'Happy am I that have a man so bold
That dares do justice on my proper son;
And not less happy, having such a son
That would deliver up his greatness so
Into the hands of justice.' -William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, Act 5, Scene 2
Father Luca led Kensie to the Temple of the Iron God and took him into the infirmary. Ludo Dirks picked up Kensie's sword belt and weapons and followed them. When Kensie saw the groom leading the restive Blood behind them, he ordered the groom to take the horse back to the Manor house.
At the infirmary, Brother Carnot cleaned the blood from Kensie's face and put ointment on the scrapes and bruises.
As Brother Carnot finished his examination, Evar Rider came into the room. "Your Lordship," he began deferentially, "Magistrate Rains requests your presence at the courthouse."
Kensie grimaced. "Well, I suppose I am going to be charged with assault." He said.
"Oh, no, Milord." Evar said. "It is Perry Cork who is charged. Magistrate Rains awaits to hear your complaint."
"What?" Kensie said. He looked at the priest and the monk. "I thank you both for your help, but it appears I must go to the court. This cannot be ignored."
Father Luca and Brother Carnot both looked at Kensie with tight faces, disapproval written in their expressions. "You are well enough to go." Brother Luca said. "Be on your way, then."
Kensie left the Temple and headed for the court. Despite stiffening muscles, he forced himself to walk briskly. Evar and Ludo half-trotted to keep up. Father Luca also followed; the fit priest had no trouble matching Kensie's pace.
Kensie entered the Courtroom and bowed respectfully to Magistrate Rains, who returned his bow. Perry Cork stood at one side between two watchmen; his expression when he saw Kensie was one of pure loathing.
"Magistrate Rains, I am told that I have been summoned before you." Kensie said formally.
"Not summoned, your Lordship." The Magistrate replied. "Rather, your testimony is required concerning a charge of assault that has been laid against Perry Cork."
Kensie closed his eyes momentarily. He recalled his father telling him the tale of his ancestor Count Miron submitting to the lash for an offense he had laid upon himself. Kensie recalled the glowing approval in his father's voice. "That is what it means to be noble, my son: To do the honorable thing without regard to oneself."
Kensie stiffened his spine and looked up at Magistrate Rains. "There must be some mistake, sir. It was not Perry Cork who assaulted me. It was I who assaulted him. Twice, in fact. It is I who should be charged, not Master Cork."
There was a stunned silence in the courtroom. Everyone stared at Kensie. Finally, Perry broke the silence "The little shit does have some balls after all."
Someone in the back of the court guffawed. Magistrate Rains rapped his gavel for order. Kensie bit back a smile.
"But you were beaten unconscious, My Lord." Magistrate Rains said.
"Yes, Sir. It would appear that I came off decidedly the worse for my troubles." Kensie said. A few people chuckled.
"Master Cork provoked you by vile utterances against you and your mother." Rains continued.
Kensie grimaced. "I have not forgiven what he said. They were scurrilous and untrue. But the law of this land specifically says that no words, no matter how vile, are grounds for assault."
Magistrate Rains stared at Kensie for a long moment. "You do realize that you are admitting to a crime, don't you, Milord?"
Kensie looked the judge in the eye. "I fully realize it, Sir. But I will not permit another to carry the blame when I am the one at fault."
"Very well." Rains rapped his gavel once more. "By your own words, you are convicted of common assault. You are ordered to pay a fine of ten shillings as specified by law."
"I beg your pardon, Sir, but I am Baron of Bransat. Fines of this court are paid to the Baronial treasury. If I were to pay a fine of ten shillings, it would be as if I was moving money to one pocket to the other and no more than an empty gesture."
Rains looked askance at Kensie. "What would you suggest, then?"
"The other penalty in law for common assault is ten days of hard labor at the service of the town."
Someone whistled at the back of the court, everyone else was silent. After a long pause, Rains said cautiously "That seems rather beneath the dignity of your rank, Lord Kensie."
"So, Milord Magistrate, is assault." Kensie replied. "In addition to the time at labor, I will also pay ten shillings to each of Bransat's three temples for their charitable work."
