Lykourgos II: Recovery
The Twenty-Sixth Day of the Second Moon, 873 AD.
Anaria, Western Teleytaios, Klironomea.
He woke once more to a scream that he only vaguely recognised as his own. It was not a scream of pain or terror, but one born of anguish and frustration, a mournful tone that spoke of anger already fleeting and despair still lingering. Every night since he'd been woken from his coma he'd had a lingering feeling in the pit of his stomach, melancholia and choler mixing to make an ice-hot cocktail that dripped up his spine all the way to his mind. It was rather petulant of him to hold this annoyance at being awakened before he was truly ready, but he couldn't help but feel a little put out at the knowledge that everything had very nearly collapsed around him whilst he'd slept.
It didn't matter anymore. What was done was done, and there was no way he'd be able to change it. He was still hardly able to stand most days, though he put that more down to his body surviving off of the bare minimum for so long. His strength was gradually returning to him, and he was occasionally able to walk around to try and regain some of the feeling in his legs, but for now he was limited to his own chambers. There was little point in showing weakness to the court, not with how thin he was at the moment.
Well, when he said he was thin what he really meant was that he seemed to be lacking some of muscle he'd possessed previously. It wouldn't take long to come back with some training, but spending two months with almost no food in his body followed by a sudden and large influx of rather delicious meals had certainly resulted in a little bit of pudge around his waist, so 'thin' was probably not the right term. The situation was only compounded by the lack of almost any exercise he'd been able to undertake these last five days, and was one of the first things he wished to rectify when his strength returned in full. A great many days of riding and sparring lay in his immediate future, it seemed.
Yes, that seemed like a good idea. Regular exercise and an eating regimen would not only serve to get him back in good physical shape, but should also be beneficial to his mind. Alekos had told him about that once, about how the body and the mind were linked in some complex web of blood vessels which carried air to and fro in the body. Lykourgos felt like he was almost certainly misremembering the specifics, but he at least knew that it would be good for his mind as well. Perhaps the exercise would help him shake off the remnants of his anger and annoyance at this whole situation? It certainly seemed worth a try.
The door creaked open quietly, and Lykourgos turned to see the scarred face of his friend. Elikoidi looked tired, almost as tired as he had all those years ago when Lykourgos had saved him from that hopeless situation he'd been stuck in. Their was a scowl on the man's face, tempered only by the sheer relief in his eyes as he looked at the prince.
"I fucking hate you sometimes, you know that?"
Lykourgos blinked twice in surprise, then snorted.
"Yeah, I missed you too."
Elikoidi shook his head, throwing his hands up into the air.
"NO! I waited nearly two months for you to wake up, and you choose to awaken in the one week I left the capital to look into something along the Owkrestan border. I can't ride like you can, Lyk. It took me five days to get here."
Lykourgos felt his mood darken a little, even if he knew his friend hadn't intended to strike a sore point.
"I didn't choose to awaken, Eli. If it were up to me, I'd still be asleep."
The spymaster looked at him in confusion.
"I know you didn't actually choose to wake up, no-one chooses when to wake from their sleep after all. Still, you sound as though something forced you to wake. What was it?"
Lykourgos sighed, sitting up against the head of his bed, pillows behind his back. He beckoned Eli closer, gesturing to one of the chairs by his bedside, but in his typical fashion the man ignored the perfectly good sitting implement and instead sat on the edge of the prince's bed.
"You remember that man I uncovered at the Horndaal?"
Elikoidi nodded.
"I do, yes. Odd fellow. He's still in the palace at the moment, I think."
"Yeah, he is. He broke into my mind and forced me to wake up at the behest of someone else. Someone he owed a 'debt' to."
Elikoidi frowned.
"I'm not even going to try and dig into magic at the moment. That's your barrel of worms to crack open, not mine. While I can't speak for his designs, surely it is a good thing you are with us once more? Surely you're grateful to be awake?"
Lykourgos balled his hands into fists, fresh anger roiling through him for the briefest of moments.
"Look, don't get me wrong, I am grateful I still live! It's just that I was in so much pain and I was so tired, and I was resting. Then I relived every single one of what are quite possibly the most stressful moments of my life and I was forced to reawaken feeling like I'd just been stabbed and was barely alive. Oh wait! I was."
