CHAPTER 12
The Illumination
After the initial feeling of elation that he had won the contest by killing Thune, Rom was overcome with utter weariness. He slowly sank onto the floor and laid his head on his arms and tried to rest his aching limbs whilst lying on the prison floor. The inner core of his body was shrieking with white hot pain and his head was frozen numb with black thoughts of revenge.
Suddenly, in walked a couple of guards into his prison cell, who roughly dragged Rom to his feet, then propelled him along the passageway.
‘Brude wants to see you, now! You had better do what he demands, otherwise he will kill you instantly,’ growled one of the guards.
Rom’s thoughts went into a spin as to how he was going to survive his encounter with Brude. He soon was in front of Brude and forced to kneel before him.
‘My patience has run out with you. Where is the Sacred Sword hidden? You must tell me now or I will kill you with my bare hands this instant. Better still you will be slowly tortured until you beg for mercy.’
‘If you end my life now then the secret will go with me and your desire for power and glory will disappear for ever,’ declared Rom.
Brude was thunderstruck for a few moments. ‘If you reveal the hiding place I will make you one of my head men,’ replied Brude.
Rom quickly responded. ‘You have already gone back on your promise, that if I killed Thune you would set Aela and I free.’
Just at that moment Tua entered the room. ‘Have you made Rom tell you where the Sacred Sword is hidden?’ Tua glared haughtily straight at Brude.
Brude abruptly said, ‘Why do you always interfere with what I am doing. You stupid woman! Whatever you have advised me to do has never worked out. It is about time you stopped meddling in my affairs.’
Tua responded, ‘That’s all the thanks I get for trying to help you. My idea is that you bring Aela here and threaten to kill her, if Rom does not reveal the truth to you.’
There was a sudden silence, then Brude shouted out the order to bring Aela immediately to him.
Rom was not happy with the sudden turn of events and he desperately tried to think of an alternative plan.
A guard quickly ran in with the catastrophic news, ‘Juno has been rescued by a group of his loyal men and spirited away. He is now free.’
Brude was beside himself with anger and fear. ‘Now Juno can raise an army and come to kill me,’ bellowed Brude.
‘You have a bargaining tool with Juno. You have Rom and Aela,’ stated Tua. ‘I would send a messenger to Juno to arrange a meeting with you and your officers to parley with him.’
The guards then brought Aela into the room and she ran straight to Rom. ‘I am so glad they have not killed you, at least I can die at your side.’
Brude sneered ‘A very pretty thought my dear, but at the moment it is in my best interests to keep you both alive. Guards! Take these two away and watch over them well. Tua, come with me as I have much to organise!’
Both Tua and Brude left the room in deep conversation as Rom and Aela were led away by the guards. Whilst Rom and Aela were walking down a long passageway flanked by guards, the group turned a corner and were immediately confronted by a number of armed men.
There was an instant clash of swords and a couple of the guards fell to the ground with blood gushing out of their wounds.
One of the armed men shouted, ‘Grab Rom and Aela quickly before reinforcements arrive and we are outnumbered!’
Rom and Aela felt the steel grip of strong hands around their arms as they were quickly hustled away down a side passageway and thrust up on two waiting horses, just outside the door. The group was soon furiously galloping down the main roadway towards the big gates and freedom. Before the guards at the gates knew what was happening, the party of galloping horses passed through into the darkness and beyond. The riders did not slacken the speed of their horses until they were deep into the forest which was located along a rough road they were riding along.
‘Well done men! Blindfold our prisoners! We don’t want them to know where our secret camp is hidden. Won’t Juno be pleased with the successful completion of our mission!’ gleefully shouted the leader.
Both Rom and Aela had blindfolds placed over their eyes. The men then guided their horses into the forest and carefully picked their way between the trees, as they made their way to the hidden camp with their two important prisoners. All that Aela and Rom could do was to clutch the manes of their horses to prevent themselves from falling off onto the ground.
It seemed to Rom and Aela that a long time passed as their horses plodded along through the forest, but eventually the party was ordered to stop. They were told to dismount from their steeds and then were guided by willing hands, as they both gingerly walked down a narrow track with their captors. As they were both blindfolded, they did not know when to duck their heads and as a consequence, they were often hit in the face with the odd overhanging branch.
Finally they could hear voices and sounds of general movement of persons in front of them.
‘Take their blindfolds off!’ growled one of the warriors.
Soon Rom and Aela were blinking their eyes in strong daylight for a few moments until they became accustomed to the glare.
‘Great, you all have done very well to rescue these two. Your men will be especially rewarded by me,’ exclaimed Juno. ‘Come! You two you must be hungry and thirsty after your rescue from Brude and his men.’
Juno led the duo to a large tent where inside was a long table laid out food and drink. ‘Help yourselves to whatever you want to eat or drink.’
As both Aela and Rom were starving and hadn’t eaten any food for some hours. They immediately sat down at the table and started to eat the food rapidly, also gulping down large amounts of wine from golden goblets which were laid out on the sumptuous table.
No one spoke for a while, until Juno broke the silence. ‘Well my friends, you certainly are very hungry. Doesn’t Brude feed his prisoners.’ Juno laughed at his own joke.
Both Aela and Rom looked up momentarily and then again concentrated on their eating and drinking, as if this would be their last meal. The two soon felt satisfied and almost simultaneously, they sat back in their chairs, turned their heads and looked straight at Juno, waiting to hear what he had to say to them.
