She kept staring out the window as she replied, "Something's wrong."
"You suspect a trap from these knights?"
"No, it's not that, I'm sure they're quite devoted to you. No, it's something else. I am troubled by my visions."
"How so?" he asked.
"I was sure that Beverly would survive all this," she turned, casting her arms about the room. "She should be here, right now, helping us plan this. I saw it."
The baron moved over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes. "Beverly's death has greatly pained me, but we cannot undo the past. Perhaps your visions are untrue, or you have somehow misread them. Could it have been a vision of the past?"
"No," implored Albreda, "she was here, talking with you, holding Nature's Fury."
"The hammer? How could that be possible? Aldwin only completed it after Beverly's death."
"How indeed?” Albreda mused aloud.
Three
Queenston
Winter 961/962 MC
Dame Beverly Fitzwilliam, Knight of the Hound, opened her eyes to see the small hut she had slept in, and briefly wondered where her hut-mate, Hayley Chambers, was. The furs on the other sleeping mat lay undisturbed, and it was then she remembered that the ranger had been sent south, on a scouting mission to Kingsford.
The knight let out a deep breath, watching it frost in the cold morning air. All she wanted was to sink farther into the furs that made up her bed, but duty called. She reached out to the pile of clothes beside her and pulled her gambeson under the furs, the better to warm it up before putting it on. The sounds of the camp crept through the thin walls; the snorting of horses and the hammering of iron echoing as the smiths went about their work.
She finally braved the frigid morning and stood, climbing into her clothes as quickly as she could. Looking around, she chose to leave her armour in her hut, but strapped on her sword as she stepped out into daylight.
Queenston had been a camp when they left, yet now it boasted more than two thousand individuals. The bulk of those were from Weldwyn, for King Leofric had sent an army of 'volunteers' to help in the struggle to rid Merceria of the shadow behind the throne. In addition, Princess Anna had promised free land to any farmer willing to make the journey. Now, the large numbers of commoners who had arrived were preparing for the spring thaw as they readied their farms.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a town, though the buildings were cruder than most within the kingdom. She took it all in, relishing in the vitality that the village now held, reminding her of the people back in Bodden.
She made her way eastward, toward Royal Hill, the mound of earth beneath which sat the ancient flame portal. At the exit to the cave, the Dwarves had built the first stone structure, and this had become known as the Manor House, though it was little more than a single room.
Wanting to check in on her horse, she made her way to the pasture. Lightning saw her as soon as she cleared the stable master's hut and trotted over to her, nuzzling affectionately. She was rubbing the great horse's head as she heard a voice call out.
"Bev, good to see you."
She turned to spot Hayley, her horse covered in snow and mud, trotting towards the pasture. "When did you get back?" she asked.
"Early this morning," the ranger replied, "I've been up with the princess."
"I'm on my way up there shortly," said Beverly. "Anything exciting to report?"
"Give me a hand with my horse, will you, and I'll tell you all about it," she said, dismounting.
"You look tired, Hayley."
"Exhausted. It was a long ride, but well worth it. Kingsford is in revolt."
"What makes you say that?"
"I was down there and saw them flying a red flag. I didn't go in, of course. I might have been arrested as a King's Ranger."
"The red flag of rebellion? That hasn't been used in...well, I don't even know the last time it was used."
"The princess is calling everyone together to talk things over. With any luck we'll be able to convince them to join our cause, then we can winter in an actual city."
"Don't be ridiculous, Hayley, we can't all leave Queenston. Besides, the gate is here."
"True enough, I suppose, but I'd certainly like to sample a real ale again. The stuff they brew here is horrid."
"You obviously don't share Gerald's sense of taste."
"How is the general?" asked the ranger. "He had his hands full when I left."
"He still does, I'm afraid. Getting everyone to work together has proven to be challenging. No doubt we'll hear more about it when we get to this meeting."
They hurried about their task and then made their way to the manor, entering to find the room crowded. Many visitors stood around the crude table in the middle of the room. Beverly passed by Arnim, Nikki and Revi to take up her customary place to Anna's left, making sure not to disturb Tempus who lay snoring. The old dog never left the princess's side but could wake in an instant when needed.
Gerald Matheson stood to Anna's right, wearing a serious expression. Hayley took up a position to Revi Bloom's side, their hands touching briefly. It made Beverly long for home and the smith that waited for her, but she chided herself for the weakness and pulled her mind back to the task at hand.
The meeting was rounded out by Herdwin, the Dwarven smith, Kraloch, the Orc shaman, Telethial, leader of the Elves, and Commander Runsan, the leader of the Weldwyn volunteers. Noticeably absent were the Kurathians, but that matter was settled as voices were heard outside. They stepped into the room, led by Commander Lanaka, leader of the mercenary horsemen.
"My apologies, Your Highness," he said as they entered, "but by the beard of Saint Matthew it's cold out there."
Beverly chuckled, as did most of the others. The Kurathians were from a distant shore, and their customs strange, but intriguing.
"Tell me, Lanaka," said Gerald, "is it a long beard?"
