Aiduels sin, p.34
Aiduel's Sin, page 34
Sendar raised a finger and pointed it at this black-shirted man, who was advancing upon them. ‘That one, Arion! Senneos’s protector. Kill that one!’
Arion moved forward to intercept this individual, and their swords clashed in a blur of metal. The man was agile and very skilled, and he attacked without fear. However, he was not remotely fast enough for Arion’s reflexes, or strong enough to withstand the flurry of bone-jarring strikes which Arion proceeded to unleash upon him. After Arion had finally beaten his opponent’s sword aside, he slashed downwards, and severed the black-shirted man’s sword-arm at the shoulder. Arion then reversed the sweep of his blade, and took the man’s head off.
In the corner of the chamber, Prince Senneos had also dispatched his adversary. The older prince now raised his sword warily in Arion’s direction. The only three people now alive in the room were Arion and the two princes.
‘Disarm him, Arion!’ commanded Sendar, from behind Arion’s shoulder. ‘He’s tried to murder the king.’
‘You liar,’ replied the elder brother, as he glanced down in anguish towards the headless corpse of the black-shirted man. ‘There’s a traitor here, but it’s not me! Defend me, Lord Sepian. I’m the heir to the throne, and this is a coup attempt by Prince Sendar.’
Arion adjusted his body position so that he could see both princes. He was unsure about what to do as he said, ‘Sendar? What-’
‘Disarm him, Arion!’ repeated Sendar. ‘He freed Markon! And he’s poisoned the king!’
‘That’s a lie!’ shouted Prince Senneos, but the older brother’s words were cut-off as Arion moved in a blur towards him. Arion’s hand was on the heir’s sword-wrist before Senneos had any time to react. A fierce squeeze was followed by a twist, then the elder prince’s sword was falling to the floor.
‘Restrain him, Arion,’ ordered Sendar.
Arion sheathed his sword. He then pinned the older prince’s arms behind his back with a single hand, and held the heir in place with an arm around his neck.
‘You seek to make yourself king?’ hissed Prince Senneos, as his younger brother moved closer to stand in front of him. ‘You would imprison me?’
‘I seek to save Andar,’ stated Sendar. ‘I’m sorry, Senneos. But you’re too weak to face what’s coming, and too stubborn to abdicate.’
Arion was baffled. ‘Sendar, what’s going on?’
The younger Pavil ignored Arion. He continued to stare at his older brother, then drew a dagger from his belt.
‘I’m sorry, brother, that it’s had to come to this,’ said Sendar as he lifted the weapon. ‘But between Father’s madness, and your weakness, our country is being destroyed. You’ve brought war on us, and freeing Markon was the act of a traitor.’
‘Sendar, I just want peace,’ said Senneos.
‘So, you’re confirming that you did it?’ asked Sendar, sounding distressed. ‘You arranged for Markon’s escape?’
‘Sendar, pleas-’
Before Senneos could finish his plea, Sendar buried the dagger into the stomach of his brother. Arion could feel the younger royal thrusting the weapon upwards, several times. Prince Senneos grunted in response to the first two thrusts, but then his head slumped forwards.
For a number of seconds after this murder, there was a look of anguish on Sendar’s face. The prince then stared up at Arion, who was still holding the now-lifeless body.
‘You ask what’s going on?’ said Sendar. His voice was cracking and there were tears in his eyes. ‘Why, I’m resolving the succession, Arion, to try to save Andar. And thanks to you, it’s done.’
–
A short while afterwards, Arion was following Sendar to the other side of the palace, to the suite of chambers which was shared by the king and queen. The events of the evening had left Arion feeling stunned.
As the two of them drew close to the antechamber of the royal couple’s rooms, the prince stopped and turned to face Arion. His eyes were red and his cheeks were tear-stained.
‘Thank you for what you did back there, Arion,’ said Sendar, his voice low. ‘I didn’t expect Senneos to have so many guards with him, and I think I’d be dead now, if not for you. I don’t know how you got here when you did, but I thank The Lord for your arrival.’