Juno sensing their interest in him, cleared his throat, ‘I have your attention at last. Your freedom comes at a price, you both are to swear to obey me at all times. I intend to take the Temple of the Sun by force and I am using you both as the bait, to bring Brude out into the open field with his army. Then, I will defeat him in battle, once I am triumphant, I will then turn my attention fully on both of you. You must tell me where the Sacred Sword is hidden otherwise you will both will be tortured and then killed. However, if you cooperate I will then grant you both your freedom.’
‘How do I know that you will keep your word. Brude has gone back on his agreement. He told me if I killed Thune that he would grant Aela and I our freedom. I defeated Thune but he reneged as soon as he could.’ retorted Rom.
‘Well, I don’t think either of you are in a position to argue with me,’ spat Juno. ‘Come, I am becoming very tired of you not agreeing with me. Guards! Take these two to the prison cave and I will give you both until sunset to give me an answer to my demands. Whisk them away immediately, I have much work to do in the meantime.’
Aela and Rom were hustled out of the tent and quickly bundled into a dank dark cave.
‘Rom, how are we going to escape from Juno,’ exclaimed Aela. ‘I don’t trust him at all. Even if we do what he wants, there is no guarantee he will keep his end of the bargain.’
‘I agree with you Aela, so somehow we have to find a way to escape from Juno. We could at first appear to go along with his plans and when we have a chance we could disappear into the forest,’ added Rom. ‘But for now, I will call the guards to take us to Juno immediately.’
Very soon Aela and Rom were standing in front of Juno, explaining to him that they had agreed to be part of his plan to defeat Brude. Juno was delighted with this news but at the same time quite apprehensive as he did not trust them. So as a precaution he did not give Rom any weapons at this stage, just in case he suddenly turned on him killing him at close range.
‘Men, take the prisoners to more comfortable accommodation! Feed and clothe them in readiness for the victory battle tomorrow against Brude and his men. But guard them well, as tomorrow is my day for triumph over my worst enemy, Brude. Then I will have total power over everyone and all the surrounding land and Temples.’
Juno began to laugh out loud and uncontrollably, with this thought uppermost in his mind. Both Aela and Rom could hear these maniacal sounds as they were led away to their new prison for the night.
Rom managed to whisper in Aela’s ear, ‘We must make sure we have a good rest tonight, so we are refreshed and ready to seize the first opportunity to escape tomorrow.’
Aela nodded her head in agreement and placed her hand in Rom’s hand as they walked along flanked by the guards, each gaining strength from this close contact with each other.
Soon they found themselves inside a lavish tent decorated richly with beautiful silk pieces of material hanging from the ceiling of the tent cascading to the ground. In one corner there was positioned a luxurious bed with many cushions and a netted veil tied at the top with golden tassels.
Just at that moment servants entered the tent carrying many bowls of food and placed them on a long table covered with a silken blue tablecloth. Both Aela and Rom still felt hungry so they immediately sat down at the table and began eating the food laid out for them. Neither spoke for a while until their appetites were satiated and they had drunk the wine from the golden goblets.
‘I am feeling much better already,’ exclaimed Aela with satisfaction. ‘How are you feeling now Rom?’
‘The same as you, Aela. But let us rest, we must be alert for tomorrow morning,’ replied Rom.
He walked over to the bed and laid down and he immediately fell asleep. Aela suddenly realised how tired she was feeling, and laid down beside Rom. She also was soon sleeping, dreaming that she was lying in Rom’s arms, feeling completely and totally secure and happy.
As dawn broke, there was a bustle of activity in the camp, everyone was very busy, concentrating on getting ready for the impending battle. There was an air of excitement as well as naked fear, with the reality that some would be killed or wounded. Whilst others would be lucky enough to experience the rush of glory, as they triumphantly returned back to camp with stolen booty and exaggerated stories of their courage, and tales of how they had won over their enemy.
Aela and Rom awakened the next morning and they both quickly bathed and dressed. They were then marched to Juno’s tent where Juno greeted them enthusiastically.
‘You are both looking more refreshed than you did yesterday. The horses are ready, so come follow me. You will be given your weapons Rom, when we are closer to the battle scene,’ stated Juno.
‘Come, my officers! We must go and fulfil our destinies. Today we shall be triumphant and Brude will either be slain or my prisoner. I will be in total control and you men will be amply rewarded for your efforts on the battle field. The gods are with me today, I feel it in my bones,’ loudly exclaimed Juno as he drew his sword from his scabbard and flourished it over his head. ‘Bind these two prisoners’ hands together in front of their chests. I don’t want them to escape and spoil my plans.’
‘You do not have to do that,’ shouted Rom as his hands were grabbed and bound.
‘I am not leaving anything to chance,’ replied Juno testily. ‘Come! We are wasting time.’ The party of men swept out of the tent and with rapid speed mounted their horses.
They waited for Juno to give the order to march. Both Aela and Rom were hoisted onto their horses. Juno gave his senior officers the signal to advance, there was a moments pause, then the army began to move forwards, slowly making its way through the thick forest.
Every now and again, there was a sudden cry from one of the foot soldiers, as he was hit by a hanging branch or accidentally ran into a tree. The horses were more adept in picking their way through the gloomy forest, but their riders were not so fortunate and a few fell off their mounts, when they failed to see in time a stray branch. Soon they were on the main road and the soldiers all fell into neat lines one, behind the other as they trudged along the road to the Temple of the Sun.
