Yspaddaden - Chapter 21

 Ynwfn, outskirts of Anaij.

Dastra walked among the men of Ynwfn, drawing the stares of them all. She encouraged no one and stared down those who smiled at her. She was not here for pleasure. Neither were they. They stretched out as far as she could see, covering the entire valley. Seventy-five thousand men all together, training with swords and spears, bows and arrows, horses and unicorns, was a sight to see, even for one such as her who had seen plenty of the world and the oddities that it held. The army of Ynwfn was the largest on the planet and AethelBald was right to be proud of them. Dastra felt very honoured to be the one that he had chosen to lead his men halfway across the continent to battle the minotaurs, arguably the fiercest people in the world. A chill rushed through her body just thinking about it. She was about to go to war!

The general of the army, Mr. Torrant, walked her way. He strode toward her with a very noticeable swagger, his feet thumping along though never seeming to touch the ground. His hand lighted gently on the hilt of his sword and his medals gleamed in the bright light. He brushed his giant mustache gently, tenderly, massaging it into a well known form that he had perfected. His beefy hands appeared able to tear the meat right off the bones of a live bull. He was stocky, short, but he had an air about him that thrilled and impressed Dastra. She would never have been attracted to him, but he did have a quality that she liked. As he approached he stuck out a hand to her as if she were an equal.

"Commander Dastra. Good of you to come and inspect the troops. I pray they are to your liking?"

And indeed she had become his equal. Commander? But of course, she was the leader of an army now. Why not the title that came with the position? Commander Dastra of Ynwfn. It was something she could get used to.

She nodded at the man and turned herself toward the valley. They stood on a slight ledge, overlooking the men. They spread out as far as the eye could see. Tents had been erected as men from all over the country traveled to be a part of the fighting force that would storm Finngal. It was not yet dark, but fires were lit, cooks scurrying about trying to stay on top of the monumental task of feeding the giant group of people. Some men were training, some were resting, some were settling in. Once they were ready to leave the procession would stretch to over two miles long, appearing to the birds and faeries to be a moving river of people. Not only would the soldiers be traveling to the land of the minotaurs, but there would be with them over ten thousand others, serfs and cooks, medics and clerics, armorers and blacksmiths, hunters and spies, women for work and women for rent. The armies of Uisnech would arrive within three days. Once the fighting force of Najja met up with the fleet of Epona and crushed in on the opposite side of Finngal, the total number of men would reach to over two hundred thousand. The largest army ever to be assembled.

Dastra turned to Torrant and spoke to him.

"Mr. Torrant, I appreciate you coming. There is a delicate matter I wish to talk to you about."

Mr. Torrant turned and looked at Dastra with scorn. He obviously was not in the habit of conversing with females as he would a man, as an equal. Hopefully he would not be difficult and that the journey would go smoothly.

"Of course milady. Whatever you wish."

He spit on the ground. Dastra had not noticed him chewing anything, so the unnecessary action perturbed her. She licked her lips and tried to begin again.

"General Torrant, you are a man of high honour. The AethelKing has spoken very highly of you. I can see for myself upon your breast the many awards that have been given you over your years of service. I've heard of stories of your heroics, rogue Dragons, trolls, giants. You vanquish every enemy you come across. I'm sure there is no man that would dare stand against you. Barring the king of course." Torrant bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. "So please believe me when I say that I do indeed respect you and wish our relationship to become a smooth one." Torrant's nose flared as he straightened and set his jaw in anger. Dastra gave a step closer to him  and raise her hand, pointer finger emphasizing her next words. "But if you ever address me as 'milady', or 'Dastra', or anything other than 'Commander' again, I will be forced with no other course of action than to have you arrested by the marines and hung in front of every man here so they can see what happens to one who disregards the strict hierarchy of command. Is that understood?"

The man seemed almost to burst with anger as his face grew immensely red and his hands balled into fists. A low rumble seemed to be coming from the back of his throat as he contained a yell that sat there, ready to burst forth at any moment. Dastra let the man stew and compose himself before he was able to respond.

"Understood. Commander."

