The Argument

Aurei and Eleazar argue over the new Knightly order.

 

17.

The Argument

 

“Aurei!   Aurei, wait a minute!   Let me explain!”  Eleazar jumped back a step when she spun around just outside of the entrance of the keep and thrust her finger in his face.

“You arrogant jerk!  Sneaking around trying to keep your new little Order from Alis and I, after the hell we went through the past few months!”

“But-“

“Shut up!   We’ve more than proven ourselves worthy of membership in any knightly order.   Sir Alvis and St. Kinnis had no problem with us, but apparently you think you are wiser then they were!   You know, it wasn’t either one of our ideas to become Paladins!   I denied it for a long time, but apparently Yesh thinks I’m supposed to serve as one.   But I guess you know better then He does, huh?”

“Aurei, it’s not like-“

“Shut up, I’m not done!  I thought you were different, Eleazar!   You’re no different than those drunken idiots that pinch our butts every night.   All you think Alis and I are good for is serving your food, cleaning up your messes and standing around pining away while you are off fighting for the King!   Well I have news for you, Sir Knight; that is not going to happen!   You want to have your little boy’s club?   Fine!   Meet in your stupid tower and put up some -No girls allowed- signs at the door.   I’ll start my own knightly order 'The Sword maidens of Westmark'!"

“Don’t be ridiculous, Aurei!”

“Oh, so now I’m ridiculous, am I?”

“Having two orders in one little town?   That is ridiculous!”

“Well whose fault is it?”

“King Haroldris was the one who wanted a new order!”

“So when you get a bit of authority given to you, the first thing you do is let out your REAL opinion of women, huh?”

“That’s not it at all!   Can’t you understand?”

“Of course not, I’m a stupid, helpless woman, remember!”

“I never said that!”

“You didn’t have to; your actions speak louder than words!”

“I’m not trying to exclude women from the order, only you!”

“What?!  Oh, that makes me feel MUCH better!”  

“You’re the Duchess of Westmark, for Yesh’s sake!  You don’t belong tromping all over the Kingdom fighting Undead!   Your place is here, leading YOUR people!”

“Do you really think I’m THAT stupid?!   If the Necromancer’s Guild invades Northmarch, all of the King’s nobles will be leading armies against the undead!”

“Not if we stop them before the invasion!”

“And just how do you plan to do that with only a handful of knights, Eleazar?”

“Aurei, we’re trying to prevent an invasion, I plan on training my men and sending them against the Necromancer’s Guild BEFORE the invasion begins!”

“Oh, that is a BRILLIANT idea!   Good heavens, Laz, by the time you get those new recruits fully trained and then ride hundreds of miles - probably in knee deep snow- the Necromancer’s Guild will have complete control over the Imperial Legions.   How in Yesh’s name do you think you’ll be able to overcome tens of thousands of soldiers AND undead?!  You’ll all be killed!”

“This is why you and Alis don’t need to be with us!”

“No, we can just stand by and watch you all ride off to your death - or worse!”  

“At least you’ll be alive and safe!”

“Oh, for how long?   A few weeks?  A month or two?  And you’ll be dead!   I don’t want to live like that!”

“Do you really think I want to put you in danger?   If you join us and we go up in battle and you were killed-“  Eleazar looked away, blinking away emotion.

“I’ll be careful!”

“Sometimes that isn’t enough, Aurei.”

“Well maybe not, but either way, I’m NOT going to let you go off and get killed!   If you try, I swear to Yesh I will go after you and I’m very sure Alis will be with me.   Don’t try to be a hero, Laz.”

“I’m no hero, Aurei, but we are in desperate times.   The Necromancer’s Guild doesn’t play fair; they need to be stopped before the good places like Westmark fall to them.   I want there to be quiet, happy places like this town, and if I have to risk my life to ensure they exist, I will.”

“I feel the same passion for Westmark, Laz!   I am willing to die for it!”

“But I’m not willing to let you do that!   Neither is Aeric.  He doesn’t want to see Alis risk her life, either.”

“Why?”

“When you love someone, you want to protect them and keep them out of danger… uh… and… um… a-and since you are the Duchess of Westmark, I feel… obligated to protect you.   What would the people here do without you?”

Aurei folded her arms across her chest, “They’d survive, though I’m quite sure I wouldn’t if something happened to you.   I’m standing firm, Sir Eleazar, if you exclude Alis and me from your new order, I will form one of my own and we’ll follow you to the very gates of hell if we have to.”

Eleazar threw his hands in the air, “You stubborn girl!   Why can’t you be reasonable?”

“Why can’t you?”

Eleazar had just opened his mouth to argue some more when he suddenly became aware of the crowd standing a distance away from them, listening to their heated argument.   But even more surprising to him was finding King Haroldris standing just behind Aurei, quietly observing the confrontation.   How long had he been there, and why had neither one of them seen him?

“Now you have nothing to say?!”  Aurei yelled at him as she noticed his pause, “You are the stubborn one!”

Haroldris stepped behind Aurei and touched her on the shoulder.

“What?!   Can’t you see I’m busy right now?!   Leave us alone!”  She spun around angrily to confront whoever had interrupted, and she let out a little shriek in surprise when she saw it was the King.

“Your Majesty!”  She said in horror, her hands to her mouth, “Please tell me you didn’t hear all of that?!”

Haroldris smiled gravely, “I did indeed.   I’m sorry to interrupt your… conversation, but I think I have a solution to your problem that you both will approve of.”

Aurei now realized that a crowd had gathered to watch the argument and a sick feeling settled in her stomach.
“Why didn’t you say something?”   She hissed at Eleazar as she nodded toward the crowd.

“I didn’t see them either!”  He replied, as the King motioned for them to follow him back into the Blood Knight Keep.

“This is your fault!”  Aurei snapped at Eleazar, but she drew in close to him, nervous at what the King was going to say to them.