Amrendra Read online

  AMRENDRA

  More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms

  by Barbara G. Tarn

  ***

  Barbara G.Tarn copyright © 2014

  electronic edition by Unicorn Productions

  July 2014

  ***

  Table of Contents

  The Northern Warrior

  The Jesters

  Twin Royalty

  The Conspiracy

  ***

  The Northern Warrior

  "Welcome back, oh Mighty Prince Heir!"

  "Shut up, Ajay!" Rohit chuckled and locked his cousin in a bear hug. "Missed your irony..."

  "It's called wits, dear Rohit. Since this kingdom has two heirs, one has to be smarter," Ajay replied, patting his back.

  Rohit let him go to glare at him. "One day..." he threatened.

  "What?" Ajay asked with his most innocent smile. "I'm one day older than you, pity my father was born after yours!"

  Rohit dismissed the claim with a shrug. Amrendra mostly followed the southern traditions and culture but differed from the others for two main things: it was blessed with four seasons – instead of three led by monsoon rains – and with twin royals, so there were often two interchangeable kings.

  At the moment the reigning monarch was Daruka Dahana – Daruka being Rohit's father, and Ajay's father, Dahana, identical twins who'd had their firstborn one day apart, which made the cousins "almost" twins.

  "So, what happened at the palace while I was gone?" Rohit asked. "Did you manage to seduce Chandra?"

  "Ah, yes." Ajay looked in the distance with a blissful expression. "Worth every minute, every hour..." He focused on his cousin again. "But you're the one who went hunting for a bride. How are the other southern courts?"

  "Walk with me." Rohit grabbed his cousin's arm, and as they strolled through the stately corridors of the royal palace, the prince told of his trip to the other kingdoms that had kept him away from his father's palace for nearly three months.

  Soon Ajay would leave for his own tour, since Amrendra had officially two prince heirs in need of a bride, but Rohit would always be the "main" heir, much like his father was the main king. Rohit's firstborn – twins, he hoped – would inherit the Amrendran throne.

  Rohit had met the princesses of Gajendra, Akkora, Arquon, Rajendra and the neighboring kingdom, Lakeshi.

  "I can tell you I don't like Prem of Gajendra," he confided to Ajay. "His sister has lovely golden hair, but the thought of such a haughty brother-in-law..." He shivered in disgust. "All of the princesses were smitten with him, but he obviously didn't consider any of them."

  "Yes, he came here, and wasn't impressed with Kareena or my sisters, either," Ajay said as they crossed a sunny courtyard. "So did you travel with him or...?"

  "I reached the Lakeshian court at the same time as him. For me it was the last stop of the tour, for him the second, but he left the morning after." Rohit shrugged. "So I had time to talk to the princesses. I like Laxmi, and she liked me enough after haughty Prem's rejection, so..."

  "You found your bride!" Ajay enthused. "What about her sister, is she still available?"

  "Uh, no, I'm afraid she'll be sent to Arquon. When I left, Prince Suresh had showed up. Maybe one of the Akkoran princesses is still available. Jaya would make for wild nights – but I'd be worried she would soon tire of me and goes looking for some other sport. Soraya... maybe."

  "And Rajendra?"

  "Ashrita is blind, but her sister Nisha is lovely."

  "I guess I'll see for myself soon..." Ajay sighed. "Where are we going?"

  "I've missed Master Hiro's lessons." Rohit grinned as they passed through a porticoed building that led to the courtyard where the foreign sword-master exercised every day. "I bet you skipped all his lessons while I was away."

  "I'd rather use my wits than my sword-arm," Ajay retorted. "I'm your sparring partner, but if you're not here, I don't see why I should exert myself."

  Rohit chuckled as they entered the courtyard and stopped. Blades clung and it took them a moment to find the duelists. Rohit saw his almond-eyed sword teacher but didn't recognize his sparring partner.

  "Who is that?" he asked Ajay, frowning in the sun and observing the sword dance of the two men who waltzed around each other with grace.

  "Someone who came here and asked for him a couple of months ago," Ajay replied. "Saved me from my exercises since Master Hiro had a new sparring partner."

