The Santara Commentaries (Book 1-15)
Chapter 15: Dun-a-din Calls for Aid
Chapter 15: Dun-a-din Calls for Aid
After I recover from my injuries, I spent the next few days getting acquainted with the situation. From Lord Aron, I learned the extent of the Tionghoa’s fear of Prince Josue and the prospected return of the High King. The bounty they had set on my little brother had backfired on the Tionghoa. The failure of the would-be bounty hunters led to great anger within the eastern kingdoms, threatening to collapse the Peace of Khatulistiwa.
Governor General Zheng Zhi, the very same who prostrated himself before Lord Aron, doubled down on his actions by sending a whole fleet to conquer Dun-a-din. As I have written before, the Governor General was a man of weak character; however, he was a man of honeyed words. Somehow, he was able to convince the Dragon Emperor not to relieve him of his position as Governor General of the South Indies. That being said, it was clear that his position was tenuous since the Padri War. Of course, we also must keep in mind those of Khmer who were still nursing the injuries of the Siege (and the massacres carried out by the Sultan and Sultana of Paloe).
Thus, readers, you can see the pressure the Governor General had, not just from the Dragon Emperor but also from the Khmerian nobles, to nip this Borromean threat in the bud.
We learned of this incoming Tionghoa fleet from the Sea Peoples of the Seribu Islands. Many of the ships embarked from Hulao, others from Bandar; soon, they all descended upon Khmer where the invasion fleet was put together in earnest. There was no way the Tionghoa could do all that without the Sea Peoples knowing about it. Not that the Tionghoa wanted to keep it a secret. In fact, they made their intentions clear by sending a messenger to Dun-a-din. The words he carried read as such:
To the illustrious King Aron of Dun-a-din. As you hear these words, we are putting together our invasion fleet. Our ships number in the tens of thousands, our men well over one thousand-thousand. Give us your son Prince Josue, the one with the burning mark on his left hand, or we will lay waste to your kingdom, and your family shall hang from the gallows.
It took every bit of my lord’s restraint for him not to kill that messenger on the spot.
I am sure the Tionghoa exaggerated their numbers; even so, the graveness of the danger was clear. King Aron of Dun-a-din called for aid, and Sultan Kochba of Paloe answered. As did Despot Drusus of Leste and Lord Protector Davit of Puncak.
Despite our differences, we knew the importance of Prince Josue. Once again, Santara came together to rebuff the Tionghoa:
Sultan Kochba, zealous as always, sent his entire fleet to help us. Helming the Paloean fleet was the Sultan himself. He went all out to help us, the only thing he held back was his wife. Unfortunately for us, the Sultana remained in Mocasar, keeping an eye on both their son Barabbas and the Sultanate as a whole. We could have really made use of Inferna’s fire magic, but we appreciated the help, nonetheless.
The Puncakian fleet under Lord Protector Davit wasn’t as powerful as their Paloean counterparts, but it was still a significant help for us. While their ships were lacking in both numbers and strength, they made up for it with their airborne warriors.
The Despotate contingent was much the same. Their ships weren’t so much combat ships and were more transport ships to carry wyvern knights, including Drusus himself. And just as Kochba left behind Inferna with their son Barabbas, Drusus left behind Livia with their daughter Agrippina.
Out of the four fleets of our coalition, the Dunadinian was the strongest (though Sultan Kochba might dispute that). Our numbers were about the same as the Paloean fleet, though we had ships outfitted with cannons, something that the Paloeans were lacking. This was possible thanks to Tian Tian, the head of the Royal Artillery Corps. Many of our ships were also manned by the Hitams who joined us during the Padri War, including the former Hitam Brigade leader Zhou Tan.
