|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 3, 2009 13:17:20 GMT -5
The gently rolling hills outside of the city of Araluen were normally peaceful grasslands dotted with fields of crops and pastures for livestock. The Lords of the small manor farms around the city usually went on with their normal day-to-day business, which under any other circumstances would have involved the plowing of the fields to prepare for the spring planting.
This year, however, nearly all the open fields were covered with tents, pavilions, wagons, weapons and soldiers. This year the Araluen army was gathering in all it’s might and glory in preparation of sailing down the river and on across the sea to Gallica.
King Duncan, standing in his private study atop the central tower of Castle Araluen could see the troops thronging the countryside as he gazed out the window to the east. His advisors had been dismissed for the noon meal and he was enjoying a momentary break from the rigors of ruling a country at war.
He looked down on his army with pride. The camps were laid out in a neat and orderly manner, in spite of the terrain and manor houses that interrupted the flow of one company’s tents to another. He had each Fief assemble in a particular place and from his vantage point, he could clearly see the lines of division between them. He counted the assembled encampments, having to move to the north side window to finish his count. There were 44 distinct encampments, each with their contingent of warriors, horses and supplies.
“Forty-four, where are the rest?” He mused out loud. He could tell from the banners who were missing. Chief among them was Norgate. He frowned at that and knew he wouldn’t be seeing any troops from there. He didn’t blame the Baron of Norgate for delaying sending his men. After the message that had just arrived by pigeon a few hours ago, he knew that those men needed to stay to guard the border from the Scotti. What irritated him was the fact he had not received the word directly from Norgate himself yet. Lord Orman had sent the pigeon from Macindaw. “Maybe he has word on the way that just hasn’t gotten here yet.” Duncan wondered why he was making up excuses for his disobedient Baron. Norgate’s Baron was a strong, forceful man. Good to have to guard his border, but difficult to control. The man often did as he pleased, when he pleased and without extending any courtesies to his King as to the reasons or permission. Duncan was probably going to have to send someone out there as soon as he could spare the right man to remind the Baron of his responsibilities.
Duncan would have granted permission for the Baron to send his troops to Macindaw Pass had the Baron bothered to send to him for approval. He probably would have ordered it, as a matter of fact. So it wasn’t what the Baron was doing that bothered Duncan, it was the way he was doing it, as if he was above his King’s wishes and demands.
Of course he couldn’t be absolutely positive that Norgate would refuse to send his troops to Araluen. He had not received word about that, only word that the Scotti were gathering at the pass in force and the proposal by their ambassador. But he knew his Barons, and he knew Norgate’s was going to keep his men there to guard his own fief. He was just as certain that the Baron would not be sending word by carrier pigeon. He was fairly certain the ambassador’s escort, Sir Katrina de Montgomery, would have been tasked by the Baron to deliver the news. That was how Norgate’s Baron worked.
That thought led him around to pondering Sir Katrina, one of the very few female knights in the Kingdom. Duncan didn’t really know her, having met her only once at the time he put her on vigil for her knighting and of course during the knighting ceremony. He had inducted her into the Order of the Chivalry on the advice of Sir Kenyon and other Knights and Battlemasters whom he respected and trusted. Duncan vowed that he was going to make an effort to get to know her better while they were on this campaign to Gallica. Sir Kenyon couldn’t say enough good things about her, but Duncan suspected the older knight was a bit biased in that regard. Still, there had to be at least some grains of truth to his exaggerated stories of her courage and valor. Perhaps, if she turned out to live up to her reputation, he might have her assigned to his inner circle of Knights. Duncan had noticed that many of his closest advisors and protectors were not the young bucks they once were. It would be a good idea to get some younger blood into the gang.
A loud knock on the door interrupted the King’s musings. He sighed, ‘so much for the break, back to work now.’ He stood up and answered his own door. A weary, trail-worn Royal Scout swayed on his feet just behind Duncan’s chamberlain, Lord Anthony of Spa. Duncan ushered them into the room and held out a chair for the scout, all but pushing the man into it before he fell over from fatigue. “Get him some water, Anthony.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Anthony went to the King’s side table and poured a goblet full of water and handed it to the Scout. The Scout drank it down in a few quick gulps and handed the goblet back to Anthony who took it and refilled it for him.
“Thank you!” The Scout said with a voice still dry and raspy from the road. “Your Majesty, I have news of the Scotti along the coastline.”
Duncan pulled up another chair and sat down in it backwards, his hands resting on the back of the chair, listening intently. “Please, continue.”
“It appears they have assembled troops from all the clans on the eastern side of the Pict Mountains, Your Majesty. They are assembling around a cove just north of our border. Their ships are arriving daily bringing more men and supplies. The supplies are not being off-loaded, though the men are setting up temporary shelters on shore.” The man took another drink, slower this time. “They don’t have anywhere near enough ships to sail that army to Gallica, if that is their intent.”
“Do you think they are planning to attack Us?” Duncan used the formal, royal “Us” as was proper, referring to Araluen and himself as King.
“I spoke with one of their diplomats briefly, but his command of our language was not great. As far as I can tell, he says that the Scotti are going to fight the Aslavians to save their homeland. He swore they were not going to attack Araluen.”
“And what do you think, personally, based on what you saw?” Duncan pressed.
The Scout took another drink before replying. “It is difficult to judge, Your Majesty. On the surface they appear to be preparing to sail and just using that cove as a muster point, just as you are doing here. But again, they don’t have enough ships, so I cannot help but wonder if they have something else in mind.”
“How many men have they assembled there now?”
The Scout was ready for that question, “At least Two Thousand, My Lord. With more arriving daily.”
Duncan sat back in thought for a moment. He had over 5000 men assembled already. “They would be fools to attack here while my army is here.” He thought out loud. “But if they wait until we sail, it will leave Araluen wide open to attack and it will only take days for this castle to fall with not enough men here to defend her.”
Duncan stood up and stared back out the window at his army. “Now why are they sending an ambassador from the western side of their country, so far away, when they could have one from this part of their army here in half the time?”
“I believe they are planning to send an envoy here, My Lord. I saw signs of one around their council tent. I also heard a lot of shouting coming from that tent and saw some of the clan leaders get up and leave angrily. I suspect they have not yet reached an agreement on their course of action.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Duncan turned to Lord Anthony, “Send my Scoutmaster up here, Crowley too. I am going to have them send some more men down there to keep an eye on those Scotti.” Duncan turned back to the Scout in front of him. “Good work. Go get some rest and then report to your Scoutmaster. I want a full written report by tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.” He bowed and left the room, Lord Anthony on his heels. Duncan went back to looking out the window, only this time it was to the North, towards the Scotti border. His brow was furrowed in worry. “I must find out what they are up to,” he murmured to himself. “Perhaps this is a job for the SWC. I wonder exactly where their Captain is right now…”
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 16, 2009 5:50:40 GMT -5
King Duncan just happened to be looking out his tower window to the west when he saw a bedraggled group of riders approaching the castle at a controlled canter. The horses heads were hanging low andhe noticed that half of them were riderless which put the count of riders at 8 instead of the nearly 20 that he thought he saw at first.
