by Gerard Bond
“Good evening Alard take care.”
As Prince Alard approached his office a messenger was waiting outside. Turning and bowing the man addressed him.
“Good evening your highness. I have urgent news.”
The Prince nodded and went into his office.
“Follow me,” Once inside Prince Alard turned at his desk and stood before the messenger, “Please speak.”
“I have a Captain inside the western gates who refuses to travel here and would not hand over a box that he says is for you and you only. It contains a message from Lord Raz commander in the south.”
Alard was curious.
“You say he refuses to come here?”
The messenger nodded.
“Yes that is correct your highness.”
The Prince considered this for a moment. It must be very important indeed that he would not trust to come to the castle proper.
“Very well, have my personal guard ready at the gate to move out in ten minutes.”
“Very good your highness.”
The man bowed his head and retreated out the door. The Prince couldn’t say what might be up but he decided to strap on his sword. It didn’t hurt to be prudent, this Captain hadn’t even identified himself and that was very unusual. Indeed something was afoot and the more he thought about it the more curious he got.
The Prince made his way downstairs to the courtyard of the castle where his six men were waiting. They were early which wasn’t surprising, they were dedicated men who served Prince Alard and held him in the highest regard. They all mounted their horses and the Prince gave them their destination. Two men fell in at the front and the main gate opened as they moved off, it was a pleasant thirty minute ride down to the west gate and the Prince enjoyed getting out of the castle. It was so easy to forget how closed in you could feel in that cold imposing place.
The Prince and his men dismounted. With the messenger in the lead they walked to a number of wagons with sailors standing guard. The Prince could see the Captain standing patiently waiting. The Captain moved forward and bowed.
“Good evening my Prince. I am sorry for the intrigue but this is of the utmost importance.”
“I must admit Captain I am very curious. Tell me why all this?”
The Captain held out a box for Prince Alard to accept.
“This was given to me with strict instructions that I was to hand this over to no one else other than you. I was also instructed that if I was ever in danger of being captured or attacked during the journey I was to sink my boat with all hands. In view of that I decided it would be best to ask for you to come here rather than risk the journey to the Castle. I do hope that I have acted properly my highness.”
The Prince nodded.
“You have done well Captain, it is always best to be cautious in such situations, you have acted properly.” The man was visibly relieved.
Alard stood there and unlocked the box. Inside were two scrolls. One tied up, the other with Raz’s wax seal on it. This he removed from the box and breaking the seal, unrolled it and began reading.
‘My Lord Prince Alard,
I do apologize for the manner in which this message has come to your attention but once you read what I have to say you will understand the need for total secrecy. With this scroll you will find another that was captured from a ship here on route to Port Cholandra, it addresses King Olav of Svalbard and unfortunately I have not enough knowledge of Svalbardian language to decipher it. I would have sent this scroll to you under more normal circumstances but for that fact that four very large chests were discovered on board the same vessel, I will not describe what is in them in this scroll should this message become separated from the cargo. I leave it to you to open one at your discretion in whatever manner you deem fit, though I do recommend that you do it in total privacy. I have kept one of the chests here in Port Cholandra with the three remaining sent directly to you.’
The Prince stopped a moment.
“Tell me Captain how many chests do you have here?”
“I have three my Prince and no one has been allowed near them.”
The Prince nodded and returned to his reading.
‘Let me assure you I shall put the contents of this chest to good use in the southern districts here in service of the Kingdom. Let it also be known that your flotilla under the command of Admiral Marcos has arrived safely and is now stationed in defense of the Port with supplies and materials focused towards building the defenses of this Port, I once again extend my best wishes to you and the Kingdom.
Your humble servant,
Lord Raz
Supreme Commander Southern Districts.’
The Prince looked up, what could be in the chests?
“Captain, have one of the chests taken into that building there.”
The Prince looked around and addressed the officer of the guard in charge of the gates,
“Help him out with some men to get the chest in there and then I want you to stand guard outside.”
The guard barked some orders and carried out his duties, Prince Alard and the Captain followed the chest into the room. They waited until they were left alone.
“Hand me that steel bar Captain,”
Alard slid the bar into the lock and twisted hard, the clang of it breaking sounding eerily loud in those confines. He lifted the lid slowly and exposed what was within. The Prince gasped a little. Even if he knew what was going to be in there, he was totally taken aback by the sight of a chest filled to the brim with gold pieces. He leaned down and took a handful, feeling it, letting it slide from his fingers. He could tell they were solid gold coins by their weight. The prince stood back and looked at the size of the chest. It was huge, that amount of gold was more than a King’s ransom by far.
He shut the lid and looked about. Turning, he addressed the Captain.
“You are in potential danger for as long as those chests remain here. I expect you to carry a sword at all times and your crew to be vigilant until I can get them removed, do you understand?”
The Captain nodded.
“Aye my Prince.”
Alard slapped his shoulder.
