"The resistance has been less fierce than I feared, Your Majesty," Nurlan commented as he wiped the sweat from his brow and the blood from his sword.

The most recent skirmish in their northward sweep had been anticlimactic. A small band of men had tried to ambush the grey-eyed Emperor. The battalion seemed to be solely intent on killing Devrim and the Princess at the expense of their lives. Surprise had been their biggest asset.

Fortunately they had been unsuccessful. A scout has told warned that the men were lying in wait, but it was decided that the imperial troop should deal with them now rather later. The more of Cafer's allies they could eliminate, the better in the end.

Using himself as bait, the Emperor along with Mairwen and a dozen others rode into the high grass. They appeared to be alone.

"I love the ardor of our men," Devrim said to Nurlan, "but it is also nice to get away from the noise."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Junayd responded woodenly. "I am also glad we left behind the others."

'The man is excellent prankster but a terrible actor,' Devrim thought. "Yes, well, we can meet up with them in a while. For now, let us enjoy the quiet."

They paused the horses that they acquired along their journey and listened. It was silent. Not even the brush birds were chirping. The enemy was near.

Out of the grass an archer popped and aimed at Devrim's chest. There was a loud grunt as the archer fell to the ground before he could even get off the shot.

One of Okan's arrows protruded from his back. The archer had come in handy more than once since escaping the palace with the Emperor. Hiding just beyond the ring of attackers, Okan had out foxed the treacherous weasel.

"Anyone else want to join the party?" Devrim called out. His sword was drawn as he smiled viciously. Mairwen had her bow drawn, watching for any sign of movement.

All at once like a sprung trap, the enemy rose from the grass and attacked. They were well armed, but not prepared for the onslaught that came. Unable to get a good swing at the enemy form his horse, Nurlan dismounted and combatted the army of the New Emperor on foot. He cut them down faster than they could attack him, and he was almost bored as the battle went on.

Junayd, in true cavalry style, mowed down those in front of him with his horse, happy to be in the saddle once more. He only wished he had had a trumpet blast to announce his charge.

With her eagle eyes, Mairwen was able to stop some of the attackers from even making it out of the grass. Her hail of arrows is what finally turned the tide, making the New Emperor's troops discouraged enough to retreat.

They could not get far, because the full force of the imperial army was waiting for them, ready to swallow them like a toad swallows a fly. The entire battle was less than half an hour.

The group was securing any survivors and preparing to move on as Nurlan made his comment.

"The New Emperor's army so far has been underwhelming," the burly general added to punctuate his point. He sheathed his cleaned sword and mounted his horse once more.

The group returned to the larger army, which had surrounded the enemy before the battle even began.

Devrim stroked his chin as he reigned in his horse. "I think these attacks are meant to be like bee stings: annoying and demoralizing. We cannot relax if some rogue attack could happen any moment. If I had to guess, Cafer is keeping the bulk of his power at the capital."

"Why?" Mairwen asked as she listened with interest. By her demeanor, it looked like the Emperor was telling a bedtime story, not revealing deep military strategies.

The grey-eyed man could not help but smile at the beautiful girl. "Because spreading your army too thin is never wise, and the gnome has trouble from us at the south and your mother in the north. He does not know how strong either force is. The raiding parties serve to test us as well as pick us off. If they kill me or--Fate's forbid-- you, then they have won a much great victory than any brave skirmish. I assume they are also after Aurora."

"It certainly explains the easy time we have had clearing away the rabble," Nurlan agreed.

"The enemy should try selling milk instead," Junayd answered with a straight face. "It is the only way their work can be considered Legion Dairy... Get it? They cannot fight well, so they will never be legendary."

The confused faces turned to rolling eyes as those around him got the joke. "I am glad you learned to fight," Devrim chuckled. "Between your bad jokes and your love of women, you are always one word away from getting a black eye."

"It is part of my charm,"Junayd agreed as he winked at the princess. Mairwen shook her head. She was far less easy to embarrass than when they first left the palace.

"Your Majesty!" Renat broke through the crowd and bowed quickly. The boy had been tending to one of the wagons that held part of his ballista before he interrupted the group.

"Did something happen to your inventions, Scientist?" Devrim furrowed his brow.