As they drew closer he could make out that one of them was knight on a white charger and then he caught a flash of the banner displayed by the knight's man-at-arms riding close on her heels and saw the charging Unicorn. It was Sir Katrina at the head of the party.
Duncan turned his attention to the two men immediately following Katrina's man and recognized one of them as Captain Dougal. The other man had long hair, a small part of it braided and was sporting a plaid kilt. The two men behind him were dressed nearly identically. That must be the Scotti envoy, thought Duncan. Behind those two were two more of Katrina's men bringing up the rear and leading a string of horses and pack ponies.
"Better send up for some refreshements, Anthony." Duncan turned to his aid. "Sir Katrina and the Scotti ambassador will be here shortly. Send some boys out to take care of their horses, prepare some rooms and stock them with hot baths and some food. I want to have a brief meeting with Sir Katrina, the ambassador and Captain Dougal immediately." He turned back to watch them enter the west gate of the city and then lost them among the building as they wended their way through the city streets.
"I wonder how it came to be that the Captain is travelling with Sir Katrina." Duncan mused to himself. He turned back to his desk and prepared to meet with the new arrivals.
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Apr 16, 2009 17:19:49 GMT -5
Dougal was dead beat, but hen so was everyone else in the party. They'd pushed on after the incident with the bandits with no rest breaks whatsoever. Dougal had been the hardest hit, because he still hadn't fully recovered from his previous forced march, but he used his enormous willpower to overcome his tiredness and keep awake. In the end, he became overtired and realised that he was going to have difficulty getting to sleep now. The sweet, sweet ironies of life. Still, he was a soldier and he dealt with it. Soon after they arrived in Araluen the horses were stabled and it was time to go and visit the king. Dougal looked down at his tattered, bloodstained armour and smiled to himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd shown up to the king dressed like this. Grinning at Katrina, who looked as though she could sleep for a week, Dougal nodded in reply to her question.
"I've got a separate to report to make anyway, so I might as well come along."
They mounted back up, Dougal had actually anticipated walking over to the castle, but he wasn't complaining. The horses were tired as well and could only manage a slow canter. They must have looked a sight to anyone still out and about. Dougal hadn't shaved in a few days and hadn't bothered to get all the blood out of his hair, either. No doubt people were looking at them and wondering who the hell they were and what they'd been doing.
After arriving at the castle, they were led up tot he King's room while their horses were taken care of. Luckily for Dougal he had reached an agreement with the horse who tended to buck him off and he wasn't deposited in a heap on the hard cobblestones of the courtyard in full view of everyone. He'd never have lived that one down, no matter how long he lived. Lieutenant Miller, Dougal's second in command, was there and gave him a brief nod. Dougal subtly signed with his fingers for Miller to wait until after Dougal had been to see the king.
A servant led them up to see the king and, as he had done so far this trip, he hung back behind everyone else and brought up the rear. With any luck the king would only want to speak briefly to him during the debriefing. Dougal hated trying to ensure that he didn't say anything that could lead to someone finding out about the SWC.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 16, 2009 22:02:53 GMT -5
Katrina entered the King's study and started to drop to one knee as protocol dictated when appearing before the King, but the stitches in her hip pulled and she sucked in her breath in pain for a moment, unable to make the graceful bow she was hoping to.
Duncan saw the female knight catch herself and hiss in pain and then noticed the slash in her hip that was just visible between the pieces of her armor. "At ease, Sir Katrina." Duncan clasped her elbow gently and prevented her from kneeling. "I don't stand on ceremony here in my study, especially when debriefing exhausted officers who just made an incredibly fast trip across my Kingdom." He steered her deeper in to the study and virtually pushed her onto a chair. "Sit, all three of you." Duncan included Shamus and Dougal, gesturing toward the chairs in front of his desk. "Please have some refreshments too. I am sure you haven't had anything decent to eat in hours." He indicated a side table laden with trays of finger food and beverages.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Katrina bowed her head to him. "I apologize for our clothing and rather unkempt state. I felt we should report to you before getting cleaned up." Katrina was still young enough that appearing before the King was a bit intimidating. Plus she didn't know the King hardly at all, since she had been stationed in Norgate during her entire Knighthood so far. "Your Majesty, I would like to present Shamus MacBeane, ambassador of the Scotti." Katrina wasn't sure if she shouldn't introduce him as MacConnell instead of MacBeane since he was technically both, but he had introduced himself to her as a MacBeane, so she assumed that was what he wanted.
Shamus stood back up briefly and bowed to King Duncan, but sat back down again when the King motioned him to resume his seat. Shamus was so tired he had nearly done a nose-dive onto the King's desk when he had bowed. "Greetings Your Majesty from the council of Scotti clan leaders. I am authorized to offer you a mutual enemy treaty to be in effect until such time as the current threat from the Aslavian army has been neutralized and the armies of both our countries have returned to their homes." Shamus outlined a few of the details, briefly and the King listened intently. Then Shamus produced a courier package with a thick roll of parchment inside it and handed it to the King. "The details are in here. I had hoped to eloquently supply them, but I am afraid that after that grueling ride, Your Majesty, my mind has turned to mush." Shamus smiled at the King. Katrina noted again how good Shamus was at making people trust him. He would make a truly formidable clan leader with his skill in manipulation. While Shamus was speaking, she had helped herself to some sweets on the side table, handing a couple of things to Dougal who was sitting beside her. She hoped the sugar would keep her awake until the interview was over.
Fortunately King Duncan was a veteran of such techniques and didn't show any signs that Shamus' ploy was working on him. "Well, I am sure it is going to take several hours for my council to sort through this treaty proposal." Duncan gestured to his aide to come forward, "Anthony, why don't you show the ambassador to his room so he can rest." He turned back to Shamus, "I will send for you once I have had a chance to look this over." He tapped the sheaf of parchment. Shamus stood up and bowed his head and followed Anthony out of the study.
Duncan then glanced at Dougal, but turned to Katrina, "Ok, if you are not too tired right now, Katrina, I would like to hear your assessment of the situation." He sat back down behind the desk.
Katrina gathered her thoughts for a moment and then launched into a brief description of what she had seen on the mountain, how many Scotti she thought had gathered and added Shamus' estimation of the number likely to muster. She told the King about what Shamus had revealed of his connection to the heads of both clans. She knew she was probably leaving stuff out, but she was too tired to think straight. It had been a long time since she had pushed herself this far physically.