The room was silent for a moment before Elikoidi spoke, raising his eyebrow at the prince.
"Relived a few memories, then?"
Lykourgos nodded choppily.
"Well, how about we talk of the future instead if that's the case. I have some news that is, all things considered, rather important."
Lykourgos nodded at the man again, thankful for the change in topic.
"Okay, let's hear it. What exactly is it you've been monitoring?"
"Well," Elikoidi began, "first things first you'll be pleased to know that the last of the opposition to your rule has been destroyed or else scattered on the wind. There's been a minor uptick in piracy along not only our coasts but the entire western coastline of the continent south of the Aenir. Quite a few of the dissidents who survived seem to have crossed the border and fled to Owkrestos, but I'll tell you more about that in a moment. In terms of the rest of the kingdom, your brother has taken to his role as regent rather well. Myself and Romanos support him, of course, as does Mistress Crowe, but he's taken front and centre position when it comes to ruling in your name. You should be proud of him, Lyk."
He smiled up at his friend.
"I always have been, Eli. I've always been proud of him, and of you. Angels, how proud I am of you. The person you've become is... I could ask for no-one better to stand in the shadows by my side than you."
Elikoidi was silent for a long moment, seemingly struck by his words. When his friend spoke his voice was thick with emotion and quiet as a whisper.
"Thank you, your Grace. It means a lot to hear you say that."
Lykourgos looked up at him almost sadly, taking one of the man's hands into his own.
"Then I should have said it more often. It is the truth, Eli. And for the record, when we're in private, never call me 'your Grace' again. That's an order."
The man snorted a little, wiping at his eyes with a gloved hand.
"If you say so, Lyk. Now for the love of the First Saint, can you please stop making this sappy when I'm trying to keep you up to date on internal and foreign affairs?"
Lykourgos chucked a breathy laugh, releasing his friend's hand and moving to sit up a little straighter.
"All right, all right, you have my attention. You mentioned something about Owkrestos earlier, some 'situation' developing there. Has Lord Blackoak made his move against King Aleksandar's regency council at last?"
Elikoidi shook his head.
"If it were so then I wouldn't be so worried. As it stands though, as well as their regular muster there's the surviving roses to worry about."
Lykourgos held up his hands, gesturing for his friend to stop.
"Hang on a moment, lets go back to the start. Tell me what's going on in Owkrestos from the beginning, then tell me how the surviving rebels come into whatever mess is no doubt on the horizon and waiting for our backs to be turned."
Elikoidi smiled at him again, seeming both a little amused and mildly worried.
"Very well, your- very well, Lyk. I've been monitoring the situation in Owkrestos these past few weeks. I know it's probably not the news you want to hear so soon after awakening but I feel it's important enough to warrant telling you now. Lord Blackoak is mustering his men at Blacktree Hall, all eight-thousand including those from the cadet branches of his house. On top of these eight-thousand some one-thousand traitors and Teleytaian expatriates have gradually found their way to the rally, as well as almost eight-thousand sellswords."
He choked on the watered wine he was drinking, and his friend patted him gently on the back to help clear it.
"Sorry, eight-thousand sellswords? That's a small army by itself!"
Elikoidi nodded grimly.
"Lord Aertax Blackoak is one of the wealthiest men in the Heptarchy. If anyone could afford such a force, it would be him."
"Do we have word on what companies have answered his call?"
The scarred man made a 'so-so' motion with his hand.
"I think, but none of them have actually signed any contracts yet so far as my rats can tell. The Company of the Rose and the Stirgan Woodsmen have if nothing else been seen making their way to Owkrestos, whilst the Company of the Last Chance have been loitering around Derrytown for a few weeks now."
Lykourgos thought a moment.
"Derrytown belongs to a cadet branch of house Blackoak, does it not?"
"Indeed it does."
"I see. These Teleytaian exiles then, I presume we can assume Lieutenant Isen was amongst them?"
Elikoidi's face twisted in rage.
"I fucking knew it was him! No-one listened when I said it had to be-"
Lykourgos held up his hand.
