Creation of the Basin, Part Five

An Unknown time Later

Duncan picked himself up painfully and dusted himself off. Coughed twice and rubbed his eyes. Everything hurt. That which does not kill me makes me....really achy and sore. He thought sourly.
Another cough off to his right.
“Armando?”
“’tis I…I think.” He mumbled as he tried to stand.
Duncan helped him, and then helped dust him off. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the thick dust that floated everywhere like a fog, and in the midst of it, he detected hints of movement all around.
“Gather up men.” He shouted hoarsely, but the dust seemed to swallow his words. They were barely more than a whisper. “Sound off….and if Nilroggi be near ye, let us know where you are.”
None of his command made any mention of Nilroggi, which was nigh on impossible. There had been so many.
What had happened? How long had they been out of their senses?
His men would surely ask him these questions, and expect him to know the answers. Suddenly, he felt very tired.

~~Ж§Ж~~

Forty-Six men remained of his command. He sighed heavily and fought to hide his tears.
Assuming the Nilroggi didn’t simply finish them when they recovered from their fear of magicks, there would be a great many burials to see to in coming days.
“McDougil, Armando, divide the men by thirds and form search parties. We must determine how many survivors there are, and if there are Nilroggi about. I will keep one patrol with me here to watch this way and guard the Wizards…we must….we must at least try to understand what has happened here.”
“It will be done.” His two Lieutenants answered in unison and they picked their men and departed.
For his part, Duncan led his patrol to the spot where he’d last seen the wizards.

~~Ж§Ж~~

Later

It was impossible to tell day from night, the dust was so thick. But as the refugees began banding back together, coalescing back into the family of survivors they had become, the stories began filtering in with them.
Grim stories of unimaginably painful death as the ground swallowed whole families, heroic rescues, sights and visions before the dust cloud obscured everything. Amazing rumors.
And sorrow from the south. Most of the menfolk of Lady Dierdranna’s band had been caught up in the wild magicks unleashed in an effort to save them, and had simply vanished when several impossibly large mountains sprang beneath their feet in an instant. Those not slain by that were cast into the enormous pit that opened at the base of the new mountains. A wide chasm of unknown depth that swallowed hundreds whole.
Already, the refugees had begun referring to those southern mountains as “Widow’s Peaks,” and the great chasm as the “Crevasse of Sorrows.” In a matter of hours, legends and stories were taking root as the people tried to heal themselves and make sense of the madness they played witness to.
As for the Wizards, three were outright dead, and the rest were unconscious, with no indication if or whether they may awaken again. Arliss Castillar charged his best Clerics with their care, but even they could give no firm answers.
There was simply no way to know.

~~Ж§Ж~~

Approximately Four Days Later

“She’s asking for you.” McDougil said as he clapped Duncan on the back.
“Awake?” He asked in wonder.
“Aye….eyes clear and burning once more.” The big man said as he shook his head. “You’re a good man, Duncan Fury….staying by her bedside for two solid days.”
The cavalryman blushed. “I’d be by her side now if not for the fact that I’m the best rider we have left, and was needed to scout the north ridge.”
“It is so.” McDougil replied. “Nonetheless, you were the first person she asked to see.”
He broke into a grin and sprinted off toward the tent where they were keeping her.

~~Ж§Ж~~

“Duncan….I….” She didn’t quite know where to begin, and the soldier sat down next to her and took her hand.
“I’m glad to see you awake, M’lady Dierdranna.”
She blushed. “Aye…and thank you for sitting with me while my mind fought its way out of the darkness.”
He sighed. “I was hoping you could feel me here. Hoping my presence made a difference.”
“It did.” She said with a nod. “I focused on the sound of your voice as I made my way back.”
An awkward, but not unpleasant moment of silence between them. “So tell me….what is the latest news. I feel as though I’ve been sleeping forever.”
“Most of the news is not good.” Duncan said as he straightened.
She liked the way his voice changed. All business when talking about the safety of the group, and then…softer…more tender, when they spoke quietly between themselves.
“It seems the rumors are true. There around mountains everywhere to the south and east of us, though we do not yet know how far they run, apparently they sprung up right beneath the main body of the Nilroggi horde.”
“Well, instead of sending riders, we can survey the mountains with my magicks now that I am awake.”
“I was so hoping, and refrained from sending out riders for that very reason.”
They smiled at each other again.
“As to other news…Armando has signed on formally as a cavalryman, and I’ve divided what remains of my command between myself and McDougil, to give some teeth to the Council of Seven. Each of us now command a company of 23 men. It’s not much of a defense force, I know, but….it’s what we have to work with, and we’re trying to scare up new recruits.”
“No sign of the Nilroggi though?”
“Yes and no.” He told her. “We have skirmished with them, but my guess is that the mountains killed the greater portion of the horde and scattered the rest. They seem to have lost the stomach for battle, and we’ve never seen more than half a dozen or so together…unorganized but terrifying in its way.”
“As always, your bravery serves us all well….”
Impulsively, he kissed her, and their smile together grew.

