by C. E. Swain
Menimeth talked to the regent for a short time when they arrived at the castle, but he decided to wait until after, the ceremony, to talk to Borlund about the banquet. The changes that were coming to the empire, did not affect him as much as it did the other regents, but he would still be required to attend.
"Find us some rooms at the nearest inn." Menimeth said to his friends as they reached the garrison.
"The best inn in the city of Venteno is the Wayward Traveler, lad." Donderan said. "We will wait for you in the tavern, I know the proprietor from years past, and he will treat us well."
"Then I will see you there as soon as I am finished talking to Borlund." Menimeth replied, before joining the regent.
The friends followed Donderan and Brylen to the inn, and after paying for several rooms for the night, found themselves beside the fireplace drinking a mug of ale.
"Well master dwarf, it seems you cannot get enough of my hospitality." The proprietor said, as he approached the table the men were seated at. "And you brought friends with you I see."
"That I did, lad. That I did." Donderan replied, as he greeted the tavern owner. "But we are just humble patrons, enjoying a mug or two."
"Then welcome to The Wayward Traveler." The proprietor said. "My name is Traver, and any friend of Donderan's, is a friend of mine."
"Thank you for your kindness, Sir." Litlorn said, in the flowing speech of the elves. "You are an honorable man, and an excellent host."
"Thank you for the kind words." The innkeeper replied with a smile. "But you know that fancy Elvin tongue of yours does not affect me master Litlorn. Though you get better at it each time I see you."
"You can't blame an elf for trying." Litlorn said, and the two began to laugh.
The men talked of the past, and of the adventures they had shared in the innkeeper's youth, and did not notice Menimeth, as he joined them at the table. It was Traver that noticed the dragon rider, sitting in the once empty chair against the wall, and he looked at the dwarf, and elf, with a questioning look.
"Are there any more warriors in your group, that have not arrived?" Traver asked the dwarf. "Protectors of the king are always welcome here."
"And what of the king?" Menimeth asked. "Is he also welcome here?"
"I doubt if the king will be coming into my establishment." Traver replied. "But yes, we would be honored to serve the king."
"And what would you serve him?" Menimeth asked with a smile.
"Anything he desires." Traver replied. "As long as we have it in stock, of course."
"He would settle for a mug of ale, if you don't mind." Menimeth said. "Or two."
"And he sent you here to retrieve it?" Traver asked, confused by the warriors remark.
"No, lad." Donderan said. "He is the king."
"Of the empire?" The innkeeper asked, with a look of shock on his face.
"Yes, of the empire." Litlorn replied. "But we will not tell, if you don't."
"Oh, my. The king here, what am I to do." Traver exclaimed. "Oh, my."
"A mug of ale will do." Menimeth said. "And more of your tales to pass the time."
"You are bound to find out sooner or later, but the king does not act like a king." Litlorn said. "And he most definitely does not like to be treated like one."
"But he does like his ale, Lad." Donderan said. "And I could use one as well."
"Then we shall have to supply you with one." Traver replied, and disappeared in the direction of the bar.
It was not until the next day that the ceremony was held for Hobie, and he was placed in the tomb of his ancestors. He was dressed in the colors of the northern realm, but he also wore the cloak of the empire, and the purple sash as well. The ceremony for Hobie was the grandest of all of the ceremonies held for the fallen warriors of the realms, and Danorathin bellowed loudly when the tomb was resealed, to mark the passing of a hero of the empire. It was an honor that Borlund would remember for the rest of his life, and brought a smile to his face whenever Hobie's name was mentioned.
Later that day, Menimeth talked to the regent of the northern realm, far longer than his friends expected, and it was late before he returned to the tavern. Most of his friends had gone to their rooms for the night, and only Litlorn and Donderan remained in the tavern. The men talked for a while longer, before retiring to their rooms for the night.
The next day, they began the journey back to the Dragon Tower, and the city they had been gone from for so long. It was the banquet to come, which held the attention of the travelers, and the topic of most of the conversation along the way. All of the men knew the war had just begun, and that the empire was still in danger, but for now they would celebrate the victory at Argnon.
Chapter Forty
Menimeth sat in the Sword and Dragon with a steaming mug of Blackbeer, and thought about the events of the last two years. The day he had discovered the old road far to the west, he did not even know if people still lived in the lands he was entering. Within a few months, he had found his dragon, and become the king of the empire. He did not want to be the king, but as Danorathin had told him, the choice was not his to make.
He had friends that he could trust here, which he had not really had in the White Kingdoms, and a boy of remarkable talents, which he thought of as a son. Captain Brandt had been his only real friend for as long as he could remember, and a few of the people he had saved from outlaws, but he had spent most of his time since the death of his family, alone. It was not until he had given in to the feeling that he had felt for so long, and had begun his journey east, that he was finally able to bring his murdered family peace. By leaving the hunt for Chidren behind, he was set on a path that would bring him new friends, and which would eventually bring his enemy to him.
