The Homecoming 151.

Back Again...

His name's Darid Parsen. He was born in the town of Massic. Grew up there, before he moved into the castle beside it, castle Lé Dic.
When he joined the army of the nobleborn Lé Dic family, after he failed at being an apprentice carpenter. Which was nearly two years ago now, when the young lady Linara Lé Dic took over the rule of the fief after her father died.
Darid who at eighteen made a better castle guard than he did an apprentice carpenter.
Soon found himself being made a squad leader in the army of the Lé Dic fief.
And by the time he had turned twenty at the end of winter. He was inline to be promoted to sergeant at arms. Well, at least one in training.
That's until the Harkonin army from the fief to the east started pushing into the Lé Dic fief.
Darid who thought he'd be part of the force that would go to retake the border town of Falshire.
Was more than a little disappointed to find himself remaining behind at the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
That's until he learnt that the Lé Dic army was wiped out when it pushed into the Harkonin fief after it retook the border town of Falshire.
And that the Harkonin army invaded the Lé Dic fief, where they'd head for the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for centuries.
A castle that baron Harkonin wanted for himself. But more importantly to wipe out the last of the Lé Dic family.
The Harkonin army was soon at castle Lé Dic, and attacking it.
Darid Parsen soon found himself in the thick of the battle for the massive castle.
Where he was on the south wall of castle Lé Dic. Where throughout the day of the battle, the fighting was the heaviest.
The squad leader in the Lé Dic family fought beside friends and strangers. Beside his fellow soldiers in the army of the fief, who had remained here at castle Lé Dic. And others who had come from the Duc de Laér estate in the east of the fief.
He fought beside castle servants he knew. And townsfolk he grew up with. And others from nearby farms and villages he had never met before in his life.
Darid also fought beside other strangers. Some of the mercenaries who had shown up at the end of winter, who had traveled with sir Percavelle Lé Dic, when the former earl returned to his family's ancestral home.
He briefly fought alongside sir Percavelle Lé Dic himself. Something he'd never thought would happen in his life.
He remembered being a child, and seeing the famous knight riding through the town of Massic many a time, before the then earl left the Lé Dic fief.
Darid like all boys his age, dreamed to fight alongside the famous paladin. And when he finally did, here on the south wall battlements of sir Percavelle's ancestral home.
It was more than he expected. For the former earl, though older, was still untouchable as he cut down any of the enemy who got in his way.
Also during the day, Darid fought near the ork creature. Which was altogether a completely different experience than fighting alongside sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
For starters, the large ork stunk worse than anything imaginable. When the former apprentice carpenter saw it earlier at the end of winter tourney. He didn't get close enough to smell it. And he dismissed those who had, and who had told him that the large creature smelled like a midden heap during the height of summer.
Darid found it to be true and more, when he fought beside it along the battlements on the south side of the massive castle that's been the home to the Lé Dic family for generations.
He gagged, and almost threw up when the ork creature leaned over him, and shoved away an enemy scailing ladder that he and a couple of others were trying to push off the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
It then growled something at him and the others that Darid couldn't understand, before it ambled off along the parapet to get to some more of the enemy who had topped the war.
A little later, the former carpenter's apprentice from the town of Massic is sure he saw the ork creature bite off the face of a Harkonin soldier, and eat it. Darid isn't entirely sure, as he was in the midst of fighting a couple of the enemy, who were doing their best to kill him at the time.
Darid Parsen also fought alongside the other mercenary who was on the south wall of castle Lé Dic throughout most of the battle.
The mercenary ranger who was in command of the defence of the south side of the massive castle. A man who Darid learnt was named Riley.
Who the former apprentice carpenter fought alongside many a time during the battle.
That was until Darid Parsen was hit in the side of the chest by an enemy arrow. And when a well meaning castle servant snapped the arrow, then pulled it out. Daird's fate was set.
For when he was carried down off the wall, and taken across the courtyard to the nearby tower when the wounded and injured were seen to.
Darid Parsen bled out before any of the healers, or the court wizard could get to see him.
In one of the underground chambers of a tower on the south side of castle Lé Dic. The dead have been laid out. They've been stripped, and washed by a number of the older women from here in the castle and the town next to it, Massic.
The battle above, has just ended. With the enemy, those who have survived. Fleeing away to the southeast at this time as the battle suddenly went against them.
As their rafts all sank, and those who didn't drown in the moat. Were barely able to get out of the water, where they were attacked by their fellow Harkonin soldiers and camp followers who had unexpectedly turned on them.
Rumour is it, that they were enscrolled by the elven magic user. One of the mercenaries who had come to castle Lé Dic when the former earl of the fief, sir Percavelle returned.
The older women cleaning the bodies of the dead, preparing them for burial. Who have been doing their work in near silence throughout the day.
Are now busy chatting to one another as they do their work now that they've just got word that the enemy has been defeated, at that they're fleeing from castle Lé Dic.
One of the women, who is kneeling down between two of the pallets that dead are lying on.
Suddenly goes still, as she is certain she just heard something right behind her. It sounded like movement.
She turns her head and looks back at the body of the young man she has just washed clean. A young man she knew, as he grew up not far from where she lives in Massic.
She looks back at the dead soldier, and blinks in surprise as she is pretty certain, that even in the lamp lit chamber that's underground. She sees the dead soldier's eyelids moving.
