Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK II - Scene LII

King Brijsk stepped outside the tent. The earth was sodden and rain was still pelting the ground. His first footstep beyond the loose cover of the canopy sank a few deep inches into the mud. With the second he slipped slightly, but the weight of his towering body held him steady.

"The heavens really are falling," he exclaimed loudly. The natural shelter of the forest helping little to shield him from the downpour, "I think the wild woman may have been right after all."

His aide stood soaked by his side; a small, shivering flake in contrast to the bellicose king.

"I admire the grit of these tree people," continued Brijsk, anticipating the question the aide was wanting to ask. "They want to fight for this rain soaked jungle - much more than I do, but I won't give them the option this time. Yes, send word that I give ceasefire. We'll go no further into their weeping willows. They can keep their powder too - if they can keep it dry in this flood."

He looked around the wet landscape again as he said this, his beard and face already decked with raindrops.

"And get me my horse!"

His horse was then led out into the mud by another aide. It stood large and dominant in the hollow grove - the breath from its nostrils like warm spirits dancing through the cold damp air. Its coat like blackest silk; the mane an oily black with the rainy dew. The giant king struggled to climb atop his giant steed. His two aides slipping and heaving in the mud as they tried to jockey him into position. Finally his foot caught the stirrup and he landed plum in the seat. The awkwardness of the climb immediately forgotten in the now perfect symbiosis of king and beast. With a small kick of his heel the horse then stepped out through the mud and into the forest clearing.

King Brijsk was joined by two of his bravest knights, likewise on horseback. With a rush of wind the rain swept across the open clearing with added violence, but all three stood upright against torrent.

"We're heading east," declared Brijsk, as he poised to leave, "Hold the fort 'til we get back ..and make sure to keep the peace."

The two drenched aides stood like tattered ensigns, willing to do their duty, but hampered by the elements. They held their salute until the king and his two knights had rode off into the distance, then quickly headed back into the sanctuary of the campaign tent.