Finally she summed it up with her opinion of the situation, "Sir, I think Shamus is on the level in his desire to have this treaty succeed. However, he is very ambitious and I believe that he is going to use this situation to gain control of both the MacBeanes and the MacConnells, should the opportunity present itself. Once he does that, you can expect him to unite the clans under his leadership. Right now his loyalties allow for him to be a friend to Araluen. I suspect that after he establishes himself as the overlord of the other clans, that he will then turn his eye on Araluen. Perhaps Hibernia first, but eventually he will try to take our lush valley land." Katrina wiped her eyes with her hand, trying to keep them focused.
"He also said that the McConnells have more allies in the eastern army that is gathering near the sea just north of our border. He doesn’t think the army's allegiance will change until the two armies are reunited. At that time, there could be a shift in power which would affect whether or not they stick to the treaty. The situation in the council is probably precarious and I would advise that if you do agree to the treaty, that you send their eastern army over right away so that their two armies don't meet up until they are in Gallica. This will also ensure that your army is still here while their army is here and hopefully that will deter them from attacking should they decide to break with the treaty." Katrina sat up straighter in the chair. The sugar wasn't working. If she got too comfortable she just might fall asleep in mid-sentence.
Duncan nodded, "Well, why don't you see Anthony, you can give me a full report once your are rested." He stood up and helped her to her feet. Katrina swayed just a bit as the hip protested from the movement.
"There is one more thing, Your Majesty." She said as he let go of her hand. "Do you recall that outlaw named Lukas the Green that has been plaguing Norgate Fief for the last few years?" Duncan nodded, he vaguely remembered reports of bandits in the Norgate reports. "Well, you won't have to worry about him anymore. He attacked us on the road here last night just after sunset. He had close to 20 men with him. 14 of them are dead, including Lukas." Katrina looked the King square in the eye. "I executed him sir, by hanging." She said levelly. "I felt that after the last jail break to take him back to the dungeon would only give him another opportunity to murder and rob someone else. I will give you a written report of the incident."
Duncan looked at the knight and nodded solemnly. He could see in her eyes that she was troubled about something concerning this outlaw. Duncan reassured her, "I have no doubt that you did your duty and the most prudent thing. I take it that is how you got that cut on your hip?" Duncan had noticed Dougal's minor wounds and the blood splattered on him. Katrina wasn't in any better shape.
Katrina nodded, "it is just a scratch, though. Just stiff from the long ride." Katrina bowed to him, carefully and said, "By your leave, Your Majesty." Duncan nodded and Katrina exited the room.
Anthony asked her to wait for the Captain, since their rooms were right next to each other and he could escort them both at the same time. Katrina sat down in a cushioned chair and dozed until Dougal joined them…
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 23, 2009 10:21:18 GMT -5
Katrina had managed to stay awake long enough to wash the road grime off and get into some dry clothes to sleep in, then she collapsed in her bed and was dead to the world for about the next 16 hours. When she woke she found that her clothing had been washed and dried and her armor had been laid out and re-polished. She got dressed while waiting for the servant to bring some breakfast up and then donned her armor after eating.
She was feeling stiff, especially the cut on her hip, so she made her way out to the practice yard where a group of knights were watching some apprentices drilling. She challenged a couple of them to a "pick-up" fight and soon was dueling against three young knights near her own age.
Their practice fight was drawing a crowd and the drillmaster allowed the apprentices to watch. Katrina was enjoying herself, toying with her opponents while her muscles loosened up. Only one of the three seemed to offer her any real test of her skills. She finally "took out" the two less-skilled knights in rapid succession with a blow to one's head and spun around, using the momentum of that "killing" stroke to slash the other one across the chest because he had anticipated a head blow and lifted his shield too high. The "dead" knights stepped back and watched Katrina fight the remaining knight.
They circled each other for a moment, assessing how tired each one was, which wasn't much. Neither appeared winded in the slightest even though they had already been fighting for nearly half an hour. Katrina didn't know this knight and had never seen him fight, so she wasn't sure exactly of his skill level. She thought that he had been holding back up to this point just as she had been. Now that it was one-on-one the nature of the fight changed.
Suddenly he attacked her with lightening speed, his sword whipping back and forth as he moved lightly on the balls of his feet, blocking her counterblows easily. Katrina began to sweat and she smiled broadly at him. Now she was having fun! She had finally met someone whom she had to work to beat. Possibly even someone who could beat her. She settled in for a long battle.
The two danced around each other in the practice yard, their swords ringing out as they blocked and parried. Katrina never took her eyes off her opponent’s eyes, using the slightest change in them to determine what he was going to do next. She tuned out the drill instructor giving a play-by-play of the technique to the apprentices, focusing all of her attention on her advisory, waiting for him to make a mistake.
It was plain to see that they were an even match. The battle would be decided either by one of them making a fatal mistake or one of them growing tired before the other. Katrina conserved her energy, knowing she could outlast most men when it came to a test of endurance, though she might be a little under her normal standards after the grueling trip from Norgate. She’d had enough sleep and had just fueled up with a good meal, though, so she figured she could outlast him.
After another 20 minutes where she had hoped to lull him into thinking she could only fight one way, she changed her tactics and her speed, stepping the fight up a notch. Her opponent grinned mischievously and matched her moves flawlessly. After another 10 minutes, he stepped it up another notch and she grinned back at him, matching his speed.
Their swords were flashing so fast now that the observers had a hard time following them. Katrina was so focused that she didn’t noticed that not only had all activity ceased in the practice yard, but that they had people on balconies and peering out the windows of the castle watching them now. It seemed that nearly all work in the castle had ceased to watch the fight. King Duncan looked down from his study in the tower, admiring their skill and wondering what the outcome would be.
Finally Katrina noticed that her opponent was breathing a bit harder, but then she realized that she was too. Neither one of them was going to be able to keep this pace up for much longer and with fatigue would come the mistake that would decide the winner.
Katrina blocked and slid her sword down his to the hilt, grabbing his sword wrist with her shield hand as he did the same to her and they stepped in close, nose-to-nose. “Do you yield?” Katrina grinned at him, knowing the answer.
“Of course not. You yield.” He laughed, his breathing a bit heavier than hers, but he was still not any more winded than she was.
They circled, locked together. “What is your name?” She asked. “Are you Sir David’s latest apprentice graduate?”
He winked at her through the grill in his helmet’s visor. “Maybe. Why don’t you surrender and then I will tell you my name?” He shoved her backwards, disengaging and they circled for a moment, swinging their swords in easy arcs, mirroring each other.
“Never!” Katrina grinned back. “I am having too much fun!” Now she was fairly certain she had come across Sir David’s latest pupil. She could see the similarities in his style with the Supreme Commander’s style. She wracked her brains, trying to remember what the name was of Sir David’s most recent apprentice, but couldn’t remember it.
