The Prince of Aragon

CHAPTER NINE: THE REPRISAL

The present, Ninth realm of Emperor Salvatore …

“Ashbrook of the Catalonia?” the Samurai Li Qi queried in surprise, his eyebrows lifting towards the woman in curiosity. There was trace of aristocratic beauty in that face of hers, the promising features of a six years old had bloomed into its full glory.

“The very one,” Ilaria answered with a mocking bow. Although she had been too small to remember any of the faces who had conducted the mas**cre at that time, she had enough information about what had happened.

Aside from witnessing her own father’s brutal murder, it was also said that Aldo Salvatore had ordered the elimination of every remaining life in the Kingdom. His only regret had been the fact that he couldn’t commit all the murders himself.

After the execution of Lord Ashbrook, Emperor Salvatore had ridden south towards the Catalonia Castle, leaving behind his right-hand man Shi ni and his brother Li Qi to finish the uncompleted tasks. In the meantime, Ilaria and her mother had crept through the secret passage which had saved their lives.

The carriages which had managed to escape hadn’t gotten very far, and they had been brought back to the castle of Monterey by Shi ni and killed one by one, including the beheading of Isaac which had been done by Shi ni himself.

Now was the time for retribution. A brother for a brother.

“Do you know how pleased I was when your Emperor killed his own slave without even blinking an eye?” she spat out all the venom she’d stored in her heart for so many years. She had only been six when she had lost her father and brother.

The Sadonese hissed in anger at her obvious provocation. “I reckon it’s the same pleasure I got when my brother beheaded yours?”

Incensed by the incendiary comment, Ilaria swung her sword haughtily towards the man, threatening to cut his throat with the swinging actions meant to taunt.

“Isla,” Novak reprimanded in warning, and Ilaria turned to him with measuring eyes. “Please calm down.”

“How can you think of allying with a creep like him? You know what happened to my Kingdom. You know how many people he has killed alongside his brother. Why are you even contemplating an alliance with a murderer like him?”

“Isla, you’re making it sound like we have a choice in the matter,” Novak retorted in an irritated voice, peeved that she was contesting his decision. “If something happens to him on our watch, we immediately become suspect. That will raise the Emperor’s attention towards us.”

“Carter, you might try to see her point of view better if you place yourself in her shoes,” Connor challenged boldly, and was struck dumb when a pair of hazel eyes descended on him to stop any further protest.

“I am not cooperating with that brute. It goes against any of the principle my father has taught me,” rebuffed Ilaria haughtily, for the first time refusing to abide since their allegiance.

“What do you want to do?” Novak asked in a high-pitched tone, unable to hide his infuriation. It wasn’t about disputing his orders, but the show of mistrust scared him. Their lack of falling back into discipline only made him realize that they were not aware of his status, and he had to treat them as equals.

They were so caught up in their fights that they missed the triumphant gleam in their captive prisoner’s eyes. That was what he had been aiming for – pitch them against each other to confuse them. He’d been watching them since the day he’d seen their faces lose all color when they’d been face-to-face with the Emperor.

While the one who called himself Carter had been able to school his expression fleetingly, the others had not been so quick. Li Qi had already detected a sense of utter horror-struck disbelief among them which had given rise to his suspicions. So, he’d hidden behind the round poles to spy on them.

He'd overheard them discussing about the Emperor still being alive despite having stabbed him. His interest had been piqued. For one, he’d also been in limbo to avenge his brother for a long time, but from their conversation, it seemed that they had discovered a way to defeat the undead Emperor.

More than revenge, Li Qi had been enticed by the power of his Highness which those sentimental fools had not even given a thought about. He’d imagined having the boon of immortality, seen himself as the ruler of the nine realms, and plotted a plan. He’d follow them to see what they were up to.

They hadn’t acted for days, but he’d patiently kept watch until one day they’d all visited their family home in the village. Li Qi had already guessed that something was amiss, and he’d followed the right-hand man to the market where the latter had bought even more suspicious stuff.

He'd known that they were about to strike the night, and he’d been watching near the Emperor’s door. His patience had paid off for deep in the night, he’d caught all four of them enter the Emperor’s chambers with a heavy sack. That was it! He would corner them right in the act to blackmail them into allowing him in their plan.

Once they’d divulged the secret behind Aldo Salvatore’s immortality, he would not think twice before ridding himself of the nuisances. He had little to no affinity to anyone aside himself and given the opportunity to choose between himself and others, there would be no hesitation.

