Casus Belli Ch. 04: Eye of the Storm

Cassandra chuckled, "Not before noon in any case..." The young girl nodded her understanding, and then Denora led Vala and Leavy inside and the normal getting up ritual started. They had breakfast together, and then it was time for a bath. Afterwards it was a black dress again, for the last time she decided. She would wear blue for the coronation, and afterwards she would start to dress normally again, just keep it a bit sober. When she was ready to leave for the daily councilors meeting, which she had set for ten o'clock the day before, to make sure she was free when Brando returned, Denora and Syldan joined her. Before they left Vala and Leavy volunteered to man the reception desk, because Polly and Moiga wanted to give Cerny a bath.

So by the time she returned to her private chambers again, just before noon, Cerny was all freshened up, and wearing a clean dress. She smiled as she took her in, the dark red combined very well with Cerny's dark hair, "Oh, I remember that one. I was twelve when I last wore it I think..."

Cerny blinked, looked down and caressed the soft fabric before looking back at her again, "It..., it was yours? I'm wearing a Pryoness' dress?"

Cassandra smiled, "Yes, it used to be one of my favorites." She winked, "If you keep it clean you can wear it for the coronation tomorrow..."

Cerny's eyes grew big, "I..., I can be at the coronation?"

She chuckled, "Yes, of course, tomorrow you're going to be my seventh maiden."

When they were having lunch, a good hour later, she watched Cerny sit herself down between her and Polly. She sported this big towel, tied around her neck, and covering her almost entirely. Cassandra chuckled, "You aren't going to take any risks I see..."

The girl shook her head vehemently, "No," and a round of joyful laughter resulted.

***

After lunch the chronometer seemed to slow down ever more. Brando was late, and she slowly started to get really anxious as she waited for his return. She wasn't the only one, Cerny had installed herself in her lap after lunch, and started to become more clingy by the minute. Even her maidens, the ones in the living room with them, became restless. Another hour passed before, at last, the trumpets sounded, and kept sounding... As Cerny had to get of her lap first her maidens beat her to the windows, "Royal Guard on horseback returning," Leavy announced, "a whole lot of them."

She arrived at the windows too, with Cerny clinging to her. A large Guard cavalry unit was entering through the gate, and a sigh of relief coursed through her as Brando came into view. Next to him rode a colossus of a man, a civilian, whom she had never seen before. She felt Cerny jumping up and down next to her. "Daddy!" Cassandra bent down and gave the girl a big hug while outside the men started dismounting their horses. When Brando and his huge companion moved out of sight towards the keep's entrance Cerny started to pull her towards the door to the private hallway.

She stopped her, "Patience!" she chuckled, "they'll be here in a minute." Cerny stopped, looking back up at her as she held her by the shoulders.

Minutes passed slowly, and then there was noise coming from the private hallway. The double doors opened and Denora swept inside, her entire face beaming, "We have visitors..."

The two men stepped inside behind her, the eyes of the giant accompanying Brando scanned the room, and then his face lit up, "Cerny!" There was no holding the girl anymore, she ran up to her father and leapt into his waiting arms. The man hugged her fiercely, and tears started running down his cheeks, "Oh sweetie, I thought I lost you."

Cerny's lip trembled, "I..., I went to look for help!"

The man kissed her all over her small face, "At first I thought you were just hiding, but when you didn't show up after the orcs left... All kinds of terrible things started crossing my mind."

Cerny clamped herself against him, "I'm okay dad, and so is Musso, Aunt Cassy took good care of us."

The man's eyes darted around the room, "That's me," Cassandra smiled.

His eyes locked onto her, he started what was probably meant to become a thank you, and then he froze and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. His head swiveled around, and his gaze locked on Brando, who just grinned. "You didn't... you never said..." The shocked gaze returned to her, and then the giant dropped down to his knees, still hugging Cerny close. "Your highness..."

Cassandra chuckled, "Please, get back on your feet, Cerny's dad..."

The giant rose, "Torval Krunn, your highness," he introduced himself with a short bow.

She nodded, and then she introduced all her maidens to him, ending with Polly, "And this is Polly, who has been looking after your daughter most these past days."

