Chapter 12
April 16th; Two weeks later in Castle Heartfelt
"Please sit down, Talon." Prince Christopher nodded to the chair opposite of his desk.
"Is Trall needed for this meeting?" Talon sat in the chair.
"No. You can repeat this information to him and the rest of the unit at your leisure. I have discussed this with Blackheart and we feel this will be the best course of action. The general army is taking longer than we anticipated returning to full strength since we have been unable to recruit enough bodies. The bodies we do have are taking longer to train than we thought. Since those developments appear to be with us for awhile, I have decided that Blackheart will not be leading unit one to Markham."
"Who will be, sire?"
“That was a hard one to call. We are in short supply of men who can fill such a role, but we have decided to do some creative improvisations. So, this is how the units will look." Prince Christopher handed a scroll to Talon. He continued as Talon started to read. "Your unit is now destined for Markham. You are one person short of your original total, but with Peter Gredit you still number twelve.
Unit one will now be destined for Elizabeth Towne with Royal Man Caswel Holloway in charge." Prince Christopher paused.
"Caswel will be in charge of unit one! I won't lie to when I tell you that I am extremely happy about losing him from my team, but to have him in charge of the other team. I do feel sorry for those Guardsmen. Is twelve all we are going to have for the Markham detail?"
"Yes, but unit one is going to stay with you until you are established and comfortable within Markham. I will personally explain this to Caswel and make sure he understands his new mission."
"Good. I haven't been able to explain things to him since I met him."
"I hate springing this on you, but Confidence Trynn sent a messenger during the beginning of the week requesting these arrangements. At the next council meeting I intend to bring up the lack of support that Markham is being left. Maybe I will be able to have a number of Guardsmen sent over to your team, since you are the front line."
"Thank you, my lord. I imagine my Guardsmen are going to be relieved now that they don't have to put up with Caswel."
"I've noticed how popular he is amongst the Guardsmen. I'm doing everything I can to figure out a different way of running unit one. Don't consider these plans as finite, except for Caswel being kept off of your team." The Prince stood up. "That is all I needed from you. Can I walk you to the parade field?"
"Of course. Are you going to do a little sparring this morning?"
"I'm sure I can be persuaded."
Talon smiled as he walked with the Prince to the morning maneuvers.
April 16th; Later that afternoon at Minty’s
Talon decided to have lunch at Minty’s. Even though he knew the only reason he wanted to eat there was because it gave him an excuse to see Marilyn. Before long, Talon walked in the front door of the Inn and sat down at a table close to the window.
Marilyn appeared from the kitchen and sat down next to him. Neither one said anything to each other. It was early in the afternoon and both were already dragging their feet.
Talon noticed that the Inn was relatively quiet with only a few patrons seated at other tables. Talon looked over at Marilyn as she was looking out the window. "Hi! Business looks a little slow."
"Hi. Same old lunch crowd. I wasn't expecting to see you until dinner. I hope everything is all right at the castle?" Marilyn looked at Talon with a concerned look.
“It is much better than expected." Talon smiled at her and continued. "If it wasn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to slip away."
Marilyn smiled and reached over the table and held his hand. "I am glad you did." They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment and Marilyn said, "Do you want something to eat?"
“Yes. I was hoping you would ask. Can you join me?"
"I should be able to. This is probably the most we will get this afternoon. Let me go find out." Marilyn started to rise.
"Please tell Minty that I invited at least ten people here tonight. They should be around after the dinner hour is over."
"Okay, I am sure he won't mind the business. I'll be right back."
Talon watched her walk away. He was starting to really like the simple things in life. Marilyn returned a few moments later.
"What are you hungry for?" Marilyn sat down next to him. Talon threw an arm around her and she nestled in.
"How about some beef stew? Maybe a little bread." Talon squeezed her shoulder.
"Okay, I'll throw some vegetables on the side." Marilyn slipped out from Talon and started to head to the kitchen.
Talon smiled as she left and said, "Thanks Mom!"
Marilyn shot him a smile as she headed inside the kitchen.
Minty came out a few moments later and headed over to Talon's table. "How are things at the castle?"
"Same old. Did Marilyn tell you about tonight?" Talon asked.
"Yeah. Not a problem." Minty heavily sat down.
Marilyn walked out of the kitchen over to the table with a pitcher and two glasses. She sat down across from Talon. "What are you two talking about?"
Minty winked at Talon and looked at Marilyn. "You, of course."
Marilyn smiled at this and started to pour Talon's drink, "Isn't it time for your drink, Uncle?"
Minty grimaced as Talon laughed. "I will make it, Marilyn. Relax and I will bring you two your lunch." Minty got up and walked back to the kitchen.
