Change in the Winds
#2 of Kingdoms
A strange woman wearing little clothing and a weapon gathered quite a bit of attention. She screamed out for the king of Wendlow to meet her in combat, and as she approached the ancient castle, her wish was granted. First by four women, "You are the one threatening our king. What is your business here?"
She rested her hand on the handle of her blade, "I seek to challenge the king to a duel. Is he too cowardly to accept?"
"No, I'm occupied." The tired voice of a young man came from behind the woman, who spun around, "I understand you wish to challenge me, but I will always put my people above my own interests, even my pride." He was wearing royal regalia, as dictated by his advisors. Of course, he also wore his sword, "Now, will you make the duel official, or will you keep yelling?"
Both Erhardt and the woman eyed each other up carefully. She had expected an older man, not the young man who seemed tired enough to fall down. His review was a bit more thorough. Other than the white bandages around her chest, skirt revealing a leg, and wooden sandals, she had a very fine black fur that almost seemed to not have any texture. Her abdominal muscles, while not impressive, were easily counted from a glance, "Are you done staring?"
The eyes though, were the identifying feature. Narrower and just barely slanted, "Warrior from the sea," That was what the invaders were called centuries ago, and it was so rare to have one around that most didn't know about the eyes, "You wish to challenge me, then make it official. State your terms."
She was a little confused, and hoped that some mystery would be to her advantage, "To the death. I fight for the honor of my father."
Erhardt nodded, "I accept. Now, for proper introductions." He bowed, "I am Erhardt the Brave, fight well warrior from the sea, I have high expectations." They both drew their swords. While her's was narrow and thin, and thus could move through the air faster, Erhardt's sword was much more intimidating. He watched as she bent her knees and stretched her legs apart, a very sturdy defensive stance. He simply held his blade in front of him with both hands. Without changing their stance, they began to circle each other, both searching for any sign of weakness or movement.
Before long, Erhardt saw his advantage. On sand or stone, her sandals would pose no trouble, but the fertile and rich soil of Wendlow allowed them to sink in deeper. Sudden movements would be fatal. The woman's face indicated that she had just realized this as well, so she raised her sword above her head to counter any attacks.
Erhardt slowly marched forward, each stride never overtaking the other leg. Then, he simply struck with all his might as the woman angled her blade to deflect the blow. All he had to do was match the angle, and the hit was direct and with full force. Her muscles rippled as she struggled to withstand the assault, but Erhardt wouldn't let up. It was apparent before long that either her sword would break, or her arms would give out. It was now or never.
As Erhardt raised his sword for another attack, she lowered her body and kicked him away. He felt a smile cross his face when she used his momentary stun as an opportunity to launch her own attack. He waited for her stabbing strike patiently, then in one quick move, parried her attack, punched her in the face, used his sword to knock her blade away, and pointed at her throat, "Impressive, but you made a critical mistake."
She panicked, and a myriad of thoughts crossed her mind. Attempt a kick? Too predictable. Roll and reach for her weapon? She might as well slit her own throat. Her snarl and expression showed no fear, but she did notice Erhardt wearing a gentle smile, "Well, what are you waiting for?!"
The clanking of armor distracted the small crowd, but did nothing to change the focus of the duelers, "My king! An army is marching towards Wendlow!"
Erhardt removed his sword from the edge of her neck, "Good work. I want a defensive wave organization. I will meet you on the front lines shortly. Guards! Please fetch my armor, I will dress as we move. Soldier, the final line is to help people into the castle, safehouses, and bunkers. Their lives are more important than any building."
"Yes sir!" He ran in the distance, where the high ranking soldiers were getting prepared. The woman grabbed her sword and watched Erhardt's personal guard run into the castle.
"You, why didn't you finish me?! This isn't over!" She attempted to raise her weapon again, but Erhardt simply shoved her back, "Why?!"
"My people come before everything. If you wish to finish our duel, it will have to wait. Get inside the castle and wait there warrior from the sea." He started to walk in the direction his soldier ran, "Move quickly." His words were strangely kind.
The woman sheathed her blade before following some of the fleeing citizens. Erhardt had made her think hard about what she was doing, only partially because of his kindness. His youth and skill was beyond her comprehension, because even through a short duel he knew intricacies she hadn't even considered. A bizarre human.
All she could do was wait in what appeared the be a throne room. A screaming pregnant woman sat upon the throne as citizens created some space and a few others assisted, "We need hot water!" The call echoed through the people, and soon a chef carrying a large bucket of hot water passed it along. It was all very unique for the woman.
"Impressive, is it not? Truly a unified group." An older woman in velvet robes began to speak to her, "Hello foreigner. I noticed your little duel, and how Erhardt was intrigued. Perhaps I can answer any curiosities you have."
The woman thought for a moment, "This land is very different from my own. Everyone there is out for themselves. I admit I hold no ill will towards your people, but I do have my reasons for fighting your king."
"As do many my child, as do many. I assume you also didn't know that he is the youngest man to ever become king. After his father died, he volunteered to go through the trials meant for sons with much more experience. He succeeded flawlessly, and proved he was more than worthy to be king."
"His father died? I had expected to meet an older man... I didn't know." She watched a woman give birth while given privacy by those surrounding her, "May I ask what trials he had to go through?"
