Scouts
Even though Marcus Brutus had an enormous lead on Linet, she was a talented rider and caught up to him easily. But once she got close to him, she made sure to stay within the shadows of the trees so as not to be spotted.After a while, Marcus Brutus stopped his troops and stated, “This is the place.” At that cue, Marcus Brutus’s troops spread out in a sophisticated formation, searching for the lost scouts. Once, she thought that one of the soldiers would find her, but then he heard a noise and turned in the opposite direction. Linet memorized the lay of the land so that she could find it again, and set off to talk to her father once again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Linet rode up to the gate of the citadel and yelled for the gate guard to let her in. He did, and she rode as fast as she could to the palace. Tying Midnight up outside, she raced upstairs to her fathers chambers. When she found him, he was reading in his rocking chair. He looked up as she walked in, and his face lit up with surprise. “Linet,” he exclaimed, racing over to her and enveloping her in his warm embrace. “What are you doing here? Is your cover blown? Do I need to send soldiers to your aid?” He seemed very worried.
“No, Father, my cover is not blown. Although, it would be helpful if you could send me some soldiers. Marcus Brutus is with only a few soldiers near the city walls. I can lead a company of men there right now to capture him. Oh, and did you by any chance capture some Roman scouts? Marcus Brutus is looking for them right now.”
“It is incredibly good news that Marcus Brutus might be able to be captured in the near future, and I will gladly give you all the soldiers you need in order to do so. Now, as for the matter of the scouts. I believe that they were captured not too long after you left the first prisoner. The acting captain would know more about them, if you wanted to speak with him about it.”
“Thank you for the soldiers, and I will go and see Sinon now if you permit.” Linet hugged him again, and left for the barracks. Once outside the palace, she mounted her horse and quickly rode to the barracks. She reigned in her horse in front of the barrack gates and called for the gate guard to let her in, which he did.
As soon as she was through the gates, she spotted the acting captain of the guard. “Sinon! I have to ask you something!” she exclaimed. He looked up right away, startled.
“What is it, Linet? I don’t have a lot of time on my hands right now, so make it quick,” he stated impatiently.
Linet arrived at the captain’s side and replied, “This won’t take too long, so you needn’t worry. I just asked my father if he knew of the capture of any Roman scouts, and he said that you might know of their capture. If you would please tell me everything you know, I would be most grateful.” She smiled warmly at him.
“I know of the prisoners that you speak of, and they are being held in the royal dungeons. But I don’t think that they will be there for long, as some of the soldiers wished to see them beaten and sold as slaves as an example. I think this is fair, as that is what the Romans would do to any of us, should we be captured.”
“What?” Linet exclaimed. “How can you go along with this? You, who ever since we were children has been opposed to slavery. What has gotten into you? If we do this, it would be just another reason for the Romans to attack us. Would you really put all of our citizens at risk for the sake of your own foolish pride? You are more childish than I thought.” She turned her back and stomped off to the royal dungeons.
When she arrived at the royal dungeons underneath the main castle, she asked the warden where the new Roman prisoners were being held. He told her, and she set off in that direction. Once Linet was standing outside of the scouts’ cell, she called ten guards over to help her. They seemed surprised, but did not question her orders.
“Alright everybody listen up. This is what we are going to do: you, you, and you, (she pointed to three guards) are going to help me open this cell door. The rest of you are going to make sure that these five scouts do not escape. Is that clear?” The guards all nodded. It was around this time when the prisoners realized what was going on. They all got up off of their bunks and stood near the door eagerly.
When all of the guards were in position, she gave the order to open the cell door. The door creaked open with a great deal of noise, and the prisoners were herded out. Once they were all out of the cell, the guards slammed it behind them. Then, Linet asked, “You there, guard, do you know if there is a large room in this dungeon where I can have a private conversation with these prisoners? I need to inform them on what is going on.”
“Yes, I do. I can show you the way if you’d like, Your Highness.” The guard bowed low to the ground, and the rest of the other guards did the same. It appeared that this guard was the leader.
“That would be great, thank you... um... what is your name?” Linet asked curiously.
“My name is Damian, Your Highness. I am the captain of the Royal Guard and I serve as your brother’s right-hand-man. Now, if you would like me to show you the way, the large room is right through here,” he replied, leading her into a rather large room with no windows.
“Thank you Damian. You have been most kind. Now, if your men would wait outside, that would be excellent. You, however, can stay if you wish.”
“Very well, Your Highness.” Damian turned and ordered his men out of the room. They bowed one last time to Linet before turning and leaving.
