Chapter 11: Frank's Discussion Part 2

This noble was tired and frustrated but not at the farmer swept up in the machinations of that terrible twat, Beckle. Tomelein Adder, Lord of Adder County, was exhausted over losing his people during the day’s events.

From his earliest memories of his parents, he had been taught to care for his people as a family. They had many sayings, but the most used still stuck with him,

“Care for your people, and they will care for you…Treat those in your charge with respect if you want to be respected…Replace what you use if you want more of it…Are you still paying attention or considering stealing another piece of Marie’s pie?”

The last wasn’t advice but was often used in his after-dinner lessons. Then, as if summoned by the thought, Marie entered the library bearing a small covered tray.

“Not tonight, Marie. I am not in the mood for dessert.”

Marie ignored the statement and placed the tray on the edge of his desk. She removed the lid revealing a slice of her apple pie he had gotten into trouble thinking about as a boy instead of paying attention to his lessons.

“As you say, my lord. Your mother would remind you that denying happiness doesn’t mean others suffering disappears.”

“And my father would respond that it builds character to be denied every so often.”

“Do I need to remind my lord how she disabused him of that notion? Over less than a fortnite?”

Lord Tom quickly strode to the pie on his desk and plucked the tray up. Taking a bite with the fork on one side of the tray, Lord Tomelein Adder mumbled through a mouthful of pie,

“That will beh all, Marie.”

“As you wish, my Lord.”

The matronly woman swept from the room with a satisfied air that her charge was not skimping on a minor luxury out of some misguided guilt. Lord Tom watched her leave, slowly chewing his tasty morsel.

‘How can she still do that?’

Dismissing the thought, Tom ate the entire piece, careful not to get crumbs on the luxurious carpet. Then, placing the cover back upon the tray, he left the library and exited the manor. Briefly pondering with nostalgia over the immaculately cleaned family heritage stones near the front door, he crossed the lawn along a carefully cultivated path to his captain’s bunkhouse near the barracks.

Dusk had deepened into the almost true dark of night. The lamplight from the window in front of the house showed him that his captain was still at work. He knocked once on the door before opening it and stepping inside. A knife thunked into the door frame next to his head, halting his progress further into the room.

“Damn it, Sergeant Riley! I said not to come to get me until-My LORD! I apologize!”

Captain Lowry had snapped to attention so fast the table covered in various reports had tipped onto its front spilling them across the floor. The lantern lighting the room was thankfully hanging from a ring mount on one wall of the sparsely furnished room.

Tom looked at the quivering knife scant inches from his head. Then, gripping it, he yanked it from the frame and tossed it to his captain. The man looked terrified at what had happened.

“At ease, Captain. Today has been stressful. Maybe don’t throw knives at every person that comes in your door at dusk after an attack on the town…on second thought, keep throwing. I’ll knock longer next time.”

Lord Tom closed the door behind him as he entered the room. Captain Lowry looked chagrined and relieved at not being called up on attempted treason charges.

“I did miss, sir. Maybe I should spend more time on the training field with the men.”

“Missed?”

Lord Tom looked back at the deep gouge the flying knife had made in the door frame.

“I suppose we are both lucky you haven’t. Moving on, how go the after-action reports?”

Lowry scowled, bent to right the table, and started stacking the papers onto it. He grumbled discontentedly at several reports covered with ink from the broken inkwell that had smashed in its fall.

“Frustrating, sir. As usual. I know paperwork runs an army, but I want to burn the heretic that proved it.”

“Fair enough, as long as it gets done. Joclyn gets pissy if we can’t balance the defense budget, and I like to keep all of you paid on time. I came primarily to get your assessment of the day’s events.”

A series of knocks came from the door, followed by a pause, then another set. Tom grinned at his now scowling captain.

“It seems Sergeant Riley is a more cautious man than I.”

Captain Lowry nodded in acknowledgment but offered a little sass before calling for the sergeant to enter,

“A good example to follow…My Lord. Enter!”

Sergeant Riley cautiously opened the door. Not being pelted with anything, he fully entered the room with a stack of paper under one arm and saluted his commanding officer and liege.

“My lord. Sir. I have the full medical reports and damages survey.”

Tom waived at the salute.

