XXXIII - Empires

A Chapter by BL

Chapter XXXIII - Empires

‘I have only known a country that is surrounded by sea and so it feels only natural to have a certain type of boat for the warm south sea, another for the cold north sea and a different type of boat again for the indeterminable seas of the east and west’

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…one year later…

That summer morning he walked out from the castle, across the land and found a place of peace and quiet. He sat on the banks of a river and wrote a plan for safe and peaceful living one line at a time and by the time he had got to the fourth line he realised it would not be at all possible. Like the ancient game of strategy he often played he knew that defence without attack ultimately resulted in defeat (or at very best a draw). So in the future plans there would have to be some kind of over-defence or further counter-measures, in other words an attack to pre-counter any future invasions. The kingdom of Arun needed to expand, if it was to survive the centuries, in effect it would have to become like Italia; Arun itself would have to become an empire; it was the only logical step. If you can’t beat them join them he thought.

He looked along the lazy river, it glinted and winked, cool silver and a varying multitude of greens and blues and as he wrote, the morning breeze got up and ruffled his shirt, as it carried the sweet scent of wildflowers across the valley, and he shivered. ‘Ascoli, fetch the horses, will you,’ he called, making his voice carry over the bank of high grasses. For the future, he wrote, there will be warning beacons along the coast communicating with a fleet of Sea Serpent style ships patrolling the southern waters and there would be strategically placed riders inland ready to get a deployable standing army on the move. But that was not enough, in the long term there would need to be an alliance with neighbouring countries as well.

‘The horses, Ascoli, the horses.’ he bellowed. Ascoli came to him, his hands twitching by his sides, a blank look on his face. ‘La chevaux? en Gaelic,’ he repeated softly. ‘The horses,’ Ascoli sped off, smiling. He knew he was leaving out the obvious that sheer numbers had won them the great battle, but what else had?…the letters in his family had kept them going as it allowed them to work as one, they knew what each other were doing. Using new technology, such as the chariots and mixed fighting groups had made a difference and allowed them to, if nothing else broaden their attack. Looking up, Ascoli was already there with their two horses, one brown chestnut mare, one dapple white stallion. The horses cast long shadows down the bank as they neighed, brayed and whinnied and as Bezon got up to go his hand dropped from the page, smearing black ink across it.

‘Ready,’ Ascoli said. He wore a white shirt like Bezon’s, but over it was a thick woollen sweater. He stood there, shivering in the broad daylight.

‘Back to the castle,’ Bezon said, marvelling at how he could walk almost as normally as a fit man. I must remember to write one last line he noted, their enemy hadn’t liked the cold and that had worked to the advantage of Arun. As he came alongside his newly acquired servant, his mind made him aware of the parallels, they were the same as Nico and his father; was history repeating itself? The two men walked without speaking, the long grass brushing their legs. ‘You are beginning to like it here, Asc?’

‘It’s too cold,’ Ascoli said, his eyes dragging along the floor.

‘It gets warmer, on hot summer days,’

‘Not much, only a little bit more,’ Ascoli said holding his hand up, the tip of his index finger and thumb a hairs breadth apart.

‘Is your room warm enough?’

‘Sometimes, but I am lonely,’

‘Ah. You have me and Yulla to keep you company,’

‘Yes,’

‘And Nico, who you can talk to in your own language,’ Bezon said, swishing grass-heads as he flashed him a look

‘I miss my family and friends and the women I used to know,’ he thought of Pico and how he dragged his lifeless white body into the protection of the shield wall and how he had died in that ambush in Gaul. His only true friend gone, his soul mate.

‘I was going to say, I will introduce you to some women, but…’

‘…yes, yes, please do,’ Ascoli interrupted.

‘…but you will get to know people in time and they will get to like you for who you are, women included,’

‘In the meantime I am stuck here with people who hate me all around,’

‘You are staying, Asc. because I need you for my writing for your knowledge of your army and country,’

‘I am no one and am suffering the punishment for my country’s wrong doing,’ he said angrily.

‘No,’ Bezon said firmly. ‘The fate of other prisoners of war is much worse,’

‘Hah. Why can’t I go home? I was only obeying orders,’

‘Look, it’s like this, Italia have hostages and we do too. I want to exchange, I want our people back, but I’m sorry you’re just not one of them. I need you here,’

‘Great,’ Ascoli snapped. The new walls of the castle loomed up before them as they turned a bend in the narrow path. Workers on scaffolding slowly put new blocks of stone in place in the walls, taking out debris from the battle as they went.

