Winn drank his fill from the stream and headed back to the beach. When he got there, he found that everyone was up and talking. He joined them.
“I found a stream not far from here if you want a drink,” Winn said.
“You shouldn’t have gone off by yourself, you could have run into trouble,” Svae said.
“You don’t think I can handle myself? Give me a break. I did run into trouble. Three Vestuan scouts. They weren’t much trouble, though. I took care of them.”
“We must be in the borderlands,” Sarah said. “There are constant skirmishes in the border area between Xi En and Vestua.”
“We need to get out of here fast,” Svae said. “Winn show us to your stream. Everyone take a big drink, who knows when the next chance to will come. After we quench out thirst, we will head to Kishoda.”
Winn led everyone to the stream. The members of the party each took a big drink. No one had a waterskin or canteen, but the Vestuans had three canteens between them, so they were able to take some water with them.
“This part of Xi En has many streams, lakes, and rivers,” Sarah said. “We shouldn’t have trouble finding another stream or two today.”
After they all drank their fill, they headed up the game trail because it headed in a south western direction, which they thought was where Kishoda was.
After two hours of hiking the game trail it led out to a large trail that may have passed for a road. The road headed due south, and they decided to follow it in hopes it led to a village where they could get directions to Kishoda. After another three hours on the road they saw five horsemen coming toward them. Winn, Sarah, and Jaunty moved to the front of the group because they spoke Xi En. The men approaching them were in military gear. The horsemen reached them and one, obviously the leader, rode ahead and hailed the group.
“Gaijin are not allowed to walk free in Xi En,” said the patrol leader. “You will submit to us and become our prisoners.”
“Sir my name is Princess Sarah of Aviel, and these people behind me are part of my party. I invoke diplomatic privilege. We will come with you freely as guests in your country. There is no need to treat us as prisoners.”
The Xi En leader thought for a moment. “Your identity will be confirmed once we reach Kishoda. Until then you will be treated as trespassers. No diplomatic privilege will be granted. Submit to us.”
“We will be no one’s prisoner,” Winn said in Xi En. “I am done with being bound. I have spent the last four months being bound by monsters and friends alike. You are going to have to kill me because I’ll die before I submit to be a prisoner.”
“If that is your wish gaijin, we will gladly comply.”
The leader fell back to his group and then they formed a V formation and rode at Winn.
“Sarah get back behind me,” Winn said. “I can handle this.”
Svae, Alana, Jaunty, and Vant rushed up to stand by Winn.
“Not without us,” Svae said.
“You don’t have any weapons,” Winn said. “Your sitting ducks.”
“Don’t need weapons, sir,” Vant said.
“Fine, don’t get stuck, you idiots,” Winn said.
If Svae and company were offended, they didn’t show it. Jaunty made sure Sarah stood back and ran up to the rest of the fighting group. The horsemen reached them and started swinging with their katanas. Winn jumped up high into the air, well over the heads of the horsemen, and attacked them with kicks to the face. He knocked two from their horses and the other three turned around to regroup. Winn was caught up in battle lust and landed by one of the fallen Xi En patrolmen and he reached down and broke his neck. Then he ran over to the other one and stabbed him in the heart with his stig.
“No Winn,” Svae yelled too late. “You went too far. We don’t want to be enemies of the Xi En state!”
“They attacked us, I killed them in self-defense,” Winn said.
“No sir,” Alana said. “You killed them when they were helpless. The other horsemen saw what you did, and they will bear witness to that.”
“Now they have company, we have to submit, or they will kill us all,” Svae said.
What Svae said was true. Thirty more horsemen came down the road and joined the three surviving patrolmen. The new leader approached them.
“You gaijin have one more chance to submit, or you will be slaughtered,” the new Xi En leader said. “That one,” he said pointing at Winn, “is guilty of double murder, and he will be brought to justice in Kishoda.”
Sarah walked to the front of the group. “I am Princess Sarah Carrington of Aviel. We will come with you willingly and will not be bound. The man you accuse of murder is my husband, and he will give his word not to escape and you will take his word and not bind him.”
“Princess, I will honor your word. I need to hear your husband’s pledge before I honor it.”
“Winn give your word,” Sarah said forcefully.
“No, I will fight them all!”
“Then you will die,” Svae said. “We will not stand with you. You will be on your own against thirty-three foes on horses. Did you lose your ability to strategize? Even for the mighty Delver Kide there is no way you win that fight.”
Winn really wanted to fight, and he knew if he submitted himself to the Xi En they would probably execute him. The urge to kill was strong. Yet when he looked at Svae, Jaunty, Vant, Alana, Bevy, and most of all Sarah, he realized that if he fought, he would put their lives in danger. It was a surprise to him, but he didn’t want to do that. He actually cared about what happened to them. The feeling was very confusing to Winn. He hated all of them but didn’t want them dead.
“I promise to come with you willingly and to not attempt to escape,” Winn said. “I will submit myself to Xi En justice.”
“Good enough,” the Xi En leader said. “Drop your weapons. The killer will be bound. The rest of your party can remain unbound. We will form up with a place for your party in the middle. Walk at the pace of the horses or there will be consequences.”
