"That would be naive," Kendrick interjected. “We all know Andronicus’ reputation. He kills everyone. A surrender would be to offer ourselves up to slaughter. Or best case, to be his slaves. And he is merciless.”
"Then again,” Kolk said, “if we allow him to control this city and the Western Kingdom, he might make a deal. And if we don’t surrender, we might end up dead, or slaves, anyway.”
As Gwen listened to all the arguments, she felt overwhelmed with the weight of the decision before her. She did not want to make the wrong one. Yet it seemed that, no matter what she did, she could do no right. Either way, people could die.
"Srog," she said, turning to him, "this may be my father's court, but Silesia is your city. These are your people. You have lived with them, and fought with them, your entire life. I want to know what you think first. What they think. How do Silesians feel about surrender?”
Srog looked down, grave, and rubbed his beard.
"Silesians are a very warm and friendly people. But they're also a very proud people. We have never surrendered, not once in the history of the Ring. They don't know what surrender means.”
He sighed.
“They would follow you, my lady, whatever you choose. But they would not want you to surrender on their account. They value life. But they value honor more.”
"And Kendrick,” she said, turning to him. “What do you think?”
Kendrick furrowed his brow, looking out at the Canyon.
"A difficult decision,” he said. “On the one hand, it is prized to be fearless. Yet one does not want to be the uncompromising ruler who sends all his people to their deaths out of pride. Remember what I said: to be a ruler is different than being a soldier.”
"What would father have done?" Gwen asked.
Kendrick slowly shook his head.
"Father was a stubborn, proud man. He was more warrior than king. The decision you face is not a decision for a warrior. It is a decision for a King. What matters now is what you would do.”
Gwendolyn felt the weight of his words. She turned from the others, took several steps out, to the very tip of the landing, and looked out at the Canyon.
Gwen stood there, thinking. Kendrick's words rang in her head. They were true. After a certain point she had to stop worrying and thinking of what others thought, what others would decide. She had to stop feeling as if she weren’t qualified enough to make a decision. She thought back to all of her years of study, in the House of Scholars. She thought of all the wars she had studied, all the sieges she had been quizzed on. She pondered the Annals of the MacGils, the history of the Ring. She recalled all the histories of surrender, of protracted sieges. She remembered reading of a few surrenders that had gone smoothly; but she remembered many more that had gone poorly. And none of the invaders were as ruthless as Andronicus.
Gwendolyn also recalled all the rulers she had read about, and the ones who had succeeded and the ones who did not. She felt that being a good ruler was not always about making the most logical decision, but sometimes about making the decision that held the most nobility, the most honor, for the people. She stood there and closed her eyes, willing for her father to help her make the right choice.
As she did, she felt a sudden strength and clarity overcome her. She felt she was not alone: there was the blood of six MacGil kings coursing through her. She was a MacGil, just like all the others. Just because she was a woman, it did not make her any lesser.
She turned and faced the others, her eyes aglow with a fierce determination.
"We may all die here together,” she said, her voice booming with confidence. “But we will not surrender. We will never surrender. That is who we are. And who we are is more important than how we die.”
The men all looked back at her, eyes widening with a new respect, even a look of awe. They all nodded gravely, and she could see they agreed. She could also see in their eyes that they had, finally, found their true leader.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thor and the other Legion members marched, as they had for hours, on the narrow path that led from the jungle and took them into a desert clime, Krohn at their side as they followed the boy. Thor had been surprised to see the shocking change of terrain, from a wall of jungle, to an arid wasteland, nothing but open sky before them, dominated by the beating sun. They had left before first light at the behest of the boy’s grandpa, who did not want them to be spotted by the Empire. The boy had been gracious enough to accompany them all this way, despite his grandpa’s telling him not to. He had insisted on seeing them all off, on putting them all on the right trail.
Finally, after hours of marching, they reached a fork in the road, splitting in three directions.
"You see, this is why I had to come," said the boy, as they all stood there, breathing hard. “This is the fourth time the road has forked. Each time gets more confusing. I didn't want you to end up on the wrong road. If you had, you'd be dead by now. There are monsters in this desert plain you cannot imagine.”
The boy sighed.
“But now that we’ve reached the final fork, I can turn back around and you can be on your way. Just take the far right path here, and it will bring you to Slave City. I wish you luck.”
They all crowded around the boy with gratitude, and Thor reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“We owe you a great debt for the kindness you have shown us,” Thor said. “You saved our lives yesterday, total strangers, by bringing us to your grandfather's cottage. And now, once again, by leading us to the right road. How can we repay you for your service?"
The boy shrugged humbly.
"You needn’t repay me," he said. "I like having the company. It gets lonely out here. Besides, I hate the Empire, and I’d like to see you defeat them and free us from this existence. I hate living in hiding. I want to be free.”
"We will strive to do all that and more," Thor said, “yet surely there must be something we can do for you? Anything?"
The boy looked down to the ground.
"Well, there is one thing," he said, hesitant. "I have always dreamed of joining the Legion. I know I am too young now. And too small. But if you survive all this, if the Ring survives, maybe one day, I can find you and you can let me try out for it. That is all I ask. I know I'm small, but I can throw a spear better than anyone I know.”