But even with the four fleets, the odds were still not in our favor. Lord Aron knew we had to be as prepared as we could, so he called over Drusus and the Lestean fleet over to Dun-a-din. He would have done the same with the Paloeans and the Puncakians, but they were too far away. And in any case, that turned out to be for the better, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
With the Lestean fleet docking over at the Port of Dun-a-din, we spent the next few days catching up with Drusus. In the seven years since the Peace of Khatulistiwa, Lord Aron and Despot Drusus hadn’t seen each other often, busy were they with their respective kingdoms. Despite that, they acted like brothers as soon as they saw one another, as if they hadn’t been separated for a single day.
They had the expected conversation, Lord Aron asking how Livia and Agrippina were doing, Drusus in return asking about Lady Paradisa and Prince Josue. Eventually, we started talking about Josue and Agrippina in relation to one another.
I had been keeping silent, not knowing what to say when the two friends were chattering away. But I then I chimed in, “When they’re older, why don’t Prince Josue and Lady Agrippina, you know…”
Little did I know, I had just stepped onto a bear trap. Drusus’ face contorted; he looked ready to kill me right on the spot for suggesting that idea. And being ignorant of Agrippina’s circumstances of birth, I had no idea why. Given how close both Drusus and Lord Aron were, as well as Dun-a-din and Leste, I thought it was the perfect marriage pair. The Despot was about grab my shirt in his hand, but stopped short, having realized that I am a Prince of Dun-a-din now. “You know not what you ask for, Lord Yu!”
I would have responded, but I was absolutely terrified of the warrior without equal. Instead, I turned to my lord, silently asking for explanation.
“Years before you met us,” Lord Aron began, “Drusus vowed that no daughter of Leste shall be wed to a son of Dun-a-din.”
“But why?”
Drusus screamed, “That is for me to know and for you to never find out!”
The Despot’s outburst was so shocking that both me and Lord Aron simply stood there, not knowing what to say. That silence lasted for at least a minute before Drusus broke it.
“My apologies, Lord Yu,” said the Despot. “I didn’t mean to snap.”
But I gave him a smile. “Do not worry. I respect your secret.”
And I meant that from the bottom of my heart. Even though I was ignorant of Agrippina’s tail and Leste’s dark secret, I trusted Drusus. He had earned the right to keep some secrets.
Thus, all was well between us.
Of course, had I known then the reason for his objection, I would have tried to convince Drusus to be truthful with King Aron. Surely, my lord would understand.
However, something happened just a few days later which highlighted why Drusus was so worried about how Lord Aron would respond to Agrippina’s reptilian tail.
Readers should know that at this point we were recruiting for men. Anyone who could row a ship was brought onboard, as were those who could hold a spear. We also looked for Sea People sailors who might bolster our ship numbers. Arphaxad and I were at the Port of Dun-a-din processing recruits when a group of lizardmen jumped out of the sea and into the docks. That alone would have been shocking enough, but then they asked to join our ranks.
I shall now speak of the lizardmen.
The swamps of the Santara Archipelago are full of these two-legged crocodile-men. Though the locals call them lizardmen. For the most part, the lizardmen kept to themselves. But there was one group who were known for their interaction with men, the Malarian Lizardmen, called such because they made their homes in the Swamps of Malar, east of Dun-a-din.
As readers might expect, I was dumbfounded.
These people were tall, about seven to eight feet. The ones in front of me had their weapons on hand, either axes or maces. And I did not want to get hit by them (I still remember my run-in with the bounty hunters).
Once I recovered from my shock (not just of the lizardmen’s existence and their desire to join our army but also the fact that they could speak human language), I eagerly accepted the offer; we needed every warrior we could get our hands on, and the lizardmen were mighty warriors indeed. Arphaxad, on the other hand, saw differently, and rejected their offer outright. After an argument, we decided to send a messenger bird to Castle Dun-a-din to call for Lord Aron and let him be the final arbiter.
While Lord Aron was on his way to the port, Arphaxad told me what had happened to the king’s mother…
Decades before the Padri War, when Lord Aron was just a child, King Atreus was on a military campaign against the Desert Warbands of the Sea of Sands (what the Yakobinians call the great desert in the Australis Continent). Because of the instability back home, he brought his wife and son with him, Queen Sarai and the then Prince Aron.
