บท 435: Whatever Comes...
It was hard to spot at first, but as the princess looked at the mountains on either side, she could see the level of the water had lowered considerably. The more she watched, the wider the gap between the highest mark and the level of the water became.
Ashleigh's words carried over the sound of rushing water. "It happens just like this in the spring. The flooding stays and then all at once it leaves like a stopper has been pulled. I have a theory that my little watery friends have something to do with it. They always seem to appear right before the flooding ends."
"The water nymphs?" Gandr tilted his head. Wai did seem to know the duchess well enough to trust her. With enough liquid around them, the nymphs could be incredibly strong. They could easily empty a flood if they desired.
Ashleigh nodded. "I've always wanted to ask them about it, but there is a slight communication problem. You can speak to them, can you not?" The duchess looked hopefully at the halfling. Years of wondering about the strange phenomena might finally be answered.
"I will ask next time I see one of them, Your Grace," Gandr vowed.
"How long before the water is shallow enough to walk in?" Maiwen wondered.
"A few hours, but I don't recommend walking in it. The current is quite swift. That is why I called in the boats. Maybe six to eight hours before the ground can be seen. The river will be back in its normal banks before midnight." Ashleigh's estimates were based on years of watching the phenomena. No one doubted her word.
"That means we need to speed up our timeline and get everyone in position. As soon as the water is low enough, we will bring in the horses. That means we should get to preparing the stables in addition to finding a place for the soldiers to stay." Devrim stroked his chin.
"I will handle it," Eira offered, "If it pleases Your Majesty and Her Highness." The royals agreed and Eira ducked down into the passageway.
"I will get ready to go northward. If I might use one of your horses, duchess, it would speed my journey greatly." Alaron rolled his shoulders as if he were preparing for a race. In a way, he supposed that he was.
"Take any provisions you need. They are at your disposal, Guardian," Ashleigh emphasized the last word so that the lookout could hear. He would relay the information to the other troops so that they would cooperate without question.
"Junayd and Gandr, please come with me to organize the troops. I think it will take all three of us and maybe a bit more." Devrim looked to the two ladies that were left.
"I will make sure all of the foodstuffs are in order. It is no use defending ourselves if we are only going to starve." Ashleigh nodded determinedly.
"If it is all the same to the rest of you, I would like to go to the wall and watch the water recede. An extra pair of eyes watching for danger cannot hurt." The princess was not skilled in war tactics nor competent in how much people could eat.
She did, however, have a keen sense of sight and a deadly accurate bow. Her request made sense, and the Emperor knew that with the water receding, Mairwen would likely be looking for more than just the enemy. But at least she planned to do it from the safety of the wall.
"Good idea," Devrim gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead. "Let us know the moment you see anything."
"I will. And don't worry, I won't try anything foolish..." Mairwen gave a sad smile.
"Don't make promises you cannot keep, my love. You have too much of your mother in you for that," the Emperor caught himself and grimaced. "Don't you dare tell the Empress I called her foolish or those beasts out there somewhere will be the least of my worries!"
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Mairwen took a carriage to the docks where she was admitted without question by the sentry. On top of the wall, all of the boats were being dissembled from their seats, wiped down, cleaned and stacked.
The whole method was so efficient that it looked like a dance. If it weren't for the thoughts that weighed on the princess, she might have stayed to appreciate the technique. As it was, she moved along past them as she continued down the wide walkway at the top of the wall.
'I really should have brought an escort,' she thought as she passed a soldier on the wall and he saluted her. No matter how much she wanted to hide, her face was becoming very recognizable on the wall in Oblivion. 'Or used Zan's cloak...'
She had given the cloak back to Junayd, but now wished she had hung on to the garment for such a time as this.
"Oh well," Mairwen sighed. A citizen hauling nets to put away shot her a curious glance before bowing and moving along. The Princess did not notice his concerned expression.
Eventually walking past the front gate, the dark-haired woman looked down to see the gatekeepers preparing to release the door when the time came. It was heavily barricaded and waxed to seal out any chance of the flood waters leaking through. While not all the wax was yet taken down, the upper portions of the large doors were already cleared.
The princess leaned back away from the parapet and strode toward the crenellations on the opposite side. She had tried to avoid this spot and yet had been drawn to it each and every day. It was the last place she saw her husband and deep down she believed she would see him again in that very spot climbing the rope.
Alas, when she looked, there was no rope and no Renat. It had merely been wishful thinking.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye. For a moment the princess nearly called out her husband's name until she saw a winter bird flutter from the wall.
'A winter bird before winter?' Actually, when the princess thought about it, it was strange that the winter fairies had yet to visit and leave their frosty hallmarks behind. They were late...or maybe they were just taking their time this year. Magical timing was not the same as human timing.
"I wish they would come. It would at least slow down our lizard friends, I think," Mairwen tugged her cloak around herself. It wasn't particularly chilly, but the warmth in her soul was gone.
For what felt like an eternity, the princess walked the wall and looked both in at the preparations and out at the water. Like a bathtub, it was draining slowly but surely.
Based on the trees poking through at the bottom, Mairwen guessed that the water would still be over her head, but not for long. Her heart ached to see the dry bottom of the valley, yet also dreaded it. It would allow her to move around outside of Oblivion without a boat, but afforded their enemies the same freedom.
However, a plan was already forming in her mind. Once the ground was dry, she would convince her father to let her go with Eira and Junayd back to the spot where they had last found a trace of Renat. He didn't want her to be in Oblivion during the fighting anyway, right?
Together they would covertly track what had happened to the lost prince and bring him home. Once Renat was back with her, she could spend all her energy on saving Dania as well. She just had to play her cards carefully... 'Just like Junayd said.'
The princess spent the better part of the next hour walking her route and crafting her words carefully. By the time her father found her to check on her, Mairwen was ready.
"Father, I know you do not want me here if a battle occurs, so I have come up with a solution." She tried to sound casual, but her eagerness betrayed her.
"Do not go any further, Mairwen. I have a solution too." Devrim's mouth changed from a relieved smile at finding his daughter to a hard line. "You have been through enough. I have decided to send you and Eira home under Junayd's care."
"What?! No, I will not go!" the princess felt hot tears prick her eyes. "I cannot leave without finding Renat."
"You are a member of the royal household and very much a target of these wolves and lizards. If they cannot have your mother, they might be very happy to kill you as a consolation prize."
Mairwen was taken aback at his bluntness. 'How could he abandon Renat?'
The Emperor continued, worried that if he did not get it out now, that he never would. "I know what you are thinking. You are thinking I betrayed you. I assure you nothing is further from the truth. I will send a party to look for Renat, but I cannot risk you falling into the enemy's hands, or worse. Please understand..."
Mairwen did not understand. More than that, she no longer wanted to listen. She began to run from her father's presence.
"It's what Renat would want," Devrim called after her, freezing the princess momentarily in her tracks.
"That may be," Mairwen answered emotionlessly, "But until he tells me that himself, I'm not abandoning him."
The princess walked away slowly this time, refusing to look back. 'Whatever comes, I will face it head on...'
Unfortunately, she was right.
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NobleQueenBee
NobleQueenBee Between my birthday today and American Thanksgiving, chapters this week may not get out on time. Thank you for your patience! I am Thankful for you!!!
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