The Homecoming 8.

A Castle...

Castle Lé Dic is a massive warren of keeps, towers, buildings and courtyards. That after two days here, Tamric Drubine who grew up in a large castle himself. Has only a basic idea of where things are.
He definitely knows the main keep, you can't miss it. And he knows the tower that he and the rest of the group are staying in. And he also knows the four main courtyards and the buildings off them.
Everything else is anyone's guess, and he only has a faint idea of what they are, and where they are. So this morning, like yesterday morning, after he breakfasts he exits the kitchens off the tower his room is in, and he goes off exploring.
The nobleborn teenager is the last of the group to have breakfast. And as he crosses the courtyard outside the tower on this chilly morning. He looks up at the east wall of the castle. There he sees Shur Kee the monk kneeling upon a mat on the top of the wall.
The acolyte in the order of Bru Li is meditating as he often does in the morning. A couple of soldiers on duty on top of the wall, stand about fifty feet from the kneeling monk, wondering what the hell he's doing.
The son of the former heir to castle Drubine slightly shakes his head, as he can only imagine what a lot of the residents within the castle think of the group who have come here with sir Percavelle Lé Dic. They must think them odd, especially some of them like Shur Kee, and definitely Dorc da Orc, the oddest one of them all.
Tam walks into a garden, and stops for a moment as he could swear this garden is on the opposite side of the castle. He quickly realises that it's a mirror of the garden on the west side of the massive castle.
At least it isn't a hedge garden like the one in the north of the castle. The nobleborn teen spent the better part of yesterday afternoon getting lost in that particular garden. Something he doesn't want to experience again anytime soon.
Tamric Drubine as he goes through an arched walkway, smiles at a couple of young house maids who go by him, saying "M'lord" in greeting.
Word has spread that he is nobleborn, that means something here in the Lé Dic fief, and in the wider kingdom of Druvic. It doesn't matter that he's from a completely different kingdom nearly six hundred miles to the east. It still matters to the people of Druvic. In particular the local peerage, or nobility.
Tam looks back at the two maids who are only a year or two older than himself. Their heads are together, and they're giggling about something as they quickly glance back at him for a moment.
He's still young enough to be self conscious about others talking about him, especially those of a similar age, of the opposite sex. And though he's slightly embarrassed, he's not afraid to admit he rather likes the attention.
And as he makes his way out of the walkway, and enters another courtyard, he's grinning at the attention he got from the two servants.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin eventually makes his way into another courtyard, this one near the largest one in the south of the castle. The courtyard is a hive of activity, as most of the smithy's and workshops in castle Lé Dic are located here.
Tam looks over at a catapult in one corner of the courtyard, and the base and A frame of a trebuchet that is next to it. The arm and counterweight of the massive war machine is missing, presumably they're either being made or fixed in one, or some of the many workshops that are dotted around this courtyard.
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine crosses the yard when he spots someone. After all you can't miss him, as he's taller, larger and greener than anyone else in the castle.
Tamric Drubine makes his way over to Dorc da Orc who is standing at the open door to a smithy that he's looking into. Tam knows the large ork doesn't hold people and the jobs they do in much respect. But he does respect blacksmiths, armourers, and weapon makers.
The nobleborn teen can recall lord Farque telling him once, that the smith within the tribe of orks is often the most revered person. More so than their elders, or even the matriarch, the she ork who leads the tribe.
Tam who still can't believe it's a female of the species that leads the various tribes of the brutal race. Nods his head in greeting to the soldiers and workers he passes who say "Morning m'lord" to him as he walks over to where the warleader of the ork race is standing.
"Dorc" says Tamric Drubine by way of greeting as he joins the ork weaponsmith, the exile from the Ork Range at the bottom of the world just grunts in reply as he continues to watch what's happening in the smithy.
"Any good?" quietly asks Tam as he too looks through the open door, where the blacksmith inside, is cold hammering iron stock, while his apprentice is bringing in coal from behind the smithy in a barrow, to build up the fire in the forge.
"Yep" replies Dorc da Orc who continues with "Pretty fucken good for a human" the large ork then adds "Best one here by far". Then the big, hulking ork nods his head for the nobleborn teenager to follow him.
And the two of them go through the open door next to the smithy. Tam sees that it's the workshop, or precisely the finishing shop of the smithy next door.
The teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin, who is fair judge of weapons. Sees that the weapons on the stands and racks in the finishing shop are of above average quality, something you wouldn't normally find produced in castle forges and smithy's.
They're more akin to what you would find in the shop of a master weapons maker in one of the larger cities throughout the Southlands, let alone here in the kingdom of Druvic.
"No wonder that knight cunt has always had good shit" loudly mutters Dorkindle, who though he despises his former foe sir Percavelle Lé Dic. He must admit the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che has always had excellent quality weapons and armour. Which can't be said for a lot of knights, wether they been a nobleborn or not.
"Speaking of Percy" says Tamric Drubine, who then asks "Where is he this morning?". With a sour sounding grunt, the ork warleader waves a large hand to one side, and says "Cross the fucken yard".
The nobleborn teenager nods his head, and makes his way out of the shop. After a final look at the variety of good quality weapons in the finishing shop, Dorc da Orc makes his way outside too.
And after a last look into the smithy next door, he heads after Tamric Drubine who is walking to the west side of the busy courtyard, to a pair of massive wooden doors that are open to the largest workshop in the entire castle.
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic can be seen inside it amongst the large number of people there. Not all of whom are craftsmen, smiths, apprentices, workers and helpers.