“Now, as to the matter at hand.” Linet turned to the prisoners, who she noticed were shying away from her and staying near the edges of the room. “Do not worry, I will not hurt you,” Linet said calmingly. “I just want to help you, that is all.”
One of the prisoners, the one seemingly the bravest, stepped out of the shadows and asked, “How do we know what what you say is true? You think we haven’t heard the rumors going around about us, well we have. We all know what the royal guards are planning on doing to us, and nothing you say can change how we feel about that.”
“I know that, and I want you to know that I have spoken to my brother. I will make sure that you are not sold into slavery, even if you would do it to us if our roles were reversed. But that is not the reason that I came here.”
“Well, why did you come here then?” asked the prisoner, seeming flustered.
“I came here so that I could explain the situation you are in. You see, I have been going undercover in Marcus Brutus’s army as a messenger. I am pleased to inform you that Marcus Brutus himself may be joining you here in this very dungeon quite soon. I cannot tell you anything else but the fact that your general is looking for you. He has led the search himself and taken a good fifty men with him. They are exploring the woods near here as I speak.”
“So... what you’re saying is that our army is close to defeat. Great. Although, it is good to hear that the general is actually looking for us. Just take us back to our cell, there isn’t much hope now...” the brave prisoner’s shoulders slumped and he dragged his feet to the entrance of the room.
“Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me into the woods. You will at least get to see the outside and breathe fresh air once again.” Linet smiled hopefully as the prisoner turned around in response to her words.
“I... don’t know. I will have to talk with my fellow scouts first before deciding anything.” The prisoners formed a ‘huddle circle’ and were soon enveloped in a deep argument. Linet caught only fragments of the conversation, and it was awhile before they spoke to her again. “Yes, we will go with you. However, we will only go with you if we are fed and given our armor back. As you can imagine, we do not want to spend any more time dressed in rags.”
Damian blinked a few times before getting up to leave with Linet. They left the room and told two guards to stand guard by the door. Linet then dismissed the other guards, with the exclusion of Damian.
It wasn’t until they were completely out of the royal dungeons before Damian found his tongue once again. “So, you have been undercover all of this time? With one of the most famed generals of all time, no less. Wow... I guess there is more to you than meets the eye. So, I must know, what is your plan for defeating Marcus Brutus? It won’t be an easy win you know.”
“I know, believe me. But I think that it will be easier than you think. Marcus Brutus may not be a pushover, but I think I know a way to defeat him with minimal or no loss of life.”
“And how, may I ask, are you planning on doing that? As you said, Marcus Brutus is no pushover.”
“I... well, I am not going to tell you, as it should be a surprise. Just gather two hundred men from the guard and tell them to meet me by the palace in an hour.” Damian nodded his acceptance and went to do her bidding.
As soon as the guard was assembled, Linet went down into the royal dungeon and retrieved the prisoners. They came willingly, and once guards were in position around them, Lient set off for where Marcus Brutus was searching for the scouts.
It wasn’t long before she and her company arrived at the spot where Linet had left Marcus Brutus, and sure enough there he was, still looking for the scouts. However, it seemed as if some of his men had come up to the wall of the city and were firing upon the guards along the top of the wall! Marcus Brutus had his back turned, so Linet silently gave the signal for her men to surround him. They nearly had him surrounded on three sides, but they could not try to surround him completely for fear of him seeing them. So, they waited for Linet’s signal to move in, but it never came. For Linet was doing the job herself.
She walked in front of Marcus Brutus, and he exclaimed, “Linet, what are you doing here? How did you find me?” It was then that Linet gave her men the signal to move in, covering Marcus Brutus’s mouth as she did. He struggled, but Linet had a firm grip and three men to help her. When at last she and her men succeeded in capturing Marcus Brutus, Linet took him back to the makeshift campsite that her men had set up. They threw him on the ground in front of her feet, and formed a circle around the two of them.
Marcus Brutus didn’t speak when the guards removed their hands from over his mouth, but merely glared at her indignantly. After what seemed like an age, he finally spoke, spitting the words out through gritted teeth. “So, you are not merely a messenger after all. I should have known. So... what? Are you just going to capture me and leave my men to die? They are being slaughtered out there and there is nothing I can do about it, thanks to you.”
“Do not worry, Marcus Brutus. I will save your men. They were, after all, just searching for lost fellow soldiers.” Raising her voice so as to speak to all of her men she added, “Men! Half of you are to stay here and make sure Marcus Brutus and the other prisoners do not escape. Damian is in charge until I get back. The others will come with me to battle!” The men cheered, and raced after her as she raced back to the wall where she had captured Marcus Brutus.
