Kaewyn paced back and forth impatiently. He and Yohren had been waiting for Camilla and General Falke outside the Vinum Command tent for the better half of an hour. With nothing to distract his mind, he found himself cursing several times as the wound on his leg reminded him of his encounter with the assassin several nights ago. The pain was less now than it had been thanks to Athaia’s tonics which the physician encouraged him to take daily. Today’s prepared dosage remained untouched within his tent, however, as the thick, slimy substance was becoming harder and harder for him to take each concurrent day. With the pain in his leg flaring up, he regretted not heeding his court physician’s adamant advice.
Kaewyn had gradually involved himself back into his responsibilities and duties over the past few days while he recovered from the wound and poison. He’d had several meetings with his advisors and the decision had been made to begin the march back home to Greystone Province tomorrow at first light. Word had already gotten out amongst the soldiers. They were excited to be going home and many openly celebrated amidst all of the preparations. Everything had been planned and accounted for, except for the assassin’s identity.
“Milord?” A soldier said peaking his head out from within the tent. “The Lady and General are ready to see you.”
“About time,” Yohren grumbled.
Kaewyn limped inside and saw Camilla and General Falke leaning over some maps and parchments. The pair looked up and smiled when he and Yohren made themselves known with a friendly greeting.
“My apologies for having kept you waiting for so long Lord Kaewyn.” General Falke explained with a polite bow of the head. “With Lord Rhys still not yet recovered, all of the responsibility and burden of command falls to us.” The general smiled warmly. “I am sure you understand with your own recovery to worry about.”
“How is Rhys?” Kaewyn asked. “He has been bedridden for some time now.”
“He falls in and out of consciousness which is a better sign than if he remained quiet and still.” Camilla said quietly. “But Athaia tells me there is still no guarantee he will recover, though the odds are in his favour.”
“And his mind?” Kaewyn asked. “Is he…”
“We have not managed to get anything out of him of significance so there is no proper way to tell as of yet.” General Falke explained. “The healers and your Court Physician believe he will have a better chance of recovering once he is back within Varde Castle where it is warm and safe. To that end, we have learned the Greystone Army is planning to march home soon?”
“Yes, at dawn tomorrow.” He confirmed. “We have been away from home for so long that I can hardly believe we are going back.”
“I am sure the people of Greystone will rejoice to see their lord return,” Camilla added warmly.
Kaewyn smiled sadly back at her “My only wish…”
Is that you were coming with me, he continued in the privacy of his mind.
“…is that we discover the identity of this assassin.” He continued aloud, clearing his throat. “You said you had something to share?”
“I do.” Camilla said. “I did not get the chance the night of the attack, but once everything had settled down, I asked to see the assassin once more.”
“To what end?” He asked.
“It was dark that night, but I remembered what little I saw of the man’s face to be somewhat familiar to me.” She explained. “I could not say why or how this was the case, but I had this inescapable feeling that I did recognise him. And so, I asked to see the body.”
“The fact that you have called me here means that you did recognise him, I suppose?”
Camilla nodded her head. “Rhys sent out a call to arms to the entirety of Vinum Province to repel the barbarian invasion. As you know, many men answered that call and the ranks of the Vinum army swelled with new recruits. I recognised the assassin as one of these recruits.”
“A vinum soldier?” Yohren questioned. “If I’m remembering properly, wasn’t the assassin clad in a vinum soldier’s kit?”
“He was.” Camilla confirmed. “But I wanted to ensure my memory was not playing tricks on me, so I confirmed it before sending word to you. You remember Edgren?”
“Your new retainer.” He said with a smile. “I remember him well.”
“Well, I asked him to have a look at the assassin’s body as well.” She explained. “He was there too you see. When I first recognised the man who turned out to be the assassin, I was speaking to the recruits in my efforts to find a champion to represent our soldiers in a contest against your own men, Kaewyn.”
“Ahh, that contest.” He said. “General Alaric mentioned something about you owing him some wine from a wager you made with him.”
