Casus Belli Ch. 06: Darkness Falls

Cassandra sighed as she realized her wedding was now, hopefully, just thirteen days away. "I would hate having to miss the end of that chase," the letter continued, "but I will if I have to. I've promoted Colonel Kiran to General, and I'm sure he's a capable replacement, should I have to leave the army to its own devices during the mopping up part of this war. I hope that by now the confidence we all feel has rubbed off a little on you, because I hate making you worry. So cheer up, for me. Forever yours, love, Brando."

She slowly lowered the letter, eyed her maidens, "You lot finished reading?" They both nodded, smiling. Cassandra folded the letter, slipped it back inside the envelope, and stashed it beneath her pillow. She reached out to the cord of the light switch then, and switched off the main crystals. Darkness descended, proof that neither Lurcan nor Brag were in the sky tonight. After turning on her side Moiga spooned her from behind, and then Polly backed up against her. She felt all remaining tension evaporate, and basking in affection sleep came quickly.

***

That night Cassandra slept well, and when she woke the next morning a glance at the wall mounted chronometer showed it was eight thirty already. Moiga and Polly were still asleep though, and then Denora's voice startled her. "There's no news, so I let you sleep," she heard her senior maiden announce. As she looked in the direction her voice had come from she noticed her sitting on the stool in front of her dressing table. Denora smiled softly, "The three of you were sleeping so peacefully, I couldn't bring myself to wake you, and as there was no real need anyway..."

Cassandra felt the girls stir next to her, and she smiled at Denora, "Thank you." Moiga then woke with a soft yawn, and Polly snuggled closer against her, mumbling something unintelligible. She ruffled her junior maiden's blonde hair, "Wakey-wakey sleepyhead." Polly popped open one eye, and it looked at her accusingly. "I have this sudden feeling of déjà-vu," Cassandra chuckled.

Polly's other eye opened too, "Does that mean there's bacon and eggs for breakfast?" The petite blonde sniffed the air, "Oh, yes!"

Denora winked, "I didn't expect your little sleep-in to last very long, so I had the other girls postpone preparing breakfast for just half an hour."

The three of them sat up in the bed, and then Cassandra reached out and pulled both maidens sitting next to her up against her body, "Thank you, both of you, for the support."

It got her two soft kisses, one on each cheek. "I love supporting you," Moiga whispered, "and so do I," Polly added with a smile.

They had a nice long breakfast, and by the time it was finished, and they had bathed and dressed, it was time for the daily council meeting. There had been no news from Roha since the previous evening, and the meeting didn't last very long. Once Cassandra was back at her private chambers again, and having a cup of tea with her maidens, her nerves started to get the better of her. "I expected another message from Brando this morning," she said, "confirming the army achieved tactical surprise."

Denora, who was sitting next to her, reached out and put an arm around her shoulders, "The day is still young..."

Cassandra sighed, and then Syldan spoke up, "Let's have another training session, after lunch, to take your mind of things a little." The beautiful krujak master looked around the table, "And let's have the guards man the reception desk, so no one has to miss out." They had started teaching the other maidens the krujac basics shortly after she had announced her plan to do so, now a good three weeks ago. The girls hadn't been too enthusiastic at first, but as their bodies got used to the exercising, and their muscles stopped protesting, they had warmed to it. Having another training session was a good idea, it would both keep her mind busy and serve a useful purpose, so Cassandra nodded her agreement.

***

After lunch Cassandra and her maidens gathered inside her bedchamber, to get into their krujak gear. The maidens, except for Syldan of course, had done without protective gear for their first training, but by the time they had their second training, a couple of days later, all the needed gear had arrived. Leavy was grumbling as she adjusted her groin protector, "Why do we have to wear these things, girls have no balls to kick..."

Syldan grinned, "Just do without it then, and I'll show you how it feels when my foot connects with that squishy part where your little button lives."

Leavy grimaced, and then she secured her groin protector in place without further comment. Once they were all geared up they checked each other's identical dark red outfits, the only differences were in the sashes. Those were all black, but Cassandra's had its ends marked with an embroidered gold star, indicating she was a first grade krujac master. Syldan's sash showed four of those stars, identifying her as fourth grade master, an incredible feat for someone as young as she was, and a direct result of having a krujac master for a father, and having been trained on a daily basis from the day she could walk.

