Tawo's plan had already been a success, beyond his own belief. After his request for an audience, he had first been asked to wait for a while. At that point, he had begun to doubt himself. Had he been discovered? Would the empty hallway the warriors had led him to be the last place he would ever see? However, it hadn't been long until another warrior had called upon him, to be led to a meeting with Corcopaca Titu Pluritac, the new King of the South. In the end, the king's warriors didn't even search him for weapons before they let him enter the king's private study. No one showed any amount of precaution towards him.
Of course they wouldn't, Tawo thought. These powerful warriors, so convinced of their own superiority, would never expect an ordinary peasant, an uncultivated mortal no less, to know his way around anything more dangerous than a hoe, let alone have the audacity to bring anything pointier than a spoon to the king's banquet. Never would they expect a simple commoner to plan a lord's assassination.
No matter what reason the guards had for their negligence, now he was here, right in front of the new lord of Saniya. From the expensive drapes behind King Corco, he could feel the lord's status and ambition. Stitched with a map of the entire south, an object that would be considered illegal almost anywhere else in Medala was hung up in the room like an ornament, to show off the lands the king would consider his own. From Corco's arrogance, plain in his view, Tawo's eyes went down, over the desk between him and his goal, to the man whose own future would decide his fate.
Much smaller than I thought, Tawo mused. However, he shouldn't have been surprised. Despite the king's reputation as the man who defeated King Pacha in a duel, his cousin Sawo had cursed the 'dwarf-king' often enough to reveal the truth of the lord's diminutive stature. In addition, the cheap bronze crown on his head was just as described, while the king's sharp, angular face with the deep-seated eyes did much to add gravitas to his appearance.
Although the distance between the empty seat intended for Tawo and the king's own position was larger than necessary for a conversation, this much security was as good as nothing at all, at least for a trained warrior like Tawo. Even more surprising, there were no further guards besides the ones outside the door, and there was no tension in the king's body, as if he didn't so much as consider a possible attack from his guest. Greedy, and confident to the point of arrogance, even more characteristics Sawo had described the 'haughty brat' with.
“So you are here to thank this king for your invitation,” King Corco began, in an unusually conversational tone. “In that case you should be quick, servant. I need to be back at the banquet of lords soon.”
“Of course, great King Corcopaca. This commoner will not bother great king for too much longer.”
With a shallow smile and a deep bow, Tawo did his best to placate the pompous lord, before he took a seat on his chair before him. When his face came back up, he found the king stare at him, without a word. Against his better judgment, he began to feel nervous. Desperate to hide his emotions, Tawo began to rub his hands on the expensive, upholstered armrest, eager to wipe away the drops of sweat he could feel escape through his skin. Even though he had lost a lot of weight during the harsh labor of the past two seasons, he was still too fat, and it only made his transpiration worse. Even then, he could feel a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked deep into the king's iron stare, sucked in by the intense focus of the man before him.
“Village Chief!” he heard a shout.
“Excuse me?” Ripped from his dream-like state, Tawo realized that he was drenched in sweat. By now he understood that any attempts at murder would be nowhere near as easy as he might have thought. No, this man here was dangerous, and even with good preparation he wouldn't be an easy foe to take down.
“Your name was Iqtana Asto, was it?” Patient, the king repeated his question to his absent-minded guest.
The answer was easy. It was so simple. Tawo knew what he had to do, he had planned it for so long. And yet here he sat, frozen in shock, and stared down his opposite once more. No matter how perfect everything seemed, something was off, that much Tawo's gut told him. Even worse, he knew that everything would hinge on this next, crucial moment. If he succeeded, his cousin could return back to Saniya and they could rebuild their lives. If he failed, his own life would end here, and Sawo would become an outlaw, his future uncertain.
“It was Iqtana Asto, is that not correct?” the king repeated.
With enlarged eyes, Tawo gripped his armrest even harder, every joint in his body numbed and stiff. Without a way out, the warrior's mind stopped. Thus he followed his instincts and did what he had been prepared to do all along.