“So, you recognise the assassin as one of your own soldiers? This doesn’t look good for Vinum.” Yohren added. “To have one of their own attempting to assassinate Kaewyn in his sleep?”
“Come now.” General Falke said in disbelief. “You do not believe he was ordered to have Lord Edderfield murdered? This assassin used our desperation for soldiers to pose as a recruit to infiltrate our camp. No one would have paid him any mind. With the barbarians coming, we would have accepted anyone resembling an able-bodied man willing to fight for us.”
“I agree, General.” Kaewyn said. “And that means there may be more of them.”
“Unlikely, but possible.” General Falke explained. “If there were more than one then surely they would have coordinated on the night of the attempt. Still, better not to let our guard down now. Especially now that we know someone has marked you and possibly others for death. Let us not forget that Lady Camilla was also in danger.”
“Yes… but I do not believe anyone knew I was going to be there… in Kaewyn’s tent.” She added shyly. “No, I believe Kaewyn was the sole target, which is why I hope you are taking the necessary precautions against another attempt.”
“So, to summarise, we still do not know the identity of the assassin, nor his employer,” Kaewyn said with a frustrated sigh.
“I am afraid not, my lord.” General Falke added. “It could be any number of people. With your reputation and deeds, well suffice it to say, you have stepped on a great many toes.”
“Indeed. I will have to discuss this later with my advisors. But I thank you for the information. Knowing how this assassin came to infiltrate our camp is useful to know, but without more details, I am not certain we will ever discover who gave the assassin his orders.” Kaewyn said. “If you have nothing more to share, I should return to my tent. There is much to prepare before the march tomorrow and I find that my leg has begun to discomfort me yet again.”
“Before you depart,” Camilla hastily interjected. “A word, in private?”
Kaewyn nodded his head and waited as General Falke and Yohren cleared the tent and went outside. The moment they were gone, Camilla walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“I am sorry I did not come to see you sooner.” She said warmly as she squeezed him.
“Camilla, in light of recent happenings, I have come to believe your decision to remain in Varde Castle may be the wiser option.” He said with a sad smile. “You would be in incredible danger being with me.”
“And yet, I still desire it to be so.” She replied without hesitation. “If that were the only reason for my staying here then I would not spare it another thought. Actually, I would feel more at ease knowing I was there with you, despite the danger. Ohnix knows I’ll be worrying about you every day we remain apart.”
“I am sure I have many sleepless nights ahead of me worrying about you too.” He said as he kissed her forehead gently. “Write to me. As often as your quill will allow. I want to know everything, even the mundane details others would be sure to find completely uninteresting.”
“I will. I promise I will.”
Kaewyn held Camilla in his arms for several minutes. He was unwilling to let go of her knowing that when he left the tent, he was unlikely to see her again for a very long time. His heart ached with the thought of being parted from her for such a great time, but he knew there was little he could do other than enjoy their last moments together. When eventually the couple did pull away from each other, they looked at each other with wet, tearful eyes and expressed their love and affection for each other through a final meeting of lips.
“Luck be with you, my love.” Camilla said with a smile.
Kaewyn nodded his head and returned her smile. “And with you as well. I love you, Camilla.”
With their goodbyes said, Kaewyn left the tent and signalled for Yohren to follow him. He moved quickly with long strides and turned his head such that his retainer could not see his reddened eyes nor the tears upon his cheek. Walking away from the woman he loved was more difficult for him, he realised then, that it had been to rush into battle against the barbarians.
***
The Greystone army marched at first, Eastward and along the Emperor’s Way. The Ralerai followed closely behind but their pace was considerably slower than Kaewyn’s soldiers. Over half of their considerable number were women and children as well as the elderly, and it was they who were burdened with hauling all of the Ralerai’s supplies and earthly possessions. Their combined pace has been relatively slow since leaving the fort and the Vinum army behind, but General Alaric and Arlan were not displeased. They had suffered many wounded and a slower pace was deemed to be beneficial to those who could only ride or walk so far any given day, Kaewyn himself included.
