The Rondari Commonwealth: Record of Thaddeus Northwood
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Chapter 4: Homeward Bound
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After Thaddeus and his father arrived at the stables, the stable hands were directed to prepare their party’s horses. He stayed at the stables to prepare his own horse while his father made his way to the nearby tavern to retrieve the rest of their group.
He entered the stable and walked up to Ash, his beautiful gray courser, and stroked the sides of her neck.
“Sorry, girl. You couldn’t come inside with me. You know that,” he said when she seemed to be ignoring him, turning her head as if annoyed.
His father often joked that Ash had the attitude of a Restonian – easy to displease and prideful to the extreme. Thaddeus liked to think his father was right. Ash was a Restonian bred courser, after all.
Horses were known to have attitudes, but no one back home in Northwood had ever met any animal with an attitude as pronounced as Ash’s. Thankfully, her personality also included a deep affection for him.
She could be very temperamental, especially around strangers, which was why Thaddeus usually readied her himself. She had once kicked an unfamiliar stable hand with such force, he had feared for the poor boy’s life. He was lucky the kick had only caused some bruising and a broken arm.
He knew she would be unhappy about being cooped up in the Academy’s small stable while he had been at his interview. Back home, the stables were much more spacious and had access to a large paddock where she could run around and expend her youthful energy. In addition to the cramped stables here at the Academy, she had been around unfamiliar people, further adding to her agitation.
Maybe he could find out if there were other stables on Academy lands where he could board Ash. He would hate to leave her in such a confined space throughout his four years of training.
If the Academy didn’t have anything more suitable, he’d go so far as to check the nearby villages for a stable she’d be comfortable in. If she was this annoyed after barely an hour, he didn’t want to think about what she’d be like leaving her here for days on end.
He had hoped being around his father’s horse and the horses of the rest of their party would help, seeing as she was familiar with all of them. It seemed it hadn’t, given Ash’s attitude.
“We’re leaving any minute now. You’ll be able to run as much as you want, okay?”
He moved his hand to her forehead, scratching just the way she liked it. After a bit more soothing, she relented, giving a neigh as she nuzzled into Thaddeus’ hand.
“There’s a good girl,” he said in a gentle tone, stroking her white mane.
After giving her plenty of attention, he proceeded to strap his saddle and check her hooves. He had reset her shoes just before leaving home, but it couldn’t hurt to make sure they were still in good condition.
Just as he was finishing her final preparations for the journey home, his father returned with the captain of the guards who had accompanied them from Northwood.
The guard captain was in his mid-twenties. His short, wavy dark hair and smooth face made him look even younger than he was. The man may very well be the youngest person in his position in the entire North, if not the entire Commonwealth. But, Thaddeus knew the man’s title was well deserved.
Behind his youthful visage and easygoing demeanor was an ever-vigilant gaze and a skill at arms that rivaled more than a few knights. His father had once said that the man was likely the most talented swordsman in the whole of the Northern Territories. Furthermore, the man was a natural leader and held the respect of nearly all his fellow guardsmen.
“Is Princess Ash ready, my Lord?” the man asked, a wide grin on his face.
Thaddeus shot him an annoyed look. While heir to the lordship of Northwood, he technically wasn’t a lord. But, it was proper for a commoner, such as the captain, to address any son or daughter of nobility as lords and ladies. Seeing as he and the captain spent a good amount of time in each other’s company and were rather friendly, Thaddeus had asked him to just call him by his given name.
The man never did.
“Yes, Captain Burke, Ash is ready,” he replied, not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his tone, much to the captain’s amusement.
The man turned to the half dozen guards who had followed from the tavern. “Mount up, boys. We’re heading home!” he said to some cheer.
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Thaddeus spent the beginning of the journey exercising Ash, who had an incredible amount of energy. He’d run her ahead of the group, followed by one or two of the guards for his protection. Then, he’d run her back to the rest of the party.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
This went on for about an hour until Ash seemed to be satisfied, at which point they rejoined the column of Northwood riders.
The rest of the horses seemed content to go at a normal travel pace. Thus, his father spent much of the start of the trip talking with the guards.
Normally, Thaddeus would be doing the same, as he enjoyed speaking with them. The guards, most of them ex-soldiers, always had interesting stories to tell.
This time, though, he kept to himself. He didn’t want any of them to worry, his mind still conflicted over his interview. Amongst other things.
He made it through the remainder of the day keeping mostly to himself. The few times he did talk to any of the guards, they didn’t seem to notice his mood. Or, if they did, they didn’t comment on it.
It wasn’t until late morning the next day when his father rode up beside him.
He didn’t say anything at first, likely deciding how to address Thaddeus’ mood. When he did speak, it thankfully wasn’t about his mental state.
“For someone who dislikes proper etiquette, you did well with the Seltens and Kleins.”
“Why would I not act like a proper little heir?” Thaddeus said with a bit of sarcasm, a true grin on his face. It was always fun joking with his father, bad mood or not.