"Aunt Polly let me sleep in her bed with her," Cerny chimed in, "because I missed you so much."

Torval took in the gathered maidens, "My thanks to all of you, for taking such good care of my daughter." He smiled at Polly, "And you especially of course."

"She was a great help to us too," Cassandra said, "she was the first to alert us as to what the orcs were up to." She pointed at the large dining table, "But let's sit down, so she can tell you everything herself."

And so they all listened to Cerny telling her father her story, about how she had come home to an inn surrounded by orcs and huge beasts, and decided to go look for help. They watched him cringe as she told him about her three day trek across the moors, proving he was as aware of how dangerous that had been as Cassandra and Brando had been. And then she told him about her time at Bromodin, about how nice it had all been. "And tomorrow I'm going to be seventh maiden at Aunt Cassy's coronation," she ended smiling.

Cerny's father blinked, and then looked at her questioningly. She nodded, "Yes, and you're invited too of course."

The giant blushed, "This is all too much honor you highness."

She waved away his objection, "No, it isn't. Don't expect too much from it though, it's going to be a relatively sober affair, due to the circumstances."

Torval nodded, "Yes, of course," he cocked his head, "my condolences regarding your father your highness."

Cassandra smiled softly, "Thank you. Could you tell us what happened to you once the orcs arrived?"

"There actually isn't that much to tell," Torval started, "the first thing I noticed was all this noise outside, and by then their scouting units had already surrounded the inn. I wasn't allowed outside, but I did see this huge number of orcs arriving through the windows. About an hour later their leaders came in, and demanded room and board, which I was in no position to deny them of course. They had a good appetite, and they drank half my beer supply, but they didn't wreck anything but a couple of old chairs that proved not to be up to carrying their weight. And they also didn't harass the two young women I employ, at least not more than the normal clientele does."

He grinned, "The only negative thing I can say about them is that they didn't pay their bill before they left again the next morning, but to be honest, I didn't present them one either." He looked at his daughter, "As soon as they were gone I went looking for Cerny, but she was nowhere to be found. I spent the following days searching a ten league radius around the inn, to no avail. I was going mad with worry, but then Brando arrived and told me she was safe in Iriskan." He picked Cerny from the chair next to him, and hugged her close once more, "Never scare your old dad like that ever again sweetie."

Both men looked rather dusty after half a day on horseback. "Denora, Moiga," Cassandra said, looking at said maidens, "Could you please arrange for a third floor guest quarters for Torval to be prepared, and show him the way to the fourth floor guest bathing facilities?" Both girls nodded and she switched her gaze to Cerny, "And where are you going to sleep tonight young lady?"

The young girl gave her daddy this guilty look, and he laughed amused, "As long as I know you're safe it doesn't matter where you sleep daughter of mine." He looked at Polly across the table, "As long as 'Aunt Polly' doesn't mind that is."

Polly smiled back at him, "We have large beds, and she's such a sweet girl. She can be my guest anytime."

Cassandra looked at Torval, "You will be expected back again, for dinner, an hour from now," she said with a smile.

Torval nodded slowly, and Brando grinned at him, getting up, "That's our cue buddy, the dirty men are now expected to go get themselves cleaned up, so they are more pleasing to the female senses..."

***

They had an excellent dinner in Cassandra's living room, the ten of them. Afterwards they retreated to the couches, and had a pleasant evening, as Cerny's dad proved to be an endless source of funny tales. A little past nine Polly put Cerny to bed, as usual, and after the young girl had gone the conversation turned more serious. "So you have been in the presence of the Orc leadership for the better part of a day," Cassandra said to Torval, "Did they mention anything, or was their anything in their behavior, you think we should know?"

Torval shrugged, "There were well over a dozen of them; their leader and his six man personal guard, with over half a dozen of what I think were his most important chieftains. They filled the inn's sleeping accommodation to capacity. But more orcs were moving in and out all the time, and at dinner the common room was packed with over three dozen of what I think were his chieftains." He grins, "That's the main reason my beer supply got halved. They spoke both common and orcish, and I think they used the latter for anything they didn't want to fall on human ears. So I'm afraid I have nothing for you regarding their plans."

