In the stories, they always color the end of battles with orange rays of a magmatic sunset. Even the most narrow victory invokes this, no matter how heavy the toil or many the fallen.
Reality, however, is far less glamorous. Dirt and gri gets everywhere, taking any mont of respite or distraction to advance its invasion, coating armor, weapons, and equipnt. Soldiers tire. Those who surrender are more often treated to the heel of a boot than seldom antiquated customs of respect and honor.
We checked the periter first to ensure the barrier was gone. Unlike the barrier that cut off retreat from the sanctum all those years ago, the shaman had not anchored his magic to a power source, and subsequently, the barrier likely had dissolved shortly after he fell unconscious. Tired, tense faces followed us as we entered the camp, flicking to the drephin still held unceremoniously beneath my fathers arm.
A ragged cheer went up on our approach. There were still traces of carnage, but the small number of human bodies scattered across the grounds were already gone. Probably loaded into a wagon acting as a mobile morgue.
King Gil held the shaman up high for all to see, giving him a solid shake. Then he dropped the elf to the ground in a heap. Two of his dark-clad honor guard appeared from nowhere and hauled the prisoner off, pausing only to slap a pair of shining manacles across his arms and tighten them. There were a series of runic inscriptions on the manacles.
Those will hold him? I asked, watching the guards carry the unconscious elf off towards the Crimson Brands tent.
Theyve held far stronger, King Gil confird. Then, as if hed tired of the mont of respite, he rounded on . Why the hells didnt you bring anyone with you?
You didnt.
Im the King, whelp. Whats your excuse?
I considered, briefly, what exactly to tell him. Informing my father of everything that had happenedthe strange behavior of the troops, their reticence in coming to the bannerlords aidmight show too much of my hand, or worse, incite more extre asures, if the order to allow a rout had co from him, as I suspected.
Breaching the barrier was difficult with the resources available to , I said.
Gils face darkened. Youre telling that an entire tent full of bumbling, chanting bastards couldnt manage sothing as simple as that?
I was already on unsteady ground with the Brand. As they were likely to be my only readily available resource for advancent during this return to Whitefall, I wasnt keen on pissing them off as a whole more than I already had, regardless of the poor leadership of this group.
They offered a degree of assistance. Without it, escaping the barrier at all would have been impossible, I said.
A degree of assistance, My father repeated, with the sort of emphasis that told he had fixated on my wording and would not be dissuaded.
One of their numberEckorwas very helpful. I pointed to where Eckor sat, idly staring up at the sky next to the makeshift dical tent. He was no longer dressed in the Crimson Brand regalia, dark robe replaced by a simple tabard and ill-fitting trousers that were shredded at the knees.
How fortuitous. For him. The nace in my fathers voice filled with secondhand fear. He walked by the zoned-out mage, pulling a golden rod from the bag tied at his belt and launching the currency towards Eckor with a flick of his thumb. The golden rod bounced off Eckors forehead, and the mage started, first staring at the king, then at the shining gold now nestled in the grass.
King Gil didnt so much as pause. He continued towards the Crimson Brands tent with heavy footfalls.
Well, I tried.
Whatuhare you going to do, my lord? I called after him. Surely he didnt an to kill them. Human mages were rare enough that I couldnt imagine even the most short-sighted tyrant slaughtering their mages for stepping out of line, especially when, technically, they had followed orders.
Basics of caravan managent, boy, My father called back, loud enough for the entire clearing to hear. Unless we intend to dump so of these simpletons, or worse, our valuable cargo, our first order of business is to replace the horses we lost.
I watched him go, unsure what he ant. Just days ago, I was prepared to add King Gil to my ever-growing list of enemies. In the Everwood, that grim expectation shifted. Turned into possibility, rather than a certainty. He wasnt a great ruler. Probably not even a good one. He still turned to violence as a first and last resort, with minor variation in the middle. But hed ended slavery in the capital. And he seed cleverer than before. More open to alternate solutions and less traditional ideas.
And the miasma of bitterness that so often drove him to cruelty was gone.
My father had changed. It was undeniable. The extent and authenticity of that change would only show its face with ti.
***
After a disorganized retreat into the plains and several false alarms at the expense of wildlife, our passage was rcifully uneventful. Id unraveled my trusty bedroll and laid it out on top of the wagon that held the captured shaman. In those days I was a light sleeper, and as secure as the manacles and enchanted iron bars that held the shaman were, I was all too familiar with the flexibility even a basic mastery of magic provided.
I slept better beneath the stars than I had the first night in an elaborate nobles carriage.
Lady lody of House Vasemoux had taken to visiting . I often t my evenings with the awkward sight of a noble lady hoisting up her dress and struggling to scale the wagons canvas roof. I regarded her visits with a mix of relief and trepidation. Relief for the company. Trepidation that the other silken shoe had yet to fall.
