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I could hear the concern in Viconia’s voice even though it was just as cold as it normally was and I shook my head. "No. I should be alright. I’ll... I’ll catch up with you both later but I think we need to get some more eyes and ears out and about." |
Alexi caught my meaning immediately and while his accustomed smile was present it was hollow. "Understood." |
Giving little more than a brief nod to the two of them, I turned and began making my way through the tents towards the stables and the horse yards. Internally I was still seething from the Duke and his cronies but I was now feeling the consuming dread and anticipation making itself felt. Falid’s words was not a threat... |
At that moment there was little more that I could do than stomp my way through the dust and gravel, casting my gaze over the dozens of horses secured in their makeshift pens and the men and mer seeing to them in search for the individual that I sought. Caleb wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but he was obvious enough once I... |
In the days since the Duke’s arrival the stables had been the only other building than the priory house itself to receive any attention from the labourers. The sheer quality and value of the Duke and his entourage’s horses demanded it and in the space of single day the last portions of the roof and walls were complete... |
Caleb was there, moving slowly along the outside of one of the stalls where he had led out its enormous occupant. The destrier and in turn its rider was unknown to me but the silky nature of its hide, along with the enormous coiling muscles made it obvious that it was one of the many newcomer’s steeds. |
"Good morning Commander." He said as he caught sight of me, lifting his gaze for a moment as he inspected the warhorse’s flanks. "Uh. I mean sir." |
I waved off his nervousness and his habit of calling me commander from the weeks before the Duke’s arrival. "Good morning." |
Other than ourselves, the stables were empty of everyone but horses and judging by the states of them I could understand why. Normally the servants of the Knights and those who specialised in the care of the horses spent the mornings and afternoons seeing to them and it showed. Every single one of the enormous animals... |
"Keeping yourself busy I see." |
"I try my best sir." |
"You can relax a little you know." |
He paused for a moment, giving a poor attempt of a relaxed smile as he lightly tapped the horse he was inspecting on the knee. The highly trained animal was standing calmly and not moving, but it lifted its leg obediently to allow Caleb to inspect a hoof. |
"Sorry." Despite his nervousness, he showed none of it in his actions with the horse that outweighed both of us five or six times over. Like many of the other Bretonnic steeds, the destrier was enormous and bred for war. "It’s taking a bit to get used to it all." |
"That’s part of the reason why I came looking for you. I’m interested in seeing how you are coping." |
Running a finger over the hoof and inspecting the steel horseshoe nailed into it, he seemed content and repeated his actions with the opposite leg. Again the horse obediently lifted its other leg as he repeated the same inspection. |
"I’m not entirely sure how I am going anymore." He said after some time. "Every day I wake up wondering whether everything that has occurred is nothing more than feverish dreams and yet every day I find myself here... in this place." |
"You wish to be back home?" |
His laugh was muted and sad. "I don’t have a home. Never really have had one either I’m to going to be honest. Look, I know what and why you have come to see me and I appreciate everything that you and the others have done for me. But, my purpose here, the reason you all brought me here no longer exists." |
"Meaning wielding the relics?" |
I could see his nod and the way that he kept his eyes adverted from me at all times, even as he moved to the horse’s rear legs and continued checking its hooves. "I’m no longer needed. I’m... useless now and I’m not entirely sure how I am supposed to feel about it." |
"You are feeling relieved and yet lost." I said very simply, almost speaking about myself more than him. |
"Then what do you want to do?" |
His laugh was barely audible and he shook his head. "I know that you and many of the others have never lived or even seen Highrock, but for someone such as myself having a choice in anything is... alien to say the least. Lowborn and servants have nothing to live for besides servitude and until a few months ago I belie... |
The way he trailed off was telling even more than the dejected slump of his shoulders and I leaned against one of the central posts that was almost as wide as my shoulders. "Now you find yourself almost on the other side of the world, surrounded by knights and soldiers." |
