When Men Meet Monsters

Ellova ~ 14 Out of the Ashes

"Are you ready, Ell?" I stood with my back to Akalze, twisting my ring around and around my finger. Since the morning after my wedding, I have worn it as a costume piece. I was just playing the part of Isvarr's wife. But as I prepared to revolt and overthrow my husband, I had to wonder. I wondered how powerful those vows truly were, how seriously God took them. Was I really supposed to love and protect a man who took and mutilated everything I loved? Not a single bone in my body believed that I could ever love him, but I could not get his words and the way he looked at me out of my head. How much of this tragedy was his fault and how much was he manipulated? How much should I try to forgive? And how long did I have to decide before the rebellion began? "Ell?" I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Update?" I pulled my fingers from the ring and brought them to my lips.

"The Kaingan Army is about a day's march away, so King Isvarr has mobilized his forces to go out and meet them before they reach the gates." I nodded; I knew all this. "He will be weakest then, and that is when we act. And Ellova-" She turned me to look her in the eye. "They are ready, whenever you give the order."

"As ready as they will ever be." I was acutely aware that my remaining Thaedians were not soldiers. A heavy fear rested in the pit of my stomach. They were carpenters, grocers, brick layers, merchants, and artisans. Yet, I was asking them to risk injury and death by rebelling. If they died, their blood was on my hands. I looked out the window again, down on Thaedia. How was I to reconcile that part of leadership? Could I take a life for the greater good?

"Are you ready?" Akalze asked. I answered truthfully.

"I am not sure." She shifted on her feet and looked down. "It is not like you to hold back." She sighed.

"I know that you are feeling many things, but..." She twisted one of her braids around her finger. "You have to be strong, be sure, for your people." I smiled and took her hand.

"I will be," I said with all the confidence and strength I had gotten good at faking.

"Were you taught to fight?" She asked, and the memory came to mind. I remembered the sword being pressed into my hand, the weight of it, and my disbelief that I could ever wield it. I remembered Maurice's eyes laughing at me, but he had been a natural sword fighter. Everyone, especially royals, should know how to defend themselves and others. He never hesitated training me.

"Yes, save your worry for them." I nodded at the people passing below us. She squeezed my hand.

A few hours later, Isvarr ordered his soldiers to engage with the Kaingan forces. They filed out of the city by the thousands, their armor polished and their flags raised high. It was a sight to behold. I watched the procession a respectable distance from Isvarr, but the caution was not necessary. He, or it, was solely focused on the army. Everyone, Priculonians and Thaedians alike, lined the streets to watch them pass. Many of the Priculonians were solemn, watching their fathers, brothers, and sons, uncertain if they would return. In the faces of the Thaedians, however, I could see anticipation. Mere hours away Thaedia's fate would be sealed, whether we would rise again or be crushed forever.

While Isvarr and his highest officials made their way to the war room, I slipped down to the armory. I could feel the mustiness on my skin. It was dark and crowded with weapons, armor, and cobwebs. I found a bag with clothes right where I had left it. I dressed quickly, for the first time since I was a child, in pants. I tucked them into sturdy boots and pulled my thick hair into a knot at the base of my head. "Psst, need help?" Akalze emerged from the shadows, the orange light from her torch making her eyes gleam strangely. I gave her a smile and pointed to an older corner of the armory. Defunct or older models of weapons and armor were crammed into this section. If you paid attention, it told an interesting story about Thaedia's war history.