by Dean Cadman
As a result of the Paladin’s Order having lost so many of their men to the prolonged Empire attack, they had been forced to take far more recruits than usual. Although not a single recruit was accepted who didn’t expressly show an interest in becoming a paladin, that didn’t negate the fact that none of them had been tested in their faith yet. Hershel assured her that the appropriate tests would be carried out at The Sanctum of Light, where such tests had always been conducted. But in the meantime, it was both of their responsibilities to ensure that as many of the recruits as possible were ready for that test when it finally came.
Their company of new recruits consisted of fifteen men and twelve women. Not including Hershel and Alexia, there were also another six fully trained paladins, making a total of thirty-five hungry mouths to feed. Although they had brought supplies with them, they were now running very low indeed. Hershel estimated that they would have another seven or eight days’ travel before they reached The Sanctum of Light. Far too long for their remaining food supplies to last.
Alexia knew that Hershel had travelled this route before, but she doubted that he had ever done it with fully loaded wagons. The horses could have travelled faster over the uneven terrain if need be, but the wagons would have shaken themselves to pieces long before arriving at Stelgad. And it was the contents of the wagons that required the trip to be made in the first place.
When word had first arrived at The Sanctum of Light that Lamuria was under attack, it wasn’t only the paladins that had been sent to defend the capital, but also all of the blessed weapons too. The Empire had employed a tactic of taking away any blessed weapon from an injured or fallen paladin, thereby reducing the number available to use on the battlefield. Aysha had later blessed the entire armoury inside the High Temple, and now they were redistributing those blessed weapons by restocking the empty armoury at The Sanctum of Light.
After the evening prayers, everyone settled down for the night in their usual social groups. Alexia had been pleased to see that the new recruits were mixing just fine with the veteran paladins. It made perfect sense when she thought about it, as both groups shared common roots in the regular army before joining the Paladin’s Order.
Only Morgan had stayed away from the others in the group. Not because he was being unsociable, but because he’d been given first lookout duty every night by Hershel. Which meant by the time he was relieved, everyone else in camp was already asleep.
Alexia had thought it was a punishment too far, and had spoken to Hershel about it in private. Surprisingly he had agreed with her, but also said it was necessary to demonstrate to the new recruits that such behaviour was unacceptable within the Order. He told her it was far better that Morgan accompanied them on their journey, and was seen to be punished, rather than let speculation and rumour take hold of what might, or might not have happened to him back in Lamuria.
Apparently, Morgan was quite used to receiving punishments of that ilk for his regular pranks and misdemeanours. She could tell that Hershel actually quite liked the man, but he openly admitted that Morgan could be troublesome if allowed to run free for too long. He actually described him as: “an honourable, warm and conscientious fool.” A description that brought a smile to Alexia’s face, as she remembered someone very similar back in her old thieves’ guild in Stelgad. He too had been the life and soul in any room, but sometimes walked a thin line with the leadership of their guild.
Alexia watched Morgan intently from a distance. He didn’t seem too upset by the fact he’d been excluded from mixing with everyone else in their group. Alexia realised that she didn’t really know him all that well. During the battle at Lamuria, Morgan had been assigned to protect the city gates, along with Renn and Neala. And since then, she had spent most of her time either with her own female recruits, or with Hershel learning about the history of the Paladin’s Order.
She had certainly heard plenty of things said about Morgan, some good, and some not so good. In fact, barely a day went by when his name wasn’t mentioned at least once by someone, either in the mess hall or the barracks. How much of what they said was actually true or not, she didn’t know, and she doubted that anyone else really did either. But she decided that she wanted to get to know the man a little better, so she could make her own judgement of him.
Alexia excused herself from her small group of female paladins, and made her way towards the edge of camp. Morgan had made a small campfire of his own, and was sitting with his back to the others, diligently watching for any approaching dangers. She didn’t mean to sneak up on him, but by the time he heard her quiet footsteps, she was only a few paces away from him. He visibly startled, and quickly grabbed a blanket that was lying next to him. Alexia noticed that he had removed his trousers, and before he managed to cover his bare legs with the blanket, she saw why.
The chaffing between his legs was much worse than even she had feared. The skin had been completely worn away where the basic saddle had rubbed against his inner thighs. How he even managed to walk was miracle, let alone carry heavy buckets of water for the horses. And the thought of him having to get back on his mule the following morning made her wince.
Morgan’s face blushed bright red when he realised that Alexia was standing beside him. He obviously hadn’t been expecting anyone to relieve him for several more hours yet, and had decided to use that time to allow some air to reach his badly chaffed legs. And from what Alexia had just seen, she couldn’t blame him one bit.
“Sir… I mean Ma’am,” Morgan said, attempting to stand up, then realising his own precarious situation. His face became an even deeper shade of red, as he sat back down on his log and covered his bare legs with the blanket once more. Alexia smiled and raised her hand, indicating that he should remain seated. She hadn’t even considered the rank difference between them when she’d first decided to come and speak with him. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to being called ma’am by the recruits, let alone the veteran paladins.
