Chapter 77

 Slowly, Jeraddin came to. 

Raising his head, the lynx took in his surroundings. He was tied to a chair in a room, whose only other piece of furniture was a table on which a series of implements of sinister purpose had been neatly arranged. Jeraddin also noticed that his clothes were lying in a pile on the stone-floor. 

Well, he thought. That explains the draft I felt.

He struggled with his bonds for a bit. To no avail. Whoever had tied these knots knew what they were doing. 

Someone was coming! Jeraddin decided to pretend that he was still unconscious. 

A door opened and closed, two voices hovered above Jeraddin's head.

"What do you mean it's not here?" Demanded the first voice.

"I searched his clothes, Cap'n" said the other voice and this one, Jeraddin recognized. "Went through is coat and everything, he doesn't have it on him."

He thought back to this morning when the two watchmen had showed up on his doorsteps. Both of them had looked like authentic members of the city-watch and so, he had excused himself and had headed for his chamber. As he did, one of the guards had called out after him:

"General, don't forget to bring whatever evidence you have with you"

Jeraddin had intended to do just that. He had finished getting dressed and had just been about to pick up the black ledger and stuff it in his coat, when the words of the watchmen had made him stop.

Instead of taking it with him, he had stashed the ledger in his nightstand. On top of it, he had left a note, hastily jotted down, for Flora to find, when she would enter the room to clean it.

Jeraddin's suspicions were stirring in their sleep and they had been wide awake when the lynx had realized that the extremely official-looking black carriage he and his escort were travelling in, were not heading in the direction of the court-house at all.

Jeraddin had reached for the handle to the carriage-door. Before he had been able to pull it down and throw himself out of the carriage, cold-steel had touched his throat. It had been followed by a cloth, drenched in some kind of chemical, being pressed against his nose and mouth and, after a moment's hopeless struggle, everything had turned dark...

"Pity" the first voice growled. "Wake him up."

The Other voice grabbed hold of Jeraddin's head-fur, tilted his head back and tapped him on the cheeks. Jeraddin opened his eyes. Standing before him was Cerewan and the blue cat, his head covered in a bandage.

"Greetings, General" said Cerewan, wearing a smile of  hollow joviality. "I am Captain Cerewan and..."

"I know who you are, Captain" Jeraddin said, cutting the tiger off. "And frankly, I don't care for this sort of treatment."

"Is that so? Well, General, I do not care for having my crew assaulted and my ship set ablaze.

Fortunately, we were able to put out the fire. However, it's going to take months of repairs to make the Maelstrom sea-worthy again. Repairs that you are going to pay for,  General."

"Is that all? Very well, untie me and let's all go to the bank."

Cerewan shook his head and emitted a low chuckle.

"Not so fast, General. Before we do that, there is another matter that needs to be settled."

"Oh? What is that?"

The Smile did not vanish from Cerewan's face, but it did shrink considerably. Next to it, the tiger's scar reddened.

"Don't be coy with me, General, there were two ledgers in my cabin. Where are they now?"

"Oh, you mean those ledgers? They were destroyed in the fire."

"He's lyin' Cap'n" said the blue cat. "I saw him leavin' the ship with one of 'em when I was treadin' water."

"You hear that, General? Now, I'll ask nicely one more time: Where's the remaining ledger?"

"I've stuffed it where the sun don't shine" Jeraddin growled. "Why don't you come get it, you sweet-water pirate?"

With a sigh, Cerewan gave the lynx a look similar to that a parent might give an obstinate child and went over to the table. He stood there for a moment, contemplating which tool to pick. When he turned around, there was a rope in his paws. A rope which had a heavy knot in one end.

"I could tell you that this will hurt me more than you, General" Cerewan said, "but we both know that's a lie."

He began to swing the rope, faster and faster. Jeraddin watched as the knot became a blur and steeled himself for the inevitable.

*****

Jeraddin was fairly certain his shoulders, both of them, were dislocated. If not? Well, They hurt like hell at any rate. As did his chest for that matter. 

He glared at his captors: Cerewan had lowered the rope and was wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I guess old age is catching up with me", the tiger shook his head in mock disbelief. "Let's take a quick break, shall we? In the meantime, General, there's something else I'd like to ask you..."

The Captain of the Maelstrom went up to Jeraddin and put a paw on his left shoulder. The Lynx groaned.

"How did you find out about me?" As he posed the question, Cerewan dug his claws in deeper.

"Arghh! A slave I met in Guanaca, one of your former 'customers'. She was the one who told me."

"Oh? What was her name?"

"Sorry, can't remember."

"And yet her words were enough for you to try to bring me to justice? A stranger? Unless..." Cerewan paused and looked closely at Jeraddin's face.

"Ah, yes" he chuckled. "I can see it now, the resemblance."

Cerewan released his grip and stepped back.

"Here" he said, handing the rope to the cat. "You take over, my arm's still tired."

"Right, Cap'n."

"Now then, General, I'm going to ask you again and if you refuse to answer, you shall be struck again. This time, however, the knot will strike in a more...sensitive spot. If you get my drift."

"I understand." Jeraddin sighed resignedly. "I'll talk, but before I do, would you answer one of my questions, Captain?"

"Very well, General, ask your question."

"What time is it?"

Cerewan's surprise only lasted for a moment. Then, he took out a pocket-watch and consulted it.

