The Crow and The Rabbit

Taradira observed the next stage of negotiations. The Emperor brought her and Varnon into what she called the map room. It contained exactly one map, painted directly onto the top of the massive table that dominated the room. Varnon and a much older man sat on one side of the table, looking at the eastern border of the empire. They lay a string along the table and pushed it little by little, adjusting the proposed new border, nudging it around lakes, forests, roads, and villages, bartering what would end up on what side. Ines stood behind them, Ferene at her side, watching silently.

Taradira could only endure so much of the discussion. "Emperor Camus." she spoke up, stepping directly towards the woman. Ferene shifted, ever so slightly, staying alert but not treating Taradira as a threat. No proper guard would have done that, but Taradira couldn't blame her. "I have a personal request, not in the name of Ettsgras. Not as the general."

"I will hear it."

Had she been speaking as the general, it would have been easy, but Taradira as an individual held no power, no authority. "The man Elhaten. He was part Hatharen, was he not?"

"He was. What of it?"

"His Hatharen parent should still be alive. Are they here?"

The emperor let out a huff of annoyance, and made a gesture at Ferene. "You do not need to walk through the steps of this. Ferene told you of the two. You want to meet them. Take her there."

Taradira followed the silent warrior out of the room and deep into the palace, through twisting hallways and up the spiraling staircase of a tower, all the way to a landing with two guards and two doors.

"Lisha." Ferene pointed to the door on the right, then the one on the left. "Sahlaren."

Ignoring the guards, Taradira stepped towards Lisha's door, throwing it open before walking to the other side of the landing and opening Sahlaren's. "My name is Taradira. You remember me. As Hatharen in the human lands, you are my responsibility. It is time to talk."

She did not look into either room, instead waiting between them, standing tall, hands behind her back. A moment passed, then another, and finally Sahlaren's face appeared, looking around the frame of his door at her.

"It really is you."

"Yes."

"Lisha is…she-" Sahlaren's words died as Taradira simply stared at him. "I failed her." He finally said, stepping into the open, his lips a thin line.

"She isn't your responsibility. As I said, she is mine." She turned her head towards the other door. "Lisha!"

Sahlaren shifted uncomfortably as they waited. Finally, Taradira walked into the room, finding the Hatharen sitting on the bed, staring at a wall. Entering, she reached out and placed a hand on Lisha's shoulder. "Time to leave, Lisha."

"Why?"

"I'm going to free the Hatharen. All of them. It starts with getting you out of here."

"I want to be here. I deserve to be here."

Taking a deep breath, Taradira looked back, seeing Ferene standing outside the room, Sahlaren beside her. "You," she pointed at the man. "In here, now." She waited until he entered the room before she turned back to Lisha. "I don't know what the two of you went through here. I don't care, either. You were missing and now you are found. While you reside in human lands, you are to follow my orders. I'm ordering both of you out of the empire. I will be going back to the strongholds soon. You can go there yourselves, or join me as I finish my role with the humans before going there myself. Those are your two options."

Sahlaren stayed silent, his eyes down. Lisha frowned, looking up at Taradira. "If I return, they will make me fight."

"That is the way of our people."

"I will go."

"And you?" Taradira asked Sahlaren.

He pushed his lips together, making a pained expression. "I will follow Lisha."

"If you two haven't left by the time I am done with my negotiations, I'll drag you out of here myself." As she left the room, she saw the two guards looking at her. She ignored them.

"I'm told that you are leaving us."

Ferene spun around, finding herself alone in the hallway. She recognized the voice, but could not see the speaker. Standing still, she waited, tense. An object flew towards her from the side, too fast for her to identify. She twisted, barely moving before it struck her on the shoulder and bounced off harmlessly.

Looking down, she found a blunt table knife.

"Good reaction!" The voice spoke again, and a woman appeared. The 'circus performer' that Ferene sparred with when she first arrived at the castle. "A real knife is probably not going to pierce your armor from that angle, and if it did the damage wouldn't be enough to disable your arm."

