The Bond - 25. Chapter 25

Ladders flew up against the face of the wallfort like switches being flipped, sometimes even hoisted up with soldiers riding on them. The onslaught of arrows and pitch from above dropped soldiers left and right, and a pile of bodies was beginning to form at the base of the massive structure. Several dozen ladders had gone up successfully, and Di Coteau men and women had begun to break down the line of soldiers that manned the wall. Now that things were a bit safer, Alex knew that it was his turn to go up. It wasn’t always necessary for Nabian generals to man the frontlines, but the conquering of a new territory always required visibility of a war hero.

It would have been nice for me to reach the top of the wall and have Talia greet me with Orr’s head to end the fighting and shame the enemy troops into submission, but that’s not going to happen, Alex thought. He knew that his sister was in danger, and felt great fear for her. It wasn’t an emotion that he was equipped to deal with, as it had been bred out of him from a young age. He had been scared before, of course, but loss of life was much less intimidating then the loss of the people around him. His family, his friends, and his people depended on him now.

When it was the Monciet palace, I wasn’t scared because that mission would prove whether or not I would become someone. Had I failed and died, that would be that. Maybe some shame on my family, but it wouldn’t cause their deaths or ruin. And in the arena, where I met Luca, my death would just mean that I died doing something idiotic… but now… he looked around at the squadron surrounding him, and felt pangs of guilt. If I go down, so do all of them. So does Talia from inside the fort, so does my mother on the other side of the battlefield. Luca and Eamon, back at home will fall after that, and all of my allies across the country. He thought of the Nandras, his uncle Damien and uncle Devan, and Devan’s long lost son Kade, put into hiding just to survive. He even thought of the less likely allies that he had, like his spiteful cousin Jezebel, and Elsa Torne, who had chosen to side with him despite having unclear motives thus far.

But I guess I have to. And there are good people around me too. Have confidence, and do what you were made to do. He breathed in, focused, and let his body tune into the environment of war around him. His pupils dilated, and he made mental note of all of those around him who would attempt an ascent at his flank.

Carl is to my back right – I can rely on him implicitly. Roark has agreed to give me cover with his bow and not make the climb, and I’d prefer it that way anyway. His accuracy is remarkable, and I’m lucky to have gotten him from the academy. I’ve got Barclay to the back left, and I know he’ll provide a wall there. Three soldiers I don’t know well are behind them – the dark-haired female swordsman, the bald pikeman, and the young male soldier that looks just like the Monciet boys. I don’t know where he came from, but his skills with a sword are almost as good as mine. If those three make it out of this alive, I’ll give them all promotions. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face, and wiped the sweat off of his brow. The wind had picked up, and a fine layer of dust had caked itself onto all of the sweaty soldiers.

Fifteen others that were selected by their squadron leaders are behind them. It’s a solid party, and I need to trust them. We can take this. Ladder bearers jogged past the group with a massive sieging ladder carried between them, and Alex began to jog behind them.

“Move!” boomed Carl, and Alex was struck by how much the Cathcart prince sounded like his father.

The group took off at full pace, traveling under shields that made sharp noises as they reflected the arrows that rained down upon them.

“Up! Heave!” shouted a ladder bearer, and the structure began to rise. Two foot soldiers went up first to clear the way and hold off enemies at the top, and then Alex went to lead his elite group. He climbed as fast as he could, feeling the pressure of his loved ones wellbeing weigh him down. Fear made him feel as if he were carrying twice his normal body weight, and moving half as fast as he was. He was focused enough to dodge a bolt fired at him from above, and saw the body of the man who shot it fall over the walls edge moments later with one of Roark’s arrows in him.

“Push!” he heard Carl cry from behind him. Alex desperately clamored up the rungs, until he was finally up and over the ladder. The space atop was crowded with men and bodies, and he had to fight his way through a cluster of enemies to create enough space to let Carl and the others up behind him.

The top of the wallfort was wide, with embrasures on the battlefield side and a drop off towards the inside of the castle. Alex knew that there were too many soldiers on the top, and that they would need to be cleared away. Perfect opportunity, he thought as he saw a group of Orr’s men, with none of his own in between them. He ducked the swing of an enemy, and launched a counter attack of his own. One hooked blade was lodged into the chest of an axeman, pointing down into the chest cavity and hooked around the collarbone. Swiveling, he sunk his second blade into another soldier in a similar position. Using the resistance of his blades, Alex backed up, jumped, and then slingshotted himself forward to land a hard kick to the chest of a third man. Both feet pushed into the man’s leather breastplate, and his tumble backwards careened into the group of Orr men, who were near the drop off. Men fell into each other like dominoes, and at least six fell over the ledge into the inside of the fort. It was enough to create a small clearing, and Carl and Barclay made their way up to the top to join in the fight. The two hulking men beat through challengers with sheer brute force, and others began to come up the ladder to join.