The maidens' sash ends all showed a single embroidered orange chevron, indicating they mastered basic blocking and fall breaking, and they would need to earn another five of those chevrons before they could qualify for first grade. They left the bedchamber in single file, with Syldan leading. It was only a short distance, past the maidens' bedrooms to the training room at the end of the private hallway. The warm-up went down without any 'casualties', proving the newbies were all getting into shape. They spent the first hour practicing the fall breaking techniques and the basic defense moves the girls had learned already, to ingrain them further into their muscle memory.

The second hour they taught them their first attack moves; kicks and swipes, because those suited the female physique best, as Syldan's father had once taught his daughter, and as Fredoman had once taught Cassandra. The girls were overly careful trying out the kicks on each other, but had a lot of fun with the swipes, with landing each other on their backs and butts, which also provided them the opportunity to exercise their fall breaking techniques for real. They trained for another hour, with both teachers joining the fun, until tiredness started to take its toll. Cassandra noticed the girls' blocks and fall breaking getting sloppy, and she locked eyes with Syldan, who just nodded, and then stepped back from Moiga, who she was training with.

Syldan clapped her hands, "Alright girls, enough for today."

Movement came to a stop as all the girls straightened. Cassandra's eyes took them in, they looked tired and sweaty, "You all did great," she said, "you made me proud." With that she clasped her hands in front of her chest and greeted them as tradition required. Her maidens returned her greeting, and then they all started talking to each other enthusiastically. "Alright, off to the bathroom," she announced, walking towards the training room's entrance.

Syldan fell in next to her, and the rest of the girls behind them. "They did great indeed," Syldan said smiling as they walked down the private hallway.

***

Cassandra followed Syldan into the bathroom, and then Leavy and Vala appeared next to her, to help her out of her gear. By the time she was undressed so were Moiga and Polly, and she watched the two preparing the large tub, with Moiga taking care of filling it with steamy water, and Polly adding scented muscle relaxing bath salt from a glass container. The bath filled quickly though the large brass cocks, and the scent of Angkor spread through the air with the moisture. Meanwhile the other maidens helped each other out of their gear too, and by the time the bath was ready so were they.

They all got into the bath, with Cassandra leading, and a concert of happy moans resulted as the warm water welcomed tired muscles. Once they had all been floating and relaxing in the large tub for a couple of minutes Leavy locked eyes with her, and grinned mischievously, "How was the threesome last night, milady?"

It was a typical question for Leavy to ask. Cassandra smiled at the platinum blonde, "It was great, but I still haven't decided who tasted better, Moiga or Polly..." Leavy's mouth fell open, and Cassandra grinned, "You're a naughty girl Leavy, and so insubordinate, maybe I should punish you..."

Moiga chuckled, "She's always talking about big cocks, but maybe she secretly prefers licking pussies..." The slender brunette winked at Leavy, "Don't worry, you didn't miss anything, we just cuddled a little, and slept well as a result, no bodily fluids were exchanged."

Leavy blushed, "I didn't want to imply..."

Cassandra laughed, "Oh yes you did!" and the other girls joined in. Leavy pouted, and looked down. She reached out and pulled her against her, "Come here you naughty girl." Leavy snuggled up to her, and she hugged her close. "We all know the way you are, you little tease, and we couldn't do without you."

Leavy said nothing, she just hugged her back, and then the other maidens piled in. They all hugged for a minute, and then Denora mentioned the bath water wasn't going to stay nice and warm forever. The girl tangle dissolved, and when Vala moved behind her and started soaping up her hair Cassandra pulled Leavy in front of her and started soaping up her long platinum blonde locks. The girl protested, and she shushed her, "My bathroom, my rules..." Soon the girls were sitting in a circle, all washing the hair of the girl in front of them. "See," Cassandra said, "it works great this way." She leaned forward a little, "And I love how your hair feels," she whispered in Leavy's ear.

