by Rick Brown
Within an hour we had a response from Colonel Smith that the training grounds were available to us. Father Pild wished to come along too. I changed into my less formal travel clothes, and the five of us went to the military building. It was odd that just two days ago I had faced off with Captain Hannen here. We started going through our routines. Once Brianna got going I quickly began to regret the loss of our practice gear that was still in the Temple.
“You know what,” Barad said as he rubbed his side. “What we need here are more people for her to toss around. Do you think that Sergeant Whilhoit and his men would like to join us again?”
“Why don’t you ask them and find out,” I said as I lay on the ground recovering from my last toss. “And do it quickly before she kills us!”
A few minutes later Barad returned with the sergeant and his men.
"Your Highness," He said as he bowed. "The Colonel made it clear that this time was reserved for you and your people."
“Sergeant,” I replied. “Do you trust your men?”
“Of course, Sire. I only keep those I trust.”
“Then that’s good enough for me. We need people to practice with, and it was a pleasure to work with you and your men the other day. Besides, that red-headed tornado over there,” I said pointing to Bri, “has been pounding us all summer. It’s only fair that she be allowed to beat up on someone else for a change.”
The Sergeant smiled and then turned to his men splitting them into two teams. Father Pild took the first group, and together they continued with the sword techniques we practiced that other day.
The less fortunate group was taken by Brianna for the beginning of their hand-to-hand combat training. Barad, Lenux, and I walked around helping people with forms in each group.
After a while, the two sides switched. There were a lot of concerned faces in the group of victims going to Brianna's side. She, on the other hand, looked as happy as she could be.
It was after lunch when we stopped for the day. Sergeant Whilhoit approached me as everyone was putting away the equipment.
"Your Majesty. I'd like to thank you for today. I can see the benefit of these exercises. Would you mind if my men and I continue to join your practices?"
“It would be a pleasure, Sergeant. The more men we can sacrifice to Bri, the happier she will be,” I said smiling. Brianna was close enough to hear and stuck her tongue out at me.
“Thank you, Sire,” Whilhoit said, returning to his men.
We returned to our suite to find tubs in each of our rooms. Thank you, Arthur, I thought to myself. The staff wanted to help me undress, but I was having none of that and chased them out. I can be my own sort of king.
The bath was warm and wonderful. I found a new suit laid out for me and tried it on. It wasn't perfect like the ones Crowler made, but it would do. I came out and found the table we had enjoyed breakfast had some snacks laid out on it. Arthur walked up to me while I was picking over them.
“You’re majesty. I am pleased to inform you that Lord Albright and his son have agreed to join you for dinner. Since it is already late afternoon, I thought maybe just some snacks instead of a full lunch.
“Thank you, Arthur. That is very appreciated. As was the bath.”
“You are most welcome, Sire.”
“Arthur,” I sighed. “You and I will be working together a lot, please call me Lee, At least in private. It’s exhausting listening to people add all the honorifics.”
“Thank you, Lee. I will, but only in private. Decorum must be maintained after all. We need people to think of you as king.”
My friends had gathered in one of the seating areas, so I went to join them. “Lee!” Bri exclaimed. “Those baths are wonderful. I could get used to this lifestyle.”
"Well," Lenux added, "I doubt we will always get to live in the kings' suite."
“Maybe not in my suite, but you will all have roles in my kingdom. I guess I just assumed the group of you would stay. I’m not quite sure how yet, but I plan to find roles for each of you once Alsselya is secure. As a matter of fact, Alynon himself advises I start gathering my government around me, and I am starting with you three.”
“So long as you keep feeding me, I’ll be here,” Said Barad with a smile. Lenux and Brianna both agreed.
That Evening, Lord Albright and Ryan joined us for dinner. The priests, Barad, Bri, Lenux, and Arthur all joined us around the conference room to eat. Arthur had once again arranged a fantastic meal. It gave everyone an opportunity to relax.