"What do you mean no-one knew? He said-"
Ah. That was why no-one knew. Isen had escaped and he'd been unconscious so couldn't share what he'd been told. Well, better late than never.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"What did he say, your Grace?"
Elikoidi's tone was soft, but somehow still firm. Firm, and dangerous.
"Lieutenant Isen told me this as he... when he attempted to kill me. He told me that he had made a deal with Lord Blackoak to seize Teleytaios in the chaos my death would bring. He said there would be chaos with my death and that people would think Rhema ordered me killed to steal back the throne, paralysing the realm."
Elikoidi looked at him, his expression grim but with a softness in his eyes reserved for a scant few.
"Your brother has been pushing himself very hard this last month and a half. From the moment he learned of your condition he seemed to... I will not say he is no longer mad, but the worst of his madness seems to have drifted away. He's been trying to act like you would, to keep the realm together whilst you took a long sleep. I will confess to being... somewhat shaken, to see him acting so... well, almost like you to be honest."
Lykourgos smiled.
"I will need to speak with him a great deal, and thank him even more."
"You should. I think without him Isen's prediction of chaos would have come true."
Lykourgos nodded, smile fading as the mention of the traitor got his thoughts back on track.
"Isen. He said he had a deal to seize Teleytaios and restore the old nobility under Lord Blackoak. Then they'll turn around and depose King Aleksandar in Owkrestos, making Blackoak the king."
Elikoidi's face became grim, and he gave a grunt of acknowledgement.
"I see. In that case I'll run down the list of his forces as quickly as I dare and as accurate as my limited information will allow, and then redouble my efforts on getting my rats into Owkrestos. Seven-thousand levies. A thousand assorted knights and Men-at-Arms making up the core of the army. Another thousand assorted knights, Men-at-Arms and what seems to be the last survivors of the Band of the Wren. Eight-thousand sellswords, of which some six-thousand can be counted amongst the ranks of the Company of the Rose, the Company of the Last Chance and the Stirgan Woodsmen, whilst the remainder are individuals or small bands coming in for easy money."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. This was worse than he thought.
"So that's seventeen-thousand men, of which around two-thousand are professional and eight-thousand are semi-professional, all under the command of Lord Aertax Blackoak."
"That is how it seems, yes."
The prince ran through what he knew to remain of the Teleytaian forces in his head. Perhaps eight-thousand professional soldiers, a thousand semi-professional and...
No, he couldn't even call up the levies. They'd already missed a harvest thanks to the war and an early winter, and he couldn't risk pulling them away from sowing the next harvest. To have one poor harvest was nothing too bad, after all, the year before had been a bountiful harvest indeed, but two in a row would be pushing the country dangerously close to the beginnings of a famine.
Perhaps if he put out some kind of royal decree or tariff on the exporting of grain, forcing it to remain within Teleytaios it might stave off the worst excesses of price increases and...
Elikoidi coughed, breaking the prince's thoughts and regaining his attention. He blushed a little as his friend raised an eyebrow at him.
"Apologies, I was lost in thought a moment. Thank you for your information. I thought you said your network was patchier outside Teleytaios?"
The scarred man nodded at him, smiling with what looked like amusement for some reason.
"Oh it was, and still is in many areas, but I needed to know what was happening beyond our borders after Isen fled. I thought I might be able to find him. I failed of course, but then I began getting reports of village musters and town rallies in the lands of the Blackoaks and their cadet branches, and I've been looking at expanding my network ever since."
Lykourgos nodded. That was useful. Very useful.
"Whereabouts have you been expanding your network to?"
"Nordicos and Owkrestos, mostly, with the beginnings of rat-nests in both Triarios and the island of Anatolikoi."
"Anatolikoi? Why that backwater battlefield?"
Elikoidi smiled a sad smile at him.
"I was trying to find your would-be killer, Lyk. I was going to have him killed when I did, and Anatolikoi has long been the refuge of the exile and the traitor."
He nodded solemnly at his friend.
"I see."
They were silent a few moments before Elikoidi abruptly stood and made for the door.
"I'll focus my efforts on getting my network in Owkrestos on the same level as the one back here. That way you'll have at least some greater idea of what's going on across the border and act accordingly."
