Surrendering All
�I would never have surrendered to a woman.� He had said defiantly, �Like this fool did.� The great leader stood before his immense army as he held high the severed head of his nemesis, the King Tithonus.
Jager turned and dropped the head into the basket the assassin had brought the trophy in. The leader knew his people were restless; he completely understood how they felt. They had been camped there for too long as it was, and were ready to make the next move in this battle. Tomorrow they would march onto the lands of Jagers� enemy, the now deceased King Tithonus.
Jager entered his tent and pondered how easy this conquest would be. Looking out at the maps that lay on his makeshift desk, �There is a queen,� he thought aloud to his dutiful assistant. �But she is of no consequence.� Waving his hand, he waved away the thought of the queen-wife of Tithonus. He then spent his evening planning the next days march with his advisors, as the bonfires outside grew to such intense brightness that he thought the sun had risen early. The army was excited for battle, which is what they lived for.
Assuming the skirmish in the main city would be easy to take control of, the council decided to take only rations and supplies enough for one month�s time. The journey to the main city of conquest was about three weeks at a moderate pace. As they reached the city, confident Jager knew the city would open its� gates welcoming a grand leader after the loss of such a tyrant as King Tithonus.
So, the next morning the camp broke apart and began the long march north. Having only one short delay involving a broken wagon wheel, the army made good time. Jager felt hopeful and sure that this was a great endeavor. This conquest would surely make him ruler of the largest realm in all the known lands. And still his mind wandered further, to the other cities that could be added to his horde. All the lands to the east had inner struggle and he could easily come in and take them all, before those fools even realized what happened.
As they came to the last days of their journey, a scout came running up to his ruler from the rough bushes along the road. �What say you, man?� Jager asked quickly, curious at this scouts sudden appearance. �Do you have news for me?�
�Yes, sir,� the scout answered, nodding his head. �There is a barrier. The city has rallied together an army and created a large wall surrounding their Queen Kirin. I have even seen the women and children working on the fortification, and standing guard with only staffs and shovels.�
Jager was astonished and somewhat dismayed; it seemed this Queen thought she had a chance. He smiled, knowing his army would show them what a true battle was, this makeshift army would have no chance against his large, trained corps.
Unfortunate for Jager, he did not remember that King Tithonus had been a great warrior once himself, before retiring to be with his young and beautiful wife. What he did not realize, which could be fatal for his plans, was that when the King retired, he also took most of his armies with him. They had all found a new life of peace and ease but vigilantly kept in practice and ready for anything that may come.
A week later the two armies were at a stalemate. Jagers� army had the advantage in its quantity, but this would also be a great disadvantage. The supplies were dwindling and the army had not moved for most of the week, and there seemed to be no change coming soon for the better. Finally, after another week or two of eating what little they could hunt, the impatient warlord decided to return home and come back next season.
As Jager and his army turned back to the south, their hungry and tired bodies had no chance to fight back when they ran straight into a blockade similar to the one built around the city. Jager reached the wall and threw his frustrated fist into the air, toward the enemy soldiers. �That damned Queen has trapped us.� He roared, �We must use our brute force and show these cowards that we shall not be as animals!� His army began to stir and ready themselves. Morale had been low since they had little food, and their leader knew he needed to raise their strength now and defeat the enemy. �Let us rise up and destroy them!�
Thus began a long and painful battle. Many people lay dying and injured, after less than a day. Jager sat in a daze, his army defeated; he did not understand what had gone wrong. Just after nightfall the enemy army began to stir from behind their wall again. The defeated leader sat beside a rock covered with blood, his blood. He snickered, thinking the army was coming to end all the survivor�s lives. He felt no fear, welcoming the defeat to be completed, for his shame to end.
As Jager waited for the sweet end, he began to hallucinate. He saw a beautiful goddess come down to him. She was surrounded by a soft light, and her curly auburn hair seemed as a halo around her gentle face. She leaned close to his blurry eyes. �Are you ready to die?� She asked him in a melodic tone.
�Yes.� his voice cracked. He nodded his head, and shook the glare out of his eyes as best he could.
The goddess rose and seemed to hover in the air just above his limp body. He craned his neck to look up at her beauty in awe. What goddess was this that has been brought to console him in his last moments before death?
�Then you shall not die.� She said in a stern, decisive voice. Suddenly the woman seemed harsh, and cruel. Jager jerked his body, trying to make sense of her words.
�Jager, King of the defeated, surrender to me.�
The wounded man slowly rose from his spot. No one helped him up and took a few minutes for him to steady himself. �I surrender to no one.� He replied.
�Look around you, poor King,� the woman said as she waved her hand to show him what she meant. �You�re people still depend on you, you must live to lead them home.�
As Jager looked around and saw the truth he realized he had been defeated in a way even worse than death. His life would now be dependent upon a woman, this woman, Queen Kirin.
�You will enter an alliance with me.� Queen Kirin said strongly. He noticed there was nothing weak about this queen. �And we will tend to your people and give you food for your journey home.�
Jager stood for a moment, feeling dizzy, and wishing he were dead. It was his duty though to take his people home alive. Finally he nodded and the queen took his arm in kindness and led him to her palace.
In the end, the mighty leader surrendered to an even more powerful woman.