Yspaddaden - Chapter 20

 Ynwfn, Anaij.

Dastra sat on the side of the room, on the edge of the long table, looking down it with Bald on her right staring at a young soldier on her left. The young man looked quite nervous and gripped his hat with small hands, eyes never leaving the floor, darting all around as if searching for an escape among the cracks in the tile. Toth sat opposite her, easily ten feet away, at the other end of the table. He stared at the soldier, trying to look important and part of the discussion but just coming off looking like a conversational leech. The king sat in an ornate chair, face intent on his task at hand on the table, ignoring the other people in the room. But as the soldier gave his report and Dastra watched him closely, she could tell that Bald was listening, for he grew more angry by the second as the bad news slowly rolled off the tongue of the nervous kid. She smiled slightly. It was always fun to watch someone else as they tried to talk to the great AethelBald. Most didn't know how to present themselves. There were those that came off nervous and unprepared, such as the youth that stood here now. Most were dignitaries that tried to look more powerful and regal than they really were, and simply came off appearing fat and uncoordinated and uninformed. There was even a young girl who had come to see the king about something a month ago or so and simply crapped herself in his presence, wasting all over the floor. Dastra had thought Bald was going to bust a blood vessel, trying to decide whether to laugh at her or kill her.The girl still lived, but only as a form of possible future entertainment.

Today though, there was no doubt as to the kings mood. Maybe most wouldn't be able to guess at it. He was quite adept at hiding his emotions. But Dastra was close enough to him that she could tell. And, she hoped, it wasn't just her proximity to him. She prided herself on knowing people and reading their faces, figuring out what they wanted and desired. It was a skill the girls at the compound had noticed and Dastra had been cultivating over the past several years. How else could she have gotten where she was today without knowing the secrets of the realm that no one else did? Course, that could be not so much her skill at reading faces but more to do with her jumping into bed with every able bodied piece of royalty that came through the capitol. Male and female.

She must have chuckled out loud at the thought, because Bald looked over at her with an evil look on his face. Dastra simply smiled and waved at him, causing him to grow even more angry. But he would never show it to the soldier who kept rattling on about the details of the failed mission. She just enjoyed watching him suffer. He glared at her again and went back to his task at hand. He grabbed a large turkey leg and bit into it, holding that in one hand and a goblet of wine in another. Around him lay the decimated remains of birds, bovine, pigs, cheeses, breads, bottles and pastries. It sickened her to see how much he could eat, and he didn't stop. It amazed her. The man was not fat, yet he could put away three times as much as a man twice his size in half the time. It really was a sight to see, but it wasn't pretty. At the moment, juice dribbled down his chin and spotted his tunic from the turkey as his head bent back to drink in wine from the goblet. He set the turkey down to pick up a large pastry and bit into it, cream spilling out and falling onto his lap. Dastra couldn't help but laugh silently. His hands were plastered with fruit juices, syrups, sugars and chocolate. She had even seen him, a while ago, place a piece of meat in between two slices of cake and squirt pomegranate juice on it. She had almost thrown up at that point.

The young soldier stopped talking and Dastra came out of her revery. Toth was nodding profusely, grunting in feigned acknowledgment and pointing cautiously at the man as if he was important enough to do so. Bald kept eating, tearing off tendons and meat from the turkey bone, washing it all down with expensive wine. He stared at the young man, making him even more nervous than he already was. Dastra almost felt sorry for the man, than realised what she was doing and corrected her demeanor. The soldier stood there, out in the open in the middle of the throne room, blinking rapidly at the smooth stone floor, hat in his hands, almost unwearable at this point. Dastra began to tap her foot in anticipation, knowing what was coming next and relishing the feeling. Bald simply ate. Toth looked like a fool.

Bald set aside his now empty goblet of wine and motioned for a servant to come and fill it. A small girl hurried forward, pitcher in her hand, hastily grabbing the goblet and refilling it to the brim. Bald never took his eyes from the young man. He grabbed the wine and took a sip as the girl hustled back to her spot behind him, pitcher at the ready. Bald gulped at the wine and downed at least half the goblet before slamming it down on the table, splashing the beverage all over the cloth. He then picked up a large mint-chocolate pastry and rose from his seat, sidling around the table toward the young man. He passed by Dastra, hand brushing at her bare shoulders, making her shiver in pleasure.

