My wisdom will seem brilliant when the Elvin come to eradicate our people, but much too late! With fools like Rumarin, that time moves closer, and so does our doom. I hunger for victory, not annihilation!”

  “You worry like a girl child for nothing! It is unfortunate that I am too crippled to still lead us!”

  “Likely that is all that has kept us alive! I am going to visit the Kaderi, and impart some wisdom on them. I may be a fool, by while I can wield a sword, I am leading our people!”

  “May the gods pity us!” Katouric sneered.

  “They aren’t anymore likely too than the Elvin will be!” Shocara yelled, going out and slamming the door.

  The flight to the Kaderi’s main village took a full two days. Not wanting to arrive at almost dark and be at a disadvantage, should things prove unpleasant, they stopped five leagues away, camping in an unoccupied area. The following morning they took wing, landing at the Kaderi’s village in mid morning. The sight of Shocara and over a hundred of her warriors made the Kaderi much curious and a good bit nervous. There were not nearly as many of their own warriors present, like Shocara’s clan, they had gathered men from several villages to attack the Elvin.

  Shocara walked through the village followed by two dozen of her best fighters, and by the time she reached the middle of the place, Rumarin had come out to see what was afoot. He seemed annoyed to see her.

  “Ah, the princess has decided to come visit us! How excellent! You’ve come to congratulate us on our victory over the Elvin?” he smirked.

  “I have come to declare you an idiot, and a fool, who has not the sense to watch over a small herd of avarin! Your people deserve better leadership, should they wish to stay alive!”

  None of the Kaderi found her words pleasant, all looking disgruntled.

  “Our people would prefer more action and less regard for the Elvin. They bleed and die quite handily!” he laughed.

  Shocara said nothing, but drew her sword and slashed Rumarin’s neck in one blindingly fast motion. He staggered and fell, blood gushing.

  “It appears a fool bleeds and dies easily too!” she replied. “What sort of warrior thinks he is manly for killing unarmed women and children?” she demanded. Her fighters had spread themselves among the Kaderi, and had drawn swords, to discourage them from doing anything in response.

  “I would suggest you choose a new leader who is more wise, and inclined to follow my orders. If you fight the Elvin, you will fight their warriors, or you will fight mine!” she said simply. “Toss down your weapons, and bring me the Elvin captives! Now!” she loudly commanded.

  Shocara was soon confronting three dozen, mostly women and girls, and a handful of boys.

  “We are taking them, and will somehow return them to the Elvin. I have no desire to be caught in possession of their females!” she informed the Kaderi.

  “But what if the Elvin come here, intent on retrieving them?!”

  “Then you will get to be manly, and fight real warriors. Perhaps then you can die with honor, not live as cowards, killing helpless, unarmed children!” she insisted. “Send your new leader to me, prepared to swear allegiance and to listen to my words!” she said.

  Shocara mounted her terranak, and had a young Elvin girl handed up, to sit in front of her. The girl was clearly terrified, having no idea who Shocara and her warriors were, but assuming she was being spared one fate for possibly a worse one. Shocara reached around her for the reins, and gently pulled her back against herself. For all of her normal and long lasting hatred of the Elvin, she found it difficult to muster the same disdain for this young one. Since she could not speak with her passenger, she devoted herself to her thoughts, which seemed likely to disturb her more.

  How is it that I have these feelings? I no longer trust the things we have always believed! Is that a sign of good or ill? Always we have seen the Elvin as less then ourselves, as unwo
rthy. How can that even be possible? They are superb fighters, have great sorcery and much wealth. On any level, they seem our masters! Is our hatred solely the result of our envy and jealousy? What does that make us? Does such not declare us unworthy? What do the Elvin think of us? Are we only beasts in their eyes? Perhaps more than anything we hunger to be respected! she thought, this a new idea.

