It was clear to Jovan who ruled the camp. It was Jagoda. Whether she liked it or not. Whether she accepted it or not. Whether she realized that the people she tried to protect already considered her to be her father's rightful, and innocent, heir. And whether Jovan realized it or not, many considered him to be someone whose help they needed to win against Jagoda's sisters in order to unite the divided territories.
Soon after Jagoda's birthday, a decision was made that the time had come for the warriors to leave for Sofia. From what Anil told Jovan, Sofia was the stronghold of Lala Şahin Pasha's reign before his death, and the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet. Although Jovan knew who Jagoda was, Anil's words made it clear to him just how important she was. And how out of reach she really was for him. He kept his thoughts to himself, because his own doubts wouldn't help anyone. Nor would they disappear. As such, he pushed those thoughts deep inside, and concentrated on the matter at hand.
"Would You consider attacking by day or by night to be more advantageous?" Jagoda asked those gathered by a small bonfire near the center of one of the bigger caves.
"The day offers a clearer view of where we need to hit in order to enter the fortress. It will not be easy, but since we know Our way around the fortress, I believe we will have the benefit of a well prepared strike going in Our favor," Blagun smiled with confidence.
"But if we go by night, the guards will be sleeping. And, if we use torches to light the way, we also would see Our way around the city," Anil joined the conversation and felt that his confidence doubled when those gathered liked his idea better.
"What do You think?" Kinga looked at Jovan, who sat across from her, next to Jagoda. He was well aware of the fact that she was testing him, but she underestimated her opponent.
"We don't invade the city. We capture Jagoda's sisters," Jovan replied stoically.
"I salute You. Not only are You a wild boar, but Your logic does not make any sense." Kinga pointed at him.
"Would You rather win without shredding a drop of blood of Your fellow warriors? Or would You deem it a justifiable loss?" Jovan continued looking directly at her as those gathered around the bonfire listened intently.
"You know as well as I do that there are no battles without casualties," Kinga pointed out.
"That may be so," Jovan nodded. "But wouldn't attacking in secret with just a group of warriors provide a much more beneficial element of surprise? No one would expect that."
"That is not how battles are waged." Blagun chimed in.
"You are right. But maybe we don't have to wage a battle at all," Jovan advised them as he looked around.
"How so?" Jagoda asked.
"What is the main goal of what we are trying to accomplish?" Jovan asked her, and saw Kinga roll her eyes at him.
"Please tell me You are joking!?!" Kinga exclaimed.
"I did not ask for Your opinion of my limited cognitive skills." Jovan replied, unimpressed and unbothered by her comment. "I simply asked about the reason why we are doing this in the first place".
"Fine." Kinga puffed out a sizable gulp of air out of her lungs as she patted her sword. "The main point in all of this is to defeat Zora and Zoja and take over the command of Sofia, thereby securing the rightful succession of leadership. Once we take over the fortress and Lala Şahin Pasha's headquarters, we will take control of the city. After that, we will find the bastard who killed Jagoda's father and clear her name. If we do that, and Jagoda takes over the command of the city, the neighboring provinces will acknowledge her as the rightful heir."
"So, You care about Jagoda coming out of this alive?" Jovan continued, again unimpressed by Kinga's words.
"Oh, for the love of...!", Kinga yelled at him.
"Stop it. Both of You," Jagoda said loud enough for half the camp to hear it. But it was Kinga who got the message loud and clear the moment Jagoda placed her hand on Jovan's hand resting on his knee. It seemed like a minor detail to everyone since she tried to bring some order, but that detail spoke volumes to Kinga. Jagoda put her trust in Jovan, and it was not Kinga's place to defy or question it. She ran a hand down the long braid of her hair, and shoved it behind her.
"Fine. Valiant. What do You suggest?" Kinga asked him, albeit right through her teeth.
"All right. Blagun, You mentioned that You know Your way around the fortress and city grounds, right?" Jovan asked the man sitting beside him.
"Yes. I accompanied Lala Şahin Pasha and my father for quite a long time as we stayed in the city. I know all the ways to get into and out of the fortress", Blagun replied.
"Good. Anil, You mentioned that attacking by night provided a better cover for the warriors, right?" Jovan turned to Anil.
"Yes. This way we don't have to use swords if we don't need to." Anil felt his pride grow with every heartbeat.
"Great. Now, the objective is to accomplish what we set forth to do with the least number of casualties on Our end, or both, actually. Right?" Jovan asked without looking at Kinga.
"That is true. So, what would You suggest?" Jagoda asked, intrigued.
"That a small group of warriors, under the cloak of the darkness of the night, would have better chances to succeed than all of Our warriors combined. If we do this right, we would capture Your sisters without losing any lives". Jovan finished and watched as Kinga's eyes slowly narrowed. She was thinking his words over. Good! He thought. At least now she would not take him for a totally mindless creature.
"What advantages do You see if we consider Your way of attack?" Kinga asked, fully aware that her words carried double meaning.
And Jovan was fully aware of it as well...
YOU ARE READING
THE TIDES OF TIME
Romance⚔️ "Being born and raised to respect life and its rules, Jovan Galanis made something of himself. He was ambitious, outgoing, disciplined, and righteous to his very core. His parents died when he was a young boy, and having been raised by his Macedo...
