1
Single Author Stories /
« on: December 03, 2003, 01:32:54 pm »
(Fie, the infamous character limit that forces me to split up the second part of the story!)
The upper parapet was the tallest place from which men could stand in Arioch. High atop the great Citadel, it commanded a wide view of Arioch and the distant peak of Mount Orodion. Erfindel and the King made their way up the grand stairways and straight corridors, emerging into the light ? not blindingly bright, but subdued, the light from a sun minutes from the horizon. Erfindel gazed towards Licharbor, the port city of Arioch. The harbor for which it was named was perfectly circular, carved by the work of the Tower of Mages in token of thanks for Armenin aid during the Goblin Wars. It now had a reddish tint from the setting sun, as though the blood of all of the goblins that had been slain in that war filled the harbor. A grand road ran between Arioch and its port, wide enough for eight chariots to ride abreast. Settlement on the edges of each city had increased of late. Soon Arioch and Licharbor will merge, and a line will be drawn, Erfindel thought. Men delighted in marking boundaries when natural ones failed.
His gaze traveled to Arioch, the capital of Armen. He noted again, as he had noted many times before, that Arioch was two cities. The inner city was paved with cobblestones, with the grand Citadel in the center. Its streets were wide and, although crowded with vendors, passable. Outside the gates, though, were the unpaved, often muddy roads and crooked alleys of the outer city. Houses of stone become houses of mud and thatch. Indefensible, was Erfindel?s verdict. If Arioch were beset, there would be slaughter in the outer city. Yet the inner city would hold out for some time. He shook his head. No need to imagine disaster when there was little chance of it happening. He looked down again. The marketplace in the Great Square was slowly draining of people as vendors secured their wares and made their way home. Taverns and inns were becoming filled; most people were heading indoors in preparations for the night.
?So, what do you think, Erfindel? Do you think that my city can withstand a siege?? The King?s surprisingly upbeat voice startled Erfindel out of his contemplation.
?The inner city will hold for a long time. Yet I do not think that your majesty should worry himself about such matters. There will be no siege for a while yet.?
?There will not? What if you fail to stem the Rakonnen tide?? The King looked at him sardonically.
?Does my lord question my ability?? Erfindel spoke with some anger in his voice; all of this talk of sieges and failure ranked. Still, he quickly apologized: it was not safe to bait a king.
?I am glad,? the King said dryly, ?that you no longer keep such a tight reign on your emotions. An emotion released clouds reason for a while, but an emotion withheld clouds it forever.?
?I would like to think that there are no such clouds in me, sire.?
?As you wish, Erfindel.? The King stared towards Licharbor for a time. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy. ?Do you not wonder that the Rakonnen took over two nations in the span of five years??
?That babbler Centhor forced them to drop all else and conquer land. Salethos surrendered before the Rakonnen had captured a major city. That foolish Da?rni blunder on the Maredo Plains was not effective either. Only Olevion has made much of a dent in Rakonnen forces.? Erfindel thought uncomfortably that he was repeating that which the King had heard many times before. ?But we have beaten back a Rakonnen invasion before, and we can do so again.? True, that was a relatively young Rakonnen with a weaker army, but there was no need to worry the King with that.
?That was an Age and more ago. We have changed much since then.?
?For the better, it is to be hoped.?
?For the better? There is more beauty, perhaps, and more kindness. But we?ve varnished the table, and neglected to attend to the rotting wood. Look at this citadel, Erfindel. Tell me, with a military eye, how strong is this??
Erfindel winced, and not for the first time, as he noted the dikes which had been allowed to erode, the portcullis which had been replaced with soft gold doors, the many walkways which seemed to be constructed to offer an inviting target. The Citadel had changed from a functional structure to a decorative one, and Erfindel told the King as much, appending a ?with all possible respect,? of course.
The King sighed. ?If legend tells it true, Armen is the oldest nation of Erestor by the space of several centuries. We have expanded since the Goblin Wars, but growth itself can produce weakness. Those?peasant disturbances out to the west, for example. In past generations they would never have happened, but now not only do they occur, but they must be tolerated while we wage war. If history teaches us anything, it is only this: all nations that have risen will fall.? Below his breath, he mumbled, ?When will our turn come??
?There is no reason to believe that Armen will fall yet, my lord. The Rakonnen force is still inferior to our own.?
The King?s countenance suddenly changed. ?Perhaps you?re right. Well, the dice are out of the cup, and wishing will not change the way they land.?. Erfindel struggled not to let his surprise at the King using such a common metaphor show. ?I suppose you know your way out from here, Erfindel?? The other nodded. ?Go now with the benediction of the Eye upon you.? He dropped into a mutter: ?You will need all of it before long, unless I miss my guess.?