Marilyn finished pouring the drinks and sat back. "How much longer do you think you have here?"
Talon wasn't sure of the answer, but he knew it wasn't long. "I really don't know, but my gut is telling me it won't be much longer before I have to leave. What are you going to do?"
"I have been thinking about that. I talked to Uncle and he wants me to stay here with him." Marilyn paused and seemed to think about that. "I think that's what I'll do."
Talon was happy to hear that she wasn't heading back to Redderin anytime soon.
"Who is coming tonight?" Marilyn asked.
"The members of my unit." Talon replied.
"Anyone I know?"
"Yeah, a few people. Peter will be here. Of course Trall will be coming and I think the Prince and Blackheart might be here. A couple of the unit members are from Redderin. Maybe you will know some of them. There will also be some Guardsmen you have already met." Talon took a drink.
They talked for a little while longer, until Minty appeared with their food. On Talon's plate were the vegetables that Marilyn promised. He laughed and together they shared some of their food. The conversation continued just like it had since their first date. Time slipped away until Talon realized he needed to get back to the castle.
"I will see you tonight."
"Okay." Marilyn gave him a kiss on the lips and disappeared into the kitchen.
Talon momentarily watched her go and then left the Inn. He headed back to Heartfelt and was back in his room before he knew it.
Knock. Knock.
Talon moved over to the door. Before he got to it, Trall walked in.
"How are things?"
Talon smiled at Trall. "Come in. Couldn't be better. I am glad you stopped by. I wasn't able to tell you about the new changes at maneuvers this morning." Talon crossed the room and sat on the corner of his bed.
"Really. Who's making changes?" Trall sat at Talon's desk.
"Prince Christopher. I spoke with him this morning."
"Funny he didn't mention it to me when I saw him. Before I forget, he is coming tonight and is going to bring Blackheart along."
"Good. I wondered if you had asked them. Anyway, here is what has changed." Talon spent the next few minutes explaining the developments and the changes.
"Looks like we’re are ending up with the better end of the deal. Caswel
has been nothing, but a big pain the neck. I do feel sorry for the first unit's Guardsmen."
Talon laughed. "I told the Prince the same thing."
"Well, I have to run some errands, but I will see you tonight at Minty's."
"Okay." Talon closed the door behind Trall as he disappeared down the hall. Trall had left him with a new sense of confidence and he realized how everything had fallen into place for his unit. With the exception of Caswel, the rest of the unit had bonded instantly. Now that the Caswel problem was eliminated, the near future looked bright. Every day the maneuvers improved, until Talon wasn't sure how much farther up the team could go. Peter had even become a terror with his sword.
Feeling a little tired, Talon got up and went over to lie on his bed. It wasn't long before he had fallen asleep. Sometime later, Talon was awoken by a knock on the door.
"Talon! Talon, are you home?"
Talon brushed the sleepiness out of his eyes and sat up. "Yes. Come in." Talon wondered if he said that loud enough.
"Talon." A few more bangs on the door. "Talon."
Obviously Talon didn't speak loud enough. "Coming." Talon walked over to the door. He opened it and was surprised to see Peter standing there. "Hi."
"Sorry to wake you Talon, but I was about to head into towne and I noticed your horse was still in the stalls. Is anything wrong? Are we still on for tonight?" Peter's excitement showed through.
"Yes, of course. I guess I owe you a thanks since I would have slept right through till the morning. How late is it?" Talon looked outside the window to get a bearing.
"It is a little past the dinner hour. Are you ready to go?" Peter was brimming with excitement.
"Yeah, let's go."
Peter and Talon dashed to the stables. Before long, they were standing in front of the Inn. They pushed their horses through the crowd of horses on the hitching post and headed inside.
There was a high level of noise coming from inside and Talon guessed they weren't early. Peter opened the door and found what looked like the entire unit. Here and there, Talon saw people he didn't even recognize. As he continued to scan the bar, he found Marilyn behind the bar with Minty. They were too busy to have noticed anyone else coming in.
Trall appeared out of the crowd. "Almost didn't think you were going to make it." Trall smiled at Peter.
"If it wasn't for Peter, I would still be in my bed counting donkeys. How are things going?" Talon looked around and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"Things are going great. I don't think Minty's had this much business in a really long time. I was starting to think he wouldn't remember what it was like." Trall led Talon and Peter around.
Talon mingled with everyone and it looked like there wasn't anyone missing. Talon took one more look and realized there was one person missing, Royal Man Caswel Holloway. Talon wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, he didn't show up to the morning maneuvers, so he couldn't have known about this, but Talon found it hard to believe that someone didn't pass the word to him. Talon decided not to worry about it.
