Trials of a Champion

by Thomas O'Gorman

  The soldiers picked Arvil back up and ran towards the palace. They reached the area where the healers were set up and one named Nessa Holm came over and put her hand on Arvil’s head.

  “He will have a massive headache when he wakes up, but otherwise he will be fine. I’ll have someone bandage his wound.”

  The healer scurried off to the other wounded and the squadron started to leave to look for more Menegar. Torvee stopped the feminine one.

  “Thank you for saving us,” Torvee said.

  The soldier took off her helm and to Torvee’s utter surprise, it was Tiga.

  “Tiga, what are you doing? You can’t run around being a soldier! You might get hurt. Uncle Arkyn won’t stand for this!”

  “Your welcome, Torvee,” Tiga said. “I was bored and Uncle Arkyn wasn’t going to let me help in the fight, so I became an Avish soldier. I am officially in the Aviel Army and there is nothing Uncle Arkyn can do about it. Still, don’t tell him yet. He isn’t ready to hear about this.”

  Since I owe you for saving my life, I won’t say anything,” Torvee said. “Just be careful, cousin. There is only one Winn Vaux.”

  “There is only one Tiga Vaux as well! I’ll kill as many Menegar as my brother! You watch.”

  Tiga ran off after her fellow squadron members. Torvee was left stunned. Who else is hiding behind armor around here?

  Arkyn was furious with his commander. How could he let the 100 Menegar that terrorized Trellheim earlier that day into the city? He listened to the excuses, that the scouts never saw the party of the 100 Menegar that traversed through the countryside unabated and entered his city through the front gates that were supposed to be guarded by his best troops. The troops were off lunching and had left just a few guards behind to do the work of a company. The King demoted the commander and the junior commander who let that happen. They were all lucky they were still in the army and still alive. Arkyn needed every man he could get, even the stupid ones.

  As to the damage done, 142 people were killed, forty-one civilians and 101 soldiers. Several were injured, including the young Jarl Arvil Bonde who saved the life of his niece. Speaking of, it was time for Arkyn to give her a piece of his mind. Arkyn was sitting on his throne, putting him in the most intimidating position possible, and had summoned Torvee before him.

  “Your Majesty,” Torvee said after she approached the throne.

  “Lady Torvee Eriks, are you not my subject?” Arkyn asked.

  “Of course, I am, Your Majesty,” Torvee said in her most respectful tone.

  “Therefore, you are bound by my rules, my requests, and my requirements of you. Is this not so?”

  “Yes, it is so.”

  “Then why did you disobey me yesterday by fleeing from your guard that I personally set for you?” Arkyn said with a raised voice.

  “I have no excuse Your Majesty. I thought it would be fun, but it turned into tragedy. I am dreadfully sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it. You would have died if not for Jarl Bonde. You want to flee his company so badly; well you won’t have need of it any longer. You are forbidden to leave the palace grounds until this war is over.”

  “Uncle Arkyn…”

  “Don’t you Uncle Arkyn me young lady. I won’t have your life being put in danger, and I won’t allow you to disobey me without consequence.”

  “Yes Sire.”

  “You are dismissed.”

  Torvee started to leave the throne room when she saw Arvil being summoned to approach the throne. He had a bandage on his head and was dressed in court clothes rather than his warrior attire. Torvee stayed to watch.

  “Your Majesty,” Arvil said

  “Jarl Bonde, I am of two minds about you. On one hand you let my niece escape you like a bumbling fool, endangering her life. On the other hand, you did save her life and you were injured in the process. I am both enraged by you and indebted to you. My rage has subsided since I heard the story, but I am concerned about your judgement. What is your excuse for letting her outsmart you and escape from your presence?”

  “Sire, I will admit that I indulged her. I have a hard time telling her no.”

  “Why is that, because she is pretty? Do you let every pretty face bend your will?”

  “No Sire. I would rather not elaborate if it suits Your Majesty.”

