The King of Mercy (Written 12/5/2018)

“What is the meaning of this?”

The enemy commander seemed baffled at the sight before him, a lone messenger standing before the entire army as they waited for their next plan of attack against the kingdom of Starkgard. The crystal that laid behind those walls shall be theirs, and their declaration of war was made abundantly clear as the soldiers ransacked the city as night had fallen. And yet as the city burned, this single figure stood before them all, arm raised high, eyes locked on the enemy before them. Whispers came from the invaders as the figure approached closer, curious to see what it is this measly messenger wished to say.

And yet, as they finally took notice to the messenger, silence filled the air. It was no soldier sent on behalf of the king, but a lone woman. Her nightgown torn, stained with crimson and skin bruised and battered as she walked towards them all – clad in nothing more than a pair of metal greaves with a massive shield in her non-surrendering arm. The commander’s eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed at the woman.

“Are your king’s soldiers in such disarray that they have to send a mere civilian to announce their surrender?” Laughter began to fill the air amongst the commander’s soldiers and advisors, but the woman simply stood there before them and silently waited for them to cease their laughter. “Tell me, woman. Are you here to try tempting us into surrender? No amount of seduction shall sway our resolve.”

The woman shook her head, arm still raised as she slowly raised the shield up. As the soldiers readied their bows and weapons, they were surprised as she slammed the shield into the ground and stood beside it, allowing her hands to become free as she pulled at the tie on the front of her nightgown and used it to bind back her long hair. The guards whistled at the gesture, but the commander’s eyes narrowed as the woman had fixed her hair and lifted her shield once more.

“You are not here to surrender, are you, woman?”

“No.” The tone of her voice was commanding, fearsome enough to silence the men before her as she pointed her shield towards the commander. “I am here to make you apologize for waking up everyone in the kingdom. And to kindly ask that you surrender.”

This only provoked loud laughter from the soldiers there, following in suit to the amused commander.

“You? Asking for us to surrender? Your king truly must be desperate if he thinks that a mere woman shall convince me to retreat from the kingdom! You have nothing you can offer me in exchange for my surrender.”

“How about the lives of your men?” This caused the commander to silence, staring at the woman who stood before them. “The soldiers have been commanded to incapacitate your men, taking as many as we could alive and in our protection. Those who denied the kingdom’s kindness were met with a terrible fate.” She took her eyes from the commander, looking at the remaining faces there on the field. “The warriors of our kingdom are admirable ones, and ones that offer mercy on behalf of their king. Will you accept our act of mercy and return back to whence you came or shall you deny it and stain your hands with the blood of your men?”