“No, King Corcopaca. It is not,” a hollow voice forced itself out of Tawo's throat.
Both eyebrows raised, the king shifted in his seat. Even then, Tawo was still stiff as if he had been chained in place.
No reaction, he thought, confronted with the unwavering grandeur of the ruler before him. Still, he chose to continue, for now there was no way back.
“My name is Tawo d'Ichilia, cousin of Sawo d'Ichilia, former administrator of Saniya, and this servant has come to make an offer to the King of the South.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tawo's entire body slumped down in his chair, his chains lifted. Only now did he realize how much his wrists hurt from arching them down in the tension. No matter what would happen from here, he had made his decision, and given destiny out of his hands. Now his life would be in the hands of King Corcopaca instead. However, no matter what reaction he had expected from the king, he was still surprised, in more ways than one. In response to Tawo's stunning declaration, the king indeed looked surprised, but he stared straight past Tawo, towards a partition in the back of the room.
“See, what did I tell you? No threat at all,” a young voice, full of confidence and strength, came from behind the wooden boards.
“King Corco, we cannot be rash. For now, we should-”
“Ah, let's just get on with it. I trust in Ronnie's judgment, so we shouldn't waste too much time.” When a woman's soprano tried to interrupt the man, her words were cut short, before the divider was pulled to the side, to reveal a short warrior with a chubby face and shoulder-length, brown hair, together with an elegant beauty. Behind them were several lounge chairs the two must have come from.
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Before Tawo could even react to the strange new arrivals, he heard a rustling sound, and then footsteps, as men burst out of the drapes positioned all throughout the room. Within moments, he found himself surrounded by warriors, held in his seat with intense force. Even if he had ever planned to kill the king, by now he would be powerless.
Although he thought he had gone past fear already, he learned how easy it was for a man to change his opinion on matters of the heart. Now he knew that the king had never been helpless. Now he knew that any attempt at the king's life would have only ended his own, while it would have been no more than a footnote in the king's day. With tears in his eyes, Tawo turned back to King Corco, who still sat at his desk without movement.
“Please, King Corcopaca. At least do this servant the honor to hear his plea!” he called in desperation.
Again the king shifted in his seat, but this time he didn't appear intrigued. Rather, he seemed uncomfortable.
“No worries, no one will kill you. The warriors will just search you for weapons. We'll have to be careful, especially considering your family name.”
With confident strides, the short man from behind the partition walked past Tawo and towards the king, who stood without hesitation and took off his crown. The king's insignia held in his trembling hands, he bowed as he held it out to the short warrior.
“It's fine, Quato,” he said, as he plopped himself down in the king's seat and answered the 'king's' devotion with a lazy wave of his hand. “Just put the thing wherever. I'm not gonna wear it in the banquet hall anyways and this here shouldn't take much longer.”
“Of course, King Corco.” After the false king had positioned the crown back on the desk and the woman had stepped to the side of his new opposite, the true king leaned forward with a sly grin on his face.
“As you might have guessed already, warrior Tawo d'Ichilia, I'm King Corcopaca. Sorry about all this, but we needed to insist on some security. I'm a big deal after all. So, what did you say earlier about an offer?”
While the king reopened the conversation, the warriors around Tawo ripped and tore at his clothes. No part of his body was left unsearched, to guarantee their king's safety. However, Tawo was far too socked to even notice.
“But... how did you...”
“Did you really think the warriors of Saniya were so incompetent as to let an escaped convict sneak into the royal banquet undetected? If that is the extent of your slyness, bandit, I do not believe there is any reason to hear you out.” By now, the girl had taken her place by the king's side and stared onto Tawo with narrowed eyes.
Only now did he understand how close his brush with death had been. At this point he was sure that from the very start, Saniya's new forces had known who he was. If at any point in the evening he would have seemed like a threat, Tawo was sure that his life would have ended right then. Even back when he befriended Egidius and discouraged Khuno's thoughts of revolt, he had danced along the edge of a cliff, oblivious to his own doom below.