He rode in a carriage as he had done as a child when he was too young to ride a horse on his own. It was comfortable and warm inside and he had an excellent view of the Vinum countryside as they travelled from out of his window. When he grew tired, he pulled shut the wooden slider and blocked the view, and the light, from coming inside. The wound on his leg was getting better, but Athaia still counselled him to refrain from riding on horseback. Her advice was getting more and more difficult for him to heed each time he looked out of the window and saw Yohren leading his newest mount alongside the carriage, the grey and white horse he had received as a gift from Renlai, the Chieftain of the Ralerai.
The first day of marching came and went without incident, but early on in the second just after the sun had begun to rise, Kaewyn made a decision. He unwrapped himself from his warm furs and banged on the carriage door several times until they stopped. His window was drawn open from the outside and a nervous-looking soldier asked him what he wanted. Rather than explain, Kaewyn pushed open the door and half limped out of the carriage and stumbled onto the ground. His pride and dignity damaged, he then asked briskly for his horse to be brought to him. The soldiers only hesitated for the briefest of moments before acquiescing to his command, but when Yohren arrived on horseback with Kaewyn’s horse being led behind, he looked at his lord with a face of concern. He repeated Athaia’s stern warning about not riding but Kaewyn was having none of it. He’d been wanting to ride his new horse ever since he had laid eyes upon the beautiful creature and despite the pain pulsing in his leg, he was determined to ride at least once during the journey back home. Yohren apparently knew better than to argue and led the animal toward Kaewyn, who then approached the horse and prepared to mount. The horse, however, had other ideas.
The animal skipped sideways and nearly caused an unexpectant Yohren to fall out of the saddle. Yohren used to be a poor example of a rider, but he had grown in confidence and skill and was now a competent horseman. All the more reason Kaewyn was surprised to see him nearly lose control of the animal despite having hold of the lead rope. He told his retainer to drop the rope lest he be pulled from the saddle and tried again.
The horse didn’t appear nervous or overly excited to warrant such erratic behaviour. Being cautious, Kaewyn approached the horse again only for the animal to turn itself to face him head-on. He looked for all of the signs that the horse was afraid. He looked for widened eyes, flared nostrils or the grinding of teeth, but he saw none of these things. In fact, he suddenly became acutely aware that the animal was staring at him, calmly, peacefully, but staring nonetheless. He tried to approach the animal’s side in an attempt to mount but again, the horse sidestepped and kept him firmly in front and near the head. Puzzled, Kaewyn instead approached the horse from the front. He spoke to the animal with a soft, reassuring voice and reached out to touch him. To his delight, the animal moved forward and sniffed at him, first his hand and then his face and chest. After a minute or two of him petting and speaking to the animal, the horse then let out a snort and flicked his tail. Seemingly satisfied with his inspection of its new owner, the horse then turned his body sideways and stopped moving. Kaewyn waited a moment, only to see the horse turn its head and look at him impatiently as if to say Come on! Kaewyn chuckled and approached for the fourth time, but now the horse remained perfectly still. It seemed as though the animal was not going to allow just anybody to ride him without being properly checked out beforehand.
Now atop his as-of-yet-unnamed horse, Kaewyn felt a rush of exhilaration as he spurred the animal forward. Yohren rode beside him and kept pace as they followed the road eastward at a leisurely trot. The army continued its march but it wasn’t long before Kaewyn decided to ride at a canter and then into a full gallop. The animal was about as fast as he expected and was similar to all of the other horses he had ridden. Even though it was slightly smaller than he was used to, he could feel the power of its legs as it galloped onward. Soon, with Yohren still keeping pace beside him, the two riders left the column of marching soldiers behind. It was a liberating feeling to be out of the carriage. The price of some renewed pain in his leg was a small one considering how much the ride had already lifted his spirits.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Up ahead, the first signs of a village began to appear on the horizon. Fields marked by fences and lonely houses erected on either side of the road came into view. Cattle and other domestic animals such as pigs, chickens and sheep were penned in and Kaewyn saw people tending to them with buckets of feed. Rather than slow his pace, Kaewyn decided to continue going at full speed toward the village centre despite Yohren’s protests and soon enough, the houses and buildings became denser.