He spat the words at her in disgust. Such hatred! He either had a true abhorrence to woman, or he was simply unused to taking orders from anyone but the king. Or perhaps it was a combination of both. Whatever it was, Dastra felt the thrill of pleasure run through her again as she saw how much power she had over him. She thanked Bald in her mind for giving her complete control over the army. All those years in his bed, detesting him at times, proved to finally be worth it. She grinned and placed a hand lightly on Mr. Torrant's shoulder.

"Thank you my dear. Now, I will be the first to admit that I know almost nothing about commanding an army. However I'm going to be happy to attempt to apply my expertise in the compound to this job as well. Being the most sought after courtesan in the land gives one certain power over a great many people. I shall be relying on you heavily to advise me on the day to day machinations of this campaign. We shall be a great team, leading this army to its first war with Finngal in over thirty years. To its victory." She leaned over and gave him a small peck on the cheek. As she leaned back, she could almost see the hatred written across his forehead as he held himself back from murdering her on the spot. Maybe the kiss was too much. She had enjoyed taunting him, but she had to admit he really did know more about her in this respect and it was going to be a long journey from here to Finngal. She was going to have to watch her back for a knife at all times. Perhaps she should hire a few body guards?

Zwarrin

Commander Zwarrin strode through the camp of the Ynwfn army taking it all in with his large green eyes. Men milled about, getting their swords repaired, polishing armor, eating, conversing with women. He nodded to all that held his gaze and even waved to a few of the soldiers as they stared at him and his retinue. Behind him trailed fifteen men, ranging in age from ninety-five to twenty-seven, all human. They were his own personal group of body guards, though he never introduced them as such. Whenever meeting with another Commander, Zwarrin liked to come off as unimposing as possible. His lanky body and seemingly skinny arms and legs gave people the impression of weakness, but the men that surrounded him were the first to admit to his power and strength, his ability to lead men into impossible situations and their love for him. He was often touted as the most liked of the Commanders that Uisnech had ever seen, working his way up the ranks over the course of twenty years or so. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to easily rally soldiers around him into crazy frenzies, even back when he was just a young knight. Rising swiftly through the ranks, Lieutenant, Major, Master, Captain, General, he had finally achieved his dream of becoming Commander of the army of Uisnech. It wasn't something he bragged about, but the men he led into victory after victory praised him behind his back and to his face. He held honour, prestige, love. And, unlike many other people like him, he held them with respect and hard work, as opposed to power and violence. Yes, his men loved him greatly. As did his country.

As Zwarrin walked swiftly among the tents, observing everything, nodding to the men and smiling to the women, there seemed to be a ripple through the entire camp and whispers wafted up and over the tents as their speakers did not even attempt to hide their speech. Commander Zwarrin of Uisnech is here! Zwarrin tried to ignore the vaguely hidden praise around him, but his right hand man, General Dozod, took the liberty to lean over to him and whisper in his ear.

"It seems, Commander, that your presence is known already. Perhaps we should postpone the parade and surprise party? It appears simply getting a glimpse of the infamous Zwarrin is enough entertainment for these folks."

Zwarrin turned and caught the mischievous grin of his General. He tried not to smile in response.

"Perhaps you are right Doz. Though I'd hate to disappoint these people. What will they say when they hear the festivities are canceled? I fear a riot could occur."

"Nah, we have a riot scheduled for later in the day and I don't think they want to get all hot and sweaty before then."

At that Zwarrin couldn't help but laugh out loud. His mirth only lasted a moment as he rounded the corner of a tent and beheld his destination. He stopped and raised his hand, turning and commanding most of his men to stay where they were and stand guard. He then turned back around and walked up to the entrance of the large tent, taking with him only General Doz, Captain Fark and Captain Harcour. He walked straight up to the centaur that stood guard outside at the flap entrance and stopped, bowing his head to the man. His men did the same. Knowing the customs of the centaurs, Commander Zwarrin kept his head bowed as he spoke.

"Commander Zwarrin to appear before Commander Dastra, leader of the Ynwfn army. May I approach?"

The centaur reached out his hand and touched the Commander lightly on the chin, raising his head. The centaur looked into his eyes and nodded slightly.

"Commander Zwarrin, son of Jayle, enter. You are welcome. But your men are not."

Zwarrin didn't budge.

"My men go with me wherever I say they do. This is a land of war. Why can my soldiers not accompany me?"

Before the centaur had a chance to answer, a voice from inside the tent called out.

"Let them in Carel. It is alright."

