The Chronicles of Hvad Ch. 12

Borna was no fool - he saw the direction of my argument. But I wasn't about to let him off the hook.

"How many women have fought for you? And died for you? Berit. Fimi. Durra. And what about the wives, and mothers? Remember Noyemi's song?"

Borna raised his hands in surrender.

- "Enough, Ljudevit." he said. "You've made your point. Now I'm embarrassed. I should have considered Nanaidh on my own. But I will, now. I will."

***

The election's result was never in doubt. The only surprise was the number of warriors in attendance. There were followers of Asrava and Manahir who had refused to change their allegiance to Borna. There were also many uncommitted men who might have joined us, but were daunted by the odds, when we faced the combined forces of Adarion and Yelsa. We couldn't blame them for that.

Borna thanked everyone - collectively, and individually. He named over thirty people, from Lovro to Aare. He included Uplanders, and he didn't forget our dead. Then he made several announcements.

- "We have much to do." he said. "There is Yeseriya to rebuild. I cannot be everywhere. So I will appoint new Hospodars, to protect the people, and provide justice."

"Manahir and his grandsons are no more. I will not take their steading as my own. Instead, I appoint Hravar as Hospodar."

There were polite cheers from our people, and muttered questions from the locals. Most of them didn't know Hravar yet, but I was confident that they would come to admire him soon enough. He was a man of unquestioned integrity.

"The same holds true for the steading of Asrava, and Mushtal. So I appoint another as Hospodar. Mutimir LongRider."

There was a moment of stunned silence, as the Lowlanders struggled to understand what Borna had just done. Any grumbling or complaint was completely drowned out by the screaming and shrieking Uplanders. Mutimir himself, who knew in advance that he would be named, could only grin.

This was part of what Borna had told Hravar, Nanaidh and me the night before.

"There is another steading to be rebuilt." said Borna. "That of my father, Gosdan. I will appoint another new Hospodar there. Nanaidh."

This announcement was met with a sudden hush. Borna had told Nanaidh his decision, but no one else had any warning. There was some muttering, some whispered comments, and then a cheer from the two dozen female warriors - most of whom had been trained by Nanaidh.

She came to stand next to Borna. It was evident that she was a woman, but any who saw her couldn't help but see that she was a warrior, first.

Borna held up his hand for silence.

- "There are few people who have served me - and my people - so well as these three. But I do not reward them for their loyalty, or their past service. Instead, I appoint them Hospodars, and give them greater responsibility, because of my faith in their ability."

"These three will provide justice for Yeseriya." continued Borna. "But we must not forget that we have all of Hvad to defend! There is a growing threat in the south, in Izumyr."

"Tomorrow, I will tell you what steps we will take to meet that threat. But tonight - we celebrate!"

Borna could have said much more. Many of his listeners were surprised that he had finished speaking before they expected it.

Back in Manahir's great hall - now Hravar's - we had a feast in honour of the new Hospodars, the new Ban, and his guests. Borna ate and drank sparingly, as he would need his wits about him later. I did the same. Payl kept coming over to fill my cup, and frowned at me when I didn't empty it speedily enough.

Our guests missed none of this interplay. Ahli was vastly amused, and kept smiling at me. Her father was more confused. He couldn't seem to decide quite what Payl was. Borna came to his rescue.

- "Her name is Payl. She's known as the Shining One. A warrior from the Uplands, with her own band. Her appearance may be ... somewhat forbidding, but she's worth three men in battle. The other Upland chiefs walk warily around her. For reasons unknown, she and Ljudevit have come to ... an understanding."

- "Ah." said Indrek. He wisely left it at that.

- "She's ... I like her." said Ahli.

Later that evening, Borna and I accompanied Indrek, his wife and daughter, and his Hand into the former Ban's private quarters. There was much to be decided.

- "I must thank you again," said Borna, "for coming. Your show of support is much appreciated."

- "It seemed the least I could do." replied Indrek. And that was the closest he would come to an apology, or to acknowledging that he had joined with Leho to invade Yeseriya. Borna was content to let it go.

Indrek had paid for it, after all: he had lost fifty of his warriors, and quite a few horses. Also, the tale of how Borna had captured his steading, and kidnapped and then returned his daughter, was spreading far and wide. The Ban knew very well that he would not appear as the hero of that particular song. The war against us had done more damage to Indrek's reputation than to his province.

- "Where should we begin?" asked Borna.