By the time Alex had noticed that the ladder’s entrance had become cut off by enemies, a group of two had already started to push one of his soldiers over the edge. It’s the Ironian soldier, Alex thought, noting with regret that this skilled gentleman was cut off from help. He took a throwing dagger off of his belt and launched it into the neck of one of the attackers, but not before the other knocked the Ironian soldier over the edge.

Dammit, thought Alex as he plunged one blade into an enemy, and fell backwards over the edge of the wall. He pointed his head downwards towards the ground, and hooked the remaining blade onto a piece of masonry that jutted out of the wall. The momentum of the fall and catch of the hook made him swing in a semicircle quickly, to where he was upright holding onto one sword lodged into the wall with one hand, and gripping the forearm of the allied soldier with the other. The blonde warrior looked up in astonishment at having not just plummeted to his doom, and Alex read on his face a mixture of relief, horror, and wonder at having just been caught out of the air by a general.

“Swing,” Alex said breathlessly, not having the time to contemplate the risk he had taken. The Ironian-looking soldier nodded, and began to push against the wall with his toes.

“Make way for the general!” he heard voices call from above. “Move the ladder over,” cried another from the ground below. Alex and the soldier had begun to generate some momentum now, and the soldier hanging onto Alex was beginning to run in slow, sweeping arcs along the wall face.

“I’m going to jump,” he nodded towards a ladder that was being shifted over to save the two. Alex nodded, knowing that he couldn’t support the weight of another person with one arm much longer.

“Go now!” he yelled, using all of his might to swing the soldier over to the ladder that was being carried by folks on the ground while still upright. He felt the release of the grip on his forearm, and watched the soldier fall a few feet before landing onto the rungs of the siege ladder roughly, sword still drawn in one hand. The relief of the weight was immense, and Alex hoisted himself to get a grip on his sword handle with both hands. He planted two feet on the face of the wall, and waited for the ladder to come close enough for him to grab. Above, he spotted Carl fighting fiercely to protect him from the onslaught of projectiles, his massive great sword cleaving heads and other body parts clean off in his defense.

The Ironian soldier caught another ally who had been pushed over the edge, and then extended his arm out to Alex, hanging on the face of the wall. He looked into the face of this stranger, and felt a strange sense of resolve coming from him that made him unsure whether this man was about to drop him to his death, or help him get back into the fight.

Alex grabbed his hand, and was swung onto the ladder beneath him. The ladder was rooted in place, and the men climbed up it to rejoin the battle. Carl and Barclay had formed an opening atop the wall, and Alexandre and the mystery soldier were able to get back onto the flooring before it became enclosed again. Like all of the groups of allied soldiers, the group was pressed from three sides by enemies, pushing against the surge of men that came to defend their general’s home. Alex recovered his second sword thanks to the Ironian tossing it back to him through the fight, and the two looked back at each other for a moment. They gave a mutual nod of respect, and began to fight back to back as they pushed through the ranks.

***

What in the world do I do now? Jared thought to himself as he walked through the stone halls of the wallfort, still freshly scarred with the remnants of battle. The inside of the monstrous palace echoed as he walked, and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of death as he passed a small splattering of entrails, yet to be cleaned. The wallfort had fallen, and the host of men that had captured it were still in the process of combing it over, killing any would be stay behind assassins, and interrogating the grounds staff that had been left behind. After the wall had been breached and it became clear that the brawl would move to the inside of the palace, General Orr and a good amount of his remaining army had fled. General Di Coteau and his closest advisors had considered following, but their army was tired after the siege. Alexandre had made the decision to stop and regroup, and Jared thought it was the right one. They got their objective anyway. The territory is claimed, and the Di Coteaus have a straight line across Nabius that they can defend. Even though Alex is my enemy, I have to admit that he knows how to wage a war.

