RacingRodent
Consul
10
The deputation of peasants edged nervously among the armed warriors, not that many of the warriors were that far off of peasants themselves but a pitchfork can be as deadly as any spear if used well as the scattering of Mongol weaponry and armour attested. At last the small huddle of villagers drew themselves up before the Tiger Banner flapping in the wind. A small chair, not quite a throne but close enough for this purpose had been procured for the Princess even a travelling writing desk which since it had once belonged to a tea merchant was as ornate as anything the typical farmer had ever seen.“Explain to me directly why you still refuse food to my soldiers, to Jin’s soldiers, to all of China’s soldiers, to your soldiers and protectors,” Messaline’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
The headman of the village stepped forwards and bowed a few times, he looked like he wanted to scuttle back among the others but instead he bowed a few times more, it was beginning to look as if there might be a lot of bowing and not much else when he finally spoke, his voice sounding sick with fear.
“Your Imperial Highness, My Princess, Illustrious Daughter of the Son of Heaven, Scourge of Our Enemies and….”
“Yes, yes, yes I know all of that, we haven’t got all day you know, now say what is on your mind,” Messaline cut to the chase.
“My Princess we cannot afford to give your brave soldiers our food,” The Peasant Chief carefully did not look at any of the mostly very scruffy looking ‘soldiers’ as he spoke, he mostly looked at his toes, poking from shoes that were probably a mite more worn than the ones he wore when not persuading Imperial officials of his village’s abject poverty, “The Mongols send their soldiers too, you see, they take almost all we can give, if we give to you too we have nothing to sell and we cannot repair our tools or our clothes and before long we will be selling our animals.”
“Very well but know if you do not feed us, we the soldiers and defenders of Jin cannot protect you but we are not pirates and robbers, we shall not harm you, when come the Mongols to exact their tribute?” Asked Messaline.
“In a fortnight Your Princess, I mean Your Imperial Highness, you really are not angry?” Hope made the Peasant giddy with relief and warred against the natural suspicion of his kind.
“I am not angry, merely resigned to the lot of my people, now go before I change my mind, my soldiers take great risks and they grow hungry, we must go where they can be fed,” Said Messaline and the peasants scurried away.
“That was rather easy going of you, Princess,” As they disappeared, “You realise they might tell the Mongols where we are going?”
“Yes they might, which is why we shall head back and camp in secret in that small woodland over there in time to catch the Mongols when they depart,” Messaline shrugged, “Just because they would rather feed our enemies is no reason to let the barbarians actually eat our food. Now summon my horse, we shall head to places more welcoming of the defenders of the Realm!”
So it was a half cycle of the moon hence that Messaline once again mustered her small legion of warriors in the shelter of the trees just beyond the tilled fields of the village. They had watched the Mongols arrive, gather up their offerings and now they watched them saddle bags laden with milk and meat and eggs and various grain crops that the villagers had yielded up.
“Now, attack, slay them all, leave none alive!” Messaline commanded her bow brandished in the air. The she and Li’hi and the handful of other trained archers sent shafts arcing over the heads of the charging mass of warriors while the surprised nomads milled in confusion. “Charge!” Messaline drew her sword and charged in the wake of the foot soldiers followed by Li’hi the ninjas and a few mounted fighters.
The battle was swift and bloody. Li’hi leapt from the saddle to bring down the Mongol standard bearer. He came to his feet thinking that beating a woman would be easy and went down hard as she lashed out with her legs, sweeping them from under him rather than waste time rising herself. Then she grabbed his helmet yanked it off and struck hard with her sword. The blow was not clean but it worked well enough, opening him to the spine and leaving him paralysed and helpless as she rushed off looking for yet another foe.
Disordered and confused the Mongols fought tentatively but were unwilling to flee and that indecision killed them as much as the spears and clubs that did the deed. Within minutes it was over save for counting the dead, gathering up the loot and binding the wound of those Chinese wounded but still living.
“What have you done?” Asked the Headman of the village running up in alarm, “The Mongols will wreak great vengeance upon us, you must protect us!”
“I cannot protect you, you would not feed my soldiers, protect yourself, this is war,” Said Messaline without the slightest hint of regret.
“But you have our food now, surely that counts for something!” Argued the Headman.
