Chapter 2
Dusk of the Old Throne
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“Heavenly master, my refuge and salvation, I need you now in my time of need. Show me the way so I might overcome my obstacles. I plead this of you in your divine presence, o' brightest light. Provide me with your illustrious soul."
- Viscount Destrian, a prayer chanted during the Battle of Zunn
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“Open the gate!” A lone voice broke through the night’s embrace as it barked out orders. The source of the voice was an older man, dressed in dirtied leather attire. Stood to his side were both Elbert and Wyn, who both waited impatiently as the towns-guard slowly opened the entrance.
The gate creaked as it moved, making way for the new arrivals. They draped over their horses in exhaustion as the trained beasts slowly walked on, entering the village.
Baron Wyn looked out over this small band of men. He had recognized from a distance one of them, and now that they were before him, he began to recognize more and more.
Each and every one of these men was a well-trained knight forged in combat and dedicated to the cause. They were the ones who served him and his fort. Why they had come here in such condition, however, was beyond him.
“Elbert, those men are indeed from my regiment, but why have they come, and in such disarray?”
The freshly arrived knights seemed to hold a mellow and gritty expression on their faces as they were covered in dirt and sweat. Their horses practically exhaling from overwork. This wasn’t the condition these knights were prone too, as they would have usually been well maintained and in pristine order.
“Lord Wyn, did anything happen before your departure that would've led to this?” Elbert asked, trying to understand the situation from a more planted position. However, all Wyn could do was slowly shake his head, “No, nothing of the sort. I had left my fort in working order, and these men weren’t instructed to depart until my return.”
“I suppose all we can do is ask them ourselves.”
The two men nodded to each other as they turned toward the staircase that led down the watchtower.
They hastily made their way down the steps as Wyn firmly planted his feet down onto solid ground. As he arrived among the commotion one of his knights took notice of him. The man glanced around, and then back toward the Baron. He began to dismount his horse in a tired motion. The Knight stirred in place, awkwardly shuffling his gear on his back as he impatiently began to walk, his destination being Lord Wyn.
“Stop, don’t move! Only after the Baron orders it can you move even an inch!” One of the knights who had accompanied the Baron on the original journey spoke up, stepping between the two.
To everyone's surprise, however, Wyn arrived next to his knight as he patted him on the shoulder, “I’m sure this sort of treatment isn’t necessary for my own men, now is it?”
He walked on, arriving in front of the exhausted knight. “Hmm… let's see here,” He thought aloud as his eyes scanned the man, “You’re Tobey, aren’t you? A good lad, been at the fort for some years by now. So Tobey, tell me what has caused you all to ride here with such urgency?”
The knight seemed to be caught off guard by his name being suddenly addressed. “M-my Lord…” He stepped forward again, only this time he lowered himself onto one knee, allowing himself to kneel before Wyn. “I have terrible news, my Lord… I and the rest of my men have journeyed for what seemed to be countless days to find you.”
“I’m afraid you were always one step behind us as we traveled,” Wyn explained, “I’ve only just arrived within the village of Almerry this day, only a few hours ago.”
Tobey’s eyes widened as he nodded, “I see, so that’s how it was.”
“So Tobey, you’ve come all this way to tell me something that I imagine couldn’t be left to a pigeon,” Baron Wyn’s face stiffened as he continued, “What has happened back home?”
“I…” Tobey choked up, his face becoming red and emotional. “It’s horrible, my Lord. Only four hours after you had departed, an eagle arrived from the capital.” He hesitated.
“Well? An eagle should mark a royal decree, so what did it contain?”
Tobey looked up, meeting Wyn’s gaze. “My Lord, I’m afraid this message...”
Baron Wyn began to understand the severity of this news and had quickly caught himself before he continued to push. “Elbert, I’m afraid this message must be contained, so as to spare the people from panic. I’m to assume you have somewhere for occasions such as this?” He glanced to his side, shocking Elbert as he was called out.
“Mhm,” Elbert nodded his head and sighed. “I can show you to the tents, they’ve been set up for the festival, but that will have to wait. Please, everyone...” he gestured, “Come with me.”
Baron Wyn, accompanied by all of his knights and several of Elbert’s closest guardsmen followed behind, departing the village entrance as their horses were left alone with the stablehands.
It didn’t take long for them to all arrive within the designated tent. The townsmen waited outside as Elbert was permitted to stay, under Wyn’s personal suggestion. The knights, of course, remained as well.
“So Tobey, what did the eagle's message have for me?”
The knight went into his satchel as he pulled out a loose scroll, placing it on the table that sat in the middle of the room. “My apologies, sir.”
He unfurled the paper as his nose began to crease. With each word, his face showed a different expression, ranging from concern to sorrow.
“This is horrible…” Wyn murmured out as he lifted his face. “Who else knows of this?”
The knight replied, “Only the men who oversee your fort, my Lord. Under Scribe Reave’s instructions, we’ve kept this information from the general population.” He coughed as he continued, “I’m afraid to say that news will spread, sir… we can’t hide this forever, and once it does we'll have widespread panic.”
