The Homecoming 95.

The Castle...

They ride forward through the camp, two of them. A soldier trooping the colours of his lord, baron Harkonin.
While the other is a nobleman by the name of sir Alvaré. A small land holder in the very south of the Harkonin fief.
He's an older man known for having a loud voice. He's also known for having lands in the very midst of druid country. Where the worship of the old ways is probably the strongest anywhere in the kingdom of Druvic.
They ride through the frontlines of the camp, making their way up onto the road that runs south from castle Lé Dic.
The two of them, nobleman and common born soldier. Ride slowly forward, wondering what kind of reception they're going to get from the defenders upon the battlements of castle Lé Dic.
"That blowhard Alvaré, i should've guessed" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic as they watch the riders coming up the south road from the Harkonin camp.
Looking at the older nobleman from the neighbouring fief, the former earl of Lé Dic shakes his head then says "He was always a loud mouth on the tourney field" the heavily armoured knight then adds in a slightly outraged tone "Even more so than me, if one can believe it".
"Coming from you Percy, that's saying something" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who then glances to his right at Helbe the elven thief, and quietly asks him in elvish "Well?".
The young elven noble who has read the mind of the approaching herald, sir Alvaré. Quietly tells the mercenary ranger from the principality of Envadarlen what he's found out.
Then the elven princeling from Laerel quietly informs the others what baron Harkonin, through his herald, will demand. First and foremost will be the surrender of the castle, and any member of the Harkonin family.
Second will be the release of lord Sarvaine, who is suspected of being held prisoner by the Lé Dic's. Which is infact true, as he's in the dungeon beneath the massive castle after being captured, and brought back from the border town of Falshire.
The elven magic user tells them that the baron is willing to exchange prisoners. Since he holds four nobleborn prisoners of his own.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel quickly tells sir Percavelle Lé Dic what to say.
As the former paladin, and former earl of the Lé Dic fief, has been picked to act as herald for his niece, the lady Linara Lé Dic.
For the simple reason he has the loudest voice in the entire castle with the exception of Dorc da Orc. Who for obvious reasons, would not make a suitable herald. His accent is too thick, his deep, growling voice is difficult to understand at the best of times.
But most importantly, the main reason the large ork wouldn't make a suitable herald. Is because he swears far too much. And the fact he'll probably say whatever he wants to say, instead of conveying what prince Helbenthril Raendril wants him to say.
"You got that Percy?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief "I have indeed my fine pointy eared fellow" replies the former knight of the first class. Who then helps his niece Linara to stand upon a box that has been brought up from below, for her to stand on, between the two merlons the group are standing between above the south gates of the massive castle.
The riders stop on the road, about fifty yards short of the castle's walls. The soldier, who is trooping the colours of the Harkonin fief. Also has a red pennant on his banner. The heraldic colour for momentary truce.
One of the Lé Dic soldiers above the south gates, lifts a banner with a pennant of the same colour on it.
There's a few moments of silence as the two riders look up at the battlements of the massive castle. And those upon the south wall of Lé Dic castle look back down at them. Then sir Alvaré speaks, finally breaking the silence on this clear and sunny, and now warm spring morning here in eastern Druvic.
"I sir Alvaré speaks for his lordship, the baron Harkonin!" calls out the herald sir Alvaré, who then asks "Who speaks for the lady Linara Lé Dic".
"I do!" calls down the former earl of Lé Dic from the top of the south gates of his family's ancestral home, he continues on with "Her uncle, sir Percavelle Lé Dic!".
Then in a more conversational tone, sir Percavelle calls out "Long time no see Alvaré, i thought you would've been dead by now old man".
"Hardly old, Percavelle!" calls out baron Harkonin's herald, who is more than a little sour looking, now that he knows he has to deal with sir Percavelle Lé Dic, the nobleman from the south of the Harkonin fief then adds "I'm only six or seven years older than yourself!".
"Yes that's true, isn't it!" calls down the former paladin, who continues with "Wasn't i just a lad of twelve or so, newly anointed as my father's squire, and you a man grown when i broke both your arms in that summer tourney all those years ago?!" the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che follows that with "My very first tourney it was too!" he then adds "You remember that old boy?!".
