Chapter No. 54 Duo dies

And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army;

Estard awoke in a start, but the image of Quinila filled her eyes, quickly calming her.

"You sleep fitfully, my lady. Are you still in pain."

She struggled to sit up. "Actually, I feel quite well. What's in that salve of yours?"

He flashed a knowing grin. "You really don't want to know, my lady."

She stood up and stretched. "Whatever it is, it does wonders for aches and pains."

"I have provided a privy for you. If you wish, you can freshen yourself in the pond nearby."

She looked at him with disbelief. "Surely you don't mean that I can bathe, do you?"

"I don't see why not, my lady."

"What about all these men?"

"They won't disturb you. They've been told not to come near."

She huffed. "Oh, that's reassuring."

"If you wish, my lady, I will accompany you and keep guard."

She thought about it for a few seconds. "I don't have time for that. You had better get me ready for combat. I can indulge myself later. . . if there is a later"

"As you wish, my lady." He gestured to a small stand set with a pan. "Could you at least have a bite before we start?"

She looked at the corn bread and fruit. "Yes. I'm famished."

After serving her a simple breakfast of bread and fruit and allowing her a trip to the privy, Quinila helped Estard put on her battle gear. He showed her how he had repaired her back plate and how he had found her gauntlets. With a little spit shine, she was presentable for formation.

The trumpet called within a few minutes of her final preparations. She hurried to a line of knights forming in front of the archers. Quinila brought her horse up to her and helped her into the saddle.

Another squire handed her a lance.

Quinila flashed his pearly white teeth. "Good luck, my lady."

Estard looked out at the massive line of advancing enemy knights. "I'm going to need more than luck."

"I'll pray for you, my lady."

She looked into his gleaming blue eyes for a few seconds before closing her visor and moving up to the line. Men carrying pole-axes and bills advanced behind the line of enemy knights, and behind them were hordes of enemy archers.

No sooner had she arrived on line, she was off on the charge. Swarms of arrows arched through the air, felling knights on both sides. An arrow struck Estard's horse in its left shank, causing it to drop and throwing her to the ground. With considerable effort, she got up and retrieved her lance but quickly realized that it was too long to be of use while on foot. She retrieved a bow and quiver from a slain archer instead.

When Estard reached the main battle area, she saw that the fight was not going well for the rebels. Spotting Paladin on the ground with an enemy knight about to axe him, she mounted an arrow and let fly, sending it through the axe-wielder's armpit. He screamed in pain and turned to contemplate his killer. The look on his face was one of surprise before he was dispatched by another arrow through his chest. Paladin crawled out from under him, got on his feet and gave his savior an appreciative nod.

Estard shot arrows at every enemy knight she could. At close range, the arrows penetrated armor if they were launched at point blank range, but she had to pay attention to her footing--and enemy knights roaming about. She had her way until confronted by a knight taking aim at her with a crossbow. When he fired, she dropped to her knees. The bolt just missed her head. She got up and plunged an arrow into his neck. He fell coughing up blood.

A soldier wearing a chain mail hauberk and coif charged her with a pole-axe. She reached for an arrow but her quiver came up empty. The enemy slashed the axe at her, and she barely escaped a deadly blow by falling down. Somehow her hand found a dagger in a small scabbard attached to her belt. Drawing it, she waited until the enemy was very near about to chop her in two. She stabbed his left foot. He screeched, the pole-axe missing her head by a fraction of an inch, just the diversion she needed to jump up and thrust her dagger into his eye. Ouch!

Then, the battle turned ugly. A large group of men wielding pole-axes overran the rebel knights, slicing through their armor like knives through butter. Estard retreated with the rest, but she ran back to the line of rebel archers and raised her visor.

"Come," she yelled at the confused men. "We must turn back the enemy."

With reluctance, they followed Estard back to the advancing line of enemy foot solders and knights. Following her lead, they showered the attackers with arrows, firing as fast as they could at close range. After many enemy solders had been cut down, the rest retreated.
A roar of victory went up from the rebel archers and Estard was at the center of their cheering.

