The Homecoming 105.

The Camp & The Castle...

They've been hauled out of the back of the wagon and beaten. They've been bound with ropes around their wrists. And made to sit and watch the attack upon castle Lé Dic.
And though they got some slight amount of pleasure earlier when the Range Lord sir Parvin Dé Gorveré brutally killed the knight in the order of Althilgah, sir Dontast.
They only feel pain now, whenever a passing nobleman from the neighbouring fief to the east, kicks at them when they walk by.
That's until they, and the others at the rear of the Harkonin army. See the wall of fire go up, setting alight everything on and in the moat on this side of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
And from the plumes of smoke coming from the eastern side of the massive castle, the same thing must of happened around there too.
Though pretty much silent since the deaths of sir Parvin Dé Gorveré, and sir Dontast, since the battle commenced.
Lord Kievar Milburn can't help but chuckle as he watches the Harkonin soldiers on the moat, disappear in the wall of flame from the naphtha floating upon the water.
This earns him a cuff in the back of the head from one of their guards. And a kick from a young nobleborn teen, who is the runner with the squad of soldiers guarding the three of them.
The young teen takes off, when a squad leader further ahead, calls out for him. As he's needed by the army commander sir Taevar.
The lord of Milburn estate looks over at his fellow prisoners. His grandson, Jared Milburn. And the Lé Dic army commander, sir Galmot.
Both of whom are bloody and battered like he is. And like him, are grinning as they watch the Harkonin soldiers who have made it onto the moat, burn.
As the attack upon castle Lé Dic momentarily pauses. Lord Milburn wonders what his, and his fellow prisoners fate is. Oh he knows they're going to die. He just sits there watching the thick black smoke coming off the moat now, wondering how he and his grandson Jared, and sir Galmot are actually going to die.
It's not too long after, that he and his fellow nobleborn prisoners learn of how they'll die. When the smoke starts clearing from the moat, and the runner returns to where they are, and tells the soldiers guarding them "Bring them" followed by "They're to be staked".
Lord Milburn grimaces as he's hauled to his feet. He thinks about making a scene, as sir Galmot does. As he kicks out at one Harkonin soldier, catching the man between the legs and dropping him. And headbutts another, which sends that soldier staggering away, while the Lé Dic army commander drops to his haunches, totally dazed.
He earns another beating for that from the other guards. And is almost knocked out. He's so badly disoriented, and unable to stand after that beating. That one of the larger guards, has to pick him up, armour and all, and put him over a shoulder, as the three of them are brought forward.
The lord of Milburn estate limps as he makes his way forward. He doesn't look at his fellow nobleborn prisoners, especially his grandson Jared, now that he knows how they're to be executed.
The nobleman who is the grandfather of the young girl who rules the Lé Dic fief, who has condemned them to death. Not that he can blame her. As he would do exactly the same thing, in the same situation, if it was his father was murdered by three people who had his trust.
Sees thick posts being placed into the ground, just off to one side of the trade road. Lord Milburn sees that it's out of bow range, though definitely within the range of the war machines inside the massive castle, that's being defended a hell of a lot better than he thought it would be, considering how few people are defending it.
Percavelle, lord Kievar Milburn thinks to himself, the nobleman who is the grandfather of lady Linara Lé Dic, knows it's because of sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and most likely that band of mercenaries with him. That castle Lé Dic is being so admirably defended.
Which isn't all that surprising to the lord of Milburn estate. As the former earl of Lé Dic was always a terror in battle. Who seems to have a knack of winning battles, that look like they're a lost cause before they even start.
In recent memory, it's because of sir Percavelle Lé Dic that there was the longest amount of sustained peace between the two neighbouring fiefs.
As the then earl, who truth be told, didn't spend nearly enough time in his own fief. As he spent more time away, warring on behalf of the knightly order he's a member of.
But back when he first became the earl of Lé Dic after his father passed away from a long illness.