Back at the Temple of the Sun, Brude had just received news from his scouts that they had sighted Juno’s army who was now marching along the main road. Brude was feeling both elated and fearful at the same time. He realised that this would be the final showdown between himself and his old enemy, Juno. He was determined to be triumphant and this time he would not lose the opportunity to kill Juno himself in single combat. He gathered his officers together to work out the best strategies to protect the Temple and adjacent buildings within the surrounding fortified walls.
An argument broke out between a couple of the officers who started to trade punches with each other as to whether they should fight their enemy in the open field in front of the main gates or to stay inside the huge walls and defend from the ramparts. The debate continued to be very heated and swords were drawn from their scabbards.
Brude lost his temper and grabbed one of his officers by the shoulder, roaring at the top of his voice. ‘Stop your arguing at once! Or I will slit this man’s throat!’
There was an immediate deathly silence and everyone stood still as if graven in stone, and looked straight at Brude.
‘As far as I am concerned we are going to fight Juno and his army on the open field and slaughter them then and there. I will take particular pleasure in running my sword through Juno’s miserable body myself. Now stop all this bickering and squabbling amongst yourselves. You and I have much to prepare before the battle tomorrow. Our men have to be given a good meal.’
He commanded, ‘Their equipment has to be checked to see that all is in proper order and every one has to try and get some sleep tonight. Go and check your men at once, as I will be coming around personally to see that my orders have been carried out correctly. If this has not happened I will hold you all individually responsible. If any of you are shown to be really incompetent, you will be immediately executed,’ bellowed Brude, glaring angrily at them all. ‘Get out of my sight before I change my mind.’
Without a word spoken, Brude’s officers quietly disappeared from the room leaving behind a mournful silence hanging in the air.
In the meantime, Juno and his army had settled for the night and were camped at the side of the main road. He realised that tomorrow’s battle would be the deciding factor of his fate and there was no turning back. For a split moment he let his thoughts wander as he daydreamed that he would be triumphant and he saw himself sitting regally on the golden throne at the Temple of the Sun.
At his feet was Brude, grovelling, begging for mercy for his life to be spared. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by one of his scouts entering the room.
‘My liege, one of my informants has told me that Brude intends to fight you on the open field in front of the main gates, rather than place his men on the walls in a defensive position.’
‘How accurate is this information?’ queried Juno.
‘I was told by one of Brude’s officers who was at the meeting when the strategy was decided amidst a lot of quarrelling amongst his men.’
‘So there is dissension amongst his men?’ exclaimed Juno. ‘That is very good news. Somehow I must use this situation to my advantage. Who is this officer who gave you this information? Can you bring him to me so he could verbally recite to me the full details of Brude’s strategy? Then I and my advisors can work out a counter plan for my men to carry out and completely defeat Brude’s army. What a stroke of luck! You will be handsomely rewarded for this information.’
Juno started to pace up and down, deep in thought.
‘My liege, will I go now and fetch the man for you?’ exclaimed the scout.
‘Of course, bring him to me immediately. Also tell him he will be given gold for his information. Go quickly as we must act swiftly, before it is too late!’ Juno waved his hand impatiently in the air, over his head.
The scout very speedily left Juno, then ran to his horse and was soon galloping back down the main road towards the Temple of the Sun. Juno could hardly believe his good fortune at these turn of events.
Then doubts started to emerge, what if this was a trap that Brude was setting for him, by supplying false information of his battle tactics. He realised that he must be very careful when he heard the report from this man.
With these notions running through his mind at rapid speed Juno walked a short distance away from the camp and looked up at the night sky. He lifted his head and stared up at the cascade of twinkling lights, a myriad of illuminated stars draped across the white milky way.
He began to feel a surge of emotion overwhelming him as he lowered his head. As these feelings of hate swirled around inside his chest, he felt uncharacteristically humble and angry at the same time. He found he had no control over these conflicting feelings and tears began to appear in his eyes as he sobbed uncontrollably, then his whole body slumped slowly to the ground. He continued in this position for some time and gradually his sobs became less and less.
Juno started to breathe more evenly, his crying stopped and then there was silence. He picked himself up and slowly looked around. His first thoughts were that he hoped no one had seen him in this state. He must look strong and confident at all times in front of his men. Juno began to feel irritated with himself, for being such a fool to allow these emotions to get the better of him.
He must go back to the camp immediately and continue to prepare for the battle tomorrow. With this thought paramount in his mind, Juno walked briskly back to his headquarters. There was frenetic activity at the camp with men checking their weapons and servants scurrying to and fro with food and equipment, whilst others were saddling the horses ready for their masters to mount at a moment’s notice.
Juno ordered Aela and Rom to be placed on a horse each with their hands tied in front and the rope secured to the pummel of the saddle. Finally, everyone was ready and Juno gave the signal for the army to move forward along the road towards the Temple. Scouts on horses were sent ahead as lookouts to survey and report back to Juno any movements of the enemy that may be observed.
He realised that the best plans can sometimes become unstuck, as no one had control of everyone or everything, not even the mighty Juno.
His army’s slow progress was noted by local bystanders as they walked along the main road and a few people paused in their work tilling the fields to watch the column of men marching past them. One such person was Croan who thought this may be his opportunity to ingratiate himself with Brude and gain favour once more. He also noted that Aela and Rom were prisoners of Juno, as they rode past on horseback.
Croan was very quick to hide his face as the immediate party came very close to him. Thoughts raced through his head as how to formulate a daring plan, then an idea came to him and he smiled to himself. He waited patiently as the army of men slowly marched past and was careful to keep his head down, so that nobody would recognise him.
