Kevin turned to the old warrior; “I’m going to leave that up to you old friend.”
“My hearing must be going in my old age,” Gerald replied lightly. “It sounds like you think you’re leaving me here.”
“I’m sorry old man, but I can’t trust anyone here. I need you to assume command of the keep and town below. Get some of the local merchants to help you, form a committee or something…”
“Bah! Woman’s work my liege!” Gerald complained. “I’m coming with you to watch over the lad.”
“Gerald, I’m sorry. I need you here. Send word to father and he’ll appoint a new leader here in no time. Besides, you saw him fight, he doesn’t need a nanny. You know my plans for him as well as father does. Just stay here for a few weeks until father can find someone else.” Kevin requested.
“I knew I was going to regret coming along. Hanna will never let me live it down. You know how she gets my Lord.” Gerald continued to complain.
“Which I’m sure is why you married my sisters’ Danai, old friend. Now, please go see to your new men…Tristan and I have some work to do.” Kevin finished.
Gerald briefly squeezed Tristans shoulder and cast Kevin a dark look before he turned and walked out of the hall, grumbling good naturedly as he went to Kevin’s amusement. The large General motioned for one of his soldiers near and whispered instructions to him. The soldier nodded grimly and motioned for the others to bring along the former patrician and his chief aide. After they had left Kevin asked one of the servants to bring some food for the brothers as they sat down at a nearby table. They sat in silence until after the servant had brought food and wine and left, Kevin then turned and regarded his brother.
“What?” Tristan asked, draining a mug of ale.
“That was impressive.” Kevin replied evenly.
“What was impressive?” The younger Prince asked.
“Don’t play coy with me little brother. I’ve never seen you move that fast.” Kevin chuckled.
“I’m sorry; would you rather be starving in the dungeons instead?” Tristan laughed.
The brothers laughed as Kevin watched his brother for a moment before wolfing down another mug of ale and some food. Gerald came storming back into the hall making Kevin laugh as he swallowed another mouthful of ale. Some of the jailed guards followed him and took up posts around the hall as Gerald came over to the table and sat down.
“Well, I put one of your better sergeants in charge of Samuels….confession,” Gerald chuckled. “Although, just from the look of the city I’m inclined to think the worm has been falsifying reports to your father and short changing the taxes.”
“It’s probably too much to ask that the gold is still in Irudin I assume.” Kevin asked between mouthfuls.
“Oh he’s too smart for that. He’ll have most likely sent it south through Golshy Pass.” Replied Gerald. “You did well lad.” He directed at Tristan.
“Thank you Dana.” The young man replied without thought.
“So, you remember some things do you?” Gerald asked.
“More or less, seems my instincts and training are there…just not who I am.” Tristan replied shamefully.
“No need to fret lad. Leave that to the women.” Gerald chuckled. “You did very well and the rest will come in time.”
The rest of the evening passed reasonably well, Samuels screams cut through the night on several occasions as he was persuaded to give up his accomplices and plans. By morning Gerald had a firm grasp on what he needed to be done to bring the region under control once again. Kevin, Tristan and their wagons rolled out of the western gate the next morning to find the old Dana had a small squad on horseback heading back north to report on the situation.
Kevin and Tristan took it in turns to ride to the back of the column and check on the wounded ridding in the last wagon. It hadn’t surprised him at all that the wagon drivers were soldiers. He wasn’t sure why he’d expected it, but like everything else he was happy to admit that his instincts were serving him far better than his memories.
The Princes only had time to talk in depth when they setup camp for the night on the side of the road in a small clearing of trees. While the cook was fussing about with the stew and the men were busy picketing the horses nearby, Kevin watched his brother clean and polish his sword and dagger.
“Where did you learn to twirl your blades around like that, Tristan.” Kevin asked.
Tristan looked up at his brother; he was still troubled with the ease that he had taken the lives of those men. He thought for a moment, trying to find the part in his memory when he had first seen a move like that. Finally, he spoke up;
“How much do you know about what happened in my nightmare?” Tristan asked bluntly.
“Only that the spell was designed to take your will to live.” Kevin replied.
“That’s an over-simplification.” He replied moodily.
“Tell me.” Kevin prodded.
“My earliest memory is being four years old. My sister, in the nightmare that is, had just been brought home. She was placed in a ‘Jolly Jumper’ which is basically like a saddle with straps on either side that bounces. She was having fun so I thought I would play with her. She bounced up pretty high and kicked me in the nose.” Tristan explained as Kevin flinched in sympathy.
“It must have been the force of her jump mixed with the momentum of her kick, but she broke my nose. Blood was everywhere. She was laughing. My parents were chastising me for getting blood on the carpet and checking to make sure her foot was alright.” He concluded.
They both sat there in silence, Tristan staring into the fire, his eyes taking on a guarded angry shroud as he took a deep breath.
“I spent the better part of a month locked away in my room, watching Robin Hood and other shows like it, trying to mimic the movements of their swordplay.” Tristan explained.
Kevin only looked perplexed at the explanation. The younger Prince sighed, smiling as he tried to find the words to explain it properly.
