Chapter 3: Onset to the North.
"The Morning is new Highlight!" Shenis called to his favored knight. I had been nearly a week since the guests of the conference of the free lords had left. The young lord was steadfast and hungry to get north on what he deemed a noble quest of righteous freedom for the northern people. Granted the Valtrex house had only oppressed a small number of small towns and farms near their lands they were doing so in ghastly ways the brooded ugliness into the realm and threatened to generate further discord if left unchecked.
"Brother are you really so soon to leave us?" the younger brother of Shenis, Hain called as he moved toward his kin. Shenis nodded in agreement with his brother's statement.
"Little brother you shall be viceroy of the castle here in Jule until my return. I need to free the people of the north." Shenis patted his brother on his head and moved with Shenis outside. The lord had taken stock of the men of Jule and knew who he would take north. Shenis the young lord would travel with his favored knight Highlight. Alongside to accompany the duo the young lord chose Callie a seasoned cavalier with years of combat upon her shoulders. Callie's unit of 10 riders would travel with the lord providing adequate movement and advantage in combat. The lord also asked Bryan a court priest to help with any and all healing. Finally the young master hired a local mercenary to be at his side. A seasoned man of maybe 30 with deep scars upon his side arm shield and face. Despite this he was still handsome in appearance and positive in attitude. His name is Dalton and he came at a shallow price upfront but asked for a bounty for skirmish, to which Shenis agreed.
Shenis knew that ultimately he did not have a large force but felt his cavalry would offer him a stout advantage in combat, and he believed he would be able to rally the people of the north to his cause to liberate them. The young master of Jule also knew and feared taking too many men would result in possible siege upon the city and turmoil.
"Shenis, the cavalry is ready!" Callie said in confidence. She carried a long steel spear with a steel sword sheathed on her side. She was older and mature but in no way ancient. Her armor being of the house Savoy colors white and silver same as the rest of her ten mounted soldiers. She felt confident about the mission; however, she was not thrilled that the young master decided to bring a mercenary into their camp. She eyed him with great dissatisfaction and grimace. He acted as though he didn't notice her contemptuous looks. Being the mercenary he is and spending years and years selling his services he was well aware of how these things were, and why trust would be difficult for him to gain from the sworn men to the grand house of Savoy, people who had spent generations serving the rulers of the castle at Jule. While he stood with tattered brown vest and pants with a red bandana made so by the strongest dye around, blood of the fallen.
The young master unsheathed his crisp and clean rapier and pointed it northward. "Forward my friends we march to free the oppressed peoples of the north." The retinue hollered in excitement and began their march beyond the gates. The viceroy the young Hain of house Savoy stood next to the head priest of the city and the captain of the guard the most seasoned battle veteran of the town, Geary the wall a seasoned knight who trained Highlight. The three stood upon the castle steps and waved to Shenis and his band as they left the city.
Most of the cities and town that had ruling lords and families really did not have standing military or if they did, they were bi-vocational, having two jobs to make sure all the needs of the people were met. Jule was a city but it was minor in nature compared to the major cities of the realm. Dol perhaps housed and cared for a population of 400,000 people nd had a massive city guard. However, Jule in contrast in their last census registered just under 2,000 people. Yet in the realm, they were still one of the grander cities as Wiera really was a sparsely populated continent, and only had maybe 10 or so places notably larger than Jule. Thus, standing fighting men were a luxury and sending out 15 from the city was a risk for the Savoy house, if it became quickly known. Thus Geary, and the head Priest Lamille, were unsettled by the daytime exit of the young lord and his band.
"This will surely draw attention. "Lamille said to Hain. "We need to sure up the defenses immediately." Hain was young and really was not ready for the leadership role placed upon him.
"He's right master Hain." Geary agreed the two immediately broke from Hain and went to make a plan to ensure the safety of the town from whatever would come forth as the march would surely go noticed within a month as merchants and such reached nearby townships and cities.
"What am I to do." The young master Hain said as he sat down on the pavement. The boy really no more than 12 years of age while Shenis was near the end of his teenage years. However, Hain was of little to no talent with a blade and was often thought of as a dandy and not one to grow into a warrior. The young man was confused at the situation and looked to the sky, he thought of his fallen parents whom he lost to illness and accident years past wondered what they would do in their rule of the city. "Father, Mother, what am I to do."
Meanwhile down the street outside one the building a man stood in the shadows chuckling at what he saw. "What a foolish man this house has fallen under. Shenis will surely lose everything." He chuckled a bit more before moving toward a pigeon coop. He quickly gathered parchment and ink and wrote the following message. The eldest bluebird has left the nest. The sigil of house Savoy was a blue jay. The man quickly rolled the parchment and loaded it into a bird's foot and then he kissed the bird for good luck and tossed it into the air showing it to purpose. The bird quickly flapped it wings and set itself forth to the sky flying quickly past the perch where the bewildered lord Hain sat and over the castle where Lamille and Geary planned on recruitment and training. Before too long the bird was beyond the city of Jule and flying toward its destination.
"Calle. Send a rider ahead to scout the lands north. We need to make sure we have good intelligence as we march." Calle agreed with the words of her master. The retinue was about 3 hours march from the gates and already much of the land ahead was unsure for the small force as things can change quickly in the unsettled areas.