“This?” Messaline plucked a basket of eggs from one of her men who had been a peasant scant weeks before, “This is all from the Mongols, taken from our enemies, we do not steal from our own but we only protect those who honour their obligations to Jin and the Son of Heaven, now be gone, I grow weary of this conversation, you even fail to show proper courtesy towards me, for that I have had men flayed.”
The peasant fled.
“But we will stay and protect them won’t we?” Asked Li’hi.
“No, we need to go and protect those villages that have given us food and men and horses, those who will not help us and especially those that aid the enemy must look to their own devices,” Said the Princess, “Quickly now, we must be long gone before more Mongols come hunting.”
Even so they could still see the glow across the sky as the village burned a few nights later. It was not the epic holocaust that turned the entire horizon orange as had the conflagration that consumed Xinjiang as it was being taken. No one knew who had started that or even if it were by accident or design but cities that experienced battles so often went up in flames. Here the culprits were easy. The Mongols had fired the village in retaliation for their dead but Li’hi was not so sure she could share some of the blame.
She saddled her horse and rode the darkness toward that hot beacon. In the grey morning light she came upon the embers. Every house was a gutted shell, most of the buildings all but razed to the ground. Bodies and body parts were strewn around while women and young ones adorned spikes, stakes and spears driven into the ground. The Mongols might be barbarians in Chinese eyes but they were clearly efficient and organised killers.
Li’hi heard hooves behind and she turned drawing her sword but it was Messaline and her mounted party not some enemy warriors who rode up to her.
“Li’hi be more careful, you rode off in the night alone, what if danger had befallen you, if I had not woken from my sleep we would never have even been able to follow you,” Scolded Messaline.
“You did this, you knew, you let this happen, you decided to kill the Mongols right here so that they would blame the villagers and kill them all, you knew, you knew,” Li’hi wept as she spoke.
“I knew this yes, this is war and war is won by discipline, you see the men with us? Some were soldiers yes but are they with their families? No they are here fighting for everyone. Look at the others, the Kang boys for example, their parents sell leather goods, what did they know of war before we taught them, you and I and Shadow Song? Why should they give up their homes and put their kin in danger when people like these,” Messaline waved at the corpses, “Buy their safety with the food that will feed the armies that will go and rape and pillage and slaughter everyone else?”
“Messaline you knew, you could have warned these people, you let them die!” Li’hi protested. She was quite unprepared for the sudden slap.
“You address me as Princess or Your Imperial Highness, you are my favourite but etiquette will be observed!” Messaline now looked quite as angry as Li’hi, who looked around to see everyone carefully finding something, anything to look at but the pair.
“I am so sorry Your Imperial Highness and so sorry for all the people who died here last night,” Said Li’hi and rode off again.
A little while she heard hooves behind her, there was just the one set and she turned to see Messaline alone.
“I know Li’hi, I know, do you think I want it this way? But we cannot, cannot let the Mongols simply feed and rest or they will destroy the whole land…” Messaline started.
“I’m sorry too,” Li’hi stopped her horse and turned back to her companion, hugging her from the saddle, almost falling into her arms at her relief that their argument might still be mended.
“I’m sorry I slapped you but…”
“No you were right, they must always think of you as the Princess, else they would not follow you into danger when so many have run away, you are right, it is just that I am tired, so very tired of all this fighting and killing…”
Li’hi suddenly found herself been born along in the arms of strong Messaline. She was unsure how she had gotten down from the saddle but she did notice they had managed to arrive at some pool into which the river spilled in cheerful babble. She was glad that neither had had time or inclination to put on armour the night before as she felt Messaline undo the ties of her shirt and kiss her neck and chest. Then she was helping Messaline out of her shirt, her trousers and then went away her own their boots simply kicked away in the process.
The two women went into the water and turned to each other and embraced and kissed. The rage and pain and hurt were kissed away. The long suppressed urgency followed, something too little enjoyed in the tense nervous, ever hurrying life of guerrilla fighters. Lips sought breasts and nipples and hands stroked across backs and bellies and buttocks.
They lay together in the lapping water and drew strength from each other’s urgency. Hands found the join between legs as each determined to kiss the other as she gave her soul mate pleasure. Ardour spun higher until, again in wonderful union there came release and glad cries stole from throats. Then there was but time for a brief rest and back to the war.
To Be Continued
even now I keep a back up keyboard within easy reach...yes that will teach you to think you are joking 
