Chapter 2: The King's Command
A few moments later, the King's advisor stepped into the meeting room and the royal soldiers of Burland looked his way. "The King will be here soon," the advisor said. The royal soldiers nodded and stood to attention.
King Burnard XXI then entered the room. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days. Whatever the problem was, it was certainly taxing the aged ruler of Burland.
Before the royal soldiers could give him a formal salute of devotion, the King held up his hand and said, "Everyone, at ease." Most of the royal soldiers sat back down non-ceremonially. Ragnar frowned at them but relaxed a bit as well as he sat down, although keeping his posture straight.
King Burnard made his way to the head of the table and sat down, his advisor taking his side beside the ornamented chair. He sat still for a moment, tapping the table with a single finger. Ragnar could tell that he was contemplating his next words. The problem must be dreaded indeed.
Finally, the King spoke. "We have two problems here. First off, you know that monster activity has increased of late."
Sandor stood up. "May I speak, your majesty?" Ragnar glared at the young soldier. He couldn't believe the open contempt that Sandor displayed. When Ragnar had first joined the royal soldiers, if you ever interrupted the King, you were quickly thrown out. And to Ragnar's surprise, King Burnard nodded for him to continue!
"Your majesty," Sandor continued, "while it may be a sign of something being up, increased monster activity isn't all that much of a deal. What do he have around these forests? Slimes, healers, and, to a lesser extent, babbles. Hardly worthy of notice, you see."
"In most cases, I'd agree with you," the King replied. Sandor sat back down, smiling broadly. He looked at Ragnar, almost saying, "That's one for me." Ragnar couldn't wait for the meeting to be over. Just being in Sandor's presence made Ragnar's stomach upset.
"However," the King continued, "that is no longer the case. My spies informed me the beetle-men of the mountains are beginning to roam the country-side." The royal soldiers began to mutter to each other. The beetle-men hadn't been seen out of the mountains since ages ago. Their very existence was starting to slip into that of myths.
"Are they a major threat?" Harald asked the King.
"Thankfully, no," the King replied. "They are only scouting parties and travelers have been able to deal with them if they do happen to encounter any. However, this apparent act of aggression does raise some concerns."
"You mentioned there are two things," Ragnar said. "What is the other?"
The King nodded and replied, "The mothers from Izmit came to me in tears this morning begging for help. Apparently, their children have been disappearing."
"Is that it?" Darnell said, a little stunned. The King glared at Darnell and the soldier slid a bit further down in his chair.
King Burnard regained his composure and stated, "As King of this country, I cannot ignore their problem, however trivial it may sound. Do you understand?" Darnell nodded sheepishly.
King Burnard stood up then and said, "This is my command. Find the cause of these disappearances. If they are at all related with these increased monster sightings, report to me immediately." The King then left the meeting room, followed by the advisor.
The soldiers muttered to one another for a moment, stunned by their assignment. It wasn't long, however, before Sandor stood up.
"That is our mission?" he exclaimed. "A handmaid's errand?"
"It does seem trivial, doesn't it," Darnell agreed.
"Exactly," Sandor said, slamming a fist into the table. "Soldiers such as us deserve far better." A few of the soldiers began to agree and started to voice their disapproving opinions as well. If Sandor wanted to hide a confident smile, he certainly made no effort in it.
Ragnar quickly heard enough. He stood up and yelled, "Shut up!" The royal soldiers instantly stopped and looked in his direction with attentive gazes. "Whether we agree or disagree with our lord's decision is irrelevant. We have all sworn an oath of fealty and, thus, must obey his commands. And, if I must as your captain, I order you all to go to Izmit this instant. Is that clear?"
"Aye, sir!" everyone replied.
"Then you are dismissed," Ragnar calmly stated, regaining his composure. He put both hands on the table and leaned forward, allowing his stress to ebb before he added, "All except Sir Sandor." The royal soldiers gave their captain a stunned look but did as told, silently leaving the meeting room.
As Harald passed by him, the older soldier gave Ragnar a light tap on the shoulder. "Are you okay?" he silently asked.
Ragnar nodded and waved him off, not once looking at his friend. Harald kept a concerned look on him but eventually left, leaving the captain and Sandor alone.
The moment everyone had left, Sandor said with a smirk, "So, are you going to give me a personal pep talk?"
Knowing getting into yet another shouting match with Sandor would accomplish nothing, Ragnar kept his cool and calmly said, "You were out of line, Sir Sandor. I will administer a proper punishment once our assignment has been accomplished. Until such time, I expect you to behave accordingly as a royal soldier, otherwise I will be forced to increase your penalty."
Sandor kept a straight face. "Is that all, sir?"
"No, there is one more thing. I've tolerated your continued disobedience for the sole reason that you are an exceptional fighter, a quality I have to admit is beginning to lack in soldiers these days. However, you are treading a very tenuous line and believe me I would not be hesitant to cut you loose should it continue. Is that clear, Sir Sandor?"
"Yes, sir," the soldier flatly replied.
Ragnar nodded. "Then you are dismissed," he said, leaning forward once again.
As Sandor was about to leave, he turned to Ragnar and said, "And you should know, Sir Ragnar, that I have far more support with the rest of the soldiers than you. So, should you try and cut me loose, you could very well cause a revolt within your ranks."
Ragnar looked up at Sandor to give him a lashing retort but the young soldier had already left. The captain let out a frustrated growl as he slammed his fists into the table.