The army officers were intent on making sure the men were marching in an orderly fashion rather than looking at the casual bystanders watching them as they marched past. The men themselves were too absorbed in their own thoughts of the impending battle that nobody took any notice of the lone figure crouching on the ground with bowed head.
As soon as he saw the army had gone past him, Croan leapt into action and began running back into the forest as fast as he could, working his way towards a nearby stream. There was a particular sharp bend in the water, and he could see a track marked out and began to trot at a fairly fast pace along the narrow way. Croan knew this pathway would lead through the forest into a shallow valley, a short cut which would bring him to the Temple of the Sun, within the walled fortress and Brude’s army.
More importantly he hoped to be in the presence of Brude himself, where he was expecting to gain special favour with his information of the strength of Juno’s forces and the fact that Aela and Rom were his prisoners.
Juno and his army, by taking the main road were on the longer route but they did not have any choice because of the large numbers of men on the march, as well as having to handle all the heavy camping equipment, food supplies and the bulky artillery and weaponry.
Very soon Croan was forced to sit down and rest beside the track, as he was feeling very hot and thirsty. He began to curse to himself over the fact that his body was so weak. He hated to admit that he was no longer a young man in his youthful prime.
After resting for awhile, his strength returned to his legs and arms and his heavy breathing abated. He scrambled to his feet and started to walk at a slower pace, but with renewed determination. By the middle of the day he estimated that he was at least halfway to his destination.
Croan was very tired, thirsty and hungry and once again started to doubt the validity of his idea of action. But after thinking over the situation again, he realised he had nothing to lose and everything to gain by carrying out his plan to try to seek an audience with Brude, So he slowly picked himself up from the ground and started to walk along the narrow pathway, more resolved than ever to reach his goal.
The army continued the slow march along the main way and the men were feeling tired and their mouths required frequent topping up with water. At long last Juno called a halt to his army, and the officers gave the order, allowing the men to fall out and relax on the side of the road.
The scouts informed Juno that it was not far to go and the men were feeling both restless and excited, that very soon the battle would commence.
Rom was feeling uneasy with this news and whispered to Aela, ‘We must somehow find a way to escape.’
Aela nodded her head in agreement.
Just then Juno appeared in front of where they were resting on the ground together. ‘I have just had a brilliant idea for you Aela. I seem to remember that Brude has a passion for you and lusts after you. So I am going to place you at the head of my army, in order for Brude to see you. This will further make him angry and frustrated, that I have the upper hand in the situation.’
Rom immediately became extremely agitated and lunged towards Juno yelling, ‘I will kill you, let me be at the head of your army, so that I can kill as many enemy as possible before I die.’
Rom was overpowered and pinned down on the ground by a number of Juno’s men. ‘How touching. You, Aela, have a great champion in Rom, who is prepared to sacrifice his life for you. Well I am going to have to disappoint you both and separate you lovebirds. Take Aela to the head of the army and place Rom on his horse near the rear and guard him well.’
Then Juno dug his spurs into the flanks of his mighty black horse and galloped forwards to the head of his army. Rom was particularly angry at the sudden turn of events and he tried to think of another plan of action. But his mind was in turmoil, as he grinded his teeth in futile rage.
Rom tried to tear his bonds apart but only succeeded in further chafing his wrists.
One of the guards noticed Rom’s actions and laughed out loudly, ‘You will never break your bonds and escape. I have made sure the knots of the rope are securely tied.’
With that explanation the guard gave Rom’s horse a slap on the rump with his hand, which resulted in the animal suddenly darting forward and Rom was forced to grimly hang onto the pummel of the saddle, otherwise he would fall onto the hard ground beneath him. The guards thought it was a hilarious joke, until they realised that the horse was bolting out of control as it galloped along the road.
Realising the situation, one of the guards urged his horse to charge after the runaway horse. Finally with some difficulty, he was able to grab the reins and pull backwards with all his strength, slowing the horses motion to a trot, thus gradually bringing it to a halt.
This did not please Rom who, at one stage had thought he may have had a chance to escape on the horse into the forest. However, it gave him an idea of a possible plan for freedom as all he needed to do was to bide his time and when there was some kind of distraction he could ride away. He began to feel much better within himself, but was careful not to show any emotion of elation towards his captors and kept his head down as though he was resigned to his fate.
Brude received the news from his scouts that Juno’s army was not very far away and he gave the order to form a phalanx with the main army of regular soldiers in the middle flanked on either side with the cavalry and his archers placed on the ramparts of the walls with their bows and arrows at the ready.
Very soon everyone could see a cloud of dust on the horizon and gradually one could make out flags, long drawn pikes and men in armour on horseback. By now the atmosphere was highly charged and Juno’s men began to chant their battle cry. Not to be outdone, Brude’s soldiers started singing their own battle song in retaliation, whilst beating their shields with their swords. Many of the horses pricked up their ears with the noise, started dilating their nostrils, lifted their heads up and down erratically and then using their hooves, pawed the ground repeatedly.
As suddenly as the battle songs started, it abruptly stopped and there was a stony silence hanging in the air. Everyone was waiting for the trumpeters to blast out with the sounds of attack so they could charge straight at the enemy.
Juno was the first leader to order his trumpeters to sound the charge and immediately his cavalry was galloping down the gentle slope towards the main gates of the fortress. Seeing this solid mass of men and horses moving at breakneck speed, Juno yelled at the top of his voice, ‘Charge, you bastards! Kill every man to the last, but spare Brude so I can personally thrust my sword through his miserable body!’
