The Eternal Champion

CHAPTER SIX PREPARING FOR WAR

And so I talked with generals and with admirals. We pored over maps and discussed tactics, logistics, available men, animals and ships, while the fleets massed and the Two Continents were scoured for warriors, from boys of ten years old to men of fifty or older, from girls of twelve to women of sixty. All were marshalled beneath the double banner of Humanity which bore the arms of Zavara and Necralala and the standards of their king, Rigenos, and their war champion, Erekose.

As the days passed, we planned the great land-sea invasion of Mernadin's chief harbour, Paphanaal, and the surrounding province which was also called Paphanaal.

When not conferring with the commanders of the armies and navies, I practised weaponry, riding, until I became skilled in those arts.

It was not a question of learning so much as remembering. Just as the feel of my strange sword had been familiar, so was the sensation of a horse between my legs. Just as I had always known my name was Erekose (which, I had been told, meant The One Who Is Always There in some ancient tongue of humanity which was no longer used) so I had always known how to pull an arrow on a bowstring and let fly at a target as I galloped past on horseback.

But lolinda-she was not familiar in this way. Though there was some part of me that seemed able to travel through time and space and assume many incarnations, they were plainly not the same incarnations. I was not living an episode of my life over again, I had merely become the same person again, going through a different series of actions, or so it seemed. I had a sense of free will, within those terms. I did not feel that my fate was pre-ordained. But perhaps it was. Perhaps I am too much of an optimist. Perhaps I am, after all, a fool and Katorn was wrong in his assessment of me. The Eternal Fool…

Certainly I was willing to make a fool of myself where lolinda was concerned. Her beauty was almost unbearable. But with her I could not be a fool. She wanted a hero-an Immortal-and nothing less. So I must play the hero for her, to comfort her, though it went ill with my preferred manner, which has always been pretty casual. Sometimes, in fact, I felt more like her father than her would-be lover, and with my pat twentieth-century notions of human motivation, wondered if I were really nothing more than a substitute for the strong father she expected in Rigenos.

I think that she secretly despised Rigenos for not being more heroic, but I sympathised with the older man (older? I think- it is I who am older-infinitely older-but enough of that…) for Rigenos bore a great responsibility and bore it pretty well as far as I could make out. After all, he was a man who would rather plan pleasant gardens than plan battles. It was not his fault that he had been born a king without a close male successor to whom he could have, if he had been luckier, transferred responsibility. And I had heard that he bore himself well in battle and never backed away from any responsibility. King Rigenos was meant for a gentler life, maybe-though he could be fierce enough when it came to hating the Eldren. I was to be the hero that he felt incapable of being. I accepted that. But I was much more reluctant to be the father than he could not be. I wanted a much healthier relationship with lolinda or, so I told myself, I did not want one at all!

I am not sure I had a choice. I was mesmerised by her. I would probably have accepted her on any terms.

We spent whatever time we could together, whenever I could get away from the military men and my own martial training. We would wander arm in arm along the closed balconies that covered the Palace of Ten Thousand Windows like a creeping plant, winding from top to bottom of the great palace and containing a great variety of flowers, shrubs and caged and uncaged birds that fluttered through the foliage of these spiralling passages and perched among the branches of the vines and the small trees and sang to us as we wandered. I learned that this, too, had been King Rigenos's idea, to make the balconies more pleasant. But that had been before the coming of the Eldren.

Slowly the day approached when the fleet would gather together and sail for the distant continent where the Eldren ruled. I had begun by being impatient to get to grips with the Eldren, but now I was becoming more and more reluctant to leave-for it would mean leaving lolinda and my lust for her was growing quite as strongly as my love.

Although I gathered that day by day the society of humankind was becoming less and less open, more and more bound by unpleasant and unnecessary restrictions, it was still not considered wrong for unwed lovers to sleep together, so long as they were of an equal social standing. I was much relieved when I discovered this. It seemed to me that an Immortal-as I was assumed to be-and a princess were quite decently matched. But it was not the social conventions that hampered my ambition-it was lolinda herself. And that is one thing that no amount of freedom or 'license' or 'permissiveness' or whatever the old fogies call it can cope with. That is the odd assumption the twentieth century (I wonder if you who read this will know what those two stupid words mean?) makes-that if the laws that man makes concerning 'morality'-particularly sexual morality-are done away with, then one huge orgy will begin. It forgets that people are, generally speaking, only attracted to a few other people and only fall in love with one or two in their whole lives. And there may be many other reasons why they may not be able to make love, even if their love is confirmed.

'Where lolinda was concerned, I hesitated because, as I have said, I did not wish to be merely a substitute for her father-and she hesitated because she needed to be absolutely sure she could 'trust' me. John Daker would have called this a neurotic attitude. Perhaps it was, but on the other hand was it neurotic for a relatively normal girl to feel a bit peculiar about someone she had only lately seen materialise from thin air?

But enough of this. All I should say is that although we were both deeply in love at this point, we did not sleep together-we did not even discuss the matter, though it was often on the tip of my tongue…

What, in fact, began to happen was, oddly, that my lust began to wane. My love for lolinda remained as strong-if not stronger-than ever, but I did not feel any great need to express it in physical terms. It was not like me. Or perhaps I should say that it was not like John Daker!

However, as the day of departure came closer, I began to feel a need to express my love in some way and, one evening as we wandered through the balconies, I paused and put my hand under her hair and stroked the back of her neck and gently turned her to face me.

She looked sweetly up at me and smiled. Her red lips parted slightly and she did not move her head as I bent my own lips to hers and kissed her softly. My heart leapt. I held her close against me, feeling her breasts rise and fall against my chest. I lifted her hand and held it against my face as I looked down at her beauty. I thrust my hand deep into her hair and tasted her warm, sweet breath as we kissed again. She curled her fingers in mine and opened her eyes and her eyes were happy-truly happy for the first time. We drew apart.

Her breathing was now much less regular and she began to murmur something but I cut her off short. She smiled at me expectantly, with a mixture of pride and tenderness.

'When I return,' I said softly, 'we shall be married.'

She looked surprised for a moment and then she realised what I had said-the significance of what I had said. I was trying to tell her that she could trust me. It was the only way I could think of to do it. Perhaps a John Daker reflex, I don't know.

She nodded her head, drawing off her hand a wonderfully worked ring of gold, pearls and rose-coloured diamonds. This she placed on my little finger.

'A token of my love,' she said. 'An acceptance of your proposal. A charm, perhaps, to bring you luck in your battles. Something to remind you of me when you are tempted by those unhuman Eldren beauties…' She smiled when she made this last retort.

'It has many functions,' I said, 'this ring.'

'As many as you wish,' she replied.

'Thank you.'

'I love you, Erekose,' she said simply.

'I love you, lolinda.' I paused, then added, 'But I am a crude sort of lover, am I not? I have no token to give you. I feel embarrassed and a bit inadequate…'

'Your word is enough,' she said. 'Swear that you will return to me.'

I looked at her nonplussed for a second. Naturally I would return to her.

'Swear it,' she said.

'I'll swear it. There is no question…'

'Swear it again.'

'I'll swear it a thousand times if once is not enough. I swear it. I swear that I will return to you, lolinda, my love, my delight…'

'Good.' She seemed satisfied.

There came the sound of hurried footsteps along the balcony and we saw a slave I recognised as one of my own rushing towards us.

'Ah, master, there you are. King Rigenos has asked me to bring you to him.'

It was late. 'And what does King Rigenos want?' I asked.

'He did not say, master.'

I smiled down at lolinda and tucked her arm in mine. 'Very well. We shall come.'