"Living legends..." he whispered, not quite low enough for me not to hear, even with my mortal hearing. |
"And what does that make you? We all saw you wield the Mace. You can easily be counted among our number." |
"Please... Don’t." |
For the first time since I had entered the stables he met my gaze and there was a hardness growing in them. "Don’t. I’m not a hero. I’m not Pelinal reborn. I am simply Caleb the farrier. I’m not of noble birth." |
"Neither am I. Neither is a large number of us." |
"I know what you are trying to do sir and it’s not going to work." |
"What am I trying to do?" |
"Trying to get me to support you and wield the relics. There’s no point. I’m not the one chosen by the gods." |
"Why? Have you spoken to them have you?" |
The hardness was growing stronger in his gaze even while I met it with an emotionless stare. "The Duke wields the sword and retrieved it himself. He even retrieved the Greaves of Mara. I am no longer needed and I am glad of it." |
"No responsibility is a relief, that’s for certain." |
"Then why don’t you shed your responsibility?" |
I wasn’t sure whether I was more surprise from the question or the insubordinate tone of his voice. In the previous weeks he had come a long way from the young fearful man barely out of his teens who had thrown up over my boots. There was still the streak of servitude from his lifetime of living under the nobles of Hi... |
"My responsibility. You mean my responsibility to the Order?" |
He nodded, a shimmer of anger in his expression. "Yes. Duke de’Leorion is the Commander now. The Elder Council itself authorised it. Why don’t you fulfil your duty to him?" |
"Because I am not certain whether it is the right thing to do." |
Completing his inspection of the warhorse’s hooves, Caleb twisted about, grasping a stiff bristled brush from where it had been left and commencing the long task of brushing it down. "He’s a Duke, your rightful commander with the authority of the Elder Council behind him and is obviously chosen by the gods to wield th... |
"I may have been in the Legion, Caleb, but I have never been one for obeying someone who hasn’t earned it. Yes, he’s a Duke. Yes, he can use the Sword but I don’t believe that he is worthy to wield it." |
Slowly, Caleb’s smooth motions with the brush crawled to a halt and he lowered his head. "You know that I initially wondered why you couldn’t... didn’t claim the relics? After arriving here... in this place, I realised why." |
I let him continue, even as he stood with his head bowed. "You, and many of the others are sinners." |
The way he framed his words and the severity that he instilled in them left me trying, and failing to hold back a laugh and he turned with true anger on his face. |
"I’m sorry." I spluttered, snorting a little. "I know how serious it is to you but I can’t help it. Of course we are all sinners, some of us are more than others. Viconia is a heathen and worships gods that are unknown to most of Tamriel, and I deserted the Legion like the twins. That’s not to mention the other unsavo... |
"Because he is a pious man?" |
"Because we know we aren’t worthy for the relics." My voice was cold now and despite his indignation Caleb was listening intently. "When the Duke arrived the first thing he did was show the relics and claim the others and everything and everyone who laid before him. That is one of the reason why I don’t trust him and ... |
"Someone like me..." Caleb whispered with a combination of fear and annoyance. |
"Not until it’s proved at least, but I know that there is something special about you. I am quickly beginning to know that there are very little in the way of coincidences in this world, and for you to do what you did in Leyawiin before us was certainly not one either." |
"The Duke is the rightful claimant." He said, softer this time and while there was steel in his tone I could tell that he was trying to convince himself more than me. |
"Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t." I replied, softly and quietly turned and moving towards the door. "What you need to consider though, is that the original Knights of the Nine personally claimed the Relics for themselves and their hubris was their downfall. What makes the Duke any different to them?" |
Leaving the stables, I could feel my own tenseness increasing and I felt terrible as a result of talking with Caleb. I knew and understood how he was feeling in many ways. The sorrow of losing friends and colleagues, the way that he had found himself hundreds of kilometres from the life that he had known and with the ... |
My mood certainly didn’t improve as I left the stables, finding Viconia leaning against the wall waiting for me. At a glance she seemed content and relaxed, merely taking in the sights while treating herself to a small bag of assorted nuts and dried berries that she had acquired somewhere. Until I had appeared she had... |
"Oh gods, now what?" |
