The Centurion - 7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Survival

So began the 15-year siege of Qul Tos... While it only took three

months for the city and palace to fall, no matter how hard the Centurions

fought, they could not solve the secrets of the Labyrinth.

Melissa, middle aged and still Eleanor’s captain regardless of the strands of gray mixed in with her black hair, made her daily inspections of the Labyrinth Tower on this the 5832^nd day of the siege. The food warehouses, never meant to last more then ten years were almost exhausted. Where there had been three large barn-like buildings there was now only one, the two others having long been emptied and torn down for firewood.

Walking into the remaining structure Melissa counted the

meager stores, finding only five hundred pounds of grain, two

hundred pounds of beans and potatoes, a hundred pounds of dried

meat, and four crates filled with jars of pickled vegetables. Even with

the warehouse under constant watch, food was slowly being stolen, a jar here, and a cup of grain there. It was not enough to make much of a

difference but it was proof to the Captain that discipline was slipping.

Making a mental note to increase drills and inspections, Melissa

made her way back to the tower and up to the top floor; to the only

place she felt safe from Eleanor’s eyes. Entering Jason’s room she found

the now 20-year-old prince sitting at a table with his dolls.

“Hello captain.” Jason smiled on seeing his caretaker enter.

“What is this... another tea party?” Melissa asked, replacing one of the dolls to sit down.

“No... I was reading them a story.” Jason said, holding up a book.

“Which one?”

“The Prince Ralsat.”

“Is not that one your favorite?” Melissa asked. It centered on a princess trapped by her evil stepmother, the queen, in a tower high in the mountains. Till one day a prince comes to the princess’s rescue and saves her. Melissa often suspected that Jason saw himself as that princess... still waiting for his prince to rescue him.

“Yes.”

“Would you like to read it to me?” Melissa asked, knowing it would make the young man happy.

Jason nodded his head. “Would you like some tea?”

Melissa lifted a cup with a delicate butterfly wing carved handle and offered it to Jason. “I would love some.” Jason took the teapot and poured; only hot water coming out... the supply of tea long exhausted. “Thank you.” Melissa said as she sipped the warm liquid.

Looking at Jason, Melissa could not help but feel guilty for the way he was treated. After years on short rations, Jason was dangerously thin; the gray woman’s dress that had been made from old bed sheets, hung loose on his body. Still, Melissa was amazed that the bearded man always seemed to have a smile on his face.

After listening to Jason read a chapter of his book, Melissa

excused herself to make her report to Eleanor. She found the Regent in

the same place as she always was, in her office, handing out meaningless

orders.

“I want those taxes paid! Tell the nobles that if they don’t I will start stripping them of their titles!” Eleanor shouted at one of her bodyguards.

“But Regent!” the guard tried to protest.

“Do as the Regent says,” Melissa said sternly. She knew why the guard was protesting and it had nothing to do with the fact that the nobles would just ignore Eleanor’s demands. Two months ago Eleanor, long tired of beans and dried meat, had demanded something fresher. Their own lives threatened if they did not produce such a meal, the only thing the cooks could come up with were the messenger pigeons. Against all of Melissa’s pleas to the Regent to limit her diet to

what rations they had, Eleanor soon ate the entire roost in a matter of

weeks.

“But...” the guard once again protested.

Seeing Eleanor reach for the knife on her desk, Melissa quickly slapped the guard hard while her other hand took the scroll away. “You will not disobey the Regent again. If I ever hear you argue with her ladyship you will be thrown over the cliff’s edge.”

Shocked, the guard went down on one knee. “Forgive me, Lady Regent.”

Eleanor, holding the knife tightly in her shaky grip looked as if she was about to cut the guard’s throat. It was only Melissa’s quick action that saved the guard’s life. “She is to be flogged and her rations cut in half.”

“I will see to this and her punishment at once.” Melissa saluted holding up the scroll.

Once she and the terrified guard were beyond Eleanor’s eyes and

ears, Melissa slammed the woman through one of the open doorways

and onto her back. Walking in after her, Melissa saw that they were

alone and slammed the door shut. “What were you thinking? Did you

believe you could make the Regent see reason?”

“But...” the guard pleaded.