~~Ж§Ж~~

The assembled crowd watched as the images played out on Lady Dierdranna’s globes.
She had conjured four “eyes” and sent them out along the major compass points, skimming over the ground and taking in the new terrain. As she suspected, the magicks had indeed summoned up “God’s Teeth” to do battle on their behalf. And that vast maw had simply devoured much of the horde.
Within hours, the eyes had spun their way out and around them completely, and they had their answer.
They were totally surrounded. Hemmed in by a ring of natural-but-unnatural mountains. New, sharp, jagged, upthrusting mountains that had not been worn away by time and nature. Mountains that had no roads, paths, or passes through them.
“Trapped.” Someone said.
“In a way, yes.” Someone else answered, “But better to be trapped here, in a land large enough for us to spread out in, and one without the Nilroggi than to be on the other side of the mountains!”
And suddenly, everybody seemed to have something to say about that, one way or another.

~~Ж§Ж~~

Three Hours Later

Arliss stepped into the clearing around which the collected populace had gathered.
“Silence! Silence I beg you!” He shouted.
In time, the raging debate died down to a simmer, and the Priest could be heard.
“Debating the merits of being here or not solves nothing.” He said simply. “The fact of the matter is that we are here….now, whether that proves to be a blessing or a curse is something that we shall all find out together, but the first, most pressing need we have is that of deciding upon our leadership….we must assume that the Empire is no more, and even if it is still intact, their decrees cannot pierce the veil of the mountains.”
No King.
It was unheard of. A situation that must be remedied at once.
But who would be King?
“Arliss Castillar should be King! Him that led us to our salvation!” Someone in the crowd shouted. Many cheered at the nomination. Many did not.
It took Arliss nearly ten minutes to get the crowd quieted again. “Good people…I am honored that many of you would consider me worthy of the job…but there are a number of reasons why I cannot.”
He waited until they had quieted a bit more, and then continued. “First…it is the power of the Church to sanctify and ordain the King we select…to guide and help him, but not to rule outright. The separation between the Church and the power of the King must exist as a point and counter point. Balance and counter-balance. To do otherwise….well, suffice it to say that it invites certain dangers that I do not wish to consider, nor invite into our newfound Kingdom. And aside from that, there is the simple matter of my advanced age. We need a young, strong King to lead us.”
Silence all around for what felt like an eternity.
“The People should decide.” McDougil said finally. “The Council of Seven was formed by the People, and they should select a list of potential leaders and vote on it.”
“Vote on the King?” A number of people whispered. And as the idea was passed around the group and debated, it was clear that it had some support. The number opposed to it vastly outnumbered the supporters, but it did spark some interesting conversation.
At least for a time.
“This will not happen!” Jacob Mourngrym said in a thunderous voice. “The Council of Seven has its uses, there can be no denying, but the will of the People is fickle…mob rule will result if this plan were to be carried out. I will not stand for it!”
“And who are you?” McDougil challenged, his jaw thrust defiantly toward Mourngrym.
“Your better…manchild.” Mourngrym said icily.
McDougil took two steps forward and as if by magic, Duncan Fury was there, stepping between the two men.
He put a hand on McDougil’s shoulder. “Brother…don’t. We don’t need this fight.”
“Listen to him.” Mourngrym said with venom.
“Shut up or I’ll slap you in irons!” Duncan told him in a tone that left no room for doubt. He meant it.
Mourngrym opened his mouth to protest, and then closed it.
Diffused. For now.
Just then, Arliss stepped back into the center. “Ladies and Gentlemen…I would like to propose that Duncan Fury be given your consideration as our King.”
The crowd went wild at the thought. In Duncan they had a steady, reliable hero, and while there were some dissenting voices, they were easily drowned out by the waves of support.
“Fury, Fury, Fury!”
It was clear that the crowd loved the idea.
“No!” Came another hiss. Mourngrym again. “This will not be, either, as we will simply trade one form of mob rule for another!” Duncan looked up at the rich man and took two steps forward, and then paused. This time, he was not alone.
Behind him were twenty young men, all dressed in hastily fashioned uniforms, and all carrying bows.
“That’s right.” Mourngrym said in answer to the surprised look on the Cavalryman’s face. “They may not be well trained, but they are well paid and loyal. You did not think I would allow you to be the only force of arms in our band, did you?”
Duncan’s men rallied behind him, and the ones who could still ride mounted up.
A hush fell over the clearing as the two men stared…eyes burning.
“Stand down, Lord Mourngrym.” Duncan whispered. “I have no wish or desire to be your King. It is a job I am ill-suited for.” Duncan took a deep breath and addressed the crowd. “Thank you for your support of me…but this is a job I do not want, and cannot do.”
“It is precisely because you do not want it, My Lord Fury, that you would be perfect for it. The Wizards support you.” Dierdranna said softly.
“Aye….the Lady makes sense.” Arliss said in agreement.
“Wench!” Mourngrym hissed angrily. “You and yours belong to me!”
“No.” Dierdranna said in a soft, even tone. “I know of your agreement with the now-dead head of this order. And since the agreement was made with one who is no more, I submit to you that your hold on the Order has weakened considerably.”
Mounrgrym glowered for a moment. “This is not finished between us, woman. I will either have your loyalty or I’ll have my property returned.”
“And we shall talk about that, but later. For now…let us continue addressing the issue at hand.”
Silence reigned for a lingering moment.
“I…cannot….and that is my final answer.” Duncan said slowly.
“Then who will lead us?” Someone asked.
A babble of voices broke out and Arliss left the center of the clearing in disgust, shaking his head.
While he was away, the volume of the assembled mass as arguments broke out debating the merits of various potential Kings among them.
After several minutes, Arliss returned, one of his younger charges in tow.
“It is clear to me that the power groups that have developed in our band during our long journey together have made choosing any one of them an impossibility, so I submit to you that we must look elsewhere. Thus, I present Perrin for your consideration. I have tutored him in the ways of the Church. He is a bright lad, young and strong, and he will need our support and guidance if he is to be the kind of King we all wish him to be. The Church, with I as its head here in our new Kingdom, pledge my support to Perrin, as King.”
The boy, no more than sixteen, gaped and looked down at Arliss, who knelt before him.
“Father Castillar, I…no….this is….” He looked around frantically for support. For someone…anyone who might pull him out of the fire he suddenly found himself in.
What he got instead was Duncan Fury striding toward him and kneeling next to Arliss Castillar.
He took the boy’s hand and looked up at him. “I pledge my life and my sword to defending your crown and your honor, Majesty. I will sit at your feet and serve you faithfully if you will but guide us.”
McDougil was next. “Aye….the Council of Seven would support the coronation of Perrin as First King.”
Only the Wizards and Mourngrym remained silent, weighing their options. The majority of the powerful in the band of refugees though, had spoken.
The future of the Kingdom was held on a stillborn breath, as all waited to see what the others would say.
“The Wizards support the coronation of Perrin. We will assist his rule in any way we can.”
“And you?” Arliss asked in the direction of Mourngrym. “What do you and yours say?”
“Of course we would support Perrin as King.” Mourngrym said in a too-kind voice.
“In fact, I will personally provide our new ruler with a treasury to ensure the stability and survival of his realm, and pledge my assistance in any way I can….and I will also be watching you…” He glanced meaningfully at both Duncan Fury and McDougil, “to ensure that our new, young King is not swayed by mob rule or force of arms.”
A lingering moment of silence, broken only by the quiet, confused sobbing of a boy, too young to be king, suddenly thrust in exactly that role by men and women who expected more from him than should ever be expected of children so young.