If sir Alvaré wasn't looking sour already, he definitely is now. As he sits upon his horse, looking up at the figure in the full suit of heavy plate armour standing above the south gates of the massive castle, holding his full helm tucked under an arm, grinning from ear to ear as he looks down at the two who have ridden forth from the Harkonin camp.
"Enough of this foolishness" mutters sir Alvaré, who then calls out "Are you prepared to hear the terms of my lord, the baron Harkonin?!".
Though the heavily armoured knight, who is a former earl of the Lé Dic fief is silent for a little while, he finally responds when he calls out "I am prepared to hear the terms of your lord the baron, on behalf of my niece, the lady Linara Lé Dic!".
Those on the battlements above the south gates of castle Lé Dic listen silently to the terms on offer from baron Harkonin. Though they're called terms, they're definitely more demands than terms that the herald, sir Alvaré calls out, from where he sits upon his horse, in the middle of the road that heads south from castle Lé Dic.
The baron indeed wants the surrender of the castle, and that the Lé Dic family members to be handed over.
He also wants the return of the lord of the Long Reaches, lord Sarvaine. Who was taken captive at the battle of Falshire. In exchange for the nobleborn prisoners from the Lé Dic fief that he holds.
"What say you Percavelle on behalf of your niece, the lady Linara Lé Dic?!" asks baron Harkonin's herald, sir Alvaré.
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic is silent for some time as if contemplating the terms that the baron of the Harkonin fief has set.
Then the former paladin finally responds, when he calls down "No can do old boy!" the heavily armoured knight in the order of Saint Mar-che continues with "My niece will not give you this castle, nor will she and myself hand ourselves over to you and your baron!".
"Damn it all Percavelle!" calls out sir Alvaré, who has to take a tight grip on the reins of his mount, which is getting a little bit flighty beneath him. Once his horse settles, the nobleman from the Harkonin fief calls out "Look around man, can you not see how badly outnumbered you lot are!".
Baron Harkonin's herald after gesturing out with one arm, continues with "You have what? A couple hundred men in there at most!" he then adds "And near every villager and townsmen within miles. There's no way you'll withstand my baron's army!".
On the battlements above the south gates of castle Lé Dic, the former earl shrugs his broad, heavily armoured shoulders, then calls down "Mere semantics old boy!" followed by "You'll need all those soldiers you've got to even get to the castle gates and knock!" sir Percavelle Lé Dic then adds "So we're not awed by the size of that rabble you call an army!".
"Damn fool, you were always a damn fool Percavelle" mutters sir Alvaré, baron Harkonin's herald then calls out "If you won't surrender the castle, and hand yourself and your niece over!" the nobleman from the Harkonin fief continues with "What about the prisoner exchange?!" he adds "Lord Sarvaine for lord Milburn, his grandson Jared. The army commander sir Galmot, and the Range Lord sir Parvin Dé Gorveré!" sir Alvaré follows that with "Four prisoners for one. You cannot deny his lordship, baron Harkonin is generous with those terms!".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks at his niece Linara, as this is the only thing in prince Helbenthril Raendril's plans that she has some doubts with.
"Is this the right thing to do uncle?" quietly asks the lady Linara Lé Dic, she continues with "Sir Parvin is innocent in all this, it was just unfortunate that he was captured".
"It's the right thing to do Linny" quietly says the former earl of Lé Dic, who puts a hand on his niece's right shoulder then adds "Parvin will understand, infact I'm pretty sure he would expect it. Especially as we now know what we know".
After a few moments, the lady of the fief nods. Sealing the fate of her grandfather lord Milburn, her cousin Jared, as well as her army commander, sir Galmot. All of whom, had a hand in murdering her father, the previous earl of Lé Dic, Maxiss.
It also seals the fate of an innocent party, sir Parvin Dé Gorveré.
Knowing that he's about to condemn his friend and contemporary, the Range Lord sir Parvin. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic shrugs his heavily armoured shoulders, then calls down "Do what you want with them!" he then adds "We don't want them!".