His men let out a deep throated roar in unison, drawing their weapons, swords, spears, or pikes and started running or riding towards the enemy that was immediately in front of them.
Rom, at long last was released from his bonds and given a sword and a shield with which to fight. Aela, her hands still tied to the pommel of the horse, was led away by two guards to a nearby hill, which was situated near a thick wood and joined Juno and his immediate personal guard. This position gave Juno a sweeping view of the overall battlefield, so that he could send his scouts to his officers with direct orders from himself.
Brude stood on the ramparts with his immediate senior officers and his personal bodyguard watching Juno’s army sweeping towards him. He was in a dilemma as whether to remain standing on the ramparts and deliver his orders or rush down the steps and mount his horse to meet his enemy at the main gates with his army.
This decision was taken out of his hands as Juno’s cavalry was already a short distance away from his men and the gap between the two protagonist forces was closing rapidly. Without further hesitation he yelled out the order for his cavalry to positions themselves on both sides of the main body of his men and charge towards Juno’s army.
There was a mighty roar from his men, as they spurred their horses forwards with their swords held aloft, ready to hack their enemy to death. There was a loud clash of steel as the men on both sides lashed out with their weapons.
Confusion, occurred with many men and horses colliding in mid air and then the tangled mass came crashing down to the earth. There was a horrendous melee of swords cutting through the air, a shower of arrows came shooting down with deadly accuracy, striking into living bodies of men and horses.
A small number of the gallant steeds went tumbling on the ground, letting out screams of terror as they rolled on top of their riders crushing them to death. Just then Juno’s foot soldiers were caught up with the swirling mass of humanity and deadly hand to hand fighting began. There was many blood-curdling shouts, screams and curses issuing from the distorted lips of struggling soldiers.
Rom was in the middle of the vortex of the slaughter, wielding his sword with lightening speed, hitting home at soft flesh and other times his sword ricocheting from the cold hard metal of shields, metal helmets and leather. He sensed that his horse was tiring, so he quickly guided his horse out of the swirling melee to the outer perimeter of the main fighting.
This was almost his undoing as two of Brude’s foot soldiers noticed his movement and followed him from behind, sneaking up on either side of Rom’s horse and each grabbed a leg and pulled Rom off his horse, down onto the ground. Rom thrust his sword into the side of one of the soldiers, who immediately slumped on the ground. But this gave the other soldier a chance to plunge his dagger into Rom’s shoulder.
Rom dropped his sword but unsheathed his dagger with his uninjured hand, simultaneously rolling to one side of his assailant. Both then stared into each others eyes, panting trying to catch their breath.
With agile speed Rom leapt up and fell onto the top of the enemy and plunged his dagger into the man’s heart, shouting a deep throated roar of victory. There was a momentary shudder from the man who stared into Rom’s eyes in surprise, then he rolled his head back as the life force left him.
For a moment Rom lay straddled across the lifeless body panting with fatigue. Realising that he was in a vulnerable position, he awkwardly got to his feet and looked around for further possible attacks. He was now bleeding profusely from the shoulder and he staggered towards some trees and fell unconscious onto the ground.
There was a sudden movement in the thick under-growth near where Rom had collapsed on the earth as Croan shuffled out from behind a tree. He awkwardly knelt near Rom and cocked his head to one side, placing his head on Rom’s chest to see whether he was still breathing.
Much to Croan’s relief he could hear Rom’s heart beating steadily, but he could see that Rom was losing blood from the wound in his injured arm. If something was not done quickly, Rom would surely bleed to death.
Croan started cursing out loudly, ‘I have to stop the bleeding somehow. He must not die as I want to give him to Brude as a present, proof of my good intentions towards him. What am I to do?’
Then Croan had an idea. He tore off Rom’s cloak from his shoulders and with his own dagger he cut strips off the garment. Then he rapidly tied a tourniquet around Rom’s injured arm. Croan made sure that it was not too tight so it would not to stop the flow of the blood completely.
Not quite finished, he then bound strips of Rom’s cloak across the wound. He tried to drag Rom’s limp body, but the sheer dead weight was too much for him. He sat back panting profusely and Croan thought in his mind, what he was going to do next.
At that stage Rom began to stir, slowly opening his eyes, groaning and weakly muttering, ‘Aela, Aela where are you? I must kill Brude now.’
Croan immediately panicked, realising he was no match against Rom’s strength, he must disable Rom somehow. Then he saw a pile of cloth he had torn off Rom’s cloak lying on the ground. He grabbed a couple of pieces of material and rather awkwardly bound Rom’s wrists together in front over his chest, all the time swearing very loudly. These rough movements caused Rom much pain and he slipped into unconsciousness again. Croan sat back on his haunches, grunting heavily, tired, but also feeling jubilant at the same time. Just for good measure, he placed a cloth over Rom’s mouth so that he could not cry out for help.
Then Croan’s heart stopped a beat when he suddenly heard a deep gruff voice close by.
‘What is all this noise about?’
The soldier saw Croan sitting on his haunches, bending over a figure lying still on the ground before him.
‘What have you got there you evil old man? Who are you trying to kill?’
Coan turned and faced the soldier and immediately started whining, holding his hands in supplication in front of his face.
‘He tried to kill me and I felled him with one blow. See I tied him up and I was going to take him as a prisoner to Brude.’
The soldier walked over to have a closer look at Rom and Croan. ‘Why this man is Rom, a very special prisoner and won’t Brude be pleased to see him.’ Then looking straight at Croan ‘I don’t believe a word you are saying, you wizened up old apple. You are lying through your blackened teeth. Rom is injured and you came upon him by chance. You old rogue, just for nothing I could drive my lance through your miserable body, you old goat!’