  “It does not! You are an otherwise sensible young man, Jarl Bonde, but to be a peer in this kingdom requires sterner stuff than letting a mere young woman beguile you. How can I trust you in a command position if you can’t handle one girl?

  “Sire Lady Torvee is no girl. She is the most beautiful woman in the land.”

  “Don’t lecture me on how beautiful my niece is! You border on impertinence!”

  “Your Majesty, no disrespect towards you or your station is intended. You asked for my excuse, and it is that I hold Lady Torvee in the highest regard, a place where I hold no other.”

  “Jarl Bonde,” Arkyn laughed. “Don’t tell me you are one of the many that have fallen under her spell. Don’t tell me you are in love with her.”

  “Sire, I am afraid it is true.”

  “Have you tried to court her?”

  “No Sire, better men have tried and failed. I thought I could let that love die, but then when you thrusted her upon me as my charge, old flames were rekindled and burned brightly.”

  “Have you told her how you feel.”

  “No Sire, I would not dare.”

  “Yet she is right here in this room. Torvee approach the throne.”

  A mortified Torvee approached.

  “Yes Sire?” Torvee said.

  “Niece, Jarl Bond wishes to court you. I am aware that no less than twenty-two men of varying nobility that are stationed here in Trellheim have been refused courtship by you. Why?”

  “I loved another.”

  “If Jarl Bonde has declared his love for you here in my throne room. Would you refuse him if he asked to court you?”

  At first Torvee wanted to shout yes. She reconsidered and thought about Siggy as a child. He was made fun of unmercifully by his peers, yet it didn’t change his sweet personality. He was huge, but she could tell there was no fat on him any longer. In fact, he was very pleasing to the eye. He seemed so taciturn and shut off now, but Torvee realized she behaved like a snob toward him. If she would have given him a chance, would that sweet personality shine through? She decided there was only one way to find out.

  “Yes Sire, if he asked, I would allow him to be my suitor.”

  “Jarl Bonde?” Arkyn asked.

  “Lady Torvee, you are a rose in the garden, a tulip in a meadow, the sun in my darkness. I hold you above all other women. Would you consent to being courted by someone as undeserving as me?”

  “Siggy, I have known you since childhood. I know it was a difficult time for you, but I always made it a point to be kind to you. It wasn’t out of charity or sympathy; it was because I loved your sweet nature and positive outlook on life. I hope you are still that boy at heart, even though you have grown into a very formidable man, and an attractive man.” Torvee smiled at him. “If you are still that boy inside, and you still let me call you by your boyhood name, Siggy, then I will happily accept your courtship.”

  “Jarl Bonde, what say you?” Arkyn asked.

  “Siggy is a name from a long time ago, but Lady Torvee can call me anything she likes. Deep down, I suppose I am still like young Siggy, though you would have to get past my defenses to get to him. I would love to court the woman that holds my heart. It is my dream.”

  “I declare your courtship valid and in place of Torvee’s deceased parents, I give my approval. You must be accompanied by a chaperone at all times, except for an allowed daily walk in the palace gardens. Neither of you are permitted any other courtships, and any marriage must take place before the palace is attacked or after the war is over. I bless your courtship. Now I believe it is time for your first walk.”

  “Thank you Sire,” Arvil and Torvee said.
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  Torvee and Arvil headed toward the back exit of the palace. They didn’t speak until they left the palace and were in the gardens.

  “Siggy, why didn’t you tell me who you were? Thank you for saving my life by the way.”

  “It was my honor to do so. I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed. I haven’t seen you in five years and I didn’t know if you would even remember me.”

  “Of course I would have. You were always one of my favorite people. Haven’t I always been kind to you?”

  “Yes, but I thought it was out of pity, Torvee, just like this sham courtship. Everyone knows you love another.”

  “Siggy, somehow you have knocked him right out of my heart. He is my cousin, and I will always love him like a brother, but my heart has changed of late, and I am open to a new love.”

  “That is music to my ears, yet I still fear that it is not me you are looking for.”

  “Siggy, if you are anything at all like the boy I knew, you are exactly the man I am looking for.”

