Artemis and Caspian: The Spy

Chapter Six

Lady Kendra dismounted and ran into her Lord's arms. Lord Terrowin stroked her head gently, a silent understanding passing between them. The King dismounted as well smiling, warmed by the joyous reunion.

"How is the realm?" Lady Kendra asked nervously, checking her husband over for any signs of injury.

"Relax dear, the realm is fine," he laughed, enjoying this very rare moment of concern as she ran her hands over his chest, "And so am I." She breathed a sigh of relief and hit him in the forearm.

"Don't scare me like that again," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

The Lord winced and rolled his shoulder, "Even though I did nothing wrong?" Lady Kendra shot him a death glare and he put his hands up in defeat "Ok, ok, I promise, trust me, I'll never scare you like that again."

The King sauntered over to the Lord and gripped his arm. "Lord Terrowin, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise your Majesty," the Lord grinned, tossing a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "Although I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Indeed," the King spoke gravely, releasing him. "Is the realm ready for an attack?"

The Lord quickly looked warily at his wife before continuing, "My liege, we've done the best we could. I recruited a fair amount of our farmers into the military and assigned our more advanced warriors the task of training. Others have volunteered to craft weapons and build a sturdy wall around the palace. A soldier's camp has been started in front. Other than that, there's nothing more we can do except pray to the gods," Defeated he looked longingly at the castle echoing with the sound of workers placing stones. "Even with our efforts I still fear for the worst." Lady Kendra screamed and threw her ax into the dirt.

"I swear if I had five minutes alone with that snake, I could end this war single handedly."

Lord Terrowin grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, trying his best to calm her down. "Kendra, it's going to be okay..."

"But he's bringing an army of thousands, how are we possibly going to defend ourselves?" she yelled, ripping her hand out of his.

For once in the Lord's life, his wife saw a bit of concern flash across his brow but he did his best to hide it. "Even if Lord Cerberus comes here with a million soldiers we'll find a way to beat him. That's why the King is here, and by the looks of it, the two of you brought an army large enough to beat Guilamount twice over," he finished, sizing up the gathering mass of warriors now behind him, mingling with his people in the hastily built camp on Calatan's yellow field.

"But combined with Celestia's army and his military genius, it still won't..."

"Hey.." the Lord cut her off gently, lifting her head, "Kendra, listen to me. We'll make it work. Once we strategize an airtight battle plan, we'll have that traitor running for Guilamount with his tail between his legs." She laughed and he kissed her forehead, "Now, I know you're frustrated but I also know you're probably much more exhausted, how about I make you some fireberry soup then we'll get some rest?" The King made a face to a nearby duke. Fireberry soup, a rare Calatinian delicacy that burned the whole mouth, a treat only enjoyed by the tough people of Calatan with gruff stomachs and even gruffer personalities. The Lady nodded and took her Lord's hand, leading the royal party past the wall construction and into the palace.

...

The Lord and Lady of Calatan were up early the next morning, surveying the work being done in the realm. Lady Kendra stood on the northern balcony of Calatan's sandstone palace, observing the vast land that seemed to stretch further than the horizon itself. To her far left lay the only visible town from the castle. Greeting the morning air were humble farmers who appeared in the early daylight feeding livestock and tending to land that stretched for miles. Crops caught rare morning dew on delicate green branches dancing in the cool morning breeze. The dirt paths in between small cottages looked like gold to the Lady, glistening with sprinkles of water, trodden down by horses and footsteps alike. In front of her, a vast field stretched into a distant treeline, yellow from a lack of rain. Here she'd make a stand. Dotting the perimeter to the right were some more trees, remnants from Meridan's great forest. She always found it peculiar how close her ancestors decided to build the castle to Meridan's border. They were practically on top of it. Flattery for the ruler was the only logical conclusion she could ever come up with, but all of that seemed trivial now.