Wars and Wealth - Bargains with Exiled Fae

General David Tyr (Pronounce: Tire) breathed heavily. This latest battle had been bloodier than most. He had taken to the field once again when an unseen host of icemen had broken through.

He looked through the thermal scope of his rifle, his brown hair escaping from under his white fur lined hood. Despite his advanced gear, he still couldn’t spot any of the damned elusive icemen.

“General! Orders from the Emperor.”

“What is it?” Tyr demanded, watching the snow covered tree line for more of the brutes.

“You are being summoned to the capital. The orders say immediately.”

“Doesn’t he know there is a war going on?”

Movement caught his eye behind the courier. David grabbed the man’s arm and tossed him into the snow as a huge brute of an iceman emerged from a snow drift and swung its arm like a club.

The white furred hulk resembled a yeti right out of the myths and legends of old.

David’s killing calm returned in an instant. This kind of battle was exactly what he had trained for over a decade to handle, and the title of God of War and General of the Armies had been earned after countless such encounters.

He slipped to the side and slammed his fist into the side of the oncoming white fur covered arm. An explosion of small popping cracks shattered the night air as bone broke.

As the beast howled in pain, Tyr fired thirty rounds from his rifle into the furry giant.

“Fuck,” David Tyr yelled, patting his now empty pockets for another ammo magazine.

With resolve, David Tyr, named God of War and protector of the realm by the Emperor himself,  drew an onyx blade from his back and attacked. One thing about blades he could appreciate, they never ran out of bullets.

He stabbed at the brute and in a flying leap, he kicked off the trunk of a thick maple tree and twisted his body in mid air to avoid a furry arm while using gravity to help slam his blade clean through the brute’s skull.

The brute crashed to the ground in a sudden cloud of blinding snow flurries. These huge ape men were deadly in the extreme, and if it wasn’t for years of training with the Imperial Cultivators, he would never be fast enough to strike the critical blow needed to put them down.

As the snow settled, David looked at the currier. “Emperor wants me in the capital? When? Why?”

The currier pulled himself from the snow bank and handed him the letter.

David scanned it and scoffed. “No one told the icemen the war was over.”

Then he heard it. Deep in the mountains of the far north, drums began to sound.

David listened, all his senses on full alert. “That… That’s not their call to war.”

David turned slowly to look at the currier, his eyes alight with interest. “Is this for real? There is a truce?”

“I am just the messenger, General. You will have to ask the Emperor when you see him.”

Several hours, two helicopter rides and a plane flight later, David Tyr found himself walking with the Emperor in the private gardens of the imperial palace discussing the end of the war with the Icemen.  

The palace estate felt like some grand relic of the past, an exquisite example of masterful artistry, architecture, and high society traditions, from a nearly forgotten era of tranquil beauty and wisdom.

As the two men looped the garden for the hundredth time, the Emperor said, “General Tyr, after years of service, you have my blessing to ask any boon.”

David lowered his gaze as he walked beside the Emperor and contemplated the offer in silence.

The Emperor was a full head shorter than David, yet carried himself with perfect poise and dignity. His long robes were richly appointed with gold trim.

In contrast, David’s fur-lined snow white field uniform was best suited for the forested mountain battlefields of the north, where it was always winter.

While his field uniform was inappropriate for visiting with the imperial courtyard, the Emperor never seemed to mind it with David.

“My Lord, the years of training with the Imperial Cultivator and access to the sacred library have been of incredible value. They have endowed me with the knowledge and skills to be named your God of War, and in that I am content. As for wealth, it means little if those I fought to protect live in squalor without purpose or opportunity. For so long we have focused our might outward, yet I fear we have neglected the common man.”

“General Tyr, you surpassed the court cultivators long ago. The title was well earned. As for the common man, with all you have done in war, what could you know of the common people?” the Emperor asked impatiently.

“They suffer their own war. Between deployments, I've seen the streets overrun with criminals, and the common folk fear to walk down the street. Gangs rule both the night and the day. Business and commerce are corrupt at every level. Even the local leaders are paid off by the underworld.”

“What would you have of me, General Tyr? I cannot personally set things right in every city within the Empire, and the war taxed the coffers. Years will pass before the treasury can afford to supply enough investigators to root out such widespread corruption.”

“My Lord, take my money. I have never needed it.”

The Emperor snorted as they walked. “Billions are a drop in the bucket when compared to the whole empire and wouldn’t even begin to cover what would be needed to do what you are requesting. Besides, it is a just reward for all you have done for the empire. I even owe my own life to you more than three times over now.”

David was silent for another long moment.

“Then, I ask that I be allowed to drift into the background. I wish to no longer be part of the machine. Away from other eyes, perhaps I will find a new breakthrough in my cultivation as well.”

Silence crept in as the two men walked the garden courtyard, pausing occasionally to look at the unique flowers cultivated here from around the Empire.

“Where would you go?” the Emperor finally asked.

“Perhaps to the south and east, where it doesn’t snow several feet every night. I hear the mountains there have some amazing hiking and can be peaceful.”

The Emperor nodded, “The province of Estopia has some grand scenery.” The Emperor paused then and looked David square in the face. “It is also known to have a cruel underworld. David, you say you want to be away from the war, yet you choose a place with such chaos. Are you sure that is what you want?”