"I am leaving, yes." Ferene said. She wasn't sure what point the woman wanted to make - she could take Ferene by surprise, but they were on the same side. "I was brought here as a prisoner."

"Our new emperor has so few trustworthy allies. You'd leave her without her blade?"

"Are you going to kill her?"

The woman paused, confusion clear on her face. "I'm loyal to Mara, and Mara is loyal to the emperor. She is the one concerned, and I'm doing this for her, not Ines."

"I'm getting out of this place before it changes me further. You threw a knife at me and I don't care."

"Because you know I don't mean you any harm! Non-verbal communication. We know you're the stronger of the two of us, but I'm the smarter one, and that I can kill you despite all that muscle and experience. It establishes where we stand."

"What's your name?" Ferene asked.

"Sophia."

"Good." She said, and walked away.

"Make Sophia the blade."

Ines looked up from her desk and blinked. "What?"

"The assassin, Sophia. You can trust her. She can kill people. Give her my place when I leave."

"She's an assassin, Ferene. If everyone knows that she is there to kill people, how can she actually do it?"

For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. Ferene looked away first, feeling her face burn. The sound of Ines' laughter reached her ears. "You say I can trust her, though. Tell me more about that."

"She's loyal to Mara. You trust Mara."

"Mara vouched for her in the past, yes. I've had her carry out some tasks for me, but bringing her closer…it would be nice to have someone young I can trust, especially if you are leaving."

"I'm sorry. I need to go."

"You are at least taking the two Hatharen with you. That history book can finally be closed. The empire must change, going forward. The obsession with those people will end. I will miss you, however short our time together was."

Ferene nodded, unsure how else to react. Every time she talked to Ines, it felt like she was seeing a different person. Or a different side to the same person. She was reminded of herself, how she changed after meeting others. Ines must be going through something like that.

"Fine, fine. I will talk with Sophia. I will not be giving her your position. That space will once again be vacant upon your departure. I will have to ask for the uniforms back, however. That is a symbol that can't be running rampant. Your previous attire - the uniform from Wellent - is gone, sadly. I can assign the tailors to make you something new, if you want."

She swallowed, finding it hard to breathe. "Yes. Thank you." She eventually managed to say, feeling a tightness in her chest. Cerise gave her those clothes. The memories of the princess came back, the guilt and the feeling of loss. It must have shown on her face, because she looked up to find Ines standing next to her.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Ferene? Are you alright?"

"Yes. Thank you." She repeated, not trusting herself to say anything else.

Swinging her sword to intercept the attack, Taradira slid her weapon down her opponent's, hooking the tip under the crossguard and pulling back, yanking the sword towards her. Rather than let go, the man stepped into it, his eyes going wide as he suddenly found himself less than an arm's length from the massive Hatharen. She grabbed his shoulder with her free hand at the same time as she swept his feet, easily sending him to the dirt.

The crowd remained silent. Taradira looked around the coliseum, at her thinning crowd of challengers. It started when one soldier asked for a duel, and after she defeated him, one of the spectators stepped up to take his place. Twelve opponents later, the best of the imperial guard hesitated to challenge her.

Unexpectedly, the crowd started cheering. Turning, Taradira found the emperor herself walking forward, fully armored, a sword in her hand.

Assuming a fighting stance, Taradira watched Ines do the same, and smiled.

The two both moved at the same time, their weapons clashing, then separated, Ines stepping back, just at the edge of Taradira's range. Her longer weapon didn't make up for the Hatharen's superior reach, leaving her at a slight disadvantage. Taradira stepped forward while swinging, and Ines held her ground, blocking the attack before launching her own.

"I have another favor to ask." Taradira said, parrying.

Ines struck again, this time feinting and causing Taradira to block the following attack with her gauntlet. "Luckily for you, I have a task that you can assist me with."

"You have a town in the west guarded by a mercenary company. I need to talk with several members of that group." She swung low, aiming at Ines' hip.

The emperor dodged backwards, then stepped forward as she counterattacked. "I can summon them here. You want the Hatharen. More of your other duty?"

