Editing The King's Son (section)

=== Timed events ===
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{{TErow| 1 |day 1|With the death of [[Baron Paglon]], [[Mad King Gryphonheart]] couldn't ignore us any longer.  But instead of marching on the swamps to take care of us himself, he has sent his oldest son, [[Prince Niven]].<p>[[Niven]] is rumoured to be an excellent tactician even though he is barely sixteen years old.  He's received all the best education, and with the well-trained forces of [[Erathia]] behind him he will be a formidable opponent.  That is, unless I can remove him from this conflict before he has a chance to do any harm.}}
{{TErow| 7 |Day 7|I sent the bulk of my forces under the command of the [[Gnoll]], [[Brellick]], to watch over the considerable number of women, children, and invalids who have come under my protection.  I also warned [[Brellick]] to remain off the beaten path and watch for ambushes.  If [[Prince Niven]] were any tactician at all, he would know that a well-orchestrated ambush is the best strategy in the swamps.<p>Despite my warnings and my hope that [[Niven]] would concentrate his attention on me, [[Brellick]] walked right into an ambush.  Most of his soldiers were killed in the attack.  To my surprise, however, [[Niven]] refused to execute the noncombatants even though [[Rambert]], the Earl of these parts, begged for it.<p>Instead, my people are locked within the dungeons of [[Rambert]]'s [[Castle]] awaiting the decision of the young Prince.<p>Or my arrival - whichever comes first!}}
{{TErow| 12 |Day 12|I received a note this morning asking for a private meeting in the middle of the swamp well off the beaten path.  Of course, I expected a trap.  Why else would an [[Erathia]]n want to meet me?  But I took a chance.<p>Using [[Serpent Flies]], I scouted the surrounding swamp thoroughly before I approached.  If the enemy attacked, I should have plenty of time to escape.<p>"Are you the leader of the rebels?" the well-dressed man asked.  His clothes were too expensive for him to be anything but a noble.<p>"We're the [[Mudland]]ers - freemen!  Not slaves, not rebels," I corrected the man.<p>"Oh!  I apologize."<p>"Accepted, and I am [[Tarnum]].  I lead for now," I said.  I didn't want this man to know that if I were to die, I suspected the rebellion would collapse and the [[Mudland]]ers would return to slavery.<p>The noble explained that not all of [[Erathia]] supports [[Mad King Gryphonheart|King Gryphonheart]].  In fact, if he weren't so powerful there would've been a coup long ago.<p>"So, you don't have the courage to rid yourself of a King you don't even like!  What does this have to do with me?"<p>"Everything!  [[Mad King Gryphonheart|King Gryphonheart]] has sent his own son, [[Prince Niven]], here to face you in battle.  I have it on good authority that he fully expects his son to fail."<p>I felt the bile rise in my throat.  [[Mad King Gryphonheart|Gryphonheart]] became more disgusting with each passing day.<p>"Why would he kill his own son?" I asked.<p>"Because [[Niven]] is soft on slaves.  Because he knows that [[Niven]] has the support of all the nobility and he could be used to raise [[Erathia]] against him," the noble said.<p>I've seen [[Niven]]'s compassion toward slaves first hand.  He's the first [[Erathia]]n I've faced that hasn't slaughtered every escaped slave he can find.  He's even removed the bounty on slave heads, replacing it with a single bounty for me instead.  A smart move, trying to cut the head off the snake.<p>"I still don't know what this has to do with me," I said.  What else was this noble willing to reveal?<p>"Please don't kill the Prince!  If you can't turn away, at least spare his life if you should ever defeat him.  We would pay a healthy ransom for the Prince, if alive."<p>This was interesting, but I couldn't make any promises.<p>"I have no interest in acting as [[Mad King Gryphonheart]]'s assassin," I said, "but if the good Prince gets in my way neither will I risk the life of even one of my people to keep him alive.  Understand?"<p>"Yes," said the noble.}}