It was then that Alexia realised, she was just about the only other person in camp that could speak with Morgan. Hershel couldn’t be seen to be socialising with him, nor could the other paladins. And the recruits would not dare to approach him while he was being disciplined, not unless they wished to serve a similar fate. So that only left her. Sure, Hershel could order her not to speak with him if he wished, but she doubted that he would. Not given what he’d said earlier.
“Can I help you with something, ma’am?” Morgan asked.
“No, not really. I thought you might enjoy a little company, that’s all,” Alexia replied, taking a seat on the ground opposite him.
“Oh,” he said in surprise. Then cursed under his breath as he tried to pull his legs together, attempting to preserve his modesty from Alexia’s new vantage point.
“Sorry,” Alexia said, realising her mistake too late. She moved around the campfire a little, so he could relax again. But unfortunately his face looked far from relaxed, as he gingerly peeled his legs apart again. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how uncomfortable he must have been over the last few days.
“Have you got anything for that?” Alexia asked, nodding towards his afflicted area. He just shook his head. “Have you even told Hershel how bad it is? I’m sure he wouldn’t be so unreasonable as to leave you riding that mule all the way to Stelgad if he knew.”
He smiled at her. “I know, but I’ve done much worse to him in the past. Besides, what message would I be giving the new recruits if I didn’t see through my punishment?”
“Yes, I heard about the outhouse seat prank,” Alexia replied grinning, “but still, surely your legs are worse than what Hershel suffered back then.”
“No. They’re not. Trust me,” he replied grinning widely. It was Alexia’s turn to grimace this time. If Hershel’s outhouse injury had been worse than Morgan’s legs, no wonder he had made him pay for it, for so long.
“So… why did you do it?” Alexia asked.
“What? The tree resin
on the outhouse seat?”
“No,” she laughed. “Why did you tell the new recruits that they’d have to enter The Dark Forest as part of their training?”
“Oh… that. Why not?” he replied, shrugging. “It was probably better than the alternative for them.”
Alexia laughed again. “Why, what else did you have planned for them?” she asked, not knowing if she really wanted to know.
“Me? Nothing,” he replied innocently.
“Then what do you mean?”
He sat there for a while before replying to her question, but when he did, it wasn’t the answer she had expected. “When we get to The Sanctum of Light, would you come hunting with me in The Dark Forest sometime?” Morgan asked.
Alexia stared at him for a moment, trying to work out just what angle he was trying to play her from. She knew of his legendary pranks amongst the other paladins. And she also knew that her new rank of Praefectus would not make her immune to them. If anything, especially if what she had heard was true, he considered the higher ranking officers a more worthy target.
He must have realised what she was thinking. He grinned widely at her, and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to trick you. It’s just a hypothetical question. Would you enter The Dark Forest to hunt with me? Or anyone else for that matter?”
“Yes, of course. Why?” she answered without hesitation.
“That was going to be my next question to you. Why?” Morgan asked, still smiling at her. Alexia didn’t really know what he was trying to get at.
“Why, what? Why would I go into The Dark Forest with you, or why would I go into The Dark Forest with someone else?”
“No. Why would you go into The Dark Forest at all? Surely you know what’s in there. Why aren’t you afraid?” Morgan asked, still grinning widely at her.
“Because I could defend myself against any Netherworld creature that attacked me with my blessed weapons,” she replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
“But how do you know that your blessed weapons will protect you?”
“Because I do,” she replied almost insulted by his words, then she realised what he was really saying. “Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that your prank was just to see which of the new recruits had enough faith in Aysha to enter The Dark Forest? To find out which of them didn’t think they had enough faith to wield a blessed weapon against a Netherworld creature? That’s what you meant when you said, ‘it was probably better than the alternative for them’, isn’t it?” Morgan’s smug grin spread right across his face, but he neither acknowledged, nor denied Alexia’s conclusions.
Alexia stared at him, not knowing what to say. Here was a man who had sacrificed his own self respect in the eyes of his fellow paladins. He had put himself through so much pain already, and was prepared to continue suffering mutely until—at least—they reached Stelgad. And it had all been intended to save the lives of people he barely even knew. What he had done was far from a simple prank. It was quite possibly the most selfless act that Alexia had ever known anyone do in her life.
The following day Alexia managed to bring down a large mountain goat that had wandered onto the road with her bow. The fresh meat was a welcome change from all of the travel rations they had eaten over the previous two weeks. And morale within camp that evening was definitely higher than it had been the previous few days. For all except one. Morgan.
Alexia had no idea how Morgan had managed to remain in his saddle all that day. It hadn’t been a particularly warm day, but she had noticed him sweating profusely for most of it. He must have been in a great deal of pain, as the constant movement of the mule rubbed against his already raw legs. She had spoken to him well into the previous night, and he had asked her not to tell anyone about his affliction. He had also turned out to be a lot different than she had expected him to be. Of course, he had a great sense of humour. A really sharp and wicked one at that. But he was thoughtful, and kind too. And much more intelligent than she had given him credit for.