“These shows are like theater, only they employ master swordsmen to ensure the safety of the actors as they bash about with each other.” He chuckled. “At first the moves seemed, tame and more for show. As I got faster I started to improvise.”
“Why would your parents lock you away?” Kevin asked.
“So that they didn’t have to deal with me.” Tristan replied darkly.
“That’s perverse.” His large brother observed.
“Imagine every week something similar happening, not just for a month, or a year…but for eight years.” Tristan continued. “The spell is apparently fashioned to make the target live progressively more traumatic events until they simply lose the will to live, and die.”
Kevin simply stared at his younger brother for a few minutes, not exactly knowing what to say.
“That isn’t your life.” He said quietly.
“No, perhaps it isn’t.” Tristan replied, somewhat convinced.
Kevin placed his hand on Tristans’ shoulder.
“It’s not. You were a pain in the backside your whole life. Your insecurity made you a pathetic swordsman, it was so easy to distract you and make you angry.” His brother explained. “You couldn’t have ridden, even Pava, this far, you would have been whining all the way. Whatever happened, whatever you learnt inside your own mind, it’s made you a better person. Not to mention infinitely more dangerous.”
Tristan looked up at his brother again, a grim expression on his young face.
“I hope you’re right.” Tristan replied as he stood up and walked off to his tent.
Kevin sat at the fire for hours thinking about the changes he’d seen in his brother and the frightening speed and agility he seemed to have gained overnight.
“I hope I’m right too….” He muttered as he stood and headed to his tent.
Stratagem
For the next two days on the road the brothers noticed small bands of men fleeing into the nearby hills and forests to hide. Tristan
had the distinct impression that had there been fewer of them traveling this road, those groups wouldn’t have been so inclined to make themselves scarce. Kevin had taken to brooding a lot, getting lost in his own thoughts more and more often as they approached the farms outside of Kenting.
Their last night on the road Tristan finally voiced his concerns. “What’s going on around here? That last band of men looked to be damn near a hundred strong.”
“We’ve always had small groups of bandits running around and hiding in the forest, but never in so many numbers. I get the feeling they’ve been filtering in from Golshy Pass for months.” His brother replied.
“What are we going to do about them?” Tristan asked.
Kevin smiled slightly, “We? Well I’m not sure little brother. I’ve got a duchy to run after all.”
“But someone’s got to do something about it!” Tristan insisted.
Kevin looked up at his brother over the flames of the fire.
“I was actually thinking of putting you in charge of that…”
“Oh no you’re not.” Tristan exclaimed.
“Well I had planned on continuing your training and then maybe sending you out on a few sweeps of the outlying estates. But after seeing you handle yourself in Irudin I’ve decided to change tactics a little.” Kevin continued.
Tristan’s wasn’t quite sure whether he was being made sport of or getting in over his head, but his expression darkened as he replied.
“Look, that was just luck,” Tristan admitted.
“Luck my axe. You were calm, cool and in control of everything you did back there.” Kevin interrupted.
“But now you’re talking about putting me in charge of…I’m not even sure what! I…”
“Tristan,” His brother cut across him, “You’re more ready that you might think.”
Kevin took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts and regaining his composure before he continued.
“I’m not talking about sending you out there was a couple men, I’m going to put you in command of the 7th Infantry. You’re going to spend a few weeks clearing the highway of those bandits.”
“The 7th? What?! Are you crazy?” Tristan asked. “They’re not going to listen to me! Besides, they’ve got their own officers, let them lead the raid.” He shouted.
“Listen little brother, you’re a Prince of the Realm whether you like it or not.” Kevin warned, pointing his finger at his younger brother from the other side of the camp fire. “You’ve got duties to perform and a name to live up to. I’m not going to have you going soft again playing around like a child.” Kevin accused, his temper rising slightly.
“Again?” Tristan asked uncertainly.
“Yes. Again.” Kevin said forcefully. “I’m making you a Knight-Captain, which means that only I outrank you in Kenting. I really should wait a couple years, but after that display back there and just the mere fact that you’re not a royal pain in the backside anymore,” He added smiling, “I’m going to put you in charge of the 7th. They’re a tough little regiment of fifty men hand chosen by Captain Robertson.”
“I…” Tristan started.
“There’s no discussion.” Kevin cut him off.
“…fine. Damn.” Tristan cursed, then slumped slightly giving up trying to convince his brother he wasn’t ready.
“What?” Kevin asked a little harshly.
“I’m in the bloody army now….” Tristan observed dejectedly.
Kevin’s boisterous laugh cut the tension and the brothers spent the rest of the evening discussing the details of Tristan’s new assignment.
~
The eastern gates creaked slightly as they swung open to reveal the underside of a drawbridge easily twenty feet wide. Tristan sat astride Pava completely filthy and sunburned. The past few days in the saddle had darkened his usually pale skin to a red hue that nearly matched the trim in his armor. The drawbridge began to lower as Kevin sighed next to him.
“Has it been that long?” Tristan asked.
“Almost a month, I didn’t think I would miss this place that much in a month.” He replied.