Sir Alvaré blinks in surprise, and his mouth opens wide in astonishment. For though the answer to the first part of the terms was kind of expected. The answer to the second part, concerning the prisoners. Was definitely not expected.
The nobleman from the Harkonin fief, who is his baron's herald, when he gets his composure back, looks at the lady Linara Lé Dic, and calls up to her "Is this your wish m'lady?!".
Sir Alvaré sits there upon his horse in utter astonishment, after the young girl, in a clear and strong voice, calls down "It is indeed my wish herald!".
"The hell, by the old ways" mutters the stunned herald from the Harkonin fief, the nobleman from the very south of the neighbouring fief, who like most of the commoners in his lands, is a devout believer in the druidic ways.
Shakes his head in disbelief, then looks at sir Percavelle, who calls down to him "Run along now Alvaré, go and tell your baron my niece's reply to his terms!".
"You've made a mistake here Percavelle, as well as you m'lady!" calls out sir Alvaré, who continues with "You've condemned all in there with you" followed by "Not to mention four prisoners of war, nobles all!".
Shrugging his broad, heavily armoured shoulders again, the former paladin calls down "That's what you think Alvaré!".
"That's what i know Percavelle!" calls back the baron Harkonin's herald, who is about to turn his mount, when sir Percavelle Lé Dic calls down "Do wish Raevar the best. I understand that leg of his still aches him after all these years!".
"Fool" mutters sir Alvaré, who then calls out "You tempt the fates of the old ways with your mocking of the baron like that Percavelle!" baron Harkonin's herald then adds in anger "You better hope you don't end up in one of those hells your gods go on about Percavelle!".
Sir Alvaré violently nods to the Harkonin soldier to return to camp. They turn their mounts, and the two of them head away from castle Lé Dic, back along the road that heads south.
"The blasphemous fop" mutters the former earl of Lé Dic as those above the south gates of the castle, watch baron Harkonin's herald, and the soldier that accompanied him, ride away, back to their camp.
Then feeling a little petty, sir Percavelle Lé Dic says to the soldier nearby holding the red heraldic pennant of momentary truce "Son drop that banner".
"Yes sir Percavelle" says the soldier, who does exactly that, drops down the banner he's holding.
Then looking away to the left along the battlements, the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, says "Beast, can you hit him?".
Dorc da Orc who wasn't paying attention to anything that was said between baron Harkonin's herald, and sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
Looks over at the former paladin, who gestures at the departing nobleman from the Harkonin fief.
"Yeah, course cunt" says Dorc da Orc "Then do it" says the heavily armoured knight, who after a slight pause, adds "Though don't kill the blighter, he does need to tell the baron our reply to his terms".
Looking quickly at both Helbe the elven thief, and Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, the large ork lifts a questioning eye ridge.
The ranger Hait just shrugs, while Helbe the elven thief quietly tells the ork warleader "Just don't kill him".
"Fucken get some" murmurs Dorkindle, who then takes a spear from across his back.
The ork weaponsmith is about to throw it, when he moves further to the left along the top of the wall. Where he dips the spearhead into one of the troughs of human waste.
He swirls the faeces around, then pulls the spearhead out of the trough "Ooohhh a poo lolly" murmurs a delighted Dorc da Orc in the ork language as he holds the spear up, that's dripping shit from the end of it.
The large ork who really wants to lick some of that shit, but realises that everyone above the south gates of the castle is watching him.
Grunts, then biffs the spear at the two riders who are getting off the road, as they're nearly back to their camp.
Sir Alvaré screams out in pain, as he and his mount go down. With the spear, the head of which is smeared with shit. Drives through the left leg of baron Harkonin's herald, and goes deep into the rear left leg of his horse.
The nobleman from the Harkonin fief is pinned to his mount, which is squealing and neighing in pain, as much as he's screaming in pain.
"Got the cunt" chuckles Dorc da Orc "That you did beast, that you did" says a grinning sir Percavelle Lé Dic . . . . . .