Her designs were transparent. lody wouldnt be the worst match. She was the heir of a respectable house with few blemishes. As a companion, she was charming, even funny, and a repository of more knowledge than I gathered over a lifeti.
But as we drew closer to ho, my thoughts turned to Lillian, over and over again.
There was a stir beneath .
lody paused, unbalanced at the wagons entrance, a wineskin in one hand and two bowls of stew stacked on the other. How she intended to make the climb without spilling it all, Ill never know.
Need a lift? I called down.
ElphionIll take all the help I can get, she answered, nearly dropping the wineskin in surprise.
You or the cargo?
lody paused. The cargo.
The prior night, Id levitated her to the wagons top. It worked well enough, but her descentbelly stuffed with an evenings worth of wine and venisonhad proven predictably disastrous.
I snapped my fingersmore for show than anything elseand three small levitation circles appeared, busing the wine and stew to the top of the wagon as lody made the perilous ascent. I grabbed her hand once the food and drink were settled, hauling her to the top.
She all but collapsed on the canvas surface, breathing hard, her cheeks pink. Are we certain this thing is solid?
I nodded. The constant creaking of the rooftop was deceptive. As it transported prisoners, the wagons interior was one of the few reinforced with steel, trading heavier weight and lower mobility for security.
Good. Thats good, lody panted.
Now a question of magic, I paused dramatically. Do we drink wine with our al, or beforehand, so the al magically tastes better?
lody laughed. You sound like my uncle. So deep in his cups he frequently loses track of the sky.
Maybe I was a slovenly drunk in a past life.
Doubtful. Having apparently decided entirely on her own, lody seized the wineskin and uncorked it, guzzling down at least a third. She dabbed at her mouth with a lace handkerchief and gave a loaded glance. Youre too focused and ticulous.
I snorted. Trust . Nothing about that ca naturally.
lody fell silent. Deep in her own thoughts, she absentmindedly passed the wineskin. Considering how she drank, and the uncharacteristically tense expression, she was probably gathering courage. I tipped the wineskin, feeling satisfied as the sweet sumr red burned gently down my throat.
With a sigh, lody leaned forward, a lock of golden hair spilling over her shoulder. There is sothing I wish to ask. Its plagued for so ti, but I fear my query would be seen as improper.
The least I could do was give her a straight answer.
I took another sip. Are we not friends, Lady lody?
I suppose we are. lody winced.
I made a vague, dismissive gesture. Then leave propriety discarded in our wake, for we are beyond it.
lody idly traced a pattern into the canvas covering. My mother sent on this journey with a directive. The sa directive countless noble parents give their daughters of marriageable age. One I shared little interest in. I actually intended to ignore itor at the very least, pursue it with minimal effort. Mother handles much of the house business herself, and I saw no reason not to follow in her footsteps.
But sothing changed.
lody nodded, her eyes taking on the glassy sheen of inebriation. You were wary at first, but you didnt look down on for my house. You let help. And even more astounding, you shared the credit.
I took a last sip. The first had been for social lubrication, the second for comfort. The third was because I wanted to. Any more, and the gluttonous demon within threatened to awaken. The last thing I needed was to rouse my more destructive appetites.
I take it you talked to my father?
lody shivered. This entire trip, the King hasnt so much as looked my way. But yesterday, he approached . Just stood there, looming
Thats his default state.
I thought he was about to tear my arms off, lody said in quiet wondernt. Thats all I could think of when he took my hand. Imagine my surprise when he kissed it and bowed, offering thanks for my contribution.
Recognition entirely deserved, I pointed out. Your hunters and your knowledge of the drephin were both crucial. Without either, casualties would have mounted.
Most nobles would have taken the credit and rewarded us later, on their own terms, lody insisted.
Sothing Ive learned, I said, working through the words slowly even as I scanned the periter, is that concepts such as pedigree and bloodline are vastly overvalued. Commoner or royalty, man or woman, adult or child. In the end, it makes little difference. You can find useful people everywhere, if youre willing to look.
lody set her mouth in determination. She guzzled from the wineskin one last ti, barely capping it before she tossed it aside.
I know this isnt proper lody started.
Were ditching propriety, rember.
Right. And that traditionally, the man asks the woman after a round of furtive looks and weeks, sotis months of outings. But barring so unforetold disaster, we arrive in Whitefall tomorrow, where you will be t with a number of favors and gifts from individuals far more significant than myself.
Youll always have my ear, Lady lody.
lodys distinguished voice picked up tempo, words falling over each other. She pulled a second, more ornate handkerchief from her blouse. Would you ever consider courting ?
Sowhere in the depths of my mind, Vogrin laughed.
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