Chapter 1: Rescue (4,K)
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General Jace Wayland, protégé of King Valentine.
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Jace looked at the full moon rising through the small window of his cell, sighing with chagrin as he realized that it had been for a full month that he had been held captive. He tried very hard to not think of his men and of the possibility that they could have been captured as well, or even worse, killed by the mercenaries who took him; and he let despair take over him as he leaned his head against the cold wall of his prison cell.
He didn't even know where he was. Whether it was in which country, or in which part of the keep, Jace had absolutely no idea of his location. He knew that he was in a high part of the keep because he could distinctly see the sky every day that passed by. And he also knew that he was rather far away from any stairs because he never heard his keepers' echoing footsteps walking up the stairs in the rare times they came to feed him.
Jace had to say that he was rather surprised that he hadn't been tortured. He had been expecting much, given his high rank in the army, and his close connection to his King. And this was what was destroying him the most. It wasn't so much of being at the mercy of some mercenaries, it wasn't that he had been bested by some lawless criminal. No, what killed Jace the most was that he had let down his King and failed the mission that his monarch had entrusted to him.
"General. After thinking about it very thoroughly, I decided to end this meaningless war with the Garroway Kingdom. I have been advised that the tactic that I had been using ever since the beginning of this war was not good enough, and so I feel like I should follow a new kind of ' Diplomacy' to ensure the peace in our kingdoms," King Valentine told him as they were alone in the vast Council room.
The Garroway Kingdom had declared war for over a decade. Jace had always lived with the threat that war might become less latent and explode at any moment overnight. He never really knew what the two Kings' feud was actually about, he just knew that King Luke Garroway was determined to win, and to kill Jace's King and benefactor, Valentine Morgenstern. Jace knew that several private assassins had been sent against the good King Valentine, and that the General Lucian Graymark was the only reason the monarch had never been harmed- yet.
Several times, the Council tried to convince the King to march on to the Garroway kingdom and crush his kingdom before he could try to ally with any other, or get his army too strong for them; but the King never accepted, always saying that this wouldn't be right or fair. But, maybe this time was different.
"Are you intending on sending peace emissaries?" Jace asked, although he already knew the answer to his question.
King Valentine already went to the Garroway Kingdom during Jace's teenage years, in the hope to finally cease this endless latent war; but it only came to a dead-end. Jace could still remember how upset the King had been when he came back from this journey, and how he had wished that his monarch had let him come with him so he could have been of some moral support for him in this foe country.
The King was everything to Jace. Mostly because Jace had no-one else, but also because Jace deeply cared for his leader. It was the King who caught him stealing when he was ten years old, but the Morgesntern monarch took Jace in. He treated him as a son and provided for him with everything that he could want or need. It was the King who placed Jace in the army forces and asked for his best man to take care of his training. It was the King who made sure that Jace learned how to write and read. It was the King who ensured that Jace's knowledge of foreign politics was flawless. And yet, the King did many things that Jace never thought he would receive.
When he was sick, the King would always stay by his bed. When he was in doubt, the King would advise him the best he could. The King came to see Jace weekly at the barracks since Jace always refused to come live at the Palace, and slowly, they built a relationship that Jace wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Sure, this relationship might have helped him become a General sooner than men usually did, despite his young age; but Jace also knew that he was General Graymark's best soldier. He was the best swordsman (notably of their country and many others), he was the most resistant fighter, and he was the one who could always put aside his feelings in battle.
"No," The King said with a sad smile that Jace shared. They both knew that the question had been useless. "I ... I have been advised on something completely different and new. And after many sleepless nights, I think this is the most logical thing to do given the situation, and its recent development. I want you to take fifty of your best men and go to this kingdom so you could settle this nonsense once and for all."
Jace scrutinised his monarch, slightly taken aback by the way the King wasn't completely straightforward, and he bluntly asked: "Are you sending me to kill him?"
The king grimaced, apparently not liking the question, but Jace knew that his King always liked and valued his honesty. Still, it seemed that the sovereign was having an internal struggle, and so Jace just waited for him to say what he had to say. The older man looked at Jace, his dark brown eyes showing concern, making Jace suddenly feel like the little kid he was when the King took him in.
