They spent the night in a small village house. It was wide, low building made mostly of oak posts and wattle and daub, with a thatched roof. One side was a stable for the animals; the other side was a large room for the human inhabitants. Johan, Peewit and Dennis each chose a bench that lined the walls of the simple, smoky room and laid out their bedrolls. Maenad was the only one who did not bed down; she had disappeared sometime after the feast and did not return until late at night.
She shifted to human form, and kicked her companions until they were awake.
"Maenad, it's the middle of the night!"
"Hmph. This is the price you pay for having me be your dog during this family reunion of yours. Tell me everything that's going on here." Holding a jug of wine in her hand and a stale crustt of bread loaded with food leftover from the feast, she pulled up a stool up to hearth, which she had stoked up so it lit the room. It was clear she was not going to let the go back to sleep.
The three gathered around the fire with Maenad and told her about how the Brothers of Equality seemed to be actually protecting and providing for the villagers, and about how Peewit had found a mysterious relic in the storehouse that he was able to identify as a fairy weapon, though he still did not know how he was able to know this.
"You just knew it was of Fey origin all of a sudden. Interesting," Maenad commented after washing down a roasted duck with some of her wine. "You know, it could be that the Slaves of Nerthus really did give back a gift, if you do indeed have fey blood. They are beings of the otherworld, just in a different way than the Fey are. This could be that proof you were looking for. Have you been able to identify any other kinds of magic?"
Dennis gave him a warning glance.
"Uh, no. None so far."
Maenad went on to tell them all she had learned about the village and surrounding countryside during her lupine scouting. They were several miles from an inlet, and it was from here that the Brothers seemed to base most of their activity. Humans in the village and the people who had come to settle among them spoke of a sort of embargo on them declared by the same Fulk that Cyneric had spoken of.
"I had gathered the same from speaking with my cousins," said Johan. "It's why I'm still deciding whether to take my father and go home, or stay and help these people. Piracy is an extreme step to take, but these people seem to be genuinely oppressed, and I'd like to help them if I can."
"He's always had a soft spot for this type of situation," Peewit said to Dennis. "We could tell you some stories."
"I'd just love to hear them," replied Dennis.
"Maybe some other time," replied Johan, "I'd like to get some sleep, if you feel sufficiently caught up, Maenad."
"Don't let me stop you. I also found a small wolf pack not far from here. It will take me some time to earn their trust, but at least being your pet isn't my only social option."
The next morning, Peewit and Swanhild took the chest with the Eye of Balor to the Chieftain to explain the discovery. Johan and Dennis met with Edelhart to practice. Johan wanted to smooth out some rough spots in Dennis's training, and Edelhart had some advice to give as well.
Though excited at first to be given real squire's training, Dennis quickly learned that this would be very different from brief instruction caught while sneaking away from lessons on sewing the proper dress hem. Johan was willing to take things at an easy pace, but Edelhart was more used to drilling troops on the frontier, and he not only pushed Dennis more than expected, he also had some pointers for Johan. Seated on a horse provided by the Brothers, his crippled leg was no longer such a hindrance, and he was back to the spry warrior she had heard stories about.
"Don't take so long to find the target, Dennis! If you were under a rain of enemy fire you'd have been hit by now; you have to act quickly and accurately in the heat of battle!"
It was stressful and frustrating. Dennis found out he wasn't as good a marksman under such pressure, but he soon rose to the challenge and managed speed and accuracy, jumping with excitement at his success.
What an odd boy; he acts more like a giggling young girl than a knight in training, Edelhart thought. Of course, while he enjoyed their company, he had to admit that all of his son's companions were a bit odd. The jester he had brought along had second sight and a singing voice that could curdle milk, and he had caught Johan's "deerhound" lapping wine out of an unguarded goblet at the feast more than once. There was something about that dog…
Training continued until dusk, and began at dawn the next day. By the end of the third day Dennis was bruised and exhausted.
Well, this is what you wanted! It beats being cooped up and bored, waiting to be married off for political convenience, he thought as he stretched his sore muscles in front of the fire with Edelhart and Johan.
They were debating staying in the village or going back to the king's castle. The King would worry if they did not return soon, but both men really did want to stay and help their newfound family and their people.
"What do you think, Dennis? Should we stay? This decision affects you too, you know," Johan said, breaking Dennis's concentration. As if he had to think of the answer.
"I'd like to stay here please! …That is, if that's all right. I'm learning so much, and I did volunteer for this mission to have an adventure."
"I'm sure you'll get plenty of that; from what Johan says you've already had a bit of adventure already. Just don't get too excited to run into battle, should things come to that. You're still inexperienced."
"But you have improved splendidly," added Johan. "You've got a lot of natural talent, particularly with the bow. I couldn't have asked Gerard for a more promising squire."
"Really?" Dennis squeaked before regaining his composure. "Thank you. Thank you both, I'm honored."
"We'll have to ask Peewit how he feels about staying. Where is he, anyway?"
"I think he and Swanhild were going to hunt down Ronan the bard to see if he knows about that relic they found." Peewit had spent most of this time around Swanhild; they doubted he would object.
"I'll go find them and ask Peewit before the matter is settled," Johan said, rising. Edelhart went to follow him, but a cramp in his bad leg forced him to remain seated by the fire.
"I'll go get Peewit, Father, you can stay here with Dennis…" Johan began.
"No, wait here. Give me a minute, this is nothing. I'm fine."
"If…if you don't mind my asking, how did you hurt your leg, Sir?" Dennis asked, afraid of offending him.
"I'd like to say it was during a battle or some other exciting deed, but the truth is, it was a random accident. We had just captured an old fortress along the Vistula River after it had been first captured by one of the Pagan princes of the area. It was a complete ruin; I don't think anyone cared much about it until its location made it valuable; it was right on the border of the tribespeoples' towns and the wilderness around them. The local Princes had trouble converting and controlling these people, so a group of Knights including myself had been invited to try and make some headway," Edelhart explained for Dennis, who was less familiar with the Northern crusades.
"Anyway, the fortress was in ruins, and we were outnumbered and in hostile territory. We had done some intense fighting; the locals were better at maneuvering in dense woodland than we were. So once we had something defensible we took it upon ourselves to restore it as a proper castle. I remember we were lifting one of the large logs for the palisade after a heavy rainstorm turned the ground into ankle-deep mud. A rope slipped and I tried to get out of the way in time, but the log caught my leg and broke it. I was laid up for weeks in that ruined fortress; helpless as an infant, even when we got attacked. It was a horrible experience."
The fire crackled and Johan and Dennis sat silently while Edelhart finished the story. Dennis couldn't help but feel for him; one of the King's most talented knights crippled after a construction accident in a miserable ruin on the edge of nowhere. It was certainly not the glamorous knightly life he had imagined from the troubadour songs.
The wind picked up, whistling through the two doors of the simple house and making the fire flicker. Dennis felt a flutter at his neck, and brushed something away, but it caught in his fingers. In the dimming light he could see it was a tiny pink hair ribbon. It looked very familiar…but it couldn't be. It probably belonged to one of the little girls he saw playing outside earlier. Edelhart was able to stand without incident, and he, Johan and Dennis left to go find Peewit.