Litlorn entered the tavern soon after the gray of the early morning began to show in the east, drawn to the tavern by the aroma of the freshly brewed Blackbeer. And as he entered, he greeted his friend.
"I hope the morning finds you well, Dragon Lord." He said with a smile.
"Do not let the others hear you talk like that." Menimeth said, as he looked around the room. "They will all start calling my sire, and your majesty, and who knows what else. They may even start bowing."
"And we would not want that to happen, would we?" Litlorn said smiling.
"No we would not." Menimeth replied with a grin. "It is just annoying."
"Have you seen your commanders lately?" Litlorn asked. "They have not been in the Sword and Dragon in several days."
"I had Falendor bring the families of all three of our commanders with him when he came to Glansford." Menimeth told his friend. "Feran is with his wife, and I believe Javen is with Chrisanna, but Kyler and Dralessa have been together since she arrived with her brother."
"It appears that we will have an event or two, after the banquet." Litlorn said with a smile. "For I do not believe Chrisanna will be returning to Argnon with her father."
"I suspect that Dralessa will not be returning to Grimmen with her brother, as well." Menimeth replied. "She will stay with Kyler I think."
"I have noticed that Valiny and Dranella have been inseparable since he arrived." Litlorn said. "But from what I have been hearing, they have been seeing each other often these last few months."
"Yes, I expected it after the council of regents." Menimeth said. "When they could not take their eyes off of each other."
"That will unite the eastern and southern realms, and make it easier for the two realms to work together." Litlorn said. "That will help when the war is at our door."
"I agree." Menimeth said. "I just hope we have the time we need to prepare for it."
"But there is another threat that will come from the far south, if what I have heard is true." Litlorn said. "And a dark elf was slain in the empire."
"It is true." Menimeth replied. "But what threat do we face from the far south?"
"If a dark elf was here, it can only be to fulfill a contract." Litlorn said. "And if the dark elf faile
d to complete his task before he died, the Temple of Darkness will not stop until the contract is completed."
"Then we will have to keep an eye on the south." Menimeth said. "And you will have to tell me more about this Temple of Darkness, but not today. Today is for celebrating the victory in the west, and for rewarding the men who fought in the battle."
"And what of the changes to the empire?" Litlorn asked. "When will you announce them?"
"Tomorrow I will call a council of regents." Menimeth informed the elf. "But I will talk with some of the people that will be affected the most at the banquet, later today."
"Like Falendor, and the three commanders." Litlorn said.
"As well as Semeon." Menimeth replied. "But it is Brylen who will end up with the hardest job."
"That is because he does all of your work for you." Litlorn said with his usual smile. "But you have come up with a good plan to avoid most of it anyway."
"I thought it was very clever." Menimeth replied. "And it allows the people to decide their own fate."
"And you, the time you need to prepare for Arnoran." Litlorn said.
"That is my plan." Menimeth said. "But you know as well as I, that plans do not always work out the way you want them to."
"True, but sometimes they do." Litlorn replied. "And at least it will allow you to keep an eye on the south."
The sun had risen above the trees while the men talked, and the morning light streamed in through the open windows at the end of the tavern, crawling slowly across the floor as the sun rose higher in the sky. The sounds of the morning grew louder as the day grew older, and men began to find their way into the tavern for their morning Blackbeer. People arrived from everywhere in anticipation of the banquet, and it did not take long for the inns to become filled in both Glansford and Corlindum.
Menimeth and Litlorn were about to leave, when a man entered the tavern in a dark and travel-stained cloak, with the hood pulled down where his face could not be seen. He looked around the room slowly, and when he saw the dragon rider, turned and walked up to the table.
"You said you would find me here, but I did not expect to see you so soon." The man said, as he removed the hood, and sat in the chair across from Menimeth.
"I see you made it to Glansford." Menimeth said to the man. "Have you been here long?"
"No." The man said. "I have just arrived, and came to the tavern as you said."
"You will be staying in the Dragon Tower for now, and we will talk after the banquet." Menimeth said, "Just tell them your name when you reach the castle, and they will show you to your rooms."
"They know my name?" The man asked, surprised. "What kind of a spy can I be, if everyone knows who I am?"
"As far as they know, you are just a friend who stays in the castle when you are here." Menimeth replied. "Expect to attend the banquet, and expect to sit at to main table. I will have cloths sent to you for the occasion."
"Me, at the main table, with all of the prince's?" The man asked, shocked at the thought of being seen by everyone at the banquet.