Magistrate Rains rapped his gavel once more. "So be it. This court orders that you serve the time at labor as you suggest. It is beyond the power of this court to order you to donate the money to the temples. That is a matter for you to see done upon your own honor."
Magistrate Rains looked at Perry Cork, who was staring at Kensie as though a changeling had taken Kensie's place. "Master Perry Cork," - Perry's head snapped towards the judge – "the charge against you is dismissed. You are free to go."
"Th-thank you, Your Honor." Perry stammered out.
Perry turned to leave, then stopped. He looked back at Kensie. "My Lord, I take back what I said. It was false and filthy. I apologize."
Kensie looked at Perry. "That is all that I could ask. Thank you, Perry." He held out his hand. As Perry shook it, Kensie added. "Remind me never to put my face in the path of your fist again."
Perry laughed and left the court.
The watchmen took Kensie from the court to the village gaol. He would begin his time laboring for the village in the morning. For now, he would wait in the cell.
The sight of Kensie being marched down the street between the watchmen caused a storm of speculation from those who did not know what happened in the court. One rumor said that Kensie had been charged with treason, another that he was accused of incest. A third said he had murdered Perry Cork – some repeated this story even while they stared at the supposed victim.
Eventually, the true story became general knowledge – partly through the efforts of Perry, who now changed to being Kensie's strongest (and almost only) supporter.
Most were happy to see the young lord brought down. Almost no one changed their opinion of his courage or considered that Kensie's version of what happened during the final battle might have been true after all. The general opinion was that Kensie had somehow been forced to confess to attacking Perry by the threat that a darker secret would be revealed or that the whole episode had been contrived to win sympathy.
For his part, Kensie was grateful that he was the sole occupant of the cell. At least he would not have to endure the company of the petty thieves or drunken brawlers that normally inhabited the place.
As the watchman turned the key in the lock, Kensie pulled out his purse. The watchman eyed Kensie suspiciously, anticipating a bribe for favors. It was not that the watchman was averse to 'gifts' from well-heeled prisoners seeking a more comfortable stay; it was that the presence of Father Luca, who had followed Kensie to the gaol, would make accepting a bribe awkward.
Instead of handing his purse to the watchman, Kensie handed it to Father Luca. "Father, I promised Magistrate Rains that I would pay ten shillings each to your Temple, the Masran Sisters and the Temple of the Twain. Would you be so kind as to take my purse and see that the gifts are delivered? There is enough in here to cover that."
Father Luca took the purse with a satisfied look. "I will do that, my son. I will return the purse to your home with the remainder."
"No." Kensie said. "Take the rest to the village almshouse. Perhaps they might have a better Sovran feast."
Father Luca assured Kensie that he would be glad to bear his gifts. The watchman concealed his disappointment behind a stone face; bribed or unbribed, the watchman knew that he could not treat Kensie harshly. Kensie outranked him and could easily exact retribution for any perceived mistreatment.
In the late afternoon, an anxious and upset Countess Poldara appeared at the goal, demanding her son's release. Kensie refused to leave his cell, forcing Lady Lora to actually enter the goal.
"Kensie, the guests are assembling for the Sovran feast. Return to the manor immediately." She ordered.
"I am afraid that I will have to be absent, mother." Kensie replied. "As you see, I am in gaol for assault for the next ten days."
"Kensie! Don't be ridiculous! You are dishonoring our house!" Lady Lora was exasperated.
"Mother, it is for the honor of our house that I am here. I broke the law. The tradition of our house is that we will pay the penalty for our faults. I will not dishonor our tradition." Kensie held his head high as he spoke.
"Aren't you afraid of what people will say if you are in prison?" The countess pleaded.
Kensie sighed. "Mother, I am actually more afraid of what my father would say if I now left. I made this bed; I will lie in it."
Lady Lora burst into tears and went back to her coach. Kensie looked stricken as she left.
He heard the coach drive away. With a sigh, he lay down on the hard cot and stared at the ceiling.