"I am sending you to save the innocent lives of the citizens of both of our kingdoms. I will not spend lives of countless soldiers in a pointless war that neither of us can win. But I am not sending you to be a butcher. I am sending you, because I know you will make the right judgement call when the moment is needed. And if you have to kill King Luke in the end, so be it."
Jace nodded, understanding that his monarch was hoping for a more peaceful ending than King Luke's death. Jace could actually tell that the King was withholding something from him, but he didn't pressure the King into revealing his plans. Jace knew that sometimes, the best strategy was to have the least people know about it. If he had inform another ranked officer about it, and was judging that this was enough, Jace wouldn't question his judgement.
For a while, they both stayed silent, Jace staring into space, the King in his line of sight. He had to admit, it seemed that his monarch had aged considerably over the past couple of weeks, but it was probably just exhaustion. Even though his hair was starting to grey(or rather-white), replacing his pale blond hair, and even though wrinkles had started to appear around his eyes, the King was still a strong man. Unlike many other monarchs, he didn't let luxury get the best of him. He still trained, giving him that broad and imposing look that he still had, and he made a point on riding his horse at least twice a week, which made him endurant.
Suddenly Jace realised why the King seemed to have aged so abruptly. It was because he seemed devastated by his decision. But before he could say anything about it, the King inhaled deeply and regained his calm mask, giving Jace more information about his mission: "Given that you will be marching with a significant group of soldiers, it will probably take you four months or so to reach the Garroway kingdom. And I estimate that it would take several weeks for you to find a decent and reasonable way to approach him. I trust you to make the right decisions at the right times, and this is why I am giving you a total power of representation. Only my name will be stronger than your word. Make sure that you use that power, wisely."
"I will," Jace promised.
"And I trust you to trust your soldiers as well," King Valentine said in a firm and imposing tone, planting his dark brown gaze on Jace's golden eyes. "A different perspective can make the difference between war and peace."
Jace nodded his affirmative yet again, and the King slowly paced in the Council room, his hands behind his back. Jace waited for the King to dismiss him, but the monarch kept on pacing, obviously preoccupied by what he was about to say, which alarmed Jace a little. King Valentine never hesitated in sharing with him his doubts in the matter of war or battle plans. So what was wrong?
"You will take ten men in addition to your squad. Untrained as soldiers, but necessary to this mission," The King said as he sat in the throne, making Jace frown. He couldn't spare time in training men to become soldiers.
"Your majesty, it's suicide that to take—"
"It was not a suggestion that I was giving you. This is an order. They are untrained as soldiers, but they know about the art of war. And like I said, they are necessary to this mission. I cannot only send men of war, when I am seeking peace," King Valentine firmly cut him off, everything in his tone indicating that he wouldn't give in to Jace.
So Jace nodded and bowed to his King with deference and humility, before taking his leave. As Jace opened the main door, the King said with kindness: "I am not sending you there to die, Jace. I want you to come back. I want you to come back with your soldiers, and my men. All of you."
And now, Jace had failed his King. The mission would never be accomplished and it was all his fault.
If he had listened to his King and taken more consideration and care for the non-soldiers' opinions, Jace would never had been in this position. Magnus Bane warned him several times that they were going the wrong way, and that they should head North. But Jace refused to pay attention to his wise words because Magnus Bane wasn't a soldier to begin with. He was one of the men imposed by the King, and despite his best efforts to not make any difference between his soldiers and the additional men, Jace still had a hard time accepting the newest members of his unit.
He had to say that none of the ten men was doing anything to try to blend in with the soldiers. They were always staying among themselves, and only mingled when they had no other choice. It seemed that Magnus Bane was the authority figure among them, which Jace could understand. Ever since Magnus arrived from his foreign country far East, he had been one of the closest Council member to the Morgenstern sovereign. So it seemed only fitting that he was now the high figure for those men that the King had imposed to Jace. Especially since Magnus seemed to make it his life goal to remind him that they were two different kind of men.
Suddenly, someone slapped him hard and strong, swiftly bringing their hand to his mouth to prevent him from making any noise. Jace opened his eyes widely -realizing that he had dozed off- and gasping loudly, though the sound of his voice was muffled by the hand on his mouth. Jace squinted, trying to see through the darkness and musty air of his cell; and he saw one of the men of his squad staring at him, silently pleading with him to keep silent.
