Baron Donald, ruler of Redmont Fief, was just about to turn in for the night, when a maid hurried up to him in his study and said, "My lord, will you please come and look at, eh, something we found lying outside the main entrance?"
"Of course, Matilda," came the reply, for Baron Donald was known for his compassion and thoughtfulness, though he was no great war tactician.
As they walked along the corridors of Redmont Castle, Matilda filled him in on the details. "We found them on the front doorstep, my lord. They were wrapped in several blankets and wraps. We took them in by the fire in the Great Hall, and we fed them some warm milk, sir."
Baron Donald was amused at the way she "filled him in," without really letting him know anything. When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, Matilda led him over to a place by the fire. There, wrapped in the arms of an older maid were three babies.
It was obvious they were newborns, and Donald assumed that they were siblings. "Are they all boys?" he asked of the maid who held the babies.
"Yes, m'lord," she answered with a hint of a Picta accent. "All lads. And from what we've seen of 'em, they're all brothers. Their mammy must be proud, fetching up three strapping lads, like," she continued, rolling her r's slightly.
"What shall we do with them, my lord?" questioned the first maid Matilda. Donald strolled away a bit, stroking his beard in thought.
"Didn't the late Baron Arald used to keep a Ward for orphan children, Maura?" he asked of the senior maid. She had been there the longest of all the maids, having served as a maid for over forty years.
When she was just a infant, she and her family had been captured by Pictan raiders. Later, as a young teen, she had managed to escape along with her only older brother. Her parents though were not so lucky.
"Yes he did, m'lord," she replied, adding, "The great warriors Sir Horace and Will Treaty themselves were raised in the Ward."
"Hmmm," He pondered thoughtfully. "Will you take charge of, well, taking care of them, Maura?" Even as the castle's master, Donald still had to treat his head maid with respect.
Maura looked down at the babes, "Of course I will," she said, her usually gruff face softening.
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She named them Brett, Justice, and Daniel. Brett for her father, Justice for justice on the Pictans, and Danial for her late older brother.
And so they grew up, never knowing their parents, only knowing they had themselves, "Mammy Maura," and their Wardmates who were yet to come.
Hope you guys like it. It takes place about forty years after The Royal Ranger if you're wondering.
Reviews are welcome, however no profanity or inappropriate material please!
I own it all (evil laugh begins) except for (evil laugh abruptly cuts off) Will Treaty, Sir Horace, Redmont Castle, the Great Hall, Redmont Fief, Picta, and anything else I happened to forget.
Enjoy!