  Rohit glared at him. "You're a lazy bum! You could have used that time to become more proficient!"

  "And then what, beat you, oh Mighty Prince Heir?" Ajay teased. "I know you didn't have time to practice – and I didn't want to humiliate you when you came back."

  Rohit rolled his eyes and went back to watching the duel. It was almost over, though, and the sparring partners bowed at each other before heading for the two elegant young men.

  "Welcome back, Prince Rohit," Hiro said. "Was your journey productive?"

  "I found what I was looking for," Rohit answered with a curt bow to his teacher. "Did you take on a new student?"

  "This is Gaia, who came here to discuss my wretched cousin and then stayed to learn a few new tricks."

  "I know something about wretched cousins." Rohit said with a glance at Ajay who chuckled, then nodded at Gaia. The foreigner must be young since he didn't need to shave. He had long, light-brown hair like most barbarians from the north. Rohit knew Hiro had a half-blood cousin who lived in the neighboring Gallian Kingdom, and assumed the young sparring partner must come from the same place. There weren't many blue-eyed people in the southern kingdoms – except Gajendra.

  "Welcome, Gaia. Will you be staying long?"

  "No, I leave now if you want," Gaia answered. Definitely a boy's voice, but he'd looked quite good with his straight sword. Even against Hiro's curved blade. "Sorry, not good at your language yet."

  "Not bad after two months." Hiro smiled fondly at Gaia. "It's easier than the Islands Empire's language."

  "Still much different from Gallian," Gaia insisted.

  "I think you're doing fine," Rohit said. "I have never bothered learning the northern languages, since there is no communication or trade between us."

  "It's because you think they're barbarians and they think the same of you," Hiro said with a smile.

  "What? But they are barbarians!" Rohit protested. "Long hair, long beards, no bath chambers, ugly, dirty towns – your words..."

  "Much harsher climate, much colder winters, much more hostile environment. Yes, yes," Hiro continued.

  "So why do they consider us barbarians?"

  "Not barbarians, but weak and lascivious," Gaia said.

  Rohit stared at him shocked, then frowned. "Would you like to try my weakness in battle?"

  "I not speak for me, but for my people," Gaia replied. "I'm here to learn. Can I stay?"

  Rohit glared at him, but the boy simply grinned.

  "Well, show me you haven't forgotten what I taught you," Hiro said. "Fight with Gaia."

  "Why would I fight a boy half my age?" Rohit protested.

  Hiro raised his eyebrows and Rohit knew better than argue with his sword-teacher. He snorted and unsheathed his saber.

  Gaia unsheathed his sword and bowed. Rohit attacked, but Gaia parried and then fought back. The boy might be young, but he definitely knew how to handle his northern blade. Rohit was impressed by the boy's prowess.

  "Ajay, you take Gaia's place," Hiro ordered. "You both need a lot of practice."

  Ajay moaned, but obeyed. Rohit felt more confident with his usual sparring partner and the mock duel ended quickly with Ajay's defeat.

  ***

  "So, what do you think of the local prince heirs?" Hiro asked, seated on the floor of his empty room. He didn't have furniture
except a thick carpet to sleep on and a low stool he used as bed-table for an oil lamp and a basin.

  "Two prince heirs, how twisted is that?" Gaia muttered. "One would be already dead in the north!"

  "And they're not even real twins like their fathers." Hiro chuckled. "What do you think of Rohit?"

  "He's good-looking and probably your best student so far, but why does he think I'm a boy half his age?" Gaia answered, a little puzzled. The trays they'd brought in from the kitchen lay empty of food in front of them.

  Hiro chuckled. "Because over here names ending in 'A' are usually male. And you don't look much like a woman, yet. More like a boy half his age!"

  "Thank you, Hiro!" Gaia snorted. "Why don't you explain to him that I'm a northern warrior woman?"

  "He'd feel threatened, Gaia, dear. You're here because I'm passing you off as one of my students, and they all assume you're a boy. I doubt the twin kings would approve of a foreign mercenary at their court."

  "Warrior woman."

  "There's no such thing here and further south."

  "See why we consider them barbarians?" she snorted again. "They use women only for one thing!"