When he attacked next she gave way before him, falling back and circling in a wide arc around the practice yard as she blocked his blows with little wasted motion. Up until this point she had been fighting in a fashion similar to Sir Kenyon’s, but since that wasn’t working, she decided to switch up her styles to a less well-known style that combined three of her old drill master’s styles together and to which she added her own flair. It was a gamble because it involved taking a lot of risk and would use up her energy quicker than the way her opponent was fighting. She continued to fall back, pretending to be winded and watched with satisfaction as her opponent believed he was gaining on her.
He pressed his attack, intending to finish her off, now that he believed he had her on the run. As he lifted his sword arm to strike her neck from an overhead shot, instead of blocking it with her shield as she had been doing, Katrina ducked her head, drawing herself into a tight defensive position and stepped close, to the side and right under his sword arm just before the blade started to descend. She continued the spin so her back was to his and then followed on around, using her shield to push his out away and in front of him and then slashed with her sword across his left side just under the ribs, pulling her blow so it would not actually cause any injury. It was not a killing blow, had it been a real fight, but it would have caused enough damage to severely hamper the knight and slow him down, eventually causing him to loose from blood loss.
Of course the danger was that Katrina was then exposed on her sword side with her back to her opponent so that if he recovered quickly, he could injure her as well. That is precisely what happened. She felt his sword do a mock slash across her right shoulder and down her back as she finished her spin and was facing him again, having made a full circle around him with amazing speed. Her shield was back place now and she easily blocked his next blow, waiting for him to set himself up for another unexpected maneuver.
He closed with her again, their swords locked and he smiled wickedly through his visor at her again, “How about a draw?”
She considered for a moment, “I don’t know. I think if this were a real fight you would be loosing far more blood than I at the moment and ultimately the victory would be mine.” She smiled back, “I think you should yield.”
“I won’t yield.” He shoved her back again with brute force and immediately launched a furious attack designed to wear her out.
Katrina knew that he was now fighting at the top of his game and she rose to the challenge, using her experience, speed and agility to counter his speed and force. Soon they were both panting, their breathing labored, but neither slowed. Still they were evenly matched. Katrina knew that she would have won, if the two blows that they had landed on each other had actually been real. He would be bleeding to death by now. However, she also knew that his ego was involved and she had no desire to embarrass him by calling him out on a technicality in a silly pick-up fight. She decided to do the chivalrous thing and locked swords with him again.
Softly she said, “Ok, though we both know that I would be winning now if that last cut to your side had been real, I shall agree to call it a draw.”
He smiled at her, “I knew you’d come around, because we both know that I can outlast you at this pace and ultimately I would have won.” They still circled, their swords locked at their chests, their helmets pressed against each other, talking so softly no one else in the courtyard could hear them, even though the cheering had died down.
“Hardly,” Katrina replied. “You would be close to dead now from that slash I gave you. Besides, I can keep this up all day if you want to test me.” She smiled sweetly through her own open face grill on her helmet. “I merely offer you a draw so that you may save face by not being beaten by a girl.”
He laughed at her again, “I will accept your draw, but only on the condition that we resume this contest at some later date so that we may determine which one of us truly is the better swordsman.”
“Swords woman, you mean.” Katrina grinned. “It’s a date!” She stepped back, disengaging her sword and bowed to him as he bowed to her. They sheathed their swords and shook hands as the crowd cheered and clapped.
Duncan looked down in approval from his window and nodded. ‘I definitely need to keep my eye on those two. They are going to be leading my daughter’s army one day when she is Queen.’ He looked at the pile of papers on his desk and sighed as he sat back down and resumed his study of the Scotti treaty.
|
|
|
Post by ivory on Apr 24, 2009 15:26:17 GMT -5
Adrian Sarcas watched in fascination as the woman knight cut down two of the men she was facing with a simple ease before turning on the last. He judged her to be only a few years older than him at his eighteen years, and highly more experienced. She handled the blade superbly well, but there was something off. Not wrong, just off.
He cocked his head to the side as his red eyes drank in the sight of the battle, his mind quickly processing their moves to come to a conclusion of whatever was disturbing his complete attention. And then he saw it. Why, they were holding back!
He grinned at the discovery and sank into the enchanting web their swords spun as they tested each other for possible weaknesses. He didn’t know anything about the female before him, but he’d watched the man before and doubted she’d be able to keep up with him for long.
Sir David’s latest pupil handled his blade as if it were truly a part of him, an extension of his arm. Adrian would watch him whenever he had the chance, studying the way he moved in hopes of jumping over the hurdles life had thought funny to throw at him.
He’d been born an albino and so had to overcome the disadvantage of his sensitive eyes. They had an annoying tendency to dart around at various odds of the day before he’d learned to control it. Then he’d gained another disadvantage as his left arm had been crushed beneath the weight of a horse, making it practically useless. He’d been able to strengthen it and use it despite its crookedness, but it hadn’t the energy or muscle to stand up to the rigorous effort of combat. He knew he’d hardly survive if his swordplay was only average since he had the disadvantage of not being able to switch hands if his arm tired before his opponent. So he’d worked in secret during the nights, strengthening and quickening his swordplay. Still, his talent was nowhere near the two before him.
His brow furrowed as he became deeply intrigued as the male stepped it up another notch and the female was yet to be defeated. His mouth dropped open when she circled around him, her blade slashing across his side. She’d taken a great risk and ended up with a slash against her own skin, but had this been a real fight, it would’ve been worth it…maybe. It all depended on if they were in a war battle or just a duel.
Her cut wouldn’t have been minor, but the one she dealt him would’ve caused him to bleed to death in a short amount of time at the harsh pace they were going. If they were on a battle field, he doubted that she would have lived to see the end of it, certain that someone else would have taken advantage of her wound and cut her down. A slice across the back was the harshest kind in his opinion for with every movement there was a risk of it opening back up again. Well, except for a stomach wound. He’d heard those were nasty things, though unlike the one across the back, he’d never experienced it himself. Of course not, he thought with a grin, after all, he was still alive.
He didn’t partake in the cheering as those around him did when they bowed in an agreement of truce. He’d always preferred to keep silent and in the shadows, waiting unseen – another tactic he’d sought hard to gain. He’d grab at any benefit to make up for his personal weaknesses and thus increase his chance of survival. Many had the notion that knights were big and easily spotted in all their armor, and by distancing himself from the crowd in this way, he bought his own advantage.
Later, he told himself, he’d have to try out some of those moves he’d saw them complete. Especially the one she’d used to mar Sir David’s pupil, though he’d have to bend it more to his taste since he couldn’t rely much on a shield. He’d have to put more speed into it, if that were possible. She’d done it pretty quick to begin with. But he’d sought to become a knight because of the challenge. This was just another one of those hurdles.
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Apr 28, 2009 1:23:35 GMT -5
"So, Captain, what is your assessment of the situation."
Dougal shrugged. He didn't have much to add, because Katrina had said everything that he was going to say. All that he had to offer was tactical advice.