The village of Galmistead. Kaewyn said to himself. Home to the kind people who donated supplies to us before Rhys confiscated it back for his own forces before the Siege of Taneby.
When they arrived at the muddy crossroads that served as Galmistead’s town centre, a small crowd of villagers had started to gather and look at them with great interest. Kaewyn turned and laughed, teasing Yohren about losing the race. His retainer shook his head and denied that it was a race at all. Kaewyn had only been jesting, but he did notice that Yohren’s horse was panting and showed all the signs of fatigue, but his own mount hadn’t even begun to breathe hard. In fact, the animal seemed primed and ready to continue galloping on. He found that he had to actively rein in the excited animal by calming him with a soft touch and a whisper.
The worried villagers surrounded him and began to incessantly ask about the barbarian invasion. It seemed news had not yet reached the village of Galmistead, so Kaewyn allayed their fears and told them that the battle had been won. The villagers let out a cheer and started to celebrate. It was then that a familiar face appeared from within the crowd of cheering villagers. The old man with the sagging face whom Kaewyn remembered was the village elder of Galmistead. It had been a long time since they had passed through Galmistead the last time, and back then they were supposed to meet Rhys and then march into Oscua together to prevent another invasion. Suddenly, Kaewyn felt terribly tired remembering that it had been so long since he had been home.
The elder welcomed him eagerly and sang his praises as the saviour of the village for the second time. Kaewyn waved off the old man’s praise, but he could not deny that the gesture warmed his heart. He and Yohren then dismounted their horses and joined in the celebrations amongst the rowdy villagers and it wasn’t long before they were ushered inside one of the larger buildings and served drinks. Every few seconds, a new face would approach him and thank him or try to tell him their story of hardship. His head began to spin with all the loud noise and constant talking in his ear.
Suddenly, he heard Yohren let out a ferocious shout which startled everyone to silence. Kaewyn turned to see Yohren standing behind him protectively with his sword levelled at a man on the ground. A mug of what smelt like a strong ale had fallen to the floor and the contents emptied into a small puddle.
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Yohren stammered nervously. “I thought…”
Kaewyn immediately apologised to the man as several other villagers helped him to his feet, but the jovial mood of the villagers had been crushed. He suspected that all the man had done was lift up a mug and offer it in celebration, but Yohren’s guilt regarding the attempt on his life had put him on edge against any potential threats. It was difficult to bring himself to scold Yohren for merely looking out for his safety, so instead, he cautioned his retainer with a gentle word and explained to the village elder who had come to see what the commotion was about that the battle had set them on edge. The elder was a wise man and nodded his head knowingly, using his own words to calm the situation down and restore some of the lost joviality. Before long, it was as if the incident never occurred. Kaewyn and Yohren however, took their leave of the crowded building and headed back outside to the horses.
“You were avoiding me the last time we were in Galmistead.” He said aloud as they wandered over to the horses. “Do you remember? Seems like such a long time ago now.”
“I remember,” Yohren replied with a sigh. “I was helping Lady Camilla remain hidden with the outriders. Another thing I regret. Another reminder of my failures.”
“Failures? You have not failed Yohren.”
“I was dishonest with you when I should have just told you the truth,” Yohren explained. “But it’s more than that Kaewyn. I also let my history with the barbarians come between us, and even worse, I let the assassin almost kill you. If not for one of those I supposedly hated, you would have died. That’s on me.”
“Maybe you are right, but I do not think it is as simple as you make it seem. I know your heart has always been in the right place and I know you would never willingly put me in harm’s way. So please, try to be less hard on yourself.”
“You have given me so much and I have had so many chances…” Yohren said as he petted his horse. “From here on out, I am going to do better.”
“What about Renlai and the Ralerai?”
“…Whatever I thought I felt before, he saved you. And his people took a great risk in turning on Prince Odabek to fight with us against him, so…”
“So?”
“I suppose I will give them a chance.”