The town put Kensie to work as a street cleaner. For the next ten days, Kensie was the wonder of the town as he went about with his barrow and tools while wearing shackles on his legs. Still dressed in the finery he had worn to the Commemoration, he cleaned the dung, filth and offal from the streets.
Many took the opportunity to humiliate him by emptying chamber pots in his path or inflict similar indignities. Wallis Mittel made a point of having his horse void directly in front of Kensie on several occasions. The Magistrate, Reeve and watchmen kept a careful eye to ensure there was no actual physical assault, but otherwise made no effort to shield Kensie.
Kensie worked from dawn to dusk and made no protest against the abuse. Rightly, he calculated that anything he said would be mocked. The work was hard. Though Kensie was fit from long exercise under the instruction of Hwyl Fian and Chase Tanner, the task of sweeping and shoveling filth from the streets used different muscles. Kensie's body ached. Nor did a shovel and broom fit his hands the same way as a sword or reins; his hands and fingers blistered. Kensie bandaged them and worked on.
The plain peas-porridge that was the standard feed of the gaol made the food from the war camp seem a feast by comparison. Even so, Kensie was ravenously hungry by the end of the day and he wolfed it down.
One benefit of the hard labor was that Kensie slept soundly on the hard bed and thin blanket. No nightmares plagued his sleep.
The worst torment for Kensie was wearing the same clothes throughout his imprisonment. Accustomed to changing into clean clothes several times a day, the accumulation of dirt and sweat made his finery scratchy and noisome. The 'baths' Kensie was required to take every third day – actually, being hosed down with cold water while standing in his singlet – only made putting the filthy garments back on more disgusting.
On the evening of the third day of his sentence, the major-domo of Bransat House came to see him with a message from Count Wyeth. Kensie opened the seal eagerly. The note ordered Kensie to report to Count Wyeth in the manor house in Haven immediately. Kensie tried to conceal his disappointment at the bald summons; he had hoped his father would write to say that he believed Kensie's story.
Kensie faced the major-domo and bowed to him as his father's surrogate. "I will obey my father as soon as I am free to do so. If you have not already advised him of my present circumstances, please do so. Convey to him my profoundest respect and apology for the necessary delay.
Kensie was certain his mother would have already written to his father about his imprisonment. He also guessed correctly that his father's agents had reported as well.
Lady Lora had written her husband. In addition to her letter and his agents' reports, Count Wyeth had also received a letter from Magistrate Rains that gave an accurate report of the Court hearing.
Count Wyeth smiled at the news. He sent a reply, ordering that Kensie should come to Haven after his sentence was complete. He would allow Kensie one day to rest before setting out. Count Wyeth also wrote another order directly to the major-domo.
At sunset on the tenth day, the Watch Captain unshackled Kensie and the boy walked free. Lady Lora sent a coach to bring Kensie home.
Kensie thanked the coachman for his trouble and dismissed him. Head high, ignoring the disdainful stares of the villagers, Kensie walked back to Bransat Manor.
Lady Lora and the entire household met Kensie at the entry to the Manor house and embraced her son, ignoring the stench and filth of his clothes.
After greeting his mother and the rest, Kensie went to his suite, where Geoffrey Teows had a hot bath waiting for him.
Kensie peeled off his clothes and got into the tub. "Burn those, please, Geoffrey." He ordered as he relaxed in the warmth, feeling the water lift the dirt from his body. Geoffrey took the clothes and handed them to a footman.
Refreshed and re-clothed, Kensie dined with his mother and siblings. He ate slowly, savoring every bite of the finely cooked meal; after the food at the gaol, the meal was the food of the gods.
During dinner, his mother told him that she and Naril and Grayson would go to Poldara instead of accompanying him to Haven. She would remain in Poldara until her confinement, expected shortly after midwinter. Only Kensie's manservant and a groom would go to Haven with him.
Tired from the work, Kensie slept well that night, although he worried about what his father intended to do with him in Haven.
The next morning, he woke early as his body still followed the pattern of the previous ten days. He bathed and had breakfast as he waited for the late dawn of fall.