"You bring me foul news. Foul news indeed. What were the words you used earlier? 'They were unsuccessful in completing the intended mission.' I believe that's the phrase you used, was it not?" Toth nodded along with the young man, trying to look more important than he really was. Bald ignored his servant. "Unsuccessful. I do not like this word. Do you know why?" The young soldier shook his head, a speck of sweat flinging off his wet forehead and landing solidly on the table. By now Bald had reached the young man and walked behind him, hand on his shoulders, not as gently as he had caressed Dastra moments before. She watched, waiting, trying to figure out how long it would take for the storm to hit. She didn't have to wait long.

"I do not like it, for it seems to soften the tone of the phrase. When you use big words like that around me, I lose interest fast. I go from listening to you to contemplating ways I can kill you without anyone noticing." He leaned in and whispered in the mans ear. "It wouldn't take much skill, I promise you." The soldier was sweating quite profusely now. Dastra smiled. As much as she hated the king and the fact that she had to be around him, she did admire his ability to hold in his anger until it was at the most applicable moment. "Unsuccessful in completing the intended mission. Let's replace 'intended mission' with 'what I told you to do', and maybe 'complete' with 'doing', and 'unsuccessful' with, I don't know, maybe 'fail'? What does that leave us with?" The soldier mumbled something incoherent. Bald leaned in closer. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He mumbled again, the sweat pouring off his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't understand 'Mmm mmm mmm'." Bald reached up and took the pastry he had been holding the entire time and gently brushed the top of it against the soldiers cheeks. The icing from the pastry smeared all over the mans face, giving him a green, sugary makeup. Bald rubbed the rest of it in the mans hair, matching with his face. Then he ever so gently shoved the chocolate pastry part into the soldiers mouth. Dastra tried hard not to laugh as he held back a retch. Bald leaned in very close to the man and stared him straight in the eyes. Dastra had to give him credit as he stared directly back at Bald, albeit with great fear.

"Yspaddaden still lives. You failed in doing what I told you to do."

The sharp turkey bone that Bald had been chewing on slid smoothly into the soldiers stomach. Bald had the foresight to step out of the way as the mans eyes widened and he involuntarily hurled the entire pastry all over the large table that lay in front of him. Band twisted, making sure that the bone hit all the appropriate vital organs, before pulling it smoothly out. The blood lubricated the wound as he did so. The young soldiers hands flickered in pain at his stomach as his eyes turned up inside his head and he fell to his knees, then forward, banging his head on the table as he did so. He was dead before he hit the floor. Toth looked on with horror at the body. How long had he worked for Bald, and he still didn't see that coming? The girl holding the wine pitcher cried out in shock and dropped it, causing it to shatter on the floor, the red wine mixing smoothly with the red blood, each pooling out toward the other in one giant puddle. She would have been dead within seconds had Bald not already left the room. Dastra turned her head to see the tail end of him exiting through the large doors into the hallway of the castle. She stood and looked in disgust at the tiny man that stood quivering at the table.

"Make the girl clean it up."

Dastra turned and followed AethelBald out of the room.

Dastra sat in front of the mirror, gently brushing her hair. The hairbrush slid smoothly through her raven curls, the result of lots of tender care. She had heard somewhere that if a woman gave her hair a hundred brushes every day, it would eventually turn to gold and capture the heart of any man who looked upon it. She of course did not believe in such nonsense, but she still brushed her hair like the tale said. It did make it shine, and she never had to deal with tangles.

She felt hands on her neck, encircling it, rubbing her collarbone gently. She closed her eyes and smiled. Had she been anywhere else her reflexes would have caused her to fight back, to lash out at the unknown attacker. But sitting in the bedchamber of the most powerful man on the planet gave her a sense of calm. The king of the mighty country of Ynwfn rubbed her skin, caressed it softly to give her pleasure. There wasn't a prostitute alive that would hesitate to murder Dastra for that kind of privilege. Dastra knew her position with the king was perilous at the best of times, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even tresses made of alluring gold.

She laid the brush down on the table and reached up, taking his hands in hers, kissing the backs of them. She could hear his breathing grow heavier. She turned and put her arms around his waist, kissing his belly then laying her head against it. He brushed her hair with his hands.

"Aren't you angry? Usually when bad news concerning the mercenary reaches you, you go into a rage, killing people."

He laughed.

"I already did kill someone, remember?"

Dastra smiled.

"Yes I know. But you seem in a good mood. Have you given up on the giant? Is he as important to you as before?"

Bald took her head in his hands and lifted her face to look at him.