"About half past noon" he replied, slamming the lid to the watch shut and putting it back in his pocket. "Now then, if you'd be so kind as to tell us where the ledger is?"

"By now, I suspect its in the paws of the authorities" Jeraddin replied calmly.

Cerewan could feel the color drain from his face. 

"You...you're bluffing" he muttered, but one look at the smug smile on his captive's face told him that this was merely wishful thinking on his part.

"By now every member of the city-watch must be out looking for you, Cerewan" Jeraddin said. "Why they could be here at any moment."

"Perhaps we should leave, Cap'n?" The Cat suggested, his voice trembling slightly.

"Calm yourself, sailor!" Cerewan snapped. "No-one knows where we are. By the time the watch finds this place, we'll be long gone." He turned back to Jeraddin. "You thought you were clever, didn't you, General? Alas, all you've done now is sign your own death-warrant."

With those words, he drew a saber from his belt and made some cutting motions with it in the air. Jeraddin watched him, without flinching.

Is this how my life ends? He wondered. I had a feeling that I wouldn't die in my bed, but I must admit that this is not the way I pictured it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the unpleasant sensation of Cerewan's breath hitting him in the face.

"When next I meet Risha" the tiger whispered in the lynx's ear, "I'll tell her that her father died, screaming."

He stepped back and raised the saber over his head. 

There was a knock on the door. Cerewan dropped his weapon, the blue cat almost jumped out of his skin. Both of them, as well as Jeraddin, stared at the door.

"Well, Captain?" Jeraddin asked. "Aren't you going to answer?"

It was then that a voice could be heard on the other side and Jeraddin's heart sank again, for he recognized it.

"Captain, it's us! Open up!"

The Blue cat was closest to the door. He looked at Cerewan who gave him a nod. The Door opened and the false watchmen appeared on the doorstep. However, before they could enter, they were pushed aside; by a group of real watchmen who swarmed into the room.

A Whisper In My Ear. A Voice So Strong and Clear...

I don't think its a stretch to claim that, out of all the comics that takes place in medieval times and/or deals with the Arthurian legends, Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, is the most well-known. Though it was never a staple of my childhood, in the same way as Tintin by Hergé, or the various Disney comics, by creators such as Carl Barks and Don Rosa, I remember enjoying the volumes of Prince Valiant I read translated into Swedish, when I was a boy. 

Unlike the source material, The Legend of Prince Valiant was not a part of my childhood. I don't think it ever aired on Swedish television. If it did, it was not on any of the channels that were available to me, at the time. 

As such, I remained completely ignorant of this show's existence, until fairly recently, when a review written by one of my mutuals on SensCritique, awoke my interest in it. Having watched the show in its entirety, I've decided to share my thoughts on it. Here goes:

The Legend of Prince Valiant begins similarly to the comic (as far as I can remember), with the Kingdom of Thule being conquered by an evil warlord and the King, the Queen and their son, Valiant being forced to flee and seek refuge in a marsh. 

One evening, the young Valiant has a dream in which a voice speaks to him, summoning him to a place called Camelot. Valiant has never heard of such a place before, but he's convinced that it exists and so, against his father's wishes, he sets out on a journey to find Camelot. He is joined by Arn, a young peasant and Rowan, the daughter of a blacksmith. Both of whom have had the same dream. After many adventures, the trio arrives at Camelot and the court of King Arthur, where they begin their long road towards knighthood and for Valiant to reclaim his father's kingdom.

Visually, The Legend of Prince Valiant looks fine.Sometimes, the characters go off-model, but the backgrounds are lush and detailed and the show features some fairly impressive battle-scenes. The Soundtrack is superb (with the show's opening theme; Where the Truth Lies deserving special mention, being suitably grandiose) as is the voice-acting. Valiant himself is voiced by Robby Benson, known as the voice of Prince Alexander from King's Quest VI to fans of graphic adventure games and as Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast to everyone else who's heard of him. Fittingly enough, when Aleta, the woman who becomes Valiant's love-interest makes her appearance in the show, she's voiced by Paige O'Hara aka. Belle from the above mentioned movie.

Writing is likewise of high quality: Characters are by and large, well-rounded and interesting. My favorite character (if I had to choose) would probably be Duncan. He starts out as a minor recurring villain and ends up having arguably the best character arc in the entire series. 

During its two seasons, The Legend of Prince Valiant tackles some heavy topics, such as; alcoholism, child-abuse, racism and even gun...sorry, crossbow-safety. It does this without coming across as preachy or condescending. 

Though it seems to have fallen into obscurity, The Legend of Prince Valiant is one of the best western cartoons of the 90's. Easily comparable to the likes of Batman: TAS and Gargoyles. Highly recommended.

No Likable Characters

 Picture this, dear Reader: You are on a review-site (Goodreads, IMDB. Whatever, it doesn't matter) and while you are there, you decide to check out the reviews of something you watched/read/played recently and, in some of the less enthusiastic reviews, you find the above statement or a variation thereof. 

This statement has always bothered me, because I seldom feel that its valid as criticism. Note that I said seldom, not never, there are definitely times when the creator(s) of a work intended a character to be liked by the audience and failed at making them so.That said, if a character isn't likable, nine times out of ten, its because they were not meant to be. 

And yet, a lot of people seem to treat is as such, considering likability to be tantamount when talking about characters in a work of fiction.