“No, that's fine,” King Corco allayed. With another simple wave, he called back the female servant and reigned in her aggression. “Let's get on with it. Please tell me what it is you want. I've still got places to be today.”
“Of... of course, King Corcopaca,” a flustered Tawo answered, before he took a deep breath to stabilize his battered heart. Once his warrior training had kicked in to calm his mind, the men around him had stopped to grope and tear at his cheap robes, so he could focus on the negotiations.
“This servant has come-”
“Pronouns, people,” the king said, in a tone as if he had repeated the same words countless times. “Don't do the 'this servant' thing. Please.”
No matter what strange quirk this king had, Tawo was more than willing to comply. This was no time to give the man a lesson in etiquette.
“I have come on the request of my cousin Sawo d'Ichilia, and on request of the remaining bandit kings of the Chawir marshes. Throughout the year, one of King Corcopaca's great goals must have been to deal with the bandit kings and regain control over his own countryside.”
“You're here to betray your people?” the girl sneered. However, Tawo ignored the woman. Only the king would have any right to speak justice on his crimes. Thus, he continued his prepared speech.
“Here is our request, the request of Sawo d'Ichilia and the bandits of Chawir: We wish for a fair trial, and leniency, the same kind Sawo d'Ichilia's former warriors have received. All bandits shall be allowed to work for the king, as paid laborers, while the bandit leaders themselves shall be set free, allowed to live as commoners within Saniya. In return, I will hand King Corcopaca the names of every bandit who has plundered his way through the king's lands, as well as the location of their respective hideouts. This is our humble offer, and we hope King Corcopaca considers,” he ended with a bow, strength returned to his voice.
“And why would we not simply keep you here, and torture the locations out of you?”
Although he didn't like it, this time it would be much harder for Tawo to ignore the woman's question.
“Despite my outer appearance, I am still a warrior. I will do my all to resist torture, and any knowledge gained could be false as much as it could be true. In addition, once my companions realize that I have not returned after several days, they will know that my mission has failed. At this point, they are prepared to switch location, to places even I would not know. The marshes are vast and no one knows them better than our people. If King Corcopaca chooses to be merciless, we will remain a thorn in Saniya's side forever.”
At last the king spoke again, with a frank smile spread across his friendly face.
“I like him. Okay, Tawo d'Ichilia. Let's discuss conditions a bit. But first, you'll have to change that family name if you want to stay here.”
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With a sigh, Tawo could hear the door close behind him. For the second time today the tension fell off his body. Although the warriors who would escort him back out of the castle still made him nervous, Tawo felt as elated as he had back when little Qilla had kissed him for the first time. Despite all the twists and turns, his mission had been a success. If the king kept to his word, they would get a second chance at life, even if it would be far below the grand visions of his cousin. However, even when he felt at ease for the first time since his escape from the prison camp, someone had to come and ruin his moment.
“Warrior Tawo, one second.”
His eyes closed, Tawo breathed in once, before he put on a polite smile and turned back around, to face the woman who had caused him so much trouble earlier.
“You might have satisfied the king with your empty words, but I am anything but placated.”
“With respect, lady. Whether or not you are convinced has no bearing on me.” Now that he had been calmed by the king's frank attitude, Tawo had regained his courage.
“You might not know this, but the warriors around you are mine. They are under my own command.” Again, her eyes narrowed, while a cold smile crept onto her lips, wide and thin. “If you fail to impress me, if you cannot convince me of your loyalty towards King Corco, you might just have an unfortunate accident on your way back. So, are you willing to do me a small favor, bandit Tawo?”
There it was again, the fear. Never had Tawo expected so much pressure from a little girl. As he felt the tenseness creep back into his bones, he nodded his head.
“Good. It appears as if you are willing to eliminate all the bandits of Chawir. In that case, would it not be simple to deal with one more?”
With a smile as cold as her heart, the woman pulled a short firearm from within her dress, and held it towards Tawo, the bandages around her hands like chains in his mind. At once Tawo understood that his journey was still not over. He would have to risk his life one final time.