He took a much smaller army than the Harkonin one at the time. And soundly defeated them in battle. Which lead to a nearly decade long peace between the Lé Dic and Harkonin fiefs.
So no, it's not really a surprise to the lord of Milburn estate that castle Lé Dic is being defended so well today.
The three of them are shoved to the ground. Well lord Milburn and his grandson Jared are. While the Lé Dic army commander, sir Galmot is dropped on the ground next to them.
Kievar Milburn grins with a bloody mouth, as he sees one of the siege towers up ahead, get hit by a boulder, most likely flung from a trebuchet in the eastern courtyard of the massive castle. As the war machines within castle Lé Dic resume their bombardment now that the smoke has all but disappeared.
The Harkonin war machines respond in kind. With their trebuchets, catapults and ballista firing upon the castle that's been the home of the nobleborn Lé Dic family for centuries.
As the lord of Milburn estate watches as survivors are searched for in the siege tower, that's missing a good ten feet off the top of it after being struck by the boulder flung from a Lé Dic trebuchet.
His grandson Jared Milburn quietly says to him "Grandfather, to the left". The nobleman who is the grandfather of lady Linara Lé Dic looks that way, while behind the two of them, a groaning sir Galmot tries to sit up.
So, come to watch us die have you? lord Milburn thinks to himself as he watches baron Harkonin and others approach, the lord of Milburn estate then silently adds in a dry tone, probably to gloat as well.
"Spare us your yabbering Raevar" says lord Milburn through a bloody mouth as the baron of the neighbouring fief to the east, comes to a stop infront of them, and is about to say something. "Get it over and done with why don't you" adds the grandfather of the lady Linara Lé Dic.
After shrugging his shoulders, baron Harkonin nods to the nearby posts, and says "Sure" he looks at the prisoner's guards, and tells them "Hang them up".
As the dazed looking Lé Dic army commander sir Galmot is hauled up, and dragged to the nearby posts that have been put into holes that have been dug into the ground.
Lord Milburn after noticing who is with baron Harkonin, and more importantly who isn't, says to the head of the Harkonin family "Where's that lapdog of yours?" the lord of Milburn estate continues with "It's not like Palvarc to miss out on something like this".
"He's busy" is all the baron Harkonin says "I wonder why" dryly says Kievar Milburn with a nod of his head towards the massive castle that's under attack from the baron's army.
"Good luck trying to crack that nut" says lord Milburn with another nod at castle Lé Dic, he continues with "You've got that raving idiot Percavelle in there, and it won't be easy trying to pry him out of there".
The lord of Milburn estate falls silent as screaming comes from their right. He looks that way, and wishes that he hadn't. As what he sees, will soon happen to him.
A rope has been thrown over the top of the post, that has a groove across the top of it that goes from front to back, that a rope can fit into.
The rope has then been tied around the wrists of the Lé Dic army commander, sir Galmot. And a trio of Harkonin soldiers behind the post, have taken a hold of the other end of the rope, and pulled on it. Lifting the nobleborn prisoner up off the ground. He's at least four foot off the ground, as the post, a basic log really, is about twelve foot tall.
He hangs there, arms outstretched above him, as the soldiers tie their end of the rope to a metal stake in the ground further behind the post.
Sir Galmot screams in pain again, this time not from being stretched out, hanging by his wrists. But due to a spear being stabbed into his side by one of the Harkonin soldiers after the breastplate of his armour is loosened. And baron Harkonin with a nod, gives the soldier permission to stab the hanging prisoner.
"Next" says the head of the Harkonin family, who gestures at Jared Milburn. Who when he's grabbed by a pair of his guards. Puts up a fight as he's hauled off to the next post along.
The nobleborn teenager is dragged kicking and screaming to the post that he will be hung from. Even when other Harkonin soldiers punch and kick him, to try and subdue him, he still puts up a fight.
Until he's whacked in the back of the head, which almost knocks him unconscious.