Indrek and his wife, Armine, exchanged a glance.

- "Adarion." he said.

- "Dagnis has fled to Izumyr." said Borna. "He didn't attempt to raise a new force. In fact, he only stopped long enough to collect his brother's coin chest, and then he fled to Izumyr."

- "How many men went with him?" asked Ahli. Her parents both frowned, but she was serving notice, I suppose, that she was not going to be left out of the discussion.

- "Less than twenty, Lady." said Borna. "But Barsam will certainly use him as a pretext to launch his invasion - if he needs one."

- "You're convinced that there will be an invasion." said Indrek.

- "I am. But I know that so far, you have only my word for it. So I've brought the military engineer, for you to question, if you wish. Also his men-at-arms. One of them speaks very good Hvadi. His name is ..." Borna looked to me.

- "Keptel." I said.

- "Yes." said Borna. "You can question them all, if you like. I will try, too, to get more evidence for you."

- "What will you do with Adarion?" asked Indrek.

Borna looked him squarely in the eye. "I'm keeping it. I will be its Ban."

Armine looked to her husband. They had to be concerned. If Borna held Adarion as well as Yeseriya, he would border Yelsa on two sides. In time, if he could recruit fighting men in Adarion, he would vastly outnumber them. They would be at his mercy.

Indrek did not respond immediately. But Ahli did.

- "Why?" she asked.

Borna took her seriously. "Several reasons, Lady. First, I don't want Dagnis back. He has no reason to love me, nor I him. But I don't trust him not to bring the Izumyrians in."

"If the Izumyrians do come, we need the wealth and manpower of Adarion on our side. We'll need all of Hvad. At this stage, I don't trust anyone else to put the interests of Hvad before those of their own province. In other words, I believe that I'm the only person who can lead our defence against Izumyr."

- "That makes you a bigger threat to us. To Yelsa." said Ahli. Indrek kept his eyes on Borna.

- "I understand that." said Borna. "You must know that I bear you no ill will, Ban Indrek."

Borna didn't say it, but everyone present was aware that when he captured their steading, we could have sacked and burned it. Borna could have taken Armine hostage, as well as Ahli. And had he wanted simply to prevent her marriage to Leho, he could have taken immediate steps to dishonour her. Leho would never have married a woman who had been raped. And he couldn't marry one who was dead.

"I'm known as Borna Vrej. But I have no need for vengeance against you - or your family. Women fight for me, but I won't make war on women. Not after what was done to my mother, and my sisters."

"You can trust me, Lady Ahli, because I need your support if the Izumyrians come. And because I need the rest of Hvad to join me. How could I appeal to them, if I attacked Yelsa?"

"I believe, with all my heart, that it will take all eight provinces to resist the Izumyrians."

- "Eight?" repeated Indrek.

I understood the Ban's confusion. There were only seven provinces in Hvad: Adarion, Yelsa and Yeseriya, Mahuc, Stonje and Pitve, and finally Hvad town itself.

- "The Uplands."

- "The Uplands? But they're ..."

- "Savages? Rapists and murderers?" asked Borna.

Indrek wanted to say 'Yes', but he didn't want to offend Borna. Armine looked decidedly uncomfortable. Ahli glanced at me.

- "Ljudevit doesn't think they're savages." she said. "Or do you?"

- "In some ways, they are, Lady." I said. "They're killers, and there are several that I wouldn't trust an inch. But when Manahir's grandsons took Gosdan's head, wasn't that savage? And what would you call the men who raped Borna's mother, or the men who killed his sisters - two little girls?"

- "The Uplanders are brave warriors, even if they are fighting for loot, at this point. Almost half of my force at the Hog's Back was made up of Uplanders." said Borna.

"I'll need them again, if Barsam comes. And I'm convinced that if we started to treat the Uplanders as part of Hvad, they would begin to adopt our ways."

Indrek digested that in silence, for a few moments. This was a great deal of change to assimilate. Adarion in Borna's hands? The Uplands as part of Hvad?

Borna chose to strike while the iron was hot.

"There is one possible guarantee that I could offer." he said.

- "And that is?" said Indrek.

- "I could ask the Lady Ahli to marry me."

Indrek and Armine didn't look at each other, this time. It was either remarkable self-control ... or else they had anticipated this possibility. Perhaps they had even been prepared to raise the subject themselves.

- "How would that be a guarantee ... my Lord?" asked Ahli. She might be only 15, but she didn't lack confidence - or intelligence.

