The General & The Knight 56.

Spring. The Coastal Town Of Halmard. The Northern Border. The Nation Of Farque.

Tamric Drubine the field commander looks at his lover Saanea the witch who asks him "Any idea where they'll send you?".
"No idea" says Tamric Drubine the field commander as they stand upon the front porch of the house here in the bordertown of Halmard they're staying.
It's early morning, and the two of them are looking out at the beach and the ocean.
They see Shur Kee the monk walking along the beach, no doubt coming back up this way after meditating as he does before dawn.
There's a handful of the teenage recruits in the water enjoying an early morning swim.
On what's their last day here in Halmard, before they ship off tomorrow to their placements within the armies of Farque.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Looks to the right of the porch, where a snoring Dorc da Orc lies fast asleep.
The nobleborn teenager who originally hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Wonders if the undead wardog Axe will come by this morning.
For if he does, Axe may very well grab the large ork, and carry him into the water for the fun of it.
He's done it already in the last few days here in the bordertown of Halmard. So there'll be no surprise if Axe does it again.
The young field commander looks to the left, and sees a yawning sir Percavellé Lé Dic walk out onto the porch of the next house down. Here, on the western side of town.
The nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic greets the two lovers Tam and Saanea.
Then the former paladin sourly smiles as he spots the legs, and big boots of his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc.
Next to the porch on the back of the house that the nobleborn teenager and the pretty looking hillwoman are staying in, while here in Halmard.
The member of the order of The Knights of Saint Mar-che. Does hope that the undead wardog Axe comes along, and drags the ork warleader down the beach and into the ocean.
The former earl of Lé Dic, which is his family's fief in eastern Druvic.
Chuckles at the thought of his bitter rival, the warleader of the ork race. Ending up in the water again this morning.
As they watch Shur Kee the monk head to the house that he shares with sir Percavellé Lé Dic here in Halmard.
Field commander Drubine quietly says to the spellcaster who is his lover "No doubt I'll join up with one of the armies" followed by "Which one, I'm not too sure".
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin knows that he was given the winter training assignment here in the northwest of the lands Farque.
More to do with keeping him occupied more than anything else.
Not to mention, to keep both the ork general, Dorc da Orc. And the foreign knight, sir Percavellé Lé Dic. Out of trouble throughout the winter. Which for the most part, they did.
Tam knows that as a field commander, he will be given another senior position in one of the armies of Farque soon enough. He just doesn't know where and when.
But when it does happen, no doubt those in the group with him.
Dorc da Orc, Shur Kee the monk, sir Percavellé Lé Dic, along with Saanea the witch will come along with him.
The son of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle and it's lands, that can be found in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Then says to the hillwoman who he met last summer, and by the autumn they were lovers "Though I'll likely be assigned again to one of the armies".
He continues on with "I doubt we'll be seeing any action elsewhere in the Southlands".
The witch from the Maldin Hills nods in understanding.
Her young lover Tam has told her about the armies of Farque.
And how they're hired out into conflict and warzones throughout the Southlands.
But with lord Farque, and the rest of the group missing. And no one knows where they are.
There's no one actively looking for one of the armies to be hired into a particular war somewhere in the Southlands.
"Though the defense of the nation is just as important" says the young field commander.
Later in the morning, Tamric Drubine is with sir Morcin the avenger. And the garrison commander here in the bordertown of Halmard, commander Kolmic.
The three of them are behind the main garrison building, discussing the recruit's placements they decided on yesterday.
Tam nods when commander Kolmic says that sending the young recruit Hamblin to The Citadel is the correct thing to do.
From the few weeks training he had here in Halmard at the end of winter, and the subsequent patrol across into the unruled lands.
And the decision making the young army recruit from the farming village of Polsten, made during that patrol.
It was a no brainer that Hamblin be sent to undertake senior officer training at The Citadel, the capital of the lands Farque.
One of the two people who put in a good word for young Hamblin. Comes walking by, to sit down in the shade on this side of the main building of the garrison.
Dorc da Orc just grunts at them, and as he sits he's just glad that there's a breeze blowing off the ocean this morning.
They other person who put in a good word for young Hamblin, when the instructors discussed the placements of the teenage army recruits who undertook the winter training here in the northwest of the lands Farque.
Walks by on the beach, scowling when he spots the large ork sitting in the shade of the main building of the garrison.
His bitter rival, the ork general scowls when he spots sir Percavellé Lé Dic walking by on the beach.
The scowl on the broad, green, brutish looking face of the ork warleader.
Gets deeper, and angrier when the former paladin suddenly grins, and puts a hand on the hilt of the sword of knockdown that's at his hip.
