Aela Read online

  Suddenly, in rushed a guard, ‘Ardu, you must come quickly, Brude’s men are on the way, marching through the woods towards us. They are going to attack us.’

  Ardu stopped in his tracks and shouted out, ‘Guards take Rom’s sword and shield. Bring him with you, we must prepare for the invasion.’

  Instantly the room was filled with men holding their weapons at the ready and all talking at once. Rom’s weapons were very quickly taken from him and everyone started running down a large passageway, with Rom placed in the middle of the pack. In the main cavern the place was alive with activity, with people racing around in all directions, very intent on their tasks, in order to help prepare as quickly as possible, for the impending attack.

  Eena was pacing up and down muttering out loud, ‘It has come at last, Brude is almost upon us. The war is now real and not just a nightmare in the distant future.’

  Ardu was in the thick of the activity giving out orders promptly and one could see he was clearly enjoying every moment of the situation.

  At long last he would fight Brude and his men in combat, the score would be settled for at once all and he and his men would be triumphant. A thought flashed through Ardu’s mind, that when the battle commenced the Sacred Sword should be prominently displayed for everyone to see. This would give his men an advantage and as it was believed that the Sword had magical powers, then victory would be assured.

  ‘Eena we must place the Sacred Sword at the head of our men. It will make our enemies afraid and they could panic and run away,’ shouted Ardu at the top of his voice.

  The men took up the cry, ‘Victory, victory,’ unsheathing their swords and whirling them in the air.

  Eena started laughing out loudly, ‘Ardu, what a wonderful idea, bring the Sword immediately. You, Ardu will have the honour of carrying it. Men now assemble outside of the main Cavern, prepare yourself for battle.’

  Brude’s men were making good progress through the woods and they were now in Eena’s territory very close to her headquarters. Tet thought the best move was to obtain permission from Eena to move quickly through her land, rather than going around the long route which would take three days to complete. So he sent an advance party to parley with her for safe conduct, in return he would pay her with jewels and gold.

  To Tet’s surprise his men returned very quickly with the news that Eena did not want to negotiate with him, but instead were preparing to fight him, Brude and all his warriors as soon as possible. But why the change of tactics? There must be a reason, they were obviously hiding something. Then an idea came to him, perhaps Eena had an arrangement with Juno to join forces with him, to defeat the opposition and together rule the conquered territories. He must send a courier to let Brude know his thoughts on the turn of events and await his orders of what next to do.

  Tet organised his men to set up camp in the woods and soon a courier was on his way with the latest news for Brude. Then Tet arranged for a small group of warriors to search through the woods to determine whether Juno and his army were on their way to join forces with Eena and her men. Tet did not want to be surprised by Juno and his men from behind, as he paced up and down nervously waiting for news or orders from Brude.

  Rom was also very impatient, he began to walk around his prison cell trying desperately to think of some plan of escape.

  Before he knew what was happening, the door of his prison was flung open and in walked Ardu, holding the Sacred Sword in both hands in front of his chest, ‘I believe you were hoping to seize this prize. Eena wants me to carry this in front of our army, when we go into battle against Brude and Juno. I have decided that you are to carry it instead, directly in front of me, so that I can keep an eye on you. Guards, take Rom and prepare him!’ shouted Ardu.

  Rom was instantly whisked away to be dressed for the big clash between the armies. With these turn of events Rom was very pleased with himself as now he had a chance to escape and rescue Aela as well. But he must be extremely careful how he conducted himself, so as not to arouse any suspicions from either Ardu or Eena. But how to get a message to Aela so they could escape together. In the frenzy of preparing for battle, he may have a chance to rescue Aela and they could disappear into the woods and then make their way home to the Temple of the Moon.

  Brude was furious on hearing the news that Juno and Eena may have joined forces and their combined armies could be this instant on their way to invade his territory and capture the Temple of the Moon He must plan immediately for the attack and so he was soon busy giving out orders to his men.