  How will we ever manage that?! Just the sight of their city made me feel weak and insignificant! It suddenly dawned on her that their attack on Alarinad had not been much different than what the Kaderi had done. Most of those they had killed had not been warriors. I was proud of that attack, but was it not unworthy? We snuck in and attacked, and then ran away, before the Elvin could muster their warriors or flyers! Maybe Hacarim is right...it is cowardly! Still, what can we do? How can we entice the Elvin warriors to fight us, in places where we might prevail? Perhaps our friends among the Elvin can help us? We have been fools long enough, and need to understand the world better. I wish I could go among them and learn their ways, so that I might know what their weaknesses are. If they have any weaknesses, she thought, unsure.

  The young Elvin girl sitting in her arms seemed strangely slender and almost frail. Shocara touched her hair, finding it amazingly soft and fine, blowing back past her cheek in the wind. Feeling Shocara’s touch, the young one turned to peek back at her, and smiled slightly, so far relieved to not be hurt or abused. Shocara found herself smiling in return, but soon frowned, when the Elf turned back around.

  If I’m not careful, I might start liking them! Then what would happen? My people would likely kill me!

  They camped at night away from any Eridian village, wishing to keep their Elvin unseen and unsnatched. They resumed their flight the next day, the Elvin too terrified to even consider escaping, knowing they were well away from Elvin lands.

  Most of the older girls and women had been well raped by the Kaderi, and since Shocara’s group had not done so, the Elvin hoped this was better than what other possible Eridians might do.

  When they arrived at Shocara’s village, the people were amazed to see such a group of Elvin. Shocara sent for the Elvin girl who spoke Eridian, so she could speak to the new ones, telling them of her plans. She had to devise places to keep them, and make sure they were fed, before coming to join her men.

  “You really intend to return them to the Elvin?” Hacarim wondered, not sure if this was wise or the thinking of a lunatic. Still, having seen what she did to the Kaderi leader, he was not inclined to complain excessively.

  “I wish to give them no justification for coming and killing all of us! That seems worthy to me. I wish a chance to beat them, not die at their hands, especially for something others did!”

  40

  Rasten had returned from his first foray and plunged back into his training. He had been among the Elvin nearly six months and had begun to master many of the skills he would need. His instructors were all exceedingly pleased by his progress, but were sparing in their praise. They were much more forthcoming with their criticism and encouragement, knowing what his potential was, and all determined to help him reach his father’s level of mastery.

  Amein had simply smiled whenever he loudly complained and grumbled, having no hesitation to share how much she had suffered during her own long training, being held to much the same standards as Rasten was facing. During one long rant, where he was griping again about how difficult Master Roein had been during a long afternoon’s sweaty round of sword fighting, Amein had put her hands on her hips and delivered a wicked tongue lashing.

  “You’d suggest that you’re less able and weaker than a mere female?!” she snipped, knowing that Rasten’s earthen upbringing had left him wickedly vulnerable to such an attack. “Really? You’re less inclined to work, more lazy and inattentive than a little Elvin girl was?!”

  “At least I haven’t been paddled with a sword!” he replied, knowing this was still a source of embarrassment to Amein.

  “Have you been taken to her bed as a reward for doing well?” she slyly asked, hoping he would say no, but fully willing to bring it up and rub it in!

  “I assumed you had forbid her to do such! You didn’t?”

  “Rasten...not even I can tell Master Roein how to conduct her training! Neither did father! She is above reproach, the best in her craft...only a fool might think to tell her to change her ways...and I’m no fool!”

  “But if she did...”

  “I’d likely have a fit and make you miserable! I’m sorry, but such is likely true. Still, if she has you, you will not say no anymore than I did! Then you’ll get to see what a real bitchy Elvin female fit looks like!” she declared and laughed.

  It was only a couple of days later when Rasten was reminded of this conversation when he was again at Master Roein’s, working hard to deal with her incredible speed and precision. Rasten had somehow managed to master the ability to stay focused, clearing his mind of all distractions, and letting his reflexes take command. He was well drenched in sweat, and vaguely conscious that all the other students had stopped their own practice to observe. They had been engaged for a time, both probing for the least opening or mistake and when the Master seemed to thrust a bit too loosely, Rasten unleashed a vicious counter at her. Roein looked shocked and took a step back, slapped her off hand on her right forearm, and looking in pain.