“But what... that there is no way we can deliver the Regent’s message,” Melissa said as she tore the scroll in half and threw it into the nearby fireplace. “Do you think I need you to tell me that?”

“The royal seal!” “It is just a piece of wax and will melt like a normal candle.

There is nothing magical about it. In fact this little bit of wax has been reused five or six times since we ran out four years ago. It is only the

power that it represents that makes people think it is sacred and while her ladyship likes to pretend she still rules all of Qul Tos, her power goes no further than this tower.”

“Then why do you...”

“Why do I still bow and fawn over her ladyship? I don’t know how many of the guards are still loyal to her. Why would I want to risk my life like you have just done?”

“Why did you just tell me that?” the guard asked nervously.

“Because you dared to stand up against the Regent... no one loyal to her would have made such a foolish mistake. Now that the Regent has her eye on you, if you call me out as a traitor, my word would outweigh yours,” Melissa explained.

“I understand.” The guard nodded, seeing she had no other choice. “Tell me what to do.”

“I shall... but I will not tell you until I know you can follow orders.”

“What would you have me do to prove myself?”

“I want you to go into the kitchen and steal a bowl of soup and three rolls of bread.”

“But...”

“You will do this or I will see that you do not survive your flogging.”

Lowering her head in submission as if to the Regent herself, the guard relented; “What do you want me to do with the food?”

“You will give it to the crown prince.”

“The Regent’s orders!” the guard said, still easily shocked by the captain’s daring.

“The Regent would have his highness die from starvation but he not her ladyship is the key to our survival,” Melissa said curtly.

Leaving the guard, Melissa returned to Jason’s high tower room. The dolls were put away on a low shelf and Jason was in bed. Melissa had noticed that as Jason became thinner and thinner, he spent more time in bed sleeping, lacking the strength to do much else. Sitting on the side of the bed, Melissa ran her fingers through Jason’s long dark brown oily hair, wishing she could take him now and escape the tower but she still lacked support from the other guards.

Years ago she found she no longer took any enjoyment from being Eleanor’s lover. Now, Melissa only pretended in order to keep the Regent from suspecting her of treachery. It had not been Eleanor’s growing madness that had soured their lovemaking but how the Regent treated her own flesh and blood. Melissa could not block out the image of the hands that would caress her body were the same ones that would s1ap about and beat Jason for the no other reason than he was born a man.

Looking down to where Jason’s head rested on a thin pillow; Melissa saw the skull, Agamemnon’s skull. Another of Eleanor irrational commands, the skull was never to leave Jason’s room. The Regent hoped it would terrify her son instead; it had become another imaginary friend out of the young man’s desperation for unconditional love.

After an hour had passed, Melissa’s new coconspirator arrived with the tray of food. Taking it and dismissing the guard, Melissa brought the meal over to Jason’s bed. Just the very scent of hot bread and soup awakened the young man, rising up on his elbows.

Tearing one of the warm dark rolls in half, Melissa handed it to Jason. “Time to eat your highness.”

“Thank you,” Jason replied, accepting the food but only nibbling on it, having long since learned that eating slowly would leave him feeling fuller.

“How is your friend?” Melissa asked the boy, pointing to the large skull.

“She told me she loved me again,” Jason replied, patting the top

of the white bone. Once Jason was done with the roll, Melissa spoon fed him the

thin soup, made up of a few slivers of potato and only the flavoring of

meat but it did have a large slice of boiled turnip. Still. It warmed Jason up enough that his pole-thin body was able to come out from under the blankets. Having now eaten more food than he had had all day, Jason had a peaceful smile on his face as he lay back down on the bed and fell

asleep. Taking the final roll, Melissa stuffed it inside the skull to hide

it. Leaving to go back on duty, Melissa wrapped Jason back up in his

blankets and gave him a final kiss.

Just as she was walking through the door, Melissa turned around and looked back at Jason. “Please your highness... please survive.”



Jason looked at the skull. He could still remember how the

flesh had changed to dust, not rotting away to his mother’s great

disappointment.

“Did you like your dinner?” Jason asked the bread-stuffed

skull.

The skull stayed silent, Jason had long ago forgotten the sound of his father’s voice, but that did not matter to the young man. He gave

the skull its own voice, a gentle warm one. “Yes Jason... thank you for sharing your dinner,” Jason imagined the skull replying.

