Lady Moon, Sha'tan #1

Chapter 15: The reluctant Duke

Another loud bang came from the inside of the tent, making the guard cringe. The racket had been going on for a while, even since the Prince came back from his meeting, pale and fists clenched. He commanded to be left alone, then proceeded to systematically destroy the furniture. That did not sound good. The Prince was known for his self-control and sensible demeanour. This was the first time he had ever seen him in a rage, and he wondered what could have brought it on. Not that he would ever be let in to the secret negotiations they were having, down at the Duke’s Castle. He shrugged. Life was easier this way.

He squinted at the silhouette approaching against the low sun, then sighed with relief, recognising his General. Nobody else would be wearing gold incrusted chest plates. He saluted and opened the flap for him, ignoring the orders: the Prince wouldn’t bar his door to his most trusted friend and counsellor.

General Ahmed Nadal dodged a chart flying his way and stared incredulously at the scene. Sharp pieces of wood, formerly known as chairs, littered the thick, woollen rugs, amongst various books and maps. The large table had landed upside down, feet up like a dead cow, and the lamps were blown to smithereens, adding a nice touch of oil and coloured shards of glass to the mess. Prince Elian was standing in the middle, dishevelled, fuming and glaring at him.

The General cocked an eyebrow:

“Feeling better now Mylord? Or shall we have a fight so that you could let more steam out?”

Elian struggled to regain his composure. His friend was right, destroying innocent objects was not going to solve the problem. He ran his fingers in his hair in annoyance.

“This greedy Duke is driving me mad!  We have been there three weeks and we are no closer to an agreement. He welcomes us with open arms, throws daily feasts in our honour, negotiates with us, but changes his conditions every single day. And now he wants me to marry his daughter, which he well knows is not going to happen!”

General Nadal chuckled:

“I can’t see why, she is very appetizing, she looks just like a raisin!”

Elian shrugged:

“She is ugly all right, but what repulse me is her avid and scheming mind, just like her father’s. I will not even consider marrying a woman I can’t trust. Anyway, we can’t afford to waste any more time. This is costing us an absolute fortune and my brother already let me know of his displeasure. He would happily see me betrothed to a goat if it could save him a few bucks. We have to find a way to get this treaty signed within the next two days.”

“Well, the man has been amusing us from the start, playing us all along. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that he had some hidden and golden reasons to do so. I don’t believe he’ll sign anything any time soon…”

“Then maybe we should work harder at convincing him, show him the many sharp and pointy reasons he’d want us on his side…” Elian answered with a scowl.

The General grinned:

“Now that I think of it Mylord, our men have gone lazy recently. They could use a good life size strategic exercise, something like taking a castle?”

“Why not? There just happen to be a castle in the vicinity, and considering that the owner claims to be our friend, I am quite sure he won’t object to this innocent activity, won’t he? Of course, we shall keep it a surprise, he certainly won’t feel threatened anyway, we are allies and would never attack each other… Our men could stealthily take position around, encircling the place, would that be good enough?”

“I don’t know Mylord, that seems really easy. Maybe they could take the drawbridge and have a friendly wrestle with the garrison, see if they can disarm them or get them to surrender? It would be good training for the Duke’s men too. I am sure he would be delighted…” the General added mischievously.

Elian considered the option dreamily. He couldn’t afford anything too openly offensive, but with a bit of luck, this might just work.

“Of course our men would have to be cautious, we wouldn’t want any casualties amongst our friends, it would make us look clumsy.”

“Of course Mylord, they could use clubs or sand bags rather than swords.”

“Good idea. May I suggest tomorrow, two hours before dawn?”

“It will be my pleasure, Mylord.”

The General turned around, rushing to give orders. They had been stuck in this hellhole for too long, he was itching for action.

Elian smiled and watched his friend leave. The man was a sight for sore eyes, muscular body, handsome face, and dressed to impress. He even had these fancy chest plates made from a picture of a roman general. He attracted women like a magnet, to no avail. The ruthless General Nadal, married and proud father of three children, was gay.

His thoughts came back to the current situation and he frowned. He was standing on thin ice there. If he attacked the Duke of Brittany, despite his pretence of friendship, he might scare away his existing and potential allies. But the diplomatic way was leading nowhere; the man seemed to be stalling for some unknown reasons. Intimidation was his last straw, and he had to get it right. If the Duke was not buying it, or if it was ending in a bloodbath, he would find himself in serious trouble.