Borna smiled. "I would hardly dispossess my own wife, Lady. Should you survive your father, Yelsa would be entirely and exclusively yours. It would pass to our heirs only after your lifetime."

"I have Yeseriya and Adarion to worry about. And the Uplanders need to be kept busy. My hands are sufficiently full."

As he spoke, Borna maintained eye contact with Ahli. She was half-smiling, half-smirking, as if she was quite amused - or intrigued - by his proposal.

Armine cleared her throat. "We would need time to ... discuss this." she said.

- "We can discuss it now." said Ahli. "I would prefer to be present, this time, when 'we' discuss my future. And Yelsa's."

- "This is not appropriate." said Armine. "We should discuss it privately -"

- "On the contrary," said her daughter, "this is very appropriate. If this man is to become my husband, and virtual ruler of Hvad, then our dealings with him should be open, and honest. There should be no misunderstanding."

The little red-headed imp had some steel, it seemed. I knew that she was no fool, but I had underestimated her. I would have to warn Borna not to do the same.

- "Not the virtual ruler." said Borna. "I would take the title of Voivode. War-leader. No more. And only until the Izumyrians have been defeated, or repulsed."

- "Mother. Father." said Ahli. "I spoke to Ljudevit for a long time, when he was bringing me home. We covered many topics, but I got him talking freely - and I think, honestly - about Borna. One of the things he told me about their youthful experiences was very telling: Borna never expected to be Hospodar, much less Ban."

She turned to Borna.

"Is that true, my Lord?"

- "My brother Antras would have succeeded my father." said Borna. "He would have been a terrible Hospodar. When my father revealed his own ambition - to become Ban - it came as a surprise. Within days, he was dead, and my life was turned upside down."

"I sought vengeance on his killers. One of them was Manahir's grandson - who would probably have become the next Ban. So I resolved that I would kill him. Becoming Ban myself followed naturally enough from that."

Borna turned to Indrek. "Had Leho not invaded, I would have been more than happy to be Ban of Yeseriya. I would never have gone to the Uplands. Lady Ahli would very probably have married Leho. I would have been your peaceful neighbour, quietly rebuilding his province. Until the Izumyrians came."

Everything he said came out naturally, without pretence. It had the ring of sincerity - because it was completely true.

Many people are plausible liars, and most of us are not very good at detecting lies. But sometimes, an honest, heartfelt truth is instantly recognizable. In that moment, Indrek and his wife realized exactly who they were dealing with.

I don't mean that Borna was some kind of superior being. He could be cold, and I would probably never forgive him for what he had done to Dirayr. Indrek might never forget the shame of having his steading captured, and his daughter abducted. But Borna didn't thirst to become the undisputed ruler of all Hvad - that much seemed clear.

Indrek's face revealed his conflicted emotions. He felt guilty, of course, because he had joined Leho in attacking Yeseriya. Would Leho have acted alone? Perhaps. But Indrek was complicit in a base act, which might yet have unintended consequences.

Ahli had picked my brain, and asked me all of the questions she had wanted answers to. Now Borna had just confirmed that what I'd told her was true.

And my Lord, my friend, had the consummate good sense to go down on one knee before her.

- "I will never take Yelsa from you, Ahli. No matter how you answer me. But I am asking - formally - for your hand in marriage."

- "Don't you think, my Lord, that people will talk?" she asked.

- "About what, Lady?"

- "About how you kidnapped me, and then killed my betrothed, so that you could marry me yourself?"

Borna grinned. "It would make an excellent song, Lady Ahli. Then people could sing about it, instead of just talking."

Ahli smiled at him. Then she looked to her parents.

- "May I answer him?"

Armine's eyes went wide, but she didn't speak. Indrek did, with that smile that over-indulgent fathers have for their daughters.

- "As you wish, Ahli." he said.

Ahli took Borna's hand.

- "Then I will marry you, my Lord."

***

Payl waited for me. She was drinking the whole time, of course. When I came back into the great hall, I found most of the Uplander chiefs flat on their backs; some were snoring to wake the dead. Most of the Lowlanders were in no better condition. Lovro was engaged in an ill-advised drinking contest with Mutimir. Irija was under the table, and Meeli could barely focus.

- "There he ish!" exclaimed Payl, when she caught sight of me.

My injured leg was not fully recovered; she knocked me over with ease, and then sat on my chest.