“Do you think we will be able to go out and play? I have not been outside since... since forever it seems,” Jason asked the skull.

“Don’t worry, Jason... if you can’t go outside you can stay here with me.”

“Thank you,” Jason said as he hugged the skull.

“Jason...?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jason cried, wishing it was true.

“Shhhhhhh... now you know Melissa would be sad if she saw you crying.

“I know. I will try harder.”

“No... my poor boy, you try hard enough. Cry if you need to. Just remember that we love you.”

“I know.” Jason wept as his tears ran down the skull.

“There there now... your prince will come one day.”

“Just like the stories...?”

“Yes, and he will love you,” the skull replied, Jason remembering Agamemnon’s last words.



Walking into the Regent’s office, Private Rachel found Eleanor asleep, her head down on the desk next to one of her precious bottles. Moving closer Rachel stepped on a weak floorboard, sending out a loud creak. At once Eleanor jerked awake grabbing hold of her bottle almost empty of its fermented sugar beet concoction.

“Pardon me, your ladyship,” Rachel bowed respectfully, “There is something you need to be aware of.”

“And what would that be?” Eleanor spat before taking a swallow from her bottle.

“Your captain has been usurping your authority.”

Eleanor glared at the corporal. “Melissa is the only one among you I trust.”

“Then why does she spend more time with the brat than you? Why does she go against your orders and see that his highness gets extra food? Why do you order the guards punished but she never sees to it?”

“If I remember correctly you have not been promoted in a long time,” Eleanor snickered.

“The captain has her own way of judging loyalty,” Rachel said,

not able to hide her anger as she gritted her teeth. Seeing the frustration on Rachel’s face triggered a fit of laughter

from the Regent. “And what would that be?”

“Rewarding those loyal to her instead of you... your ladyship.” Rachel seethed.

“Is that what you would like me to believe?” Eleanor asked coldly, now serious.

“It is the truth your ladyship.”

“You will have to prove it to me,” Eleanor said as she tapped one of her once long fingernails against her cheek. Her fingernails had long been bitten away by the stress of the siege.

“And if I am right?” Rachel asked hopefully, hoping to be rewarded, for that was the only reason she was there.

“Then I believe I will have a new captain. But if you are wrong... I will see to it personally that you take a small jump off the cliff’s edge,” Eleanor warned.

“Yes Lady Regent... I understand.” Leaving Eleanor’s office,

Rachel went down to the lower levels of the tower where her own circle

of allies waited. “We don’t have much time.”

“The Regent did not believe you?” one of the guards asked.

“I think she does but will not act without proof,” Rachel said as she paced about.

“What is the problem with you then?” another of Rachel’s coconspirators asked, noticing the former sergeant’s nervousness.

“If we do not find the proof we need, the Regent will see to it that we all take a jump off the mountain.”

“What do you mean ‘we’? You did not tell the Regent about all of us?”

“No... but I will not be the only one to take that ‘jump’.” Rachel warned.

“How much time do we have?”

“Until Melissa finds out that we are trying to remove her from

her comfy post in the Regent’s bed,” Rachel scorned. “Then we do not have long,” a guard pointed out.

“Not long enough to find real proof against that bitch,” Rachel

cursed in agreement.

“Then we will just have to come up with our own,” the same guard suggested.

“Such as?” Rachel asked the private.

“We hide food in her room, leave notes that show she plans a conspiracy, and start spreading rumors that there is a plan to surrender,” the private replied.

“If the Regent ever finds out that we are lying to her...”

“Without Melissa, the Regent will believe what we want her to believe. We will control the guards and, therefore, the Tower.” Rachel replied, silencing everyone.

“When will we start?”

“Now... begin writing incriminating letters. I will see that food items are hidden in Melissa’s room. Then we will start spreading word that the captain is trying to convince the Regent to surrender,” Rachel ordered.

“That would make the Regent furious!” One of the more nervous guards replied. Rachel would have to keep a close eye on that one.

“That is the point,” Rachel grinned, knowing well how paranoid her ladyship had become during the long siege. The only risk she could see was Melissa finding out the truth and warning the Regent before the Captain of the Tower took that small step over the tower’s edge.