Why is that? Personally, I think its because people tend to equate 'likable' with 'interesting'. Now, to be fair, the two tend to go hand in hand, even for me. I know that, if I find a character to be likable, its a fair assumption  that I find them interesting as well. 

However, just because two things are connected does not mean they are synonymous. And so, I shall explain (or at least attempt) how the two of them differ, in my opinion. 

Basically, to me, a character being likable means that I like that character, as a person. They have my sympathy and I would not mind socializing with them in real-life.

None of the above need apply to a character that I simply find engaging in the role given to them by the narrative. Some of my favorite characters in fiction are horrible people, even outright monsters. However, they are compelling monsters and ultimately, that's what counts: The Worst crime a fictional character can be guilty of is not mass-murder, enslavement or any other real-life atrocity. No, its to be boring.

Chapter 76

 On the ship carrying Risha and Merees, the Captain had just finished showing the two women and Kyros the route of the ship's voyage.

"And there you have it" he said. "Barring any incidents and if the Gods smile on us, we should reach our destination in four months."

Merees leaned forward, taking a closer look at the map spread out over the table the four of them had gathered around.

Not that I would presume to tell you how to do your job, Captain" she began."However, I can't help but notice that this is a huge detour. Surely, you would save time if you were to anchor here and then have a caravan take your cargo the rest of the way?"

"Aye" the Captain replied, with a touch of bitterness in his voice. "That's how we used to do it. Unfortunately, that option is no longer available to us."

"Why is that?"

"That is Guancan territory and recently, Guanaca came under Vinolian control. Unfortunately, the country whose flag this ship sails under and Vinoli are not on good terms."

Seeing expression of shock and bafflement that his words had caused to appear on Merees' face, the Captain hastened to explain the circumstances around her homeland's take-over of Guanaca, as far as he knew it.

Merees listened to the Captain, her brow furrowed with vexation. 

"How did the Vinolian army managed to take Guanaca?" She asked, once he had finished filling her in. "I thought that the desert-kingdom was supposed to be impenetrable?" The Answer to her question came to her almost as soon as she had asked it. "Of course! They must have inside-help."

The Captain nodded.

"Rumor has it that it was someone close to the late King Bashar, who betrayed the city to the Vinolians."

"Is that so? Well, whoever that person was I'm sure they had their reasons."

"Aye, everyone does. Though whatever reasons they might have had does not alter the fact that our journey will be longer and certainly more arduous than it has ever been."

"True, not to mention its because of that person that Guanaca is now in the hands of A..."

Merees did not finish her sentence. Risha, who had not said anything their meeting suddenly got up and, still not saying a word, left the state-room, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, well" the Captain said, scratching his head. "What got into her all of a sudden?"

"A bout of sea-sickness, perhaps" Merees said. "I had better see to her. Excuse me, gentlemen."

*****

Risha was standing by the ship's railing, staring out at the horizon, when Merees joined her.

"Something the matter, hon?" The Dragon asked.

"It was me", the lynx replied, her voice hoarse. "I'm the person who allowed the Vinolian army to enter Guanaca."

I knew it, Merees thought to herself. She placed a sympathetic hand on her lover's trembling shoulder.

"I knew perfectly well that by doing so, I had essentially handed Guanaca over to Argath, but at the time, I did not care: All I could think of was that this was my chance to regain my freedom and have Bashar at my mercy, to finally make him pay for all the indignities he had made me suffer."

"I'm not judging you, Risha" Merees said. "Nor should anyone else. Everyone would have made the same choice in your situation and if not? Well,  in that case, they might as well remain slaves."

"Freedom is not a gift, it is the right of every  Vinolian citizen..." Risha said, speaking in a small voice but loud enough for Merees to hear.

"...Should anyone infringe on that right, do not ask for its return, but reclaim it", Merees finished. "My father always said that was the most important part of the Vinolian constitution."

"Something tells me that the constitution has been greatly rewritten in the past five years" Risha sighed.

"Doesn't matter. Once Argath has been overthrown, we can restore it to how it used to be."

If we win, Risha was about to say, but kept those words to herself. No point in getting bogged down by negativity, after all. No, better to assume the best while preparing for the worst.

She moved closer to Merees and the two of them stood there, close together, feeling the sea-breeze and listening to the sound of the waves splashing against a hull. 

"Do you think the Captain figured out why I left so abruptly?" Risha asked, after a few minutes silence.

"Don't worry, I made up an excuse for you.Say, something wet just hit my head."

"Me too."

Lynx and dragon both looked up and saw that sky, which had previously been blue, had suddenly turned grey. The Captain came out on deck, followed by Kyros.

"Storm's coming!" He bellowed. "All passengers, get off the deck! Now!!"

Later, Risha and Merees huddled together, while the rain-drops spattered against their cabin's porthole and the ever-higher waves played catch with their ship.

"Mer?" Risha moaned.

"Yes, hon."

"What excuse did you give to the Captain?"

"I told him you were sea-sick."

"I see. Can you pass me the chamber-pot under the bed?"

"Why? Don't tell me..."

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

*****

In his chamber, Jeraddin was woken by the sun shining through the blinds and striking him in the face. With a yawn, the male lynx sat up and let out a grunt of pain. He ached all over and for a moment, Jeraddin wondered if he had slept in an uncomfortable position. Then, he saw the ledger lying on the bed beside him and the memories of last night came flooding back.