The Kurathian broke into a large grin, "Not so much. He kept it trimmed close to his face."
"So he was a civilized saint," he jested.
"Indeed. It is said that of the five saints, he was the holiest."
"So it was not as long as Saxnor's," returned the general.
It was an old game and one they both shared, each trying to outdo the other with tales of their Gods, though Beverly had to remind herself that the Saints were mortals.
"If you two are done bantering," interrupted Anna, "we have business to attend to."
"Of course," said Gerald, "sorry, Highness."
"Now," she continued, "Hayley returned early this morning. Would you like to give an account?"
"Certainly," replied the ranger. "As many of you know, I set out two weeks ago to ride to Kingsford and ascertain the situation there. There was some hope that perhaps the duke might be persuaded to support our cause. What I found, when I arrived, was quite surprising, for they were flying red flags from the battlements."
"Red flags?" said Lanaka. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"In Mercerian culture," explained Anna, "it is the symbol of rebellion. It appears our friend, Lord Somerset, is upset with King Henry."
"Did you get inside?" asked Beverly.
"No, the gates were closed with lookouts on the walls. If they identified me as a King's Ranger, I could have been locked up."
"What do you propose we do?" asked Lanaka.
"We must send a delegation," replied Anna. "If the city can be persuaded to support us, it will be a great benefit. Not only will it give us a solid, defensible base of operations, it will also open up our supply lines from Weldwyn. At the moment, they are sending things to Falford and then they are lugged overland to Queenston. The docks at Kingsford would be much more convenient."
"So we march the army south, in winter?" asked the Kurathian.
"No," said Gerald, "not yet. We'll send a small group to talk to the duke. If he supports us, as I'm hoping he will, we'll make arrangements to march south."
&n
bsp; "So we'll winter in a city?" asked a hopeful Revi.
"Don't get too comfortable, Master Mage," continued Gerald, "I haven't finished. I have plans to take Colbridge before spring arrives."
Voices erupted around the room. "You can't be serious," declared Arnim. "You can't siege a city in the middle of winter, the men would freeze."
The general held up his hand to forestall any further objections. "This is all conjecture at the moment, and we have to gather more information, but I've given this a great deal of thought."
"What do you think of this, Highness?" asked Telethial.
"Gerald has told me his intentions, but we shall speak no more of it for the moment. I gave Gerald and Beverly the task of coming up with a plan to retake Merceria and their strategy is sound. A lot of it depends on the movements of our enemies, of course, but we know the king's army will not march in the snow. If we act quickly, we can gain an advantage before he has time to redeploy his troops."
She gazed around the room to see all faces focused on her. "The first step is to visit Kingsford. I will go there myself, along with a suitable escort, though not at the head of an army. To that end, I'll be taking Gerald, Beverly, Hayley and Revi. Arnim will be in charge here while we're gone. If things go well, we'll return to arrange for the army to be shipped to Kingsford."
"Shipped?" asked Revi.
"Yes, King Leofric has volunteered ships to help us transport troops, when needed."
"Won't the river freeze up?" asked Lanaka.
"No, not till much later in the season. We still have a month or more before that happens."
"So we'd only be looking at a short march to the river," said Herdwin. "I like that."
"Is that how you plan to take Colbridge?" asked Arnim.
"Possibly," Gerald confessed, "but more information would be needed concerning their defences. The walls of Colbridge are said to be in a bad state of disrepair, and we'd need an assessment of their troop complement before we strike. Of course, there's always the hope the city might also be in rebellion, though I suspect that's unlikely."
"Why so?" asked Revi.
"The Duke of Colbridge is a strong supporter of the king," said Anna.
"So much so," added Gerald, "that the duke once sought to marry his son to the princess."
"So an assault it is," said Hayley.
"Let's not get carried away," warned Gerald. "The first step is to visit Kingsford. Once that's done, we can make further arrangements."
"And if Colbridge is too heavily defended?" asked Arnim.
"Don't worry," replied Gerald, "we have a number of plans. We'll adapt as we go."
"That sounds suspiciously like improvising," said Revi.
Gerald smiled, "That will be all for now, please see to your training. We need the troops ready for the coming offensive."
They filed out, save for Anna, Beverly and Gerald. Sophie entered the room bringing food, which she passed around. Tempus opened his eyes at the young maid's approach but promptly went back to sleep.
"How's the training going, Gerald?” asked Anna.
"It's a lot of work," he admitted. "I've got to balance Humans, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, not to mention foreign mercenaries."
"And Trolls," added Anna.
"Yes, those too, though Tog handles them well enough. At least Beverly, here, has a handle on the horsemen."
"Yes," said Beverly. "They're quite good. Not as heavily armoured as knights, but still experienced men and excellent horsemen. They're eager to learn, and I've managed to tame their wilder nature."
"Wilder nature?" asked Anna.
"Yes, they have a tendency to get carried away in battle and ride headlong into danger."
"Not unlike Mercerian knights," added the princess.
"Some knights, yes, but I can break them of that habit. It takes discipline to make them truly effective, and that's made easier by not having to deal with nobles and their sense of entitlement."