"Sir Katrina's right, my lord. It would be a major mistake to let Shamus get too close to us. While it would be good to have someone in charge of the Scotti who liked us, Shamus is too ambitious to stay that way for long. If things did go wrong, I'd recommend assassinating the leader of the McConnells and implicating Shamus. It would stop the McConnells from trying to attack us because they'd be at the throats of the MacBeanes. We could turn Shamus over to the McConnells and not have to worry about him, a course of action that would probably improve relations between us and the McConnells.
"We probably could try an open assassination of multiple clan leaders, but that would eventually come back to bite us. Then again, assassinating the McConnell clan leader could come back to bite us as well. As much as it pains me to say this, sire, it looks as though diplomacy is going to be more useful to us than a show of strength."
Duncan smiled at Dougal's attempt at humour. The big soldier was well known for his black humour and Duncan was interested that he found such humour amusing on the eve of a major war. Fighting Morgarath's Wargals was one thing, but fighting other human beings was another. Duncan wondered how many bright eyed young boys would be killed on each side. Still, there was no time for thinking about what he could not change, because there were more important things to deal with. He cleared his throat and watched Dougal's tired head snap to attention, paranoid suspicion clouding his eyes for less than a second. Yes, Dougal would be the perfect man for this job.
"We have recently discovered that the Aslavians have a unit similar to the Special Warfare Corps. We're not sure how many there are, but we do know that La Rivage is crawling with them and that they have turned at least one Ranger."
Dougal's eyes shot up and then narrowed. A Ranger had been turned? It seemed impossible, but yet here was King Duncan, the ultimate authority in Araluen, saying that one had indeed betrayed the kingdom. He wondered if he would be required to hunt down the Ranger, but then he realised that Crowley would probably be sending Rangers after the traitor. Rangers tended to do things like that. Duncan continued to speak and Dougal smiled as he realised what his new assignment was.
"Crowley is taking care of matters in that respect, but there is another matter I wish to raise with you. As you well know, the SWC has rarely seen action but was founded with the understanding that the Corps would perform actions that were unpopular, illegal or too dangerous for ordinary soldiers or the Ranger Corps to attempt. I have such an assignment for you now. You will leave three sections of the SWC, excluding the one you already have watching the Scotti, and you will sail to Gallica. Once there you will make your way into enemy territory."
Duncan was very serious now and Dougal's tired mind suddenly made a jump in logic. No, it couldn't be...could it?
"I want you to kill as many high ranking officers in the Aslavian army as you can, starting at the top and working your way down to the bottom. Should that fail or should the Aslavians press on regardless, your secondary objective is to start a guerrilla war behind enemy lines and tie up as many of their resources as possible."
The smile on Dougal's face was enormous, but it wasn't a happy one. Duncan could see the savageness that he knew lurked behind Dougal's humorous exterior and drill sergeant manner. It was present in many members of the SWC, but it manifested itself most in Dougal. Duncan sighed. If he didn't know what Dougal was capable of, then he would like to get to know the man better. However, knowing what he did about Dougal's methods and what he had done, Duncan couldn't help but shudder. Araluen was very happy that Dougal had joined the army instead of becoming a bandit.
Dougal noticed Duncan's discomfort and toned his smile down, but it didn't leave completely.
"Sorry, my lord."
"It's alright, Captain. Now, I want you to get some sleep before you get started."
"Yes sir."
Dougal bowed and left the room. Anthony escorted Dougal and Katrina to their rooms and Dougal went straight to bed, not caring about washing off the road. He just wanted to get some sleep.
Dougal woke and smiled viciously as he remembered what Duncan had said. He was actually going to get to engage an enemy. A real live enemy. Not the mindless Wargals or pathetic bandits but honest to God soldiers. Not only that, but he was going to be playing cat and mouse with them as he killed off their commanders. He estimated that he could have the Supreme Commander dead by the time the Araluen army had begun to march on the Aslavians. Less if the Aslavians began to break camp earlier than he estimated. Still, if he played his cards right he could kill off quite a few Aslavian commanders in one hit. Too bad Robert was up with the Scotti, because Dougal knew that the sergeant would very much enjoy one part of the plan that was already forming in Dougal's head.
Standing up and stretching for a good ten minutes to loosen his very stiff muscles, Dougal had a bath and then dressed in clothes rather than armour, something that he rarely did. True, his padded jack was cut up and splattered with blood, but Dougal had been seen wearing armour less appropriately than that. Still, he needed to drop his armour off with the seamstress who usually made it so that she could salvage the leather plates.
That task completed, Dougal began to make his way back to his barracks for a new padded jack and also for some new clothes. He was about halfway there when he realised that he still had Katrina's cloak. It wasn't exactly valuable, but Dougal still didn't like taking peoples stuff, so he changed his course and went off to find Katrina. As it turned out, Dougal wished that he had returned the cloak sooner, because he arrived just as the fight between Katrina and Sir David's former apprentice. From the sound of the crowd it had been quite an exciting match and from the appearance of the combatants it had been a long match. As the crowd slowly thinned, Dougal shouldered his way through it until he reached Katrina.
"Looks like I just missed a good fight."
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 28, 2009 17:39:01 GMT -5
Katrina looked over at Dougal as he approached as she dabbed her sweat-covered face with a towel a page had handed to her. She was still breathing pretty hard, as was Sir David's graduate. "Ahh, Captain. Yes, it was a nice little warm-up exercise." Katrin said, looking to see what her opponent's reaction was to that, a smile playing around her lips.
He laughed at her. "A warm-up indeed!" He was breathing just as hard as she was. "Lady Katrina, it was a joy sparring with you, but I am afraid that duty calls and we must take this up on another day." He claimed her hand and gently pulled off her gauntlet and then raised her bare hand to his lips and lightly caressed them. "I am afraid I have dallied with you far too long already!" He winked at her and then let go of her hand, giving her back her gauntlet and bowed to Dougal, "Captain!"
Katrina looked at him and then at Dougal. They obviously knew each other."So, are you going to tell me your name?" She turned back to Dougal. "Well, I wish you had seen that, Captain. I quite enjoyed myself. He is amazing, almost as good as me!" She laughed, deliberately trying to sound arrogant in front of Sir David's pupil.
"He refuses to tell me because I refused to yield to him." She said to Dougal. "If he won't tell me, will you?"
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on Apr 29, 2009 16:45:30 GMT -5
An old man's smile crept onto Dougal's face as he saw the friendly rivalry between Katrina and Jace, Sir David's former apprentice. How long had it been since he had had a fight like that? Nowadays the only fights that Dougal got into were more serious. Sure, there was the banter and the overall sense of fun but it was somehow different, more serious and deadly. Perhaps it was the loss of innocence that prevent you from developing the friendly rivalry that Katrina and Jace had. Dougal suddenly realised that the smile was actually on the outside of his face and that he still hadn't replied to Katrina. Damn his sentimentality.