"Tico!" Calle called upon her fastest rider. The boy was lean and young and kept only a small sword as his weapon to keep his weight down so as to keep his horse free of fatigue as much as possible. "Tico go and ride forward roughly a 2 days ride and return to us. You shall be our scout on this war. Be swift and provide us with solid intelligence on the lands and situations ahead." The young rider bowed atop his steed as he fully understood the duty and its importance, then he gulped as he knew what danger scouting could frequently present a man. Calle signaled him on and the rider galloped off into the distance and before too long he was no longer in sight. The band was now just 14 in all with the priest driving a large caravan wagon, which held tenting, and supplies for the small band. the troop moved with Calle in the lead of the formation with the cavaliers trotting along as a perimeter around the wagon. Shenis sat atop the wagon next to Bryan as was his expectation as the lord of the party. Highlight and Dalton the mercenary brought up the rear of the party and if there was ever an odd pair to make conversation it was a young knight and a seasoned mercenary. Nevertheless, Dalton was content to be sure his journey was a pleasant one.
"So Highlight," he spoke to his walking companion as he pulled out his pipe and lit it up. His sword sheathed upon his back as well as his shield. "how does one get a name like that?" He puffed a few puffs and then looked to the young knight with spear and shield held with purpose.
"My name is actually Jai Alai." The knight responded.
"Oh so you're from the Southern lands. That would explain the tan of your skin." The mercenary retorted. Highlight bladed his eyes back at the mercenary expecting a racist remark to follow the sentence. "I was curious about you. When did your family begin serving the Savoy household. You obviously have been here at least your whole life, since you have no trace of any Southern accent."
Highlight was calmed slightly by the remark. He could tell the man was merely making observation and not attempting to belittle him. "My father was rescued by Baron Cor, the father of Shenis years ago when I was a baby." Highlight began to speak proudly. "My father joined up with Baron Cor and then was offered a place at the Savoy table and house for my mother and me."
"So where are they now?" the mercenary asked. Highlight tensed a bit but his integrity spurred him forward in conversation, and besides, what else was there to do on the march, other than to continue marching if he would not make conversation.
"My father fell in a battle protecting lord Cor. My mother still serves at the castle to this day. I was raised alongside lord Shenis and was even offered the same education. Lord Cor also saw to it that Captain Knight Geary trained me in heavy armor and fighting. I am eternally grateful." The mercenary kept puffing and as he walked he arched his armed fold behind his head as he kept thinking.
"But why the name Highlight? Where did that come from?" Dalton asked the young man.
"Lord Shenis as a boy could not pronounce Jai Alai' so he called me Highlight. Soon the whole of the city knew me as such and ultimately I enjoyed the nickname so it did not bother me." The knight slightly blushed at the telling of where his name came from as he was sure to the outsider it made no sense why he would allow the nickname to stick. Highlight just kept walking in pace hoping the topic would change or that Dalton would not think him weak for allowing the nickname.
"So…does Shenis know you are in love with him?" the mercenary asked the knight. Highlight immediately went fully red in the face and stopped marching as the mercenary simple kept on moving and smoking his pipe. After a few moments the knight shook his head and proceeded to quickly catch up to the mercenary who was unabated and failed to notice his companion fall behind.
"Why would you think that, that's a silly thought!" Highlight's eyes being so wide instantly betrayed his sentence.
"Come on friend, don't be ashamed I saw the way you looked at him all day. You barely ever had a free eye to watch where you were walking, and you always looked just so happy."
Shaking his hands violently in disagreeable panic toward Dalton, the knight replied. "NO! you don't understand that is not a thing!"
"Come on friend." The mercenary wrapped an arm around the panicked knight's head as they continued walking. "I'm fine with it, besides, I am just dandy with knowing that you won't be competing against me for the attention of the ladies we run into on our journey, and your handsome youth could have been trouble if you were not already dwelling your heart on another type of stock." The knight looked as panicked as ever. "Do not worry young one. I have no intention of spoiling the secret, or forcing you to voice your love for the man paying my fee."
Highlight bowed his head as he let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you Dalton. "I really appreciate it." To be honest Highlight had not yet prior to this moment fully be aware of his affection for the young master, and while he knew that Shenis was both above him and a man, Highlight knew the feelings were true. He felt a slight relief grow with each step as he realized he had a friend who understood him and knew of his desires and yet, respected and accepted them. For homosexuality was seen with great disgust in most of the realm and unheard of in others. "Dalton…I know it will never be as he is a lord and even if he felt the same he would be required to further the line, and also I am beneath him. However, I do still find my heart full, for him." The young Knight clenched his hand over his heart as he despite this being the first time this was said or even actively thought aloud by him, he knew it to be the dire truth.
"Highlight, Life is offensive." Dalton said as he reloaded his pipe for another go. "Who can say what the future may hold." Highlight pondered this as they continued walking. Dalton stopped talking to take in a few puffs. "…Hopefully it finds myself between a great pair of tits before too long." The two bellowed out in laughter as they seemed to draw the attention of the whole band as no one else was having anywhere as lively conversation.
…...
Far away a pigeon landed in a castle hall and a note was read to seated lord who in that moment found himself fully thrilled at the news of Shenis' leave from Jule. "Good. Soon we shall institute a new rule and chaos upon the land."
...Author's Note...
so yes we have a rag tag mercenary who is full of life and loves the ladies. lol. What do you guy think of Dalton? i rather enjoy him! Also i hope i portrayed the unrequited and forlorn nature of Highlight's affection for Shenis as logical and real, and believable. that is important to me.
who is your favorite character so far?