“What about everything with your mother?” He asked. “That cannot have been easy for you to hear.”
“It wasn’t. But it is the truth, isn’t it?” Yohren said thoughtfully. “I just don’t understand why my father never told me.”
“Our fathers seem to have that in common. It is no wonder they were once good friends.”
“But your father never kept such secrets from you, did he?”
“Perhaps not quite as big as yours did, but Rahim and I never learned of all the adventures he had with your father. He never told us much about those days. Nor did we ever know he was such an adamant worshipper of Ohnix until after he died.” Kaewyn said as he fingered the token around his neck with a smile. “I miss him dearly.”
“It must have been nice having a brother.” Yohren hesitated. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Be careful how you speak on that particular matter, Yohren,” Kaewyn warned not unkindly. “You are among the few who know that in truth, he is my cousin and not my brother. If he discovered that I have told you, he may see it as a betrayal on my part.”
“Isn’t he the one who has betrayed you?” Yohren asked. “What I mean to say is that the last we heard of him he was crossing the fjord with an army. To fight the woman lord with the horned helmet.”
“You mean Eliya Elentide? Yes, yes I suppose that was a betrayal. The Elentide are our allies now, and we will certainly need them to fight Lord Valehran in the Heartlands. I had hoped to finally return to Greystone Province and rest for a while, but perhaps I have been naïve. We have had no news on whether Rahim has started yet another war for us to fight and with an ally no less. I believe we will find out once we arrive at Xu Castle.”
“I’m sorry for reminding you,” Yohren said. “You seemed so happy riding your new horse. Have you thought of a name for him yet?”
“Ahh… no.” He said awkwardly. “I have never been one to name my horses. And every one of them I have grown close to has met a grizzly or unfortunate end.”
Yohren looked at him in disbelief.
“I suppose I cannot just leave it there, can I?” Kaewyn chuckled and then sighed. “Very well. The pony I learned to ride on as a boy had a tendency to veer into fences or low-hanging branches. I swear the thing acted deliberately and more than once I came off the pony both bruised and battered. One day though, the pony disappeared from the stables and when I asked my father where it had gone, he wouldn’t acknowledge the animal ever existed.”
“What happened to it?” Yohren asked.
Kaewyn shrugged. “Then there was the first horse I ever owned. I loved that horse. He was as brown as oak and absolutely massive to behold. I thought I was unstoppable on his back and challenged my brother to a race. Rahim was a much better rider than I was back then and he easily outpaced us, so I got frustrated and spurred my big horse onwards rather recklessly. I took a shortcut and we tried to jump over a cut stump, but the poor horse misjudged. He ended up lame and I spent a week in bed recovering.”
Kaewyn scratched his chin in thought. “What else… oh, there was also a time when Rahim borrowed a horse of mine only for me to never see it again. Apparently, it wasn’t responsive to his commands as it was to mine and almost got him skewered in a practice joust during some mounted training. Luckily, he was unhurt, but the horse… didn’t fare so well.”
“Okay, now I am starting to worry for the new horse.” Yohren said.
“Do not forget there was also the horse I was riding during our hunting trip, the one where we were captured by Garren and his men? Do you recall?”
Yohren nodded. “Athaia told us they sold our horses to a dishonest merchant. I wonder where they are now?”
“Hopefully they were not bought for meat and are happily ploughing some farmer’s fields.” He paused. “And that brings us to my most recent horse. That one lasted a while, all things considered. The meeting with Eliya Elentide, the ambush at Taneby forest as well as the siege. But that horse met its end during the battle with the barbarians. I have been without one since, until now that is.”
Yohren shook his head and scratched the back of his head in disbelief.
“Huh, I really do seem to have bad luck with my horses thinking back on it,” Kaewyn said awkwardly.
“It’s not you that has the bad luck Kaewyn,” Yohren interjected. “It’s the poor horses that end up with you as their rider.”
‘Heh, you may be right.” He chuckled nervously. “Well, let us hope that this one proves different.”
