Imperialist: The Voyage

Chapter Twelve; The Stowaway

As the Empress drew nearer, Moutassim could only stare at the petite, bald-headed figure standing next to Dakati, the ship's captain.

The Empress was finally within boarding distance and Sahelia not so much crossed as bounced over the gangplank to Moutassim's ship.

"Surprise?" Sahelia smiled sheepishly, jumping down. Moutassim only stared at her, with Tigrita next to him. Tarik chuckled and took a swig of his wine.

"Oh you're in for it now, Elia." Tarik said, shaking his head.

"How are you here!" Moutassim spluttered. "Why are you here? I left you in charge of Bremon! I signed the imperial order myself, making you military governor."

Sahelia shrugged, squinting.

"I'm not cut out for that job. I did try to tell you. I got into some trouble with the locals and ran away. I'm here now, where I belong. By your side, serving you."

"You ran away? You ran away?" Moutassim braced against the ship, a look of wonder on his face. He turned to the young captain. "Dakati, how did she get on board your ship? Were you a part of this?"

"No sire!" He said hastily. "She was dressed like a boy, an ordinary sailor. We just assumed she was one of us, until... one of the men noticed her, uhm, her womanly features."

Womanly features? Moutassim looked at his sister-in-law. Did he mean breasts? A crazy temptation to laugh came over him. But he did the opposite. He drew himself up to his full height.

"Princess Sahelia of Genda," Moutassim said coldly. "Your actions are a disgrace, to your family, to the empire and to me. You disobeyed orders, you deserted your post! You, a commander in my army, are nothing more than a deserter. A bad example to my troops. And you are hereby relieved as commander of the Sumoso unit, permanently. Should we make it back home, further action will be taken if deemed necessary."

Tears sprang into her eyes, which she quickly wiped with the palms of her hands. Moutassim had never seen her cry before, but his was a resolve of stone.

Her lips trembling, Sahelia bowed to him and retreated to a corner of the ship. Out of sight. Dakati returned to the Empress and the ship pulled away, leaving a foamy trail through the gently billowing waters in its wake.

Moutassim turned to look at the horizon. It was a cloudy day, so the ocean remained its listless grey colour. But at least the waves were relatively calm.

Tigrita came up quietly next to him.

"You were hard on her." she said gently.

"She should have known better," Moutassim said. "She has been in the army for years. She holds a senior rank. By Allah, she is the one who made the sumosos what they are today. She's not a brainless fool..."

"She's a teenager!" Tigrita retorted. "Whatever her accomplishments, no matter how many she has slain, she still has to deal with teenage emotions!"

Moutassim sighed.

"You're a woman, of course you will take her part," he said. "As emperor, I can't afford emotions. Or favouritism. The men are always watching, I cannot lose their confidence."

"I may not have been with you long enough to know much," Tigrita said. "But I've heard and seen enough to tell me that you show your brother a lot of favours. A lot of second chances."

Moutassim's eyes blazed. His brother was in too much of a drunken stupor to realize he was the topic of discussion.

"How dare you!" Moutassim hissed. "You forget your place Tigrita. Tread carefully."