The Homecoming 84.

The Road West...

After washing his face, then wiping it, and tossing the towel to one of the servants, baron Harkonin asks "How many this morning?".
"Twelve from what I've found out so far" replies the army commander sir Taevar who stands just outside the door of the tent "By the gods" mutters the baron who momentarily forgets he's converted to the worship of the druidic ways, and not the way of the gods of Volunell anymore.
"Will i have a god damn army by the time we get there?" asks the head of the Harkonin family, who looks out at his army commander, and tells him "Don't answer that" the ruler of the fief to the east of where they are at the moment, dryly adds "Don't answer that, i might not like it".
The army commander nods, then waits in silence as the baron waves to his servants to help him put on his armour.
Once he's donned his armour, the baron exits his tent, and he and army commander and a handful of his personal guard make their way through the camp. While behind them, servants pack up the baron's gear, and start to bring down his tent.
The early morning is overcast and cold, the first really cold morning so far this spring. It's almost like winter is still trying to cling on today.
As the two noblemen head towards the horse line, the baron says to the commander of his army "I was expecting to get to that damn monstrosity of a castle this morning, but at the pace we're going, who knows when the hell we're going to get there".
"It's these damn tactics of theirs" says sir Taevar, who shakes his head and adds in tone of disbelief "Who would of thought they would of sinked so low as to fight like bandits".
The baron of the Harkonin fief nods in agreement with the army commander. As they, like most of the nobility, not just here in the east of the kingdom, but right throughout Druvic.
Prefer to fight battles on fields, in woods, in towns, and at castles. And not engage in hit and run stealth attacks that have plagued the baron's army the last two days.
Even during the civil war within the last decade, such attacks were rare. And battles, large and small, were fought by two groups, usually on ground of one or the others choosing.
Not the type of banditry that the baron's army has been suffering over the last couple of days.
"Not even that braggant Percavelle would stoop to such levels" says baron Harkonin as they wait near the tie lines for a couple of the grooms to go and get their warhorses.
Sir Taevar nods his head, then says "Someone else must be helping them out" the army commander looks away to the right, and spots the wagon with the prisoners, come up onto the road behind where the war machines, and siege engines have already got underway for the day.
The baron looks that way too, looking at all the heavy equipment that's already on the roll this morning "The speed we're going, the others from home will probably catch up to us by the time we get to the Lé Dic castle and Massic" sourly says the head of the Harkonin family.
While his army commander slightly frowns about something, which the baron notices.
"What is it Taevar?" quietly asks baron Harkonin, the army commander nods towards the wagon with the nobleborn prisoners in the back of it, and he quietly says "You think they might know who is behind these cowardly sneak attacks m'lord?".
The baron frowns as he looks at the enemy prisoners sitting in the back of the wagon that's now on the trade road, which though it isn't paved here in this part of the Le Dic fief. It is extremely flat and smooth, as well as hard packed, even though the surrounding ground is constantly damp, and wet as it's the start of spring. And they often get quick rain showers, even on days that are bright and sunny. As an early morning, or late afternoon shower strikes quickly, then just as quickly passes on most days.
"They might do" quietly says baron Harkonin, who turns to one of his guards and tells him "Have a runner fetch my advisor". "Yes m'lord" says the soldier who is part of the baron's personal guard.
Then the noblemen's horses are brought to them, and as they get up into the saddle, baron Harkonin quietly says to the army commander "Let's go and find out what they know".
The two of them ride over to where the prison wagon is waiting to get going on the road. The four prisoners look at them, and though lord Milburn, his grandson Jared, and the Lé Dic army commander sir Galmot look subdued. The fourth nobleborn prisoner, sir Parvin De Gorveré looks at baron Harkonin and sir Taevar with a look of contempt upon his face.
Ignoring the Range Lord sir Parvin for the moment, the baron looks at the lord of Milburn estate and says "Tell me Kievar, are there any strangers here in your fief, those who are, shall we say, new arrivals?".