When Novak’s anger diminished, he had the time to figure out that probably Isla was right – he would not associate with Aldo Salvatore under any circumstances. Li Qi, was as unscrupulous as the corrupt Emperor himself, and Novak figured the reason the latter was less ruthless was because of the lack of power. If Li Qi was to find out about the Dà Vita, there would be no stopping him.

“What do you want to do, Isla?” he repeated in a suave voice, and Ilaria sent him a grateful look. That girl spooked him sometimes for she was able to read his mood shift by the merest tone of his voice, or a mere body posture.

“I want to challenge him in a duel,” she announced, her chin risen up in open animosity.

Novak’s eyes popped out in reaction. “Women don’t even have the right to duel. Are you sure, Isla?” he queried, his hazel gaze connecting with hers to convey that it was a dangerous mission on the uptake. It had been easy to defeat the Samurai when they’d been four against him, but Isla would not be able to manage on her own.

It was the first time in history that a woman would duel a man – gentlemen were the only ones allowed to duel, but Emperor Salvatore mocked such protocols. Besides, a duel in that era meant the survival of only one of them, and the idea of losing her was an unthinkable thought. He’d grown accustomed to the girl, with her blonde locks and feisty smiles. He’d known her only two years ago, and was not attached to her as the boys, but he refused to lose an entrusted soldier for nothing.

“Challenge accepted,” the Samurai eagerly replied before they had a chance to revise their opinion. The bastard knew that he would fare much better in the battle and had therefore readily agreed.

Novak had to admire Isla for not even blinking an eye at the obvious display of complacency from her opponent.

“Cameron did beat him during the competition, and I think I stand a fair chance,” she said instead, looking at Novak with an intense look.

Swallowing past the lump which had lodged against his throat, he was stunned to discover that he had affection for the lass. She’d always followed him like a lovesick puppy, never contesting his decisions, but it was the first time he’d experienced a feeling of admiration for her.

“Alright, let’s do it,” he finally acquiesced with a jerk of his head.

“I have one condition,” Li Qi said in a brittle voice, which made the four heads whirl in his direction. “If I win…,” he emphasized on the first word, making it obvious that it was not the intended one he’d preferred. He was confident enough to say, ‘when I win’. “… I get to know the secret behind Salvatore’s immortality.”

Novak pinched his lip in distaste at the quandary – he was a man of honor, and if he promised such a thing, it meant that he would have no other option than to divulge the sword’s magic.

 On the other side of the coin, if he didn’t commit now, it would show that he had little to no faith in Isla, which would create a bigger gap between them. Caught between two seas, Novak tampered down his frustration.

“Done,” he forced out in a sharp note.

Come morning, the combatants faced each other on the arena – it had been announced through the royal premises that Isla Sommerville had challenged the Samurai Li Qi to a duel for a matter of honor. Nobody knew the real reason for nobody was interested in the facts.

The crowd gathered to watch a lass being trashed by a great warrior. The foolish girl, the crowd noticed had a much smaller sword which fitted her caliber but was in no match to the katana. It was a mismatch unlike a normal duel.

Anybody who knew about fights was aware that the weapon of choice for a duel held the key to victory. Using a sword as an armament implied knowledge of not only the combat, but also being educated in arms as a member of the military class or nobility.

Emperor Salvatore, although surprised by the abrupt announcement assumed that the man had trampled with the lass’s virtue was highly pleased by the entertainment. Arriving at the tower where he usually resided, he bent towards the ground and watched the opponents bow as a sign of respect before they placed themselves in a combative position.

Since that was an unregulated informal duel which had occurred on short notice, none of the typical norms would apply. Within seconds, they were both at it like two unfettered fighters to disarm, injure and defeat. It would eventually lead to kill each other in order to force submission, and thus a winner would be declared.

Clang! Sparks flew from the dusty ground the sword struck.

The fast pace lasted for long minutes, with both swordsmen perspiring by the invigorating physical activity, but both were young and seemed used to similar harsh trainings. The crowd held its breath as they reckoned that the lass was putting up a pretty good fight.

The Samurai reversed his cut into a right oberhau, forcing Isla to retreat out of distance, the tip cutting a strand of her hair as the blade passed just inches to the tight of her face. Enraged, Isla thrust forward to a moulinet, but had to back down when the Samurai surged with a full Tabata Pell attack. Isla was forced to retreat by parrying with no scope for a single riposte.

Li Qi snarled in frustration for he had underestimated the girl who was showing up some resistance, forcing him to fight.

Remember Ilaria, if you’re fighting a lost battle, you only have to wait for that one second where your opponent thinks he has you.

Words of the wise Master Wong resonated in her head, sweat dribbling across her forehead in an effort to keep up with the burly man putting up such a good fight. She was no novice – she had been trained by the fencing masters of Knights, something which no one knew. No one aside from her mother Alice Ashbrook.