“I hope so. No telling how this Renlai will act if you get his gift killed, maimed, sold or otherwise have him disappear on you.” Yohren warned. “Maybe naming him will break this curse of sorts?”
Kaewyn made his way to the front of the unnamed horse and scratched its neck. The animal enjoyed the attention and leaned its head affectionately against his chest as he continued to pet him.
“A name, then. Got any suggestions?” He whispered to the animal. “Something inspired by history perhaps? Or something regal?”
The horse eyed him patiently, even expectedly as he continued to think of a potential name for him. He suggested out loud a few names inspired by history, not really feeling any of them to be a good fit for the animal, but when he mentioned the name of an ancient king’s horse, the animal swished his tail and snorted excitedly.
“You like the name Kelphi, do you? It was the name of a horse ridden by one of the Kings who fought the Founding Emperor.” He explained. “Kelphi was rumoured to have had a coat of blinding white, …and you’re mostly grey but you have a bit of white on you too so that fits I suppose.”
The horse flicked his tail and lifted his head proudly in response.
“I like it.” Yohren said. “Looks as though he does too.”
“The thing is, Yohren, the Kelphi from history is famous for a reason.” He said. “When the Founding Emperor and this particular King met to discuss peace terms, they were locked in discussion for hours. Once they had agreed to acceptable terms for peace, those being that the king would give up his crown and be a king no longer, he found that his horse would no longer bear him.”
“What do you mean? Did he grow too fat to ride in those few hours of discussion?” Yohren joked.
Kaewyn chuckled. “Not quite. Apparently, Kelphi simply refused to be mounted by him. The king, or former king now I suppose, did his utmost to mount Kelphi but to no avail. He even went so far as to have his entire retinue hold the animal still, but even when they physically forced Kelphi to remain still for the former king to mount him, the moment they released him, he tossed and thrashed until the former king was thrown from the saddle. It was an embarrassing scene for the former king to be humiliated in such a way in front of the Founding Emperor to whom he had just submitted, and the shame of it has been remembered into the present day. The emperor was recorded to have remarked that Kelphi was a proud horse that was not fit for any man to ride but he who was distinguished and proud himself. The former king must have given up his pride when he gave up his title, and thus Kelphi refused to be ridden by him ever again.”
“Didn’t you have some trouble mounting this one at first?” Yohren said with a chuckle. “Perhaps he is Kelphi reborn!”
“Maybe he is,” Kaewyn said, before turning to look the animal in the eyes. “Does that mean you would desert me if I lost my land and title, hmm?”
“Don’t worry Kaewyn,” Yohren exclaimed as he climbed onto his horse. “Even if you end up a beggar with not a single coin to your name, I will stay by your side.”
“…I was talking to the horse, Yohren. But I thank you nonetheless.”
“Don’t be rude,” Yohren said, but before Kaewyn could interject, he continued. “You should call him by his name now. He is not the horse.”
The animal stomped its foot as if in support of Yohren’s statement and then looked at him and snorted.
“All right, all right,” He chuckled. “I suppose we have a name for him. Kelphi. Nice to meet you Kelphi.”
“He’s a horse, Kaewyn. Why are you greeting him like some civil official at court?”
“I don’t know,” Kaewyn replied awkwardly. “I have never named a horse before. It felt like the proper thing to do. Have you got a name for your horse?”
“Well, I haven’t known this one for very long. He was one of the horses General Falke’s cavalry needed during the battle but his rider was killed.” Yohren explained as he leant down to pet his horse. “A name will come to me, eventually.”
At that moment, a group of three young villagers nervously approached them. Kaewyn guessed that the oldest of them was no older than fifteen years, a girl with golden hair. The other two were boys, their faces showing worry and apprehension. Their faces were also dirty and their hands calloused from months or even years of hard work. He realised that these young villagers were certainly not idlers or vagrants living off Galmistead’s goodwill. They worked for a living.
The youths asked about the barbarian invasion and if there was any news of the men who had gone to fight from Galmistead. Regretfully, he had no information to give them. Any man recruited or volunteering to fight hailing from Galmistead would serve Vinum Province, not Greystone Province, as Galmistead was technically under the rule of Lord Rhys.