‘What’s happening here, Sendar?’ asked Arion.
‘I know that you’re confused right now,’ said Sendar. ‘I’m still appalled myself at what I’ve just done. But know this. What we just did was necessary to save our country. Senneos intended to surrender to Elannis. He must have been involved in Markon’s escape and Father’s poisoning.’
‘But why?’
‘Because he’s weak, and he wanted peace and reunification with the Holy Church, at any cost!’
‘But you kill-’
‘No more talk of that,’ said the prince sharply, cutting him off. ‘Remember, you and I are friends. Allies. When we go into this room, I need you to nod and to agree with me. Don’t contradict me, don’t undermine me and don’t ever disclose what just happened, or I’ll be forced to label you traitor. Do you understand?’
Arion grimaced, still feeling stunned by everything that he had witnessed. ‘I don’t understand. But I won’t contradict you. I’m no traitor.’
‘I know you’re not. And… thank you, friend. Please remember, I’m – we’re – doing this for the good of Andar.’
Sendar then strode away. The prince turned into the doorway of the royal couple’s chambers, with a look of grief set upon his face.
‘Sendar, what is it?’ The question was asked in a lilting foreign accent, which Arion recognised as that of the queen.
Arion was following the prince towards the doorway as Sendar answered, ‘We were too late, Mother. We’ve been betrayed from within. An attempted coup. And…’ Sendar paused, then audibly sucked in air. ‘My brother, Prince Senneos, is dead. Lord Arion and I killed his attackers, but we were too late to save him.’
Arion shuddered as he heard Mariess’s anguished wail in response. He followed Sendar into the room, and his gaze immediately focused upon the queen. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red, as if she had already been crying. A number of palace officials and courtiers were also in the room, gathered around her. All of them were in various states of grief, and now their own expressions of shock and distress at Sendar’s news were added to the laments of the queen.
After a few moments, Mariess appeared to take control of her anguish. ‘I have more dreadful news, my son. King Inneos, my beloved husband, your father, passed away just after you left us to find your brother. May The Lord Aiduel preserve both of their souls.’
Sendar gasped and seemed to stagger forwards, placing a hand out onto the shoulder of his mother. His forehead touched hers in what appeared to be a moment of shared, silent grief.
Arion observed as Mariess then stepped backwards, before she slowly lowered herself to her knees and bowed her head forwards. Everyone else in the room except Sendar started to copy the motion, causing more confusion for Arion. But realisation then dawned upon him and he too knelt down.
As he did this, he was beginning to recognise the impact of his latest prophetic dream. His own role in what had come to pass. And how he might once again have twisted future events by coming here.
The words that followed were spoken by Queen Mariess, her tone firmer and louder this time.
‘King Inneos is dead. Long live King Sendar.’
–
During the night that followed, the Royal Guard mustered in force and drove the mob out of the grounds of the Royal Palace. Fighting then extended into the streets of Andarron.
Arion was not involved in any of these skirmishes. He was too dumbfounded by the many events of the day. Just minutes after Mariess had hailed the new king, Arion moved away to be on his own. He then sat for a long time with his head in his hands, staring down at the floor.
He was a reckless fool, a man who acted without thought or honour, and he knew that he fully deserved the shame that he was now feeling.
Starting from his arrival at The King’s Boar, everything in the preceding hours had gone disastrously wrong. The first setback had been to realise that he had been duped, and that Allana was not there.
Then, he had heard about the declaration of war by Elannis and Dei Magnus. He had recognised that he had deserted his family and his home on a false pretext, and that he would not be there when they needed him most.
Following which, driven by a whirlwind of emotion, he had acted rashly in the midst of the events of the night. Watching the mob attacking the palace gates. Somehow making it over the towering wall into the palace grounds and then, in his urgent panic, killing four Andar guardsmen. In his race to be a hero, he had murdered four men who had only been seeking to protect the palace.
