Summary: In years long past, Jianna's family had ruled over the rich and plentiful lands of Quilan before being ousted by the conquering forces of the Highlanders. Since that time, Jianna has led a life on the run and was raised by a handful of her bodyguards who groomed her to retake her throne. Now she leads a rebellion against the Highlanders and is on the cusp of a major victory, and she will not let any barrier, physical or moral stand in her way.
Chapter 1- First Strike:
The two guards on night patrol were truly an unlucky couple. One had welcomed his first child into the world, and the other was there because of an unlucky roll of the dice. The night was hot, and soon it began to drizzle. The guards finished their hourly rounds and sat by the fire, with their hoods raised to shield their eyes from the rain.
"How is your boy?" asked Lorben the veteran of the two.
"Oh! He's beautiful, looks just like his mother and strong as an Ox already..." replied Mogul with the same enthusiasm that new fathers have. "He'll make a General in the army, just you see."
Lorben hawked and spat into the fire, "Don't fool yourself, boy, your son will be like his old man. Walking these borders until his back gives out and have this same conversation with another unlucky bastard who is with him at the time. Don't expect anything from our betters."
Mogul simply smiled, as he knew that Lorben was plagued by the various wars he had fought. His father served during the time of the great conquest, and he took up his father's mantle soon but killed his career prospects for being too cynical and critical of the policies of the army. He was old and was too stubborn to know that he should retire.
"Now now Lorben, it isn't a crime to dream now is it?" Mogul asked
"With the way this war is going, it may just remain that...a dream," Lorben replied in an ominous tone.
He rubbed his hands against the flame and whispered, "Her armies will take back these lands." a steady plume of steam exited his lips as he said these words.
Mogul slapped his back with a laugh, "You're a rather glum old man, come now I'll treat you to some ale after we are done. A fitting celebration for a new father."
The arrow glided silently and thudded against Mogul's throat and pinned him back against the stone wall. It took a while for Lorben to realize that his companion was dead, and before he could raise the alarm, a large hand covered his mouth and snapped his neck. Lorben was dead before he registered the pain.
The large muscled man covered in rain and mud stood over Lorbens body and examined the immediate perimeter. He signaled to his troops hidden within the darkness, and they silently scaled the walls of the fortress. Before daybreak, a new flag adorned the ramparts and the courtyard, one that carried the emblem of the burning Eagle. The Southern sector now belonged to Jianna.
Ch-2: Celebration
The courtyard was decorated with various torches and tents to accommodate the guests who will be arriving in the evening. The rooms cleared of all the blood and bile of the morning's massacre, and fresh preparations were under way to create a feast fit for the victors of the Southern Front. Jianna watched all this from the balcony of her quarters. She turned around and surveyed the accommodations. It was spacious and opulent, which as expected of a room that belonged to the commander of the Southern sector. Jianna smiled at the memory of disemboweling him in single combat and glanced at the bandage on her arm, "You're getting cocky." she muttered
One of her bodyguards entered her chambers with his head bowed, "The preparations are almost complete my Queen." Jianna nodded and dismissed him with a flick of her wrist.
"Uhhh your highness," the guard continued nervously, "The war council would like to have a word..." he gulped his breath in fright. Jianna was unpredictable and was known to throw guards to her pet beasts if their news angered her. However, today was not such a day.
"Send them in," Jianna said in an even tone and began inspecting herself in the mirror as the guard scampered away in relief.
The robe she wore showed far too much cleavage. However, she felt it was always a good policy to have some of the council members distracted from the proceedings; that way she always had the final say. She waited at the war room table until they finally came into her chambers and took their respective places.
They were mostly deserters from regimes that Jianna and her army had defeated during the campaign, "We have a concern my Queen," began the eldest member of the council. Jianna simply slumped back in her chair with a rather bored expression on her face.
"This celebration that you have planned...is greatly ill-advised. It is like a beacon that will attract unnecessary attention. You have even invited envoys from neighboring tribes and provinces. We fear that there may be spies among them."