He apologised to the youths and felt a pang of guilt for not being able to help them. However, their faces lit up when he told them that the Greystone army was arriving in Galmistead soon and that perhaps someone would be able to help them., however unlikely their chances may be. Undeterred, the youths thanked him and continued to ask about the details of the war. Even though the last thing he felt like discussing at the moment was the battle, he decided to indulge the youths and spent the next half hour regaling them with tales of the allied forces’ bravery against the invaders. Yohren also chimed in occasionally with his own perspective on the battle much to the delight of the youths who enthusiastically hung on their every word. Kaewyn earnestly tried to paint an accurate picture of the horrors of war, but they seemed more interested in glory and heroic deeds than the truth. The youth’s excitement peaked when they spotted the Greystone banners approaching Galmistead from the road to the west and they quickly rushed off to spread the word of their arrival throughout the village.
Kaewyn and Yohren waited in the centre of Galmistead as the first soldiers started to stream down the main road of the village. The village elder and almost the entirety of the village stood on the sides of the road and celebrated their arrival. Elderly folk smiled with their wrinkled faces as the youth of the village ran up and down the roads alongside the marching soldiers. Other folk waved to the street from their windows. The soldiers were gracious, though tired after the battle and a long day of marching, but many forced smiles and waved back to the villagers much to their delight. Overall, the mood was jovial and celebratory, but that quickly changed when the first of the Ralerai approached the village.
The smiles and cheers of the villagers disappeared and Galmistead fell almost silent. The villagers eyed the Ralerai suspiciously and whispered amongst themselves. Some of them even went as far as to outright point at them while others were more subtle and only mumbled. The Ralerai, to their credit, simply smiled and kept to themselves as they rode by. The villager’s reaction to the Ralerai got him thinking about how his own people would act when they returned home. He was worried now that the people of Greystone Province would see the Ralerai as invaders and plunderers, rather than the allies turned refugee that they were. He could only hope that once word got out about what the Ralerai had done during the battle, his people would come to accept them as he had done. At least, he hoped they would. Even Yohren, one of his closest friends struggled with the idea of accepting the Ralerai.
It wasn’t long before Kaewyn spotted Marcus, Arlan and General Alaric riding together amidst the marching army and when they saw him in the middle of Galmistead and not in his carriage recovering, they shook their heads. Kaewyn knew he was in for a scolding.
The last of the army reached Galmistead just after midday. It was then decided that they would stop and rest, make camp just outside the village, and continue the march home the next day. Some soldiers and villagers held celebrations that lasted well into the night, sharing in both drink and song. Kaewyn noticed, however, that the Ralerai remained separate and amongst their own, whether by choice or exclusion he did not know.
Before retiring for the night, he sought out Renlai and thanked him for his gift. When he told the Chieftain of the Ralerai that he had named the horse Kelphi, he was told through Sir Darius’ translation, that the Ralerai did not name their horses. When he asked why, Renlai explained that it was not out of a lack of affection for the great animals, but rather out of a belief that they did not have the right to name horses and that only the spirits knew their names. The Ralerai believed that if a horse wanted you to know its name, it would find a way to tell you. Kaewyn was then worried that he had offended Renlai by naming his gift, but Sir Darius must have picked up on his feeling and explained that since Kelphi was a gift to him, the animal was now his to do with as he pleased and that no offence had been given. Relieved, he thanked the Chieftain again and then made for his comfy carriage to sleep.
By the time he stumbled into his sleeping furs, his leg was throbbing with pain. He’d had an active day and expected to be paying for it but it was hurting more than he thought it would. He fumbled around in the dark for the vial of medicine Athaia had given him to drink whenever the pain was getting unbearable and then closed his eyes to sleep. As the pain subsided, his mind drifted away from the day’s events and he began to think of home. Xu Castle’s great hall and his chambers came into view and suddenly he felt relaxed and peaceful. There was no other place he would rather be in all the world. But no matter how much he yearned to be home, something, or rather someone, was missing.