She then screams and gets up and hurries away as the eyes open, and slight groan comes from the lips of the dead soldier she has just washed clean.
The other women in the chamber look over, then they all scream and shout as they see one of the dead, trying to sit up on the pallet it's on.
All of them quickly flee the chamber beneath the tower. Leaving only the dead in it. Well, the dead and one other.
He sits up groaning, and looks around blinking his eyes. And is surprised to find himself in a chamber with dead bodies lying in rows around him.
Most are naked, and show signs of being cleaned recently. While away to his left, closer to the door of the large chamber, others are still clothed, yet to be administered to.
He sits there on a wooden pallet, not just trying to remember how he got here and what happened. But more importantly, what his name is.
He sits there for a little while in the lamp lit chamber, until he recalls that his name might be Darid.
Though he frowns, as he seems to remember that his name is something else entirely different. What? He's not entirely sure of. As things seem to be a jumbled up in his mind. As memories return to him, that he never knew he had.
He's sitting there naked on a wooden pallet, surrounded by dead bodies on other pallets. Trying to remember what's happened and who he is.
When the chamber door opens, and a relatively tall, and lean figure in a white hooded cloak enters, and makes their way over to where he's sitting.
The person crouches down next to the pallet he's on, and looks at him, then slightly smiles.
He realises that the person isn't human, and is infact an elf. And that he isn't entirely certain, but he thinks he knows the elf.
"How are you?" asks the elf in the white hooded cloak "Fine" is his reply after he clears his throat.
The elf nods his hooded head, then lifts a questioning eyebrow as he asks "And your name?".
It takes him a few moments as he tries to sort through the conflicting memories in his head, then he says "I think it's Darid" he briefly pauses then adds "Darid Parsen".
He's silent for a few moments, for he's certain that is his name, but it doesn't seem right.
He looks at the elf watching him, and says to him "No, that's not right, it's" he then tells him the name that suddenly comes into his mind "Zubutai Timaginson".
Helbe the elven thief smiles, then tells the young man, Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesmanwho until a little while ago was dead "Welcome back".
To the southwest of castle Lé Dic, about seventeen miles away from the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
Mira Reinholt the mage who has put the prisoner to sleep by way of a spell, is quietly chatting with Narladene the ground pixie as they wait.
"What's he like?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage who is sitting on the ground, up against the starboard side hull of the ship's boat that's behind him.
"He seems fine enough" is the reply of Narladene the ground pixie who is sitting coss legged on the ground to the right of the once powerful mage "For a human" dryly adds Narladene in the ground pixie language which the mage Reinholt doesn't understand.
The two of them are discussing the war engineer Tovis, who the Vexilian mage in exile has yet to meet.
The tiny winged creature then tells Mira "First he seemed a little taken aback at coming along with us. Though he seems to be fitting in now" the ground pixie continues with "He was more than a little annoyed that the baron sent him to the border town of Falshire to be part of the bait and trap for the Lé Dic army. Most of the baron's men there were wiped out there and he barely got out of there alive".
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil who is also a highly skilled swordmaster nods his hooded head in understanding as the naturally magical creature has informed him of what's happened in the build up to the battle of castle Lé Dic.
"Helbe didn't have to tamper with him too much to get him to come along" explains Narladene who then adds "Just a subtle compulsion spell". "That's good" murmurs the swordmaster Reinholt.
"Oh there is one thing" says the ground pixie who originally hails from the Sunreach Mountains, who then adds "He's totally enamoured with Lis".
Mira Reinholt winces when he hears that, and he quietly says "That's not going to go well for him" the spellcaster who was the once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, then silently adds, for his sake, i hope he doesn't fall in love with her.
The mage who is in exile from his homeland of Vexil, looks down at the naturally magical creature who has changed the subject and said "Wonder who it'll be this time?".
The highly skilled swordmaster shrugs his shoulders, then says "It could be anyone" the mage Reinholt continues with "Though it won't be a someone not human since there's no one there for that" the once powerful mage briefly pauses then adds "Or a woman, since he begged him not to do that again".
Narladene laughs as she remembers the time when Kail the sorceress was a member of the group.
"Or a spellcaster" dryly continues Mira Reinholt, who then adds in the same tone "When he was that sorceress he was totally useless, a danger to the rest of us as much to any enemy we came up against".
The tiny winged creature is laughing so much, tears spring forth from her eyes. And while the exiled Vexilian mage is sourly smiling, he too starts to laugh.
After wiping her face after she finally stops laughing, Narladene looks up at the swordmaster Reinholt and is about to tell him something, when suddenly she looks away to their left, and quietly says "He's moving".
The mage Reinholt looks away to their left, where about thirty feet away, lord Farque lies face down on the ground, with his sword upright in the ground next to him.
The undead warlord is indeed moving, he rolls over, and after a few moments he sits up. He looks their way, then stands and pulls his sword out of the ground, and returns it to the strap that's across his back.
The once powerful mage stands and Narladene makes her way up onto the starboard rail of the ship's boat as the heavily armoured deathlord makes his way over to them.
After nodding to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, Mira Reinholt asks him "How did it go?". "Fine" is the reply from lord Farque.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster after glancing down at the ground pixie standing on the rail beside him, who like him, wants to know, asks the undead warlord "Who is he this time?".
"A young soldier by the name of Darid Parsen" is the reply of the lord of the death realm who has just come back from that realm, after returning Zubutai Timaginson to the world of the living . . . . . .