As soon as it was light enough, Kensie headed for the stables where an overjoyed Blood bellowed a welcome and danced in his paddock at the sound of his master's approach. Kensie hugged the stallion's neck as the horse tucked its head over Kensie's shoulder and whuffled him happily.
Kensie groomed his horse carefully before saddling it and setting off for a gallop in the woods. They returned two candlemarks later with Kensie walking Blood easily to cool out from the ride. Kensie jumped down from the saddle and scratched Blood's crest – to the stallion's obvious pleasure – before leading him in to unsaddle and groom him.
Done, Kensie returned Blood to his paddock and put a handful of carrots in the horse's bucket. Smiling broadly, he turned away from the stallion to find himself face to face with Chase Tanner.
Kensie sobered instantly. The horsemaster's face was nearly expressionless; the open hostility that Kensie had become accustomed to over the last five moons was not showing, but neither was Chase Tanner's visage at all supportive or welcoming.
"Time for your lesson." Chase Tanner said.
Kensie tried to keep his own face as expressionless as the horsemaster's as he asked "What horse am I riding today?" He wondered what miserable crowbait from the common troopers' stable he would be given today. After moons of riding the worst of the horses available, Kensie was sure he could cope with the bad tempered ones, but many of them had gaits that were painful to ride.
"Eagle." Chase Tanner said.
Kensie blinked. Eagle was Chase Tanner's prized personal stallion, nearly a match for Blood in breeding. His only flaw was a fiery temperament that required someone of the horsemaster's skill to anticipate and channel. In addition, Chase Tanner was very attached to Eagle, taking great care to see that his horse was handled properly. Nobody but the horsemaster rode Eagle; he was as possessive of his stallion as Kensie was of Blood.
"Eagle, Sir?" Kensie said, still unbelieving. "But he is your horse."
"And I will be watching you very carefully as you work." The horsemaster said.
"Why, Sir? He is a splendid horse and I have always admired him, but why have you decided to let me ride him?" Kensie was sure there must be a catch.
"You've ridden just about everything else on the manor. It's time to push your skill to a higher level."
The first part was certainly true, Kensie had ridden every sound horse at the manor with the exception of Eagle. Chase Tanner's criticisms over the last few moons had been about the most niggling of details as Kensie no longer lost his temper when a horse evaded or resisted. Kensie had not even noticed the change until Grayson pointed it out. If Kensie had to put a reason to why his habits had changed, it would have been that he had been too dispirited to care and he now felt sorry for the horses which, like him, seemed misunderstood.
Now, as he did with Blood, Kensie talked to them either with reassuring words spoken softly or in the steady support of calm corrections and firm, confident aids. Now even the most nervous or fractious horse calmed quickly under Kensie.
Eagle would be a challenge. As Blood was to Kensie, Eagle was to Chase Tanner: A personal bond existed between horse and master and each pair was as jealous of their partner as the other, which made the horsemaster's offer more puzzling.
"But he is your horse." Kensie repeated. "Why are you trusting me with him?"
"I think you are now a good enough rider to handle him," Chase replied "and I think you have grown up a bit over the summer if the last ten days are any indication."
Grown up? Obviously, the horsemaster thought that Kensie had done right by accepting the penalty for the assault. Equally, it was obvious that he still believed Kensie had shown cowardice in the battle. Kensie repressed a sigh and said. "Thank you, Master Tanner. I am most honored by the opportunity to ride your fine horse."
That evening, Chase Tanner visited Father Luca at the Temple. As one of his contemporaries during the time Chase was himself an acolyte, Father Luca was now Chase's closest confidant since Father Toma had gone to Haven.
"Really, Luca, it was incredible. The boy rode Eagle as well as I do. He seemed to have a sense of all Eagle's little quirks and resistances. Over the past summer, the boy has become the best rider I have ever seen other than that Herald Instructor in Haven. I don't think I have anything more to teach him."
"Did you tell him that?" The priest asked.
Tanner snorted. "Of course not. No instructor ever tells a student he is good enough. Besides, every one of us benefits from someone watching from the ground. Why do you think I have my assistant watch me?"