After dinner, I asked Lord Albright and his son to join me by the fire. We settled in, and the staff brought us some wine. I once again thanked the privileges of royalty. Lord Albright made a toast to the return of Alsselya, and we all took a sip.
“It is about that return that I invited you here tonight. Ryan, I understand you are the lord’s third son. May I ask what your plans are?”
“My father has discussed with Father Lowen about my joining the priesthood.”
"I see." It was as I had thought. It is the noble's first child that inherits his father's lands. The second often stays and helps. The third is usually shipped off to the military or to the priesthood. "I ask because I need good men to join me in building Alsselya. You have proven yourself to be intelligent and a good companion. I expect there to be many hardships between now and the time when we can rest in our own lands, but to get there, I will need good people like yourself. With your fathers' permission, I would like to offer you a place on my staff."
Lord Albright leaned back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. Ryan is too good to waste away in a monastery. Yes, you have my blessing.”
I turned to Ryan. “And you?”
“You are offering me a role on your staff?” He asked in shock. “Of course I accept!”
“Wonderful,” I said as I offered my hand. He shook it enthusiastically.
No surprise Barad, Bri, and Lenux were eavesdropping and quickly came over to congratulate Ryan. We spent the rest of the time relaxing and enjoying the wine. At the end of the evening, Ryan promised to report back the next day.
Chapter 20
(Lee)
The next morning I rose to find the priests sitting with Arthur again at the table. “Good morning everyone,” I said as I took my seat. One of the servants came over and delivered a coffee. Bless her.
"Good morning, Lee," Arthur said. "Good news on the treasury front. I Joined Merret yesterday, and we looked over some of the old books. So far we found over ten thousand gold due to Alsselya. We still believe there is more, but he went ahead and transferred that to us, so we aren't destitute."
I nearly spit out my coffee. “Ten thousand gold! That’s enough to buy a lordship.”
"A Lordship, yes, a kingdom no," Arthur said with a smile.
“At least we don’t have to live off the resources of the church,” I said smiling to Father Yagen.
“The church has been living off that money Barad found in the wagon, but it’s true our trip here has nearly run us dry,” he replied.
"Arthur, let's use our new monies to start paying our employees. We've been paying our group two gold a week. I am sure for now that will suffice for them. Particularly since they get to stay in the royal suite. Do you think Ryan will accept the same? We didn't discuss that last night."
“Ryan’s alternative is a monastery. I think he would be happy to pay you.” Arthur said with a smile.
As usual, it wasn't long before the others joined us at the table and breakfast was served.
"Good news," I said as I looked at my friends. "Arthur has found us some capital to work with. I wish to employ you all at the same rate that we worked for the church. Is that acceptable?" They all agreed happily as they enjoyed their breakfast.
"Well, I certainly am not interested in anything that would take me away from this." Barad agreed.
“Maybe not yet, but we will have a kingdom win and then rebuild. You remember the front. It will take more
than what we have now to retake our lands. Eventually we will need Spellion and Tiber.”
“That will be more challenging,” Arthur said while rubbing the top of his head. I had to wonder if that is how he lost his hair. “They do not feel the pressure from Dommeran that Vaelin does. They may not be as accommodating.”
“Well, we will just have to convince them,” I said with more confidence than I felt. How do you make someone go to war?
It was then that one of the servants let Ryan into the suite.
I stood and waved him over, “Ryan, please join us. Have you had breakfast?”
“Thank you, my liege. Yes, I’ve eaten, but those pastries look good.” I nodded for him to take one as I returned to my seat.
“So, I will make the offer to you that I did my friends. Two gold a week plus room and board. Is that acceptable?”
“Very acceptable,” He said nodding. “If you don’t mind could I continue to stay at my father’s home while we are in the city?”
“Yes, I don’t see why we would need you here at night, and that will allow us to add others if need be. Excellent. So tell me, what is it you do for fun? Any hobbies?”
