(XD. Thanks guys. And other people said they read my name like that, so no problem there.)
Goldenhold
Chapter 13: Fear Of Dissent
Zeon had just finished the fire trench when no-one walked in. He wondered where they were, and after a few hours he simply told a party to go outside and see who the hell blew those trumpets. They were probably an intelligent and human race. The dwarves used drums, the goblins screamed, the elves batted wood against other wood, making a terrifying war sound. The trumpets were mostly a human instrument, which was both relieving and terrifying.
When they came back, a gigantic caravan was with them, carrying various ‘exotic’ crafts that dwarves would love, paintings of lavish country sides, among food of the oversea oceans and venison from the land.
Along with it were a number of guards, at least a fifth of the size of Zeon’s original army. They must have traveled from far away for something like that to be necessary. At the lead of the caravan was something strange though. The main merchant was a girl. By looks, she couldn’t have been more than eighteen, still in the prime physically for a female.
Somehow, the only people surprised at this were Zeon’s forces. The dwarves were busy retreating, and the caravan ignored the carnage that lie everywhere, or even how Kyle returned, screaming in victory at the taking of the tower. They only stopped once they arrived in front of Zeon, and the girl smiled innocently.
“So what’s going on here, mister? Seems like a battle happened here?” She didn’t really seem to mind, the dress she wore hugging her curves. She shook slowly back and forth, the black dress flowing around her feet.
The only man unaffected was Zeon. He was too experienced to fall for something like this. He was older, wiser, and knew how female businesswoman got where they were. However, he couldn’t help but waver for a second as he noticed his own troops gaping at her. Stomping his foot on the ground, they stopped instantly, they were worrying about the discipline he would give if they continued.
The girl’s smile lowered slightly as soon as she realized Zeon wasn’t easy, and that he had his troops loyalty and fear. “Okay. Your storming Goldenhold. Courageous, but any person can read your face and tell your worried. Everyone has heard that this is nothing compared to the dangers further and further in, traps all the way to the king’s hall. Admit that your going to need... help.”
His own soldiers stared at him. He looked at them, and they were exhausted, tired, and quite clearly needed a break. “I’ll split the findings, but what can you do for me? There is something about you that I can’t see, but I know it’s there.”
The girl giggled for a moment, took a step forward, winked, “Many things. I didn’t totally rely on beauty to get where I am. There was some... dirty business, if you understand what I mean.” She pulled out a knife, spinning it in perfect circles, a sign of control and skill. “By the way, my name is Zandria.”
The general raised an eyebrow, and noticed his soldiers were gaping again. This time, he kicked Kyle in the shin, who was unfortunate to be the closest at this point. His worst fear was dissent from his troops, and this girl was causing it. “If any of them start to gape at you, I give you permission to do whatever you want to them. I’m sorry about the impoliteness of my army.”
Zandria smiled again, but not in the same way. It was slightly devious. “We’ll set up our camp in yours if you don’t mind, but we are tired from traveling and would enjoy some rest. I wouldn’t suggest going around the corner yet though. Wait for the enemy to feel comfortable and become lazy.” She quickly ordered her men to set her tent, and told them to place their blankets where they would sleep in the massive hallway. When She placed her tent right between the only other one, and Zeon frowned.
The tent was his. He needed the help so he didn’t say anything, but he was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. Either way, there was no backing out of it now. And Kyle received another kick in the shin as soon as Zandria walked away, followed up by a whack on the back of the head. But after wincing the knight returned to smiling again, and Zeon knew it was hopeless.
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The next morning, Zeon walked out of his tent. Nothing had happened in the previous night, which didn’t surprise Zeon. However, he was surprised when he didn’t find Kyle anywhere... and after asking his troops he figured out that he was talking “Strategy” with her around the corner in the hallway.
However, as he drew closer he heard a giggle from the woman. Enraged, Zeon walked up as fast as he could, but rather than kicking one of them he asked a simple question to them. “So what is the plan? You’ve been working at it all morning out here so you MUST know.” His voice was so angry that hearing a dragon’s yell would have been slightly less terrifying.
They both went “Umm...” a clear sign that their conversation had not been about strategy. At least not strategy on the battlefield. “Okay. Chances are that whatever lays ahead needs to be scouted. I already did, and I can tell you that there is a three hundred foot gap between our side and theirs, the bridge is raised already. How do we plan on getting across?”
They both stared at him, waiting for him to answer like a wise man does, asking a question already knowing the answer. But after a reasonable gap he simply shrugged. “I really don’t know what to do. If neither of you has any thoughts we might as well pack up and go home. A huge waste, but better than throwing ourselves into that gorge of death.”
The girl was the first to respond, her games possibly over for that moment. “We could go across the gorge via rope.” Both of them looked at her like she was crazy, and Kyle finally stopped staring at her with that light in his eyes, which made Zeon happy. “We’ve done it before for our caravans. We could take the ballistas, fire an arrow with a rope trailing behind it, and create a rope bridge. Risky, but the dwarves probably don’t have that many troops trying to defend. They are overconfident that we can’t cross.”
Zeon was surprised once more. “How did you get your caravans across then? I’m certain that the rope couldn’t hold them up!”
The merchant smiled even wider. “I don’t mean a piece of string. You’ll see what I mean when we get there. Until then, ready your troops.”
They marched. He noticed that Kyle kept glancing at her, but quickly turned away from fear of Zeon noticing. He didn’t succeed. They marched on to the gorge, the dwarves readying themselves for the assault.
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Topic: The Age of Myth: Goldenhold (A DF Novel Length Story) (Read 110406 times)