By the time they were all brand spanking clean, groomed and dressed again, it was way past teatime. They sat on the living room couches, and then Denora came in carrying a tray with a bottle of Lorasian red and seven glasses. Her senior maiden served them, and they talked about wine a little, while sipping their glasses. Then the conversation turned to beer, and how Cassandra had immeasurably improved its social status by drinking it at her coronation. "I liked how sweet and still refreshing it was," she explained to her maidens, "maybe it would be nice to drink in summer too, when it's hot and you get really thirsty."

Leavy chuckled, "Yeah, but not the stuff we had at your wedding... That dark ale is much too strong for when it's hot, it'll go to your head in no time. In summer you want the lighter golden stuff they brew in the east, and especially the more yellowish cloudy variant from Valdon." She licked her lips, "Now that's a summer beer..."

Vala nodded enthusiastically, and the other girls chuckled. They had all tasted the dark ale at the coronation, and they had all liked it, some more than others. Cassandra became aware that Denora, who was sitting next to her, had placed a hand on top of her knee. She turned her head and locked eyes with her. "You're getting nervous," her senior maiden said.

Cassandra swallowed, "How...?"

Denora smiled softly, "You're tapping with your heel, that's something you always do when you're getting nervous."

Cassandra sighed, "It's close to dinner time already, and we still haven't seen a courier from Brando. I'm worried something has gone terribly wrong, especially because we now know the orcs have a way to communicate we didn't know anything about. Gods know what they have been up to."

Her senior maiden shrugged, "The way Marecomb explained it this new development shouldn't make any difference for the battle at Roha."

Syldan, who had been present also, nodded, "They all agreed it shouldn't make any difference."

Her maidens were right, but still, "If all went to plan then why haven't we seen a courier yet? He knows how worried I am, he proved that by sending a courier the evening before the battle. I have a hard time believing he wouldn't have send one once they had the orcs surrounded as planned."

"Maybe he just didn't have the time," Vala offered, "and it's still hours till sundown, a courier could still arrive."

"I know," Cassandra sighed, "I'm probably worrying about nothing..."

***

The hours passed slowly, and when dinner time finally arrived the trumpets still hadn't sounded. Cassandra didn't eat much, the food simply didn't appeal to her, and it wasn't the food that was to blame. After dinner she watched the sun set, trying to stop its descent with willpower alone, and then it did set, and then the light slowly dimmed into darkness. She was standing in front of one of the south-east facing windows, watching the now torch lit main gate, as a pair of arms slipped around her. She got hugged from behind, and half expected for it to be Denora, so it was a surprise when it turned out to be Leavy. "Nothing is ever certain in love and war, but you have to keep faith," Leavy's voice whispered into her ear.

Cassandra turned in her maiden's embrace, "I'm so afraid," she said, her voice trembling.

"So are we," Leavy replied, while holding her close, "we are all afraid for Brando, and for you too."

The other maidens joined their embrace, and she calmed as they bathed her in affection. "It's still early days," Denora's voice sounded beside her, "so let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he just didn't have the opportunity, maybe the road to Nadrac got blocked - there are so many things that could have gone wrong." Cassandra nodded, and Denora pulled her close. "There's a time for despair, but that time hasn't come yet. You can't change what's happening, or has happened, on a battlefield a hundred leagues from here anyway. You can only hope for the best, and prepare for the worst," she placed a hand on Cassandra's chest, "in here."

The young Kangess shivered in her senior maiden's embrace. Denora placed her cheek against hers, "And remember, whatever happens," she whispered, "we're all here for you." With that the maidens all tightened their grip on her, and she cried softly as they held her.

They stood like that for a while, until her tears had dried, and then they disengaged, and dragged her away to the couches. Denora didn't sit down though, "No more talk about war and orcs for tonight," she ordered, and then she gestured at Polly, "I need your help with something." The petite blonde nodded, got up again, and followed Denora into the private hallway.

Leavy's Tale

After the two maidens had closed the doors behind them an awkward silence fell, but not for long. Leavy sat up and smiled, "Did I ever tell you guys about the time I narrowly escaped becoming a Mercandon slave?" Four sets of eyes widened, and they all shook their heads in unison. "It happened shortly before I came to Iriskan, to become a maiden. I had finished school, it was summer, and when my father noticed I was boring my ass off he asked me to join him on a trip. My father had been in the Nigawan army as a cavalryman before I was born, but when he became a dad he quit the army and started working for my grandfather's transportation business."