When they arrived a short while later, the battle was already underway and the loss was heavy on both sides. Seeing that her men on the wall were gathering up reinforcements for another attack, she yelled, “Stop! It is I, Princess Linet! Hold your fire and maintain your position. I and my men will cover their escape, so that their only choice is to surrender. The men atop the wall did as she commanded, and it wasn’t long before the Romans turned around and saw their predicament.
Knowing that there was no escape, three Romans rode into Linet’s army under a flag of truce. They asked to see whoever was in charge, and Linet’s men ushered them over to her. The Roman in the middle of the three, seemingly the leader in place of Marcus Brutus, stated, “We are here to discuss the terms of our surrender, as we know it is our only option at this point. Without a leader, the task of commanding this unit of fifty men strong falls to me, and I believe that this is the best course of action.”
“Very well, but first I must know what to call you. What is your name?”
“My name is Silvius, and I hereby give you the terms of our surrender. First: we must be treated fairly and fed the appropriate amount of food expected. Second: our general is not to be harmed in any way.” Silvius seemed nervous, and beads of sweat had started to make their way down his forehead.
After a long time, Linet replied, “Those terms are acceptable, and anything less would be unfair. I agree to all of your terms, and you and your men are hereby in my custody.” With that, she signaled for her men along the wall to resume their normal duties and for her men to take the three men back to their soldiers. Linet’s hundred soldiers then surrounded the Roman troops. Silvius, however, was brought up front to walk near Linet.
By the time Linet, her men, and her prisoners arrived back at the main camp, Silvius and Linet had gotten to know each other much better. Linet ordered the newly-captured Romans and the scouts to sleep under armed guard on one side of the camp, the main body of soldiers on the other, with Linet in the middle. Marcus Brutus and Silvius slept near her, also under armed guard.
Linet and all who followed her arrived at the gates of the city by midmorning the next day. The main body of prisoners were brought to the royal dungeons, but Silvius and Marcus Brutus went with Linet and Damian to the palace.
Emperor Ageaus was standing at the top of the palace steps, waiting for Linet to return, when the foursome arrived at the threshold of the palace. Linet started up the stairs, but Damian, Silvius, and Marcus Brutus held back. When she realized that they were not following her, she stopped and asked them what was bothering them.
“Well, Your Highness, I’ve never actually gone inside the palace before,” Damian replied. “I mean, only royal family members and servants ever venture into its depths. I’m just sort of nervous that’s all.” Linet reassured him, and ushered the prisoners forward, though they too seemed reluctant.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Linet ran to her father’s arms. Then, stepping back, she proclaimed, “Damian, Silvius, Marcus Brutus, this is my father, the great Emperor Aegeus.”
Damian bowed low, and it seemed like Silvius was in shock, but he also bowed low. Marcus Brutus, on the other hand, glared at Linet for a few seconds before replying, “Well, then I guess we all know your true identity now, Little Miss Messenger. I can see why you would not reveal it before now.”
“Yes, well, I only did that so as not to endanger myself or my people. You would understand that, for if you did not you would not have spent all of that time looking for your lost scouts. Which, by the way, are safely in my custody. You can meet with them in the morn if you wish.”
Marcus Brutus said nothing, and Linet introduced Damian, Silvius, and Marcus Brutus to her father, saving Marcus Brutus for last. When he was introduced, the King asked, “So how does it feel, Marcus Brutus, to be the prisoner and not the captor?”
Marcus Brutus didn’t answer, and the King just laughed a deep, resonating laugh. “Only teasing. But I think it would be best if we went inside the palace. We have a conference room in which we can converse in peace. But, as you well know, you will have to stay handcuffed at all times, even under armed guard. This is not to make you feel like a prisoner, but to make sure that you do not rebel, attempt to escape, or harm yourself or others. My servants have prepared some accommodations for you, and I hope you will find them to your liking.” The Emperor smiled before leading the way to the conference room.
“Thank you, Father, for all you have done for me. I truly appreciate it,” Linet said as they made their way to the conference room. Once they were inside the room, Linet chained the two prisoners to their chairs and sat down opposite them. Damian remained standing, clearly nervous to sit down at the same table as the royal family. Linet saw this, and reassured him, “It’s alright, Damian. You are welcome here and you needn’t worry. We aren’t going to throw you out for sitting at the same table as us.” She laughed and, pushing on his shoulders, sat him down in his seat.
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