The prince nodded tiredly, and sank back into his bed. Angels, why was he so tired all the time at the moment? He had work to do, he could hardly afford to stay in bed for yet another day!
"Okay, that sounds good. Hey, would you mind-"
He yawned, raising the back of his hand to cover his mouth.
"Could you send for Ilias and Nasos? To help make me ready for the day."
Elikoidi shot a bemused glance at him.
"Lyk. Go back to sleep. You're tired. So long as you will wake up tomorrow you need to get some rest, then you can throw yourself back into work."
He wanted to argue, but truth be told sleep sounded good right now.
"Yeah, alright."
If Elikoidi responded then he didn't hear; he was already back asleep.
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Angels, that burns more than I remember.
He did his best to force his arms to bend once more, taking him close to the floor before straightening them out again and raising himself up. He might not have been able to go out and start swinging his sword around straight away, not without accidentally cutting a bystander's head off anyway, but a bit of light exercise was still on the table.
Nasos was in the room with him, the healer wanting to make sure that he wasn't over-exerting himself so early into his recovery period, and the prince knew better than to backtalk the priest-come-physician when it came to matters such as this. Kind he may have been, but he'd obviously had enough of watching his friends seemingly try their best to get themselves killed through self-neglect. The man had been receptive to hearing his worries about the weight he'd managed to gain this last week, and had lain any fears of falling out of shape to rest. According to the healer, his body was simply regaining the fat he'd lost while asleep through his meals. It only appeared to be worse to Lyk because it would take more time to put the muscle back on, but the time would soon come when he was back to normal and would look as good as ever.
Apparently.
Lykourgos wasn't completely sure he bought that. He knew he'd been asleep for two months, but he seemed to have lost a fair amount of both fat and muscle in that time. A little more than might have been expected, anyway. He was almost certain that something else had resulted in the loss of mass, but he wasn't going to start arguing with Nasos about that at the moment. Besides, this whole scenario reeked of magics, and he wasn't going to start pretending to understand how all of that made sense. A conversation with the entombed man might be in order soon enough, he thought wryly to himself. A discussion to try and get some answers out of the strange figure might bear fruit, if for no other reason than he seemed a little remorseful to have had to wake me up. Maybe he'll be receptive to my questioning.
He was broken from his musings when his face and chest hit the floor, his arms giving way underneath him. He let out a low groaning noise as he lay face-down, arms feeling like they were on fire.
"Alright, that's quite enough for now your Grace. Let's get you back in bed."
Nasos helped to move him upright, whereupon he shook his head. Nasos sighed.
"Your Grace, I understand that you want to-"
"No, no, nothing like that," he gently interrupted, "I just want to sit down instead. If I have to stay led in bed any longer I'll go mad. I just want to sit by the window for a bit and enjoy the breeze."
Nasos' frown vanished in an instant, replaced instead by a cheerful smile.
"Oh, of course! Here, let me help you."
His friend helped him to his feet and supported him as he shakily walked across the room. Soon enough he'd be back on his feet properly, unsupported and fighting fit, but that didn't mean he couldn't take the support while he needed it.
"How long before I'm back to normal, Nasos?"
The young man pulled a thoughtful face as he helped the prince into the chair, moving to lean casually on the windowsill.
"Situations like yours, the strangeness around your reawakening notwithstanding, often take one or two moons for the victim to recover from."
"That long?"
"Yes, that long. But," he said, lowering his voice to a mock-conspiratorial volume, "you're strong, your Grace. I have no doubt you'll be up and about in a week or two, and training again in three. That doesn't mean you'll be back to your previous strength right away, but you'll have the freedom to work on getting back to that level with far fewer difficulties. You just need to make sure you don't push yourself too hard in the coming weeks; your body does not protest against you for no reason. There are those that suffer such ailments of the flesh, but you are not one of them. Listen to what your body is telling you, and you'll be fine. Besides, I can't see anyone in this retinue letting you go anywhere without at least one of us by your side. Speaking of which, I believe Ilias has strongly wished to see you again this past week. Perhaps you could send for him and put his mind at ease for a little while? You know he looks up to you greatly."