Getting out of bed, Jeraddin proceeded to his private bathroom (his house was one of those in the Vinolian capital that were equipped with indoor plumbing). Upon entering, he noticed his reflection, covered in scratches from last night's brawl, in the doors of the medicine cabinet and winced.

I can't let Flora see me like this, he thought, and opened the cabinet to see if it contained anything that could be of help. Rummaging around its contents, the General soon found a bottle with the following label:

Healing Salve

-For minor wounds and aches. Apply to the afflicted area and wait ten minutes.

Jeraddin uncorked the bottle and began to follow the instructions...

Somewhat later, Jeraddin, now dressed in a bathrobe, the scratches on his face fully faded, was having breakfast in the kitchen.

"Tough night, Sir?" Flora asked, as she poured more coffee into Jeraddin's cup.

Jeraddin swallowed his porridge and nodded.

"Indeed, but well worth it. You can take my word for that."

"May I ask if you will come in late this evening as well?"

Jeraddin thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"No, today unless something comes up, I shall stay home. Maybe catch up on my reading."

In that moment, the sound of someone knocking on the front door could be heard. Flora went out to answer and returned with two members of the city-watch. Jeraddin greeted them and asked how he might be of service?

The Two watchmen exchanged awkward looks.

"It's like this, General...." One of them began. "We need you to come with us."

"Someone's pressed charges against you" added his colleague.

"What?" Flora took a step forward, brandishing the ladle she had used to stir the porridge, menacingly. "Who dares?"

"Peace, Flora" Jeraddin said, holding up a paw. The Housekeeper lowered her arm and stepped back.

"I am at your disposal" he told the guards. "Before we go though, permit me to go upstairs and change into more suitable attire. Don't worry, I will not give you the slip."

 

Chapter 75

 Aboard the Maelstrom, a lonely figure took a pause in its pacing back and forth across the deck, to stare longingly towards the harbor. The Figure, a heavy-set, blue-furred member of the feline family, thought with envy of his fellow crewmen, now currently living it up in one of the area's pleasure establishments. He would have liked to be in their shoes, but unfortunately for him, being the newest addition to the crew,  meant that the Captain had selected him to stay guard over the ship.

His stomach growling, the cat went over to a nearby barrel and took from it a dried herring.  Unfortunately, he barely got to savor this meager repast, for just as he had swallowed down the fish's head, something struck him on the back of his head, and such was the force of the blow, that it immediately pulled a veil down over his eyes and caused his legs to give out underneath him.

It was, of course, none other than Jeraddin who had caused the cat to take this involuntary nap. As he massaged his paw, the lynx looked down at the unconscious form at his feet and, while doing so, thought back on the days of his youth, when he would lead small groups of soldiers in raids on Frigonian camps. It was comforting to know that the on-set of middle-age had not diminished his skill at taking an unsuspecting sentry by surprise.

Of course, we slit the Frigonian guard's throats rather than knocking them unconscious, Jeraddin mused. Red on steel, red on claws. Gruesome business. You can count yourself lucky that its peace-time and that you are a  civilian and a Vinolian citizen. Still, I had better take some additional precautions, in case you'd come to while I'm still aboard. 

Taking a look around the deck, Jeraddin soon found what he was looking for: A rope, which he used to tie the cat's paws together behind his back. This task accomplished, the lynx set about exploring the ship. Jeraddin knew that the Captain's quarters were usually located right under the bridge and indeed, there was a door right there. A door which turned out to be locked. Jeraddin thought about searching the cat's pockets, but decided that that would be a waste of time. After all, Cerewan would hardly have entrusted the keys to the cabin to one of his crew, instead of taking them with him. He briefly considered to search the ship for a crowbar, or some other kind of tool with which to get the door open, but decided that it would eat up too much time and time was something Jeraddin did not wish to waste.

Had Jeraddin been a burglar, he would have carried a set of lock-picks with which to open any door. But, of course, he was not one and therefore had none.

With no other alternative left to him, Jeraddin decided to resort to brute force. Bracing himself, the lynx  gave the door a hard tackle, putting all his strength behind it. One more go was all it took for the hinges to give and the door to come crashing down. After a quick look over his shoulder, to make sure that the noise had not waken the cat, or attracted any attention from the harbor,  Jeraddin entered Cerewan's sanctum.

Inside, Jeraddin's gaze swept past the unmade bed and  the chest containing what was no doubt the Captain's clothes and other personal belongings, but rested on the small bookcase, containing a strongbox, a logbook and two black ledgers. 

Jeraddin first picked up the strongbox and gave it a shake. The Rattling sound made it obvious that it only contained money. He put it back, took out the logbook and leafed through it, but could find nothing incriminating in it. Disappointed, but still hopeful, he took out one of the ledgers. It was marked 'Merchandise: Earnings'.

This seems promising.

However, upon opening the ledger, all the lynx met with was a blank page. A quick look confirmed that all the pages were blank. Frustrated, Jeraddin took out the other ledger, marked 'Expenses'. 

Same thing there. How was this possible? Jeraddin scratched his head in bewilderment. He refused to believe that Cerewan had simply not written anything in either ledger and yet, there was nothing there. Unless....

Jeraddin went over to the chest and opened it. Inside he found what he was looking for; a tinder-box and a candle. He carried these items and the ledgers over to the Captain's table and sat down. 