Behind the retreating backs of the two men, dusk deepened.
The upper parapet was the tallest place from which men could stand in Arioch. High atop the great Citadel, it commanded a wide view of Arioch and the distant peak of Mount Orodion. Erfindel and the King made their way up the grand stairways and straight corridors, emerging into the light ? not blindingly bright, but subdued, the light from a sun minutes from the horizon. Erfindel gazed towards Licharbor, the port city of Arioch. The harbor for which it was named was perfectly circular, carved by the work of the Tower of Mages in token of thanks for Armenin aid during the Goblin Wars. It now had a reddish tint from the setting sun, as though the blood of all of the goblins that had been slain in that war filled the harbor. A grand road ran between Arioch and its port, wide enough for eight chariots to ride abreast. Settlement on the edges of each city had increased of late. Soon Arioch and Licharbor will merge, and a line will be drawn, Erfindel thought. Men delighted in marking boundaries when natural ones failed.
His gaze traveled to Arioch, the capital of Armen. He noted again, as he had noted many times before, that Arioch was two cities. The inner city was paved with cobblestones, with the grand Citadel in the center. Its streets were wide and, although crowded with vendors, passable. Outside the gates, though, were the unpaved, often muddy roads and crooked alleys of the outer city. Houses of stone become houses of mud and thatch. Indefensible, was Erfindel?s verdict. If Arioch were beset, there would be slaughter in the outer city. Yet the inner city would hold out for some time. He shook his head. No need to imagine disaster when there was little chance of it happening. He looked down again. The marketplace in the Great Square was slowly draining of people as vendors secured their wares and made their way home. Taverns and inns were becoming filled; most people were heading indoors in preparations for the night.
?So, what do you think, Erfindel? Do you think that my city can withstand a siege?? The King?s surprisingly upbeat voice startled Erfindel out of his contemplation.
?The inner city will hold for a long time. Yet I do not think that your majesty should worry himself about such matters. There will be no siege for a while yet.?
?There will not? What if you fail to stem the Rakonnen tide?? The King looked at him sardonically.
?Does my lord question my ability?? Erfindel spoke with some anger in his voice; all of this talk of sieges and failure ranked. Still, he quickly apologized: it was not safe to bait a king.
?I am glad,? the King said dryly, ?that you no longer keep such a tight reign on your emotions. An emotion released clouds reason for a while, but an emotion withheld clouds it forever.?
?I would like to think that there are no such clouds in me, sire.?
?As you wish, Erfindel.? The King stared towards Licharbor for a time. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy. ?Do you not wonder that the Rakonnen took over two nations in the span of five years??
?That babbler Centhor forced them to drop all else and conquer land. Salethos surrendered before the Rakonnen had captured a major city. That foolish Da?rni blunder on the Maredo Plains was not effective either. Only Olevion has made much of a dent in Rakonnen forces.? Erfindel thought uncomfortably that he was repeating that which the King had heard many times before. ?But we have beaten back a Rakonnen invasion before, and we can do so again.? True, that was a relatively young Rakonnen with a weaker army, but there was no need to worry the King with that.
?That was an Age and more ago. We have changed much since then.?
?For the better, it is to be hoped.?
?For the better? There is more beauty, perhaps, and more kindness. But we?ve varnished the table, and neglected to attend to the rotting wood. Look at this citadel, Erfindel. Tell me, with a military eye, how strong is this??
Erfindel winced, and not for the first time, as he noted the dikes which had been allowed to erode, the portcullis which had been replaced with soft gold doors, the many walkways which seemed to be constructed to offer an inviting target. The Citadel had changed from a functional structure to a decorative one, and Erfindel told the King as much, appending a ?with all possible respect,? of course.
The King sighed. ?If legend tells it true, Armen is the oldest nation of Erestor by the space of several centuries. We have expanded since the Goblin Wars, but growth itself can produce weakness. Those?peasant disturbances out to the west, for example. In past generations they would never have happened, but now not only do they occur, but they must be tolerated while we wage war. If history teaches us anything, it is only this: all nations that have risen will fall.? Below his breath, he mumbled, ?When will our turn come??
?There is no reason to believe that Armen will fall yet, my lord. The Rakonnen force is still inferior to our own.?
The King?s countenance suddenly changed. ?Perhaps you?re right. Well, the dice are out of the cup, and wishing will not change the way they land.?. Erfindel struggled not to let his surprise at the King using such a common metaphor show. ?I suppose you know your way out from here, Erfindel?? The other nodded. ?Go now with the benediction of the Eye upon you.? He dropped into a mutter: ?You will need all of it before long, unless I miss my guess.?
Behind the retreating backs of the two men, dusk deepened.