FicWad

"Lord Yuan," Botta said, entering the office trailed by a pair of grunts, "The team has returned from the village."

"And?" Yuan demanded impatiently, "Did they catch him?"

Botta swallowed a bit nervously, "No, sir. The villagers...appear to be protecting him. He has convinced them that he is hiding from Desians, and they certainly won't believe that he had betrayed us from within our ranks, since Desians obviously don't let humans join..."

Yuan glared at him, then turned to the grunts. "You two are dismissed," he told them coolly, "You will receive further orders later." They nodded and left hastily. Yuan then looked back at Botta, fury burning in his eyes. "We can't let that damned traitor get back to the Pope," he growled, "We have to do whatever it takes to get him back. ...I want you to take a group of sufficient size, and assault the village, burn it to the ground if you have to, whatever you do, /don't let him get away/!"

Botta was shocked. Did Yuan...just order him to burn a village? He stared at his leader for a long moment, confusion and reluctance warring in his gaze, before uttering the bravest word he'd ever said. "No."

Yuan's eyes widened with rage, and Botta flinched a bit. "What?!" the leader hissed, "What did you say?"

But Botta was determined now. "I won't attack an innocent village, Yuan," he replied, "Nothing is worth that, and if you were thinking clearly, you'd know that."

Electricity was beginning to crackle around Yuan's body, and Botta instinctively gathered his earth-based mana about him in case he needed to put up a shield quickly. "This is insubordination," Yuan told him darkly, "I could have you tried as a traitor."

Botta met his gaze evenly. "Better to be a traitor than to serve a fallen master. Isn't that what you taught us?" He shook his head, "Yuan...think about what you're doing! Tell me, what would Yggdrasill do in this situation...and how are your actions different?"

Yuan's hair began to lift, and Botta could hear sparks crackling as his leader's rage grew...but then, something in his eyes changed, and suddenly he seemed to deflate. "I...but..." he said, looking down, his gaze now troubled, "...Damn...I was...close to the edge, wasn't I?"

Botta breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes," he admitted, "I'm glad I could convince you."

Yuan looked at him. The troubled expression he wore mingled with almost desperate gratitude, making him look a little lost. "Thank you, Botta," he murmured, "I can't express...how grateful I am for your courage."

With a gentle smile, Botta replied, "It seemed the right thing to do...and you warned me, once, that a leader who is never opposed can too easily become a tyrant. I knew that if I let you go through with this, you'd end up looking back on it with regret. And I'd never be able to forgive myself...either for the action itself, or for letting you down that way."

Yuan smiled ruefully. "You're braver than I ever was, then, in that situation," he replied sadly, "I wish you'd been around four thousand years ago...maybe things wouldn't be so bad today."

Botta shrugged, a bit uncomfortable. "So now that you're thinking more clearly," he said, changing the subject, "What should we do about the spy?"

Yuan frowned thoughtfully. "Set up a constant watch around the village," he proclaimed eventually, "Watch who comes and goes. If he doesn't leave, and can't get word out, we should be safe; and if he tries to leave, we can grab him." He smirked a little, "Does that meet with your esteemed approval?"

Botta nodded, with a smile. "I think so," he replied, "I'll get on it right away; we shouldn't lose any more time."

"You're dismissed, then," Yuan said with a nod, "...Come back when you're done?" At Botta's questioning look, Yuan added, seeming a bit embarrassed, "I'd...just like to talk to you a bit, if you have the time."

"Certainly," Botta replied, nodding firmly, "I'll return when I've finished making the arrangements, then."

Yuan smiled warmly at him. "I look forward to it."