He walked a little further down one of the great halls, before taking a turn. He wasn’t sure if he was even going the right direction, and sighed. An enemy that saved me. Had he not caught me over the wall… I wouldn’t be here now. Here, about to go dine with him. Alexandre had invited several of the best-performing soldiers on the battle field to dine with him personally during the victory feast. Jared had been promoted to squadron leader immediately after the clamor had died down, alongside another female that had fought alongside the General and Prince of Tomacia. The gesture was nice, and Jared knew that the Nabian promotion system was based on who had the showiest prowess during battle. Jared was an excellent swordsman, and almost felt a bit of excitement at having been recognized for that, but knew he could never fulfill the duties that he had been assigned. I’m a spy, and an assassin at the moment. I shouldn’t be breaking bread with my target… this is so stupid. He was armed now only with a poison that had been developed by Marion, and tested by one of her friends. Supposedly, it would eat through the flesh and innards of a man’s gut once consumed, and would be a very painful way to die. Jared had never killed anyone via poison before, instead preferring to conduct combat face to face and honorably. But it’s all I’ve got, and this is my chance.He groaned with indecision, not realizing that he had reached the feast hall.

“Not excited to join us?” a voice asked with a hint of amusement in it. Jared looked up to see the speaker, and felt his stomach lurch.

The Cathcart prince.

“Oh, that’s not it at all! I just – “

“Relax,” Carlisle cut in with a laugh. “I’m just toying with you. Thank you for coming, we’re pleased to have you dining with us.” The smile seemed genuine, and Jared had the distinct feeling that his cover hadn’t been blown.

“Sorry, my prince. Or Prince Cathcart. Or… what do you prefer to be called?”

“Carl will do just fine, friend. We’re no sticklers for titles, and today you’re celebrating with us as a friend. Join the feast,” Carl said with a wave of his hand. Beyond it, Jared saw that the great hall of the wallfort had been set up with a variety of salvaged tables and chairs, and there was a surplus of both food and people. At the head of the hall was a grander setting, at which some of the soldiers that Jared recognized from the battlefield sat. Alex was sitting there too, in a throne that looked like it had been taken from somewhere else in the palace. He had one leg draped over an arm of the chair, and held a goblet of wine in one hand. He wore a dazed, exhausted look on his face that made Jared wonder if the General was drunk. He didn’t think so, but his posture and face conveyed relaxation and smug victory.

Arrogance, Jared thought. He probably threw a similar victory celebration after he slaughtered my uncle and cousins, and took Marion’s home from her.

“Thanks,” he said to Carl, who nodded. The Tomacian had already turned to another conversation, and Jared made his way up to the General’s table.

“May I join you?” he asked Alex. The dark-haired young man looked his direction with sudden alertness, and then relaxed.

So he’s definitely not drunk. I guess just tired.

“Absolutely. Though I’m about to head over to the wine fountain to refill my cup. Would you like to join me and grab a drink?” Jared’s face turned to confusion.

“Wine fountain?”

“Ah, yes. The men found it in a wing of the fort that looks like it was a brothel… a bit elaborate for my taste, but we figured we could use it during this celebration.” Alex held his goblet up to his lips, and threw back what was left in it. He stood up, and put an arm around Jared’s shoulder as they began to walk. “But anyway, you deserve a drink. You did good work out there, and I’m impressed with what I saw. Where did you learn to fight? I’ve never seen a style quite like yours.”

Oh shit, Jared thought. He panicked to think of an answer, and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

“Ironia, I come from Ironia.”

Fuck. Alex raised an eyebrow, and Jared tried to make a save.

“I learned there, that is. My homeland was territory occupied by General Marie Lafeye, and she offered an assimilation program. We combined Nabian academy teachings with some of the war tactics that my people taught.” Alex took a long pause at that, but eventually nodded.

“I’ve heard that she does that. Interesting that it produced such an elite soldier.”

Whew. Jared had heard that General Lafeye incorporated Ironian slaves and warriors into her armies, and was glad that the information came to his rescue. He felt his anxiety level go down, and noticed that they were at the refreshment stand, at which a golden statue poured wine out of many different spouts for people to hold their cups under.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Even more interesting that she let you go,” said Alex with a question in his voice has he filled his cup, and then another for Jared. Jared accepted his offering, and tried to think of another lie.

But lying is only going to get harder and harder from here on out. I need to do the deed and get out of here soon.

“She didn’t let me go. There were a number of us that defected to join you.”

“Why?” asked Alex, who seemed surprised. Jared wasn’t sure if there were actually soldiers that defected from their generals to join Alexandre’s side of the fight, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if there were. He found himself speaking before thinking, half believing what he was saying.

“The war wasn’t just bad between Nabius and Tomacia, you know. Nabius and Ironia have just as much conflict, and it creates just as much pain. There are plenty of people who wish for peace on all fronts.” Alex nodded, and took another sip.