“I enjoy reading. My brothers have been trained as aristocrats. Taught how to cross swords. Since I was destined for the church, I was allowed a more academic upbringing.”
"That is good, right now I am surrounded by nothing but bloodthirsty types," I said smiling at my friends. "A scholar will be a welcome addition. In fact, I have my first job for you. In my office, there is a library of books left over from when Alsselya was still a country. I fear they are old so be careful, but I want you to catalog what we have in there and see if there is anything useful."
Ryan looked almost giddy. “Gladly, Sire.”
Arthur nodded, liking the idea. “He may use my desk when I’m not here.” Arthur had moved into the chamberlain’s office in front of mine.
"Thank you, Arthur," I replied. "As a matter of fact, Ryan if you don't mind, I'll have you assist Arthur when he needs help. We have a kingdom to build, and I'll need all the resources I can get."
“I’d be happy to,” Answered Ryan.
“For the rest of you bloodthirsty lot, it’s time for our morning workout. Lenux, can you bring a few daggers along? I want to work on something.”
“Will do,” answered Lenux and left for his room to grab his daggers.
We arrived at the military training area to find Sergeant Whilhoit and his men already practicing. Barad and Bri went over to join them while I pulled Lenux over to the training dummies.
"Ok, I need to start practicing my magic. I figured I would start with building a shield since that one seems really useful. I'm going to try to erect a shield over the dummy. When I do, I'll nod at you, and you throw your dagger at it." Lenux moved ten paces back and prepared to throw.
Taking a deep breath, I found my energy. Being well rested it felt like a deep pool. I took my power and imagined armor over the practice dummy, and then I pushed my energy into the shield. Holding the energy, I nodded to Lenux.
A look of amazement crossed his face as his dagger bounced off my shield. “That’s incredible. I can’t even see it.”
“Yes, and the impact isn’t that bad. I guess Alynon throws harder than I realized,” Lenux looked confused, but I just went on. No reason to explain my crazy lessons from a god.
"This time I'm going to include myself and the practice dummy. Let's see if I can protect two at once." This time instead of armor I thought of a bubble around the dummy and me. I nodded at Lenux and the dagger he threw once again bounced off the shield. This time I felt more strain as the shield I had constructed was bigger.
“Ok, don’t think I would be able to do that for very long, maybe a different tactic this time. Once again on my nod.”
This time I thought of a hand and waited. Taking a breath, I signaled to Lenux. When he threw it, I put my energy into the hand and slapped down on the dagger. It was knocked from the air and smacked on the ground.
That felt good, and it hardly took any energy. I decided to try a variation on that. I signaled Lenux to do it again, but instead of slapping the dagger down, I just pictured the blade being knocked down. It worked again, and the dagger fell. I nodded to Lenux again, and this time I imagined the dagger stopping mid-air. The dagger spun twice when released from Lenux's hand then froze, hanging in mid-air. Halting the dagger this way did take a lot more energy than just swatting it down. I held it there for a moment, then with a thought, sent it flying at the dummy. The dagger struck the dummy, passing straight through and up to the hilt into the protective wall behind. Lenux trotted up next to me to look at the dagger.
“That’s... That’s impressive.” Was all he could get out. He reached out and tried to remove it, but it was stuck.
Time to work on some finesse, I thought to myself. I pictured the dagger slowly sliding out. As we watched, it slid from the wall and dropped to the ground. Lenux picked it up and looked it over. "Still looks in good shape. Must be the magic. If I tried to stick it even half that deep, it would have dulled the blade."
“Sergeant Whilhoit,” I called out. “Can you have three men grab some bows and arrows and come over here?” The sergeant nodded and selected three men. I turned to Lenux. “Time to up the game.”
As the three men came over, I positioned them facing the dummies. Sergeant Whilhoit joined Lenux and me to see what we were doing. I prepared myself and told the men to fire into the dummies. They released as I signaled them. I tried to focus on the three arrows but was only able to knock down one.
