The morning dawned and Garinor rolled off the cushions upon which he had been sleeping. Despite the hardships that would come to him as he tried to learn his role, he couldn’t give up his heritage and hand over the kingdom after a single conversation.
The prince entered the tent with food and drink and he sat down, asking Garinor about his night’s sleep. He seemed content making idle chatter, but Garinor needed to tell him his decision.
“I thought about your offer last night.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, and though it’s a benevolent one, I can’t accept it. I was born to this task. I can’t shy away from it now.”
The prince nodded and continued eating his breakfast as if they were discussing the weather and not deciding their fates. “I see. Well I can certainly understand your point of view. I cannot say that I would choose differently if it were me.” He tipped his glass of water toward Garinor. “Very well, your highness,” he said amicably. “Let’s make our way toward the scepter at any rate and there you can see to it that your reign is rightly restored.”
Garinor hesitated and then nodded his head. “Yes, let’s. And thank you.”
The prince smiled. “Not at all. It is your right and you should be able to claim it. We will leave this morning and make our way further north. But for now, let us eat.” The prince made no ill glances or comments during the meal and he even tried giving some advice for keeping tabs on major events around him. He spoke nonchalantly about Garinor taking over the kingdom and it made Garinor feel foolish for ever thinking the prince was out to kill him.
Before they parted ways, Garinor looked intently at the prince. “I appreciate everything you’ve explained to me today, and I look forward to more of your wisdom. You offered me a chance for my life to be watched and overseen through your rule and I would offer you the same. I think maybe you could be one of my advisors.”
The prince bowed his head. “My gratitude for your kindness. It is a generous and welcome offer.”
As the morning came on in full, the contingent of soldiers continued its steady march to the north. Garinor and the prince walked side by side, trading plans for the future, and as he envisioned a whole world at his fingertips, Garinor’s eyes started to glow with excitement.
A bird whistled off in the distance, but moments later Garinor realized that it was actually a posted sentry announcing his presence. He dashed up to the prince and whispered in his ear, after which the prince’s whole demeanor changed. He turned to Garinor. “Mount your horse and prepare yourself.”
Garinor watched in amazement as the prince expertly called over several people and spoke few words and made few gestures, but they seemed to understand a complicated series of instructions. The soldiers all brandished their weapons and one quarter of them broke off from the main force and dashed off to the east. A group stayed back with the supplies and after climbing up on his steed, Garinor trotted over to the prince.
“We go forth now into battle, your highness,” noted the prince. “You are not king yet, but it would be wise for your people to see you on the field. But mind that you keep yourself out of harm’s way.” He then reached down and took something from a soldier who approached them. “Here, take this,” the prince offered him a short sword. “May you have no cause to use it.”
Garinor accepted the weapon and as they crested the hillside they bore down into a group of men and women who were also gearing up for battle. They were weary and beaten, but the angry looks on their faces showed that there would be no reasoning with them. Garinor followed the prince as he led his troop forward to meet them in battle.
A group of soldiers started off surrounding Garinor to protect him, but the other fighters were determined to break through such a defense and they focused their attacks on bringing down the two men on horseback. Garinor could see that they were coming right for him. He was an easy target lifted high into the air, as was the prince, who swung his sword about and batted away the encroaching forces.
Garinor reacted instinctively. He pulled the sword from his scabbard, but the horse was up so high he couldn’t strike effectively. His only recourse was to guide the horse around and try to keep from getting hit, but this ploy didn’t work for long. Two fighters came running up and bludgeoned the horse in such a way that it staggered forward onto its forelegs but was not seriously injured. The sudden plunge unseated Garinor and he flopped into the dirt.
People ran all around him and Garinor struggled to rise to his feet. He was sore from the fall, but he knew that if he didn’t defend himself then he would soon be dead.
Swinging the sword wildly overhead, Garinor charged into the fray. The bitter steel lashed out left and right and he felt it bite into flesh as he went. He tried not to think about what he was doing, that he was cutting into people like himself who had families waiting for them. But when his blade cut in and he heard cry after cry of pain, it bore down on his conscience. Tears filled his eyes and he tried to pull himself away from the fighting to compose himself and perhaps find a means of escape.
His sudden retreat was glimpsed by the opposing fighters and they capitalized on the moment of weakness. Three men rushed up to him and howled in rage as they readied their weapons to strike Garinor down. Members of the prince’s army stepped up to intervene and they deterred two of the three attackers, but one broke through their defenses.
Garinor could see that the prince was still on his horse, though he appeared to be slightly wounded. They made eye contact and the prince’s eyes lit with fury as he saw Garinor’s plight.
“No!” the prince screamed, snapping his horse in Garinor’s direction. “Look out!” He raced the beast into their midst and Garinor knew at that moment that the prince truly had wanted him to remain alive. He could have just as easily let Garinor die.
Unfortunately for Garinor, the prince’s interference was a moment too late. The bearded man chasing him launched his sword forward and it caught Garinor in the back, sending blasts of pain through his body and knocking him down. The prince screamed and bounded off his horse, felling the bearded man and bending down to Garinor.
“Your highness, hold on!” called the prince. “We still have an appointment with destiny.” A new sound rose in the distance as a group of warriors thundered into camp and turned the tide of battle to the prince’s favor. It was the group he had sent off to the east before the fighting.
But Garinor couldn’t appreciate the clever tactic, for even though he tried to hold on to consciousness, the whole world faded away and he was no more.