LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE STATE OF THINGS - SECTION 4
Lu, unaware of Nevetsecnuac’s inner query, took another sip of water from the cup and then continued on with his recounting (relating) the past, tragic set of events: "Her husband, Kenneth Birger, though a man of mild nature, in fact quite timid, was still so outraged, so incensed that, with the letter still clutched in his hand, he took his grievance straight to Lord Shonne Gulbrand, not much caring for the consequences. I suppose he had really loved her.”
“Dwenng denied the charges for all he was worth; even producing witnesses to lie about his whereabouts saying he was instead attending another function. Dwenng validated this bogus facade through sham testimonies of others who repeated falsehoods all in all to slander her good name and to drag it through unimaginable filth in order to establish her as a wanton hussy. He even went so far as to frame another man, who resembled him, to justify his supposed innocence and establish a claim of mistaken identity. Had it not been for the Lord's discernment, good judgment and his ability to trick a confession out of Dwenng in the court under oath, justice would never have been served, and another innocent fellow would have instead suffered the consequences. As it was the framed man was cleared and released with a small stipend from Dwenng's estate to ease his suffering.”
“Lord Shonne Gulbrand was relentless in his pursuit of truth. When all came to light, Dwenng was charged with attempted rape, trespassing and extortion. His sentence was prescribed by law. He was severely beaten until his flesh hung in tatters, and he was branded with the mark of the adulterer. No one foresaw that, before his transfer to the provincial prison to serve his incarceration for twenty years, Dwenng would bribe the guards and effect (prompt, make)) his escape. Lusting for vengeance, armed with the incriminating documents of Lord Shonne Gulbrand's intended rebellion, he made straight for the Capital and in close court presented them to Zakhertan Yozdek.”
"Though Zakhertan Yozdek was infuriated, he
nevertheless knew of Lord Shonne Gulbrand’s moral might and influence. Not wishing for an all-out, open rebellion at
this juncture or to give the least provocation for swift retaliation from such
a powerful Lord, Zakhertan opted instead to entrap the prey and eliminate all
trouble at the root. And so, Zakhertan’s
subterfuge was to suppress this incriminating evidence and detain the
villainous nephew, Dwenng, until the Anniversary date of Zakhertan’s
coronation. At which time an elaborate
ceremony was planned, compelling all important aristocrats and notables of the
Empire to attend with customary gifts, to profess or renew their vow of
allegiance to His Majesty in person.
Lord Shonne Gulbrand, his beautiful
wife Lady Bergdis and other close
family members would be among the attendees.”
“On that faithful day, all through the ceremony and
the ensuing celebrations nothing untoward was said or done to alarm the
prey. But at the conclusion of the
festivities the Lord and his immediate family were promptly rounded up and
brought before Zakhertan Yozdek to be formally charged with treason. During
their brief incarceration, even before the commencement of the trial, the vast
elite force, waiting in the wings in a neighboring province, on cue invaded
Lord Shonne Gulbrand's lands in Moulon and decimated all that stood in their
way. Thousands were slaughtered indiscriminately, land scorched, and historical
structures wantonly pulled down. After this killing spree, nearly all livestock
and crops were laid to waste.”
“Back at the Capital, where the rule of law could not be so easily ignored, Lord Shonne, after a brief show trial, was secretly offered leniency in his punishment and, more importantly the (permanence) endurance of his bloodline, if he divulged the present whereabouts of Lord Asger Thuxur Marrog Zhon and the infant Prince. When Lord Shonne adamantly refused, however, his Lordship’s persecution took on a brutish turn. Lord Shonne chained to a wall in the imperial dungeon, was subjected to endless hideous tortures in order to wring the location from him, but no word escaped his Lordship’s noble lips. Since they failed to break his resolve, Zakhertan next targeted Lord Shonne’s beloved family. Before his very eyes his precious son and daughter were choked to death with a silken rope. Lord Shonne's elderly maternal uncle, meanwhile, was dashed against a hedge of swords.”
Cupping his face in his hands, Lu gave way to a storm
of tears until his sorrow was spent.