"What about the Orcs?" Anna asked her general.
"They've proven to be remarkably easy to train. I have two companies of Orc Spears now, but I never thought they'd take to it. Kraloch seemed to think their individual personalities wouldn't allow it, but that hasn't been my experience."
"In terms of their effectiveness," said Anna, "how would you rate our troops?”
"If we use the volunteers as a baseline," said Gerald, "then I'd say the Orcs are very useful. They have a longer gait than Humans and can move about quite quickly, even in formation. Of course, they're not all armed with spears, I also have some Orcish bow. Their natural strength allows them to use larger bows than the volunteers, though not as effective as the Elves or Dwarves."
"So they can stand in the line of battle?" asked Anna.
"Yes, though they might be better employed on the flanks where their movement advantage can be used if necessary."
"And the Elves?"
"Well, we've seen the effect the Elven bows have in battle, I only wish we had more. Same goes for the Dwarves with their arbalests, though their shorter legs slow them down considerably. We have some Dwarven axemen, or axe-dwarves if you prefer. They're the heaviest armoured troops, bar none. Herdwin tells me Dwarves never retreat."
"It's true," says Anna, "but with good reason. Their slower speed means they could never escape their traditional enemies. Their only option would be to fight to the death or surrender."
"They don't surrender either," said Gerald. "In short, they're solid. They're best suited to any critical defensive position."
"How about the Kurathians?" asked Anna. "They seem quite capable."
"They are," admitted the general. "They're as good as the Weldwyn volunteers and experienced as well, we're lucky to have them. It's the Trolls that still confound me. I haven't managed to figure out how to employ them, yet. Their leader, Tog, seems to know his business, but they're not a warrior race, despite their fearsome reputation. At least the Mastiffs are useful, and their handlers are experienced."
"Yes," said Anna, "I've spent some time with them. Tempus seems to like them."
At the mention of his name, the great dog's head rose, and he let out a bark.
"We were lucky they joined us," said Beverly. "We'll need them when we have to face the king's knights."
"Yes," agreed Gerald, "but I'd like to keep them in reserve. The king's army has never faced them before, so we should use them sparingly. We don't want a repeat of Beverly's tactics."
"Agreed," said Beverly, "but I believe that since then the Kurathian's have been making some changes."
"How would you prevent that from happening again?" asked Anna.
"They've placed some archers among the hounds to keep the enemy at range, at least until they're released. Of course, we can only use them once in a battle. We'll have to be sure to deploy them when they can do the most damage."
"You two seem to have considered every option," said Anna. "You've become quite the tactician, General."
Gerald blushed at the compliment. "Let's not get carried away, they haven't fought together in battle yet."
"I've seen you working with them all in their separate units. How do you think they'll do when you put them all together?"
"We shall have to see. I've organized the army into smaller companies, each led by a commander. It'll lessen the burden of command and allow delegation to senior leaders. Each race will have its own leader, capable of interpreting orders. Of course, the real test will come with battle, but I'm confident in the progress we've made so far."
"You're changing the shape of warfare, Gerald," mused Anna.
"How so?"
"Never before have so many races been united into a single army. Not only that, but delegating control is something that's almost never done. The troops must have confidence in you."
"Why wouldn't they?” queried Beverly. "After all, he's the saviour of Weldwyn."
Gerald blushed again, "I might remind you there were a great many people involved in saving that kingdom, n
ot just me."
"But you led them, General," said Beverly. "That's what made the difference."
Four
Kingsford
Winter 961/962 MC
Gerald looked to the woman beside him. "Nervous?" he asked.
"Very," she replied. "I've never been married before."
"Relax," he soothed, "it's not as bad as it sounds, though if it were my choice, the ceremony wouldn't be performed in the middle of nowhere."
"Better to be wed before we set out," the nervous woman replied. "Where's my future husband?”
"He'll be along shortly," said Gerald. "He is a rather busy man, after all."
They were in a glade, near the outskirts of Queenston. Anna had selected the site for its natural beauty, a choice that Gerald whole-heartedly agreed with. A small stream nearby, trickled as they waited, lending a relaxing air to the ceremony.
He heard a noise, then looked to see Arnim Caster approaching the party, another man following. "It appears he found someone to perform the oath, a Weldwyn volunteer by the looks of him," said Gerald, "though he's likely a follower of Malin."
They came closer, and the man held out his hand. "Greetings," he said, "My name is Carver, Desmond Carver. I see to the volunteer's spiritual needs."
"Strange to see a Holy Father in the army," said Gerald.
"I was a Holy Brother before volunteering," the man replied. "Is this the bride?"
"It is," said Gerald.
"I hope you're not nervous, my dear."
"No," the woman replied. "I've waited a long time for this."
"Then let us begin," said the officiant.
"Do you, Arnim Caster, take Lady Nicole Arendale..."
* * *
His Grace, Lord Avery Somerset, Duke of Kingsford sipped his wine absently. He was staring down at a list of figures, his mind elsewhere, when someone entered the room. He looked up at the intrusion, only to recognize one of his captains standing before him.
Fate of the Crown Page 3