The baron who is leaning forward on his saddle horn, glances to one side where his advisor, the dark druid Palvarc is approaching on his horse. The head of the Harkonin family looks back at the grandfather of the lady Lé Dic, and he quickly thinks of something, and asks him "Say, maybe someone who has turned up with that raving lunatic Percavelle?".
Though lord Milburn, along with sir Galmot have steady unconcerned looks upon their faces. And sir Parvin Dé Gorveré still looks at the baron Harkonin, sir Taevar, and now the dark druid Palvarc in contempt and disdain.
The baron notices the youngest of the nobleborn prisoners, Jared Milburn, glance sideways at his grandfather, then look away in a nonchalant manner.
"Well?" asks the baron of the Harkonin fief, who gestures towards his advisor, who is patiently sitting upon his horse off to one side, and says "Or do you want me to get Palvarc get it out of you?" the nobleman who intends to take over the fief of his family's rivals and enemy, then adds "Trust me, you don't want to do that. Some of his methods, shall we say, can get a bit messy at times".
The prisoners are silent, and the baron let's out a long breath before saying "Jared out with it" followed by "Tell us what you know, if not I'll have Palvarc start slicing apart your grandfather".
"Tell us what you know boy" says sir Taevar who also noticed the youngest of the prisoners seems to know something "It's too damn cold this morning to be sitting about doing nothing" adds the commander of the Harkonin army, who continues with "The sooner you tell us what you know, the sooner we can get going, and at least slightly warm ourselves up with exertion".
Sir Taevar draws his sword and points it menacingly at the grandson of the lord of Milburn manner, and tells him in a clipped tone of voice "Speak boy" followed by "Four prisoners or three, it doesn't really matter how many of you turn up at castle Lé Dic, considering everyone there thinks all of you are dead".
The youngest of the nobleborn prisoners gulps, then Jared Milburn quietly says "Mercenaries". Baron Harkonin quickly looks over at his advisor, the dark druid Palvarc, who says "He speaks the truth".
"Mercenaries" mutters the baron in contempt, who then says to Jared Milburn "Who are these mercenaries you speak of?".
The cousin of lady Linara Lé Dic shrugs his shoulders, then says "I don't know, just mercenaries" the teenager continues with "They arrived when sir Percavelle returned".
"With him?" asks the baron of the Harkonin fief, lord Milburn's grandson nods his head yes for a reply.
"The hell?" mutters sir Taevar after the dark druid Palvarc nods to the baron, that Jared Milburn told the truth again.
The army commander, who thinks the former earl of Lé Dic would be the last person to associate with mercenaries. As he in the past, he took the Druvician nobility's attitude of ill contempt towards mercenaries to the extreme. Chasing them out of his fief, or even killing them if he found them on his lands.
Momentarily pauses as he recalls something, sir Taevar then quietly tells the baron "Some of the survivors from the battle of Falshire mentioned there were strangers among the enemy who attacked the town" the army commander continues with "Including some green monster that was with them".
Baron Harkonin frowns as there was also mentioned that in the battle against the Lé Dic army, a green monster was spotted with the enemy who came out of the trees and attacked the rear of the army, when the cockatrice went wild, and were killed.
"How many of them?" asks baron Harkonin as he looks at the youngest of the nobleborn prisoners who were captured during the battle between the Harkonin and Lé Dic armies "And who?" adds the head of the Harkonin family as more and more of the army gets underway along the trade road to castle Lé Dic.
Jared Milburn pauses as he recalls how many, then he says "With sir Percavelle, there's six mercenaries".
"Six?" murmurs sir Taevar, who then adds "Is that all?".
The youngest of the prisoners in the back of the wagon nods his head, then baron Harkonin asks him "Who?".
"A ranger, he's the leader i think" says Jared Milburn, who continues with "Two teenagers, a girl and a boy. As well as an elf" he then adds "A strange fellow, a holy man of some kind, i think someone said he's a monk" the cousin of the ruling lady of the Lé Dic fief pauses for a moment, then finally says "And an ork".