Finally, Jace managed to discern the form of the soldier, and with slight disappointment, he saw that his rescuer was one of his King's men. He was actually the man that Jace could stand the least. He couldn't really say why, but Jace always felt uneasy around this particular man. The Mute. Jace didn't even know his real name. They all just called him that because of his obvious condition.
The Mute was the smallest man of Jace's unit. He was so small that Jace thought that the King burdened him with a child when he first saw him, wondering if the boy had even hit puberty. Not that he could really say since he actually never saw the face of the young boy. The mute always had a dirty face (which wasn't surprising for a travelling army man), and a scarf over his throat and mouth, and a hood covering his hair and the upper part of his face. No-one ever questioned it because they mainly assumed that he was hiding an ugly scar on his throat behind his scarf.
And still, despite the fact that he was doing his best to always go unnoticed, Jace was always very much aware of this particular man whenever they had to spend time together. Jace couldn't really tell why, he just felt uncomfortable around him. Maybe it was because of the way the mute would sometimes look directly into his eyes, his bright green eyes clearly looking right through his soul. Or maybe it was because of this aura of déjà-vu that surrounded the mute.
And to be honest, Jace had been slightly annoyed by this particular man. The fact that he couldn't talk to him was rather unnerving because he couldn't tell what the man was thinking. But that was nothing compared to the fact that Jace couldn't look over the height (or lack of it) of this man. He wasn't army material, not even farm material. It was more than him being too small, it was that he was also rather skinny. It seemed like a brisk wind could make him fly. And as for a matter of weapons, Jace couldn't even say if he was really worth it. Sure, he knew how to handle a blade, but since no-one really wanted to pick on the small mute, Jace never actually saw him fight. Though, Jace had to admit that the kid was impressive with his bow.
"How did you get here?" Jace asked, knowing that it was useless for he would have no real answer from him.
The Mute silently pointed the window of the keep, and Jace followed the direction. He narrowed his eyes when he understood what the small soldier was telling him, not quite believing it. Despite the fact that the window was too high to have been climbed to, there were also bars on the window, made to prevent anyone to pass through. With his brows raised, Jace looked back at the Mute, and he had to admit that the man was skinny enough to pass through the bars. It had probably been rather painful and unpleasant.
Carefully, the Mute walked to Jace, not making a single noise; and then he gently knelt to the General taking his hands in his so he could pick the lock of the manacles on his wrists. As soon as his hands were free, Jace massaged his wrists with a relieved sigh, a part of his mind telling him that even the Mute's fingers were not fit for the military life. They were too delicate. And still the Mute rested a firm and strong hand on Jace's chest when he tried to get up. Clearly he gestured to Jace to stay put before walking to the window and swinging his sword out of the window, cutting down a cord.
Jace watched the young boy tilt his head up to stare at the dark sky, as if he was waiting for something. Then, the Mute walked back to Jace and reached for his belt in order to give the General a gourd of water. Jace greedily drank the life-giving liquid gratefully; and suddenly, a wolf howled in he night. The soldier snapped his head to the bared window before taking the gourd away from Jace's hands. He gestured to his Superior to remain silent and still, disappearing into the shadows of the cell, right beside the door, so well hidden that Jace had to squint to distinguish his form.
A long minute passed by with nothing happening, and just when Jace was about to tell the Mute that nothing was happening and that they should try to escape instead of staying like sitting ducks, the door of his cell opened, revealing the guard that came daily in order to taunt Jace before giving him his portion of food. But before he could make any step toward Jace, his vicious smirk still plastered on his face, the Mute jumped on the guard's life and sliced the throat of Jace's jailer, his small hand on the big man's mouth to muffle his scream.
Jace watched the mercenary open his eyes widely with surprise, feeling his life speeding away from him as the Mute waited mercilessly for the man to drop dead. Which took two long minutes. Once the guard finally fell limp on the floor, lifeless, the Mute straightened up, his eyes not moving from the man he had just killed, making Jace wonder if this was his first kill.
Jace got up, snapping the Mute away from any thoughts he was having, and the young boy slightly shook his head before walking back to the window where Jace saw a package that had never been there before. The young boy removed the cloth covering whatever he was hiding and gave it to Jace before putting on his bow and arrow. Jace looked at the Mute for a sparse second, always taken aback by the way he was holding his bow and arrows. Instead of putting his arrows in his quiver on his back, the small soldier always had them hanging on his right side.