  In the meantime, he sent word to Tet through a scout to stay where he was positioned for the time being with his men and to deploy spies to watch what Eena was planning to do with her warriors. Perhaps he could strike a deal with Juno and together they could vanquish Eena and her army and divide her territory between each other.

  All these thoughts were running through his mind as he prepared for the conflict. At all cost he must be the winner and come out on top, whatever the outcome, Juno was determined to be victorious. Perhaps now was the time for him to defeat his foes, so that he could reign as supreme commander over all the territories. He always wanted to do this, but couldn’t find the right excuse to challenge both Juno and Eena at the same time in battle. This was his moment for glory, the gods were surely smiling at him, with these turn of events that had suddenly come his way

  Rom was quickly prepared for battle and he then placed in front of Ardu carrying the Sacred Sword in front of his chest as planned by Ardu. Eena gave the signal for the drums to start beating so that Ardu and her warriors were to assemble in the great Cavern now.

  Then they marched out into the dawn, just as the sun was rising over the nearby mountain. They were soon on their way to take up strategic positions atop a mountain pass, in order to await the invading armies that would march along the valley below.

  In the meantime Tet’s spies took up their positions on either side of the pass and watched as Eena’s army came out of the Cavern. To his surprise, he saw Rom carrying the Sacred Sword with both hands, directly marching in front of Ardu. ‘How can that be when this precious symbol which should be situated in the inner sanctum of the Temple of the Sun?’ Tet exclaimed, ‘this must be a trick, but I will send a messenger back to Brude with this piece of news.’

  So Tet and his men continued to watch Eena’s army as they slowly marched along the valley.

  The sun rose higher in the sky and still there was no evidence of Juno’s warriors joining forces with Eena’s men. What was holding the two armies up, thought Tet. There must be another plan that Ardu had in mind. He began to feel nervous and agitated and started to pace up and down tightly gripping the hilt of his sword with one hand. Then he suddenly thought of a plan to sneak up on Ardu and some of his men could take a prisoner so that he could find out what strategy that Juno and Eena were going to use in the clash between the armies.

  With this thought in mind, a select number of men were chosen and they moved silently through the woods with Tet in the lead. The climb up the pass was difficult and arduous and all the men arrived at the top panting and exhausted. Only to find they had misjudged the direction where Ardu and his men were and they had overshot the position by quite a long distance.

  In the valley, one of Ardu’s sentries saw a flash of light on a shield and immediately raised the alarm about the impending danger of enemies situated at the top of the pass. Warriors from both sides were than seen running through the trees towards each other with their swords unsheathed held in front of their bodies as both forces were on a collision course of destruction to kill their enemies. Then there was a clashing of metal on shields with their swords, as the two armies met and fought each other with raging fury reflected in the eyes of the warriors as they clashed with each other.

  The battle was soon over and a number of prisoners were taken by Ardu’s men, including Tet much to his horror. The prisoners were quickly hustled along and were soon standing in front of Ardu.
/>   ‘Well what have we here! I believe I recognise one of you,’ said Ardu and looked straight at Tet. ‘You are one of Brude’s close advisers. Tell me his plan to attack Eena’s territories.’

  Tet replied testily, ‘I think it is more like Eena and Juno who are joining forces and together united, plan to storm the defences and overrun the Temple of the Sun.’

  Ardu was amazed at this accusation coming from one of Brude’s chief officers.

  Tet continued ‘And how is it you have our Sacred Sword here, when it is carefully guarded in the inner sanctum of the Temple of the Sun? This one must be a fake!’

  At this verbal attack Ardu grabbed Tet by his throat and glared straight into his face. ‘What do you mean by making up these wild stories? I had my men pull down the sacred sword from the chain it is attached to, when I and my men invaded the Temple of the Sun.’

  Tet did not answer Ardu immediately as he was winded by the attack, ‘I think I am mistaken Ardu.’

  Ardu slowly released his hold and let Tet fall to the ground gasping for breath. Take this man out of my sight but guard him very well as he must not escape,’ exploded Ardu. ‘Rom, bring the Sword to me instantly. I want to have a close look at it.’