Then, drying his eyes, he added, "Yes, the Lord's perfect
countenance we have just witnessed testifies to the mercy of Heaven and attests
to the truth of that old saying, 'Benevolence in Life brings Beauty in the
afterlife'. The traitor Zakhertan Yozdek
will not be so lucky. If only someone
could succeed in killing that, Demon!
Countless have tried, but to no avail.”
"As for Dwenng, the wretch, at least he paid for
his treachery with his ignominious end.
May he rot forever in Hell! Oh,
how he squirmed like a pig, impaled on a spear in the City’s marketplace, but
some would say, including me, even that was too lenient a punishment for one so
vile as he. The cursed swine! Did he really think he could get away with
what he had done?" Knitting his
brows and raising a clenched fist, Lu spat on the floor.
"Our small contingent, upon returning from the
mission, witnessed too late the evidence of Zakhertan's wrath. But we avenged
ourselves on the garrison commander of Zakhertan's forces in this
province. After leaving his head stuck
to a sow in a pigsty outside his camp, we parted company forever. I, myself, retraced my steps to where I had
parted with Your Majesty and Lord Asger Thuxur Marrog Zhon in the hopes of
offering His Lordship my services once more, but it was to no avail. Now you are here, let me offer you my fealty,
my Prince." Lu's eyes burned with
rekindled fire. "I realize I'm not
as nimble as I used to be, but I still have a few good years of service left in
me. I can still fight. I will follow you faithfully, Your Highness,
to the ends of the world, not fearing death.
Please allow me this chance."
Not wishing to fatigue the old man any further with
reasons as to why he must stay put, Nevetsecnuac pretended to agree to let Lu
accompany him to the Capital.
Then, noting the old soldier's drooping eyelids, he encouraged
him to recline on the bed once more and get some rest.
"All right", Lu consented, "I'll lie
down for just a bit, but I will not sleep.
There is so much I still want to tell you. So much we must do in
preparation for…." His words
drifted off to an inaudible mumble, his eyes closed and soon with his shallow
breathing it became clear that he was lost to all-encompassing slumber. Nevetsecnuac rose, affectionately covered Lu
with a quilt then with pensive eyes watched Lu sleep for some time.
Borrowing Lu's meager writing implements, he composed a brief letter telling of his gratitude to this old warrior, giving his reasons for not allowing Lu to accompany him and asking his forgiveness. To foster hope, Nevetsecnuac then urged Lu to keep in good form in ready anticipation of that future time when, once Nevetsecnuac had achieved his goal, he would send for him. He then bade his fond farewell to the old soldier. He withdrew his money pouch from his sash and left a goodly portion of the contents beside Lu's bed wrapped in the letter.
Before dawn the rain tapered off then, at the first
light of day, stopped altogether.
Appearing only as a shadowy figure, Nevetsecnuac snuck out of the city
gates and, reaching the Inn where he’d checked in earlier, ordered a small
breakfast, quickly settled his account then had Fiery Comet saddled. He rode back to the small, wooded area
outside the gates where he had buried Lord Asger's sword. Again, with the sword slung on his back and
concealed under the cape, he vaulted back onto Fiery Comet and fell into a
canter towards the Capital.
It was mid-morning when Lu woke with a start. His eyes eagerly searched for the prince but there was no trace of him. Understanding what had happened he cursed himself endlessly for eating and drinking so much the night before. Consequently, the deep slumber had robbed him of the chance of a lifetime. With a sinking heart he scrambled to his feet.
Lu shook his head and stamped his foot thinking, now
it would be far too late to track his Liege.
Then his eyes fell on the small bundle on the table, he unraveled it.
Tears coursed down his cheeks like rain onto the page
he was reading, smudging some of the writing but, when he reached the last
line, hope sprang up once again in his heart and he quickly wiped his eyes with
the back of his hand. Thankfully he raised the note to his lips, and then as
caution dictated, he went over to the fire and reluctantly fed the paper to the
flames.
Another kind of fire burned in Lu now and he paced the
room to and for with his heart pounding as he mumbled, "I must get in
shape. I must get in shape." Finally halting for breath, he threw his arms
up into the air and shouted in a resounding voice, "Oh, blessed Heaven,
I'm alive again!"
(END OF SECTION 4)