The former heir to the knight of castle Drubine in northern Sarcrin enters the massive workshop, he's soon followed by Dorkindle, who is glad the double doors are so massive, as he doesn't have to duck down as he does a lot of the time as he goes through doorways. Infact the massive doors to the workshop are over twenty feet high, almost three times his considerable seven foot, six inches in height.
Tam, who makes sure to keep out of the way of those working, makes his way over to where the former earl of Lé Dic is. The knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, who is out of his armour at the moment, and is wearing the rich clothes that's been in storage here in castle Lé Dic ever since he left.
Is with a group of people, many of them nobles. Including knights, one of whom, is sir Galmot, the commander of the Lé Dic army. As well as lord Milburn, the father of lady Linara's mother.
Also with them is the highest ranking commoner in the fief, constable Kalleb. The position of constable is usually given to one of the nobility. But the last earl of Lé Dic, sir Percavelle's brother Maxiss Lé Dic. Assigned that position to Kalleb, a commoner who had worked his way up to being a senior officer in the army of the fief.
Along with them are a couple of engineers, who are explaining how repair work is going on the trebuchet that's outside. As well the new ones that are being built. To go along with the already large number of war machines that have been produced over the autumn, and now winter.
The former earl of Lé Dic spots Tam, and he steps away from the group he's with, and walks over to the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin.
The knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, ignores Dorc da Orc who is wandering around looking at all the work that's being done in the large workshop.
"They're definitely building up for a war aren't they" says Tamric Drubine after he greets the former earl of Lé Dic "That they are" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic who can't help but speak with pride with what's being done, not just here in the workshops in the castle. But also in the town of Massic just outside the castle, as well as elsewhere throughout the fief.
"So it's inevitable then?" asks Tam, who though just fifteen years old, is nearly six foot tall "War with this baron?". "Indeed" says the former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che, who then adds "Tis been in the plans since the summer before last when that Harkonin villain and his men killed my brother Maxiss in a border dispute".
The son of the former knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head, then in a quiet voice, barely more than a whisper, he tells sir Percavelle "No one better find out about that run in we had with that constable of the earl of Gallus, and his men" the nobleborn teenager continues with "Or your fief will end up in another conflict with one of it's neighbours".
Sir Percavelle, who even out of his heavy plate armour, is a large figure, standing a couple inches over six foot, winces at what Tam just said, then he says "Quite" followed by "We do not want that to become common knowledge".
The teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin, a feudal kingdom, unlike Druvic, which doesn't have serfs as the kingdom that Tam comes from does, then says "Have you asked them?".
The nobleborn teenager, who has nodded towards the group that the former earl of Lé Dic was just talking to, adds "The engineers?" followed by "They're in the same line of work he's in".
Sir Percavelle blinks as he wonders what Tam is referring to, then he remembers what their main purpose for coming to the kingdom of Druvic is, then he says "Ah yes i have" the former paladin of the first rank continues with "They have not heard of the chap we seek" he then muses "Which is a little odd, skilled war engineers such as him, aren't exactly common, even here in Druvic".
Tamric Drubine nods in agreement with the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, then he's about to ask Percy something, when he sees the former earl of Lé Dic, look over at a side door, to where someone has just entered the workshop.
Tam sees it's the woman who was on the drawbridge with the welcoming party when they arrived. Lady Hollis, a widow in her mid thirties who is the chaperone and governess of lady Linara, now that the mother of the young ruler of the fief is in retirement.
Infact the widow of Maxiss Lé Dic is locked up in a tower here in the castle. As she's been driven mad ever since her husband was killed. She's in no fit state to care for, and raise her daughter. So the governess Hollis is the main caregiver to the young lady of Lé Dic.
One of the two pages who has entered the workshop with lady Hollis makes his way over to the former earl of Lé Dic, and after bowing and saying "M'lords" to both nobles, one from the kingdom of Sarcrin, and the other from this very fief here in Druvic, he says "Sir Percavelle, the lady Hollis wishes to inform you that lady Linara would like to have a word with you".
"Of course" says the former earl of Lé Dic, that page nods and hurries back to where the noblewoman waits near the side door out of the way.
Tam follows after sir Percavelle who tells the group that he was talking to, that he will return later. The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, notices that a few of the nobles in the group, watch their former earl closely as he walks over to the lady Hollis. In particular lord Milburn, the grandfather on the maternal side, of lady Linara.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin who doesn't particularly like the look in the eyes of lord Milburn as he watches Percy, who greets lady Hollis. Looks around and spots Dorkindle eyeing up a cup of catapult that's being worked on.
"Dorc!" calls out Tam, the large ork grunts, then ambles over to where the son of the former knight of castle Drubine is. The ork warleader who always takes the direct route anywhere, for the simple reason he's lazy and can't be fucked going around things and people.
Walks straight towards Tamric Drubine, who briefly grins as Dorkindle scatters the group of people that sir Percavelle was talking to previously. The nobles, constable and the two engineers, move quickly to get out of the way of the ork weaponsmith.
Who having learnt that he's an ork, and apparently isn't dangerous to them, so they've been informed. He's still an ork! And no one wants to find out if the tales and fables about the rare race from the southern polar region of the world are true.
"What cunt?" asks Dorkindle as he joins the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin "Come along" says Tam who goes out the side door. The large ork grunts and exits the workshop too.
Tamric Drubine spots sir Percavelle Lé Dic further along the wide hallway they're in. He's followed by the pair of pages, as he walks side by side with lady Hollis, who he's quietly talking to. The lady Hollis, his sister inlaw. Well no longer, since he's been divorced from his wife for more than twenty years.
"Where we going cunt?" asks Dorc da Orc as he walks behind the nobleborn teenager, Tamric Drubine doesn't answer as he continues to follow after sir Percavelle Lé Dic and the lady Hollis . . . . . .