The emir was a politician as much as he was a warrior. What came after the battle was his concern as much as the battle itself. But his greatest concern was to maintain authority. Still, he was also just a man, and truthfully, he had no notion of what plan was the best nor what would the end of the day bring, yet it was his obligation to instill confidence into others. He made it appear as if he took a moment for a deep thought, and then spoke to everyone.
"Both of these plans tempt my heart to stop, my skin to pale and my stomach to retch. They will cause a great butchery of men: both mine, and my brothers, yet we must not forget that my brother's men also serve Akhisar. Fortune was not kind upon us - everything we have is limited: soldiers, time, choices. We must make ready now, so I must, although I do not like it, choose efendi Seth's plan. I do value my good paşa's opinion, such a sacrifice of brave sipahis will be unnecessary: if they confront our enemy and perish, our enemy may think that they sacrificed themselves so the rest could escape. This is good, because our soldiers' sudden appearance will surprise them. However, it is also not good, because if we had to make a sacrifice, then they will know that we must be disadvantaged, and will not fear. No aatlar will set out in this battle. Our home was visited by a scorpion", he referred to Seth's visage, "And this must have a meaning. We will fight like a scorpion: hidden, we will all jump out of the sand at once, and sting. And like a scorpion, we will be frightening. I remind you that my brother's men do not only fight for my brother, but also for Akhisar: if frightened, they might change sides, and then we shall replenish what we had lost. Our soldiers will spread out over Wadi-Gihon, to make it appear as if they are many. My brother knows that my forces are few, so it must seem as if our Iberian reinforcements are many: every Iberian soldier must be given a ranged weapon. My Tuareg are good with scimitars too, and if the enemy approaches where they are hiding, they will prove that. My dear daughter, you must dismount Arslan's weapons as Rıza Paşa has said, and give them to him to use as fit. I will not hide, but I will fight with you: it does not befit a lord to kill his men, but it no more befits his men to raise their hands upon him. If I hide, I will not be well defended, because our soldiers are spread out; if I am well defended, then the enemy will know where I am; yet if I fight with my soldiers, dressed as my soldiers, then no one will know it is me. And if I perish, then my brother's claim is legal, and we needn't spill more blood. My dearest daughter Fatima, you and yours will fight beside me, for if I perish, I would wish it to be beside you. Our baggage and our treasure we will dispose in this cave: if we are victorious, then we will easily take it out as we took it in, and if we are not, then it will be useful to my dear brother. Paşa, go and deploy your soldiers and make use of Arslan's teeth. Efendi Seth, you must call your king and request reinforcements here immediately. If we cannot win, then we must only endure until they arrive.
My brave fighters, I have lived long enough, and I can tell you: fortune is fickle, and inşallah, it will turn to our side by the end of this day."
The emir solemnly finished his improvised speech, and saw no response better than the immediate execution of his orders.
There was another reason why he wanted his daughter by his side: battles are disorderly, and murders in battles are a usual occurrence. He was equally suspicious of his brother's soldiers, as he was of his own and of the foreigners. It was only his daughter that he could trust.
"Wait!", exclaimed Fatima. "Our people must be administered a prayer. It would be hubris to go to battle and not consult with the other world. We did not have a prophet, but a prophetess: I will do it", she said with much more gravity and determination than she had after preparing her soldiers' weapons.
![[Image: 396AUfe.png]](https://i.imgur.com/396AUfe.png)