"Yes, but it is fixable. That is not why I am here. The man who sabotaged it is asking for his life. He said he has news of the palace. We worry that it could be a trap, but he insists that he talks to you." Renat finished his words with his hand clenched nervously behind his back. If anything happened to the Emperor now, it would be his fault, but something in Renat's gut told him to deliver the message anyway.

"Bring him here, heavily guarded." Devrim ordered. A few moments later, a soldier in the blue and white of the New Emperor's army was forced to the ground in front of the Emperor's horse. "You wanted to see me?" the Emperor asked with only a hint of interest in his voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the soldier was young and seemed genuinely frightened. He pulled a paper from inside his armor and passed held it up to the Emperor.

"Allow me, Your Majesty," Nurlan took the paper and examined the outside for poison and any obvious magic (not that he had any experience in magical paper) before passing it on to Devrim.

The grey-eyed man opened the note and read it carefully. His face darkened, and he read it a second time in order to memorize its contents. "Can you read?" the Emperor asked the soldier.

"No sire," he responded quickly. Judging by his rabbit-like fear, he was telling the truth.

"Release him," Devrim said to his men. To the young soldier he ordered, "Leave your armor and uniform here and go in peace to your home. If I see your face on the battlefield ever again, you will be the first I kill. Understand?"

The young man's eyes brimmed with grateful tears. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He looked aside to Renat. "Sorry for targeting your weapon. I was trying to get caught without getting killed by you or them."

Astonished, Renat could only nod. The man had seemed far too easy to subdue and now he knew why. The soldier stripped to his undergarments and went out of the group as a man given a second chance at life.

"What message did he bring you?" Mairwen queried. Devrim saw no reason to hide it from her and passed the note across to her on her horse. "It is from Ezer!" she exclaimed as she brought her hand to her mouth.

The Emperor nodded. "Ezer slipped the boy this note and told him to work hard to get into one of the groups sent to battle us. The young soldier was conscripted into the New Emperor's army and wanted a way out. We will have to look out for others who do not want to fight. I do not want to spill blood unnecessarily. It also seems Cafer has also been steadily raising taxes to pay for the war. Such a burden for our people. No wonder there is no little resistance."

Mairwen's eyes welled with tears as she read the note in her hands. Seeing her face, Renat was at her horse's side to comfort her. "What's wrong?"

"Councilman Ezer confirms that my brother is being drugged. It breaks my heart that he should be treated like that by someone who claims to care about him. Oh! Father, did you see this?" The princess pointed to the end of the letter.

Devrim nodded. "I did." Looking at all the expectant faces, he continued. "Baak is dead and Cafer is King of the Gnomes. He no longer has to ask for permission in how he directs them."

Junayd scoffed at the news. "That is very convenient for him. And a problem for us."

"Indeed." Devrim sighed. He had hoped that some form of miscommunication would occur between the gnomes and give the imperial army an advantage. 'I am glad that we are almost to our meeting point. I am ready to have this all behind us.' he thought. "How much further is it to our destination, Nurlan?"

The general consulted a map and called to one of the scouts before he answered with conviction. "Two more hills before it opens up to the beachy plains. Then, if all goes well, we should be to the spot in an hour."

The Emperor had not known that they were so close. "What are we waiting for? Move out!" He called at the top of his lungs.

He watched as Renat hurried back to his horse-drawn cart, hopping aboard to prepare to leave. Bukuri sat next to him on the bench as his honored passenger while Faris stood proudly beside her. It was actually the centaur who had caught the messenger when he "attacked" the scientist's ballista.

Devrim could not hide his smile at the prospect of finally reaching their goal. "Do not delay," he urged them. "We must go to set up camp so my wife can have a warm welcome!"

The troops cheered and rushed to obey orders.

Orhan rode away from the Dunesman toward the Emperor. "What glad tidings! I look forward to giving Empress Aurora my regards. How long has it been since you last saw Her Majesty in person?" The Chieftain knew of the months spent with his own people, but the timeline before that was a less clear.

Devrim gave a sad smile. "Too long, Orhan. Both our birthdays have come and gone. It is the first one I have not spent with Aurora since I have known her. But rest assured, that will never happen again. When I see her, I plan to make up for lost time."

"You mean a celebration?" Orhan tilted his head.

"Yes, Cheiftain. An epic celebration."