By the Lord, I massacred them! What have I done?
And then, worst of all, he had entered the palace in pursuit of his prophetic dream. And in coming to Prince Senneos’s chambers, Arion had personally killed many of the heir’s protectors. He had been the one who had tipped the battle in favour of Prince Sendar. He had been responsible for disarming Senneos, and then had stood and watched as Sendar had slain his brother.
Arion recognised that he had been central to the murder of the rightful heir to the throne. Indeed, at the moment of Senneos’s death, the older brother might have already been king. Without Arion’s intervention, Sendar would not have triumphed.
As such, it was not sufficient condemnation for Arion to accuse himself of betrayal, of being a liar who had been prepared to commit adultery. Above all of that, he was someone who, in the space of a grim night, had instead committed thoughtless murder. And regicide. He was a disgrace.
At some point in the night, he found an empty bedroom within the palace, shut the door behind himself, then lay down to sleep. Before slumber took him, he pictured the faces of his wife Kalyane, his brother Gerrion, and his sister Karienne.
And with tears in his eyes, once more he felt shame.
–
The next morning, Arion sought out the man whom he had once trained alongside at the Royal Academy of Knights. King Sendar Pavil. He found Sendar in the palace throne room, leaning over a long table, surrounded by a number of senior military officers.
Arion moved closer to the new monarch. Sendar appeared to be discussing tactics for the restoration of order in Andarron, while gesturing towards a map on the table. The king glanced up as Arion approached.
‘Not now, Lord Arion,’ Sendar said. ‘This isn’t a good time.’
‘We need to speak, Sendar.’ Arion stopped himself, realising who he was now addressing. ‘Your Majesty, we need to speak. Please.’
Sendar must have noted the tension in Arion’s voice, because this time he turned fully towards Arion. In a more welcoming tone, he stated, ‘Very well, let’s speak, friend.’ Addressing the other figures around him, he added, ‘Everyone clear the room. Leave us. And close the doors. We’ll be no more than a handful of minutes, so wait outside.’
With some looks of puzzlement, the other parties exited the throne room, leaving Arion alone with the royal.
Sendar stared at Arion, the young king’s expression now hard to read, and he said, ‘Please say what you want to say, Arion. There are to be no secrets between us. But choose your words carefully and speak quietly.’
‘How can you appear to be so calm and controlled?’ asked Arion. ‘The king and the royal heir, your father and brother, are both dead. And you know… what happened. What we did.’
Sendar grimaced. ‘You have no idea what pain I’m in right now, Arion. How much I want to mourn them. But my focus is on saving this country. And after Father’s death, we still have a chance. Father’s hatred for the Archlaw had turned into a mad obsession, and he’d set us on a course to destroy Andar. We could never hope for reconciliation with Dei Magnus, or for more than neutrality from Angloss, with Father on the throne.’
Arion looked at Sendar, then said, ‘So you… the king, too?’
‘Nonsense. My father was the victim of an assassination by poison. And we’ve now found evidence to implicate the acquaintances of Prince Senneos in his murder. The very men who were killed in the melee last night. So, in effect, you and I avenged the king.’
‘Really?’ said Arion, knowing that he sounded sceptical.
‘Are you suggesting otherwise, Arion?’ asked Sendar, his tone suddenly colder.
‘But what about Senneos? I was there!’
‘Senneos wanted Father off the throne. It makes sense that he might have been behind the plot. But his idea of a resolution if he became king was abject surrender to Elannis and Dei Magnus, in return for the restoration of his eternal soul. He told me as much.’ Sendar took a step towards Arion. ‘Believe me, Arion, I loved my brother. But he had no backbone, and he would have seen us all become vassals of the Emperor before the month was out.’
‘And that justifies-’
‘Let me finish, please!’ interrupted Sendar. ‘We also think that his agents may have been involved in revealing where Prince Markon was being held captive, and that Senneos might have already betrayed us. Andar could not risk allowing my brother onto the throne. However, that fate was avoided when he was tragically killed in the melee, by the same traitors who poisoned Father.’
