[RPG] [FEI][LoA] The Challenge

[bpratt]

At last, Maltheo stopped his pacing. He'd had enough. The amount of lies and
dishonour he had seen in the letters written to him by the invading realm's
rulers was too great. The truth alone would no longer suffice. And he knew
now that - aside from the thousands of lives at stake - he had no other
weapon against deceit. None but his courage... and his sword.

He wrote one last letter before leaving.

*Valius, Corey, Conan;

Very well. I am going to walk, alone, into a region occupied by three enemy
armies. And there, one by one, I will duel each realm's leader to the death.


Unless, of course, one or more is too cowardly, and has their pet assassins
knife me, or have their troops arrest me. At which point, every realm here
will know that I am completely right about the underlying foundation of
cowardice which marks this invasion.

All three: Valius, Conan, Corey - you have made this personal, you have made
it clear it is your personal ambitions and disagreements with me.

So let's see if you are as honourable and just as you love to claim. Let's
see if you have the courage to fight your battles.

It is quite unlikely I'll survive in any case, but at least if I die in
honourable battle, one of you at least will have proven you are a bit more
than a cowardly thug.

*Though of course, it turned out to be more than one. Conan had to have his
say, as did Valius - but it mattered not. At last he was on the road...
moving into either honourable death, or dishonourable betrayal.

He walked quietly through the night city, looking only briefly at the places
he had grown to love. He thought of Alaina, in her camp. He knew the chances
of seeing her again were slim. And even if he did... he no longer had real
hope that these duels would end the war. Because, though there were indeed
personal vendettas to be settled - they were only part of the reason for
invasion. There was lust for land and power. And no duel would ever sate
such a beast.

But he was bound by something that - for a long time, in Soliferum - he had
always had to ignore, to repress. His honour.
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