With a tap on his arm, the Mute signaled to Jace to look at the floor, and the General took the sword that was laying there before following the soldier out of the cell. He noticed how the Mute glanced one last time to the dead guard on the floor as they exited the room, but didn't comment on it. What was the point of talking to someone who could't talk back?
As they silently walked through the keep - Jace following the Mute - he paid more attention to the young boy than he ever did. He wasn't wearing the equipment that Jace had imposed the ten King's men, but the same outfit that he was wearing when they met. Something that Jace didn't like because it didn't have any protection, though the young boy seemed lighter and more aware of his movements. They walked down the stairs, Jace comparing the Mute silent pace to a cat's, when they met face to face with a wandering guard. Swift as lightening, the Mute drew his arrow and planted it in the mercenary's throat before he could do or say anything. Then, he ran toward the guard, and hissed when the lawless man fell on the floor before he could reach him, making a loud clash as his armour kissed the cold stones of the keep.
Jace readied his sword, knowing that this sound would draw the other guards, and the mute unexpectedly got on his knees, fidgeting for something under his cape. Jace tried to make him get up so he could get ready to fight, but the soldier waved him off, signifying him to run first. Jace stubbornly stayed put, refusing to leave one of his men behind -especially a man who was risking his life to save him- and suddenly, a fire grew between the hands of the Mute.
The soldier helped the fire run wild in the corridor, before taking Jace by the arm and making him run in the opposite direction, right toward a window. Jace warily watched the window getting closer and closer, and at the last second, the Mute violently pushed him through it. With pleasant surprise, Jace fell on a large amount of straw and he had to roll at the last second as the Mute landed next to him in a more graceful crouch. Before Jace could even think of where they were in the keep, the young lad yanked his arm and ushered him towards one of the exit doors, but they were stopped by an arrow shot at them. The Mute curved his bow and spun at the last second to shoot an archer on the roof, taking half a second to aim. He was already aiming at another one when Jace spotted a door that could lead to somewhere safer than the open, and so he pulled them both through it.
Once they were both sheltered from enemy arrows, Jace tried to catch his breath, looking at the soldier who was himself peeping through the porthole. He seemed worried about something, and Jace could tell about what. They could hear orders being shouted out throughout the whole keep about finding him and bringing him back to his cell, no matter what.
"You should have gone through with the mission and left me behind," Jace hissed with frustration. But the Mute ignored him and determinedly walked toward the ascending stairs. Jace caught up with him informing the young man: "The way out is outside, not up."
The Mute shook his head and pointed up before showing the few arrows he had left. Jace was about to retort that he was still his General and that he knew better, when a squad of guards surprised them. Jace steadied his sword in his hand and fought off the first guard on his reach while the Mute was backing off. He seemed about to shoot arrows when he thought better of it, and put down his bow to draw two sabres, running by Jace's side.
They both fought side by side, Jace swiftly recovering a second sword to fight off the guards, though he had to admit, his month of detention had weakened him. He was slow and rather gauche, and he hated it. Still, little by little the number of foes diminished to the point that there were only two more guards left. And just as Jace planted his sword in his enemy's stomach, he saw the Mute being thrown against the cold and stoned wall. Air escaped the young boy's lungs, making him cry out with pain, and coercing Jace's head to turn suddenly and his attention to be diverted to that person who had almost saved him and aided his escapade.
The Mute was not supposed to make any noise, no matter what. And he was not supposed to make a sound like that. With horror, Jace and the remaining mercenary watched 'the Mute' get up, his hood and scarf having fall off. For a second, both Jace and the mercenary stared at the person in front of them, shock striking them; but Jace was the first one to recover and he killed the lawless man, barely looking away from the person that just had been thrown against a wall.
And finally, Jace found his voice to state the obvious: "You're a girl!"
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‼️READ THE NOTE BELLOW‼️
💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
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~ So, first of all, yes, Lucian Graymark and Luke Garroway are TWO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS. They are not related in any way whatsoever.
~ Now, that being said, I hope that you are ready for a cool war story, with action and romance in it, because yeah ... I love romance, in case you didn't notice.
~ And, now, question time:
' 1. What do you think Jace will do about this reveal?
' 2. What did you think of the Mute?
' 3. Do you think they will be able to escape the mercenaries?