Having lit the candle, the lynx opened the first ledger and held the flame close to the page, making sure that they did not come into contact with each other. Gradually, letters became visible. 

Jeraddin had to bite down on his tongue to suppress a sudden urge to shout 'Hurrah!, his hunch had been correct. He proceeded to do the same to each of the ledger's pages, until its secrets were revealed to him. On each page rows and rows of names were written and next to each name, a species and a sum. 

These must be the poor wretches Cerewan delivered to the slave-market, Jeraddin thought, with a heavy heart. Then, he saw one name and although he had been prepared for it, it made his insides turn cold:

Risha Lynx 2 silver 50 bronze.

With a ferocious expression on his face, Jeraddin slammed the ledger shut. He had seen enough. As for the other ledger, he had a hunch that it contained the bribes Cerewan had to pay, not just to the authorities to keep them from putting their nose in his business, but also to other scoundrels, more powerful than he himself.

Jeraddin picked up the ledgers and hid them under his shirt. He was just about to leave, only to get a most unwelcome surprise: 

Standing in the doorway was the cat, holding a flintlock pistol whose muzzle was pointed straight at Jeraddin.

"So, you are the mangy cur responsible for my headache. You have three seconds to tell me your business here and then, I'll shoo..."

With a roar, Jeraddin leaped towards the cat and, before the latter had time to react had wrenched the gun out of his paw. Jeraddin bent down to pick up the weapon, but by now, the cat had regained his composure and with a furious meow, threw himself on top of the lynx. The Two adversaries rolled around on the floor, teeth biting, claws scratching. During their fight, they crashed violently into the table, causing the still lit candle to fall to the floor. The Flame did not  go out, instead it spread across the floor, growing in size the more dust-bunnies it consumed. 

Suddenly, the cat let out a pained howl and rushed out of the cabin, the tip of his tail on fire. As for Jeraddin, he was frantically searching for the ledgers, which he had dropped during the brawl. There they were! Already being licked by the flames. Quickly, Jeraddin snatched a blanket from the Captain's cot and smothered the flames with it.

Unfortunately, Jeraddin discovered his dismay that one of the ledgers had been practically burnt to the crisp. However, the other was still in decent condition, only somewhat singed in the corners. Jeraddin picked it up and, clutching it tightly to his chest, the lynx left the cabin and headed down the Maelstrom's gangplank, as quickly as his feet could carry him, barely paying attention to the splashing sound coming from the water below.

****

In a tavern not far from where the Maelstrom was anchored, her Captain and most of her crew, were busy enjoying themselves, when the tavern-doors suddenly flew open and a young water-rat, visibly out of breath rushed inside.

"Cap'n Cerewan, come quickly!" The Youth gasped, looking at the tiger. "Your ship, its on fire!"

"You little...." Cerewan grabbed hold off the messenger's collar. "If this is a joke, you'll live to regret it."

"No joke, Cap'n" the water-rat protested, his voice trembling slightly. "I swear."

"You better not" Cerewan growled. He let go of the water-rat and turned to his crew. "Alright, men, break it up! We're leaving!"

As one the crew dropped everything they were doing and, followed their Captain out the door. Once outside, the smell of something burning hung in the air, invading their nostrils. A smell that came in the direction of the Maelstrom. Cerewan's striped face turned white with rage, whoever was responsible for this would pay dearly.

****

Only when he was finally back inside his own home did Jeraddin become aware of how exhausted tonight's events had made him.

No doubt, age is catching up on, you old boy, he thought, as he headed for his bedroom. 

Once there, the lynx had barely removed his boots, before he collapsed on top of the bed. Next morning, Flora came and knocked on his bedroom door, as per instructions. And, when she not get an answered, stepped inside and found the General sound asleep, still wearing his clothes, using what looked like a black ledger as a pillow.

The Last Goodbye

 From the private journal of Her Royal Highness, Argath. Crown-Princess of Vinoli:

Maja's funeral was held today. As I traveled there, to say my last goodbye, I noticed that the sky was blue and the sun shone brightly. This vexed me; on a day like this, when such a precious life is taken away, the heavens themselves ought to cry with grief. 

As for me, the last time I felt this miserable was when I received news of my brother's death. However, in one way, this one is worse. Unlike Argeron, Maja died of natural causes and, as a consequence, there's no-one I can hold responsible. No-one I can take out my loss on.

Upon arriving at the cemetery, I told Lorenzo to wait in the carriage. At the gates, I was met by Maja's son Felix, his wife Lucinda and their twin sons, who were hiding behind their mother's skirts. Felix took a step forward.

"Thank you for coming, Your Highness" he said and he and the rest of his family all bowed (or, in Lucinda's case, curtsied). "It means a lot."

"Of course" I replied. "My condolences."

I took Felix' and then Lucinda's hands in mine. Their eyes began to fill up with tears and so, did my own. I let the tears flow down my cheeks, figuring that they were the last ones I would ever shed. Eventually, we wiped all our tears away and proceeded towards the small temple, which could be seen not to far away.

This temple was one of those that are not dedicated to a single deity. Instead, various religions and cults take turn making use of it. Maja had been a devotee of the Goddess Vristlar and so, it was one of her priests that would oversee the funeral ceremony. 