  After a quick examination Ardu muttered to himself, ‘It is the real thing!’ and handed it back to Rom. ‘We will take these prisoners back to Eena and she can decide what to do with them,’ ordered Ardu.

  Very soon Ardu, Rom and the warriors were back in the main Cavern and the prisoners were presented to Eena.

  ‘So Brude wants to take over my territory and you are the advance guard to spy on us,’ hissed Eena.

  She was greeted with silence from the prisoners and they all stared ahead expecting Eena would issue the command for their death. They had no choice, as they had failed in their mission for Brude so they knew that death awaited them at home as well.

  ‘Who gave Brude the idea I had an alliance with Juno?’ demanded Eena.

  The prisoners turned to look at Tet accusingly, as they realised that the end was coming for each one. Quickly, Tet realised he would have to do some fast talking to save himself and his men.

  ‘We can be useful to you, Mighty one, as we can spy for you in Brude’s camp,’ said Tet bowing very low before Eena.

  ‘Take these men away and guard them with your life,’ commanded Eena. Turning to Ardu, Eena said in a low whisper, ‘Perhaps we can use Tet and his men and lure Brude into an ambush. In the meantime we will place one of our own men in their midst, in an attempt to learn the real reason they have been spying on us,’ added Eena.

  During this exchange, Rom had been standing close enough to Eena and Ardu to over hear their conversation and Eena’s proposed plan. Rom thought, what a good strategy Eena had thought out and he would see how this information could be used to his advantage sometime in the future.

  Eena and Ardu continued their whispered conversation as they walked towards one of the side tunnels, completely forgetting the fact that they had left their other special prisoner, Rom on his own, still clutching the Sacred Sword.

  Rom wasted no time, as he ran down another side passage, tightly clutching the Sacred Sword with both hands. His first thought was to get out of the maze of caves and tunnels, into the woods and freedom, and then plan his next move. As he now had an advantage, as he had the Sacred Sword in his possession.

  By a miracle Rom succeeded in making his way into the woods without anyone pursuing him. He knew Eena’s warriors would be not far behind, especially as he had the prize Sword in his possession. Firstly he must hide the Sacred Sword and then backtrack to Eena’s Cavern to find an opportunity to rescue Aela, so that they both could escape to freedom.

  Rom saw just in front of him a number of large stones piled on top of each other, in a particular distinct pattern and he memorised the location in his mind. Then taking the Sacred Sword in his one hand, he plunged it into a slim gap situated between two of the rocks which were located at ground level. Rom studied the general area for some time, so that he could return to retrieve the precious Sword, when he needed it again.

  Then without looking back he retraced his footsteps back to Eena’s Cavern as he knew that somehow he must find an opportunity to rescue Aela. After a long exhausting walk, he found himself once more in front of Eena’s Cave, peering out from behind some thick undergrowth, ever mindful that he might be seen by one of Eena’s warriors.

  There was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the Cave and loud voices were heard. A number of armed men came running out, with Ardu at the head of the group of men. From the agitated movements of Ardu’s arms and body, Rom could see that Ardu was determined to track him down at all cost and to recapture him as soon as possible. Rom could see that death awaited him, if he was caught again, so he knew he must be extra careful not to be recaptured. He thought he had better find a safe hiding place for the time being, so he could rest his weary body for awhile as he was feeling totally exhausted.

  Ardu was absolutely furious, that Rom had escaped so easily with the Sacred Sword and then had disappeared with it into the forest. His reputation was at stake, as Ardu knew that Eena would be extremely unhappy with him and he needed to act with lightening speed to be back in favour with her again. Perhaps he could use Aela as a bait to lure Rom out of his hiding place and have the Sacred Sword in his possession again.

  ‘Guards bring Aela to me instantly,’ shouted Ardu. ‘Hurry, hurry. I have no time to waste. Anyone who is slow, will have my sword thrust into their hearts.’