  Arvil didn’t say anything, but he jumped a little when Torvee took his hand.

  General Rackam was apoplectic as he marched toward the bivouac of the 726th Company, commanded by Lieutenant Broc Reaver. The word was that they had a new recruit. A female recruit. A female recruit named Vaux! The sister of Winn Vaux and the niece of King Arkyn. If Arkyn found out that Tiga Vaux was a private . . . a private! If he found out she was a private in the Aviel Army, he would have a stroke and probably hang General Rackam by the nearest parapet.

  The general reached the barracks where Lieutenant Reaver was bunking, and he walked in on the lieutenant and the female private in question having an animated conversation about battle tactics.

  “What in the hell is going on here? Lady Tiga, what are you doing in these barracks?”

  “Sir, I live here sir.”

  “How can that be?”

  “I am a member of your force sir.”

  “Bullshit! How did that happen?”

  “Lieutenant Sexton accepted conscripted me as a private.”

  “I deconscript you! Get out of here!”

  “I can’t do that sir.”

  “Why the hell not. If I am your commanding officer, you must follow orders, if not, then civilians aren’t allowed in here.”

  “Sir where do you want me to go?”

  “Go back to the palace and don’t come back.”

  “Sir I am an official member of this army. You have to court-marshal me to dismiss me.”

  “Then I court-marshal you.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “Because you are Tiga Vaux! Niece to the King of our host country!”

  “Sir, you can’t court-marshal me because I am related to a foreign king. I have committed no crime; I was recruited legally under the articles of war of Aviel.”

  “Damn it, Lady Vaux. Don’t you see the problems this will cause me with your uncle?”

  “I don’t care. Let’s go see him right now if you think he will be a problem. Legally he can’t do anything about it. I am a citizen of Aviel. I can choose to join the Aviel Army if I wish. My brother did it. What is the difference between him and me? The Aviel Army started accepting female recruits two years ago.”

  “Fine, let’s go see Arkyn, now. Perhaps if he says to stop this nonsense you will listen.”

  The general and Tiga marched to see Arkyn in the throne room. Tiga watched as he dismissed Torvee and Arvil, and they both looked red faced. Tiga hoped it didn’t portend a tongue lashing for her.

  Soon the general and Tiga were beckoned to approach the throne. The general spoke first.

  “Your Majesty, your niece, Lady Tiga, has got it in her head to join the Aviel Army as a private. Unfortunately, I have no legal way to bar her from joining or to remove her from the army, as she is an Aviel citizen and has been legally recruited by Lieutenant Sexton. I thought perhaps a word from you would change her mind.”

  “Ah Tiga, you wish to follow in Winn’s footsteps. I knew you had the heart of a warrior, and as much as I wish I could keep you safe and secure in the palace, I know I must allow you to follow your heart. General, I bless Tiga’s service, and I thank her for volunteering to save Skal. My only concern is that she be given a rank that suits her station. She is a lady and a sister to the Champion of Aviel no less. I will pay her commission as an officer, just name the price.”

  “Sire,” General Rackam said. “No commission is necessary. I hereby promote Private Vaux to Captain Vaux, effective immediately. One of our captains was killed today, and I can think of no one better to fill the position with than Lady Tiga.”

  “General, I am not qualified to be a captain,” Tiga said in an agitated state. “I joined the army to fight, not to lead men.”

  “Captain Vaux,” General Rackam said, “You serve at the pleasure of the Aviel Army. I am the ranking member of the Aviel army in Skal. If I say you’re a captain, then you are a captain. Your station and your rank do not allow you the luxury of being a mindless killer. You are a peer of society, and therefore you are a peer of the army. Your lot in life is as a leader of men and women. No, you have no experience, but neither did your brother, and look what he did. Blood tells captain, and I expect great things from you. If you are half the officer your brother is, and note I said is, not was, then you will be the second finest officer in the King’s army. I will hear no more on the subject.”