Inside the temple, several villagers had gathered to pay their last respects. As soon as we entered, they all rose in their pews. I noticed that my appearance caused something of a stir in their midst, with several of them staring at me. Not that I blame them. On the contrary, I find it to be a natural reaction when in the presence of a superior being.

We went up to the front-row seats. To the right of the altar, I could glimpse Maja's casket. A fine-looking thing, hewn from dark wood. I gave Felix an approving look; here was a son any mother could be proud of. As soon as we were seated, the priest cleared his throat and began his speech. 

It was a pretty good speech, I suppose. The Priest talked at great length about what a fantastic person Maja had been and how much she would missed by those who had known her. From the pews behind me, I could hear sobbing. 

While the priest kept talking, I found myself transported back in time, to when I first met Maja. Although neither Felix nor Lucinda had been born yet, I remember it as though it was yesterday. How did we meet? Well, it all began when King Sharan informed me that he intended to give a ball in the palace...

*****

"Since its springtime, I intend to make this a ball for the youth of Vinoli", said the King. "The ones who represent the future of our nation. Can I count on you to handle the details?"

"Of course, Father" I replied, ever the dutiful daughter. "Leave it all to me."

Anyway, to make a long story short, thanks to my tireless work, the ball was ready to be held at the date the King had set: One month later. The Guests arrived and, having presented their invitations at the front-gate, were allowed to enter the Royal palace itself. Once inside, they were escorted into the throne-room, where the King and I waited for them. 

Once the last guest had arrived, the King gave a speech in which he bid them all welcome, on my behalf and his own and expressed a wish that they would enjoy themselves.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Highness." The Guests replied in chorus. 

The King nodded, a wide smile on his face. He then nodded towards the director of the Royal Orchestra and soon, the throne-room was filled with music.

From my place next to the throne (which I shall one day occupy) I observed our guests. Some of them were mingling together in small groups, others had gone straight for the refreshment table. Lastly, the boldest among them had taken to the dance-floor. It was there that I saw Maja for the first time. She was a vision, never in my life had I seen a lovelier creature. I watched Maja as she twirled across the dance-floor, unable to take my eyes off her. I decided then and there, that she would be mine.

I turned to the King.

"Father, would you mind if I joined in the fun?"

"Of course not, my dear" King Sharan replied. "You go ahead."

I gave a sign to the orchestra, the music stopped, as did the dancing. All eyes were on me and I could tell that the guests were waiting with bated breath to see which one of them would have the privilege of being my partner. 

They did not have to wait long, as I purposefully made my way up to Maja.

"Care to dance?" I asked, holding out my hand, while giving her my most charming smile. 

Naturally, Maja was not going to turn down the daughter of her King. She accepted the hand I offered her and the orchestra began to play again.

As I could tell from when I watched her, Maja was an excellent dancer. We danced for awhile, then headed over to the refreshment table. There, I poured wine from a decanter into two goblets and handed one to Maja.

We toasted (I can't recall to what exactly. Youth, perhaps?) and drank. Once we had emptied our goblets, I asked Maja if she would like a tour of the palace-gardens? She accepted and we headed outside. Either Maja was not used to alcohol, or she had a weak constitution against it, for her face was flushed and she stumbled on the gravel path. Instinctively, she grabbed hold of my arm for support.

"Oh! F-forgive me, Your Highness" she apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine" I assured her. "You can lean on me, until you feel better. Say, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

And so, as we walked together, Maja, obviously flattered that someone like me would take an interest in her, talked. At first, I only listened with half an ear, my thoughts were on other things. Namely, the things I would do to her, once I had her in my bedchamber and out of that blue dress she wore. Gradually, however, I realized that I was getting more and more interested in what she was telling me. I confess that this baffled me at first, because I could find nothing in Maja's chatter that I could make use of. I then realized that I enjoyed hearing her voice, simple as that. 

It was then that a thought came to me. 

"Maja" I said, applying some light pressure to her arm to make her stop talking.

"Your Highness?" She asked, looking at me.

"I would like for the two of us to be friends. Would you?"

"I would be deeply honored to have Your Highness's friendship" Maja agreed.

"Good. Now, the first thing I want you to do as my friend is to stop calling me 'Your Highness'. At least when its just the two of us: Call me Argath."

If anyone who knew me had been present, I doubt they would have believed the testimony of their own ears. After all, I have never allowed anyone of my future subjects to call me by my first name. Not even my friends with benefits get that privilege. At most, I can lower myself to allow them to call me 'Princess' rather than 'Your Highness', but that's as far as it goes. 

Why then,  should I grant such a huge privilege to this girl I had just met? Simple, at the time, I could think of no sound more beautiful than that of my own name uttered by Maja's voice. 

She wasted no time in exersising the honor bestowed upon her and the result did not disappoint.

Like music to my ears, I thought. Though I wager it will sound even better when screamed out in a fit of ecstacy.

I was brought back to reality by Maja informing me that her feet was getting tired. We had, in fact, walked a considerable distance. Fortunately, the palace-garden does not suffer from a shortage of benches and so, we picked one out and took possession of it.  Our  bench was located near a bush, the sound of a fountain could be heard coming from somewhere on the other side of it. 

"This is nice" I said, moving closer to Maja. "I don't get many opportunities to just sit down and relax like this."

"Being the Crown-Princess is a lot of responsibility I take it?" Maja asked.