The grin grew slightly larger and she kicked away from the wall, moving alongside me as we moved away from the stables. "I thought that you would like to know that Sir Wirile, in his infinite wisdom and mercy has decreed that only a handful of hours being pelted with rotten fruit is suitable punishment for attempted r... |
My groan was clearly audible and I scrunched my eyes closed, tilting my head back and feeling the muscles in my neck ache in protest. "Of course..." |
A crunch of a nut of some kind echoed briefly as Viconia chewed, her smile not removing itself from her face as we continued to walk casually along. "Infuriating, but also highly entertaining." |
"How is any of this entertaining?" |
Her laugh was dark and sultry. "Politics... Intrigue... These are fascinating and I haven’t been involved in such matters since the fall of house DeVir. It is... refreshing." |
"I don’t consider this to be politicking. They are testing us." |
"Testing you, mrannd’ssinss. Not us. The Duke and the others are here to wrest control from you and every action and reaction is being carefully weighed. From our dealings with Detane’s assailants and to every conversation they have with you is on purpose. They are trying to get rid of you." |
"Great. Don’t suppose that you have any advice?" |
"Siyo. Keep doing what you are doing." |
It was my time to laugh but it was bitter and little more than a snort of annoyance. "That’s not helpful Viconia." |
"Only because you are too feebleminded to heed it." Stepping deftly in front of me she pressed a hand into my chest and forced me to come to a halt and look her in the eye. "You cannot afford not to follow the weakling laws of the surface to the letter and every time you deal with any of them as such you weaken their ... |
"Evven’tus? Oh... rapist." |
Her eyes fluttered in annoyance and she popped more dried berries into her mouth. "Rape is very much a tool. It asserts power and authority and last night if he had gotten away with it, it would have sent a clear message to everyone here who supports us. Instead, it has backfired on them." |
"He still escaped his punishment though." |
"Perhaps. It was to be expected however. Your passing of judgement was indirectly a challenge to their power. If anything I am surprised that they left him in the stocks as long as they did." |
"So we are back to square one then." |
"Shar you have much to learn mrannd’ssinss." A finger raised itself in my direction even as she jiggled the bag in search of some of her preferred treats. "Our position is stronger. You have asserted your authority and shown that infringements will be punished and that no one, no matter their rank or title is above th... |
"You didn’t go to that woman’s rescue last night because it was the right thing to do... did you?" |
"If you mean "right thing’ as being all noble and good... then no. They all needed something to show them that their actions had consequences. Everything that we have heard about these knights and the Host, especially what we have seen thus far show that they are not concerned with the petty trifles of justice and law... |
"So threatening to castrate one of them with your bare hands told them otherwise?" |
"Now you are getting it." For a few moments she chewed carefully. "Now they have something to fear. You played your part beautifully though. They know that you will not stand for such things, but they also know that not all of us supporting you play by the rules. Every time they do something, they will be looking over... |
"I keep forgetting how cold you can be sometimes." |
"That’s because you are a wael." Movement at the far end of the street caught her attention and I saw the hardening, but expectant expression that began creasing her cheeks. "Every action has a reaction, so we must ensure that they react the way we want them to." |
Following her gaze, I saw the small collection of knights from the Host of the Horn, many wearing little more than their tunics and only some wearing any of their heraldry. One of them stood out considerably on account of the fact that his face was a mottling of marks and mild scratches from being the target of numero... |
It was impossible not to see the way that they were all treating the whole situation and incident as a joke, especially with his own attitude change as he looked down the street and recognised us. There was a new swagger that suddenly crept into his stride, his back straightened and it was impossible not to see how sm... |
Viconia however returned the smile with one of her own. There was a seductive sway of her hips as she held other free hand, revealing to the disgraced knight how she was holding a pair of walnuts in her palm. Without any hesitation she clenched her fist so hard and violently that the pair of nuts cracked and practical... |