The baron and his army commander, if they weren't surprised already, they definitely are now. Sir Taevar after a few moments of silence, says "Er?" he then adds "You mean a troll don't you?".
Jared Milburn shakes his head no, and the army commander along with the baron look over at the dark druid, who tells them "He speaks the truth".
"The fuck is going on here?" mutters the baron of the Harkonin fief, who then looks sharply at his advisor, who has gasped in surprise as he stares at Jared Milburn.
"Palvarc?" says the baron, the dark druid with a look of astonishment upon his face, waves the baron over. The head of the Harkonin family rides over to his advisor, as does the army commander sir Taevar.
The dark druid who just read the mind of Jared Milburn to find out more about these mercenaries who have turned up with sir Percavelle Lé Dic, found out something else that has taken him by surprise.
And out of earshot of the prisoners in the back of the nearby wagon, Palvarc informs baron Harkonin and sir Taevar what it is that he's discovered.
The two noblemen sit upon their warhorses in silence, utterly stunned as they listen to what the dark druid has to say.
"Holy fucking shit" murmurs baron Harkonin once his advisor has told them what he's found out "And here i am, thinking that my men killed him in battle that summer, but it was those bastards who killed him all along" says an astonished baron.
Both the dark druid and the army commander nod in agreement, then the head of the Harkonin family faintly smiles and says "This should be interesting" and nods back to the wagon the prisoners are in the back of, he leads the way back to the wagon.
The baron looks at each of the prisoners, finally settling on sir Parvin Dé Gorveré, and says to him "Parvin, these three here" the baron points at the other three prisoners, as he says "In that border skirmish the summer nearly two years ago, killed your former earl, Maxiss".
"Oh piss off Raevar" says sir Parvin Dé Gorveré, who continues with "Everyone knows you've hated the Lé Dic family ever since Percavelle beat the shit out of you and your father in that tourney when you were a teen, and he broke your leg" the Range Lord then adds "Stop making shit up".
Baron Raevar Harkonin scowls at the memory of that incident, then he grins and says "You're right, i have hated them more since that day" he briefly pauses then adds "But I'm not making shit up" the baron points at the other prisoners and says "They killed Maxiss".
The head of the Harkonin family points at lord Milburn and says "Kievar came up with the idea, so that he could rule the Lé Dic fief by proxy through his granddaughter" he points at the Lé Dic army commander and says "Galmot was complicit to it, and thought it was the right thing to do" he finally points at the youngest of the nobleborn prisoners and adds "Jared on the orders of the grandfather, is the one who did it. When he as acting squire to Maxiss back then, stabbed him in the neck and throat in that border clash that summer".
"You're full of shit, stop making" is what sir Parvin says when he falls silent as he looks at the other three prisoners. And he sees lord Milburn stare ahead, as if lost in thought. Sir Galmot look away, looking at the siege engines infront of the wagon.
And Jared Milburn, with eyes down, with his face going red in embarrassment.
The Range Lord stares at the three other nobles, then he mutters under his breath "The fuck?". And though sir Parvin is a little rotund, he's still quick for a large man, not to mention strong. And he launches himself at the other three prisoners, roaring in anger as he does so.
Sir Parvin De Gorveré clips lord Milburn across the chin, elbows Jared Milburn in the side of the face, and headbutts sir Galmot before Harkonin soldiers grab him, and haul him out of the wagon.
Even with his hands bound, it's a struggle to contain him. And more than a few soldiers get knocked around before they finally take control of him.
"Tie him, and chain him so he can't get at the others" orders baron Harkonin who then adds "And gag him too" as the Range Lord is screaming and cursing at the other three prisoners still in the back of the wagon.
The baron of the Harkonin fief looks at the three in the wagon, and grins, then he says to his advisor and his army commander "Now aren't things going to get way more interesting when we get to castle Lé Dic" the baron laughs, then says "Let's get moving" . . . . . .