"It is. Why, this place could not function without me."

"Oh? And by 'this place', do you mean the palace or all of Vinoli?"

"Both, of course" I replied.

Apparently, Maja had mistook my most sincere answer for a joke, for she suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Fueled, no doubt, by the alcohol in her system. 

Normally, I would have taken offense at this kind of behavior and would have devised some way to punish the person responsible. For some reason, though, I found myself unable to get mad at Maja. Instead, her pealing laughter had a contagious effect on me, so that, having listened to it for a few seconds, I soon found myself joining her in her merriment. 

We sat like this for a while, holding on to each other, our bodies shaking with mirth. Until, finally, the laughter subsided. We looked at each other, through glittering eyes and then, Maja leaned forward and kissed me.

It was not a long kiss. In fact, her lips only touched mine for the briefest of moments and yet, it made my inner fire flare up stronger than it ever had before. 

Just then, the voice of Felix called softly to me, through the mists of time, taking me out of the sweet past and back to the dismal present.

*****

"I apologize for disturbing your thoughts, Princess" Felix whispered to me. "I merely thought you would like to know that the ceremony is finished."

I looked around. Indeed, the priest had stopped talking and most of the funeral guests had left their seats and had now formed a line.

"They are about to bid my mother farewell, before she's taken to the family crypt. Would Your Highness like to accompany us there?"

"Unfortunately", I said, having let out a deep sigh, "as much as I would like too, I'm afraid that Royal duty calls and so, I have to decline." I glanced at the line, which was gradually growing shorter. "You will grant me a moment alone with her, will you?" 

"Of course, Princess."

Felix rose and went over to the line. Soon, the temple was emptied of people and I stepped up to the coffin. I looked at Maja, struck by how lifelike she seemed; as though she was merely asleep and could wake up at any moment. 

"Farewell, my love" I whispered into Maja's ear, before touching her lips with my own. 

And so, having said my last farewell, I left the temple to rejoin the others.

*****

While waiting for his mentor to return, Lorenzo had fallen asleep. The Sound of the carriage-door opening caused the young fox to stir and slowly open his one eye

"Welcome back, Princess" he yawned. "How was the funeral?"

Argath said nothing, but merely sat down on the opposite site of her protege and stared down at the carriage-floor.

"Princess, are you alright?" Lorenzo asked, after a moment's hesitation.

Still not receiving an answer, the fox reached up and knocked on the ceiling. The Carriage started to move, beginning its journey back to the capital.

Chapter 74

 Let us take our leave of Risha, Leorin and all their friends, for awhile.  In fact, let us take leave of the Eastern Continent altogether and instead return to Vinoli to spend some time with the male part of their parental unit.

After they had finished their meal, Jeraddin and Flora had returned home. There, the General had changed into civilian clothes and went out on town. 

"It's possible that I won't return until late" he had told his maid. "If so, I'll let myself in. You don't have to wait up for my sake."

"Understood, General. Have a nice walk."

As he walked down the streets of the capital, Jeraddin thought of his children; wondering where they were now and what they were doing? He also wondered if their paths have crossed? If so, he hoped that his daughter had told his son about their meeting in Guanaca. 

Jeraddin made a brief stop to gaze at the new arena, on which construction had begun shortly before he had left the capital. From the looks of it, it seemed as if the workers had come a long way already. Outside the construction site, there was a sign, upon which the following message had been written:

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this structure will be available for public use next year.

-Ursula (Royal Architect).

Leaving the arena behind, Jeraddin continued on his way. His wandering, done without a destination in mind, soon led him to the largest of the capital's three squares, the one which was dominated by a statue of the Queen, standing at a height of twelve meters (or, if you prefer, 39 feet and 4 inches).

As usual, the square at this time, was filled with people. At the base of the statue, a small group had gathered. They spoke casually, one of them had an unlit pipe in his mouth, which he sometimes removed to make a point. 

Jeraddin dropped a few coins into the hat of a nearby street musician, and proceeded to stroll among the stalls, where the street vendors were busy hawking their wares. At one of the stalls, a raccoon wearing a checkered coat was selling busts. As Jeraddin's eyes swept over the shelves, he caught his own likeness staring down at him.

"Ah, Sir" said the raccoon, in an accent made it clear that he came from Vinoli's southern regions. "I see that you are a person of person with an eye for the finer things, no? These are busts of the most highest qualities, depicting important Vinolian personages. Here, have a look at these one."

He took down one of the busts and placed it on the counter.

"Bust of famous General Jeraddin, only twenty-five bronze coins." The Raccoon paused in his sales-pitch and leaned forward, studying his potential customer inquisitively. 

"Sa-aay" he said, wagging his index-finger. "You look-a quite like these fella here, yes?"

"So I've been told" Jeraddin said, wryly, "but I have no need for a bust of my...of the General at the moment, I'm afraid."

"In that-a case, how about-a one of-a Her Majesty, instead?" Said the raccoon, gesturing towards one of the busts of Argath. Of course, its-a bit more expensive: Fifty bronze-coins."

Why does Argath's homely mug cost twice as much as mine? Jeraddin thought, somewhat piqued by this information. 

He was just about to tell the raccoon that he had no need for any busts, when an idea struck him.

"I'll take one of the Queen" he said and put the required sum down on the counter.