Taradira easily blocked the first strike, then a second, and a third, Ines' speed not giving her a chance to launch an attack of her own. "I will be taking them away."

Ines responded by briefly stopping her assault, making a single strong, powerful swing that Taradira blocked. Their swords locked, the emperor stepped forward, her blade nearly touching her face. "First the two in the tower, now those with the mercenaries. What are you doing with all of them?"

"That information will cost you, and you already have something you want from me."

Ines disengaged, stepping back and bowing to Taradira. "When you have finished here, come and find me. The servants will give you directions. Don't take too long."

After two more duels, Taradira did as instructed and found the emperor in a workshop, the walls lined with racks of cloth and mannequins. Ines sat on the edge of a table, talking with two men, one standing, the other sitting on a stool.

"This," Ines said, gesturing towards Taradira, "is the general from Ettsgras, someone who has known Ferene for longer than we have. Taradira, these are Ambros and Miron, the palace tailors. They face a challenge: as Ferene is leaving, she cannot continue to wear the uniform of her current station. She needs a new set of clothes for her future travels. Something that she would like to wear, to make up for her previous attire, which was lost. Help them, and I will summon the people you wish to speak with."

The finer details of the negotiations, Ferene learned, were not only slow, but boring.

Ines sat in on one of the sessions with Ferene at her side, simply listening as three men argued over a lake, a forest, and then a mine under a hill, all of which were close to the border line. Those three things took five hours of talking, after which they stopped for the day. Ferene wasn't sure which side of the border each location ended up on.

"This is the result of the war my father started." Ines said, sighing. "Arguments and deals over lines on a map for hours on end. I miss not being emperor."

Ferene didn't respond, simply following Ines as the emperor wandered the palace, seemingly at random. "They've been at this for a week, and are only halfway done. I'm told this is good progress, because nothing has come up that stalled progress. Apparently we could end up deadlocked over a single issue for multiple days, if it comes to it."

Ferene knew Taradira wanted to be done with this, and was probably equally, if not more, frustrated with the slow pace.

"Luckily, something came up which will benefit you, I am to understand." Ines said as they approached a large wooden double door. Ferene recognized it as leading to one of the entry chambers that connected to the outside. She was unsure what to expect as Ines threw it open, stepping into the wide, dirt-floored room beyond.

Waiting in the center of the room were a pair of imperial soldiers, fully armored for traveling. These two bowed to Ines as she stepped inside. Ferene ignored them, her attention drawn to the group standing behind them. The tall Hatharen were unmistakable, especially with Nenhal at the front. Her face lit up as her eyes met Ferene's, and she bounded over, stepping around the two soldiers.

"What are you doing here?"

"These two showed up, saying we were needed at the palace. Tullund told us that we should go with them, and was ready to come along, before Lily convinced him to stay."

"Those two are getting along well?" Ferene asked, and waited for Nenhal to nod in confirmation before she turned to Ines. "Why did you bring them here?"

"Taradira wanted to talk to them, but I thought you should get the chance first."

Ferene went silent, thinking. Would Taradira ask them to go north? Or back to the forest, where she could recruit more of them? A feeling of unease settled in Ferene's stomach. The Hatharen in the forest ran away from war, yet because of Ferene, they had sought out Taradira, and now Taradira knew of them. Would she lead them back to the battle they fled? What if they refused? How would she react?

"Why?" Ferene asked.

"Don't know. Don't care. The war is over and I need to figure out what to do with the mercenaries. The general in charge should be the one to do that, but that is still me at this point in time, until I fully appoint someone else, which I'm not doing until the war is fully over. Tell me, Ferene, what do you think I should do? These mercenaries are your friends. How should they be treated?"

Frowning, Ferene turned to Nenhal, who smiled back. "Most of Rella's company wants to leave, though some will retire and stay there. They've been learning from the civilians. Tullund and Lily have also talked about staying in the town."

"Is that acceptable, Your Majesty?" Ferene asked, turning back to Ines.

"What about you and your people, Nenhal?" Ines asked.