~~Ж§Ж~~

The coronation was a quiet, solemn affair, and the Kingdom had its First King before it even had a proper name.
As the ceremony ended, and as King Perrin’s first official act, his eyes sought out Armando, and summoned him forth.
“You and your Free Folk have served side by side with us tirelessly, and yet, I know that our ways are very different from yours.” “That is so, My King.” Armando said quietly as he knelt before the First King.
“You have bled with us though, and endured our trials with us….and because of that, I decree that your people will live both together and separate from us. Living too close together with us would destroy who you are, so you shall be as separate as you need to be, in order to preserve the ways of your People.”
Armando smiled. “You will make a fine King, Majesty….and you are off to a grand start indeed….The Free Folk pledge their support and friendship to King Perrin.”
He stood and bowed, then leaned in closer. “And Majesty, may I recommend that your second act would be to come up with a name for our new land.”
Perrin blushed and just then, something caught his eye.
Torches in the distance. It seemed that Lady Dierdranna’s band had finally arrived to join their number.
“They look like tiny candles in the darkness.” The King whispered.
“Master Armando,” he asked more loudly. “What is the word in Free-Folk Speak for Strength….Courage?”
“I think I know what you’re asking, my King, and that word would be ‘Bre.’”
“Then our new home shall be called Candle’Bre….may we, each of us, strive to be as a candle in the darkness. Pushing the shadows away. Pillars of strength and honor….and should the day come that danger threatens us and ours as it did the Empire which spawned us, may we remember this day, and our long journey.”
And so was the Kingdom born.

~~Ж§Ж~~