"I will never stop until I have that mans head lying on my mantle."

Dastra smiled at him. He thought it was because she liked him and his strong hand. She knew different. His dedication toward this man would eventually come to fruition. And when it did, Dastra would have her dream fulfilled as well. To see Kady lying dead in her own blood.

"So what's the plan? What do you have in mind to capture Yspaddaden? Are you going to send out another party?"

Bald laughed. And it wasn't just a kind, simple laugh that one made to evoke an emotion. No, this was real laughter, the kind that couldn't be controlled, the kind that made one mute with pleasure. It took him a moment to gather himself before he could answer Dastra's question.

"Another party? You may say so. Though, this party may be significantly larger than the previous one. And I'm going to have to send someone I truly trust along to see the mission through."

Dastra waited, trying to urge him into speaking without actually asking him to. Bald turned away, seemingly content with his statement. Dastra seethed behind him, wanting to hear his plan, but not wanting him to know she wanted to. How could she ask about it without actually asking? Bald leapt on his bed and lay there, hands behind his head, relaxed, eyes closed and a smile on his face. Dastra gave it a little more thought, then rose slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"It's a good plan. Marus was a fool. He was a great soldier for AethelKil and after you came into power, I thought for sure he would have left the service. But he stayed on. Mixed loyalty like that is for cowards. He chose a comfortable job over his loyalty to the king. Yspaddaden on the other hand was quite loyal. It shows true fortitude to follow a man, not only in the good times, but also in the bad, when the one you are following fails. When you can lead your men to ruin, and them still happy about following you? That's the mark of a true leader." Dastra by this point had crawled up onto the bed beside Bald and laid her head on his chest. "Marus was not to be trusted. You must have someone new, someone worthy, to lead your new company of soldiers to find and kill the mercenary."

Bald opened his eyes and looked down at the woman. He gave a large smile, one that showed he knew more than she did.

"A company? No my dear. More than that. Much more. An army."

Dastra sat up, shocked. How many men was he talking about here? Did this mean war? She voiced her questions.

"War. Such a small word. Such a powerful one. Ynwfn and Finngal haven't been at war together for quite some time. It used to be rather of a tradition between our two countries, almost an obligation from year to year. Perhaps we have fallen too deep in our own passivity. Maybe we are growing too soft." Bald stood up in the middle of the room and started to gesture. When he became animated like this, Dastra knew he was excited.

"War with Finngal! It has such a nice ring to it does it not? And what's to stop me? I am leader of the most powerful nation in the world. True the minotaurs, by the individual, are stronger, faster, more powerful. But I have more men at my command. It  is my alliances that make Ynwfn strong. I command the most powerful army in all of Aropod. Ten thousand men reside here in the capitol alone, and another fifty thousand I could have here within the month. I am allied with the countries of Najja, Uisnech and Idris. The fleet of Epona is stronger than any, and I am friends with the elven-king who is Commodore over them. All I need do is ask and I could have within my borders a fighting force worth two hundred thousand men, elves and dwarves. Two hundred thousand. The last counts put the armies of Finngal at a mere seventy-five thousand. We could take them easily. And not just war with them and go our separate ways. But true war. Conquering war! Sacking and pillaging. Burning cities, enslaving children, humiliating their soldiers. It could be done. And so I shall do it."

Dastra looked at him in awe and reverence. She knew not what it was exactly that made him so attractive to her at the moment, but it was all she could do not to pull him onto the bed and ravish him until morning. He had such an air of confidence, of arrogance, of power. He was beautiful.

"But, would it not take a long time to gather that many men? Surely months would be required to mobilize such an army. By the time Yspaddaden reaches Finngal and begins his search for the Aszkastone, your messengers to those places would just be returning. He could easily find the Stone before half of the men could get here."

Bald returned to the bed and knelt, taking her face in his hands. He stroked her hair, seeming intoxicated with some unknown emotion. He rubbed her cheek and cold chills that burned like fire ran through her entire body. He smiled at her.

"I know. Which is why I sent my messengers the day after AethelKil died. The armies are gathering as we speak. Within the year we will be knocking at Finngal's door. It's going to take Yspaddaden at least nine months to reach the border from where he is. By then we will have declared war and sent the first wave of soldiers across to their land. If I have to pick the desolation clean after we win to find that Stone, so be it. It will be mine. And you shall lead them to their victory. There is no other I trust enough. We will have our war."

And Dastra kissed him.