The advisor smiled, "Of course. To gain the title of king, you must complete three trials. Failure of any part means you have to wait a month before starting over. In short form, first the chosen child must walk the Grand Highway, the road that divides the continent in half and connects the ocean to the mountains here, with nothing but the clothes on their back. It is a rather embarrassing process, but one that must be done. The second trial is to duel with the current king's personal guards, until each of them are satisfied. The third trial is to make a speech to the people in which they also take the oath. If the people accept them, they are given the title of king."
"Sounds arduous. But the embarassing part?"
The advisor looked over at the citizens, "Would you like to hear his personal tale?" The woman nodded, "Very well. The first trial... the personal guards of the first king must strip down the candidate, bathe him, then dress him in rags. This is done to ensure that he does not carry any weapons or powdered poisons on his skin to aid in survival. If I may say, he was easy on the eyes." She giggled, "Anyway, before he came back, we received a letter thanking the deceased king for training his soldiers as well as he did. We were a bit at a loss, but when Erhardt finally came home, he was wearing the furs of several feral beasts, including the mighty bear. His eyes had even more fire in them than I remembered.
When he returned, he did not ask for a day of rest, he asked for a sword and to continue the trials. We handed him a simple iron blade, then the four of us attacked at once. It was amusing, and pardon my language, but I was the first knocked on my ass. He knocked down two others, and the fourth surrendered. He overcame us with little effort, it was incredibly amazing. Before sunset, the people had gathered. He had cleaned himself up a bit, and wore more presentable clothing. I cannot repeat the oath or his speech, but I will say that I had never heard the people cheer so loud. Erhardt was born with the blood of kings, but his soul was destined to rule the people. At 18, just barely a man, he took control of the throne."
The foreign woman was dumbstruck. She challenged a man who did so much, "So... that's what he meant."
"Hmm?"
"At the end of our duel, he told me that I had made a critical mistake. I see now. I entered battle without learning of my opponent. Erhardt identified where I came from, my stance, even how I held my blade. All of this before the duel truly started. I... I need to apologize I think."
The advisor had a knowing grin on her face, "That can be arranged. I'm sure he would also like to talk with you. After all, the king of Wendlow must be trained both physically and mentally. He likes to learn about others, and your curiosity may also be sated by him. Ah, but first, perhaps something a bit warmer. Your garb fits you well, but I will fetch you a robe to wear over your clothing. The colder months are coming, and it wouldn't be right for a guest to freeze." She signaled to someone, and within minutes a plain robe was handed to the foreign woman, "May I have your name?"
"Keeyi." She slipped the robe over her head, "Daughter of the blacksmith Ne-kim."
"Well Keeyi, it is a pleasure to have you visit our kingdom. I would be more accommodating, but as you are aware a fool has decided to break the peace treaty and attack. Don't fret though, each of our soldiers are worth at least five from any other nation. I hope that by nightfall all will be settled."
It was a long and tense wait for everyone. The mother and new child kept spirits high though, so the only real inconvenience was being in a tight and crowded space. Several hours had passed, and during that time Keeyi had become involved in community activities, such as passing out food and helping family members find each other. For a woman who came from the nation which had enslaved this continent long ago, she was welcomed as one of their own.
Suddenly, loud horns sounded from outside of the castle, and large pillars of flames were ignited. People flooded from the castle in celebration, all Keeyi could do to keep from being caught in the flow was press against a wall and hold onto some protruding stone designs. It didn't take long for the crowds to flood into the vast land which was basking in the light of the setting sun. It certainly wasn't long enough for a war, but from what she heard over the next few minutes indicated that the army of Wendlow suffered no casualties.
She sighed with relief when she was all alone. The throne room looked abandoned without people, and for some reason lacked much decoration. The stone walls were well constructed, and the vaulted ceiling was made with wood from the trees around the kingdom. It hit her slowly, but this room was built to be functional, not to impress. Keeyi took a few steps just to hear her own echo, and found herself smiling, "Father would have loved to see this."
"Then invite him." Erhardt walked into the throne room accompanied by his four guards. His steel armor was coated in blood from the battle, "After all, this room will never fall into enemy hands." His little entourage stopped a short distance from Keeyi, "I heard you will be our guest. Please talk to an advisor to make arrangements for a room. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to grab food, bathe, and retire for the evening." The five left, leaving Keeyi to her own devices.
She was a bit lost, but found the same woman that explained some of Erhardt's past, and to her surprise a room was already prepared. She followed the advisor, then was left alone. It was stone, but the bed was large. There was also a smaller dresser for clothing and a chest for storing valuables. Keeyi walked through an opening, and to her surprise, discovered a private bathroom. A shower and a strange toilet were the only two fixtures, but a floor-length mirror was also included. She didn't want to admit it, but this room was better than her entire house. There were two handles attached to strings. Through experimentation, the one in the shower released a stream of water from the ceiling, while the one near the toilet caused the water inside to swirl and go down, "That's... something new."
The day had been long, so Keeyi felt the need to rest rather than play with the new features in this castle. She laid upon her bed and pulled on a blanket before drifting off to sleep. Her last thought was that feathers in the mattress were much better than a bed of straw.