  “Well said, general,” Arkyn said. “This situation is resolved to my satisfaction. Captain, you shall dine with me this evening. General, captain, you are dismissed.”

  Chapter 13: The Winn Show

  August 12, 850 A.A.

  Winn lay hovering in the air in the work room.

  “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah,” he kept saying over and over in his state of unconsciousness.

  Hezza and Yhadi both paced back and forth in a state of worriedness. They didn’t know if he said her name out of love or hate, only that he had not forgotten her like he had not forgotten Jaunty. Who knows how many people in his life he remembered. They knew his memory was flooded with fake thoughts, but they did not cancel out his memory like Jezel said they would. Instead they just confused him, and he had become a crazed madman who would kill at a moment’s notice. He even tried to kill Jaunty as well as the two of them over the last few weeks. Without Eksela, and with the disappearance of Melevia, they had been on their own to finish the task of making Winn forget everyone close to him. They had failed and feared Jezel’s reaction to that failure. Yhadi wanted to take Eksela’s wand and totally fry Winn’s brain, but Hezza knew that would be considered failure as well. Mikel’s killing of Eksela when she approached Winn with that wand was not far from Hezza’s mind. Hezza shuddered to think that Mikel could reach into the heart of the Black Veil Mountains.

  No, Hezza would not use the wand on Winn. She instead would cast a spell on him so he could not speak. The spell would last a couple of days. As soon as Ajani came to collect him, which was to happen later that day, then she would wait a day and flee from the Black Veil Mountains and go back to Sapon and hide. She would kill Yhadi before she left so no one would know Winn’s state.

  Winn had woken up while Hezza was deep in thought. He stared at Hezza with deep hatred and he was mouthing “I’m gonna kill you” over and over. His crazed manner made Hezza, a woman who had seen all sorts of depravity in her short life, uneasy. She had no doubt if he were unleashed, he could and would kill her, even though she had the powers of a dark wizard to defend her. She had noticed, especially since he evaded over a hundred wizards when he escaped, that many spells did not work on Winn. She had experimented and found that if he had any movement at all be could break the magical bonds that they used to subdue him. They totally immobilized him for that reason. Magical fire burned his hair but didn’t hurt his skin. Lighting was the same way. Basically, missile like objects that were magically created didn’t harm him. Sleeping spells, compelling spells, and death curses didn’t work on him either. T
he only way they ever knew anything about him or what he was thinking was to read his mind, and now that was muddled and confused.

  They couldn’t tell what he remembered or what he had forgotten. The dark magic that they infused his brain with clouded everything. That was why he was so dangerous right now. They couldn’t tell who he really was or what side he was on.

  Hezza told Yhadi to prepare Winn for Ajani’s arrival. Yhadi took his bond and walked him out of the work room and into the hall with him floating behind. She took him to the baths and lowered him into the waters without releasing his bonds. The bath attendants were able to scrub him clean. Yhadi concentrated hard on the bond to make sure it didn’t slip. Winn would kill the bath attendants and probably Yhadi as well if it did.

  He remained in the magical bond and she lifted him back out of the water once he was clean. She put him down in a standing position and some more attendants dressed him in some clothes Hezza had made for him. The clothes were a pair of tight black breeches, a black tunic, and a small black cape. Yhadi couldn’t tell what Winn thought of the clothes. All he would try to utter is “I am gonna kill you” to anyone that got close to him.

  Yhadi brought him back into the work room once he was dressed. Winn looked from Yhadi to Hezza with hate in his eyes and did not say a thing. They left him in a corner until Ajani arrived.

  Ajani burst through the door with a contingent of guards shortly thereafter.

  “Is my prize ready for me?” Ajani bellowed.

  “Yes, Your Majesty, the specimen is ready to be your servant,” Hezza said.

  “Let him loose then, my servant shouldn’t need to be bound.”

  “Sire I highly recommend that he be kept bound until all of the changes we made to his mind have settled in,” Hezza said.

  “Nonsense, he is either ready or he isn’t. Do I have to call out to Jezel?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary, Yhadi release him.”