Back in our tent, fitting our few travel belongings into the saddlebags. I found my old dirk. The one I’d killed the pedo-priest with. “Huh, you brought this?”
He looked up from packing, “Oh, that. You’d tossed it aside when you stripped off your perseidian iron. The jewelry, greatsword, and that.”
“I don’t even recall having it on my person that day.”
“It was a busy day. You know, Princess, one thing I’ve been wondering. Why don’t your clothes burn?”
“I don’t know.” I stuffed it into my saddle bags, “Force of will? Modesty in magic? I’ve been thinking it’s so kind of magical protection.”
“It’s definitely a sight, when the fire rips around you.”
Pulling at my neckline, which suddenly beca tight, “And, ah . . . you’re thinking about that, uhm, image without, you know, clothing?”
“I don’t know what gets into that head of yours, but you are turning a pleasing shade of red.”
“You’re the one who brought nakedness up!”
“Really? I was just wondering how your clothing managed to survive all that heat. You set the ground on fire tonight. And those trees.” He shook his head.
“I burned them to ash, you an.”
“Excuse ,” Hafthon stood in the doorway of the tent. “Princess Cayce? I’d like to talk with you. General Morrentz, could you give the princess and I a mont?”
I stared at the earl, frozen, that he’d heard our banter. And still processing whether Morry was flirting! Damnit.
“No.”
“General?”
“I won’t be leaving the princess’s side. You’re going to ask her to finish off the Ketzillian army for you. You want gone because it’s not a nice conversation to be had.”
“As an earl, I’d think a private discussion with my princess would go unquestioned.”
I collected myself. Stood up straight. Wondered why Morry wasn’t taking the earl’s side on this matter, as he’d been pressing for days now. Maybe tonight’s display convinced him. “General, it’s ok. I’ve got this.”
Morry’s face returned to grim and his eyes narrowed, but he nodded and left the tent.
I pushed up my sleeves. Puffy, goddamn sleeves. “He’s right, you know. I am not joining you for tomorrow’s battle.”
“You could easily remove the threat of that army.”
“That’s a nice way to say murder thirty thousand n.”
“Murder, bah. This is war. They’ve invaded our lands, pillaged them, killed countless peasants and stolen girls and won for their slave markets.”
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I shook my head, “Damn it, Hafthon, you saw with your own eyes. The rage take over. You were lucky Morry talked down. Could talk down. He won’t be able to next ti.”
His eyes were full of anger, fists clenched at his sides, “You’ll be consigning thousands of your own n to needless death if you don’t assist us.”
“Better than all of them. You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“The Ketzles raped countless won. Girls! Killed children. I know what I’m asking!” He took a step toward , “Princess, these are not blaless n. Why allow your own people to die in battle when you could easily defeat the enemy?”
I walked right up to the stout man, staring into his eyes, “And who’ll stop once I’ve unleashed the rage? Not you! Not your generals or your army! Why would I stop? You’ll be so much fuel for my fires.”
“You controlled yourself in tonight’s display well enough, my lady.”
“I didn’t reduce everyone around into ash, that’s true.” I shook my head, “But that, Hafthon, that was the difficult part.”
The earl tilted his head, giving a look of disbelief. He grabbed by the arms. “Stand up for your kingdom! Your people! Why, why are you hesitating? You wanted to show leadership, here is your chance.”
“It’s so tempting. So very tempting.” I moved closer to him. “To release the beast. Give in. I want to so very, very badly. And why should I stop? I’ll burn Ketzle itself to the ground! And then Laemacia! And why stop there? This world! I’ll destroy it entirely!”
He withdrew his arms, backing up. “Princess Cayce.”
I followed, stepping forward, and gave him a smile of a kind. “Did you not co here for death and chaos?”
“I ca here to talk so sense into you.”
“It is you who is not listening to sense. These hills, you don’t know how they were created?”
“Hills?” He crossed his arms over his chest and backed up again.
“Soone like destroyed whatever civilization was here so four, five hundred years prior. The hills are lined up nicely because of that. He caused an enormous flood.”
“The bridge builders.”
“Their civilization lies buried under those hills. Yes, that is why the mages are hunting . And maybe, I don’t know, maybe I should let them . . . it’s too much power in one person. I . . . I felt the sa way about the mages and I wanted to end their tyranny over us all.”
“If you’re not going to help us defeat the Ketzle threat, what are you going to do? Princess Cayce, I fear not just for my n, but for the kingdom. We are beset on all fronts and we are fast losing our n in these wars.”
“I’ve given you better weapons. Learn to use them. A small army doesn’t stand a chance against your sarissae. You, you’re just here to save ti.”
“You know that’s not true. I’m asking, begging, you to do what your father, your grandfather, couldn’t. Destroy the Ketzillian army. It would send a strong ssage to Laemacia. You can finally give us peace!”
“Peace by killing an entire generation of their n? Forced upon them through unimaginable violence won’t make for a stable peace.”
“It has ever been thus. We could wish otherwise, but if it were so, the wars would have ended long ago. Only you can save the kingdom, Princess. We need you. You wanted to be crowned queen. These are the choices of a queen.”
I looked him in the eyes. He wasn’t wrong. On my world, the wars only ended when utter, terrifying destruction had been invented. And even then, only when the potential for death was universal and shared. But I wasn’t ready to be that absolute death. Not yet.
“Earl Hafthon, we’ve had our differences. But I’ve misjudged you. Co.” I exited the tent and found the big man nearby. “Morry, I need your sword.”
“A mont.” As Hafthon exited, Morry stepped into the tent, soon returned to us outside, and passed the greatsword.
Soldiers were gathering around. Hafthon’s guards, and more joining. I unsheathed my forr blade in one wide motion and said, “Hafthon, kneel.”
He looked at Morry, then his n, took a deep breath and went down on one knee. What choice did he have? He’d seen for the horror that I am.
I touched the sword to his shoulder, “In the na of your princess,” his other shoulder, “your kingdom,” and again on his left, “and your honor, I na you Duke Hafthon, taking the forr Bechalle Duchy as your own. Long and just may you rule.”
He stood, a tilt to his head, “I am honored.”
“The duchy is yours, my lord.” I gave him a curtsy, my last to give on this world. “I expect you to expel the Ketzillian forces on the morrow.”
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