Chapter 757: Linking up with the main
"How has military command been working out for you?" Alpheo asked, his black armor clinking with each step as they walked through the halls of Artalerita’s keep
"Incredibly weary and not the least bit pleasant," Jarza admitted, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Most of the decorations had remained untouched, and still in place. Even much of the palace staff had been left as they were, an unusual state of affairs, given that the court of a captured city was often the first target of a sack.
Normally, such halls would be stripped bare for gold, jewels, and silks, and their women spirited away before the dust had even settled.
This time, though, there had been no chance.
The operation had moved too quickly, and priorities lay elsewhere. At least the palace was not yet reduced to a hollowed ruin, which would have been quite uncomfortable to stay in . Still, Alpheo had wasted no time replacing key staff.
The kitchen servants and the prince’s personal attendants had been dismissed and replaced with his own retinue. He could hardly be expected to trust his meals to the hands of men who had, until days ago, served the very lord he had overthrown.
It only took one loyalist with a steady hand and a vial of powder to end a campaign, and also of course, a reign.
And poison was one of the easiest way to kill a man.
As for the rest, those who kept the rooms clean for example...they were allowed to remain simply because Alpheo did not have the personnel to change them.
After all, bringing servants wasn’t at the top of his list.
Still returning to the walk, Alpheo grumbled in amusement at his oldest general’s gripes. He would have thought Jarza would relish the chance to command, yet here he was, looking as though he had been handed a poisoned chalice.
Wasn’t it ironic?
Any other man in the realm would have killed for the privilege of leading half the principality’s army. Jarza had it handed to him on a platter, and looked at it like a starving man eyeing a feast with a dead fly in the middle of the plate.
"I don’t know how you stand it," Jarza went on, shaking his head. "A week in command and I’ve aged a year. Every lord in the host feels the need to air his opinion as if it were the word of the gods and my ear was blessed to hear them. And when we took the city..." He let out a humorless laugh. "The moment we locked down the loot, just to hold it until word came whether you’d secured your end of the know or not, they swarmed me like hornets.
Swore up and down that I was trying to snatch my cut before anyone else. If it hadn’t been for the First, and also for Shahab’s and Torghan’s supporters standing by me, gods only know what they might’ve tried.
And above all what I would have done to them."
Alpheo hummed and nodded in sympathy, the faint curl of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I thought it would be a good sensation, being in power," Jarza muttered, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. "Gods I grew a soldier , it is in our nature to hope to lead others.
But what’s the use of it when you butt heads at every turn? When does your head clench each night?How do you do it?" His massive chest expanded and compressed with a long, weary exhale, as though the weight of command had settled there and refused to leave.
Alpheo’s mouth curved into a knowing smile "Well, for the most part, my head is much harder than the others. Once they butt against mine, they quickly realize the error in their ways. And second..." He tilted his head, his black hair catching the light from the tall windows as they walked. "I try my best to avoid giving them any opportunity to blabber air with their mouths."
"They tend to do that a lot," Jarza noted dryly.
"That they do," Alpheo agreed . He reached out and clapped the great man firmly on the back, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet corridor. "Well, rejoice then, welcome back into the fold! You’ve returned just in time to review our next steps in the campaign. With all our previous objectives achieved, we can finally move forward."
Jarza arched a thick brow. "With Asag and Edric still on the field?"
"They’ll be informed of the results of the meeting when we reach them," Alpheo replied without hesitation. "Right now, they’re busy grinding away at the last known defense of Freusen. If we are to proceed, the city must fall first.
Telling them too early will only make them rush the assault and things done in haste..." He gave a small shrug, his armor shifting with a metallic whisper. "...are most often prone to error."
"Are we short on time?" Jarza asked, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty.
"Nah." Alpheo waved a hand, dismissing the idea as they turned a corner and the hall opened into a sunlit gallery. "The Oizenian prince, by now, has barely grasped the fact that he’s been had. He still hasn’t raised his full army."
Jarza let out a low hum. "I didn’t take them for being so slow."
"You should thank Lucius for that. Now, let’s go; the others are waiting for us," Alpheo said with a faint, knowing smirk, already thinking the conversation was over. He adjusted the edge of his cloak as they walked, his boots clicking against the polished stone.
Jarza, however, had other plans. The older general slowed his pace, as though what he was about to say required careful delivery."Actually, before we go... there’s something you should be made aware of. Something that happened with the Voghondai."
Alpheo glanced at him sidelong, his expression flat but unsurprised. "Is something the problem with them?" He couldn’t quite keep the note of resignation from his voice, it was already a small miracle the fierce mountain warriors hadn’t caused him more trouble.
Jarza gave a grunt that was halfway between confirmation and annoyance. "Something like that... You see, a good portion of the warriors that joined our army are rather young. Many of them came from boys who decided to try their luck at war once they became adults."
Alpheo tilted his head, already sensing where this was going. "What did they do?"
Jarza exhaled through his nose, rubbing at the back of his thick neck. "Well... during the sack of the city, after they picked their women and had their fun, they decided to take them as wives and bring them back to their villages. They even paid the dowry to the families with the loot they’d taken . Apparently, no one told them about the military rules.
They do not know that women aren’t allowed to enter camp during a campaign."
"I see." Alpheo’s tone was thoughtful as he processed the problem, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then something else caught his attention. "Wait. They paid the dowry to the families? And not the other way around?"
"Yeah," Jarza confirmed with a nod. "Apparently, in their culture, it’s the groom who pays the father for the right to take his daughter away from her family and into his household."
Alpheo almost allowed himself a smile at the cultural quirk, but the matter at hand was still a problem. "What did you do with them?"
"The Voghondai or their wives?"
"Their wives," Alpheo clarified, his brows arching slightly.
"Nothing much. I... procrastinated, I suppose. Had them secluded in the keep of the city until the campaign is over and you can make your mind up about them.I mostly used them as servants " Jarza scratched at his temple, the gesture making him look momentarily sheepish for a man of his size. Clearly, he had decided this was a hot coal best tossed into the prince’s lap.
Alpheo weighed the matter for a moment. The answer seemed obvious enough. "As far as I see, they haven’t broken any rules. They didn’t bring the women with them—"
"Though not for lack of trying, mind you," Jarza interrupted with a dry chuckle.
"Still," Alpheo continued, "they didn’t bring them, and they’ve already paid the dowry. As far as I’m concerned, what they do with them after the campaign is none of my problem. By the end of it, we’ll transport the women back to Yarzat so they can be properly married."
Jarza nodded slowly, his expression easing as if to say the answer sat well with him. "Fair enough."
"Still," Alpheo said after a moment, "why were you the one to bring this to me? I would have expected Torghan to be the one to complain about something like this."
Jarza gave a small shrug. "Well, he still doesn’t know, you are the first I have told. And frankly, I didn’t see any point in informing him. These were the warriors who went with me without his supervision, and at the end of the day, they were my responsibility."
Alpheo studied him for a heartbeat before giving a curt nod. "Mh. I see. Well, you made the right choice in waiting for me. I am sure those mountain-boys will be happy with their lives once they return home..."
With that, they turned the final corner, the muffled sounds of distant soldiers’ boots patrolling the halls and the faint creak of old stones echoing in the corridor.
And ahead, the heavy oaken doors of the war room finally came into view.
(map of the campaign)