The leader of the patrol rode back to his group and just as he said they formed a line with a place in the middle for Winn’s party. They walked to the opening in the line then the horses started walking. They didn’t have any trouble keeping up with the pace, but after a long while Sarah asked for some water and was told they would get water when they stopped. It was another two hours before they stopped, and the patrolmen started making camp. There was a stream by the campsite and the party didn’t wait for permission to go to the stream and take a drink. No one stopped them, and they drank their fill. A fire was lit, and the party sat around the fire. Eventually the patrolmen started cooking some meat, maybe pork, and it smelled wonderful to the starving party. The patrolmen all got their food first then the party was fed what was left of the food. It wasn’t enough to satiate everyone’s hunger, but they weren’t starving anymore.
They were given blankets so they wouldn’t have to sleep on the bare ground. Mostly they slept well. Sarah snuggled up against Winn, and he couldn’t push her away because of his bindings, and it kept him from sleeping well. He was so confused about what he felt about her. She seemed different than the Sarah he remembered. He would have a hard time believing that this current Sarah would ever betray him, but the Sarah of the past stabbed him in the heart many times. He liked this Sarah and found her breathtakingly beautiful as well as witty and full of grit and determination. He found her touch pleasing, and he liked that she slept by him. This juxtaposed with him wanting to kill her when he thought of what she had done left him really confused. It was more than he could get his mind around.
Before Winn knew it, the sun was rising over the horizon. The group stirred, and the patrolmen fed them watery porridge for breakfast.
They marched most of the day getting minimal water breaks and no lunch. They finally got to drink their fill at the end of the day, and they ate another meager meal and slept like logs. The next week and a half were much the same except the ground
became hillier and eventually the hills went from slight slopes to steep slopes and even the horses had to stop for breaks after climbing them. They came upon several large streams and rivers but thankfully all but the smallest streams had bridges built over them. They passed through some small villages, but the party didn’t get to interact with any of the villagers. The villagers did come out to stare at the gaijin. The patrolmen left the villagers alone and passed through the villages without a word. One night the patrolmen killed a bear and there was plenty of the tough bear meat to go around that night.
Eventually they reached the outskirts of Kishoda. There were more populated communities they passed through and bigger crowds came out to see them. Surprisingly no one yelled out rude comments or threw anything at the party. They just stared in wonderment and pointed at the gaijin. Mostly they pointed at Winn and Sarah, as if word of their identities spread throughout Xi En.
They entered the city fourteen days after they were captured by the patrolmen. Large crowds gathered and now they started hearing cries of “Delver Kide!” and “Princess Sarah!” The crowds started clapping and cheering as they went further into the city. Winn started waiving to the crowds and Sarah tried to grab his hands to stop him at first, but the reaction of the crowds were favorable when he waived so she started waiving too.
She leaned over to Winn and whispered in his ear.
“This reminds me of when we were married, and we took our carriage ride among the adoring public. Tell me you remember that.”
“I do,” Winn half lied. He did remember a blurry image of people waving at him, and he thought he was in a carriage, but he wasn’t sure. His inability to rely on his memory was frustrating him.
“Winn, like I have been telling you, don’t worry about a trial. The Vizier, Nigoma Koshuri, is friendly to Aviel and once he understands you are my husband the incident will be treated as a misunderstanding. I am almost sure of it.”
“I thought Xi En had an emperor, why is the leader called a vizier?”
“When Emperor Zin Feng died a few months ago there was no clear successor. The daimyos have been fighting each other to see which one can win the emperorship. In the meantime, the top government official has temporarily taken over as ruler of Xi En. He is the Vizier, Nigoma Koshuri.”
“That is who will decide my fate?”
“Yes Winn. Like I said, he is friendly to Aviel. There is no way he will execute Aviel’s greatest hero.”
Winn wasn’t so sure. They arrived at a huge lawn with fountains lining the perimeter of the lawn and statues of what Winn presumed were great Xi En leaders in the lined down the middle of the lawn. The biggest statue was a depiction of Samir and Ures, and it accurately depicted them. Samir was in a Pho Ren pose facing off against Ures. A classic battle that neither side would ever win.
On the other side of the lawn there was a bridge with chains attached to the far ends that the Xi En could raise if they were under attack. The bridge lay atop a moat that surrounded the walls of the Imperial Palace. The palace was massive with three wings that could be seen and two other wings behind it. It had a stone base that was thirty span high and sitting on the base were five turrets that looked like houses that were placed on top of each other. The main body of the palace was in the middle of the structure and it rose above the turrets. The turrets and the palace proper were made of wood and were painted white. It was a grand sight that was different than the brick construction that the northerners were used to seeing.
Some of the guards took Winn and led him away towards the eastern side of the gigantic palace and the rest of the group was led toward the front of the palace. They walked over the bridge, through the gate and up the path that was surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn, beds of beautiful flowers, and trees that were planted along the path. Two guards stood at the front doors of the palace and opened them without a word from the commander of the guards. Several palace guards were waiting inside the door and the group was handed off to them. The men who had been guarding them on their journey to Kishoda marched off.