“Good man, I shall return personally forthwith.”
He turned and left the gate with his men, mounting their horses and riding off at a gallop.
A couple of minutes later they came up to a soldier’s barracks and the officer of the watch called out.
“Admiral Alard approaches!”
A man dashed into the Captains quarters. Prince Alard stepped down from his horse and walked towards the building. As the officer came out to meet him, the Prince didn’t waste any time in addressing him.
“I want thirty of our best men assembled on horses within five minutes and three heavy wagons at the ready too. I also want you to send a messenger directly and discreetly to the officer of the watch at the Castle gates to expect a contingent of these men and wagons to enter without stopping when they see me at the front of the column.” The man saluted and began to speak, “Off you go there is no time to waste.”
Alard entered the officer’s quarters, he moved to the wall and took a bottle of rum then poured himself a stiff one. Afterward he returned to outside and watched over everyone organizing, it didn’t take long as his men were very well trained and very disciplined. You would expect nothing less from the personal soldiers of Prince Alard.
Alard mounted his horse once again and returned to where the Captain was waiting with his own wagons. He ordered a dozen able bodied men to start removing the chests and transfer them to the waiting new wagons. Once all the chests were secured he motioned for the column to move off towards the castle. Prince Alard turned towards the Captain.
“I thank you for your due diligence and service, I will have you stay here in the city as I will have further orders for you soon, in fact I will allow you three days R&R at which time I will be able to give you your next assignment. These wagons of yours are to return to Oceania to keep up app
earances.”
The Captain saluted.
“Thank you your highness, it is more than I could hope for.”
The Prince rode off to join his column as it made its way back to the castle. The journey was uneventful and they entered the castle walls unimpeded. On arrival the Prince ordered the chests removed and taken directly to the Castle Treasury under full guard.
Alard dismounted and immediately went to his office where he ordered that an interpreter make himself available to the Prince without delay. There the prince opened the scroll originally intended for King Olav and studied it himself but could not make out anything at all. The interpreter entered the room and bowed, Alard motioned him over,
“Come sit at this desk and write out in our own language all that you read here please.”
The interpreter came over and immediately went to task, reading and then writing as he went. It only took a few minutes to write out the translation.
“Thank you, you may leave.”
Prince Alard didn’t have to say anymore to the man as all interpreters were sworn to secrecy as a part of their job. Alard sat down and began reading the content of the letter:
To the great King Olav,
May this letter find you in good health and wealth. I salute you and welcome your great offer of assistance in our campaign with the Kingdom. It shall be of great importance in defeating a common enemy to our great nations. I, King Eunadees, offer this token of our appreciation to you in your endeavors with launching your attacks directly on Oceania. I do hope you can inflict great damage on their fleet and keep them occupied in the north as well with your troops. This will enable us to prosecute the war in the south and on the capitol of Kassandrea to our full capabilities. Once again I cannot impress upon you our greatest appreciation in your decision to ally with us in these great times.
yours in all sincerity,
King Eunadees
Alard sat back. He had been thinking King Olav had no interest in attacking the Kingdom anymore and that he didn’t really need to build much more in the way of a navy beyond the current numbers plus whatever was needed to deal with Isogorr.
But if these two were to work together, then his plans would have to change dramatically. The fleet at his disposal would not be enough. He would have to spend some time working on a new strategy as well as approaching his father with this latest news.
He would have to make a submission to increase the fleet immediately. One saving grace was they had intercepted this payment to Olav. That just may stay his hand for a while. Alard was sure it wouldn’t stop him though. It could only be a delay, but any delay was welcome now he understood what was going on. The gold also would be put to good use. The high counsel would have no excuse in granting him what he asked for. The gold was enough to triple his fleet and he wouldn’t need that much. No they would be as happy as pigs in shit once they were informed of this latest windfall.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM
The Black hulled ship crashed through the waves on its lonely voyage across the vast ocean, it’s sail full and billowing as it had been for over three months. It’s course over that entire time had been unwavering, always sailing to the south west, driving on and on to that seemingly endless horizon. The hull was growing barnacles, that was not so surprising on such a long voyage and they had only traveled about halfway. By the time the ship reached its destination it would need a full refit. Ropes were starting to show real signs of wear and there were always repairs necessary everyday. The sails were being changed more regularly with a lot days spent by some of the crew sitting and sewing on a regular basis.
Wollfen stood at the bow of the ship. He had made it a ritual each day to spend time here looking out over the ocean. It gave him time to reflect on many things. His wavy brown hair had become sun bleached and tangled by the wind, his skin bronzed by so many days on deck. He had become leaner too as the rations of food slowly became smaller. A lot of the time he spent shirtless and barefoot, the soles of his feet toughened by so long without any boots. The robe he had originally been offered to wear was no longer used and he wore pants supplied by one of the sailors.