  Not to be outdone the guards eagerly ran to carry out his order.

  ‘Do not tell Eena of my plan as I want to surprise her.’ bellowed Ardu.

  Within a short space of time Aela was standing in front of Ardu, surrounded by guards. ‘Tie her to that tree and put a gag across her mouth so that she can’t warn Rom of our plan to capture him. Now men, spread out and lie low, and make sure you are well hidden as I am sure Rom will return to try and rescue her,’ growled Ardu. On issuing this command Ardu strode off well satisfied with himself, that he had everything under control again.

  Rom was lying flat on the ground, peering through some bushes, watching the men tie Aela to the tree. The main thought in his mind was that he must rescue Aela as soon as possible. He carefully noted where each man was hiding and in the far distance he saw Ardu striding towards the main Cavern entrance and then disappearing from sight.

  Rom thought he would create a diversion, so the men would follow him into the forest and he could then retrace his footsteps, untie Aela’s bonds, then together they could flee. Without waiting any longer, Rom leapt up and gave out a blood curdling yell and began to run through the trees with the guards in hot pursuit running behind him.

  Rom could hear the men not very far behind him as he continued to run crashing through the forest trees, suddenly he was faced with a deep narrow chasm and without thinking he leapt across it. Much to his relief he landed safely on the other side of the gorge. A moment later he heard an agonising cry and realised that one of the men had fallen down the steep cliff.

  Then there was a strange silence, soon Rom realised he was no longer being chased and he stopped running. He tried to catch his breath, breathing in the clear cold air in great gulps into his lungs. Feeling a bit better he straightened up, looked around and he could see no one in the immediate vicinity and began to retrace his steps back to Eena’s Cavern.

  Walking swiftly, Rom was soon back at the Cavern and he looked anxiously towards the tree where he last saw Aela. With a sigh of relief, he saw that she was still there, tied to the tree and he walked straight towards to her. Using his dagger, he quickly cut the cords binding her wrists and legs and took off the gag that had been placed over her mouth. Aela began to splutter and cough as she opened her mouth wide to breathe in air and at the same time she began to rub her wrists where she had been bound by the ropes.

  ‘Quickly there is no time to lose, we must get out of here now,’ Rom urgently whispered
in her ear.

  Aela needed no further prompting, she began to run towards the nearby trees, with Rom following close behind her. For a period they continued on their way, until they were both physically exhausted with their constant running. They fell in a heap on the ground, fitfully panting, both feeling as though their lungs would burst. As soon as, they both were feeling a little better and hence breathing more easily they found they were ready to speak to each other in short bursts.

  ‘Thank you so much Rom for saving me,’ gushed Aela, impulsively placing her arms around Rom’s neck.

  She then kissed Rom on the cheek and they looked into each other’s eyes. Both experienced an electric sensation around their hearts and in an instant they knew they were meant for each other. A very strong protective feeling came over Rom, that he must shield Aela from the bad things in life and he must never let her out of his sight again.

  ‘We must go back to retrieve the Sacred Sword from the hiding place and then go home to the Temple of the Moon,’ stated Rom.

  Aela burst out, ‘But can we trust Brude? He really wants to kill us, at least you, Rom! I am not going to be his slave to do what he likes with me. Never, never!’

  ‘I will make sure that never happens to you, whilst you are with me you are safe. But at least let us go back to find the Sacred Sword and then make plans for what next we are going to do,’ replied Rom. So, they both set off, glad that they were free at last and were once more together again.

  Very soon they were standing in front of the rocks where the Sacred Sword had been hidden by Rom earlier in the day. Rom stepped forward and thrust his arm into the crack in the bottom rock and drew out the precious Sword, triumphantly brandishing it above his head.

  ‘At least we have this to show everyone at home where we have been.’

  ‘Possessing the Sword is not going to solve all our problems,’ retorted Aela with a toss of her head. ‘We still have to get home safely and I do not trust Brude’ added Aela.