Lord Milburn doesn't watch his grandson Jared being staked as it's called. The actual stake that is referred to. Is the metal stake or spike driven into the ground, further behind the wooden post. It's from that, that this style of execution gets it's name.
The head of Milburn estate looks to the battlements along the east wall of castle Lé Dic. And as Harkonin and Lé Dic war machines continue to lob various loads at either the massive castle, or the attacking army.
Kievar Milburn is pretty sure he spots sir Percavelle Lé Dic amongst those above the south gates of castle Lé Dic, watching what's happening to him and his fellow nobleborn prisoners.
Then trying to ignore the screams of his grandson Jared as he's lifted up by the arms on the post. Lord Milburn slightly frowns as he pretty certain, the former earl of Lé Dic is with a bannerman, and someone else. The lord of Milburn estate thinks it might be one of the mercenaries who came here with the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che.
And the three of them, are looking back into the massive castle, to what he assumes is something or someone down in the main south courtyard of castle Lé Dic.
"Next" says baron Harkonin, then before his guards go to grab him, lord Milburn gets up off the ground, and walks over to the third post, that he'll be executed on.
Putting his back to it, Kievar Milburn who didn't look at either his grandson Jared or sir Galmot as he limped by them, holds out his hands infront of him and says "Well?" to the Harkonin soldiers.
One of them after a glance at the baron, who looks a little annoyed that the lord of Milburn estate just walked over to the post he'll be executed on.
Ties the rope around the bound wrists of the nobleborn prisoner. Who then lifts his own arms up above his head, as the rope is thrown up over the top of the post to the otherside.
Lord Milburn groans in pain as he's hauled off his feet. So like his fellow two prisoners, is about four foot off the ground.
He feels the straps along the side of his cuissers being cut away. The armoured plate over his thighs come away. And he looks down and finds baron Harkonin infront of him, holding a dagger.
The baron slices open the front of lord Milburn's left thigh. The lord of Milburn estate can't help it, but he let's out a scream of pain. As he knows this is what he has to look forward to.
As he and his fellow prisoners, his grandson Jared as well as sir Galmot, will be stabbed at, and cut open, over a period of time. How long is up to their captors. But being staked usually takes a fair amount a time. And it often takes days for someone being executed in this fashion to die.
Knowing that he might not be too coherent for much longer, lord Milburn says to the baron "You know Raevar, even I'm not against those of the old ways like others who follow the gods are".
As he hangs there by his wrists, stretched out with his arms feeling like they're going to come out of their sockets any moment now.
The lord of Milburn estate continues with "But the way you've got this dark druid advising you, will bring about your downfall for sure" he follows that up with "Hell, even other druids don't like the dark ones".
"Is that so?" says baron Harkonin, who takes the dagger he's holding, and runs it along the other thigh of lord Milburn. Who groans more than he screams this time.
Then the nobleborn prisoner grunts in surprise as he spots something. Baron Harkonin turns to look at what the lord Milburn estate has seen. And he too spots it, as have many others.
It's a person, coming flying through the air, from within castle Lé Dic, heading this way. Over the sounds of battle, the screams of the person in the clear blue sky can be heard, as he flips about, and tumbles through the air.
Before slamming into the ground, just twenty feet infront of the posts that the trio of nobleborn prisoners are hanging from.
After looking at the dead body just infront of where they are, lord Milburn blinks in surprise, then suddenly bursts out into laughter as he realises who it is that's lying dead just infront of them.
"Hahahahahahaha!" laughs lord Milburn as he looks from the dead body, to baron Harkonin, who has a look of anger on his face as he too realises who it is that's lying dead just infront of them.
The laughter of lord Milburn is suddenly cut off, when the baron, in a fit of rage, grabs a spear from one of his soldiers, and shoves it up through the bottom of lord Milburn's face, up through his mouth, and into his brain, killing him instantly . . . . . .