  Fearing he might somehow have managed to cut her, he lowered his sword slightly and stepped closer. Master Roein launched a vicious high spinning kick at his head, which would have floored him if it had connected, but Rasten caught and held her leg up high, countered and trapped her sword strike, and using his right leg, he swept her still planted foot out from under her. He landed on top of her, pinning her arms. He expected her to be shocked, but she was grinning delightedly.

  “You nearly fell for my trap! It is well that you didn’t!” she suggested wickedly.

  Rasten helped her up, and she sternly lectured her students on the necessity to never let their guard down for any reason while confronting an enemy. She assigned her helpers to finish with the students, and returned to Rasten.

  “Come, it is time to reward your progress!” she insisted, leading him toward the back of her school. He soon found himself following her luscious, tight behind up stairs, to where her private quarters were located. She made short work of divesting both of them of their swords, and tugged on his hand, leading him to her bath.

  “You stink...but that excites me! Still, I don’t wish to get the sheets sweaty, at least in this fashion!” she teased, unbuttoning his shirt. They made swift work of getting bare. Rasten noted a dozen hairline scars on her body, tracking some with a finger tip.

  “I image each has a story?” he asked, knowing Amein had several too.

  “Of course...I was a warrior a hundred years, before I began teaching others how to use a blade. My instruction is the result of a deep understanding, on how a sword should be used! You can’t read a treatise on swordsmanship and become skilled in the art!”

  “I understand some of Amein’s small scars were inflicted by you?”

  “Just as you’ve collected a few training ones! Pain is instructive...so is embarrassment!” she laughed. “Come, let us get clean, and I’ll show you another way to motivate a student!” she smirked.

  They scrubbed each other, the intimate touching doing much to arouse them; by the time they were clean, and had slipped into the warm soaking pool, they gave in.

  Master Roein sat astraddle of Rasten, and they pleasured each other quickly.

  “You’ve learned well from Amein, how to handle a naught elf!” she whispered, delighted. “Your father was wickedly skilled, and more than one female begged to be had at his hands.”

  “Were you one of them?” Rasten teased.

  “I didn’t have to beg! But I would have!” she confessed, looking guilty even after almost five centuries. “Rasten, don’t think this will make your training easier...but it is quite an honor for me to train
you! I worshiped your father as much as any of the Elvin did...” she sighed, looking likely to cry.

  “I gather he was much admired, and missed?” He felt the Master nod, her face against his shoulder.

  “It is hard to explain to any who did not see it, but Sayarin was as beloved as any elf might have been! His honor was impeccable, his...his decency and kindness were unequaled! I watched him pick up and comfort a small Eridian child, who’s father had just fallen to his sword...he cared so deeply for friend and foe alike, and all knew it! The Eridians were terrified of his skill, but all respected him, and I think he won some battles just because they wilted at the mention of his name! Only by Katurics sorcery was he overwhelmed!”

  “Amein seems to be well regarded also?”

  “She is much loved and admired, having no lack of judgment or wisdom, but she lacks some of Sayarin’s powers. That is why your ass is here!” Roein sighed.

  “Not just to take care of naughty Elvin females?”

  “It doesn’t hurt to do some of that either!” she confessed, a smug look well displayed. “Come, lets get dry and you can do more to address the naughty elf!” she laughed.

  It was getting late when the master sent Rasten on his way, they having had each other several more times. Rasten dreaded returning to face Amein, but when he arrived he was relieved to discover she had departed earlier to see to events elsewhere in the capital, and had not been present since late afternoon. This let him avail himself of another bath, to rid himself of Roein’s female fragrance, and he was enjoying a late snack and studying when Amein finally arrived. His relieve ended soon after.

  “What were you up to?” he asked, glancing up from his tome.

  “I went to see to our Eridians, and to make arrangements of a more permanent nature for them. What kept you out late?” Amein asked, her back turned as she sat to remove her boots. Clearly she had been informed of this by others.