Elbert spoke up in concern, “Excuse me, I hope I’m not speaking out of line...”
“Ah yes,” Baron Wyn had forgotten about Elbert and the village for a moment as he caught himself. “I suppose you should know of this, as well. You see, a royal decree has arrived from the palace… his majesty, along with his beloved wife…”
Wyn hesitated for a moment.
“They’ve gone to meet God, together.”
“What!” Elbert shouted out in shock. “They’re… d-dead?”
“Please, calm yourself. Yes, his majesty is no longer with us… but that doesn’t mean we’re without hope.” Wyn responded in a calm yet shallow voice. “I hold faith in the royal family. I imagine soon one of the King’s sons will take the mantle.”
The room went silent for a moment as Wyn glanced around, the knight’s faces lowered so as to not meet his gaze. “It’s a terrible fate, but all we can do is maintain the peace and pray for the royal family.”
One of the knights coughed out as his legs shook with exhaustion. He had begun to lose control of his footing. Elbert rushed to the man’s side as he caught him, “Are you alright?”
Wyn watched. “Elbert, I hope this isn’t too much trouble, but it seems these men will need a place to rest while I prepare a letter. Ah, Robyn, you wouldn’t happen to have one of my seals handy?”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
The knight who had accompanied the Baron from the start adjusted his stance as he lowered his head, “Yes sir, shall I assume you'll be needing it?”
“Mhm.” Wyn nodded as another knight pulled a stool over toward the table for him. “I must inform my Scribe that the message has been delivered. Elbert, you wouldn’t happen to have a spare pigeon?’
Elbert shook his head as he shrugged. “I’m not sure about any of that, let me go find out, it will only take a few minutes.”
“Very well,” Wyn replied, “Ah yes, Tobey… go rest with the others, I shall have you called upon come morning, so be ready.”
“As you c-command…” the exhausted Tobey grunted out as he wiped the dirt from his cheek.
It didn’t take long for everyone to move, some having already exited the tent by the time the Baron had started on his message. As he wrote he occasionally bounced ideas off the loyal knight Robyn, who stood by his side. Elsewhere, Tobey and the others rested as the townsfolk went off to prepare the meals and cots for them to sleep on, all the while Elbert searched the village for a trained pigeon that was healthy enough to trust everything to.
Everyone had a job to do, and knowing what the royal message contained, they couldn’t afford to falter in their actions.
Outside the tent, two familiar boys lurked near some shrubbery in an attempt to eavesdrop on whatever they could. They were careful, however, knowing there were limits even for them. They didn’t try and push their luck too far as they kept to a relatively safe distance.
All they really hoped to achieve was to pass the time.
“You hear anything yet?” Troley asked in a mischievously sly voice.
“Shh!” Giles hissed back, his head turned so that his ear aimed toward the tent. Troley shook his head as he watched this, knowing it had no effect on whether or not he could hear anything. “If you didn’t hear anything just tell me, you don’t have to pretend…”
Giles turned to face Troley as he spoke, “Who said anything about pretending? I heard something, alright? Maybe if you stopped talking so much I’d be able to tell you what I heard… but because of you, it was mostly just gibberish.”
“Mostly?” Troley repeated with a smirk.
“Mhm,” Giles began to change his tune, becoming more ornery as he continued. “Something about a royal decree... meaning a message directly from the King, right?”
They thought for a moment as Troley finally quieted down and listened. If Giles could hear that, what else could they pick up? Almost as soon as they started, the tent’s flap opened up as a familiar face stepped out. Elbert was accompanied by a small group of knights as they all wandered off in different directions.
Troley whispered, “What’s up with those guys? Were they here when the Baron first arrived?”
Giles turned to look, and to his shock, there were numerous knights following behind Elbert. Dirt coated their faces and armor, while they carried themselves with a slower pace.
“No, they weren’t here originally,” Giles mentioned, as he had memorized most of the knight’s faces when they first arrived. He was good with faces like that. “Maybe they’re why the festival was prolonged.”
“Either way, we need to get to the bottom of this!” Troley chimed in, his voice carrying itself a bit farther than anticipated. As he spoke, one of the few townsfolk who had remained in the area lifted their head, caught off guard by the sudden sound. He glanced around, trying to find the source.
Troley and Giles ducked their heads beneath the shrubbery as they held in laughter.
Giles whispered, “You idiot… go follow those knights, I’ll keep an eye on mister Elbert. Meet back in the square in one hour, alright?”
They both nodded in acknowledgment as they went their separate ways.
Giles followed Elbert while Troley trailed the exhausted knights.
The knights, unknown to them that they were being followed, wandered over toward the inn which the others were bunked in. There they would find a warm meal and somewhere to rest, at least until morning. They had a long few days ahead of them, that they knew for certain.
Troley lurked between trees and bushes, staying out of sight from the usually well-trained knights. It couldn’t be helped that they had relaxed their guard once they arrived.