Cassandra nodded her understanding, and Torval continued, "They behaved like soldiers otherwise, albeit rather crude ones. They drank their beer and flirted and joked with the girls, even pulled them onto their laps once in a while, but they never really crossed the line as I was afraid they would." He sighed, "They are pretty girls, and I was really worried I would have to interfere, and everything would then go to hell if I did. A couple of them actually did invite the girls to join them in their beds, but when they said no they accepted that."

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment, "Did you see any wounded, or prisoners of war?"

Torval shook his head, "No to both, but as I said, I wasn't allowed outside the inn." The big man looked around the table, and then he locked eyes with Casandra again, "I have a bit of a confession to make..." She frowned, and he blushed, "I never really believed it when people said you were our Pryoness, but I was wrong."

She shook her head in confusion, "I don't understand..., what do you mean?"

Torval smiled softly, "That you aren't just looking out for the nobles, but for the common people as well. The Nigawan people have always had a soft spot for you, mostly due to you losing your mother at such a young age." He gestured at her assembled maidens, "But then you chose your maidens from the common people, and not from the nobles as was customary, and people started to talk about you as their Pryoness. And now I have witnessed it for myself, how you interact with your maidens, and how you cared for my daughter as if she were your own." He swallowed, "Please forgive me for ever doubting your loyalty to the Nigawan people your highness."

Cassandra felt herself blush, "It was my father's idea, to abandon the old tradition and change the way in which my maidens got chosen."

Torval smiled, "Your father was a wise man..."

She sighed, and Torval's face dropped. She placated him with a gesture, "It's not your fault, it's just that it's still so fresh, and I miss him so much."

She looked at Brando, as much out of desire to change the subject as anything else. "And what have you to report about your trip to the Traders Inn? Did anything of note happen?"

Brando smiled softly, and she knew he knew. "We got up to Kiran's position around the Seven Pints without any problems." he said. There was an orc presence to the north east, but it proved nothing but a small cavalry unit, which withdrew as soon as we started heading in its direction the next morning. They were mounted on big two legged lizards a bit larger than a warhorse. I don't know how much stamina they have, but their sprinting speed was impressive. The unit, about a dozen strong, stayed in visual contact as we headed towards Bagman's Crossing."

He grinned, "They were clearly scouts with orders to keep tabs on Kiran's forces. They split once we reached the crossing, with one half of them moving across the Amunda, and the other half turning east towards the Trader's Inn. We did a quick sweep of the battlefield, but found nothing but human corpses. There weren't any orc bodies, and neither were there any wounded." Cassandra bit her lip, and he swallowed, "No, we didn't find your father's body, not even a trace..., I'm sorry." He sighed, "What we did find was that some of the dead looked as if they had been executed, with a sword stab down the top of their shoulder."

Cassandra blanched, and her voice sounded upset, "You mean they killed our wounded?"

Brando nodded, "Yes, but not for the reason you think. These were all men that, going by their other wounds, were beyond saving. They were mercy stabbings, straight to the heart, to end their suffering."

She swallowed hard, "What an ugly business war is..."

Her betrothed nodded slowly, "Still, this is a good thing..."

Cassandra nodded, "Yes, they showed mercy, and in doing so showed they possess honor too." She thought for a moment, "Let's make sure we treat them as they treat us."

Brando nodded his agreement, and then continued his report, "After checking the battlefield at Bagman's Crossing we proceeded towards the Trader's Inn. We didn't see any orcs anymore on the way. When we arrived at the Inn, I sent the cavalry company Colonel Kiran added to our group further on to Ovega, with orders to check the situation there. From Ovega they were to return to the Seven Pints over Merdion. They hadn't arrived back there at the time we got to the Seven Pints on our return trip. Before continuing to Iriskan I ordered Colonel Kiran to send a detail to Bagman's Crossing, to bury our dead, and then return to Iriskan with the remainder of his army."