"How did your negosh ... naygo ... how was the talking?"

- "Well. It went well. You're sitting on me."

- "Are they getting married? I bet they are."

I put a finger to my lips. "Shh."

She made that extra serious face that only the very drunk can manage.

- "It's a secret?"

- "Yes." I whispered. "Can I tell you another secret?"

Payl leaned closer.

"I can't breathe." I whispered. "You're sitting on my chest."

Payl looked down, to verify that what I had said was true. Somehow, we both got to our feet. I got her outside, and walked her to the little house we were sharing with some of the women in her band.

She giggled when I started to remove her clothes. I wasn't sure if it was because I was tickling her, or if she thought that I was making amorous advances. She probably wouldn't remember in the morning. I wrapped her in a blanket, and lay down next to her.

- "Ljudevit?" she mumbled.

- "Yes, Payl?"

- "Would you ever want to marry me?" she said, remarkably clearly, considering how drunk she was. "If I asked you?"

I smiled, in the darkness. Then I pulled the blanket up, to just under her chin.

- "I would." I answered.

But she was already asleep, and snoring gently.

***

Borna and Indrek had several more talks. There were many details to be worked out. It was all quite amicable, and Indrek even consented to 'lend' Borna 100 of his warriors - as long as we paid for their upkeep.

Ahli was involved in every step of the process. Once, on our way out of one of these meetings, she touched my arm. When I looked up, she winked at me.

- "Thank you." she said, quietly.

- "Thank you." I replied.

- "Oh? What for?"

- "Borna may be the most important man in Hvad right now." I said. "But you are easily the most important woman. And you've chosen peace. Thank you."

Ahli smiled, and inclined her head slightly - it was like a little bow.

- "You've helped me more than you'll ever know, Ljudevit." she said. "Thank you."

***

That autumn was a wonderful season. I spent many days with Keptel, continuing to learn Izumyrian. I'd never become fluent, but I could hold up my end of a conversation without completely embarrassing myself.

- "You need not be prisoner." I told him - in Izumyrian.

- "'A' prisoner. 'Need not be 'a' prisoner." he said, correcting me automatically, as I had asked him to do. Then his eyes opened wide.

"Oh - you were really saying that."

- "I do say it. Borna need - needs - good men. You could be one."

- "I know." said Keptel. "And I've been thinking about it. I've been wondering what kind of reception I'd get if I went home without the engineer."

Borna was not about to let the Izumyrian spy bring back whatever information he had gleaned from his time in Hvad. He would bury the engineer before he released him.

- "Why not employ him, instead?" I suggested, to Borna.

- "What, now?"

- "Have him build you a fortification. A castle. Some kind of defence." I said.

- "Why would I do that?"

- "If you build something in Adarion, the Izumyrians would have to besiege it. It could delay them. Hold them up."

- "Hmmph." he grunted. That was Borna's way of saying 'I'll think about it.'"

Lovro and I often accompanied Borna, wherever he went. LongArm was not the slightest bit jealous of Hravar or Nanaidh.

- "I'm no Hospodar." he said. "Borna knows it. You know it, too. You'd be a good Hospodar, though, Ljudevit."

- "Me?"

- "Better than I would. Better than most, I'm thinkin'."

Hravar and Mutimir left, to take up their duties. Someday soon, I would get used to saying 'Mutimir's steading', instead of 'Asrava's steading'. It struck me as odd, though, that what I remembered as Gosdan's steading was now Nanaidh's. It had never really been Borna's. The forest had been his domain. Somehow, I had instinctively known that his destiny was something greater, something else altogether.

I had many opportunities to spend time with Aare, and with Modri. And when Imants and Noyemi arrived, prepared to stay for the winter, we renewed our friendships. Both of them seemed ... bigger, somehow. Greater than they once were. They were probably a couple. I couldn't quite tell. If they were, though, I didn't feel jealous.

Because I remember that season most for Payl. She could still do tremendous damage to me, in the throes of passion. After repeated entreaties on my part, she learned to avoid my injured leg. But she continued to pummel my ribs, and my upper arms were frequently black and blue. I had a scar on my lip, from one of her 'love' bites.

Lovro would just shake his head, when he saw me wincing and limping about in the mornings. He would shudder in sympathy.

More and more, though, Payl was learning to appreciate making love, rather than grappling, or no holds barred coupling. She bathed with me several times, and even let me wash her hair - once.