His father chuckled, shaking his head. “That was an unexpected meeting between nobility. Normally, you have advance notice of any such meetings. I’m just proud of you, is all.”
“I’m not a ten-year old boy any longer, father. Besides, it’s not like I would do anything to embarrass you,” he said, his grin growing larger. “At least not on purpose.”
They both laughed at that, a comfortable silence taking place of the conversation for a few moments.
“I know how much the etiquette of the nobility annoys you. I was the same way when I was your age.”
This was a surprise to Thaddeus. He had a hard time imagining his father as anything other than Lord Northwood, Duke of the Northern Territory.
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m sure I caused my own father to go gray a few years early,” his father said with another laugh.
“But just as you are now, I was the heir to Northwood. Even though it seemed so tedious and unimportant, I tried my best to act with proper etiquette. Eventually it came so easily, it wasn’t even a hassle anymore.”
“You will one day lead this family, this house, these lands, and everyone and everything in the Northern Territories. While it may be tiresome, proper etiquette is traditional of the nobility, and tradition is important to them.”
“I know, father,” Thaddeus said in a serious tone before gaining a smirk. “I promise to do my best to be a good little heir. But if I end up punching some arrogant lord-to-be, I apologize in advance.”
His father just sighed, but couldn’t hide the slight smirk from Thaddeus as they came to the crest of a hill. After a bit more conversation, his father rode ahead to speak to Captain Burke at the front of the column.
Thaddeus rode alone, the nearest guards having a conversation a few horse-lengths behind him. The amusement of joking with his father began to fade as the source of his mood resurfaced in his mind. He couldn’t help but think of what had happened at the interview. It still didn’t make sense; the words of his father and the proctors felt hollow for some reason.
He continued thinking it over as Ash guided him along.
“Thaddeus…”
Shaking his head, he looked to see his father was once again riding alongside him. Hadn’t he just gone to speak with Captain Burke?
“Yes, father?”
“You were far away again, son, with that troubled look,” he said with a hint of concern.
“Sorry, father. My thoughts travelled.”
“As they often do these days. What’s on your mind this time?”
Thaddeus remained silent for a moment, observing the scenery. He must have really spaced out, for he hadn’t even realized they’d made it to the Cerulean River, hours away from where they’d camped for the night.
“I was thinking of the interview…”
“About your fire magic, you mean?”
“Yes,” he said after another brief silence.
“I just don’t understand, father. I don’t understand why you say it’s so special or why the proctors thought it was worthy of a recommendation for the Moon program.”
His father had a contemplative look on his face before saying, “I’m quite adept at most magics, but my strongest is my earth magic.”
“Really? The ‘Northern Bulwark’ is good with earth magic?” Thaddeus joked, referring to his father’s nickname from when he was a commander in the Commonwealth’s military.
His father chuckled, saying, “My point is, as good as I am with earth magic, I was in my twenties by the time I could control it to the level you control your fire magic. And even that took an incredible amount of concentration. It still does. But you, Ted - you do it with an ease I’ve only ever seen a handful of times.”
Thaddeus didn’t say anything, thinking over his father’s words. Was he really that far ahead?
“That’s why you want to join the Moon program. You want to train your other abilities to the point where your fire magic isn’t needed. You hate that your strongest magic is the same that took your brother from us.”
Thaddeus felt the color drain from his face as he turned to look at his father. He was sure his eyes were as wide as a deer’s at that moment.
“Lord Northwood!”
Turning to the shout, Thaddeus saw Captain Burke rushing toward them with a look of urgency clear upon his face.
“What is it, Captain?”
“An attack ahead,” the captain announced as he reached them. “Some of the boys rode ahead and found a caravan in shambles.”
“Bandits?” Thaddeus asked with a hint of nervousness, his conversation with his father forgotten.
His father thought for a moment, before shaking his head. “Bandits don’t operate in these regions, Thaddeus. I’m not saying it’s an impossibility, but there hasn’t been bandit activity east of the Great Gorge since before your birth.”
Thaddeus didn’t say anything more as they picked up the pace, crossing the bridge that spanned the wide river. As they followed Captain Burke toward the attack, his sense of unease continued to grow.
It was only a few minutes later when they arrived. Thaddeus felt bile rise in his throat at the sight of the ravaged caravan ahead of them. He’d seen people with grave injuries from animal attacks or accidents. He’d seen death before.
He’d even seen his father execute criminals on a handful of occasions. This, though, was death and destruction on a scale Thaddeus was having trouble comprehending.
There were at least fifty carts and carriages broken – many of them smoldering from being set alite. What stood out to him the most, though, was the lack of noise. He figured they would hear crying or moaning from the survivors, but they were met with silence instead. He didn’t know how many were in the caravan, but everyone he could see was on the ground, unmoving.
As he composed himself, he turned to his father whose jaw was clenched, a hard glint in his eyes.
“If not bandits, who could have done this?”
“Or what…” his father whispered before dismounting his horse.