The drawbridge landed with a thud as it fit perfectly into the cutout in the road leaving almost no gap at all for the wagons to hit. The brothers urged their horses forward.
Riding through Kenting was a completely different experience to Metao, in his father’s capital and in Irudin the shops along the main streets were loaded with fine clothing and jewel shops. Here all of the businesses he could see had a functional purpose that Tristan found instantly reassuring.
The street itself would bend off at an angle leaving no straight parts longer than fifty feet. The windows of the shops had storm shutters on them with large sturdy metal hinges and locks on the inside of the shutters. The doors of all the shops swung outward and had similar hinges on them with large metal plates that could hold a thick post to the doorframe effectively making them impossible to enter once locked up. Looking up Tristan noticed that the roofs had very little pitch to them, being more or less flat with a small crest in the middle. Where the road turned there were large gaps between buildings that looked very difficult to leap.
“This place was built for defense.” Tristan commented.
His brother smiled as he turned to face Tristan, “Being so close to Terum we sometimes find ourselves invaded by their spies, or at times their armies. We’ve yet to lose the city to them, but it’s been close a few times I’m told.”
They rode past a market square that was similar to those in Irudin, only the fountain was much smaller and instead of brilliant gems being used, the entire Dragon King was carved out of limestone which practically glowed in the noon sun. The eyes of Draconis were fashioned out of Atacamite and the roaring mouth had more water issuing forth from it than the great jeweled beast in Irudin.
“I prefer yours.” Tristan commented.
His brother turned his head and nodded at the compliment saying; “I’m not a vain person by nature little brother, most of my things are functional rather than pretty…”
“That’s not true.” Tristan interrupted.
“How so?” Kevin asked with narrowed eyes.
“Everyone who sees your axe has wide eyes.” Tristan replied mimicking the fear often shown in men’s eyes as Kevin lay about with terrible precision, they both laughed.
Kevin ordered the baggage train to make their way to the storage yard while the remaining soldiers on horseback followed the brothers along the winding road up to the keep. The bell began to chime from one of the towers in the castle and Tristan could make out several servants rushing into the marshalling yard in front of the keep to welcome his brother home. A smaller drawbridge lowered over the ten-foot-wide moat to admit the brothers into the grounds of the keep. They cantered their horses to a halt in front of the main entrance and dismounted as porters came over to walk the horses to the stables. Tristan patted Pava as he handed off his reins to a porter. The remaining soldiers followed the porters back to the stables, walking their own mounts.
“KEVIN!” screamed a feminine voice.
Surprised, Tristan spun around from watching the horses being walked away to see a lovely looking woman running down the keep stairs and leap into an embrace with his brother. Tristan wasn’t generally embarrassed by public displays of affection, though he did feel he needed to give them some semblance of privacy. He occupied his time looking around what he could see of the keep. It seemed to be made of a faintly blue stone with wooden frames around the doors and windows. There was no stained glass here, just simple transparent windows framed in wood that could be opened from the middle to admit a cool breeze. It was simple, functional and built to withstand siege…much like everything he associated with his older brother. The woman released herself from Kevin and he turned to introduce her to Tristan.
“Little brother, this is my wife, Alison.” Kevin said.
They made the most unusual pair, Kevin was a large imposing looking man and Alison was a slip of a girl.
She was only slightly larger than Eurydice who was easily ten years her junior. Her open face was welcoming and she had kind eyes. She shocked him as she grabbed a hold of his shoulders and pulled him into a surprisingly tight embrace.
“Oh it’s so nice to finally meet you!” She said happily.
Confused, Tristan looked at his brother who was laughing.
“Don’t worry, you’ve never met. You and Euri were too young to make the trip, only mother and father came to the wedding.” Kevin explained.
Alison looked at her husband, confusion clearly showing on her face as he shook his head no. “I’ll explain later, dear.” He said quietly.
She nodded and took his offered arm, escorting them into the main audience chamber. Tristan followed behind them as they mounted the steps and through a pair of sturdy yet wonderfully crafted wooden doors. Even with windows lining each side of the main chamber it was much dimmer in here than outside. Tristans’ eyes adjusted to the light level and he looked around in awe, war banners and weapons of all kinds were hanging off the walls in the vast hall. The hall was filled with merchants, soldiers and servants as Alison escorted them to the pair of chairs at the front of the hall.
“No rest for the weary?” Kevin chuckled.
“After court you can get some rest,” She reassured him.
“I might even join you…” She cooed, much to Tristan’s embarrassment. “After you bathe of course…” She made a show of turning up her nose, still smiling.
They shared a laugh as those near enough to hear their by-play, smiled. Unsure of where to stand Tristan was directed by a servant to stand next to his brothers’ chair as Kevin sat down. The Master of Ceremonies beat his metal clad staff into the floor three times as the buzzing of conversation abruptly stopped in the hall.
“His Highness Prince Kevin Vallious, Duke of Kenting, General of the Armies of Vallious and heir apparent to the throne, and his Princess, the lady Alison of Sutten!” The man introduced.
Polite applause echoed around the hall as Kevin looked briefly annoyed with the honorific titles while his wife smiled warmly, the picture of two sides of the same coin.
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