To any casual observer he was simply one of the crew and they treated him as such too, it was an unusual state of affairs. He had managed to break the ice with them over a week or so of joining in with the daily chores of the ship and eventually the men had opened up to him. He was able to converse with them now, the captain would even ask him to do things as needed and Wollfen was content to fulfill any role given. They all accepted him now, he had managed to gain their trust. Mind you, the captain would never treat Wollfen like he did the other sailors, that would have been asking for trouble, the captain knew he was a sorc and you don’t cross sorcs.
The funny thing was as Wollfen worked and conversed with them they not only became more open to him but subtly they were adopting his ways. They weren’t aware of it as yet but time would probably bring them some surprises later. Wollfen had treated them as equals and it was this fact and one other that had helped to break down the barriers. He had shown them kindnesses when it wasn’t necessary and used a firm hand when needed.
There had been an incident a few weeks ago when it became obvious that the sailors had started to think he was weak and soft because of that kindness. The biggest and surliest of the crew who had a reputation for brawls had challenged him after a deliberate slight on Wollfen’s part, something to do with his mother and her loose ways. The man had taken offense to the remark and immediately challenged Wollfen to a fight. The deck had cleared and all watched on as the two had squared off. The sailor launching his first attack hitting Wollfen fair in the jaw, his head snapped back but Wollfen just stood there. Then the sailor threw a heavy punch into Wollfen's stomach that knocked him back a little but he appeared no worse for wear. Then the man had thrown another punch and much to his chagrin Wollfen had caught it and thrown his arm back.
Once more the man launched at Wollfen and this time he let loose with a blow to the sailor’s stomach that had doubled him up on the ground. By now the cheering onlookers had fallen silent. Still Wollfen stood there doing nothing. The sailor had picked himself up and charged with the idea of taking Wollfen low and knocking him off his feet. Wollfen had no intention of letting him and he had splayed his feet wide, bent over a little towards his opponent and lifted a hand. This time the man bounced off Wollfen and as he staggered back, Wollfen slapped him hard across the face knocking him out cold. If anyone doubted that Wollfen was a hard man with real strength they doubted it no longer. After that they all showed Wollfen new respect and coupled with his ways he had finally won them over.
Madeira looked at Wollfen standing at the bow of the ship, he spent so much time there. Madeira too had been growing closer to him, they shared many stories and much of their feelings now, she had come to appreciate that his ways were just as valid as hers. She was slowly but surely giving grudging respect to his values. Wollfen had managed to gain more from the sailors in work over a period of time with his moderate approach than the Captain was ever able to do with the tirades he would unleash. She had also noticed that those same tirades were getting less and less. Was the Captain coming around? What was it about Wollfen that he was able to influence people so?
It made her realize what an asset he was and the bonus of keeping him from his own people. Such a leader would do wonders on the battlefield and she had no doubts he would lead a very effective campaign against them. Luckily he wasn’t commanding an army coming to Isogorr, she could see they would have been hard pressed to resist. But he was just one man and alone against the might of Isogorr what could he do? Not much she didn’t think.
If she knew how Wollfen worked then she may have not been so confident. He was a man of ideologies and they alone over time were a more powerful weapon than any sword or any army. They were taking this very dangerous individual into the heart of their country. It was the one place he wanted to be and th
ey were giving it to him.
Wollfen looked back from the bow and spied Madeira gazing at him. He wondered if she was ever able to get past his shields and feel any of his true intentions? No, he would know and even if she did find out would she do much at all? With each passing day he thought that a less and less likely possibility. She was coming around slowly but surely and she didn’t even know it.
He had spoken at great length of Vincent and his long association with him, the trials he had faced over the years and the ideals that Vincent had conveyed through him. A lot of them had contradicted the teachings of the sorc clique and while at first Madeira had dismissed them outright, she had slowly come to accept some values and Wollfen had been patient. It was a long slow process and such as it was he had already pushed it faster than he liked, six months on a boat was a rather quick time to talk of changing a persons fundamental ideologies.
It was necessary though, he had learned that Madeira was second only to the sorc queen and that meant she was in a very powerful position. A lot of change could be made to happen through her.
There was a commotion down below and Wollfen went to see what all the fuss was about, he could hear Captain Serhatnan shouting at someone. As Wollfen entered the quarters of the crew, he saw a man in a hammock who was obviously very sick. The Captain was shouting at him and trying to get him up.
“Captain.”
He turned and looked at Wollfen who was giving him a quizzical look.
“This man is very sick. If he can’t manage to get up, then I have no option but to toss him overboard. I cannot waste food and resources on him when he is obviously too far gone.”
The Captain turned back to the man and prodded him hard in the side. There was little response from the unconscious and wheezing sailor.
“You two men, grab him and take him on deck.”
“Wait.”
Wollfen walked over and placed his hand on the man’s clammy forehead. He was running a high fever and not in a good way at all.
“He is very sick, but with time and care he may recover.”