They quickly arrived within the tavern. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by a small handful of townsfolk who had been warned ahead of time to prepare them a meal. Something simple, such as a stew would suffice.
“Tobey, come rest over here, will yah? We’ve done all we can, nothing left for us but to wait until morning.” One of the knights spoke up, calling the depressed Tobey over toward their table.
“I suppose so,” Tobey said, “But it’s just not fair. It’s not fair to us, it’s not fair to the royal family… it’s not fair to anyone.”
“Fairness has little to do with it,” The knight expressly said, “The world isn’t fair, it’s up to us as people to keep things fair, but there’s only so far we can go. We’re a sort of… moral compass, if you will. We have to balance our duty with what we find to be fair… too much of one thing and the scale flips.”
“I suppose so, Noah,” Tobey murmured out, “It’s just that I… I signed up to be a knight so I could protect the royal family and their vassals… but when they needed us most, we weren’t around… I couldn’t do anything.”
The knight Noah patted Tobey on the back as he tried to reason with him. “You can still protect the peace here, in Almerry. Also, don't forget you still have a Baron who would very much appreciate your service.”
“Hmph,” Tobey chuckled, “I suppose so.”
“That’s the spirit… and don’t forget we still have the Princes to serve and even the young Princess. We’ll protect the peace out here, so they can mourn without worry. That’s our duty as their protectors. Don’t get so stuck up on the smaller bits and end up forgetting about the bigger picture.”
As they discussed, Troley lurked around outside the tavern, trying his best to listen in from outside the opened window. All he could hear were fragments of their conversation, but it was enough for him to come to the conclusion that something had happened. What it was, though, was beyond him.
Something about the royal family and a bigger picture.
“So something truly has happened…” He whispered to himself as he crouched beneath the window. Thanks to the dark of night he was able to stay out of view, otherwise, he may have found himself spotted by passersby as they prepared to wait out the night.
The festival was prolonged, that was all the townsfolk had been told. Most were satisfied with that explanation, not needing anything more until it was necessary, but Troley certainly did not share their conviction.
“Maybe if I get a little bit closer,” He murmured as he tried prying himself closer to the conversation.
Inside the tavern, the knights continued to chat. Tobey had already undressed most of his heavy armor as he sat in the dining hall, chewing on some hard bread. “Robyn should have more for us tomorrow, I imagine.”
“Right,” The knight Noah nodded his head. “Sir Robyn should have our orders ready by tomorrow, I just hope he doesn’t have us depart back to the fort… don’t think my poor legs could handle it.”
Tobey replied, “True, I didn’t think about that…” as he spoke, another older knight who had happened to overhear them approached their table. The older man calmly explained, “You’re young, Tobes. You leave the politics to our betters and prepare yourself. It wouldn’t be surprising if we have to leave first thing once morning comes.”
“First thing?” Tobey repeated with a hint of misery in his voice.
The older knight chuckled as he said, “Mhm, first thing. It’s not a guarantee, but I wouldn’t bet against it. So get some rest, you’ll probably need it.”
After that, the older knight simply turned away and headed up the short row of stairs. It didn’t take long for the rest of the knights to finish their meals and follow suit, each of them quickly found their own cots as they prepared to sleep through the night.
Growing bored, and quite exhausted himself, Troley had moved on from the tavern window and departed to the village square. Only after the knights had gone to sleep did he remember Giles’ words. “Meet back in the square in one hour.” That was what he was told, yet he had forgotten and missed the deadline.
He wracked his brain as he walked through the silent, dark village roads. Only a faint glow lit the path as torch-posts sat randomly down the street. Their flames burned, but they provided very little warmth.
Troley tucked his arms against his chest as he slowly walked. He yawned, drawing a heavy sigh as his eyes felt weighed down. “Hmm…” He murmured to himself, “I suppose a bit of sleep wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
As he spoke, he turned directions and headed south through the village.
He arrived in front of a small house, a dim light burned from within. He approached the door and twisted it open. “Ah, the festival was going to be so good, too…”
Entering the house, the cold from outside slowly began to fade. The change wasn’t drastic, but it was there.
He entered further inside, leaving behind his heavy clothing at the entrance as he wore only his raggedy linens. He gave another firm stretch as a yawn escaped his mouth.
“Maybe tomorrow… they’ll hold the festival…” His voice started to fade as exhaustion overtook him. His feet dragged as he entered another room. A single torch sat near its window as it flickered away. The village was deafeningly silent.
“I hope there’s a big cake for tomorrow…” He carried himself over to a small cot that sat in the corner of the room. He brought himself to his knees as he crouched next to the bed.
“Well, goodnight mother…” He whispered, his hands held tightly together in a knot as his eyes faded in and out.
He looked around the room for a moment as he climbed into his bed. He was the only one in the room. The only other thing of importance within the room was a single small shrine—if you could even call it that.
That single candle which had sat nearest the window had an old silver necklace wrapped around its small candlestick. Troley looked at the jewelry with a smile as he gave his own version of a prayer, even though it was more of a statement. “I love you... and goodnight… mother…”