"Yes, if you are seen as someone of importance to the empire, you will be able to move freely throughout the realms." Menimeth said. "And talk with people that you would not have had any access to, otherwise."
"What do I tell them when they ask me why I am there?" The man asked. "If I cannot reveal my real reason to them."
"Tell them you are looking for the best horses for your breeding farm." Menimeth replied. "Or for the best land in which to build it on."
"Is there anything else?" The man asked.
"Yes, this is Litlorn, and if I am not here, he is the one you will report to." Menimeth said. "He is the heir to the throne of the largest of the Elvin kingdoms, and he is trusted above all others."
"Who was he?" Litlorn asked, when the man had gone.
"That is Fagerin, and he will be gathering information for me," Menimeth replied. "But only for a short time. He will be breeding horses for the empire when his job is done, and I intend to allow him to use Donner."
"You have been making plans." Litlorn said. "I did not see that one coming."
"Chance encounters have produced more results for the empire than you know." Menimeth said. "Though not all of the encounters that have helped the empire were as unexpected as they appeared."
"That is a very cryptic statement." Litlorn said "But I understand more than you know."
"Yes, you are the son of Loren." Menimeth said. "He knows things, long before they happen, and I suspect he has played a large part in the encounters that I have had, along the way."
"You are most likely right." Litlorn said. "But even my father can do only so much."
"And we must do the rest." Menimeth said.
The cities of Glansford and Corlindum were bustling with activity, as the preparations for the banquet began that morning. Wagons came and went from the Dragon Tower as the day progressed, and the smell from the kitchens filled the air, adding to the growing excitement of the people who would attend the banquet.
Menimeth had many tables set up outside the banquet hall, to allow all of the people to share in the feast when the banquet began. Even though the hall that they used for the banquet was larger than any in the empire, it would not hold all of the people that had flooded to Glansford to attend. Plans had been made to entertain them, and to make them feel that they were part of the celebration, along with small gifts for each one. They would not be totally separated from the banquet hall however, since the many doors that led to the large courtyard just outside the hall, would be opened throughout the night. The closest tables to the open doors of the hall, had all of their seats reserved for those of standing that did not have a personal invitation from the Dragon Tower, and anyone who was not on the list used at the gate was allowed to sit at any of the tables farther back.
The courtyard was a place where the dragon riders of old could land their dragons when the hall was used, and it was large enough to hold many dragons. Now, however, it was covered with tables and chairs, along with the many casks of different wines, ales, and meads, that the guests would consume, set to one side. The doors to the kitchens were at the end of the courtyard where the interior of the castle began, while the entrance to the courtyard was through the western gate. Even those that would be allowed into the banquet hall had to enter through the western gate, and all of the people in the courtyard would be able to watch them as they entered.
Only the people who had a personal invitation from the Dragon Tower were allowed inside the hall for the banquet, because of the limited space available for people other than those that would be rewarded by the king. The regents and their families and all of Menimeth's closest friends, as well as those that were special guests of the king, were to be seated at the main table, which was placed higher than all of the others so they could be seen by all of the people at the banquet. All of the seats at the tables set up in the banquet hall, had the names of the people who would sit in them, placed on the table in front of the chair. The people of higher standing in the empire, were placed closest to the king's table, and those of the lowest standing were placed in the back.
Feran, Kyler, and Javen, had given Menimeth the lists of the men, who they believed, should be rewarded for their bravery and prowess in the battle. After reading the lists several times the night before, Menimeth decided who would be advanced in rank, and who would receive land and riches.
When all of the preparations for the banquet were complete, and everything was in place, it was well passed midday. Many of the workers who helped in the preparations for the banquet, departed the castle when their tasks were complete, and there were fewer and fewer people as the day progressed. As the last of the workers departed the Dragon Tower and the banquet hall, Menimeth opened the west gate, and allowed the people to begin entering.
By the time the first of the people to be allowed into the hall had begun to arrive, almost all of the tables in the courtyard were full. People were talking to one
another and watching the gate, as the men and women with invitations were escorted into the banquet hall, and to their tables. Slowly the hall began to fill as well, and it was not long before the regents and their families began to arrive. The people began to talk a little louder when Chrisanna arrived with Javen instead of her father, and even more when Dralessa arrived escorted by Kyler, but when Valiny arrived with Dranella, the excitement in the courtyard was electric.
As the last of the regents and their families were escorted to their seats, and all of the special guests of the king had arrived, Menimeth and Danorathin landed at the back of the courtyard. Once he had dropped from his friends back, the great bronze dragon vaulted into the air, and landed above the gate looking down on the courtyard. The people of the banquet watched in silence as he walked across the courtyard, and stopped at the doors of the banquet hall.