The palace corridor was well lit and well-appointed with pictures, figurines, and other objets d’art. The palace guards with their ceremonial lacquered wooden armor worn atop black robes carried three swords. They marched the group quickly down the corridor and made several turns before coming to a room with large doors that were intricately carved and painted with images of great battles with dragons and human armies. Before Sarah could get a good look at the images the doors opened, seemingly of their own accord, and the palace guards whisked the group into the room, which turned out to be the throne room. Sarah saw that the room was rectangular in shape. There were large columns spread throughout the room. Red velvet curtains covered the walls. There were statues made of different materials depicting what Sarah thought to be past emperors lining the path to the throne. A dais made of marble that was six span high with steps leading up to the top on all sides was in the far end of the room. On top of the dais sat a covered throne that was empty. Sarah knew that she was looking at the famed Jade Throne. At the bottom of the dais sat an older gentleman in an ornate chair that was intricately worked with carvings and gold plating but paled in comparison to the throne. The man seated in that chair was the vizier. Only a true emperor could sit on the Jade Throne.
On the left of the vizier sat seven men. Sarah knew these were the daimyos of Xi En. Like the dukes in her own country, the daimyos held feudal territories and governed them. They were wealthy and powerful men, and each had a sizable fighting force, without which the vizier could not field an army. It was these men who were fighting and positioning themselves to become the next emperor.
On the right two men were seated. One was Marshal Haru Tasagi, the ranking Marshal of the Xi En army and second in command to the Ichi, and the other was Takeshi Morita, who was the Ichi, or the One. Takeshi was the best fighter in Xi En. In Xi En the top 100 fighters are ranked and given a position of honor. To move up in the rankings, fighters can challenge the higher ranked fighters to a duel. Takeshi had been the top fighter for three years and no one had come close to beating him.
The room was filled with twenty or so courtiers and all of them became quiet as the group was led to the vizier. When they reached the vizier, they were not made to kneel, because that show of deference was reserved for the emperor. Sarah curtsied. She thought a show of politeness would not hurt.
“Welcome to Kishoda,” Nigoma said. “Before I ask why you are here, there are certain matters to be cleared up. I understand one of you claims to be Princess Sarah Carrington of Aviel. Would that person please step forward?”
Sarah stepped forward.
“Bring Ambassador Wells to me.”
Sarah watched as from behind the dais a palace guard escorted Bronson Wells to stand beside Sarah. Sarah smiled at him. She had met him several times when she was younger. He had not seen her in four years though, and with her hair being cut short and colored dark she wasn’t sure if he would recognize her, which would be a disaster.
“Ambassador, is this young lady the princess?” Nigoma asked.
“She has grown up since I have last seen her, and I am surprised by the state of her hair, but this is most assuredly Princess Sarah Carrington of Aviel. There isn’t a more beautiful woman in Arath.”
“Thank you, Ambassador. You will vouch for her behavior and that of her companions while she is with us?”
“Yes, Your Excellency,” Bronson said as he looked over the rest of the group.
“That is one matter settled,” Nigoma said. “Now we come to the unfortunate business of the killing of my men. What say you about that, Princess Sarah?”
“Your Excellency, the prisoner you hold captive is my husband, Lord Winnford Vaux, otherwise known as Colonel Delver Kide, hero and champion of the realm of Aviel. I can assure you he acted in self-defense, as your men attacked us for no reason. To treat him as a criminal is an afront to the nation of Aviel, and if Winn is imprisoned or harmed you
risk hostilities from my nation.”
“Your nation is in no position to make threats against Xi En, princess,” Nigoma said. “You are besieged by a great force of Menegar. Your ally, Skal, is overrun.”
“Yet Xi En is weak and divided, on the brink of civil war,” Sarah said. “A perfect time to attack.”
Nigoma maintained his cool. “Call the witness against the prisoner,” he said.
The large doors to the throne room opened and in walked the commander of the guard that escorted the group across Xi En. He walked up to the vizier and stood to the left of Sarah.
“Tell your story, commander,” Nigoma said.
“I sent out a group of five men to patrol the southern Jasmine Road. They came across this group of gaijin plus another male. According to the surviving patrolmen the gaijin were told to submit, and they refused. The male that is not here beckoned my men to attack them and when they rode to fight the gaijin, the male kicked two of the men off their horses, then stabbed one with a Vestuan weapon, killing him instantly, and broke the other man’s neck. These men were knocked out and not a threat to the gaijin when they were killed.”
“That isn’t true, they were stirring and about to get up!” Svae yelled.
“Silence,” Nigoma said. “It is clear to me that the man known as Delver Kide killed two defenseless men without provocation. The punishment for which is death. I command that he be put to death tomorrow at sunrise.”
“No!” Sarah exclaimed.
Ambassador Wells stepped forward. “Your excellency, I understand and respect your judgement. However, what the princess said is correct, Winn is a hero of the realm. Aviel will never forget it if you execute him. With that in mind, I request that you grant a trial by combat.”
Trials of a Champion Page 23