"We will do what Taradira tells us to. She told us to follow Tullund. He's a good man. We learned about the way humans fight, and how humans live."

The sound of Ines clicking her tongue mirrored Ferene's feelings. "Fine." The emperor said. "Taradira wants to talk with you, so you'll be meeting with her next."

Nenhal and her group entered Taradira's borrowed meeting room, disrupting the post-negotiation discussion between her and Varnon.

"We'll finish this later, Councilman." She said, standing up as all nine of Hatharen filed in.

That wasn't right.

"Where is Farathal?"

Their response told her everything she needed to know. A wave of sadness passed over the nine survivors, some of them looking down, others looking to each other. Nenhal pressed her lips together, forming a thin line. "He died."

"I see." Taradira suddenly found herself unsure of what to say. They were not from the strongholds, not raised the same way she was. She didn't know what they were taught, what they expected going into this.

"Tullund…helped us. After." Nenhal added, breaking the awkward silence.

Varnon left the room then, and Taradira took a deep breath. "Did your elders tell you about what is happening in the north? What exactly they ran away from?" Nenhal shook her head, the others following. "There's a war going on there. It has lasted thousands of years. Slowly, our people are losing. They will eventually be unable to keep fighting. I want to change that. I want to win that war. I came here to learn about winning. That is why I sent you to fight with Tullund. I'm going north. If you follow me, there will be more death. A lot more. However, in the end, we will win. I will free our people from the war. What your parents ran away from will cease to exist."

Nenhal and her companions watched Taradira expectantly. Somehow, she had turned them into loyal soldiers. Or perhaps Tullund had done that. Regardless, they trusted her. She pushed onward.

"I am not only asking you to join me in that fight. I also want to go to your village and ask if anyone else there is willing to help. I want as many Hatharen with me as possible. I will need an army, and the numbers are limited. We will need as much help as we can get, and that includes your family. I would ask you to lead me there, and allow me to make my request to your elders."

"I'll do it." Nenhal said immediately.

"You can't!" Another - Eranhas - cut in. Multiple voices backed him up, and Taradira watched the group split in two.

"Take time to discuss this. These are your people, not mine. You have the right to refuse me."

Two days later, when Taradira was waiting for Varnon to return from the negotiations, Nenhal approached her instead. The girl was alone.

"Did you come to a decision?"

"We came to a conclusion. We trust you, and we should not make the decision about this on our own. If you will not reveal our location to anyone else, we will take you there, and the elders will hear your request themselves."

"I'm glad to hear it. That will be my second stop after I leave here."

Ferene stood behind Ines, watching silently as the emperor sat at her desk, reading paper after paper, occasionally sighing or groaning in frustration, but never said anything, hiding whatever caused her reactions.

A knock on the door caused Ines to drop the paper, sitting up properly before calling out. The servant stepped inside.

"Taradira says she wishes to discuss a request with you."

"Good. Send her in."

The general entered shortly after, taking position in the center of the room. Ines remained seated, looking up at the large Hatharen. "The third request."

"I have an offer that I would like you to give to your people."

Ines tilted her head and crossed her arms. "That is a strange request. Explain."

"I will need a number of non-combatants to assist in basic farming roles to the north. Maintaining settlements. They may end up working alongside people from Ettsgras. This is a temporary measure. I understand you have a number of refugees. This will give them a place to stay while you rebuild."

Ferene tensed. This was new. Taradira was talking about the Hatharen strongholds, wasn't she? She wanted to put humans there? Why?

"I want my information. What are you doing with all the Hatharen? Is this part of it? What is your goal here?"

"The Hatharen live in the mountains to the north." Taradira's face remained passive, blank, as she spoke. "Their populations have been devastated by wars. There are empty houses. I want to fill them."

"Why do you need to fill them?"

"Because I'm going to take most of the remaining Hatharen out of these towns to fight a war north of the mountains. The humans will have to keep everything running in their absence. I can leave a few Hatharen behind, but not many. I cannot tell you more about the war, but your people will not be fighting it."