  Hiro burst out laughing. "Tell that to our soon-to-be betrothed Prince Rohit! And yes, I know you're not a breeding cow."

  Gaia rolled her eyes. "We're not all like your wife," she grumbled. Hiro's wife had died in childbirth, but Kenuwee hadn't even made it to the altar yet. Hiro's cousin, Kenuwee had been even more unlucky with women.

  "One day you'll find a man you want to spend your life with," Hiro said. "Your concern for Kenuwee is touching, but he could say the same about you. Still unattached at your age... you'd be considered an old spinster over here."

  She scoffed. "Glad they think I'm a boy, then. I'm not marriage material."

  "And neither is my cousin, so stop worrying for him."

  Gaia thought Hiro could be very frustrating, but he was probably right. She shouldn't worry so much about a fellow mercenary. She knew what their lives were like. Both of them had lost loved ones.

  "If I decide to explore further the southern kingdoms, should I pass myself off as a boy?" she asked, thoughtful. She'd had enough of the cold northern winters, she wanted to try the south and see if she could find a place to call home.

  "You could, but traveling alone isn't safe." Hiro shook his head. "I should finish my work here soon, so if you want, we can go together. I'm sure the king will recommend me to the other kings after I show him how good Prince Rohit is."

  "It's because you're a good teacher." She smiled.

  "And I arrived here when the old sword-master died. I filled in a void. I was lucky."

  "You'd be back in the Islands Empire already if you hadn't stopped here." She pondered. "Maybe I should try to reach the Amazons Country. That's probably the only place where I could be a sword-teacher."

  "If you've had enough of wars, that's a solution." He nodded. "We could take a ship to the Islands Empire and from there you can continue to the Amazons Country."

  "So you've had enough of the southern kingdoms."

  "Let's say I miss my home country. I've been away for too long. I should take a second wife and try again to start a family."

  Gaia sighed. She might be sick of mercenary life, but she wasn't ready to settle and start a family either.

  ***

  Rohit had promised his father he'd give a demonstration of what Master Hiro had taught him after the betrothal. But he needed to prepare – not that he'd lost any of his prowess during his trip, but he wanted to make sure everything went smoothly – so he trained alone every day with his teacher.

  Sometimes the strange foreign boy watched them, sometimes who knew where he was. Rohit knew Master Hiro would leave after his final exam and couldn't blame him for taking on another student.

  A few days before the betrothal and final exam, he came up with a few questions and doubts, and decided to talk with Hiro before the teacher left for good. The almond-eyed man had spent almost ten years at the Amrendran court, teaching princes and young noblemen, but Rohit felt like he didn't know him at all.

  So he headed to the swords-master’s room in the servants' wing of the palace, but found him in the servants' courtyard, seated on a bench with his blue-eyed student.

  Rohit stopped dead in his tracks, noticing how intimate the two seemed to be. They were not related, as far as he knew, so it wasn't a brotherly or fatherly relationship. Hiro had one arm around Gaia's shoulder and the boy had put his head against him, as if looking for protection. Maybe they weren't lovers – yet – but Rohit narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth, all questions and doubts forgotten.

  "You think he likes men?" Ajay protested when he told him. "But he never tried anything with any of us!"

  "Maybe he likes them very young," Rohit replied. "I think Gaia sleeps in his room."

  "But it's disgusting! Have you asked Gaia what's going on? If he's been abused by his teacher..."

  "He didn't look abused." Rohit pondered. "I will have to ask either of them, and since Master Hiro intimidates me, I guess I'll have to talk to Gaia..."

  ***

  Gaia was surprised to see Prince Rohit walk straight up to her. She rose from the carpet she was sitting on – those southern barbarians didn't use stools, damn them! – and waited, wondering what he wanted.

  "Master Hiro is not here," she said hesitantly.

  "Good! I mean, I want to talk to you," Rohit said. He added something too fast for her to grasp the question.

  "Slowly, please." She'd become good at understanding the Amrendran dialect, but she still had problems finding the words when she needed to speak. Rohit cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed by what he'd come to say. He repeated the question slower and this time she got it.