At the sight the knight paled, his eyes widening as he adverted his gaze. If it was possible for him to move any quicker without running he would have done so, turning and shoving his way through his comrades and disappearing from sight while trying to retain some portion of his shredded dignity. |
"Every action has a reaction..." I said, trying not to laugh at the way the knight had fled. "That was premediated... wasn’t it." |
Viconia simply smiled, brushing the remains of the nuts on the front of her tunic as we both began to chuckle. "You know me all too well mrannd’ssinss." |
Sweat was quite literally running off me in streams and dripping from my face, leaving little more than the taste of salt on my lips as I breathed out heavily and bent my arms. As I had for the weeks before I was training alongside the knights and men-at-arms and as the days continued to steadily march along, the inten... |
"Twenty-Nine!" Roared over a hundred throats in a staggered unison of fatigue. I, like the rest of them shouted the number as though words would be enough to force my arms straight again. |
"Lower!" Chanted Carodus a few meters to my right. Despite the fact that a vast majority of the men and women present were more than half his age, the retired Centurion continued to lead the soldiers of the Nine in the training, lowering his body down in the push-up and holding it with only hints of trembling in his a... |
Looking up and over the ranks of people now in a similar position his eyes were ever searching, seeking out anyone who dared to drop to their knees or sag until their bellies touched the grass. Satisfied that no one was doing anything more than shaking and groaning in the effort to keep themselves steady his smirk gre... |
"On your feet!" |
In various speeds everyone staggered upwards, panting and sweating in the early morning sun and feeling the coolness of the air and dew competing for space of flesh drenched in sweat. Like Carodus I was one of the first to stand and allowed me to look over the mass of soldiers in front of us. Most were men-at-arms but... |
Carodus as always seemed ready to continue, beginning his usual pacing up and down the rows of soldiers and controlling his own breathing from a literal lifetime of experience. For the likes of myself and the few who had Legion experience this was almost akin to a homecoming but we were also experienced enough to see ... |
The training and his role in it however was working exactly as intended. To the collection of recruits, volunteers and the men-at-arms that had arrived with the Duke, the sixty-three-year-old was a relentless elemental force with the sturdiness of a mountain. While Viconia was technically the infantry commander, Carod... |
It was proving very effective in all manners of ways. Especially the newcomers who for the most part had never received much training at all in Highrock it was quickly bringing them all to something resembling battle readiness. It was also forming many bonds, not only between the men-at-arms and those who were to be t... |
Almost every detail, no matter how tiny was taken from the Legions and it was proving its worth in training the Order of the Nine. In the three weeks since the Duke’s arrival the men-at-arms had been constantly trained, despite the Duke’s and his cronies’ hesitation and utter lack of interest in the infantry and it wa... |
Without magicka we would have been forced to train once, maybe twice a day and alternate the activities each time. Instead the men-at-arms and attending knights improved at an incredible rate, easily growing stronger and fitter in a week than what they would have been able to in over a month. Unfortunately, the fitnes... |
Controlling my breathing and looking over the ranks of panting, exhausted soldiers my mind was left to wander. A trick learned during the first weeks in the Legion allowed me to take a step away from the fatigue and pain of my aching body and concentrate on other matters but it wasn’t bringing me any succour. I faintl... |
My mind however was everywhere else. My nerves were especially not helping as with each passing day drew the arrival of the Black Knights every closer, and with it the almost guaranteed conflict that would result. Falid’s stated fact that the Order of Talos would claim the relics was ever fresh in my mind but so far a... |
The Duke was a damaging force and the two weeks had seen a mass of desertions and departures of various people. A large number of the labourers and craftsmen had left as a result of the Host of the Horn’s bullying tactics and constant shakedown of coins and wealth and now that they had established themselves they had ... |
It was infuriating being utterly unable to act or have anything that I could do and every day left me with a little more of my authority scraped away. I knew that there was a growing number of men-at-arms and even knights who were supporting me instead of the Duke, Baron Jaseton and Sir Wirile. The constant efforts of... |
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