“That’s true. It’s those people, people like you, that make this movement work. Thank you for your conviction. Together, people that share the goal of peace could actually make a difference. In the history of our nations, no one has ever been able to… but I think we really could. This victory proves it, and the men and women in this room show the greatest will to affect change. With their – your – leadership and skills, we’ve got a chance.” Jared took a long pause at that, and looked Alex in the eyes.

“I don’t mean to offend, general, but is that really what you want? Peace? Or an alliance?” Alex looked directly back at the Ironian prince, smiled, and then let out a little laugh.

“I know you know what my family is like. My mother, father and sister… they’re infamous. And I know that it’s probably hard to believe that my intentions with Tomacia are pure, but I can assure you that they are. I don’t just seek an alliance with Tomacia.” He raised his glass to cheers Jared, who obliged. The glasses made a small clinking noise, and Jared took a sip.

I guess I am interested to hear what he has to say for himself, at the very least. Throwing a nation into civil war is definitely something that can be done to grab power, but there are other, far more simple ways that someone of his background can grab power.

“I want a bond. I want national borders to become nothing more than an illusion, and for children to grow up without death and fear constantly hanging over their heads. I want all of our nations – Ironia included – to have a shared bond that allows for us to bring our citizens up to be able to do anything they please, find success, love who they want… and so on.”

“That sounds nice,” Jared said with guilt growing in his chest.

“It does. And I know it’s cliché, but finding love and being able to grow within the Nabian system has allowed me to really see all of its flaws.” Jared smiled, but nodded.
“Flawed, but its been the way of the world for so long. Do you… actually, do we, know anything else?” Alex nodded at that.

“We absolutely do.” They had begun to walk further out now, towards a balcony that Jared hadn’t even noticed was there. “You know, I spent my entire life trying to please my father and mother by becoming somewhat of a violent beast. I did… terrible things, just for the shreds of approval that they would give. It took me so long to realize this, but it was only once I stopped conforming to the system that I became proud of who I was. In turn, they became proud too.” They paused, and looked out over the battlefield that they had been on just hours earlier.

“When did that happen?” Jared asked, with sincere curiousity. Alex smiled, as if he were bashful about something.

“This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually got captured by some slave traders a long while ago. I got put into a gladiatorial ring, and had to fight my way out. When my mother saw, she was confused, so I played it off as if I were trying to change Nabius from the inside out. She accepted the revolution and that I was making a name for myself, but didn’t quite understand just how far I would take things. Then Carl came along, and I took it to the next level. My father is no longer with us, but I believe that he would have been proud, at least in part, of what I am trying to do. I mean I have no doubts that he’d try to leverage it to some advantage or another, but I think the pride would have been there.” Jared leaned back on the railing and thought about that, but came up with no response.

Maybe he’s not a monster after all. I guess they can’t all be monsters. I see Nabians every month at the meetings of the order, after all. Eventually, he spoke up quietly.

“I think he would be too. I think he’d believe in what you’re doing. Or that he’d believe in what you believe in, or something like that…” he gulped, and tried to face the topic of conversation that he had been most apprehensive about. “And there are many people that are in your debt because you do what you believe in, myself included.” He thought back to the fear he had felt while falling through the air, the terror that had jolted right out of him when he felt the yank of Alexandre’s hand on his arm. He had barely processed that the Nabian general had leapt off of a wall to save him before they were fighting back to back for survival. Now, he needed to express his gratitude. “Thank you for saving my life, General Di Coteau.” Alex looked him in the eyes sternly before relaxing again, and shrugging it off casually.

“You’re welcome. It was nothing. And it was especially worth it to save a soldier of your caliber. Plus, now that I’ve gotten the chance to talk to you, I’m glad that I was able to help. You seem to have faith in my vision of the new world, and I appreciate that. I’m going to need people that I can trust who believe in what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s ultimately the people of these nations that will form the bond I’m looking for, not just me alone.”

Alex had turned his back to Jared, looking over the vast expanse of cracked, scorched ground that was at the foot of the wallfort. Jared followed his gaze over the swampy forests that bordered the desert, and beyond towards the horizon where stars were beginning to show through the dusk. He noticed that Alex had set his cup down on the railing as he gazed, and Jared felt Marion’s poison in his hand.

“I do believe in the bond you’re talking about. And I think it could happen…” he said quietly, as he moved towards Alexandre’s cup.

I do, I really do believe. But do I believe in your world with, or without you…?