"Later, after my grandfather retired himself, he took over the business, and now he had to deliver a cargo of casked Kurgun fireborg from Breza, where we lived, to Rogin. That wasn't very far away, some five days by wagon, and I would have liked a destination farther from home, but I still jumped at the opportunity. So we got up early the next morning, and I assisted with hitching the horses to the wagon. At this point I need to tell you that my father used a rather unusual harness driving combination originating from my grandfather, who hailed from a country far away to the east. It's a three abreast combination called a 'troika', with the central horse harnessed in a horse collar and shaft bow, and the side horses in breast collar harnesses."

"This is important, because the troika is faster than any other horse combinations, especially since my father didn't employ standard draft horses but Dargon, which is the large horse breed the army uses as warhorses for the heavy cavalry. He chose them after becoming infatuated with them during his time as a cavalryman, though my grandfather always grumbled about them eating more than they earned. They would soon prove a good choice though. After saying goodbye to my mother we got underway, and soon we left Brezan through the western gate. We crossed the Rodian at the Forks, and then turned south towards Rovan."

"We drove all day, taking short rests every hour or so, and while a heavily loaded wagon isn't as fast as a coach, we still managed a good thirty leagues. As there wasn't an inn we ate by the campfire and slept beneath the stars, as we did the next night. That day we had turned east early in the afternoon, across the Rana, towards Candor. The next day, before noon, the Leviathans appeared on the horizon. I had seen them before, as on a clear day they are visible from Breza to the north, but now, as we traveled further west, they grew ever larger and more impressive. All those shades of ochre glowed warmly in the summer sun, contrasting beautifully with the pristine white of the eternal snow on the peaks and the dark green of the pine forests at its feet."

"When we got closer to Candor the road started to climb a little. Not much later we watched the sun drop behind the mountains, and we reached the town at dusk. Candor was a nice town, and we stayed at a wagoners inn." Leavy blushed, "It was my first time in a place like that, and my father had to explain to me that most of the girls present were, ehm, 'working girls', and I'm not talking about serving food and beer here." They all giggled.

***

"The next morning we went on to Rogin, along the foothills of the Leviathans, and the horses had to work much harder," Leavy continued. "The surroundings were beautiful though, with green hills to the left and the forest to the right. We saw lots of wild animals, and the forest brought some welcome coolness too. Despite the heavy going we managed to reach Rogin before the sun set, and we stayed at another wagoners inn. The next morning my father let me off in the city center before he went on to unload the wagon at the warehouse of the merchant who had ordered the fireborg."

I did some sightseeing, Rogin being the first real city other than Breza I had ever visited. Next to the market square there was this huge tower called "The Calves Killer", and that name had nothing to do with cows. I think it was easily as high as the tower we are currently in, but less massive. I paid a couple of copper pieces for entrance and then was allowed to ascend the four hundred steps leading to the viewpoint at the upper floor." Leavy paused for a moment, "By the time I reached the top I was sure those four hundred steps were a scam and it was actually four thousand steps. The tower sure deserved its name, but the reward was fabulous."

"The upper floor was open all around, with a parapet and a slate roof only supported by wooden uprights, just like on Bromodin's towers. You had this terrific birds-eye view all around, and I think you could see for twenty leagues easily. It also provided a nice view of the city itself, and I noticed there were quays along the river just south of the city walls. Rogin was at the confluence with a major tributary, which created a wide body of water busy with men handling large log rafts that were floating towards the city from upstream. At the quays even more men were hauling the individual logs out of the water. I watched all the activity in the city for a while, and then I went down the stairs again, all bloody four hundred steps of it."

"When my father picked me up again, late in the afternoon, he had a nice surprise. The original plan had been to try and find a cargo to transport back to Breza, but he had managed to secure a cargo to Bulness instead. That was great business because Bulness was the major import hub for tea and spices from the south, which were in high demand in Breza. He was planning to buy a load at the local markets and make a nice profit on it once we got back home again. So we spend another night at the wagoners inn and then, in the early morning, we left Rogin and headed south across the Bosan river bridge towards Bulness."