"Hm. I dunno if I should tell her your name, Jace."
Jace laughed at Dougal, who pretended to to look confused. They'd met a couple of times before and had even had a practice bout. Dougal had won, it had been early in Jace's training, but at the time he had decided that Jace had great potential. Now, looking at Jace and seeing as he had actually held his own against a veteran warrior, Dougal knew that the boy would go far. Heh, there was that old man thinking again. He'd considered Jace to be a boy when he was in fact a man.
"You get more and more decrepit with each passing day, Captain."
"At least I still have a brain."
"Perhaps you should try and come up with a better retort."
"Perhaps insolent young whipper snappers like you should have their mouths sewn shut."
Dougal and Jace mock glared at each other for a few seconds before laughing and slapping each toher on the back.
"You've grown more of a tongue since we last met."
"And you've slowed down somewhat."
"Don't I know it."
Suddenly remembering why he was here, Dougal turned to Katrina, grinning apologetically for having kept her out of the loop. He held out her cloak as he did so.
"Thanks for the cloak."
There was a slight pause and then Dougal continued.
"Would you be able to take my horses back to Macindaw or at least arrange it? I'm shipping out today and I don't have the time to take care of it."
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on Apr 29, 2009 19:04:56 GMT -5
Katrina listened to the banter between Dougal and Jace with a slight grin on her face. It was for moments like this that she had wanted to be a knight when she was a child.
She had watched the knights and noticed that they were a close group of friends and looked out for each other and had wanted to be a part of that camaraderie that was so different from the way the women acted with each other.
Though Dougal wasn't a knight, he still was a veteran of many battles and that meant he knew how knights and soldiers depended on one another in a battle. Having just come through a minor skirmish with him against the bandits two nights ago, she felt a certain kinship with him.
Obviously Jace and Dougal were old friends too. She marveled at this side of Dougal that she had not yet seen. He had been quite formal with her the entire trip out here. She found herself liking this side of him.
She also found Jace fascinating. He was newly graduated, but already knew as much as she did, for the most part. Give him five years experience and he would be a formidable opponent. She couldn't wait to find out which one of them would win their next contest.
"Thanks for the cloak." Dougal said as he handed it to Katrina.
Katrina hesitated before taking it. She had meant for him to keep it, but sensed he was not comfortable with that. "You are welcome anytime, Dougal." She said his name for the first time, hoping to make him feel like they were colleagues on the same level. "I hope that you requisition yourself a new one before you leave here." She smiled as she tossed the cloak in a roll over one shoulder. It still carried his scent she noticed. She found she liked it.
"Would you be able to take my horses back to Macindaw or at least arrange it? I'm shipping out today and I don't have the time to take care of it." Dougal asked.
Katrina nodded. "Sure. I think Henry was going to make arrangements today to send all the horses back, or they will go back with us if we get sent back to Norgate." She reassured him. "I am not sure what my orders are yet because I still have to report to His Majesty today. He was busy when I first woke up."
Then it registered that they were likely parting ways. "Gee, they don't give you much of a breather between missions, do they?" She looked to Jace for a moment. "Must be very different than being assigned to a fief. We keep a fairly regular schedule most of the time."
She smiled in admiration at Dougal. "I don't know how you managed to make that trek out here, Dougal. Especially when you were pretty much worn out before we even started. I thought I was going to fall asleep on His Majesties desk yesterday." She turned back to Jace, "I wouldn't push the "old man" comments too far, Jace. I suspect this 'old man' could probably whip you and I both together." She winked at Dougal. She waited for him or Jace to comment.
"So, if you don't mind my asking, where are you off to this time?" Kat asked Dougal. "Obviously not back to Norgate." She wasn't sure if Dougal would be able to reveal where he was being sent. She figured that whatever scouting unit he was a part of, a lot of his assignments were kept secret, or else she would have heard of him before now.
She didn't want to pry, but she wondered if she would run into him again and she was actually reluctant to see him go. She had enjoyed traveling with him and would like to have had the chance to spar with him as she had just done with Jace. She had a suspicion that Dougal had some sneaky and underhanded tactics up his sleeve and she would like to learn them.
Everything she had learned from Sir Kenyon had involved fighting a chivalrous opponent - well for the most part anyway. That was fine until you ran up against a bandit with formal training who fought dirty.
Kat had picked up a few things from battling the Scotti that the average Araluen Knight didn't know, and a couple of dirty tricks from some of the more ruthless bandits, but she suspected that Dougal could teach her a great deal more. She had seen him fight those bandits off and there were a couple of his moves that she wanted to practice. It was too bad they were going their separate ways.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on May 2, 2009 9:27:53 GMT -5
"Your Majesty," Lord Anthony bowed and dropped a message on King Duncan's desk. "This just arrived from the coast. It seems the wolfships are here to take the army across."
Duncan scanned the tiny note from the carrier pigeon tube. "Good. Good. Send back a message to have five of the ships sail up the river here and for the rest to sail into that cove the Scotti are gathering near." Duncan filed away the note in his desk. "Make sure Dougal's group gets on those wolfships when they arrive. You know the other two units who are going in advance, right?" Lord Anthony knodded at his sire's instructions.
"Good." Duncan continued, "The rest are going to be used to ship the Scotti over. I have decided to sign the treaty, but I want their army out of here before we sail. Have those thousand men I mentioned yesterday prepare to move out. I want an escort for their western army in place before those Scotti come into this country. I want those men on a fast march to Norgate by the end of the day. I have my scribes working on the treaty changes right now.
Lord Anthony turned to leave, "Oh, and Anthony, have Sir Katrina and that Scotti Ambassador up here in one hour." Anthony nodded and left the King to his tasks.
Within 15 minutes large sections of the assembled army were bustling with activity and the signs of breaking camp.
|
|
|
Post by ivory on May 3, 2009 20:46:54 GMT -5
The bubble of excitement rose within the chest of Adrian Sarcas as he hurried to ready his belongings. His sword was already strapped to his side and a dagger lay within the folds of one of his boots, so he only had to pack the rest of his armor and few personal belongings, and then saddle his horse. He tried not to grimace as he headed for the stables, but his stomach tightened in protest regardless.
He’d never had a fondness for horses, either before or after his arm had been crushed. To him, they were savage beasts that needed to be kept as far from society as possible, especially his own. Mischief had an increasing habit of making his master work twice as hard as his opponent to cover up miraculous openings. Openings that he could’ve easily blocked had his bloody horse stopped going out of his way to make them known. He didn’t doubt that if he died, his horse would snicker over his grave. But even so, he had learned to respect them despite of how much of a beast they were – particularly his own.