"An excellent choice!" Beamed the raccoon. "Would-a you like to have it delivered to your door?"

"No, I'll take it with me."

"As-a you wish. Have-a good day."

*****

When Jeraddin had first bought the bust, his intention had been to carry it down to the harbor and there, either smash it against the ground, or watch it disappear into the salty depths. 

Now that he had reached his destination though, he was beginning to have second thoughts. True, doing one of the above things would bring some satisfaction, but it would be fleeting. Instead, the lynx decided that he would remove the top of the bust and use it as a waste-basket, or an ashtray. Yes, that was more like it.

Besides, Jeraddin thought, filling its head with trash will make the bust's resemblance to its model even stronger.

It had been quite a long walk from the square to the harbor and Jeraddin was beginning to feel parched. To remedy this, he headed for one of the many taverns found in the area.

The Tavern was devoid of customers. Jeraddin went up to the bar, where a gorilla was busy polishing a glass. 

"Slow day?" He asked, putting the bust down on the counter.

"Somewhat, though most of my clientele don't show up until evening" replied the gorilla. "What's your poison?"

"Beer, dark."

"You're him, aren't you?" The Gorilla asked, while Jeraddin quenched his thirst. "The General?"

Jeraddin finished his beer.

"Afraid so" he said, wiping the lingering foam from his mouth with the back of his paw. 

"I met a girl once who looked a lot like you" said the gorilla, as he went back to polishing glass.

Jeraddin's ears perked up. He was just about to ask the gorilla to tell him more, when the  tavern doors swung open and a mastiff and a weasel, both dressed in the city-guard's uniform, stepped inside and marched authoritatively up to the bar.

"Welcome, officers" said the gorilla. "How can I be of service?"

"We've received information that the decor of this establishment does not comply with the standard law of patriotism" barked the mastiff, putting his thumbs in his belt.

"In other words" said the weasel, "there is no tribute to our beloved head of state anywhere in this place.

"Which means a fine of one gold and three silver. Or one-thousand, three-hundred bronze."

The Gorilla turned pale.

"O-one thousand, three-hundred" he stuttered. "What if I don't have that kind of money on me?"

"In that case, you would have to come with us, Sir" replied the mastiff. "Are we to assume that you can't pay the fine?"

Jeraddin had been listening to the words of the two guards with growing distaste. He decided that the time had come for him to intervene.

"If I were you officers, I would not be so hasty in carrying out my duty" he said, in a casual tone of voice.

For the first time since entering the tavern did the mastiff and the weasel become aware that there was another person in there. They both turned towards the speaker, the weasel looked as if he was about to tell him to mind his own business, but the mastiff stopped him by grabbing his elbow and giving him a cautionary look.

"What do you mean?" He asked gruffly. "General" he added, having recognized the person he was addressing.

"I advise you to take a look at this" Jeraddin replied, indicating the bust. 

The Two guards stared at it and, although his face showed nothing, Jeraddin could not help but smile inwardly at how deflated they looked. As if their authority had just leaked out of them. The Mastiff was the first to gather his bearings.

"Our apologies" he muttered stiffly to the gorilla. "It seems as though we were misinformed. Good day." He touched the rim of his helmet. "General".

Once the two guards had left, with as much dignity as they could muster, the gorilla expressed his gratitude.

"You really saved my hide." He filled another tankard of ale and put it down in front of Jeraddin. "Here, this one's on the house."

"Tell me about this girl" said Jeraddin.

"She was in the company of two others; a boy and another girl. The Boy was a cat, with black-fur. Funny, I can't recall what the other girl looked like. Anyway, she asked me if I knew where they could find a ship that took passengers."

"And were you able to help them?" Jeraddin asked. Though he already knew the answer.

The Gorilla nodded. 

"There's this tiger, goes by the name Cerewan. He helps people who need to get out of Vinoli. One of his crew was here that day, so I introduced them to each other."

"This Cerewan, is he in town at the moment?"

"His ship's in the harbor, so I'd hazard a 'yes'."

"Are he and his crew regulars here?"

"They are regulars at every tavern in the harbor. They like to spread their money around."

"I see."

Jeraddin raised his second beer to his lips and drained it. 

"You wouldn't mind telling me the name of Cerewan's ship?" He asked casually, while twirling the empty tankard in his paws.

"I don't see what harm that could do. Its called 'the Maelstrom'."

"Thank you, you've been very helpful. Well, time for me to be on my way."

"Don't forget your thing, General" said the gorilla, pointing at the bust.

Jeraddin looked at his intended wastebasket/ashtray with disinterest.

"Keep it" he said, as he walked out the door. "It is evident that you have more need of it than I do."

******

As the sun began its descent, the denizens of the harbor flocked to its many taverns and brothels, with the Crew of the Maelstrom being no exception. Concealed in the shadows, Jeraddin watched them leave their ship. As they unknowingly passed him by, Jeraddin got his first look at Cerewan. So, this was the fiend who had robbed his little girl of her freedom. The Lynx's body tensed up and a low growl rose up from his throat. How he wanted to pounce on Cerewan and tear the out the tiger's throat with his teeth. 

No, calm yourself Jeraddin. Attacking Cerewan openly would only lead to trouble for you. There are other ways to bring an enemy down.

Forcing himself to relax, Jeraddin waited until the crew had entered one of the establishments. Then, he stealthily approached the ship.