Talon sat down at a far table with Trall and Peter as William Nachtigall walked to the center of the room. He got everyone's attention and called for Kenneth Layton to join him. Talon was curious about what he had planned, but he didn't have to wait long. Both men started to sing. William led and Kenneth added the background. Stephen wasn't about to let them have all the fun so he jumped up and added some of his own background. Just when Talon thought it couldn't get any bigger, Samantha La Sabre joined in. It wasn't the greatest of songs, but everyone started to clap along.
With his attention on the show, Talon didn't notice Marilyn sneak over to his table. She sat down right next to him with a drink. Talon was surprised to see her. She didn't let him say anything, but kissed him full on the lips and then started to watch the show. Talon took a drink and sat back with her. It lasted for a longer time than Talon thought possible. Once they finished the song William walked over and grabbed three cups. He started to juggle them and with the help of Stephen he went from three to seven. It was amusing and it made Talon happy that everyone was having such a great time.
In the middle of William's juggling act, the Prince and Blackheart walked in. The commotion caused everyone to look back, including William. William heard the Prince being announced and lost his concentration. He had four cups in the air and he was able to catch two of them, but one went crashing to the floor, while the other cup headed for Stephen's head. Stephen was looking at the Prince when the cup struck him in the side of his head. Talon had a feeling this wasn't part of the show, but he started laughing. Everyone else joined in. The Prince and Blackheart walked over to Talon's table. Talon looked behind them and saw the Royal detachment fanned out in front of the inn.
"Good evening, Talon!" Talon started to motion to kneel, but the Prince stopped him. "Relax, Talon. Stay seated. Nice to see you again, Marilyn." The Prince took a seat opposite of Talon. Blackheart followed right behind him.
"Good to see you both made it! You just missed William and the gang singing." Talon laughed at the thought.
"Actually, Blackheart and I have seen it many times over, although the juggling is new." The Prince turned around and looked in William's direction.
William had picked up where he left off. With the exception of the broken cup, he now had six in the air. Stephen would occasionally toss in a plate. He continued for a good deal of time, before making preparations to finish. He started calling out names. Then after he called the name, he would fire a cup in their direction. It took the first two by surprise before the rest realized what was going on. By then there were two more cups and a few more bruises added to the casualty list. William caught the last one in his hand and bowed. The room broke into applause.
"Thank you, everyone. Please show your generosity by paying for the cups I broke." William bowed again and money came flying at him. Once the clapping died down, William picked up the money and handed it over to Minty. Everyone returned to their conversations.
"That was quite a show. How you keep such talented people in the Royal Guard is beyond me, Blackheart." Talon laughed and waited for Blackheart’s legendary temper.
"Don't start with me or I might have William incorporate you into the show." Blackheart smiled at the thought and then got serious for a moment. "I see Caswel didn't make it to tonight's festivities. I had William find him and let him know about it. Prince Christopher told me of his no shows at maneuvers." Blackheart looked around again.
"Well, since you boys are talking business, I will find out if anyone needs anything." Marilyn stood up and started into the crowd.
Minty showed up a few moments later. He greeted everyone and put a pitcher with some mugs on the table. Minty spoke briefly with everyone before heading back to the bar.
"How are things going with the unit?" Prince Christopher looked at both Talon and Trall. Talon answered and proceeded to give him the rundown. Trall added in some insights and combined they brought the Prince up to speed. "Good. I want to meet with you and Trall during the week. This will be to get the ball rolling." The Prince looked over at Blackheart. "I want you and one or two of your Royal Guardsmen. Whoever you have placed in key positions."
Blackheart nodded his agreement. The Prince looked to both Talon and Trall for the same. Talon briefly looked at Trall and then nodded his agreement.
"There is going to be another meeting of the Council during the next week, so we are going to iron out all of the details for the Confidences. Be prepared."
The council meeting was set for sometime during the week and now that the men had covered the basics, the conversation shifted from business to pleasure. The old soldiers talked until the late evening. It was running late for the Prince and Blackheart, so they left for the evening. This freed up Talon and Trall. Both men went to spend time with their new unit
. The party was threatening to last all night, but Minty started closing up shop.
Talon reminded everybody to meet on the parade field in the morning. With a room full of groans everyone started to pile out of the Inn. Talon waited behind and talked to Marilyn for a few minutes. After a kiss from her and a good bye from Minty, Talon and Trall mounted up and headed back to the castle.
"Quite the evening, Talon."
"I was happy to see that everyone had a good time."
Talon and Trall went through the front gate of the castle. After returning their horses to the stalls both men went to bed.