“At ease, Sergeant. Drop off your reports and ensure the men are settled in for the night. I assume Captain Lowry has already set the increased watch for the evening.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Sergeant Riley did as commanded with only slight hesitation about where to place the stack of reports amongst the ink-splattered papers on the captain’s desk. Captain Lowry spotted the pause and held out his hand for them with stoic nothing-is-amiss-ignore-everything-you-see-face.

The sergeant wisely did not comment. Snapping another salute to his superiors, the man scurried from the room. Snagging a chair from near the door, Tom brought it to the captain’s desk and sat. Sighing at the large stack of reports now in the captain’s hands, he waved for the man to sit.

“What the hell happened today, Mason?”

Captain Mason Lowry sat, carefully setting the reports for review to a spot on the desk where they wouldn’t be contaminated with the ink splatters among the other reports.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Well, Tom. We got fucked. Oh, we did alright for the most part. We both know to expect losses in a monster migration like that, but we should have had more warning. Beckle’s shenanigans in shifting blame made everything worse, or it’ll look that way to the other noble houses when Beckle sends out his little kingdom updates he likes to send out to make himself look good.”

Tom looked about to speak, but Mason patted the air in a placating gesture,

“I know the luciloos did the best they could, and it was blind luck they even found that poor fellow in time to save him in the first place, but that’s one of the problems. We should have had word long before even that, and the excuse Beckle gave seemed too…unpracticed for the man’s usual machinations.”

Tom’s posture was tense. His family’s misfortunes at the knowet all’s hands were well known to him, but his Captain made a good point. The impromptu scheduling of a random farmer being conscripted seemed incredibly sloppy for a man administering the kingdom’s affairs for the last several decades.

His earlier explanation to Jenkins had implied other counties would be doing the same, but what if this had been a spur-of-the-moment panic move? Tom’s anger at Beckle had blinded him from thinking when it was happening.

Tom voiced his thoughts,

“A distraction from the migration being overlooked? Or did he want it overlooked? Even the other guild masters didn’t question the decision. Brisco should have been thrashing that man within an inch of his life for jeopardizing his precious training schedule unless he knew about the possibility. Damn it. I should have recognized that. None of this makes sense.”

Mason was tapping a finger on the table next to his awaiting reports. He stared at the wall as he mused softly.

“A treasonous man…would assume Beckle wanted that migration to wipe us out.

Tom stiffened. He stood from his chair and walked quickly to the door. Cracking it to ensure no one was outside the door, he closed it, checked the window was shut, and returned to the table his captain was seated at. He leaned close to Mason and whispered.

“Captain Lowry, I am informing you that an implication like that could get any noble in the kingdom hung. I don’t want to think about what the king would have done to you for impugning the honor of one of his highest officials.”

“I am going to face censure, at the least for my words to the man today as it is. I hate him more than I can say, but if we let that rumor fly, it needs to be chained to the knowet-all’s leg with a mountain of evidence large enough to sink him in the cauldron sea. We do not endanger…the…king’s…reputation.”

Captain Lowry looked at the man he had been serving under since his previous Lord and Lady had been thrown to the monsters. Tom was a friend after decades of service and still his lord.

“I’m not concerned for the king’s reputation…my lord. It’s kept well enough by most of the court to be safe. I’m more concerned about that snake Beckle setting up to finish what he started with your family by using this town as kindling to start the fire.”

Tom winced at the harsh paranoid statement.

“Mason, water falls from the sky when it rains. Pointing out to your neighbor that scooping a handful of that water out of the sty to drink is unwise won’t make you friends if half the town thinks it’s cotton candy soup.”

Mason eyed him doubtfully.

“Not one of your best, my lord, but I take the gist. On a different subject, I looked up Johansen’s orders from Purpolis, and it’s what we expected. A note from the local Captain was attached. We can ignore the multiple scathing comments from the bureaucrat that sent him here about “Conduct unbecoming.” He was dating Baron Lickspittle’s daughter, and the good baron took exception to the poor boy’s existence.”

“Will we need to send a portion of his pay to support an…unexpected addition to the baron’s family? I doubt the baron would even notice the amount, and I’m not sure if he would demand it in fear of highlighting a…youthful indiscretion, but one never knows.”

“No, my lord. According to the Captain’s note, she made the advances, but the boy was wise enough not to start that kind of mess, or at least lucky enough to avoid it.”