Dorc da Orc, or Dorkindle which is his given name. Sits there in the shade, muttering to himself in his native language as he watches the nobleborn knight.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world then broaches the barrel of beer he has with him.
A barrel that he had. Well begged really. Saanea the witch to have cover with a thin layer of ice.
The large ork takes a gulp, letting out a satisfying sigh. Then he paces himself, and starts to slowly sip. As he wants the cold beer to last as long as possible.
Not even his bitter rival, sir Percavellé Lé Dic, walking away down the beach can distract him from enjoying the barrel of cold beer.
Nearby, at the corner of the main building of the garrison, Tamric Drubine looks down the beach, then slightly frowns as he notices something.
The young field commander continues to slightly frown as he watches the undead wardog Axe.
Commander Kolmic notices the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin staring away down the beach, whilst frowning.
"What is it?" asks the garrison commander Kolmic.
By then, Axe starts barking. And both commander Kolmic and sir Morcin the undead avenger look south along the beach to where the massive animal has just got out of the water.
The undead wardog who is standing there on the beach, looking away to the south and barking.
Starts going around in circles as if he's chasing his tail, which is waging furiously.
The massive canine jumps from side to side. All the while barking.
He does the same, when he drops down to his belly.
His tail is waging from side to side so much, that his entire body is shaking from side to side.
Then Axe gets up, and lets out a howl. Something that he hardly ever does.
"What's wrong with that fucken doggy?" loudly mutters Dorc da Orc from where he's sitting.
Both field commander Drubine and the Halmard garrison commander, Kolmic look at sir Morcin for an explanation.
The undead avenger whose nation of birth no longer exists, is slightly frowning himself as he watches Axe.
Then suddenly the former knight looks away to the south along the coast, the direction Axe is looking.
After closing his eyes for a few moments, sir Morcin opens them, and suddenly smiles.
The undead avenger then looks at the local commander and the field commander, and tells them what's happening.
A little while later, and the entire town of Halmard are just outside the bordertown.
Near the small airdock that's on the southside of town.
The inhabitants are to the east side of the coast road, standing.
While on the west side of the road, are the local garrison, along with the teenage recruits.
They're all on their knees, while standing to one side is sir Morcin, Tamric Drubine, Saanea the witch, and Shur Kee the monk. As well as the general and the knight, Dorc da Orc and sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
There's no sign of the undead wardog Axe. Who took off a little earlier, heading south.
From where, there's now an airship approaching the bordertown of Halmard.
It's a krean scoutship, easily identifiable as it has no masts.
The vessel approaches Halmard fairly quickly, only slowing when it gets within a hundred yards of Halmard.
As it comes into land at the small, and quite low dock on the south side of town.
The undead wardog Axe can be seen on the deck of the mastless airship.
Another figure comes into view upon the deck of the strikeship.
And the inhabitants of Halmard bow, as do all of the garrison and recruits, who bow their heads to the ground.
Most of them have never seen the figure standing upon the deck next to Axe. But they all know who it is.
As the krean strikeship sets down in the small circular dock, Axe as well as the one with him jump overboard.
As Axe takes off to the beach, sir Morcin steps forward, and bows. The soldiers and recruits behind him kneeling, bow once more.
"My lord" says sir Morcin the undead avenger.
"Morcin" says lord Farque in reply, who then clasps his right forearm with the undead avenger's in greeting.
The former knight, steps away, and his lord looks at the soldiers of the Halmard garrison, and the teenage army recruits and says "Rise".
As they all stand, the undead warlord looks over at those of the group who are here in the bordertown of Halmard.
Noticing the young witch standing next to Tamric Drubine the field commander.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head in greeting, then says in the ork language "Hey cunt".
In response to Dorc da Orc saying in greeting in the same language "Hey Farque".
The ork warleader who remembered not to call lord Farque cunt.
Glances sideways at his bitter rival, the foreign knight, sir Percavellé Lé Dic, who says to him "Look yonder you smelly beast, there's the rest of the chaps, wot".
Then as the undead warlord waves field commander Drubine forward to have a quick chat with him and sir Morcin.
Dorc da Orc notices those who are disembarking from the krean strikeship.
The large ork grunts, as they're all familiar to him, who have been missing since spring last year.
All except one, who isn't familiar at all, until he catches the scent of that person.
The ork warleader suddenly bursts out laughing, hard and loud, so much so he's quickly in tears as he points.
"Look!" says Dorc da Orc who follows that with "It's a hobbitch!" he then adds "Look at it, a fucken hobbitch!".
He can't continue on, as he's laughing so hard. The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world is bent in two as he points and laughs.
While next to him, his bitter rival sir Percavellé Lé Dic wonders why the ork general is laughing so hard.
"I told you this was going to be a fucking nightmare" sourly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit to Mira Reinholt the mage as they make their way down off the low airdock.

Author's Note - Here ends "The General & The Knight". The main storyline will continue in "To War".