Torval cleared his throat, "I saw the orcish cavalry unit your betrothed mentioned as it passed the inn on its way east to Ovega. I had just returned from one of my searches, and I heard them coming. It was a strange thudding sound I had never heard before, much different from the sound made by a galloping horse. They passed at high speed, and the legs of these lizards they were riding moved like those of a running bird, their claws hitting the soil at least a dozen paces apart. I think they went at least one and a half times as fast as a good horse..."

Brando's face had turned sour, "And the Trader's Inn is twenty five leagues down the road from Bagman's Crossing..., so they have stamina too."

She bit her lip, "Any more 'good news'?"

Brando shrugged, "Those trained lizard beasts provide the orcs with an advantage, especially as they have different types of them, to fulfill different roles. I wonder if we have seen all these beasts are capable of yet..."

"And what do we do at the next surprise?" she asked him.

Brando thought for a moment, "We already plan for surprises, for anything not too ludicrous that is, and for the rest we're heavily depending on the wits of the lower level commanders to divert disaster if something unforeseen happens. We're basically relying on their initiative, something their training ingrained in them. It's the strongest feature of our army, it's what has led to defeat upon defeat for both the Lorasian and Mercandon armies in the past, and it's also what has prevented our forces from disintegrating during our own recent defeats." He swallows, "It is what turned defeats into retreats instead of routs... It is what, in the end, is going to make us win this war."

He looked around the table, looking confident, and then he locked eyes with her again, "I have fought these orcs myself, in Windagon, and at The Forks. They are brave, they are tough and strong, and their martial prowess is second to none, but they aren't flexible. What I mean by that is that they are incapable of reacting quickly to a fast changing tactical situation, just like the Lorasians and the Mercandon never were able to. Their upper command, Bashuk and his chieftains, are smart enough, but the lower level leaders are only capable, or more probably allowed, to follow orders. And they suffer from it even more than the Lorasians and the Mercandon, probably because of the way their whole society is structured."

"If a low level commander shows initiative this is seen as a leadership challenge to his direct superior, as a bid for power. For the equivalent of an orc sergeant or lieutenant this means that if you don't want to end up in a deadly duel with your superior you keep your mouth shut and follow orders. So if something goes seriously wrong on the battlefield it has to travel up the chain of command all the way to the top first, and then the orders needed to remedy the problem still have to travel all the way down that same chain of command again, by which time the problem might already have changed its nature again."

"So the trick is to confront them with a situation as tactically complex as possible, and then keep changing it to a tune our own command system can keep up with, but theirs can't." He grinned sheepishly, "At least that's the plan for the next big battle..."

Cassandra smiled at him, "That sounds good to me, supreme commander..."

***

They talked about less serious matters for another hour or so, and then it was high time to prepare for bed. Denora and Syldan showed Torval out, and after the girls returned she told her assembled maidens that she wouldn't need their services anymore for the night. "But who's going to tuck you in then milady?" Leavy asked with an innocent smile on her face and a naughty twinkle in her eyes.

Cassandra blushed, and Polly reacted confused, "Isn't Brando going to bed with her then?" Everyone started to chuckle, and Polly pouted, "Ooooh, I fell for it again..."

Cassandra pouted too, and gave her junior maiden a hug, "They are being mean to us again Polly. Maybe I should have Brando give them all a good bare bottom spanking..." The chuckling stopped, and silence descended. "Ha ha," she grinned, looking around at her wide eyed maidens, "Got ya..." They all gasped in relief, and Polly chuckled in turn. After that she got half a dozen good nights straight from the heart, and replied in kind, and then Brando took her hand and led her to the bedchamber. The moment the doors closed behind them she was in his arms.

He pulled her close against him, "I missed you honey...," and then he gestured with his head towards the living room, and chuckled, "for a moment, they really thought they were going to have their bottoms reddened."

She locked eyes, and smiled up to him, "No no, you are lucky, but not that lucky..." She tiptoed up to him, "I'm not going to risk you finding a nicer bottom than mine..." With that she placed her lips on his, and kissed him softly.

She felt his hands slide down her back, caressing her butt through her dress, "I don't think you're at risk in that particular department," he commented lifting his lips from hers, "You happen to have the most spectacular of butts, your highness."

She pressed her breasts against him, "Does that mean there are 'departments' where I am at risk?"