"I think the boy needs someone to tell him they believe in him right now." Luca said. "I watched him laboring in the village for the last ten days. The scorn and hatred is eating his soul. He needs someone on his side."
Chase's face hardened. "It won't be me, Luca. I was at the battle and saw him break. We could have lost that battle if we hadn't been able to seal the breech."
"We've both been in battles. We've both seen scores of lines breeched and remade. It happens, my friend. Why won't you at least listen to his tale?" The priest pleaded with his friend.
"Do you believe him?" Chase's voice was harsh. He remembered Luca was his friend and checked himself. "I am sorry. I don't believe him. He is supposed to be a leader, not a craven who allows others to die for him."
Luca repressed a sigh. "We were at the far end of the line. I did not see what happened. But even among our Order, some men broke and turned. Grandmaster Sanat brought them back to the line once they recovered themselves."
Tight-lipped, Chase shook his head.
Kensie left for Haven before sunrise the next morning. He would have left earlier if his manservant had not taken so long to organize his bags. As it was, Lady Lora had time to come down and bid her son farewell. She would leave for Poldara later in the day.
Kensie planned to spend the night at Leuven, which was about as far as he could expect to go in one day on horseback with a train. Baron Nemeth had made it plain that Kensie was not welcome to stay at his manor house, so Kensie must perforce stay at an inn. Kensie remembered there was an inn on the Haven side of town that Heralds favored. Presumably, that would ensure it was clean and served good food.
Geoffrey's gelding and the baggage mule could not match Blood's pace, so they arrived at "The Blue and the White" well after sunset.
Kensie entered the inn and Sonja Murray showed him to his room. After Kensie refreshed himself, he headed to the common room for a meal. He spotted an empty table near the fireplace and headed for it.
Jaim Murray intercepted him. "Sorry, lad. That table is reserved for Heralds." The innkeeper braced himself; young lords often reacted badly to being told they could not have the best seat.
Kensie blinked. "I am sorry, Master innkeeper. Do you have a place for me?"
Relieved that Kensie would not make a fuss, Jaim showed him to a nook slightly to one side. It was close enough to the fireplace to be warm and private. It offered a good view of the little stand where a travelling bard was tuning her gittern.
Kensie ordered a meal for himself and for Geoffrey – there was no separate quarter for servants and sat back to enjoy the performance with a mug of light ale.
The bard was half way through her second set when Kensie heard the distinctive chiming of a Companion's hooves in the yard. Master Murray and his wife rushed out to greet the Herald.
Kensie recognized Herald Tobias as he strode into the room. How many one-armed Heralds were there after all? Tobias went upstairs briefly to deposit his saddlebags and wash up before returning to the common room. By the time he was seated, Mistress Sonja produced a register which the Herald signed and handed back to her. "If it hadn't already been so late, I'd have gone on to Haven. Irian and I will be off early tomorrow."
No sooner had Mistress Sonja taken the ledger back than the serving maid brought Tobias a plate filled with choice cuts and vegetables along with a mug of ale and a warm loaf of bread.
The bard smiled at Tobias and launched into 'The Rescue of Redruth', a song about the war that had become extremely popular over the last few years.
Tobias smiled, blushed, and applied himself to his meal. Kensie overheard one of the people at the next table say that Tobias was the 'Herald Tobias' of the song. When the song ended, the bard rose and bowed to the Herald. Everyone else – including Kensie – rose and applauded the Herald.
Tobias stood up and waved to the people around while blushing furiously. Seeing his discomfiture, the bard launched into a popular drinking song. Everyone resumed their seats and joined in the chorus.
When the bard finished her last song, Kensie retired to his room. He climbed the stairs behind Herald Tobias, trying to think of something to say.
"How is your mother Lady Lora?" Tobias asked, giving Kensie the opportunity to greet the Herald.
Kensie said his mother was well and that she was expecting another child after midwinter. The two spoke commonplaces until they reached their rooms, which were across the hall from each other.
Kensie got into his nightshirt and climbed into bed.