The Homecoming 128.

Backwards...

Standing upon the right wheel platform of one of the trebuchets just off the side of the trade road.
Baron Harkonin frowns, then looks down at the messenger on the horse next to the war machine, who has just said "M'lord?".
The head of the Harkonin family looks over at sir Haleníc, who is mounted on his warhorse. The young landed knight is frowning too as he looks to the massive castle that they're assaulting.
"Haleníc what do you see?" asks baron Harkonin "Well" says sir Haleníc who briefly pauses, before continuing with "More of the men are getting to the top of the wall".
The baron of the fief to the east, nods his head in agreement, then the young landed knight in the saddle on the otherside of the messenger, says "Though i don't think they've taken any large section of the parapet yet".
"Been at it all bloody morning, they should've by now" mutters Raevar Harkonin, who then asks his young vassal knight "What about on the road near the moat?".
Darting a glance at his lord, the young landed knight from the north of the Harkonin fief, clears his throat, then says "I'm pretty sure sir Taevar is making his way back here".
The head of the Harkonin family nods, as he's sure he saw that too.
He briefly pauses, as a boulder flies by to the left of them. Shot from one of the trebuchets within castle Lé Dic.
It's the only war machine from both sides of the conflict, that's in action at the moment. Infact it's pretty much been firing non-stop since the battle began earlier this morning.
The boulder is headed for the Harkonin camp. To where the wagons, supply stores, and surgeons tents are located.
The baron then quietly says "So am i". As he too has spotted the army commander sir Taevar heading back this way.
Then Raevar Harkonin asks "The others who went with him?". Young sir Haleníc shakes his head no. Then the head of the Harkonin family asks "And that raving lunatic Percavelle?" he then adds "Is he still on this side of the moat?".
"I'm not sure m'lord" is the reply from the young landed knight, who is only seventeen years old "I can't see" adds sir Haleníc.
Who can't actually see if the enemy nobleman still stands. But what he can see, is a number of the men further ahead on the road. Not yet on the water, are going flying through the air for no apparent reason.
Baron Harkonin has seen this too. And though he wonders why some of his solders on this side of the moat are being flung about. He has a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with the former earl of the Lé Dic fief, sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
Don't tell me that madman Percavelle has killed half a dozen of my knights, and Taevar is high tailing it back here to the rear? the baron thinks to himself in disgust, he takes a look ahead again, before he looks down at the messenger.
"What is it then?" asks the baron of the fief across the border to the east, who with his army, has invaded the Lé Dic fief, after wiping out the army of lady Linara Lé Dic.
"M'lord, it's sir Parnak and the others" says the messenger, who followed at a distance, the group of landed knights who rode around to the east side of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
"What of them?" asks the baron, who goes back to looking at the castle, from where he stands on the trebuchet wheel platform, nearly nine feet off the ground.
"Ah they're all down m'lord" says the messenger, who would rather be anywhere else, than where he is now. Infact, he'd rather been in the thick of the battle, climbing one of the scaling ladders to the battlements of castle Lé Dic. Than telling his lord, what he witnessed around on the east side of the massive castle that's been the home for the Lé Dic family for generations.
With a frown upon his face, the head of the Harkonin family looks down at the mounted messenger, and says "What do you mean down?".
The messenger, who is even younger than the landed knight on the warhorse to his left, clears his throat, then says "Dead m'lord".
The baron blinks in surprise, and stares at the young messenger for a few moments, before finally saying "What, all of them?".
"Yes m'lord" is the reluctant answer from the messenger, who then adds "All of them".
"The fuck?" mutters baron Harkonin, who sees that young Haleníc is just as shocked as he is, after hearing what the messenger has just said. Then Raevar Harkonin asks "You sure?".
"I am m'lord" says the messenger who continues with "I didn't see everything that happened" followed by "But i saw sir Parnak fall last, then that green creature, picked him up over his head, and threw sir Parnak, who was still alive, into the moat".
The baron winces, then he mutters "Fucking hell" as he can imagine sir Parnak dying by drowning. As the rotund knight isn't exactly small to begin with.
And with the heavy iron plate armour he wears. He's not exactly light too. With all that armour on, baron Harkonin suspects sir Parnak must weigh close to three hundred pounds.
"Picked him up over his head?" murmurs baron Raevar Harkonin, who then asks the mounted messenger "How bloody big is that green thing?".
"Big" is the reply from the messenger, who continues after a pause with "Really big m'lord".
"By the gods" murmurs the head of the Harkonin family, who then quickly says "By the old ways" as he remembers that he's a believer in the old druidic ways, especially the ways of the dark druids.
The baron then asks the messenger who has just returned from the east side of castle Lé Dic "Where's that bloody green monster now?".
"Attacking our men around on the east side of the castle i guess m'lord" says the young messenger, who then adds "I came back right after sir Parnak was thrown into the moat, so I'm not exactly sure what it's up to" he briefly pauses, before continuing with "But i suspect that's what it's doing m'lord".
The lord of the neighbouring fief to the east, grimaces then waves away the messenger after telling him "Head back around there, and keep an eye on what it's doing" followed by "Come back, or send someone else back when it's either finally dead, or it does something else significant".
Fucking hell, seven of my best knights went around there! Raevar Harkonin thinks to himself with a shake of his head in disbelief, as he comes to terms at finding out that seven of his landed knights have been killed.
Then the baron looks over at young Haleníc, who has just said "M'lord". He looks to where the young knight gestures ahead of them on the road. And there the head of the Harkonin family, can see his brother inlaw, sir Taevar, who is the commander of his army, hurrying back on foot, to where the baron is standing on the side of one of the of the trebuchets.