Adrian made his way through the other knights fetching their steed, his eyes locked onto those of his stallion, narrowing at the mischievous glint in those big, black eyes. He unlocked the stall door and slipped inside. He shut it firmly behind him, not wanting to risk the chance of Roan dashing outside – though he had to admit, he hadn’t done that in years. Still, it never hurt to be cautious.
He hid his surprise only barely at being able to saddle him without the usual tricks and teases, like oh say, Mischief reaching around to pull off his blanket a couple hundred times before allowing Adrian to place the saddle over it. He tightened the strap around his horse’s belly and stood back in awe for a moment, quite proud that he managed to saddle him so fast. He grabbed the rein in his right hand and moved to lead him out, surprised again when he followed without a sudden jerk of his head.
They weaved their way through the flood of knights and had almost made it to the unit Adrian was to depart with, when Mischief picked up his pace and rammed into his master’s backside. Adrian staggered a few paces, but managed to regain his footing and he angrily turned to confront his horse, when he was once again pushed, this time giving his horse the satisfaction of seeing him fall upon his rump.
Mischief snickered.
Adrian shot him a glare, then sighed when it had no effect whatsoever, not that he actually thought it would. He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and grabbed the reins, making sure to stay beside the beast instead of in front of it.
“Just once,” he mumbled beneath his breath, “I’m going to get you and then you’ll be sorry.”
Mischief's ear twitched at his master’s voice and his lips parted in what Adrian swore was a mocking smile.
|
|
Dougal
Apprentice Messenger
Posts: 597
|
Post by Dougal on May 4, 2009 16:44:22 GMT -5
Katrina hesitated and then accepted her cloak. Dougal smiled slightly when he saw this, because it was always hard to judge a noble. Some expected everything they lent you to be returned but others didn't mind if you kept some of the minor items they lent you. Obviously Katrina was the latter and he almost regretted not keeping the cloak, because it was much better than his own cloak. But no, Dougal knew that he wouldn't be taking any cloaks on this trip. He might need to fight at a moments notice and a cloak would only get in the way and get him killed. Shame.
"Gee, they don't give you much of a breather between missions, do they? Must be very different than being assigned to a fief. We keep a fairly regular schedule most of the time."
Dougal laughed. While he had been assigned to the archer unit in one fief early on in his career, he'd been moving around for the last fifteen years or so and had forgotten what it was like to have a regular schedule. Of course, many of the career soldiers in the army moved around Araluen quite a lot, sharing their expertise with new recruits at the request of the drill master in that particular fief. Some no longer even had a home and wandered from Battleschool to Battleschool, teaching or simply filling in a vacant position until a permanent replacement could be found.
"Yeah, it is a bit different. Plus I like to get involved in things, so the lack of a break is mostly my own fault."
There was a self-deprecating smile.
"Besides, I used to be able to march from one end to Araluen to the other and back again with only four or five hours of sleep a night. Shame I can't do it any more."
Jace laughed, although Dougal wasn't sure if it was from his first assertion or the second. Jace had witnessed first hand Dougal's stamina and ability to go without sleep the last time they had met, which had been during a series of exercises. He had been 'kidnapped' and moved from location to location by Dougal, resting no more than five hours at each spot. Dougal's side had won that exercise and Jace had developed an amazing amount of respect for the giant 'scout'.
"I wouldn't push the "old man" comments too far, Jace. I suspect this 'old man' could probably whip you and I both together."
"And don't I know it. The last time we fought he had me disarmed and under control in under a minute. Even after learning from Sir David I never expected anything that Dougal did."
"That's because I didn't use any set fighting form and decided to overwhelm you with strength alone. Good thing you weren't Sir Horace, or I'd have been the one sitting out the rest of the exercise."
Jace looked at Dougal curiously.
"Have you ever sparred him?"
"Who, Sir Horace?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, once to win a bet. I lost."
There was more laughter and then Katrina asked the question that Dougal had hoped to avoid. Where was he going? It would be easy to simply say Gallica and leave it at that, but then Katrina might ask more questions. On the other hand, he didn't want to seem rude after what they had been through together. He was even starting to trust Katrina. In the end, Dougal decided to answer with the truth omitted.
"I'm heading to Gallica to see if the Royal Scouts or the Rangers missed anything. It's probably not worth the effort, but I haven't been out of Araluen in a couple of years and I'm starting to get wanderlust again."
Someone called out Dougal's name and he quickly searched for and located the caller. It was a fellow member of the SWC and he was indicating that it was almost time to go.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to leave. I still have to brief my men and then we have to leave on the outgoing tide. Jace, it's been great catching up with you. Katrina, you fight well and you'll go far. See ya both later on!"
Then Dougal was running through the crowd, taking any gaps he could find and making others himself as he made his way to the barracks. He hated goodbyes.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on May 5, 2009 5:31:25 GMT -5
Katrina shook Dougal's hand in farewell. "You take care of yourself out there, Captain." Katrina said and watched him push his way through the crowd. Jace must have noticed the look on her face because he said; "I wouldn't bother about him in that regard, Katrina. It is a well-known fact that Dougal doesn't trust women. I am sure you heard what happened to him when he was much younger."
Katrina shook her head. "No, and I am not sure that it really matters, whatever it is." She finally took her eyes off where the Captain had disappeared into the crowd and looked at Jace. He was a few years younger than her, but full of confidence and charm. He was probably already quite the "lady-killer" and one Katrina knew better than to get involved with. "I would rather not know. Either Dougal likes me or he doesn't, besides I don't have time for any relationships right now anyway." She smiled at Jace, "I think I am going to need all my spare time to keep my edge so I can beat you fair and square the next time we spar!"
Jace grinned and patted her on the back, "that's the spirit, Lady. It is pointless, but thinking like that should keep your mind off the Captain!" he winked at her.
"You, Sir, are incorrigible!" Katrina laughed. Just then a page came running up to a group of people behind her, calling her name. "Yes?" Kat turned around.
"Sir, His Majesty would like to see you in his study in an hour - no make that in three-fourths of an hour. I am sorry Sir, but it took me several minutes to find you." The lad panted.
"Very well, I shall be there." Kat turned back to Jace. "Well, Sir Jace," she said his name formally and tipped her head to him, "it appears duty calls. I must write a report for His Majesty before I go see him. I hope we meet again, and until then, take care of yourself."
"And you likewise, Sir Katrina!" his eyes sparkled as he kissed her hand again. "It would be an unfair advantage if you loose a limb in the war. Until we meet again." He nodded and they each strode off in separate directions.
Katrina ran into Henry on her way back to her room to compose her report. She filled him in on where she was headed and asked if he would include Dougal's horses in the arrangements he made for their extra mounts.
"Already taken care of, Sir." Henry said as he walked along with her. "I see the Captain is leaving." Henry did not sound disappointed.
Katrina nodded. "Off to Gallica. I wonder where His Majesty is going to send us. I kinda hope we are not going back to Norgate right away."