‘Don’t do that. I was going to take Rom to Brude, but I did not have the strength to drag him that far,’ whined Croan.
‘Well aren’t you lucky that I have a couple of friends who will help me!’
The soldier cupped his hand to his mouth and let out an almighty shout. ‘Lao and Ruper, come here, we have a prize. We will get a very rich reward from Brude. He will pay a lot of money for this prisoner. We shall have a heap of gold.’
Lao and Ruper came rushing through the bushes. ‘Where is the gold, Rano and what are you shouting about?’ exclaimed Lao.
Both Lao and Ruper looked very disappointed when they saw Rom lying unconscious on the ground, with Croan bending in a prone position in front of Rano.
Seeing that his companions were unimpressed he pointed to Rom, ‘This is our gold, you fools! Come closer and see for yourselves.’
The two walked nearer and peered down at the unconscious figure lying still on the ground. At the same time Rano removed the cloth over Rom’s mouth, revealing his face clearly.
‘Well I never. If it isn’t the famous warrior Rom, who recently slew Thune in combat,’ exclaimed Lao.
Ruper looked straight at Rano, ‘What a lucky find! We certainly hit pay dirt! Who is this bag of bones?’ pointing his sword straight at Croan.
‘My name is Croan and I was the one who first found Rom. He is my prize for Brude,’ stammered Croan.
‘Well, no longer. We claim him as ours, and you had better disappear pronto or you will not see another sunrise,’ shouted Rano.
Croan didn’t hesitate, he got up quickly and shuffled off into the trees muttering to himself. Somehow he would seek revenge on those three soldiers sometime in the future.
‘I will go back using the route I came by and tell Brude what has happened to Rom when he returns to the Temple this evening after his victory battle with Juno and his men.’
With this thought in mind he started to walk briskly along the route he had taken before.
The battle continued to rage on throughout the day with neither side gaining the upper hand in the conflict. There was much slaughter of men and horses, but still no victory in sight. Both Brude and Juno tried to force the issue with different strategies but to no avail, and the fighting relentlessly forged on.
Time and time again Brude ordered his archers standing on the ramparts to release their arrows onto Juno’s men exposed below, killing many an enemy warrior, but more soldiers took their place each time. Also at a safe distance out of range, Juno’s archers counter attacked by sending a sheath of arrows upwards with deadly accuracy, killing many of their counterparts standing on the ramparts of the fortified wall.
By night fall, there was no absolute victory for either side. So a halt was called between the two protagonists and fighting ceased. This enabled both sides to collect their wounded and take away the dead to be mourned and ritually cremated as soon as it was practicable. It was a bitter night for both Brude and Juno, who each hungered for a clear cut victory.
Juno decided to set up a temporary camp just over the brow of the hill out of sight of Brude’s fortifications, rather than go all the way back to base camp. This decision caused considerable extra work on everyone’s part which did not make anyone very happy. The uninjured soldiers just wanted to have something to eat, check their weapons and lie down to rest, ready for the battle the next day.
Also, it required that food, bedding, tents and other equipment would have to be transported from base camp to the new location. It meant as well that the wounded had to be taken back in wagons to the main camp and looked after by the medical team. But no one dared to complain openly to Juno or to his officers and just mumbled and muttered amongst themselves, as they laboured on.
Rano, Lao and Ruper very quickly and efficiently made a stretcher out of nearby branches and rolled Rom onto it and covered him up with his own cloak for warmth, as now the sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon.
The three decided to take a longer route, so as not to be caught by Juno’s men, who were still fighting sporadically hand to hand combat, with their enemy. Finally they reached the main gates where the fighting had ceased and there was a deadly silence, with the smell of death lingering in the air.
Not wanting to stop, the trio methodically stepped over the dead and dying, whilst carrying the inert injured body of Rom on the makeshift stretcher and proceeded through the big gates without being challenged by anybody.
They took regular rests as they trudged down the main way towards the palace. Finally they reached the front steps of the palace and were quickly challenged by the guards. Rano explained he wanted to see Brude immediately and showed them Rom’s face, which was recognised by one of the guards as the famous warrior who had defeated Arnor and Juno had spared Rom his life.
‘He looks as though he is almost dead by the paleness of his face. What happened to him? Did someone run a sword through him?’
‘I have no time to explain what occurred. We need to take him to Brude immediately. His wound needs to be treated quickly,’ exclaimed Rano impatiently.
‘All right. All right, I shall take you to Brude now. Follow me!’
With these words, the guard began to walk rapidly down a long passage way, dimly lit by torches which were placed along the walls. The guard announced their arrival to Brude who ordered them into the inner chamber and they immediately knelt before Brude placing the stretcher bearing Rom carefully on the floor in front of the group, for all to see.
There was a heavy pause as Brude looked down at the unconscious figure of Rom lying before him.
‘Well, well! My luck has changed again. How in blazes did you find him?’ exclaimed Brude, glaring at the three kneeling before him. ‘Tell me the truth instantly or your heads will roll on this floor now.’
In one split second all thoughts of spinning an imaginative story of valour and victory was erased from their thoughts as the three looked into Brude’s cold grey eyes of hate. Rano quickly spoke first, the words tumbling out incoherently in his haste to tell Brude the truth.
‘Oh, almighty sire, we found him unconscious in the woods lying wounded on the ground. Recognising him immediately, we thought the best thing was to bring him to you,’ bowing his head and the other two quickly followed Rano’s example doing likewise.
