summon the servants, I will finish these and we can send them off. Is your father coming?”
“Yes, though he is delayed. The men are to assemble here, and our orders are to defend the castle.” Aeden replied sternly.
“Good, I wrote for the men to assemble here, and that further orders would be given when they arrive.” The steward began on another scroll.
Aeden nodded, “Very well. I will assemble the servants.” Priam followed his friend who marched out the door, and they began searching the estate for whatever servants could be found. Lady Rossam intercepted Aeden as he walked out the door to the rear courtyard.
“Son, what is happening? I heard the horns. Is there really a muster? What is going on?” She rushed behind the boy as he searched the outlying buildings.
“Yes, there is. A vast army has been sighted to the east, heading this way. No one knows from whence they come, or even if they come here, but the lord of the city takes no chances.” He looked in the bathhouse, and saw a servant preparing a bucket of warm water. He pointed and sternly barked, “Come with me immediately, Will.” The man bowed quickly and followed the other three.
“Are they sending the families out of the city to the west? They can’t stay here during a siege!”
“If we send them to the west, and the army indeed does not come here but also continues west, then what?” he asked her as he opened the door to a storage building. Apparently empty, they continued on to the next building.
She responded, “Well, yes. There is that. Why now? We’ve had peace for over one hundred years! I was born at the end of our war with Franckland, and even that was not so much a war as us teaching them a lesson in respecting one’s borders.”
The next building proved empty as well, and the four re-entered the house. Aeden turned to his friend: “Priam, could you check the cellar? Or do you need to return to your parents?”
“I’d like to be with them, but I will check the cellar first. Goodbye, friend.” The two clasped hands, and Priam turned to leave, before pausing. He looked back at Aeden. “Be safe. And give ‘em hell.”
“You too.” Aeden regarded his friend, his one and really only true friend. The other boys in the city constantly swarmed him, invited him on hunting trips, gave him gifts, and prattled on and on about their fathers’ latest acquisition, but Priam was his friend, who he could confide in, who he laughed and shared his dreams with. They nodded curtly to one another and parted.
Aeden turned to Will, “Go see the steward at once. He has duties for you. When you complete them, return here and equip yourself in armor and a sword, and wait for my father.”
“Yes, my lord.” The servant turned and rushed to the front gallery where the steward still sat, quickly scribbling out more muster orders. Aeden, head held high and a bounce in his step, ran up the stairs, thinking he could get used to barking out orders in emergencies. His mother followed, and he finally replied, “I do not know, mother. Even the master healer knows nothing about this army, and he travels widely throughout the kingdom and the neighboring lands. Where is Cassandra?”
The lady emerged from the stairwell and replied, “In her room. I ordered her quite sternly to stay there when I heard the horns.” They strode down the hall, each poking their heads in to the rooms lining both sides, directing the servants to receive orders from the steward. Behind Cassandra’s door he heard murmured singing and jabbering—his sister talking to herself as she always did when alone. When the estate had been searched and they returned to the main level of the mansion, she looked at her son tenderly, “Aeden. I’m surprised. You’ve turned nearly overnight from my boy that sleeps in past breakfast into a seemingly grown man who keeps his head.”
Aeden blushed a bit, sweeping his hand through his hair, “Well, uh … thank you?” he grinned,
“Yes, though he is delayed. The men are to assemble here, and our orders are to defend the castle.” Aeden replied sternly.
“Good, I wrote for the men to assemble here, and that further orders would be given when they arrive.” The steward began on another scroll.
Aeden nodded, “Very well. I will assemble the servants.” Priam followed his friend who marched out the door, and they began searching the estate for whatever servants could be found. Lady Rossam intercepted Aeden as he walked out the door to the rear courtyard.
“Son, what is happening? I heard the horns. Is there really a muster? What is going on?” She rushed behind the boy as he searched the outlying buildings.
“Yes, there is. A vast army has been sighted to the east, heading this way. No one knows from whence they come, or even if they come here, but the lord of the city takes no chances.” He looked in the bathhouse, and saw a servant preparing a bucket of warm water. He pointed and sternly barked, “Come with me immediately, Will.” The man bowed quickly and followed the other three.
“Are they sending the families out of the city to the west? They can’t stay here during a siege!”
“If we send them to the west, and the army indeed does not come here but also continues west, then what?” he asked her as he opened the door to a storage building. Apparently empty, they continued on to the next building.
She responded, “Well, yes. There is that. Why now? We’ve had peace for over one hundred years! I was born at the end of our war with Franckland, and even that was not so much a war as us teaching them a lesson in respecting one’s borders.”
The next building proved empty as well, and the four re-entered the house. Aeden turned to his friend: “Priam, could you check the cellar? Or do you need to return to your parents?”
“I’d like to be with them, but I will check the cellar first. Goodbye, friend.” The two clasped hands, and Priam turned to leave, before pausing. He looked back at Aeden. “Be safe. And give ‘em hell.”
“You too.” Aeden regarded his friend, his one and really only true friend. The other boys in the city constantly swarmed him, invited him on hunting trips, gave him gifts, and prattled on and on about their fathers’ latest acquisition, but Priam was his friend, who he could confide in, who he laughed and shared his dreams with. They nodded curtly to one another and parted.
Aeden turned to Will, “Go see the steward at once. He has duties for you. When you complete them, return here and equip yourself in armor and a sword, and wait for my father.”
“Yes, my lord.” The servant turned and rushed to the front gallery where the steward still sat, quickly scribbling out more muster orders. Aeden, head held high and a bounce in his step, ran up the stairs, thinking he could get used to barking out orders in emergencies. His mother followed, and he finally replied, “I do not know, mother. Even the master healer knows nothing about this army, and he travels widely throughout the kingdom and the neighboring lands. Where is Cassandra?”
The lady emerged from the stairwell and replied, “In her room. I ordered her quite sternly to stay there when I heard the horns.” They strode down the hall, each poking their heads in to the rooms lining both sides, directing the servants to receive orders from the steward. Behind Cassandra’s door he heard murmured singing and jabbering—his sister talking to herself as she always did when alone. When the estate had been searched and they returned to the main level of the mansion, she looked at her son tenderly, “Aeden. I’m surprised. You’ve turned nearly overnight from my boy that sleeps in past breakfast into a seemingly grown man who keeps his head.”
Aeden blushed a bit, sweeping his hand through his hair, “Well, uh … thank you?” he grinned,
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