The Gainans: Servant Princess

Chapter 10

Gandon looked at Kaana with distaste in his eyes. It was hard to believe that he had actually allowed this crook to bully him into betraying the princess. The life that he had longed for so badly as a pauper was nothing compared to the treasures of Paupers Village. He knew why he had been summoned to the palace. As Vuma warned, Kaana had been told of his secret meetings. Gandon couldn't care less. He was over all of this; the fear, the doubt, and the regret. He had to make things right; fix his mistake. He was ready.

"What is it, Kaana?" he asked in a tone that suggested he was bored.

"Your Majesty," Kaana corrected, digging his fingers into the arm rests of the throne.

"So I've heard. What do you want?" Gandon retorted flatly.

From his position beside the king, Vuma looked at Gandon in renewed respect. Even now when he was caught, he stood bold and unflinching.

Kaana leaned forward in his seat, chin jutting out from the rest of him, his lip curled.

"You will fear me," he hissed.

"Really? When?" Gandon shot back. "Before or after you prove your competency as king?"

Kaana glared at him for a moment before a crooked smile appeared on his face.

"I see," he observed. "You want out. You want me to free you from your guilt by killing you."

"No, I just really want you to tell me what you want."

Kaana bolted from his huge seat and sprang over to Gandon, leaving only a few steps between them.

"What I want is for you to explain to me why you've been having secret meetings with people," he growled. "What I want is a reason why resistance has increasingly been at my door over the last few weeks. I want you, Gandon, to tell me why you've been plotting to get rid of me."

Gandon's eyes hardened. This was it; now or never. He wasn't a fighter, but this time he had a cause. And propelled by that cause, he would succeed. He reached for his belt and yanked out a shiny dagger. With a war cry, he raised it high in the air and then brought it down with much force.

Kaana easily caught Gandon's hand, lightning in his eyes. For a moment, the king stared deep into his attacker's eyes, then a snake-like smile spread over his face. In one swift move, Kaana swung the armed hand around and plunged the dagger deep into Gandon's belly.

Eyes bulging, Gandon grunted and slowly sank to the floor, hardly believing that he had failed even in that. He coughed up blood, spraying the hem of the king's robe with dark red dots. Darkness creeping into his vision, he thought of his daughter and wished that he could have done things differently. He wished he were with her now. He wished...how he wished...

Gandon closed his eyes and fell limp.

Kaana sighed in satisfaction before he straightened his collar and turned to Vuma. He saw the surprised look on the warrior's face and felt a sense of triumph; he had earned a reaction from the stony man at last. He jerked his head towards the body.

"Make a spectacle of the corpse in the streets and make sure everybody sees. Then send it to its daughter," he ordered. "With my compliments."

He paraded out of the room.

"Let's see if anybody will dare oppose me now."

Vuma stared at the lifeless man before him and the jabbing words floated into his memory.

"And you call yourself a warrior."

***

It was two days before Vuma could deliver Gandon to Paupers Village. Kaana had kept him busy. Not only did he have to parade the corpse around as a warning to others, he also had to round up the other rebels. Thankfully, Kaana didn't need him to be present for their execution. As a result, the mood in Gaina had worsened, if that was even possible. Everybody was afraid now, warrior and civilian alike. All who took Kaana lightly before now trembled at his name, and spoke of him behind closed doors, and even then in whispers, for his spies were everywhere. And he had proven to be a force to reckon with.

Vuma made this trip alone, knowing full well that he would not receive a warm welcome, much less with the bad news he was bringing. But solitude was a rare commodity in Kaana's service, and he was desperate to have time for himself to breathe. He rode into the village slowly, the morbid thumping of his horse's hooves on the dusty ground attracting the attention of the villagers. Their gazes were curious, suspicious, wondering why he was alone, and what – who that shrouded figure he carried was. He stopped in the middle of the village and skillfully dismounted the horse.

Jumu appeared before him then, arms crossed as he eyed the body on the horse.

"What is this?" he asked.

Vuma did not reply. Instead, he scanned the gathering crowd until his eyes landed on Don. They locked gazes momentarily before realization seeped into her eyes. She looked past him at the figure swung over the horse. Vuma took the body down and placed it on the ground.

The crowd fell silent as they too realized what was going on. They made way as Don shuffled to Jumu's side. She looked up at him and saw the look in his eyes. Sympathy. She swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in her throat and crouched next to the body. She reached out to pull back the cloth, but hesitated, scared that what she suspected might be true. Jumu got down next to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Drawing strength from that gesture, Don took in a deep breath and pulled back the cloth.

Her heart caught in her throat as whispers sounded behind her. She stared, thunderstruck, unable to believe her eyes. There her father was, limp and lifeless. Her lower lip trembled, then her mouth opened and shut.

"Father," she finally whimpered, for the first time in months.

She scanned his face, her expression remaining unchanged. Without a word, she put her finger under his nose. Then she slowly lowered her ear to his chest. She closed her eyes and listened hard, hoping for the slightest sound. She sighed. There was nothing. He was gone.

She lifted her face and glared at Vuma. A deadly silence passed as they stared at each other before she sprang at the warrior with a roar. Jumu quickly pulled her back and held her tight as she broke down into sobs. He glowered at his protégé only to be met with a soulless gaze.

"He tried to kill Kaana," Vuma explained. "Because your king refused to step up to the plate, Gandon decided to take matters into his own hands...and failed."

Jumu's eyes widened at this. Cradling Don in his embrace, he turned to find Bratan and Taros looking at him. The expression on their faces mirrored his own feelings:

Kaana had to go.