Henry snorted. "Tell the truth, Sir. You hope we are heading off to Gallica too." He grinned at her.
Katrina grinned back. "That I do, Henry, but not because the Captain is heading that way. I have never been anywhere but Araluen and the Pictish mountains. I would really enjoy seeing another country and taking a ride on a ship. Besides, that is where the real action is going to be. I don't want to miss the great battles," her eyes shown in anticipation.
Henry nodded but was distracted. He noticed she was still flushed from her recent fight with Sir Jace and Henry thought she was the most beautiful woman in the country. He swallowed and cleared his throat, setting his feelings aside again. "I can agree with that." Henry said. "Shall I come with you to see His Majesty?"
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea." Katrina quickly wrote down a summary of her report to the King, adding in details that she had forgotten in her fatigue the night before. The time flew by quickly and soon she and Henry were standing outside the King's study with Lord Anthony announcing them.
The King greeted her warmly and asked that they be seated after Katrina introduced Henry to him. "Before that ambassador gets up here, Katrina, I wanted to give you your orders." Duncan handed her a folded piece of parchment. Katrina opened them and quickly scanned them and then looked up at Duncan and smiled and then frowned slightly as she read the last part of the orders. "As you can see I am sending you over to Gallica with the vanguard units. You are to have command over the Scotti army under the command of Sir Horace until Sir David arrives with the main army."
"Sire, I am not sure that the Scotti are going to recognize an Araluen commander." Katrina looked at him with apprehension. "They don't even recognize one of their own as a supreme commander."
Duncan smiled at her. "Well, normally that would be true, but I insisted that item be pivotal to the treaty and they agreed, but came back with a counter that the only Araluen they would be willing to follow would be the 'Lady Unicorn'." Duncan grinned as her face turned red.
"I wish they wouldn't call me that." Katrina mumbled self-consciously. "They really asked for me?" she was surprised. Out of all the knights in the Kingdom and the Scotti would only follow her? It didn't make any sense. She had spent her entire career battling them. Maybe they thought she would be a pushover or a puppet.
Duncan spent several minutes going over what he wanted her to do when they reached Gallica and making sure she understood and was comfortable with her orders. "Remember, you will have Sir Horace and several other senior knights there to call upon should you need some advice or assistance." Katrina nodded. "Oh, and one other thing, apparently there has been some delay with the apprentice you were supposed to be getting, so you will not have an apprentice to look after just yet. He may arrive with the main army, but for now he is staying in Redmont."
"Well, that is a relief." Katrina sighed. She noticed Duncan's look of concern and hastened to explain, "I was a bit apprehensive over taking on an apprentice and then with throwing me into command of the Scotti, I was just wondering how I was going to juggle both tasks at the same time. Hopefully this way I will be able to establish myself as the Scotti's commander before I have to worry about keeping an apprentice in one piece during a war." Katrina hoped the King understood.
"I see." Duncan nodded. He could appreciate her concerns, and she was quite young herself to be taking on command of a major army strife with political infighting. "You are probably right. Well, if you are all set, then I suggest you get ready to sail. I am sending that ambassador with you. You should meet up with the Scotti army over in Gallica, so you will have several days to work with Shamus and develop a plan to keep them under control." Duncan ushered Katrina and Henry to the door. "Oh, and should Captain Dougal require any assistance over there, I want you and your Scotti to help him out - but only if he requests it."
Katrina looked at the King, wanting to ask the obvious questions, but knowing that she didn't have the right to pry. Duncan saw her look and decided to fill her in slightly. "This doesn't leave this room." Duncan gave them both a stern look until they nodded. "The Captain is on a special assignment, answerable only to me. He may require back up at some point and I think the Scotti are just the type of fighters to supply it. If he asks for it, you are to follow his command and not tell anyone else what you are doing. Understand?"
Katrina and Henry nodded again. "I understand, Sire." Katrina said solemnly, but inwardly she was smiling. There was a good chance she was going to see Dougal soon, perhaps they might even end up on the same ship over to Gallica. She didn't notice that Henry wasn't looking too happy and because of the same reason.
Soon after she and Henry were boarding a wolfship after securing their horses on the cargo ship. Kat hated sailing on a ship separate from Ace, but the cargo ship didn't have any amenities for passengers and the wolfships wouldn't hold horses.
Katrina looked around the ship and found an out of the way place to stand as they made ready to depart. Henry stood next to her and they watched the activity on the shore, waiting for the ship to set sail again.
|
|
|
Post by Brandwyn on May 5, 2009 9:05:04 GMT -5
An exhausted pigeon winged its way down the final stretch of its journey to land wearyly on the windowsill of the pigeon roost at Araluen Castle.
The BirdMaster quickly removed the missive from Gallica and handed it to a runner to send take to Lord Anthony and then tended the tired bird who had made remarkably good time across the Narrow Sea due to a storm blowing him the right direction.
...
Lord Anthony handed the missive to King Duncan and stepped back to await orders. Duncan scanned the note and frowned and read it again;
Your Majesty and Ranger Crowley, La Rivage is unstable. Do not land ships at port. Grizzlies currently hold city in thrall, but situation is highly unstable. Recommend landing 5 miles to the north in the Cove of Doves and taking the city by force upon arrival.
Reports of rangers and scouts being captured by Grizzlies. Have location of their camp and am checking on the situation. Proceed with caution in La Rivage.
Rumor has it that the Aslavian Army has pushed the Toscano army back into Gallica and now the entire country of Toscano is in enemy hands. Gallica is still engaged in internal fighting and will not be effective against Aslavia. If help does not arrive soon, Aslavia will sweep across Gallica quickly and you will be fighting them as you debark the ships.
Crowley: Contact made with Ranger Tandar and orders delivered. Warn rangers to avoid La Rivage until it is secured or proceed with caution around the city.
Ranger Shanna Horsetrader (1st night in La Rivage)
Duncan looked up at Anthony, "Quick now, Anthony, before those ships sail, send out runners to tell them to land at the Cove of Doves not in La Rivage."
Anthony ran from the room hollaring for his pages.
... Moments before the ships were to pull out, three boys came flying down to the river docks and hailed the captains of the ships and delivered the King's orders.
Katrin listened in surprise at the last minute change in their destination. "I wonder what that is all about." She murmured, trying to catch the gist of the conversation between the wolfship captain and the page. "Did you hear that, Henry? La Rivage is under enemy control it seems."
Henry nodded, "or at least control of an agent of the enemy. That is not good. Here comes a page now talking to Sir Horace." Henry pointed and they both listened intently, trying to pick up what his orders were now, but the wind carried their voices away.
Sir Horace nodded to the page, turned and saluted the castle and boarded the central wolfship. Katrina sighed as the boat pulled away from the dock. "I guess we will find out when we get there." She said. "What are we going to do for 8 days?"
Henry grinned, "You could teach me that move you just did on Sir Jace!"...
|
|