Tag: Holy War
THANN: What are you on about, my lord? Why don’t you leave this kid alone?
TETHIK: I am just curious about this whole Holy War, and whether in its prosecution it’s as pointless an exercise in cruelty as all the other wars of men.
THANN: Of course it is. So they don’t rape the women, or at least they get punished when they’re caught. Great. They still do plenty of other atrocities. We all saw the bloody trail the army left behind itself. But they’re doing it for God, so it’s all well and good. “Cho-joranni! Hail The Spirit Kings and destroy Their enemies!”
BARANIR: It would be well if you would refrain from blasphemy, Erogenian.
THANN: In my case, it’s only partially blasphemous, kid. I’m half Kivalian.
BARANIR: (warningly) Even so -
GUDIK (Outside): Agh! This was not a good day!
THERIK(Outside): Not to worry, Majesty! You have God on your side.
GUDIK: Well, tell God to send me better siege engines, then! Those trebuchets aren’t powerful enough to breach the curtain wall! They barely even get the stones over it.
GUDIK, king of Kivalia, enters. Not in a good mood.
With him is BISHOP THERIK, an unctious intellectually-challenged churchman.
Gudik sees Tethik:
GUDIK: Tethik?
TETHIK: Cousin.
GUDIK: What the Deeps are you doing here?!
TETHIK: It’s good to see you, too, your Majesty.
GUDIK: I left you in Normos to keep Maldik out of trouble! Why aren’t you still there?
TETHIK: I -
GUDIK: Wait - it’s not Mother, is it? Is she dead or something?
TETHIK: She was well when last I saw her, Gudik.
GUDIK: Ah. Well, we can’t have everything.
TETHIK: Indeed.