A War Of Traitors( ARTK, Book 2)

Chapter 119

Seggos 1st, 3329 A.G

  With the sun setting, Maude stepped out of the shared tent. She liked Ysmen and the queen well enough- but that didn't make them less exhausting. One of the other two girls was of snowbush and around ten years older- and her swordskill was incredible, but she never did stop talking. Even now, with the tent fabric between them- she could hear her thinking aloud. Maude rubbed her forehead, pushing the tunic's sleeves just above her elbows.

If the girl's words hadn't been enough to send her over the edge- her blood flowing for a second time was. For a full day now she'd been craving a Beran pistachio pastry she'd only tasted once, when she were a small child- and it nearly drove her insane.

It was unreasonable, she knew. There was perfectly good food and plenty of it- though it could've used some spices they didn't have access to. Maude wanted sugar- and a lot of it. The jarred oranges and fresh pears had done little for that craving- so at some point she'd resorted to eating spoonfuls of sugar and a persistent head pain was born.

She stood with her arms crossed, watching as a large group of soldiers huddled together in a circle- far away from any fires. She took her time walking over, the pain in her abdomen different from the many she'd felt before. She broke through the men and women just enough to stand at the front, getting a good view of what was going on. Ariana had just pinned her friend Federyck against the ground and had her hands around his neck, though not tightly enough to do any damage. The look in her eyes was a playful one- though her hair hung down enough to cover that part of Federyck's face. Maude flinched, thinking of how unpleasant that would be to untangle later.

  In less that a moment, he'd grabbed her by the waist and flipped her over his left side- pinning her with an arm. That didn't last long, but he hadn't intended for it to. When she reached down to move his arm he let her- and though it only took half a moment for her to sit up, that was enough time to punch the side of her face and send her back to the ground.

  She didn't have far to fall- but the force of the punch alone would certainly leave a mark. Ariana gritted her teeth just as Andruche stepped beside Maude.

  "My wager's on her." Andruche shrugged. "He's good, but there's just something in her that pushes her to get up every time she'd down."

  "I don't do wagers." Maude said coldly. Andruche's eyes drifted away from the fight for just a moment and to hers. "But if I did.... mine would be on hers too. How'd he get that scratch on his face?"

"Her first move." Andruche replied. "If you'd gotten here earlier you would have seen the blood running."

Almost on cue, Ariana screamed. The way she turned around, the side of her face already swelling as federyck rose- reminded her of Nara. She stood just as quickly, bringing her foot up to kick him in the crotch- though he caught her foot and she landed on her back. For just a moment, she appeared to be losing. Then, with a smirk on her face- she kicked upwards.

Federyck's face contorted in pain as she laughed and he slowly fell, mumbling under his breath. "No- no more. I'm....done...."

Once Ariana managed to stop laughing, she dragged herself closer. "Come now Federyck- in battle you won't have a chance to rest."

Her tone was a mix of mockery and japing- the words a repetition of Nara's. Federyck glared, though a smile eventually spread across his face too. Some time ago he would have made her tap out without breaking a sweat- not that she was ever a bad fighter, but now the possibility of that happening again was slim to none.

For nearly ten moments they just stared at each other- a look in Federyck's eyes Maude understood all too well because of Cam, until Andruche clapped.

"Alright you two-" he walked forward. "Save that for the privacy of your tent. Anyone?"

Andruche held his arms out in a challenging gesture. Maude almost laughed- Andruche wasn't a horrible soldier, but he certainly wasn't Nara's best. He had a weak stomach when it came to looking at injuries- and this was common knowledge.

Maude raised an eyebrow, following him to the center as Federyck and Ariana left it- looking over each other's wounds.

A sadness passed over him for a moment- but then his walls went back up. "I don't think I've ever told anyone- you look like my daughter. She was.... two when she died. Her mother was half Dedori and half something-else, but....... according to her our child looked just like her grandfather. You...have their eyes and hair."

  Maude wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but luckily he kept going.

  "First blood? Or whoever's to the ground first?" Andruche asked.

  "First blood." She said. "Don't go easy on me because of my eyes-"

  "I wouldn't dare." Andruche interrupted, shifting most of his weight to his right side. "Though you're small enough that it shouldn't take much effort."

  To Maude those were fighting words, and he knew it. He'd heard and seen what she was capable of more than once- and knew he would never compare. In twenty years his name would be forgotten. He would never be mentioned in a history book- but she would. He could play a small part and help keep her skills sharp, at least. He was far too old to be a friend, but he could watch over her from afar-  always ready to jump in front of those eyes if need be.

  She made the first move, and he let her. Her size was more of a strength than weakness, making her light enough to jump and launch herself at him.

(INSERT SPARRING SCENE HERE IN EDITING)

Their sparring session was short, but by the end blood flowed from Andruche's nose and he were pretty sure she'd broken it.

(INSERT SPARRING SCENE HERE IN EDITING)

  "That was incredible-" he said, clutching his face. "Was that the first time you broke-"

  "Not even close." Maude interrupted. "I very distinctly remember breaking my sister's finger when I was five because she was acting how older sister's tend to. Come on- let's get you to Ysmen."

Truth be told Maude could have used some poppy seeds herself- but she refrained, having read far too many stories of people who became dependent on them. She grabbed Andruche by the arm and began dragging him to the shared tent. They passed Nara on the way- who sat still and stared at the dwindling fire.

  When they were out of hearing range, Andruche opened his mouth again. "That is a terrifying woman."

  Maude tried her hardest not to laugh- his tone was disrespectful after all, but she couldn't help it.

"She would not be a good queen if no one was afraid of her." Maude smiled. "Like you-"

"I betrayed my kingdom for her-" He nodded. "And though there are moments..... I don't always regret it."