Nearly out of breath, the Harkonin army commander spots the baron on the side of one of the trebuchets. And makes his way towards his brother inlaw.
Raevar Harkonin watches his army commander approach, and before the husband of his younger sister even comes to a stop, he asks him "Well, what happened?".
Breathing heavily, sir Taevar the army commander after glancing at sir Haleníc. Explains to the baron what's happened to him and the others who confronted sir Percavelle Lé Dic further along the road, near the moat.
The head of the Harkonin family is silent as he listens to his army commander. And though he suspects his brother inlaw is probably being a bit liberal with the truth. He's essentially telling him what actually happened.
Indeed sir Taevar the army commander is. Though he does embellish what he actually did in the confrontation with the former earl of Lé Dic. Telling that he had a greater role to play. Even though he never even crossed swords with the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che.
But for all that, he more or less tells the truth to the baron about what happened.
Fuck! Five more! Raevar Harkonin thinks to himself after getting over the initial shock of what his army commander has just told him.
The baron who rules the fief across the border to the east. Shakes his head, as he's realised that he's lost a dozen of his landed knights this morning.
And that doesn't include the loss of the only ordered knight he had in his army at the beginning of the day.
Sir Dontast, whose death at the hands of the enemy nobleman, the Range Lord, sir Parvin Dé Gorveré. Signaled the start of the battle for castle Lé Dic.
"That's a dozen" murmurs baron Harkonin "M'lord?" asks sir Taevar the army commandeer "A dozen of my damn knights are dead Taevar!" shouts the head of the Harkonin family, who continues with "Parnak, Galbín and the others who went around to confront that green thing, that ork or whatever it is. Are all bloody dead!".
The army commander blinks in surprise when he hears that. Then he grimaces at the implications of having twelve less knights in the army, and in positions of power within the Harkonin fief.
"Hell" mutters sir Taevar "I know, tell me about it" sourly says the baron, who then looks away to their left, but more towards the moat.
He gestures that way, and says to sir Haleníc who waits quietly nearby "Have a squad leader or an officer dispatch those two if they're still alive, Haleníc".
"Yes m'lord" says the young landed knight "And have their bodies, as well as lord Milburn's body dumped into the moat".
"I'll personally make sure it's done m'lord" says Haleníc, who puts his spurs to his horse, and takes off, calling out orders as he rides to where the two nobleborn prisoners, who though barely are still alive, have been staked.
As the young knight from the north of his fief goes off to dispatch Jared Milburn and sir Galmot. And to make sure they along with the body of lord Kievar Milburn are tossed into the moat.
Baron Harkonin hops down off the side of the trebuchet, and looks at his army commander, who also happens to be his brother inlaw.
"Walk with me" quietly says the head of the Harkonin family, and he along with the commander of his army, followed by a pair of the baron's personal guards.
Head to the picket line where the baron has his mount tied up.
"This isn't going as i had expected Taevar" quietly says baron Harkonin, the nobleman who rules the fief across the border to the east, quietly continues with "We're going backwards more than anything".
Sir Taevar, who is just glad he escaped with his life, after confronting sir Percavelle Lé Dic. Tells the baron "M'lord more of our men are getting to the top of the wall" he waves in the direction of the battlements along the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for centuries, as he adds "You can see for yourself".
"They've yet to take a section of the wall Taevar" says the baron, who continues with "And i suspect it's the same around on the east side".
"Give it time m'lord" says the commander of the Harkonin army, who follows that up, with "It's just gone midday, we're wearing them out, they can't hold on for much longer".
Sir Taevar points to the west of castle Lé Dic, to the town of Massic, and he says "We've burnt down their town" he then adds "Well at least half of it".
"That may be so" says the head of the Harkonin family, who then adds "But a dozen of my knights are dead. That loud mouth lunatic Percavelle is still alive. And so is that big, bloody green monster, which is apparently an ork".
The baron shakes his head, and mutters "It's enough to make a man pray to the gods".
The army commander, who doesn't hear that, looks around then asks "Has your advisor returned yet".
Raevar Harkonin shakes his head no, then he says "He hasn't" the baron continues with "I suspect he'll return in a timely manner".
Sir Taevar hopes so. For though he doesn't particularly like the dark druid Palvarc. Infact hardly any of the nobility in the Harkonin fief are that enamoured with the baron's advisor.
But the army commander can see the benefit of the dark druid. Who if baron Harkonin gives him permission to do so. Could do some significant damage to a section of the walls of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
As an ostler gets the baron's horse from the tie line, and the two noblemen who are brother inlaws. Watch as young sir Haleníc has the bodies of the three nobleborn prisoners, lord Milburn, his grandson Jared Milburn, and the Lé Dic army commander, sir Galmot.
Taken down from the poles they've been staked to. And carried to the moat, where they'll be dumped.
Baron Harkonin quietly says to his army commander "Send everyone forward, any reserve squads we've been holding back. The rest of the war machine crews. Hell, even the camp followers. Everyone!" he then adds "I want as many as possible assaulting the walls of that monstrosity of a castle".
After the ostler hands the reins of his mount to him, the head of the Harkonin family gets up into the saddle, and looking down at his brother inlaw, he quietly tells his army commander "By the gods, and by the old ways. I want that castle taken no matter what".
The baron is about to turn his horse away, but gestures back towards the trade road, near the moat, and says "And kill that damn insane bastard Percavelle while you're at it" baron Raevar Harkonin briefly pauses before adding "No excuses Taevar" . . . . . .