“Good enough. Since he is so recently arrived from the capitol, send him along with the party escorting Jenkins in the morning. The Luciloos will need to report to the king’s inquisitors on all these events and won’t have time to escort Jenkins or Robby to the guild headquarters. Anything else we haven’t gone over that needs attention?”

“Something else happened today I don’t like…and you won’t like either, my lord.”

Tom started to rub his temples in exasperation.

“Another problem on top of everything else, wonderful, what is it?”

“Marie brought this to my attention, sir. The family sword is missing.”

“What?”

“The sword your father left you? That you used this morning?

“I know what it is, Mason. What do you mean it’s missing? I put it away after the guild masters left. When did Marie bring this up? Why didn’t she say something earlier?”

“She said she was checking the inventory of the manor once the excitement had settled down a bit earlier today, and the sword was not present. She was checking to see if you had turned it into the armory for maintenance or cleaning.”

“I maintain that I wouldn’t have one of the men care for it.”

Mason nodded in agreement,

“That’s what I told her, sir. We did some checking around the barracks, armory, the guard station at the gate, and every room of the manor house. It’s gone, my lord. The rest of your arms and armor are where they should be. I told her I would bring it up with you.”

Tom stared at the guard captain. A few knocks came from the door, followed by a significant pause. Lowry looked at Tom with a cheeky grin. Lord Tom of Red Adder County, master and commander of tens of men, rolled his eyes and called out.

“Enter.”

Marie entered the room carrying a tray of tea and scones balanced perfectly on one hand.

“Good evening, my Lord Adder, Captain Lowry. I have brought a light repast for your meeting.”

Tom and Lowry smiled at that news, from the mightiest of Lords to the lowliest of farmers. Everybody likes snacks. The pie from earlier didn’t count. That had been dessert.

Marie placed the light repast on the table before the pair after Captain Lowry moved his reports to a cabinet on one side of the room. Marie took a stance to the side of the pair, waiting to attend to her lord’s needs during his evening snack time.

“I trust Captain Lowry has briefed you on the current absence of the family arms, my lord?”

Tom carefully finished the scone he was eating and carefully wiped his lips with one of the cloth napkins on the tray. Marie smiled in approval.

“He has, Marie. Thank you. As upsetting as that is, I blame no one in our county for its disappearance. I suspect the scribe I kept seeing earlier today has something to do with its disappearance.”

Captain Lowry chimed in around munching on a scone, much to Marie’s disapproval,

“About that, my lord. I’ve done some asking around. None of the men spotted this man you described. Joclyn, the twit, was very cranky that there seemed to be an unaccounted-for scribe wondering about taking notes. He seems to think the man is a spy for the king doing a confidential evaluation of your expenditures.”

Marie gracefully took the other napkin from the tray and pointedly tucked one edge into the captain’s collar. Lowry, for his part, looked chagrined and took the subtle hint. Wiping his mouth, he listened to Marie’s reply.

“Our illustrious castellan’s paranoia and penchant for a darker outlook on life in general aside, Captain Lowry has the right of it. I have questioned the manor staff and several of the townsfolk as well. No one has seen the man. If he is responsible for the sword’s disappearance, the motivation for the theft is unclear. It was not your signet ring or personal seal, so little mischief could be accomplished with it alone. Unfortunately, I see little recourse in the weapon’s recovery.”

Tom sipped his tea before replying,

“On top of all the events today, its theft is of little consequence. If it is another scheme by our most recent visitor and head administrator of the guild, I cannot see its purpose.

“Reporting it widely would be an embarrassment and accomplish little. If we find the scribe or news of it, we can pursue the matter then. No, I’ll have a new family weapon commissioned. Marie, was mistress Milligan informed of Robby’s impending trip to the capitol?”

“Yes, my lord. I personally saw to it she was informed. Her response was initially colorful, but I did outline the advantages of having a fifth son getting a foot in the door of a career as prestigious as the Luciloo’s. She calmed down quickly after that, but I expect her to be her usual loquacious self in the morning when she brings Robby.”

Tom sighed,

“No more than expected. Gods help that woman if I am ever imprisoned and another Noble with less patience has to deal with her.”

A deity of malicious persuasion takes note as Lord Tom continues hammering out details for his citizens' journey with his most trusted advisors. “Help” is a deliciously open-ended request.