‘You will come to the black tower tonight and we will play our game?’

Ascoli stopped and looked at his master with hidden hatred, his teeth were grinding. ‘Do I have a choice?’

‘Yes,’ Bezon said flatly, looking back at his servant. ‘But I would appreciate your company and conversation. There will be wine of course, warmth and food and maybe some music. Whatever you like,’ Bezon had had only one request of the rebuilding of the castle, in that there would be a new tower built of dark stone, it would be round and tapered as it reached its highly pronounced castellations. It looked like a giant chess piece, like the castle in their game. It was where he lived with Yulla and Alwyn.

From the high window of the dark tower, Bezon looked down at the crows in the bare branches of the trees. The branches hid none of the black birds as it would have done in summer and spring, but they perched there as though hidden in their nesting positions. He loved the height of the tower as from it he could see all around the grounds of the new castle being built. While he waited for Ascoli, he wrote out his plans for the future kingdom of Arun as an empire.

The beacons would be high towers with fire pits at their summits so their light could be seen all around. Seen by the ships, by other beacons and by the riders, and will act as an alarm to local people. To stand any chance of survival the countries around Arun needed to be a part of it. Londorra, Cornubia, Mercia and Siluria all needed to be brought in. There needed to be an alliance between the far north in Caledonia and Galloway, and Hibernia too. A council would need to be set up on neutral territory and regular meetings held. The Island of Man was an obvious location. He heard a shuffling of feet up the spiral steps followed by a knock of the door. ‘Come in,’ he said. There was much to do he thought. And although there seemed like a lot of time, he knew it would pass quickly in relation to his plans as they would take years or decades even to implement.

Yulla came in carrying a tray, her skin was glowing, she looked healthy and somehow a more attractive version of herself. ‘Those stairs,’ she panted. He looked up at her waiting for her to finish. ‘Why do you spend so much time up here?’ she asked, putting down the tray of bread, cheese and wine all over his books and notes.

‘You are shining, it’s as though you are alight,’ She laughed, looking away. She smiled at him with expectant eyes, as though he was going to say more. ‘What is it?’ Bezon said. She breathed in and out and walked over to the castle window and looked down at the treetops just as he had. As he got up and put a piece of wood on the fire, he saw that her hair was brighter and fuller, her eyes were sparkling. ‘I know there is something amiss,’

‘Your movement is good, it’s remarkable how you’ve improved so quickly,’ she said, her hand briefly touching the flat of her stomach.

‘Not bad for an old…,’ he stopped mid-sentence looking at her again.

‘Send Enda to me, will you?’

‘What at this time of night?’ she exclaimed.

‘Yes, and Xo as well please,’

‘Yes, I’ll get a message to them. I’ll be downstairs with baby Alwyn,’ she said as she headed out the door and as she did Ascoli came in. She nodded to him and flashed a sulky look at the chess set.

‘See you later,’ Bezon called at her. Alwyn who would have onerous task of running the lands to the north, where Norsemen had already been sighted. He had already outlined him for that.

‘What’s wrong with her?’ Ascoli said with a mischievous grin.

‘That’s the trouble, I don’t know,’ he said, sitting at his writing desk staring thoughtfully into the fire. Someone to run the southern defences and the fleet of ships, a second son, a Bezon II and also someone who could read and write to organise the negotiations. Someone with a sensitive, considered approach; a diplomat.

‘Some woman’s thing, probably pregnant or something,’

Bezon looked at Ascoli, giving him his best look of disgust, but then a thought took him, turning into a frown and a spark ignited in his fog-filled brain. He shuffled over to the top of the spiral steps and called down as she turned the last few steps in view. ‘Are you…are you pregnant? he asked hesitantly.

‘Oh, oh yes I am, but it’s early days,’ she said smiling broadly, almost beaming with her own kind of light.

‘That’s amazing. I would really liked a boy if that’s possible please, see what you can do,’ he chuckled, looking into her eyes.

‘You are so demanding since you’ve been king,’ she said with a careless laugh as she disappeared around the spiral.

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