{{TErow| 22 |Day 22|I took [[Droglo]] with me as part of his instruction.  The boy's combat skills were coming along nicely, but I wanted him to know that there were ways around battle and that you should take those paths whenever you could.  No reason ending lives when you can avoid it.<p>That's why I didn't mount a big expedition to capture [[Prince Niven]].  Late at night, [[Droglo]] and I slipped into the enemy camp.  We moved slowly, covered in mud from head to toe.  We each wore only a loincloth, carried only a dagger.  [[Droglo]]'s small, wiry frame was made for this kind of lurking, and although I was considered large by any standards, I had more years experience than I dared count.<p>We only had to kill two guards on our way to the Prince's tent, where I clubbed the young royal unconscious and threw him over my shoulder.  On our way out, [[Droglo]] killed another guard who stumbled upon us.<p>We then vanished into the swamp.}}
{{TErow| 23 |Day 23|We rejoined our forces with no trouble thanks to [[Droglo]]'s knowledge of the swamp.  He found a nest of [[Wyvern]]s and quickly tamed them so we could use them as mounts and return to our own camp even before the enemy knew their Prince was missing.<p>Only after I locked [[Niven]] in a cage did [[Droglo]] speak.<p>"You've been talking a lot about honour lately, [[Tarnum]]," [[Droglo]] said.  "Was this honourable?"<p>Younger even than [[Niven]], [[Droglo]] was a wise boy.  He never missed much.<p>"What we do is for the best of our people.  As long as we keep that in mind, then whatever we do is honourable."<p>"What do we do with him now?  Kill him?"<p>"No," I said.  "If I was going to kill him, I would've done it in his tent."<p>"Then what?"<p>"I'm going to teach him a few things, and hope he's a good student."}}
{{TErow| 28 |Day 28|[[Earl Rambert]] has sent several warnings for me to return [[Prince Niven]].  I haven't responded because [[Rambert]] can't possibly know for sure yet that I have him.<p>[[Rambert]]'s latest threat, however, has me worried.  Locked within [[Rambert]]'s dungeons are hundreds of [[Mudland]]er women and children, and the Earl claims he will start executing them one at a time until [[Niven]] is returned.  If it comes to that, I just might have the let the Prince go.}}
{{TErow| 31 |Day 31|"Greetings, Prince," I said.  It was the first time I met with him since the capture.  So far, he seemed to be holding up well.<p>"What do you want with me?" [[Niven]] asked calmly.<p>For a young man of his age, he was extremely composed.  It showed courage.  I just hoped he had the courage to change as well.<p>"I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you mean.  I want you alive to see what [[Erathia]] has become under the leadership of your father," I said.<p>"I'm not interested in your lies!"<p>"All I ask is that you look and listen, Prince, not believe.  If by the time I am finished you still think I am a liar, I will set you free."<p>"That is all you want from me?" [[Niven]] said suspiciously.<p>"That and one more thing," I said.<p>"Oh, what is that?  Do you want me to reveal my troop numbers and strengths?"<p>"No, I can learn that on my own," I said, letting that sink in.  [[Niven]] had to know he wasn't dealing with a fool here.<p>"[[Earl Rambert]] holds in his cells a large number of my people.  Now, I wouldn't be so naive as to ask you to set them free, but [[Rambert]] threatens to kill them all until I free you.  If you are an honourable man, [[Prince Niven]], then order him not to touch these people.  Since I have given my word that I will release you one way or the other, you have nothing to fear.  Just don't let your man kill my people," I said.<p>After several quiet moments, [[Niven]] nodded and said, "Give me pen and paper.  I will make certain that they are treated civilly."}}