"It is certain that there will be spies Councilman Shokan." Jianna cut in and looked at him with a patronizing glare. Jianna's cleavage made it difficult for them to concentrate, Shokan although a seasoned veteran of politics could barely tear his gaze away from her well-formed breasts and fidgeted with his robe constantly.
Jianna continued, "I want to make sure that the spies see how well we are celebrating, how much we have accomplished and how utterly unafraid we are of the Highlanders."
"But your highness...our war plans..."
"We shall not have any," Jianna replied with an arrogant smirk.
"What!"
Jianna shrugged and said in a very matter-of-fact voice, "We shan't have any war plans, Councilman. Since it would be foolish to have them fall in the hands of the spies."
"Then this celebration...is just..."
"A ruse," Jianna completed, "Let them think that we are off guard," She paced the length of the table slowly. Oscillating her hips to keep everyone's attention in a state of flux, "And when lulled into a sense of false security, we will strike."
"But...but we are running short of supplies, the bandits are..."
"I am well aware of the bandits Councilman. As I understand, they not only steal from us, but also from our enemy. It would appear they do have a sense of fair play. I shall deal with them when the time comes." Jianna went back to the head of the table and stood there. She reigned in her anger and reminded herself that she needed to be tactful with these men.
"I decided to meet the council primarily to make an announcement of my own, and the announcement is that you should enjoy yourselves tonight. No more war council and no more battle plans at least for this day and the next. It's been a long and hard campaign and the men need to unwind."
Saying so Jianna went to a side table bearing some wine and poured herself a glass with her back to the table. The shock of everyone present was tangible, and Jianna smirked as she took her first sip and rolled it around her tongue.
Once again it was Shokan who broke the pregnant silence," But...your highness...we must have a basic outline of..."
"Council," Jianna turned around with an annoyed expression and continued, "I have always had the best interests of my empire at heart when I make my decisions."
With a sinister whisper, she added, "Do not ever question my judgment, am I clear?"
They all nodded and the meeting adjourned. Jianna went back to the balcony, studied the preparations for the celebrations, and silently prayed that her gambit will pay off.
The following two days saw the army enjoy themselves to every extreme imaginable; gambling, drinking, singing and fucking themselves senseless. Jianna watched over her army like a strict mother who has allowed her children a few moments of relaxation and even managed to smile out of genuine compassion.
The second day was truly special for her troops as they saw Jianna compete with some of the toughest veterans in her army in a series of duels involving martial skill and dexterity. The swords were wooden but the bruises very real and Jianna gave back ten times more than she received. She personally rewarded the men and women who managed to get through her defenses.
Her display of skill and sense of fair judgment when competing with her troops cemented her position in the eyes of the local rebels as the promised ruler of these lands. After the conclusion of the final bout of wrestling -in which Jianna drew even with a member of her bodyguard- she decided to turn her attention once again to her campaign.
She walked back into her chambers with her hair still wet from the rain, and her fair skin still marked with fresh bruises and began arranging her maps in order. She stood at the head of the table with a goblet of wine in her hand and studied each map. Despite the morale of her troops and their training, she knew that a conventional war is no longer a viable option.
She strolled out to the balcony and watched the men engage in a final bout of drinking. In a few hours, the celebrations would close, and the commanders would spend the rest of the day sobering their troops and whipping some discipline back into their bodies.
Her men were well trained and fit, but very few of them have ever ventured this far North. Even the people she conquered on her quest so far did not have any intimate knowledge of the area's topography, people and most importantly attack and escape routes. Jianna's men captured and interrogated a few spies, but it yielded no usable intelligence.
Spies are often good sources of information, but if they were stupid enough to get caught then perhaps they were too stupid to know anything valuable. Jianna flipped almost all of them, sent them back to their masters, and instructed them to keep her informed of every move the locals make. Those who refused were given to the beasts.