During the evening prayers, thanks were given for the blessing of the mountain goat, but Alexia added her own special thanks to Aysha as well. Before the mountain goat had shown itself on the road, she had already intended to go hunting before nightfall. She had hoped to bring down a similar sized animal in the forest, so that she could use some of its fat to create a healing salve for Morgan’s legs. There was no doubt in Alexia’s mind that the appearance of the goat was a gift from Aysha. And she was deeply grateful to her for it.
As soon as they had made their camp, Alexia had gone to collect several different herbs from the forest. She also gathered a bunch of Calendula herb she had found growing in a sunny spot at the edge of the forest. After carefully preparing the herbs, she dropped them into a metal pot containing some of the animal fat. Then she placed the pot near the fire, so the fat would melt and begin to draw out the healing properties of the herbs.
Two hours later, she moved the pot away from the fire so that it would cool a little. Once it was cool enough to handle, she strained the liquid through a piece of clean cloth into another smaller pot, then allowed it to cool even further, so that it solidified into a useable salve.
Several times throughout the process she had been questioned on what she was doing by a few of her female recruits. One of the recruits named Pippa, had playfully teased Alexia about spending so much time with Morgan the previous night. It had all been in good humour, and Alexia had not taken any offence at what she had said or implied. In fact, they had got on extremely well with one another, laughing and joking late into the night.
Pippa was in her mid-twenties, about Alexia’s height and build, and had short red hair and piercing green eyes. Her numerous freckles ran across the bridge of her nose, fading away into her rosy cheeks. And when she smiled, the deep dimples in her cheeks reminded Alexia of a childhood friend she had once known in Dunlow, where she had grown up as a child.
When Alexia finally admitted to Pippa that the healing salve was for Morgan’s sore legs, a whole new wave of teasing began in earnest. Alexia didn’t tell Pippa how bad his legs actually were, because Morgan had asked her not to tell anyone else. She accepted Pippa’s teasing in good humour, knowing that if Morgan could put up with his pain for a greater cause, she could certainly stand a little teasing to help him.
She picked up the pot of healing salve, then headed towards the outskirts of camp where Morgan was on his usual lookout duty. But not before Pippa gave her a knowing wink, and teased her one last time about her night-time visit. Shaking her head at her new friend’s comments, she left the warmth of her own fire behind, and headed towards that of Morgan’s instead.
This time she gave him fair warning of her approach by scuffing her feet along the ground as she walked. As she had expected, he was sitting without his trousers on once more, and quickly grabbed his blanket to cover his bare legs.
“Hi,” she said, smiling at him as she entered the light of his campfire. He replied in kind, but seemed even more subdued than he’d been the previous evening. “You looked like you were in a lot of pain today when I saw you riding, so I’ve made you some healing salve for your legs,” Alexia said, holding up the pot of salve for him to see.
His eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Thank you. That’s very kind of you,” he said with genuine gratitude in his voice. She smiled, then moved to stand directly in front of him.
“Morgan, let me see how bad your legs are,” she said, kneeling down in front of him. The look of complete horror on his face, coupled with the deep red it suddenly turned, made her unable to stifle a laugh. He shook his head rapidly from side to side, his eyes wide with fear. Like a small child sometimes does when their parent asks them if they’ve done something naughty, and they deny it, knowing that they really have.
Alexia couldn’t believe that a grown man could be so shy of showing his legs. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have any underwear on. She knew he did. Given Morgan’s reputation amongst the other p
aladins, she hadn’t even considered this reaction from him. In fact, she would have wagered quite the opposite. She had even prepared herself for whatever playful boyish remarks he might make to her.
“It’s okay, let me see them. I need to apply some of this salve before they become infected. You can’t continue to ride as you are, Morgan,” she said, placing her hand on his and looking into his eyes. He looked terrified of her, and his hands held firmly onto his blanket. She wanted to laugh at the bizarreness of it all, but she doubted that it would help his self-confidence any if she did. Instead she tried a different tactic, one which she would never have dreamt she would need to use.
“Morgan. Listen to me. I need to see your legs. Please, don’t make me order you to do it. I will, if you make me,” she said, a little more sternly than she had intended. His eyes widened even further, as he suddenly realised that now he had no choice in the matter. He closed his eyes and slowly released the grip on his blanket. She could see his hands trembling, as he lifted them away from the blanket and put them down by his sides.
Carefully, she lifted the blanket away from his legs to reveal the extent of his injuries. What she saw made her recoil in horror. From just above his knees, all the way to his inner thighs were a bloody mess. The skin had been completely worn away on both sides, and the raw flesh exposed underneath. The incredible amounts of pain he must have suffered riding all that day, would have been far more than she could have endured herself. And she wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Very gently, she prised his knees apart. Even now he seemed to resist her efforts slightly, but eventually he allowed her to spread his legs wide so she could see more clearly in the dim firelight. It looked very inflamed, but thankfully she couldn’t see any signs of infection yet. If he was lucky, the salve would keep it that way. She suddenly wished Lusam was there. He could have healed Morgan’s legs instantly. But he wasn’t, so she would have to work with what she had instead.