David smiled. “If I get bored in the woods, perhaps I will crack a few skulls among the low lives. The populace certainly would be better off with a few less gangs. Besides, I don’t want to be anywhere near here when Cassius returns.”

The Emperor frowned but nodded. “I fear that the world has changed much too fast and the traditions that have served our people for a thousand years may be forgotten. While Cassius is my son, he has grown up in this new world of technology. When I look at him, I no longer see a man who will honor the traditions of justice and protect the people.”

“Technology is not the issue, my lord. It is the lack of checks against the new breed of corruption.”

"True enough, but I fear traditions lock me in the past."

"My lord, your adherence to traditions and dignified grace give the people hope. You are the pillar stone they admire." David scratched his chin in thought. "I am an uncompromising fist that defends those traditions, defends you and the people. We are both needed to preserve the future."

The Emperor nodded. "I see the wisdom in your words, but perhaps an iron fist currently can get more done.”

After a pause he continued, “Should the need come… I would name you my heir, instead of Cassius. You are not of my blood but you are forged of the same heart and soul. To make it more legal, our families could be combined. You could have your pick of my granddaughters. The youngest isn’t too much younger than you."

“I do not covet that uncomfortable chair you call a throne. No, that is a prison all its own that I would never desire and the burden you bear is one I do not envy.”

“Is your path so different? You chose to live among the people, will that not be equally uncomfortable, even if for different reasons?”

David frowned. “What I seek to build is peace, prosperity, and dignity. What people worship beyond their own improvement is none of my concern. That throne has only ever represented a burden on people’s ambition and drive. I grant that you have led better than many of your predecessors, but if Cassius takes it after you… I fear for the populous.”

“So, what? You would have them trained to rebel? I thought the traditions were to be upheld.”

“Rebel, no. Resisting corruption, perhaps if it becomes necessary. The people can learn to defend themselves. This is where I am skilled.”

The Emperor shook his head with a small grin. Any other man would be strung up for treason. But Tyr was different. The Emperor truly appreciated his vision and desire to improve the lives of the common people. That likely couldn’t be accomplished to the same extent from the throne.

“Then, maybe you can give the people hope that my son would try to steal from them.  I will send you on this well-deserved break. But, General, I hope you will do what I cannot. Help the people discover their own strengths. Perhaps your quiet prods and investments can spark new innovation where others do not see the value.”

David nodded, “A thriving populous will not submit to a cruel rule under Cassius, while they can thrive under a just ruler such as yourself. I will endeavor to honor your trust.”

The Emperor smiled, “I hope I can someday persuade you to return to the capital. In the meantime, I will only ask a few things of you while you are exploring the empire. Use this time to build the economic potential and the common defense where possible. To aid you in this, keep a cell phone nearby. My advisors are at your disposal. I promise I will only disturb you if something major comes up.”

“Of course, my Lord,” David said with a small bow.

“Second, I took the liberty of having the treasury craft you a new card for your account. Perhaps it can aid you in your plans for the people.”

The Emperor snapped his fingers and an aid hurried over with a silver platter. A cell phone and a black and gold card were all that the tray held.

The Emperor took them and personally handed them to David. “My faithful servant, enjoy your retirement and may we not require the services of the God of War again. Ah, and David, my friend… please don’t kill too many… You may desire to clean up the underworld, but even the low life minions are my subjects. It wouldn’t look good for me to have to send in the guard after my own God of War.”

David grinned, “I will do what I can to limit the loss of life, but I cannot promise that the hospitals will not have some extra patients. The world is full of idiots. However, those who cross the line, I will carry out their sentence with swift justice.”

The Emperor shook his head, “Heavens help any who stand in your way. There may soon be rivers of blood flowing to the gates of hell. The south is full of such unjust persons.”

He paused once more and said, “I will see if I can send you some help. I believe your old team has also earned some time off. Perhaps you can find work for them in Estopia once you get settled.”

“That would be a welcome blessing. It will be good to have the family together.” David said.

The Emperor looked at David with contemplative curiosity, “Your men really are like family, aren’t they?”

David’s mind flashed back to old hurts, “More so than my own blood.”

“Well, the Tyr family’s loss was the empire’s gain. If your brothers had not sold you to the army recruiters, we may not have survived the war with the icemen, not the eastern desert blood baths, nor the countless other battles you helped solve, and the empire could have fallen ten years ago.”

David bowed to the Emperor, “It is my honor to serve, now. Those were dark days, and I pray we never need to resort to such measures again to defend the empire.”

The Emperor nodded, “Indeed. Now, go. Enjoy retirement with my blessing. Know that when you find your peace, there will always be a place for you here, in my court. I believe even my granddaughter has her sights on you.”

David suppressed a chuckle. The little black-haired granddaughter the Emperor mentioned was nearly ten years younger than him. While she was a cute youth with bright blue eyes like so many in the direct imperial line, she was also spoiled and impulsive beyond reckoning.

As David left the imperial compound, the transition was stark. The ancient architecture gave way to the bustling capital city as cars clogged the streets and people walked the broad sidewalks talking on their phones.

The world had indeed advanced over the past few decades. How much more would it change when the God of War stepped out to play in the underground circles of the empire?