September 11th, 948

Riverside Forest - East Viemen

Late Evening

The streets of Viemen were empty and silent, as even the usual pilferer or ne’er-do-well was nowhere to be found. From the street view, the town was indeed empty; and a view from the sky would reveal the same. But far to the west, just beneath the cover of a thin forest strip set beside the river, the townsfolk gathered. Hundreds of makeshift tents had been erected beneath the trees for the evacuees to settle into.

In a particular clearing, where several peasant families had set up their campsites at random, a commotion was brewing between two men.

A burly older man stomped his boot on the ground, putting out a small flame that had just begun to burn.

“I thought I told you to put that out!”

A younger man stood up and shoved him away.

“Oi! Back off! That’s my kindlin’!”

“You gonna get us all killed!” the burly man shouted as he shoved the other man back. “They said no fire!”

“We is freezing! My wife’s just had a baby and she ain’t made for the cold!”

“So give ‘er some blankets.”

“Don’t you tell me what to do with my family, you got that!?”

“Enough, the both of you! If you keep at it, the guards’ll come!”

Just then a stirring was heard amongst the adjacent campsites. The two men looked around worriedly but saw no guards approach them. Instead, they traced the noise to a location a few yards off. Dozens of people could be seen moving towards the source of the commotion, and so the two men set aside their frustration for curiosity. Together, they jogged over with the others to see what was the matter.

Beneath the largest oak tree, in a clearing that sat closest to Viemen, there stood a grouping of Rothwell’s Militia and several soldiers from the Royal Omnirian Army. The two men looked worriedly at each other and merged into the crowd that was gathering in both number and fervor…

“What news of the town!?”

“Is my house burnt!?”

“Where is the damned thing!?”

“Is it dead!?”

“When can we go home!?”

One of Rothwell’s Militia men, a captain, stepped up onto a wooden crate and raised his hands to the crowd.

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“I’ve got news! If you lot will settle down already!”

The clamor settled into a low murmur as the citizens awaited the captain’s information.

He cleared his throat a few times before beginning.

“Sir Perry and the others are working to fortify the town!”

“And what of the beast!” a man called.

“There has been no sighting of the dragon—”

“No sighting today!? No sighting yesterday!?”

“What are we here for!” a woman called.

“The threat of the dragon is real!” the captain called out, “You are here for your own safety!”

“Safety my arse!”

“Freeze to death or burn to death!? What kinda choice is that!?”

“An’ what about our lumber!? An’ our metals!? Where is our pay for that!?”

The captain sighed deeply.

“That is all for now!” he shouted back at them. “Go back to your tents!”

The captain waved his hands dismissively as people muttered curses and misgivings to those around them.

“We can’t keep this up forever,” the captain said as he plopped down onto the crate.

“Well you had better find a way,” advised a familiar voice.

Ma Mileena stepped through the clearing crowd and addressed the men as she continued. “You boys need to keep these people here while Perry’s lot finish their business in town.”

“Ma,” the captain started, “It’s too cold for you out here, go find a tent, will you?” He stood up to steer her away from them but she retaliated with a stern slap to his hand.

“Don’t you be focused on me, Charlie. I’ve been around the camp. I hear what they are sayin’…”

The men looked worriedly at each other. Ma saw this and understood.

“Aye, then you know as well as I do. Give ‘em something to do, give ‘em a good speech, but you got to give ‘em something. I don’t know if they’ll last another night.”

“If those idiots want to go back there and get gobbled up, they can go right ahead!”

Ma put her hands on her hips.

The other men shifted their weight. One young militia man scraped his boot in the mud a few times before mustering up the courage to speak.

“Captain…we are sure, right? About the dragon, I mean.”

Captain Charlie turned with a wild eye toward the young man who flinched.

“I swear you all are idiots like I’ve never seen!”

“Well come on captain!” another one added, “I’s spoken to everyone about it. It ain’t never been no dragon in these parts for as long as anyone can remember.”

Captain Charlie wanted to argue, but before the faces of his doubtful underlings he had little else to say to convince them.

“You doubt it too, don’t you Charlie?” Ma asked quietly.

Charlie leaned against the nearby tree and shrugged his shoulders.

“I know them soldiers came sayin’ it. And I know that Sir Perry believes it…but come on, Ma, ‘ave you ever heard of it? One of those things— here?”

“No, Charlie, I ‘aven’t.”

“Then—”

“Then nothing!” she snapped. “I don’t need to have seen one to know its here. Those soldiers that came here from Eadenfros? That’s fear, Charlie. Real fear. I trust that. An’ even if I didn’t, I trust Perry. Don’t you?”

Charlie folded his arms and furrowed his brow. The other men remained silent as well.

“When has that man ever done anything but look out for this town? Hmm?”

Their silence was all she needed to prove her point.

“I’ll do what can to calm their nerves, but I am letting you boys know…be ready for a fight.”