Carel the centaur firmed his lips and grunted a response. He waved his hand grudgingly at Zwarrin and motioned him access to the tent. Zwarrin bowed his head once more before stepping up and taking hold of the flap, flipping it to the side and walking boldly into the large tent.

The first thing the Commander noticed about the tent was its decor. Most high ranking soldiers who had their own tent either filled it with elaborate furniture and rugs and art work to try and intimidate the people who visited them or they left it bare, imposing a false sense of modesty that most people saw through. This place felt like home. It was the best way he could describe it. There was a table in the middle of the enclosure and a walled off area to the side where he guessed Dastra's sleeping area to be. Other than that the only piece of furniture in the room was a table to the side with a few bowls of fruit and pastries and a large container of what seemed to be cheap wine. Zwarrin was impressed. She didn't seem to be trying to intimidate anyone, nor trying to appear too humble. She seemed to simply use her tent as a meeting place, a central area where the Generals and Captains could gather and discuss strategies with her. He liked this woman's style.

Dastra turned around as they walked in and noticed Zwarrin and his men standing there. She gave a smile and started walking their way, stretching out a hand to the Commander in greeting. He took her in as she approached, decked out as she was in her own style of battledress. She wore a very tight, very low cut shirt made out of leather that had no sleeves and tight pants that left nothing up to the imagination. Her hair was pulled back and she also wore gloves with the fingers cut off of them. A sword was strapped to her side and a small dagger clung precariously to the back of her pants. Zwarrin had to admit, never forgetting his wife at home, waiting for his safe return, that this woman was quite beautiful and imposing. She had a bearing about her that he liked, and also felt uncomfortable with at the same time. All this passed through his mind quite rapidly before she had a chance to speak.

"Commander Zwarrin of Uisnech, welcome to Ynwfn! I pray you had a safe and comfortable journey here? The oceans of Lithavan can be quite tempestuous this time of year I understand."

Zwarrin took her hand and gave a short little bow, kissing the back of it in a polite gesture. He smiled at Dastra.

"The journey was quite uneventful. Only one mild storm and we were able to circumvent the extent of it. I bring you greetings from the king of Uisnech. He apologizes that he could not accompany us and wishes us fair fighting and a speedy victory. It is a sentiment I also share."

Dastra gave him a small smile. Zwarrin felt like it was one of those that a parent gave when they are tolerating an annoying child. He hoped that his initial admiration of this woman was not misplaced. But Dastra grinned wider and gave a small laugh.

"Of course! No one wishes unnecessary bloodshed. These minotaurs have been a blight on the world long enough."

"Blight?"

The female seemed to be struggling to find another word that would replace the one she had carelessly spoken. She sputtered for a moment before Zwarrin interrupted.

"I trust my king completely. I was not told of the exact reasons why me and my army were sent here to assist you in this campaign, but I'm sure that we would not be here unless there was a very good reason to be. I'm a soldier, Commander. Not a politician. When my king commands me to go to war, I do and I do not question it. If you harbor a prejudice against the Finngal nation, that is your business and I have no right to judge you on it. But if I learn that this is a campaign of vengeance or discrimination, I shall become very cross and have no choice but to withdraw my men. If you wish to divulge the reasonings behind this war, I would welcome hearing it. Otherwise, I suggest we leave our personal feelings about this to ourselves."

Dastra nodded profusely in answer.

"Indeed. Yes. I was not spoken to of the reasonings either. I was recently promoted into this position and am quite unfamiliar as to some of the finer etiquette that comes with the title. Please forgive me if I offended you with my careless remark."

"Not at all. I understand. It was a pleasure to meet you Commander. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will see to arranging the integration of our armies. I have a lot of men waiting to find a place to pitch their tents and they have traveled far and are weary. If you'll excuse me."

Dastra nodded her assent.

"Of course. Carel will help you with the arrangements. He will show you where all the accommodations are. I do wish that you would return in the morning at dawn. I am inviting the Generals and Captains to talk over our plans.

Zwarrin bowed to her once more. His men copied him and then exited quietly, allowing her to return to her work. As he walked out of the tent, a sense of relief flooded over him, which was strange, for he had not noticed being all that apprehensive until he felt the absence of it. Curious. He would have to learn all he could about this woman Commander.