Twenty Four – Forgiveness Part Three
Duncan, who has grown enormously in his role as an engineer, is always so busy that he doesn’t manage to keep informed about what is happening in the fort. The repairs consume all his attention. Here a piece of the wall needs to be repaired, there a new roof needs to be made or the doors need to be replaced. Not to mention all the floors and other minor jobs that still need to be done.
From all the hard work, the former clerk has grown enormously. Where he recently looked like a young stocky bookworm, he has now become a young stocky man, on who you can clearly see the arm muscles. Especially now that he often walks in a shirt without sleeves because otherwise they get in the way. All in all, he has acquired a healthy color and looks much more confident.
Currently, Duncan is mainly occupied with the stairs that go to the top of the wall. Several of the steps are broken or loose. This creates dangerous situations. For example, yesterday someone fell down when a piece of the staircase broke off. With those heavy harnesses, there is quite a bit of weight on them, so they have to be very sturdy. Fortunately, the soldier had no worse injury than a sprained ankle and a large bruise on his buttocks, but if he had fallen further down, it could have been much worse.
But while he is busy mortaring a staircase step, he is suddenly introduced to the Empress! With no idea how she ended up here, he manages to stammer a welcome before apologizing. Fleeing, he resolves to ask a few soldiers how the Empress got here. However, even before Duncan can do this, the Empress has already left the fort.
The afternoon after the empress arrives, half the soldiers leave to accompany her to the town of Aran. The soldiers who have stayed behind tell him that there should be no more attacks, and that the Empress herself will be responsible for the New Legion. This respite comes as a gift from heaven for Duncan. Now he can take his time to do the repairs of the fort properly. His first task is to finish the canteen. He would have preferred to repair the bathhouse first, but given the damage, it makes more sense to finish the canteen. This building only needs to get a new roof and the bathhouse has to be rebuilt almost from scratch.
The squad assigned to him today is led by Soldier Lenn.
"If you can bring over the poles that we put behind the building, I will tell the staff inside that they have to take everything out of the canteen," Duncan tells the soldier. When he nods, Duncan walks in. The cook is not happy that he has to leave.
"I'm just preparing dinner, do this another time!" he shouts at Duncan, after which he replies:
"Sorry chef, if I start working while you're still here, we'll all be eating grit in the food tonight. So please go outside with your stuff, and we'll make sure that tonight the roof is finished enough that you won't be bothered by us anymore."
The cook is still not happy, but grumps while he does he is asked. Within half an hour, the entire kitchen is vacated and the first work on the dining room is already being carried out.
Duncan, meanwhile, has started making concrete to repair the walls of the building. It should take him a bit more than two hours to repair the entire building including the dining room and then another hour before it has hardened far enough that the poles can be inserted into the holes. Meanwhile, his squad of soldiers is busy smashing and sweeping away the old weakened concrete.
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Three hours later, the first poles are inserted into the walls. In the middle, these are supported by pillars made from the trunks of mature trees. These have been debarked before they were laid to dry. Where the poles connect to the pillars, there are holes where they can slide in. Outside the building, the poles also protrude about half a meter outwards. This allows the roof to protrude just slightly so that no leaks occur.
As soon as all this is all set, the crossbeams can be placed and fastened perpendicular. By the time dinner is ready, this skeleton of the roof stands over the entire building. Of course, the cook is not satisfied with this, because the cooking area still does not have a roof. But himself Duncan is very happy.
"Sorry chef, but it turned out that it wasn’t feasible to finish one part and not the rest. The entire roof must be done in one go, otherwise the whole thing will collapse again in no time. Tomorrow we will start with your part and work towards the front. Within a few days you will be rid of us."
"A few days!" exclaims the cook indignantly. "You said it would be ready tonight, not a few days! It's getting worse and worse."
"Chill out, chef, tomorrow at noon the roof will be finished at your side. Those few extra days are for finishing up. Apart from some noise, I don't think that should bother you that much."
"Yes, probably." Grumbling, the cook walks away from Duncan.
By the time Sergeant Raidon returns from Aran, the roof of the canteen is ready. At the edge, the gutter is still being finished, so that the water can be collected. But that does not alter the fact that the roof itself is completely finished.
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All in all, it takes two days to arrive at the town of Aran. They are seen from afar by the guards on the walls and when they arrive at the gates, those are closed. Once there, the soldiers of the New Legion remain in a tight formation. Raidon steps forward and shouts that the gates must be opened.
"Open the gate! We are on our way to the garrison!" he shouts up.
"Absolutely not!" comes the answer from above. A little later, a captain appears on the wall.
"You are deserters! Put your weapons on the ground and go sit next to the road! Then we will lead you away in no time!" he shouts to the New Legion.
This is too much for the Empress, which is why she and her escort also step forward. Together with Captain Cervik, she looks at the captain of the garrison. Captain Cervik shouts to the other captain to come down immediately.
"Do you know who this lady is?" he asks. The other captain has never seen the Empress and therefore does not recognize her. Captain Cervik shouts angrily:
"As commander of the imperial guard, in the company of Her Majesty Empress Alyena, I demand that you immediately open the doors of this overgrown chicken coop!"
The captain on the wall pales. Maybe the situation is not as he had judged it to be. Still the gate does not open. However, the captain does shout down:
"The gate can only be opened on the orders of our commander. You will have to wait for him to come."
A little later, the gate slowly opens. Immediately, dozens of warriors run out of the gate and surround the soldiers. Raidon has his soldiers form a circle around the Empress and her guards. A little later it seems as if the entire garrison is surrounding them, then an officer steps forward. The same game starts again that they have to lay down their weapons. Empress Alyena is now really fed up. She passes between the soldiers and walks towards the officer.
"You! I've seen you at court. Do you recognize your own empress now?" she snarls at him. The officer steps from the furious woman. His incredulous look shows that he does indeed recognize her. Alyena still isn't finished. She scolds the officer to within an inch of his life and it doesn't take long before he surrenders and sends the garrison back inside.
The first platoon and the imperial entourage are escorted to the garrison. There the Empress speaks to all the warriors of the garrison.
"The New Legion has been found innocent. As of this moment, all charges have been dropped and they are no longer listed as deserters. This order can only be revoked by an order signed by me personally. Furthermore, from now on they are under my personal command and no longer under the command of the regular army."
An hour later, Raidon and the first platoon leave the city. Empress Alyena has promised that as soon as she is back at the palace she will give new orders for the New Legion. Until then, they can continue to finish the fort. The fort is now the headquarters of the legion and will be named Fort Alpha.