In order to get a drop on a desert chieftain, King Atreus decided to march through the Swamps of Malar, through lizardmen territory. At the time, the Dunadinians was trading with the lizardmen of Malar, and the two were allies in all but name.
Little did King Atreus knew that the lizardmen had betrayed him. As they marched through the dark and damp swamps, they were unaware of their upcoming doom. Lizardmen blowgunners were the first to strike, felling Dunadinian soldiers with precise poison aimed at any exposed skin. And soon, the cacophony known as a lizardman battle cry rang through the wetlands.
With the mud all around them, the Riders of Dun-a-din were helpless against the axe and mace-warriors of the swamps. The Dunadinians were outnumbered and surrounded. King Atreus, his army, and his family looked certain to be slaughtered by the cold-blooded lizards.
But lo, the figure of King Atreus and a squad of the Riders of Dun-a-din had broken apart from the rest of the Dunadinians and was making a run for it, going deeper into the swamps. Seeing what was happening, the lizardmen broke their attacks on the main army to pursue King Atreus.
Only it wasn’t King Atreus who fled, it was actually Queen Sarai, having taken her husband’s coat and horse for herself. And she wasn’t fleeing, she was drawing away the lizardmen from the Dunadinians. Soon, the lizardmen caught up to her and killed her. Only then did they realize the ruse.
By that time, the Dunadinians were able to escape the Swamps of Malar. And so, King Atreus, Prince Aron, and the bulk of the Dunadinian army was saved, thanks to the sacrifice of brave Queen Sarai.
When I first heard of this story, I was floored, for lack of a better word. I had thought I knew my lord, and yet, well… words simply cannot describe my shock at the time.
Just as Arphaxad was finished with the story, King Aron flew down to the docks on a white pegasus, Queen Paradisa his driver. The king was holding on to Prince Josue; after the bounty hunter incident, he was not letting his son out of his sight.
The tension was heavy and the air choking as King Aron was standing face-to-face with the lizardmen. The King then eyed the creature in the middle, his gear showed him to be the leader of the lot. “What’s your name?”
“Tikal, Your Highness.”
Lord Aron scratched his chin. “That name sounds familiar.”
“That’s because I was the one who betrayed King Atreus, your father.”
I thought my lord was about to kill that lizardman right then and there, but instead he turned to me. “Yu!”
“Y-yes, lord.”
“You’re the one who wanted to recruit these lizards, right?”
I nodded, trembling with fear.
“Do you still stand by that?”
Honestly, I really wanted to say no. But then I saw Prince Josue, held by his mother Queen Paradisa. And soon I remembered what I was fighting for. “Yes.”
“What was that?”
“Yes!” I said again, this time louder and with more resolve. “We fight for Dun-a-din, Lord Aron. We fight for Prince Josue, for the High King, and for all Santara. Not for old grudges like what the Paloeans do. I thought you, of all people, are better than that!”
For some reason, I expected Lord Aron to strike me down for that outburst. I knew better, but I was terrified by his eyes.
“Very well.”
I blinked, though my disbelief soon dispelled as I saw his eyes softened and his scowl turned to smile. “You mean…”
“We shall recruit these lizardmen into our army. You are right, Yu. The fate of Dun-a-din is at stake, not to mention my own son. Now is not the time for grudges.”
As if to show that he meant every word he said, he turned around and extended his hand to Tikal. The lizardman gratefully shook it back.
“We wish to honor the valor of your mother, the brave Queen Sarai,” Tikal said. “If you wish it so.”
“Glad to hear it,” responded Aron.
As we soon found out, Tikal and the squad he brought was just a part of the whole lizardmen contingent. Then, we saw a small army of lizardmen floating on the Arafura, not just the footmen but also the sea serpent cavaliers.
At this point, I was sure that the Dunadinian fleet was the strongest contingent of the four fleets. And now, we felt we could take on the Tionghoa.
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Fascinating lore, loved this chapter!