When she limped back to the rebel encampment, Estard received the warm welcome of Paladin and Morton.
"You turned the day," Paladin said, grinning.

"It is only one payment on my heavy debt," she said somberly.

"You have paid your debt with honor," Morton said. "We are most grateful."

"Thank you," she said.

The men cheered her, an unexpected gesture that brought tears to her eyes.

"You surprise me, my lady," Quinila said when he met her on the way to the tent. "You show more courage than most men."

"I surprise myself," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"Are you further injured?"

She grinned. "Yes, but it's on an embarrassing location." She pointed at her behind.

He looked at her with dismay showing in his eyes. She returned a mischievous grin.

Quinila helped Estard out of her armor, taking time to avoid any further discomfort to her. He pulled her shirt over her head and examined the bruise from the previous wound.

"Your bruise is not worse," he said. "A fresh application of salve should hasten its healing."

"And what of the new bruise on my ass?"

His eyes widened for a second. "For that, I require you to pull down your trousers, my lady."

She sat on the cot and removed her tight-fitting heavy cotton bottom garment.

"Lie on your front," he instructed her.
She did, and he examined her latest bruise on her left buttock.

"You will soon be one complete bruise, my lady."

"I sure as hell feel like it."

After applying salve to her back and buttock, he covered her body with a blanket. She wrapped it around herself and sat on the edge of the cot on the uninjured half of her buttocks.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"It is my privilege and honor to serve you," he said with a bow.

"Not to mention pleasure," she said with a teasing smile.

He flashed a fleeting grin and an acknowledging nod.

After serving her a dinner of roast pheasant and greens, Quinila offered Estard a cup of red wine from the vineyards of Alon.

"To victory," Quinila said, tipping his cup against hers.

"Will this dreadful war ever end?" Estard asked rhetorically.

"What will become of you, my lady?"

"You mean, if I survive this battle." She averted her eyes for a moment before looking into his curious blue eyes. "I don't know. The only friend I had—before meeting you—was Mara. My family and most of my relatives are probably dead, and there are many out there who would take pleasure in ending my miserable life. I really have nothing to live for."

"Your service here at this battle will do much to redeem your past sins," Quinila said. "I know that Mara is proud of you. She will be your friend."

She frowned. "You speak of her as if she were still with us."

"She is."

"What? How can this be? I saw her being slain."

Quinila's eyes moistened. "She will come to us again."

"This is a belief of yours, is it not?"

"Yes, my lady. I believe in the resurrection of the body."

She sighed. "I don't have much faith in spiritualism. Some people find it reassuring, but I feel that the gods have abandoned us."

"There is only one God, and He has not abandoned us. We need only to beseech His help."

Estard smiled. "Well, you go ahead and beseech his help. Heaven only knows that we need all the help we can get."

He nodded, but his face was set with a hard determination.

Estard stood up. "I think I'll take you up on that bath. This heat has made me so sweaty."

"Gladly, my lady," he said, his baby blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

Quinila escorted Estard to a pond back in the wood at the edge of the rebel encampment. Fed by a small stream, the pond sat in a secluded track of heavy bush and trees. The instant Estard saw it, she squealed with joy.

"I will certainly enjoy immersion in this liquid paradise," she said, unwrapping the blanket from her body and handing it to Quinila.

Quinila enjoyed watching her slow and careful entry into the water, as if she were moving in slow motion. She settled down into it up to her neck for a moment before she slipped beneath the surface.

Her head reappeared a few yards away. "This is wonderful," she said, water flushing down her face.

"It pleases me to see you satisfied," he said from a bolder nearby.

She flashed a teasing grin before diving down again.

He watched her swim just under the surface to the far side and then return. Through the water, her naked form seemed ethereal and abstract. The erotic vision seemed completely incongruous on a battlefield.