The king's man

 

As the last of the carts started to cross the river, Solis clicked his tongue and his cart started too. In front of him, as far as his eyes could see, he saw lines of wagons slowing moving ahead. The soldiers, even the infantry bringing up the rear, had already disappeared beyond the horizon. After resting for months the army was going to battle again. This was an army that had been on the move; traveling, battling, and conquering, for years now. It's been five years since some of them had left their land and now they are, in their own admission, half the world away from home. They had crossed mountains, rivers, and deserts; and in their wake, they had ruined mighty armies, magnificent cities, and impregnable citadels. The treasures they have plundered we beyond their dreams, and yet, there was no stopping of their insatiable desire to keep marching on. The old, the wounded, and the weary had been left behind, some had been sent on their return journey. But the ranks were bolstered by fresh regiments from home and by recruits from the conquered lands. When the battle horn first blew a week ago many soldiers had moaned, but with each day the weary and dejected faces had started to dream about thrills and riches.

Nobody noticed when Solis had drifted away from the march. Sometimes he traveled alone, sometimes he traveled along a caravan, sometimes he traveled through empty lands, sometimes he traveled through settlements, but he always maintained an eastward direction. After traveling for several days he reached a confluence, a smaller river rushing down from the great mountain in the north, while a bigger one flowed east. From his experience he knew that this river will grow bigger and bigger, being fed by numerous streams and tributaries from the mountain, and there are many cities and ports along its banks. Here, he ditched the cart and took a boat, it was faster to ride the swift current and he had a need for speed. But it was still several days when he sighted the first major port. He didn't approach the port immediately and watched it from a distance. It was nearly evening when he finally started to row for the shore, but even then he didn't head towards the port, he approached the fringes of the city. Although he had changed from the rags into something descent, the guards at the gate of the merchant's house still eyed him with suspicion and contempt. Even after he named a well-known merchant, a friend of their master, they were far from convinced. Finally, he pulled out a small roll of leather tied with golden strings and handed that to one of the guards, 'Show it to your master' he said, 'and hurry' he added menacingly.

Even from a distance, everyone could hear the shouting and rebukes, the guard returned in a hurry and his irritation had been replaced with fear. But the merchant was stunned to see Solis in such a pitiful state. 'I was robbed' he explained plainly. Soon arrangements were made and he bathed thoroughly, changed into some nice clothes, and had a hearty meal. 'Why did you risk going to such forsaken land when you had so much to trade here' the merchant complained. Solis gave him a cordial smile, 'The robbers have taken everything of value, but they haven't cut off my head' he said. The merchant looked baffled and so he explained, 'Everything I have seen and learned is in here' he tapped his head, 'Do you know even the farmers' wives wear silver bangles this thick' he showed one of his fingers. Now the merchant was awed and interested. They talked deep into the night, he talked about prosperous southern lands which he hadn't visited and the merchant talked about foreign legions in the west which Solis had seen. Though he was weary and the bed was soft, his sleep was light. In the morning the merchant sent men to bring Soli's boxes and bundles from the boat at the riverside and sent men to the port to inquire about ships leaving for the east. 'I have to inform my benefactor at the earliest' Solis had pointed out during the conversation at night. The next morning he sailed for Rajnogor (King's City) and although they sailed downstream and they had a tailwind it still took him several days to reach there.

The guards at the gate of the merchant's house didn't bother the smartly-dressed young man and immediately took him to their master. The merchant was happy to see Solis but like his friend in Joypur (triumphant land) became horrified and agitated after hearing about his ordeal. Like the previous merchant, Solis soothed him with stories of a prosperous land and rough sketches about the route to go there. Here too, people have heard about the Shetango (fair-skinned) soldiers and they too were unworried about any impending danger. Their kingdom was vast, wealthy, and powerful; the king called himself Lakhopoti (leader of a hundred thousand) as he commanded an army over a hundred thousand strong. Even elephants he had in thousands, and hundreds of ships guarding the ports and patrolling the river. But Solis knew a similar mighty kingdom has fallen at the hands of those marauders and if anything it was the intimidating monsoon and the raging rivers which would thwart or delay their advance. The merchant was eager to know more about the southern lands. During his travels, Solis had met many people; travelers, traders, saints, and scholars who had visited or had lived in those parts and he had many stories to tell the merchant. He knew though his maps were largely imaginative, even the best of cartographers make mistakes. Although he looked calm, he was restless inside and after just a couple of days, he boarded another ship to continue his eastward journey.

It was past evening when he landed from the ship. He quickly surveyed the port and confidently approached the soldiers and their sergeant. 'I need a cart for my luggage and a horse for myself, I'm going to meet the commander and the governor, now' Though his authoritative voice startled the sergeant, he wasn't so easy to be intimidated and he was about to retort when Solis held out something. The sergeant swallowed hard and took the small gold tablet with trembling fingers, he couldn't believe his eyes even though he held it in his own hand. The small gold square had the king's seal, only a handful of people could carry such a thing and it means this young man is either royalty or a very important person. In his nervousness, he barked at the soldiers to bring a cart and he himself ran towards the horses tied at a distance. But the young man overtook him, expertly jumped on a horse, and they set off in a flash. The guards at the palace stood their ground while he kept charging in, 'Clear the way, he has the king's seal' the sergeant lagging behind shouted. He seemed to be very familiar with the palace and took a staircase to the upper floor, as he marched down the hallway a door opened and the commander and Hasi came out. He immediately knelt and bowed, 'Commander, Governor' he said in voice. 'You have returned!' the commander exalted. 'Take him to his room' Hasi said to the maid nearby, 'Rest for the night, we will talk in the morning' she said to the young man.