ANTAGONISM
1544 Words
-Who the hell does that rejected Yahun think he is? – Elande shrieked, completely enraged as the dirty emissary remained kneeling before her with his eyes trained on the floor.
Anthos kept his head low and his bloodied hand tightened in a fist, a dirty cloth covering the disgusting wound that the Yahurian´s spear had left when he finally gathered the courage to rip it off his pierced flesh.
A wince of pain crossing his face as he recalled the torture that he had suffered, his other palm tightening around the abominable weapon as the Queen went on with her incessant rambling.
– How dare he try and give me any orders at all! He is nothing! – She screamed at the scouter, her eyes bulging out with contempt - But more importantly, how dare you come back empty-handed and bringing such a stupid message? I gave you a dozen men!
-Your Majesty – The man spoke in a conciliatory tone – I warned you that this wouldn’t be an easy task, I begged you to give me at least fifty soldiers… But you wouldn’t listen, and this is the result.
-He is not invincible! He is just one man! – Elande yelled at him - Not even Yahur wants him anymore!
-Well, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but he was not disowned in any way. He apparently chose to leave of his own volition and, as far as I can tell, he left on sufficiently good terms to be invited back. So…
It was clear that the Queen was suddenly speechless, and the scouter couldn’t discern if she was surprised or just deciding the best way to kill him. So, he figured out that he should just keep making his case anyway.
-Your Grace- Anthos reconvened, calling out for her attention, and staring firmly at her– Yes! He might be just a man, and who knows? Maybe there’s a way to defeat him… But trust me when I say that it will take much more than a bunch of mediocre scouters to pull that off…
-At least we can agree on something – Elande spoke at last – You are a mediocre piece of s**t! No, wait! You’re not even that… You are useless, you’re worthless!
She paused, gesturing to the guards flanking her and giving them a brief but recognizable sign, which they immediately acknowledged, drawing out their swords and pouncing forward towards the alluded man.
Anthos scrambled around, rushing to get on his feet and wielding the large spear in his hand, aiming it at the group of men that surrounded him and intending to deter them from their ominous advance.
He managed to impale two of them before the rest immobilized him and rendered him defenseless, yanking the weapon out of his debilitated hand as they dragged him away.
-Please, Your Majesty! – He cried out as he was being led out the door – Have mercy! You sent us all on a suicide mission! We were set to fail from the very first start. It was not our fault!
His whimpering getting lost among the noises as they opened the gates and the bloodthirsty crowd cheered eagerly for his head.
-What is that? - The Queen asked once the doors were closed and the silence returned, curiously nodding at the weapon that one of her soldiers had just confiscated from the sentenced man.
-It’s a Yahurian spear - The warrior replied, respectfully kneeling and presenting it to her - Judging by the wound on Anthos´s hand, I would say that it was left behind to serve as part of the message, Your Grace.
-Ugh! The nerve... - Elande puffed out, grabbing the weapon disdainfully and walking away - Gather the council, I have something to say.
-I want that city! – Elande announced, taking a sip of wine and staring firmly at the councilors sitting at the large table before her – I am still its rightful heir!
-Your Grace, I am afraid that the information we’ve gathered about the current state of that fortress makes this enterprise virtually impossible – Gennai, a well-preserved Elder spoke in a calm voice, looking back at her with equal resolution – Their army is huge! And growing by the day. We simply lack the men to fight them… They are far from the vulnerable condition in which the outsiders once left them.
Elande´s teeth gritted in anger at the mention of this truth. Knowing that they had lost such a precious chance back then...
When the rumors about the fall of Lowland’s gate had reached Hathengatt´s walls, she had begged her father to let her attack them and claim that throne for herself. That town had been left in such a precarious position that conquering it would have been practically a child’s play.
Yet, the useless prick had refused to act once more, and she’d lost that golden opportunity. So now that damn impostor had robbed her of her rightful title again.
But even if that infamous Yahun partner of hers had helped that w***e fortify the city, Elande´s thirst for retribution was stronger than anything else, and she was inflexibly determined to find a way.
-We still have allies – The Queen reasoned, nodding at the members of the council – We cash our favors and make them help us. There’s Wimhar and Stenthfor to begin with… We can start with them.
-Even if the Laheshian realms agreed to help us… and that’s a big if – Danthano, Hathengatt´s Chief of security insisted - You keep forgetting who the Commander of their army is, Yahur would come rushing to their aid faster than lightning at the slightest sign of conflict…
A loud murmur erupted among the present advisors at the warrior’s remark as they all gasped with concern.
-And once the Order gets involved in the equation, Lahesh and its tribes will be running out the door – He continued saying, ignoring the crowd’s rumble - No one wants to cross the Yahurian army, your Majesty. They are so highly respected that no sane ruler would risk getting on their wrong side!
-That’s not true! – Elande debated, her dark eyes ignited with fury – You’re wrong! There are plenty of people that have been pestered by these self-righteous busybodies for generations, and they surely can’t be happy about it! I know I am not... They had no business getting in my way back then!
-It doesn’t matter if they aren’t – Danthano retorted – They still won’t stand out against them… They don’t have the numbers. Yahur has been doing this for a very long time, and they are exceptionally good at it. They are superior in every way… That’s how they ensure their success in the first place. Besides, we don’t even know who actually holds a grudge big enough to at least consider attempting this.
-But we sure have a pretty good idea – The ruler replied smirking venomously –There are always losers when it comes to their deeds. We just need to get them all on board and we will have our numbers.
-Your Majesty, please! I beg you to reconsider… This is a very risky thing to do – Gennai intervened, his head desperately turning around and seeking for his peers´ endorsement – If Yahur catches the tiniest whiff of this confabulation that you are plotting, they will consider it a direct affront and a threat to the peace, and they will promptly address it as such…
-Then we will distract them! – Elande retorted, her beady eyes narrowing – They can’t be everywhere at once! We just need to point them to what they do best… Restoring their precious peace.
-And how do you plan to do that? – Danthano inquired – Are you suggesting that we attack another city to mislead them?
-Exactly! – The Queen growled, her fist slamming forcefully on the table – And I know which is the perfect fit for that!
She paused, dramatically glancing at each of her advisors´ faces, before staring directly into Danthano´s eyes and resuming her dissertation.
-Mavaer...Naturally! Its ruler is practically a child! Our army is huge compared to theirs... and if we get control of that city, we will practically own Lowland anyway! It’s a win-win for us! We keep the Yahurians busy with a fraction of our men while we get the support that we need behind their backs, and by the time they figure things out, we will already be invincible!
-I don’t know… - The soldier muttered, unconvinced – It’s still quite a long shot, don’t you think? I mean, aside from this alleged antagonism that they might or might not harbor, why else would someone jeopardize their safety teaming up with us?
-Because they would get a hefty cut out of it -Elande confidently smiled – There is a reason why Ashrae failed: He wanted everything… I just want Lowland. And I believe that this whole territory needs to be properly redistributed anyway. It is about time that we get rid of all those filthy Yahurian supporters for good.
- Writer
