The Union

Food was served in front of the officers but none of them ate. Everyone was worried about the battle tomorrow. Only the Lady was the one brave enough to admit that everyone"s going to die tomorrow.

Ryon himself was hungry. The battle which lasted until sundown robbed him of his strength. But he can"t eat. He was not in the mood to eat. In the end, he just found himself fiddling with the spoon.

"Lady Maria, I have a proposition" Ryon said.

She was about to put the spoon into her mouth but she stopped after hearing Ryon. She lowered the spoon and looked at him. "And what might that be Prefect?"

Ryon hesitated because what he had in mind will dishonor the Connel family. Lady Maria may get angry. But he decided to tell her anyway. "I think you should flee the city tonight. You can seek refuge from King Timothy. He will protect you. My Lady, you must survive."

Ryon prepared himself for her sharp words, but she gave him a smile instead. "Thank you Prefect" the old Lady said. "But I can"t leave. I"m old and frail. I can"t even ride a horse now. There"s no way for me to reach Solon without dying along the way."

"A carriage then" Ryon immediately said.

She laughed. "A carriage. And do you think they don"t have scouts scattered on the road? Do you think they hadn"t thought of that? They will capture me and only the heavens know what they"ll do to me."

After hearing her words, one of the Centurions couldn"t hold his anger anymore. "b.l.o.o.d.y Calgarians!" he screamed.

His anger was contagious. Another Centurion cursed. "b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Rotten eggs! Attacking us just like that!? Striking us when we are down. Where is their honor?"

"I say King Timothy will avenge us and raze their cities to the ground!" A captain exclaimed.

"You wish. King Timothy still needs to win the civil war. After that he needs to face the Tulosans. What Lady Maria said was right. We are doomed!"

"Defeatist talk!" A Centurion pointed at the man "People like you shouldn"t be in the army!"

The once quiet dining room was filled with the rowdy argument of the officers. Slurs and shouts were exchanged. Ryon spied Lady Maria and saw that she was quietly enjoying her dinner. This situation remained until an officer pounded his fist on the table.

Lady Maria cleared her throat. "I really don"t mind you arguing, but can you please leave my table out of it?"

All of the officers looked at her and behaved. Those who were standing went back to their seats. The room became quiet again until one of the officers started laughing. Little by little, the other officers joined him. Ryon laughed too and the tension in the room vanished.

"Fool, Lady Maria"s table is worth more than your house!" a Captain pointed at the Centurion who pounded his fist on the table.

The Centurion looked at Lady Maria. "You may be right." He said laughingly "Lady Maria, don"t take this from my salary this month"

"I won"t. You salary won"t be enough anyway" she shrugged.

Her answer drew more laughter from the officers. They then started to eat. Ryon also found the current atmosphere more pleasing. The officers ate like they don"t have a single problem in the world. They talked like old friends.

After remaining like that for a while, Lady Maria then asked the heavy question. "So, any suggestions for the defense tomorrow?"

Unlike before, the officers were now able to respond to her question. "Caltrops, spikes and boiling oil" a Centurion said while chewing.

"I can also order my men to repair the broken ballistae." Another officer added.

"What if we lure them into the villa and then attack from behind?"

"Attack with what? They outnumber us maybe thirty to one."

"Oh I know! We should repeat what King Timothy did at Knightsend. We can let them through the breach and then seal it with, er, something."

"There"s no way they will fall for that. Everybody had already heard about what happened in Knightsend. Also we can"t seal the breach"

Everyone gave their opinion and the dinner lasted for more than an hour. As the officer with the highest rank, Ryon was responsible for making the final decision. But before he did, he consulted with Lady Maria first.

In the end, they came up with a simple yet effective plan. They will again defend the breach but this time, they will plant traps for the enemies. Caltrops and spikes will be scattered. Some of the soldiers will try to repair the ballistae. Boiling oil will be poured to the attackers from the top of the wall. Also, they will ditch their spears for the longer pikes.

The officers went to their separate ways after finalizing the plan. Tonight will be a busy night. Everybody knew that they will die tomorrow. But before they do, they will make the Calgarians bleed.

Before Ryon could leave, Lady Maria prevented him. She said that they still had to talk about something important. The dining table was cleaned and wine was served. Ryon was left alone with the Lady.

"Wine?" Ryon raised his brows.

"What? You think an old woman like me can"t drink wine?" She laughed. "Well it"s true, I can"t and I shouldn"t. My stomach is weak. But we"re going to die tomorrow so who cares"

"You"re not going to die Lady Maria. The Calgarians will not kill you." He a.s.sured her. It was true though. They will not waste an important hostage.

Lady Maria just smiled and stood up. She supported her body with a cane. Ryon"s heart ached. Earlier she was standing proudly in the front line. She stood for hours. But Ryon just discovered that her legs were already so weak that she needed a cane to walk. She endured earlier for the soldiers.

She went to the living room and came back with a sword in her hand. The sword"s pommel was made of gold and there were gems embedded in it. The sword was beautiful but it was impractical.

"This sword was my Father"s. He gave this to me just before he died. He said that I should give this to my son but Erik won"t take it. He said that the sword is useless anyway." She then laughed. "The Golden Useless Sword. That"s what he called it."

"Pardon me for saying this but he was right Lady Maria. The pommel is soft and heavy. It upsets the balance of the blade. The gems also make the handle uncomfortable for the wielder." Ryon commented.

"That"s exactly what he said. You sound like my son Ryon, only he is smarter"

"Being compared to your son brings me joy My Lady" he bowed his head a little. "So what"s with the sword?"

Lady Maria caressed the blade of the sword. "Tomorrow when all hope is lost, I want you to stab me with this"

"What!?" Like a released spring he asked immediately.

She looked at him. "I have no plans to let myself captured Prefect. The Calgarians will make me a bargaining chip against my husband and my son. I can"t let that happen. My husband will surely return to Greenwater immediately and n.o.body knows what will happen to him. Erik will also betray Timothy for my sake and I don"t want the young Lion to destroy my Erik."

Ryon stood up and slammed his fist on the table. He doesn"t care even if the damage on the table costs him his entire life"s salary. "I will not kill you" he stressed each word.

"n.o.body will know Prefect. This is an order. I"m also dying from a disease so your conscience can be free."

"Do it yourself then! Or drink poison. Do what you want just leave me out of this!" he shouted.

In response, Lady Maria just looked outside the window. "The Connel family does not deal with poisons Ryon. Also I can"t do it. I"m too scared to stab myself. I"ve always been scared." She then looked at him. Her face was still the same, but tears started to flow from her eyes.

"I have been forcing myself to look strong in front of the soldiers. But the truth is, I"m weak." She admitted. Her voice started to crack. "My husband, my dear Benedict, is going to defend a small castle against the Tulosans. My boy is being held hostage at the Capital. Do you think I"m ready to die? No I"m not. I want to see my husband and my boy again. I want to feel their embrace again. They are everything to me. I want to see them even if it"s just once. Even once will be enough. But I can"t let the Calgarians use me to harm them. I will die before I let something happen to my family."

By now, Lady Maria was sobbing and her tough appearance was gone. She looked like a normal old woman who was afraid to die, but will chose death in order to defend her husband and her son. Ryon was reminded that Lady Maria was still a human being, fearful and emotional.

"Does it really have to be me?" he asked.

"I trust you know how to make it painless?"

Ryon nodded.

"Then it has to be you. Make it quick and make it look like I did it. Thank you Ryon"

"Don"t thank me yet Lady Maria. I"m not promising anything. I may not be able to do it tomorrow."

She smiled and nodded.