‘But-’
‘That’s what happened, Arion! By the Lord, I used your letter to work out where Senneos had gone to hunker down after Father fell ill. And it prompted me to act, before Father passed away. To all intents, you sent me there, so how can you complain now? In me, Andar has someone who knows how to wage a war sitting on its throne. Please, stop being so self-righteous, and make a choice. Either you’re for me, and will stand beside me in the war to come, or you’re against me. Which is it?’
Arion exhaled loudly, feeling torn, and he was silent for a number of seconds.
‘I’m for you, of course,’ he replied, eventually. ‘But I want to return to Septholme, Your Majesty, to lead the armies of Western Canasar.’
‘You may. Soon. But not yet. I need you to stay for another day, to help me to put down the religious rebellion in this city. After that, you have my permission to go home.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Oh, and Arion?’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m more grateful than you can know for what you did last night. I know that you’ll be suffering and feeling guilt. And believe me, what I… did last night, is causing me more pain than you can imagine. But I know that we both did the right thing for the good of Andar. You might not believe that right now, but it’s true. As a result of last night, we can still save our country. You are my friend, Arion, and I think you’re the greatest warrior in this land. I need your support in what’s to come. I need your strength, if we’re to save Andar.’
Arion nodded, but without enthusiasm. ‘You will have it, Sendar.’
‘Thank you,’ said the king. ‘Oh, and there’s one more thing I should mention.’
‘What is it?’
‘Do you know that your eyes were glowing last night, during and after the battle? They were golden.’
‘They were?’
‘Yes. But I won’t tell anyone. Like everything else that happened in that room, this is the last time that either of us will ever talk about it. With each other, or with anyone else.’
–
During that day, Arion took control of several companies of soldiers. He was given responsibility for restoring order in the western districts of the city, although it quickly became apparent that fear of military retribution was quashing the enthusiasm of the rioters.
But more than that, the tragic news soon spread that King Inneos and Prince Senneos were both dead, rumoured to have been murdered by agents of the Emperor and the Archlaw. The mobs had been furious that the late king had led them into war, but Arion could see that the announcement of the two deaths was acting to dissipate and divert this anger. Any remaining rage was soon being turned against those residents of the city who were from Elannis and Dei Magnus.
During the course of the day, from certain viewpoints, Arion could witness the billowing sails of royal navy warships as they sailed out of the harbour mouth. He felt agitated to still be in the city, and he longed to be back on a fast ship, on his way to Western Canasar.
Towards the end of the afternoon, he returned to the Royal Palace, determined to obtain the new king’s permission to leave. However, when he arrived in the throne room, there was again a cluster of people there. They were all assembled around a lengthy map of Andar, which had been laid out on the table.
Sendar was at the head of that table, and he gestured for Arion to come closer.
‘We’ve received the most grievous news, Lord Arion,’ the king said. ‘We’re all now debating how to react to it.’
‘What is it, Your Majesty?’ asked Arion.
‘We now fear that the treachery which led to last night’s uprising, and the murders of my father and brother, has deep roots throughout the Andar nobility. News has come to us by bird, from Rednarron and Septholme. The Houses of Condarr and Berun have switched sides. Those traitors are fighting alongside Elannis and Dei Magnus.’
‘What?’
‘And there’s worse news. We’ve received word that Elannis troops are pouring into both Rednar and Western Canasar, from the lands of Berun. As far as we can tell, Duke Jarrett Berun has opened all of the bridges. The armies of Elannis have crossed the Canas River into Berun, and are moving through the Berun lands, unopposed.’
‘Into Western Canasar?’ asked Arion, as his heart was hammering in his chest.
‘Yes, from the north. Tens of thousands. Whilst Rednar finds itself trapped between Condarr to the west and Berun to the east.’
‘What news of Duke Gerrion’s reaction, Your Majesty?’
