by N. C. Reed
“We can try,” Parno agreed, “and we will,” he promised. “I swear it.”
“Thank you, milord,” several of the men said quietly.
“Well, carry on with your work, gentlemen,” Parno said finally. “Can’t have your officers angry with me for keeping you from your assigned tasks,” he smiled. That drew more laughter.
Parno watched them go back to work then continued on his way. Several more times he was stopped and several more times men asked to be included in his Regiment. As he went on, Parno began to realize that perhaps Cho had been correct. Maybe these men did still believe in him.
“They have faith in you,” Feng’s voice drifted from the shadows. Parno didn’t bother to look around.
“You know what they want from me?” he asked softly.
“I do,” Feng replied calmly. “As I said, your destiny awaits you, Parno McLeod. The choice is still yours. You needn’t take it.”
“Do I really have a choice?” Parno wondered aloud.
“No,” Feng answered him simply. “Not and remain the man you are. Without you, your people may well be conquered, enslaved or slaughtered. You may or may not be able to prevent it but no one else can, young Prince. There is no one else.” Parno sighed deeply. He didn’t want to do it.
“It is a heavy burden,” Cho nodded, walking forward to stand beside him, “and it will cause you great grief and misery. Such as you have never known, possibly,” he added. “You must ask yourself, is it worth it should that save your people?”
Parno looked away into the distant setting of the sun. Low clouds were hanging on the horizon, their colors blending with the reds and oranges of the sunset. Blood colored, he noted idly.
“No, I don’t have a choice”, he realized finally. “I’ve never really had one, though, have I? Some people are destined to be unhappy and alone. I’m one of them, I think, and, if it means that my people live free then I can, I believe, live with that.”
He turned suddenly to face Cho Feng.
“I already know great misery and grief, my friend,” he said softly. “What difference can a little more possibly make?” With that he started off to find his father and brother.
Cho Feng watched him go, a shade of sadness passing across his face. “Your mother’s prophesy will come true, Parno,” he whispered. “May God have mercy on you for it.”
*****
Tammon looked up sharply as his door opened. He and Memmnon were in a small house within Cove Canton. Surrounded by guards. Only. . . .
“Hello, father,” Parno said softly, walking into the room. “Memmnon,” he added, nodding to his brother.
“I take it you have reached a decision,” Tammon said at once, noting the calm about his youngest son.
“I have,” Parno nodded. “I will accept,” he said simply. Tammon released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
“I have some conditions,” Parno continued, and Tammon’s short lived relief almost turned to anger.
“Conditions?”
“Yes,” Parno replied evenly. “They are not painful, Father,” he almost smiled, “but they are non-negotiable and none of them are for me.” Tammon lost his look of ire, it having been replaced with a look of confusion.
“Name them, then.”
*****
Tammon McLeod faced the assembly of soldiers with a solemn look. The Black Sheep, those who remained of the original group, stood before him. The men from the other battalions stood in formation as well, but it was the men before him that he addressed at the moment.
“Men,” the King’s voice carried over the ground. “You have served this Kingdom well in the past few days, fighting against great odds and with little hope of success. You stood your ground and held it, giving this Kingdom time to shift its forces to meet an invasion force that, if left unchecked, could well have changed the course of this war in favor of the enemy.”
“You were taken from prisons as dregs of society and given a chance to serve your land and your people in order to satisfy your debt. It is the opinion of the Crown that said debt has been faithfully discharged. Your service to the Crown will never be forgotten, so long as there is a Soulan to retell your tales.”
“It is with great pleasure that I stand before you today and offer you all the official thanks of the Crown and myself, personally. I have ordered prepared, and have signed, full pardons for every man in this regiment. You are all, as of now, free men.”
A cheer erupted from the ranks of the Sheep and the officers, many of them among the pardoned, made only a halfhearted attempt to quell them. Tammon endured the interruption with a smile. These men had earned his forbearance. He continued once the cheering had subsided.
“Now that you are free you may leave the service of the Crown if you so desire. That choice is yours to make, though Lord knows Soulan needs men such as you.” He looked at them for a moment, his eyes meeting the eyes of those men in the front ranks. It had been at Parno’s urging that he had offered them the chance to leave the army, in repayment for what they had accomplished. It had been one of his ‘conditions’. Tammon hadn’t liked the idea, but he knew he owed them much more than that.
The men stirred slightly as the King’s words sunk home. In the front rank, Doak Parsons walked up and down the line, speaking quietly to the rest of the men. Tammon waited patiently, wondering what he was saying.
Finally, Parsons spun on his heels and walked to the front of the formation. Doing a crisp right-face, he approached the podium where the King stood.
“Permission to speak, Sire!” Parsons called out, his bearing military to the core.
“Granted, Captain,” Tammon replied.
“With your permission, Sire, we’d prefer to remain in the Prince’s service, at least until the war is decided.” Behind him, the remnants of Parno’s Company cheered loudly.
“Parno! Parno! Parno!” Parsons raised a hand after the third cheer and the men fell instantly quiet. Tammon McLeod had to fight to suppress both a smile and his surprise. He glanced at his son, whose face was a mask of shock.
“Is this your decision as a unit, Captain?” Tammon asked, an idea suddenly springing forth in his mind.
“It is, Sire,” Parsons nodded. “To a man.” Tammon looked to the other battalions.
“And it is your desire to join the Prince’s Black Sheep?” he asked, using the name they had themselves chosen without thought.
“Yes, sire!” Colonel Bret Chad answered for them as the highest ranking officer still alive among the other survivors.
The King paused for effect, seeming to ponder the request. Suddenly, he nodded.
“Done!” he exclaimed, and cheering broke out again. The King held his hands up and once more there was instant silence.
“By Royal Decree, you are henceforth the Fourth Royal Regiment of House McLeod, commanded by the Prince, Parno McLeod. May your banner never falter—and never fail!”
This time the cheering wouldn’t be stopped. The men were still a bit wild, despite the savage discipline in their ranks, and Tammon was glad to see it. He wished the entire army was made of such men. His Kingdom would have need of all of them he could get before the war ended.
THE END
To be continued in the forthcoming book, PARNO’S DESTINY
A Note from the Author:
I hope you have enjoyed Parno's Company. This has been a year’s long labor of a project that began with an idea and went through many creative changes over the years. The final adaptation, which you have just read, was the culmination of months of notes, research, ideas formed and then discarded, and a lot of frustration. I hope the final project has been worth it. It has taken a long time for me to be completely happy with it. Sometimes I'm still not sure that I am.
This is the first of a three part story centering on Parno McLeod. I hope you've been entertained by this book since that's why I write—to entertain, to give you, me, and anyone who reads a time away from the worries of life. A place of re
fuge, if you will, if for only a short while, where our own problems are at rest while we live vicariously through imaginary characters with all too familiar problems.
I hope you will do me the favor of leaving a review since that's the bulk of my advertising, so to speak. Word of mouth and reviews and recommendations are the life blood of books like mine. Please also check out my Wordpress blog when you get a chance at “Writings and Ramblings of Bad Karma00” There are snippets of other stories there, some fan fiction that I wrote a good while ago, and links to other books as well. While you're there, be sure and follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I announce all new releases through those two mediums and my website. Please also check out my publisher’s website at www.creativetexts.com where you can find my other books and news releases on upcoming promotions.
Thank you again for your patronage. I appreciate it, and hope I've made it worth your time.
N.C. Reed
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