‘Just as well you did. Guards, take Rom to my private quarters and summon my physician to tend to his wounds, I don’t want him dying on me. You men go to the mess hall and have something to eat and one of my officers will arrange sleeping quarters for you. In the meantime I will talk to Rom when he gains consciousness and then I will call you all back for a further talks.’
‘What about our reward?’ blurted out Rano testily. With lightening speed Brude leapt forwards and with both hands, grabbed Rano around his shoulders and glared into his face. ‘You and your shady friends will do what I order you to do and no questions asked. When I am ready I will determine what kind of reward, if any, that you get and when it is given to you.’ shouted Brude.
‘Do you understand me or do I have to shove my words down your throat. You miserable heap of lard!’
Rano threw his head back, his eyes staring wide with fear. ‘Yes, yes, your majesty. We will go immediately to the mess and wait until you summons us.’
Brude released his hands and Rano slipped out of this grip and he hurriedly ran out of the room with Lao and Ruper following closely behind him.
‘That was a close call,’ exclaimed Ruper, ‘I would never think to say no to Brude. Your life would be over before you could take another breath. Let us go and find the mess hall and have something to eat and drink, I am starving.’
The three continued to walk quickly down the passageway, hell bent on filling their empty bellies.
Brude was not pleased with himself. In fact he was absolutely livid with rage that he was not savouring the victory he deserved. His face was red and sweaty, and his nostrils were flared, with spit foaming from his mouth. Someone had to pay for this setback he was experiencing.
‘Bring Aela to me immediately!’ Juno bellowed to the guards. In double quick time Aela was kneeling before him, with two guards towering menacingly over her. Aela was utterly terrified and hunched her body in preparation for a sword to be thrust through her body.
‘Leave me with her now all you scum!’ ordered Juno.
Everyone in the room with lightening speed melted away. Juno continued to stand over Aela, as she trembled from head to foot in abject fear. Juno was salaciously enjoying the terrifying affect he had over her. He lunged his hand down and grabbed a clump of her hair and forced her to look straight up at him as she breathed short gulps of air into her lungs, as her breasts heaved up and down in unison. This automatic movement of Aela’s bosoms transfixed Juno for a second or so, as his sexual passions began to stir and he experienced a tightening sensation across his groin. He now had an uncontrollable urge to take her then and there and thrust himself inside her body repeatedly.
Aela sensed his change of mood towards her, so she raised her breasts still higher and higher, all the time watching what effect she was having on Juno’s sexual urges towards her. Aela instantly realised she was gaining the upper hand in the situation and smiled alluringly at him, opening her large sapphire blue eyes very wide, showing her pearly white teeth and pink moist tongue at the same time.
Juno was completely intoxicated with desire so let go of Aela’s long blond hair, and bent down still further with both hands, scooping her up into his strong muscled arms, pushing his taut torso against her soft, sweet smelling body and placing her forcefully on the floor. He started to tear at her upper clothes exposing her full ripe breasts, then began to move his hands roughly down her torso feeling the soft curves of her body beneath her gown.
‘I now know why Brude wanted to have you for himself, but I am outmanoeuvring him, the silly old fool. He can have you after I have slaked my desires with you first.’
Juno laughed uncontrollably, his whole body resonating with peels of laughter. Just, at that instant Tua came striding in and took in the scene, she instantly realised what was going on.
‘What in hell do you think you are doing Juno? By ravishing Aela you will spoil the plans we have agreed upon to defeat Brude for ever. You fool of a man! If you rape her now, she will not be worth using as bait to lure Brude to his death.’
Tua stated her case very calmly as she walked towards Juno and Aela. Juno stood transfixed and slowly turned towards Tua. There was a moment of silence as they stared into each other’s eyes, whilst Aela remained still on the floor, gasping with unbelievable relief at the sudden change of events.
Brude continued to glare in Tua’s direction as he slowly stood up, clenching and unclenching his fists and grunting through his teeth, muttering incoherently then beating his chest with both hands simultaneously. Gradually his breathing became less strenuous and more even in tempo. Without casting a glance at Aela still prone on the floor he strode out of the room.
‘Well, that’s that,’ stated Tua in a matter-of-fact voice. ‘Get up Aela, You have had a lucky escape. You should be grateful towards me, not that I expect any thanks from you. It would be so much easier for you if you tell us where the Sacred Sword is hidden. But I know you will eventually do that, especially now we do have Rom as a prisoner. If either of you do not let us know the secret location of the Sacred Sword, I will make sure you both die a slow death,’ sighed Tua.
She called the guards in. ‘Men, take this woman away at once and guard her well. There are other ways to make you talk. Other very unpleasant things can happen to you, Aela,’ Tua said softly and at the same time with a menacing undertone in her voice.
Aela was hustled out of the room and Tua was left standing, shaking her head slowly from side to side.
The physician, Imman stood over Rom who was lying with closed eyes on his back on an ornately carved bed. He was tending to Rom’s shoulder wound when Brude walked quickly into the room.
‘Well, how is Rom? He is not going to die, is he? He’d better get well quickly or you will have a lot to answer to me.’
Imman looked up from his work and quietly replied, ‘I am doing my best to treat him. Two good things in his favour are that he is youthful and he is extremely physically fit. The gods will be on his side.’
‘How soon will he wake up? I need to talk to him as quickly as possible. It is extremely urgent that he can speak,’ muttered Brude.
