Javier stared into her eyes. They told the story of her heart. He found that fact out a long time ago. He could look into her eyes and know what she was thinking, she never had to speak. That was the way it had been the first time they had lain together, and it held true now. Esmeralda's eyes pleaded with him, showing him all the love she could not speak. His training provided him the escape from her pleas. It took over and allowed him to speak. "I can't do what I need to do to save you, with you here. You must go." He wanted to pull her to him so badly. To hold her tight and keep her safe, he loved her so.
Esmeralda had become his only solid thing over the years, the rock he held on to. After he left her in their hometown, he had traveled aimlessly, hiring himself out to whoever paid the most. He quickly earned a name for himself, and soon had men wanting to join him. His adventures with his troupe carried far and wide. On one of his stops back home, Javier had asked around and found out where Esmeralda had gone. The Oath had been weighing heavily on him, and Javier felt the need to be around Esmeralda. Not only did he hopelessly love her, but was magically bonded to her.
The first meeting between the two had been strained. Esmeralda couldn't reveal her true feelings for Javier, because she was the wife of a King, his Queen. And Javier could never reveal his feelings for Esmeralda or face certain death. After that meeting, Javier returned to mercenary life, but found it held no appeal for him anymore. He had amassed a large fortune, and no longer cared to risk life and limb for money.
Retiring, he traveled back to the Kingdom of D'rant, where his Queen reigned with her husband, their King. Making arrangements, and swearing fealty, El Toro soon became the commander of the Army. The Kingdom of D'rant was rich in minerals, but short on warriors. It's neighbors were always pillaging the outskirts, which why Esmeralda's wedding had been arranged. An alliance between the two countries had been formed.
Javier found the army in very bad shape. He spent a lot of time working with the king's men, and soon had a very fit garrison of men. Within six months, he had retrained most of the army, and was starting to look towards expanding the army and the kingdom's borders.
That was when the King was poisoned. Their neighbors to the East, the land of the Purins, had decided that they were tired of little raids and started to invade. They had sent a spy in to kill the King in order to create a greater disarray. Their plan had succeeded in killing the King, but that was as far as it went. Esmeralda rallied the people behind her, she had been an excellent and compassionate monarch and the people loved her. Since she had yet to bear a child for her husband, she was the defacto ruler,and the people had no problems with it.
As they were laying the good king to rest, mirrored messages reported that the Purins had decided to launch an army to attack the mining outpost on the Eastern edge of the Kingdom. Javier had wasted no time in rallying the troops and they had set to meet the invading army.
The men of D'rant fought bravely and fiercely, and with Javier's planning and tactics, they had quickly defeated the army. Having defeated the army, El Toro found out that it had been just a diversion to lay a siege to the castle. Plots within plots, the people of the Southern regions of the Land were just plain devious. Javier's people were much more straight foreward. You had an enemy, you fought them. Whoever died, lost. It was amazing how polite people became when faced with life being polite, or death.
Javier and his men had marched non-stop, throughout the night to arrive just in time to rouse the city and seal the gates before the hordes poured down through the passes, cutting off all lines of escape. The castle city had been built in a fertile valley in the Wayward Mountains. It had everything the people needed to survive when they had first settled here. Then they discovered minerals and jewels, and a kingdom had formed.Now it was their last refuge.
Coming back to the present, Javier found himself still staring into those beautiful golden eyes. They had changed now, harder, she had an idea. Stepping back, she turned and looked around the room. Spying a room in the back where they could talk, she turned back to him and spoke in her Queen voice, "Follow me, El Toro. We need to speak in private." Then she turned and headed into the room.
With no other choice, but than to follow her, El Toro strode into the room, closing the door behind him. Not sure what was going on, but not wanting to give her a chance to try to talk him out of his decision, he started to speak. "Esi," he began. But that was as far as he got. Esmeralda silenced him with a finger to his lips. Then she kissed him passionately.
"Now, listen to me, you stupid pig headed brute of a man. A brute that I love so desperately. I WILL NOT let you go to your death for me. Not when I can prevent it." Esmeralda spoke with feeling. Pausing to gather her breath, she went on. This was the hard part. "Javi, I know you mean well, but I cannot allow you to die today. This is what we are going to do. You are going to lead the people out of here through the old mine at the back of the castle. I will give you the royal map, it is the only one in existance. You will take the people to safety."
"NO!!!!" he exclaimed. He punched the wall hard. Dust drifted to the floor. "I will no more let you go to your death, than you wish to prevent me from mine." He was furious, and his tone conveyed every molecule of that anger.
"Javi!" Esmeralda used her pay-attention-to-me voice. She had used it so many times when they were younger. He instantly calmed down and looked at her. "I am not going to my death. The Sultar of Purin needs me alive. What I will do is ride out under a white flag to parlay. While we talk tonight, you and the people will escape. In the morning I will ride back out and refuse his terms of surrender." Esmeralda was stating her plan calmly, like a normal person talking about taking a stroll down by the river.
Javier looked at her a bit wide-eyed. Her plan had merit, but so many flaws. "What happens when you refuse? Do you think this Sultar will just let you walk away? Why would he need you alive?" Javier pointed out. His only hope now was to show her the flaws, appealing to her logic and reason.
"The Sultar needs me alive. If he wishes to conquer this Kingdom, he will need the people to work the mines. They are the only ones who know how, an outsider would be lost. These people grew up in the mines working, it is in their blood. The land of Purin is different. It is more of a wasteland, arid and dry. The wet moist air of the mountains make it hard for them to breathe. They need the people of D'rant to mine their riches, to farm the fields. The people of D'rant will fight to the death unless I convince them to surrender. The Sultar needs me alive to sign away my kingdom." Esmeralda knew she had a point, and a damn good one. Her plan was sound. Now to get him on board, she always knew how to appeal to him. Continuing, Esmeralda told Javier, "And of course, once the people are safe, you will come back and rescue me. Then we will show these invaders what it means to be from the Hill country!" Her eyes flashed, her race's blood lust coming to show.
Despite himself, Javier smiled. How he loved her when she was fiesty. He remembered many evenings showing her a defense move just to repeat it over and over and over until they were both perfect on it. When she set her mind to something, that was it. He knew he couldn't change her mind, and her plan had merit. It would save the people, and save her. But it was risky. So many things could go wrong, and he would be no where nearby to save her. Compromising, El Toro spoke, "I pick your guard then."
Smiling to herself, Esmeralda kissed him long and deeply. Getting him to do anything he didn't like, changing his mind always made her want him. She had wanted him for so long, but had been denied. Then he showed up after years of not speaking to her, and it was like they had picked up where they had left off. She was no longer the naive young princess losing her virginity to a man she didn't love. She had taken Javier as her lover the first chance she had gotten. She never regretted that decision, and was so glad she had. Her life had never been the same.
Fluttering her eyes coyly, she asked Javier, "How much longer before their pray time is over? We have to fly a flag before they launch their next offensive." Javier grinned. He responded, "Oh, I imagine that I have enough time to do some flying of my own flag before we have to fly the other flag." Reaching out, he pulled her tight next to him, finding himself amazed at how small she really was. He was always amazed. Leaning down to kiss her, he couldn't help but feel how 'right' this was.
To be continued.
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