  "You... sleep with Master Hiro?" he asked.

  "I sleep in his room, yes. On the floor, like him." Well, on the thick carpet with a couple of pillows – which was normal for Hiro, but she was starting to miss the cots and beds of the north. The Amazons Country sounded more civilized than Amrendra at the moment. Although maybe Amrendrans did use beds, it was just Hiro who... but why was Prince Rohit so nervous?

  "Are you lovers?" he blurted out.

  "Gods no!" she replied without thinking. She'd known Hiro for a long time, but there was never anything between them. Just the normal camaraderie between men-at-arms. No lust whatsoever. If she really had to choose, she preferred Kenuwee to Hiro.

  Prince Rohit looked relieved, and Gaia suddenly realized what that was about. Since she was about to leave, she thought she could admit to the prince she wasn't "a boy half my age."

  "Prince Rohit, sorry for misunderstanding..."

  "Oh, no, no, I'm sorry I thought..."

  "You thought because Hiro not explain."

  "Explain what?" Gray eyes widened in surprise. Gods, the prince was handsome!

  "Gaia is for females in Gallian," she explained.

  "Oh!" He looked more puzzled than ever. "You're a woman?"

  She nodded. Not that she was as curvy as the local women, especially since she didn't wear their tight-fitting bodice but loose tunics and breeches, but still... nobody had ever mistaken her for a boy in the north.

  "A warrior woman?" he insisted. The concept was too alien for him. Women were forbidden to touch weapons in his kingdom.

  She nodded again.

  "Ah!" He stared at her, then shook his head. "Barbarians."

  She chuckled. "Why? Because everybody can defend home? Because women go hunting with men?"

  "They do? It's not natural! A warrior woman or a huntress..."

  "Tell that to the Amazons."

  "It's a land far far away, must be a legend. You come from our neighboring kingdom. Only a river and a few hills divide us, not the ocean."

  Gaia sighed. "We rose from the ashes of the Moren Empire. We have harsh country. Wild beasts. Demons: Witches. Bandits. We had dragons. Of course we must defend our home. Men and women."

 
She hoped she used the right words. He seemed to understand. He still looked at her as if she'd turned into a dragon, but she noticed also a new respect.

  "How old are you?" he asked, frowning in concentration.

  She smiled. "Older than you. I was mercenary for ten and five years." She showed her hands, since she couldn't remember how to say "fifteen".

  His eyes widened again. "Fifteen... years?"

  "I'm a veteran yes. And I'm tired of it."

  "Will you stay here and rest?" he suggested.

  "Doing what?" she asked, puzzled.

  "Whatever women do in time of peace in your country," he said.

  They breed, she thought sourly. Although I wouldn't mind trying your bed, if you have one, my charming prince...

  ***

  In spite of being very busy with his betrothal and princely duties, Rohit still had time to think. He'd spent a couple of months abroad, exploring the world, but nothing had prepared him for what he'd found upon returning home.

  A warrior woman. That was something he had never dreamed of. He couldn't even imagine one – until Gaia had revealed to be a woman and not a boy. Yes, he had heard of the Amazons, but he really thought they were legend. And now he had discovered there were warrior women very close to home as well. He should have known, considering how proficient she was with her sword. She was obviously an expert, albeit used to a different kind of warfare and weapons.

  More and more often his thoughts went to her, and curiosity bit him. He really wanted to know more about her, but didn't have time to linger when Laxmi of Lakeshi reached the palace and they prepared for the betrothal.

  The ceremony took place in the great hall, with all the noblemen of Amrendra attending – but not his sword-teacher or the warrior woman. Ajay was there but would leave the morning after for his tour of the southern kingdoms in search of a bride.

  And then Princess Laxmi was settled at the palace, waiting for the wedding, and Rohit had his final exam with Hiro, in front of King Daruka Dahana and their court dignitaries.

  Unlike the other southern kings, the rulers of Amrendra didn't wear a bejeweled turban, but a golden circlet. Even the clothes were slightly different since the weather was more temperate. While Arquon, Rajendra, and Akkora were swept by a seasonal monsoon, Amrendra had four seasons and dressed accordingly.