Just at that moment Rom opened his eyes and immediately recognised Brude. Rom tried to rise from the bed, but he instantly felt a shooting pain in his injured shoulder and fell back groaning.
Brude thrust his head down close to Rom’s face, yelling loudly. ‘Where is the Sacred Sword hidden?’ shaking Rom vigorously with his hands on Rom’s shoulders.
Rom instantly slipped into unconsciousness again and his body went limp.
‘If you keep roughly handling him you will kill him. The body has to have time to recover itself and allow the wound to heal in time,’ Imman calmly stated.
Brude quickly dropped his grip on Rom’s shoulders, stepping back at the same time. ‘I suppose you are right, but you must tell me the instant I can talk to him, on pain of death, your death!’ hissed Brude.
Then with quick long steps Brude walked out of the room. Imman then turned towards Rom and quietly dressed the shoulder wound with special herbal ointments and clean bandages. He finished his task very quickly and efficiently, and placed fur coverings over Rom to keep him warm. He left Rom lying there, with one small oil lamp burning on a table beside the bed.
Aela could not believe how lucky she was to escape Juno’s clutches, as she lay on the floor of the tent that she had been hastily thrown into by the guards. Her mind was in panic mode, she shuddered to think what could have happened to her, if Tua hadn’t suddenly appeared.
‘I must escape now, as I won’t be so lucky second time around.’ She got onto her knees, bowed her head and placed her hand in a prayer position. ‘Thank you Athunor, goddess of mercy and love for protecting me from harm. I bask in your ever loving light. I beseech you to continue to envelop me with your tender concern for my safety and welfare, for evermore. Amen.’
Aela remained in this kneeling position, in absorbed meditation for some time and then she slowly slumped onto the ground, falling into a deep, restful sleep. She dreamed that she was in Rom’s arms, with her head resting on his chest, sublimely happy, feeling totally safe from life’s problems.
Time passed and all that was heard was her quiet breathing, with the occasional sound outside the tent and a dog barking in the distance, or a guard shifting his position from one leg to the other in an attempt to ensure he stayed awake at his post, as well as relieving the boredom of the job.
Just before dawn Aela suddenly woke up in sheer panic, her heart pounding furiously inside her chest. She listened intently and heard the faint sound of footsteps moving relentlessly ever nearer and nearer to her. There was a whispered exchange of voices outside, then the tent flap was pulled aside, and in came two guards, closely followed by Tua dressed in a swirling multicoloured cloak.
Tua ordered the guards to light a couple of lanterns. She leaned forward, instantly seeing Aela crouching like a trapped tigress on the floor, ready to leap to freedom.
‘Guards leave us immediately, but stand at the ready outside, in case this pathetic woman tries to escape from me. If so, kill her instantly without mercy,’ ordered Tua, relishing her power over Aela.
Tua was totally angry and jealous that Juno lusted after Aela, She grudgingly admitted to herself that Aela was the more beautiful of the two women. But she was much wiser and experienced with life in understanding people’s thoughts and motives. So she comforted herself with this realisation, as she stared haughtily down at Aela, knowing full well she had the upper hand in this present situation.
‘I am going to let you escape into the woods now and I hope a wild bear or wolf finds you, kills and eats you instantly. I do not like the affect you have on Juno. I am the only person to tell him what to do and I want this power for myself alone and nobody is going to share it with me. Do I make myself clear to you!’
Tua bent her head closer towards Aela’s crouching body, hissing between her teeth as she spoke. In the flickering torch light Aela could see the swirls of hatred and jealously darting across Tua’s eyes. Aela suddenly glimpsed the madness behind Tua’s rage and this terrified her more than anything else. She must stay outwardly calm, even though her thoughts were in turmoil and take a chance for freedom at the earliest opportunity.
Tua strode across the floor, quietly lifted the tent flap, and stuck her head out, looked quickly left and right. ‘Guards, you are now relieved of duties, Go back to your tents and have a well earned rest.’
The men melted away into the glimmering dawn and Tua turned around, looking straight at Aela. ‘Now is your chance to escape into the woods. Go now, before I change my mind.’
Aela leapt up instantly, running past Tua without glancing at her. Tua thrust a small dagger into Aela’s hand as she rushed past her towards the door to freedom.
Aela felt her heart madly pumping fast as she plummeted head first into the ink black primal forest, which she knew was full of evil spirits and demons. She continued to run headlong into the dark abyss of the forest, neither looking left or right.
Tua stood transfixed for a moment, then shook her head to one side and then the other. She began to maliciously smile, opening her mouth wide, and throwing her head back, allowing her jet black glistening hair to fall loosely over her back, down to her waist. Her whole lithe body was convulsed in movement, as she leaned backwards and forwards, with her knees slightly bent.
A deep basic roar began to emanate from her solar plexus, up through her chest to her throat, then pushed out through her wide gaping salivating mouth. The scream of pure unadulterated hate and venom was ear splitting to the air around her. Then Tua slowly slumped to the floor, grinding her teeth together and uttering gibberish incoherent sounds and rocking herself backwards and forwards. Every now and again, the odd recognisable word was discernable. ‘He doesn’t love me! He doesn’t care, I will get my revenge, revenge.’
Finally Tua lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, moaning to herself, ‘I am alone. Nobody cares for me, I hate everybody’, then heart-rending cries were heard from within her body.
Slowly the sobs became more and more subdued in volume and sound. Eventually Tua gracefully rested her body on the floor and all that could be heard was a gentle rhythmic breathing, as she drank into her lungs the clear early morning air mixed with misty dew, just as the sun appeared over the horizon.