Lykourgos smiled warmly.
"Aye, that sounds good to me. Why's he not been able to see me sooner? Has he been particularly busy recently?"
Nasos shrugged, smiling.
"Sorry your Grace, but I don't really know. All I've heard is that Prince Rhema and Master Elikoidi have been keeping him really rather on his toes recently. He might be your cupbearer and as such be officially tied to you, but if you aren't ordering him around then he still needs to answer to royalty and authority. Again, I'm not sure exactly what he's been doing, but he seems... he seems like he'd do a lot better if he saw you alive and well."
"I'm not sure I count as 'well' yet, but that is a fair point. I'll summon him soon enough."
He sniffed himself, then smiled sheepishly.
"I think a bath should be drawn first though. It would be best for me to wash properly and not rely on a damp cloth. Besides, it's not like I'm at a risk of drowning anymore."
Nasos grimaced.
"I don't know how comfortable I am with that."
Lykourgos rolled his eyes.
"Here, how about this; I'll take my bath and speak with Ilias at the same time. Hell, you can stay as well if it makes you feel better. It's not like you'll be seeing anything you haven't already these last few moons."
Nasos chewed his lip a little before nodding.
"Yes, that sounds fine. I can't see Ilias caring either, since he must be used to the communal baths if he grew up poor. Okay, we'll do that then."
Lykourgos nodded, stretching a little in his chair. A refreshing bath would do him a world of good, he felt. Besides, it couldn't hurt to relax a little bit while recovering, could it? It was like Nasos said; he couldn't push himself too hard.
If relaxing a little bit more meant that he could push himself that little bit harder and recover that little bit quicker, then it really seemed quite the obvious thing to do in his mind.
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"Your Grace!"
The bubbly voice of his cupbearer rang out across the room as Ilias ran to the side of the bronze tub.
"You're... feeling okay, I hope?"
The words were said with a nervous trepidation, and Lykourgos couldn't help but smile when he heard it.
"I'm quite alright, Ilias, I promise you. I will be soon, anyway. In a couple of weeks I'll be up and preparing for war once more!"
Ilias' smile pulled taught, as though he were conflicted at that.
"Whilst I am very, very glad you'll recover fast, I'm not exactly keen on the idea of you going to war again. No matter what Blackoak does to us, I don't have to like it."
Lykourgos raised an eyebrow.
"You... know of the Owkrestan situation?"
Ilias nodded conspiratorially.
"I work directly under Master Elikoidi, your Grace. I know most of what he knows."
Lykourgos smiled, then ruffled the hair of the cupbearer with a wet hand. Ilias squawked indignantly and swatted at his hand, but the attempt was half-hearted at best. If he was truly annoyed he could always move away, after all.
"You've been kept busy recently, so I hear?"
Ilias nodded.
"Yes, your Grace. His highness has been trying to spend time with us, and by 'us' I mean your retinue, your Grace, to try and get to know our skills and personalities better. Master Elikoidi I think just wanted to keep me busy so my mind was always occupied, but it has meant that I was kept from here longer than I wished. I actually accompanied him to the Owkrestan border regions. Did he tell you that?"
Lykourgos smiled wryly.
"He left out that you were with him, but I can see why he took you. You'll get into mischief if you're not kept busy, young man."
He poked at the cupbearer with a finger, his tone jovial and obviously not at all serious. Ilias returned the gesture with a confident smile.
"Some would say I learned it from you, your Grace."
Lykourgos laughed heartily at that, then stretched in the tub. It was nice to relax a little.
"It's good to hear you talking again, your Grace."
Ilias' voice was small when he spoke, and his tone was fragile. It seemed a bit of a sudden jump in emotions, but then this was the first time they'd spoken since he'd almost been assassinated. Perhaps a little emotional instability was warranted here?
He smiled, and did his best to keep his voice as warm and happy as possible.
"It's nice to talk again, Ilias. Trust me, you'll get tired of hearing my voice again faster than you know. You'll see enough of me in the coming months, so don't worry about me going anywhere."
He closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax further, sliding down a little and just enjoying how refreshed he was feeling already.
"I'll hold you to that, your Grace. I'll hold you to it."