After having escaped the dead kingdom eighteen years ago, they’d both fled to a place called the NoMans Islands.

As the name suggested, it was not a place for humans, least of all for a six-years old. However, Alice had wanted her daughter to overcome her physical weakness in order to avenge both her father and brother. They had both learnt at their own expenses the ruthless trainings that knights were being subjected to in order to become consummate warriors.

Ilaria Ashbrook might be a lot of things but being foolish was not one of them. She knew that Carter underestimated her and had been grateful when he’d agreed.

There was a reason she’d opted for that weapon. Given her short nature, a longsword or katana would only have put her at a disadvantage by tiring her arms too quickly. A small weight was something she could yield for hours without feeling muscles pain. Playing with both hands allowed her to add more power in her blocks and parries.  

It will take only one second. A second that you are not supposed to miss.

And it came. That fleeting moment when Li Qi thought that she was defeated as her parries became less perfect, her tired feet lingering on the dusty soil, and her small sword giving him a much higher advantage to step in closer. It was so quick that she would have missed it had she not been on the lookout for it.

Thinking that he had her, Li Qi lifted his arms with the sword above his head to deliver the fatal blow. Ilaria smiled for the first time as the Sadonese opened himself to attack in the melee range, and Ilaria cut across aiming for his chest focusing all her strength into that fatal blow. Li Qi lurched back as he was stabbed and lost his balance in the verge of striking.

Removing her smaller sword was easier, and she swung round with her feet in the air to bring her sword forward and chopped off his head. The top of the head rolled to the ground and the rest of the body crumpled to the ground.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the crowd, as they actually expected the great warrior to come back to continue his fight. Surely, this was not possible? A Samurai being defeated by the right-hand man’s help? A woman to say the least?

Overcoming the initial shock, the thirsty crowd excited at the sight of blood, stood in ovation, roaring at the success of the girl.

In acknowledgement, Isla bowed in curtsy, pretending to appreciate the attention while in fact a sense of gratification filled her heart for having avenged her family. The flashes of corpses filled her mind, the horror of that night, where her entire family had been brutally murdered by the Sadonese brothers.

Upon discovering the culprits, she had vowed that she would personally eliminate the brothers one day. That day was now. There were no regrets – it was an eye for an eye.

Picking up the head with the sword, she showcased the horrendous head to the crowd which cheered even louder. Emperor Salvatore came forward, eyes gleaming in approval at the audacity of the lass, the one he’d thought would never have survived such a tough fight, but who was now not only the winner, but also laden with a streak of cruelty.

Appreciation filled him, and his eyes roamed over the youngster with male lust. He loved it when others showed no mercy – there were too many good people in the world. He had nothing to do with goodness, no he was turned on by the evil.

“Name your reward,” he told the woman when his guards brought her up the tower to meet him. Up close, he could notice the beauty of the lass, her blonde hair which had been tied in a tight ponytail gleamed under the sunlight. Her breasts were small though, but her mouth was lush and made for kissing.

“Can I keep the head?” she asked with pure unadulterated glee, and the Emperor highly approved. Not only was she stunning, but the lass was not greedy. It was a good thing he’d allowed the woman to duel, although his ministers had raised several objections.

“What’s your name?”

“Il…Isla, your Majesty,” she stammered over the reply, most probably in awe to be so near his highness. Emperor Salvatore felt bad for intimidating the girl, so he smiled at her with genuine admiration.

Ilaria resisted the urge to suddenly run from that place. The Emperor was staring down at her with a nasty gleam in his cobalt eyes, and she was experienced enough to recognize the lust she could see reflecting in them.

“Keep it. And keep his katana as well,” he offered in generosity, unaware of what the woman in front of him was thinking.

It’s going to be your turn next.

With a nod, Isla pinned the katana to her waistband, and carried her trophy with utmost pride. There was once a time when she’d been traumatized at the sight of her brother’s head in the place of their house flag.

That bodyless head brought a great deal of satisfaction. On her way towards her chambers, she met the eyes of her fake brothers, Carter, Cameron and Connor. She was expecting censure from then, for being such a cruel human being, but to her surprise they all looked down at her with reverent respect. Even Carter!

With a grin, she nodded her gratitude to them, and rode to the south to the Sommerville home to brandish her medal with pride.

“Mama, I brought you a gift,” announced Ilaria as soon as she entered followed by the three boys who had easily caught up with her. Due to fatigue, she had ridden her horse in slow strides, but was in a haste to show her mother part of their reprisal.