Still, Whilhoit was impressed as he whistled. “My, that’s something.” He said.
"It would be if he weren't a stuck pincushion by the other two shots," Lenux added.
I nodded to him. “Let’s go again.”
I spent my workouts for the next two weeks practicing knocking down arrows. My ability had improved to the point that I could knock down four fired at the same time, but it was a struggle to knock down two arrows shot from different directions. Still, I was feeling much better about protecting myself and those around me.
I woke this morning feeling refreshed. I think I am finally getting used to this oversized bed, I thought as I dressed and wandered out into the suite. As usual, the monks and Arthur were already enjoying their coffee.
“Good morning,” I stated, taking my customary seat.
They all mumbled their response, still waiting for the coffee to kick in.
“A reminder Sire, today you are visiting Lord Faluth with King Kendrick.”
Oh yes, the first of the lordly visits the King of Vaelin and I were to do. We were traveling under the guise of introducing me to his lords. In reality, we were gathering allies against Lord Hannen. "Thank you, Arthur. Have we heard anything from Lord Hannen?"
“No, and I find that highly suspicious,” He said leaning back in his chair and creasing his brow in thought. “I would have thought they would have made a plea by now.”
“Maybe they are just confused,” Yagen piped in. “We have a captain suddenly upgraded to king. One without the history of blackmail-able offenses most royals would have.”
“It could be that. It’s his inactivity that makes me nervous. Hannen is the proactive type.” Arthur responded. “Still, no use worrying about it now.
"For today's trip, you should bring one of your friends as a guard. It's just a formality, of course. The king will have his guards there as well."
“Trust me, as a guard in a previous life, there is nothing ‘just a formality’ about it. I’ll bring Barad. Besides, he get’s stir crazy with inactivity.”
“I do indeed,” Barad agreed as he stumbled out of his room. “What is it I am doing?”
“Keeping me alive. We are going on our first lordly visit today.”
“That’s nothing new, I’ve been keeping you alive for six years now,” He replied with a snort.
“Well then, keep up the good work,” I said as I turned to A
rthur. “When do we leave.”
“The king will send someone for you, but I suggest you be ready in two hours.”
“Fine, will you have someone draw a bath for me. Better do it for Barad as well. And Barad, it would be best if you wear your blue guard uniform today. We must keep up appearances, after all.”
By the time I cleaned up, I had found everyone was around the breakfast table. Barad was already dressed in his guards uniform. I noticed he was sitting next to Brianna. That was happening more and more. Seems persistence does pay off. Ryan had joined the group as well. I sat and starting piling food on my plate.
“Good morning Ryan. How goes the inventorying of the books?”
“It’s going well, Lee,” I had an order in place that over breakfast I was not to be referred to as king. I just needed a break from that when I was around friends. “There are some fascinating books on the politics of the kingdom. Family trees and such.”
“That could come in handy. We are rebuilding from scratch, but the history is important. Today I am going to visit Lord Faluth, do you know him?”
“Oh yes. He’s a good man with a military background. It is no wonder King Kendrick is starting your visits with him. He is exactly what the two of you will be looking for to bolster your base.”
“Good, I’ll bring you along as an advisor. You may want to go home and grab another suit. We might be staying the night out there.”
“Oh yes,” Arthur said. “You should anticipate that. I already have a bag prepared for his majesty.”
“Best go now then,” Ryan said as he rose from the table and left. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
I turned to my friends. “Lenux and Bri, can you find out what Lord Hannen is doing? It’s been awfully quiet.”
“We’ve been doing that anyway,” Lenux said with a shrug. “So far we’ve mapped out his staff and some of his regular visitors. No surprise they seem to match the names in the ledger.”
"Of course you have," I said with a smile. "I don't know what I was thinking."
“We’ll forgive you this time,” Bri replied.
"You are too kind," I said nodding to her.