{{TErow| 34 |Day 34|I escorted [[Niven]], arms bound behind his back, to the edge of camp.  [[Droglo]] was with me as a guard, holding a spear to the Prince's neck.<p>Together, we watched as some of my troops helped some recently freed slaves into the healing tents.  All of them were hunched from exhaustion.  Many had fresh whip marks across their naked backs - even the children.  I let Niven see them all before I turned to speak.<p>"Sometimes we see them in worse condition.  Some won't even survive the night," I said.<p>"Convenient," [[Niven]] said after some time.<p>"What does that mean?"<p>"I have never seen slaves in this condition before.  I have never even seen one whipped; yet here you are marching a horde of them before my eyes.  A bit convenient, don't you think?"<p>"You think this is fake?" I asked.  Was he that blind?<p>[[Niven]] shrugged.<p>"I'll bet the only slaves you've seen have been house slaves, slaves who have soft hands because they never do any hard labour," I said.  I could tell by [[Niven]]'s expression that I was right.}}
{{TErow| 36 |day 36|The personal stories of torture and pain by more than twenty slaves still didn't change [[Niven]]'s mind, and now the Prince was asking for me to hold up my part of the bargain and let him free.<p>[[Niven]] refused to believe me, but could he ignore his own eyes.<p>"I want to show you one more thing, and then you're free," I said.}}
{{TErow| 40 |Day 40|Once again, [[Droglo]] was guarding [[Niven]].  This time, [[Niven]]'s arm were free so he could scramble up the steep hill that would give us a good view of the small camp on the other side.<p>"Take a look, Prince," I said.  "You can't deny your own eyes."<p>The stench wafting from the slave pens below stung my nostrils even from this distance, and I could see moisture collect in the corners of [[Niven]]'s eyes as well.  Then he saw the pits.  Dozens of slaves were crammed so tightly in the holes they could barely move.<p>In the centre of the camp, at least of score of corpses hung from bare, dead trees as a warning to others who tried to escape.  Somehow, a [[Lizardman]] child managed to get away from her pen and clutched at the dangling heels of a Lizardman male who had been hung by the neck.<p>"That is a slave's life," I said.<p>[[Niven]]'s breath caught in his constricted throat.  Now, he was crying real tears, not just responding to the smell.<p>"The only thing we have to be thankful for is a short life," [[Droglo]] added bitterly.<p>"I didn't know," [[Niven]] said.  "They were just beasts.  We were supposed to be giving them order!"<p>"You call this order?" I asked.}}
{{TErow| 43 |Day 43|"I fear we broke the Prince," [[Droglo]] said one evening over dinner.<p>"We had to show him the truth."<p>"Would it not have been kinder to kill him?"<p>"We didn't show him that for his own good, [[Droglo]].  We did it for us, for the [[Mudland]]ers!  His own people say they would follow him if he just raised his sword against his father.  Imagine what we can do with [[Prince Niven]], heir to the Kingdom of [[Erathia]], on our side!  I'm just trying to turn [[Niven]] into a weapon!"}}
{{TErow| 49 |Day 49|One of the [[Gnoll]]s rushed into my tent to tell me that someone was letting [[Prince Niven]] free.  I snatched up my sword and rushed to the cages only to find [[Droglo]] dragging [[Niven]] from his prison.<p>"What are you doing?" I asked.<p>"You said you would free him," [[Droglo]] said.  "Well, I'm letting him go!"<p>[[Niven]] looked worse now that he had gone without food for a few days.  Depression had consumed [[Niven]] so totally that I feared he would go as insane as his father.<p>Looking into the Prince's dark eyes, I said, "Of course, you're welcome to go.  I can even have you delivered to the border of your lands, if you want."<p>[[Niven]] took a few steps as if to walk into the wilderness alone, and then stopped.  He looked directly into my eyes.<p>"All these years, I have been wrong.  Everything I have done, every battle I have fought, was wrong!"<p>"Yes," I said.  "But that doesn't mean it's too late.  Believe me, I know about redemption!"<p>[[Droglo]] placed a calming hand on the young Prince's shoulder and said, "We could use your help.  Not even WE can defeat all of [[Erathia]].  But then with you in command we wouldn't have to, would we?"<p>I was impressed.  [[Droglo]] was already taking command.  The [[Mudland]]ers were going to be all right, as long as I could get rid of [[Mad King Gryphonheart]].}}
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